Orange-Tip Butterfly Inspiration

May 29, 2021May 28, 2021 ~ Karen Young

On one of our recent walks, we saw some Orange-tip butterflies.

I wasn’t quick enough to grab a picture of them. But, with their distinctive look, I chose to make a project using them as inspiration.

If you haven’t already done so, check out my recent Top Tips, Tricks and Techniques video where I talk about taking inspiration from the world around you.

Orange-tip butterfly inspiration. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

This project combines quite a lot of products. New in the Annual Catalogue, the Butterfly Brilliance Stamp Set and Dies and Quiet Meadow Stamp Set. Plus, from the January-June Mini Catalogue, the Vine Design Bundle, Twine Combo Pack and Double Oval Punch.

I’ll miss the Vine Design Stamp Set and Die Bundle when it retires at the end of June. If you want to get your hands on this Bundle, make sure you grab it while you can as items are only available while stocks last.

For my colour combination, I chose Pear Pizzazz and So Saffron. The orange tips are coloured using Watercolor Pencils and a Blender Pen.

Orange-tip butterfly inspiration. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

After stamping in Basic Gray and cutting and colouring the butterfly, I turned my attention to the background.

As you know, I love ‘splat’ stamp images, and the new Quiet Meadow Stamp Set was just perfect for this project.

Also, as I was using more rounded shapes, I used the Detailed Trio Punch to round the corners too.

A sentiment from the Vine Design Stamp Set is raised over a length of twine from the Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack.

The butterfly then sits on a die cut that I have coloured using Sponge Daubers.

Finally a few Gold Metallic Pearls are popped around the card.

Orange-tip butterfly inspiration. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Don’t forget that the JOIN+ offer ends on Monday. Find out more about this fabulous offer and how to join my team.

For full details of my 2021 Classes, head to my Class Timetable.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Heartfelt Thank You With Forever Fern

May 18, 2021May 17, 2021 ~ Karen Young

I recently made these Thank You cards for my Mum.

Heartfelt Thank You With Forever Fern. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Mum asked me to make a batch of cards she could send to those who have supported her since we lost Dad in January.

As Dad loved all things nature, I just had to use the Forever Fern Stamp Set.

Heartfelt Thank You With Forever Fern. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

It’s a simple, yet striking design in various shades of green with Very Vanilla providing a lovely warm contrast.

The leaves are stamped in Garden Green and Pear Pizzazz, with the background splats in Old Olive for extra texture.

To speed up the stamping process and ensure all the leaves were in the same place on each card, I used my Stamparatus.

Heartfelt Thank You With Forever Fern. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, the Vine Design Stamp Set and Mossy Meadow ink create the sentiment.

With the sentiment fitting perfectly in a Double Oval Punch shape, it then sits on top of a length of co-ordinating Mossy Meadow Braided Linen Trim.

As the Annual Catalogue has just launched, we often forget about the other catalogues, such as the January-June Mini Catalogue. This is where the Vine Design Stamp Set and Braided Linen Trim I used here can be found.

Why not join me at one of my future classes . Head to my Class Timetable for full details.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Plenty of Pinks for a 40th Birthday

May 8, 2021May 5, 2021 ~ Karen Young

A friend who is a fan of all things pink and sparkly had their 40th Birthday recently.

Plenty of Pinks for a 40th Birthday. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

With the new Annual Catalogue providing another pink in this year’s In Colors. I had plenty of pinks to choose from.

My colour combination is Polished Pink, Blushing Bride and Melon Mambo and the project is version of this previous card. This project is a large A5 card. Plenty of Pinks for a 40th Birthday. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

For the flowers, I have used the In Bloom Bundle – In Bloom Stamp Set and Pierced Blooms Dies from the January-June Mini Catalogue.

The background is a combination of the In Bloom Stamp Set and the Forever Fern Stamp Set. Using a Sponge Dauber, I’ve also added touch of extra colour behind the flowers.

Vine Design provides the Happy Birthday sentiment and is cut out using the Messages Die, again, both are from the January-June Mini Catalogue.

Plenty of Pinks for a 40th Birthday. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

A long length of the Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack in Blushing Bride with a bow wraps around the card.

I’m not sure that you can see the huge amount of Wink of Stella I’ve used on the project to create a lot of sparkle. It is on the flowers and also dotted across the background too.

Finally, for a bit more sparkle, Rhinestones and In Color Jewels are added.

Why not join one of my classes to use items from the new Catalogue. Head to my Class Timetable for full details.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Saying Hello – Elegantly Said Bundle

May 6, 2021May 5, 2021 ~ Karen Young

Today I’m sharing a Birthday card that uses a good handful of new products from the new Annual Catalogue.

Elegantly Said Bundle. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs This is a card for a friend who is a big Stampin’ Up! fan. Due to where their Birthday falls, each year I use new products from my Demonstrator pre-order on their card. I then challenge them to spot all of the new items!

If you’d like to join my Stampin’ Up! Team, take a look at the Join+ Promotion that is running this month. £154 of products for just £99.

For this project I’ve taken inspiration from page 147 of the new Annual Catalogue.

The card uses 8 brand new products. Can you find them all before I share the list?

Elegantly Said Bundle. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Our first two items are the Elegantly Said Stamp Set and Elegant Tag Punch from the Elegantly Said Bundle.

Next, stamping tone-on tone in new In Color Pale Papaya using an image from the Stamp Set gives us items 3 and 4.

Gold leaves from the Sprig Punch and the new Flowers & Leaves Punch, new item 5, are set behind the Crumb Cake tag shape.

A sentiment in Old Olive from the Vine Design Stamp Set is given a shape on one end using the Treasured Tags Pick a Punch. Both of these items are from the January-June Mini Catalogue.

On the other side is a short loop of Pale Papaya & White Ribbon for new product 6.

Making a bow using the Simply Elegant Trim in Gold provides a bit of sparkle. Some bling using the new Genial Gems in Pale Papaya then adds a finishing touch. These are the final new items 7 and 8 on the project.
Elegantly Said Bundle. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Why not join one of my classes to use items from the new Catalogue. Head to my Class Timetable for full details.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Lots of new…

May 3, 2021May 2, 2021 ~ Karen Young

Tomorrow is an exciting day as it’s the launch of the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalogue.

To save them getting lost in tomorrow’s excitement, I’m sharing details of TWO new promotions that also go live tomorrow.

These promotions are great for anyone who has a shopping list of items from the new catalogue.

The first is JOIN+

Join my team between 4th-31st May 2021 and receive an extra £24 of goodies in your Starter Kit. For just £99, can choose £154 of products!

Full details can be found here. Please be aware that any links to the SU! website may not work properly until 4th May.

The next is Connect, Craft and Collect

This is Extra Rewards for hosting parties or placing an order of your own of £200+. Why not grab some friends, combine your orders and receive extra goodies!

Full details can be found here. Please be aware that any links to the SU! website may not work properly until 4th May.

Today is the last chance to order items from the Retiring List. Make sure you grab those items.

Plus, don’t forget the fabulous Natural Touch Specialty Paper from the Butterfly Brilliance Bundle leaves us today too.

Why not join one of my classes to use items from the new Catalogue. Head to my Class Timetable for full details.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Offers & Promotions Book a Class

Vine Design Bundle Sympathy Card

April 7, 2021April 6, 2021 ~ Karen Young

I sadly needed to make a sympathy card for a friend recently.

Vine Design Bundle Sympathy Card. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs The Vine Design Stamp Set and Dies Bundle, from the January-June Mini Catalogue, provides intricate delicate pieces and flower shapes to create beautiful projects.

I chose to use a soft colour combination of Soft Sea Foam, So Saffron, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla.

Using the Very Versailles Stamp Set and both Crumb Cake and Soft Sea Foam inks, I stamped the branch image multiple times to create a faded background effect.

Vine Design Bundle Sympathy Card. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Next, I added the delicate circle of leaves and attached some die cut So Saffron flowers to it. There are already flowers in the die cut piece, but I wanted mine to be in a different colour.

Using a Sponge Dauber, I darkened the edges of the flowers slightly, before adding a small dot of Wink of Stella in the centre of each one. Vine Design Bundle Sympathy Card. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, I raised the ‘Thinking of You’ sentiment with Dimensionals over the flowers.

For details of my classes, where we make a wide selection of cards, head to my Class Timetable.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Butterfly Brilliance Bundle Birthday

April 3, 2021April 1, 2021 ~ Karen Young

This pretty butterfly from the Butterfly Brilliance Bundle flew to one of my Nieces for her Birthday.

Butterfly Brilliance Bundle Birthday. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

I chose a soft colour combination of Petal Pink, Pear Pizzazz and Gray Granite, with Very Vanilla

With the corners rounded using the Detailed Trio Punch, it was time for the stamping.

The leaves and splatter images from Forever Fern Stamp Set create the backdrop for the butterfly.

Butterfly Brilliance Bundle Birthday. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs Using the items from the Butterfly Brilliance Bundle, the butterfly is stamped and cut out. To add a touch of colour, I used Stampin’ Blends, using the darker blend on the darker patches of stamping and the lighter blend for the rest.

The Vine Design Stamp Set from the January-June Mini Catalogue provides the sentiment, cut out with the Double Oval Punch. Butterfly Brilliance Bundle Birthday. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, some Elegant Faceted Gems in co-ordinating Petal Pink add a subtle touch of bling.

This fabulous bundle is available as an early release product, before it joins us from May in the new Catalogue.

As there is a new Catalogue on the way, make sure you check out the Retiring List and get your hands on them while you can.

Why not join me at one of my classes. Head to my Class Timetable for full details.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Customer Thank You Cards using FREE SAB DSP

February 27, 2021February 26, 2021 ~ Karen Young

Earlier this week I showed you some Thank You cards I had made using the FREE Flower & Field SAB DSP.

Here is another version of the project, made using a different sheet from this fabulous 12×12 DSP.

This was my most recent customer Thank You card, for those who shopped with me during December and January.

Customer Thank You Cards using FREE SAB DSP. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

This time, I’ve taken the bright Flirty Flamingo piece with stripes. Again, this is cut in half to show the other side. The floral side at the top and the stripes on the bottom.

Rather than a length of ribbon, a strip of co-ordinating cardstock covers the join. Customer Thank You Cards using FREE SAB DSP. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, a sentiment from the Vine Design Stamp Set, cut out using a Circle Punch is stuck on using Dimensionals. Customer Thank You Cards using FREE SAB DSP. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Which one do you prefer, this pink one, or the Bumblebee one from the other day?

Don’t forget that Sunday 28th February is the final day for this SAB period. Make sure you get your hands on these FREE items while you can.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Saying Thank You With FREE SAB DSP

February 24, 2021February 24, 2021 ~ Karen Young

I’ve needed to send Thank You cards to close friends who have helped us recently.

Using the FREE Flower & Fields DSP from the first SAB of the year, I made these bright cards.

Saying Thank You With FREE SAB DSP. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

They use the same sheet of DSP, with the piece cut to show both sides. Where the two pieces meet is then covered with a length of co-ordinating ribbon.

Saying Thank You With FREE SAB DSP. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

I chose to use Bumblebee and Basic Black from the paper for my colours.

The sentiment is from the new Vine Design Stamp Set and stamped in Tuxedo Black Ink. It is then cut out using a Circle Punch.

This is then raised up over the ribbon using Dimensionals.

Saying Thank You With FREE SAB DSP. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

You can make LOADS of cards using this DSP. Pop back in a few days to see another version of this project.

SAB is only running until the end of this month, so make sure you place any orders to grab your FREE items by then.

Before I sign off, I’d like to once again thank you for your kind words and messages. I’m slowly making a gentle return to classes and am loving being able to spend time in my craft room.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class

Happy New Year, Mini Catalogue & SAB 2021!

January 5, 2021January 5, 2021 ~ Karen Young

Happy New Year!

As it’s 5th Jan, it means it time for the NEW January-June Mini Catalogue & SAB 2021 to go LIVE.

SAB is only for 2 months this time, but there will be another one later in the year. So, more chances to get your hands on FREE products.

Mini Catalogue & SAB 2021. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

If you received some happy mail from me before Christmas, one of these pretty Birthday cards will have arrived with you.

This card uses some new products. Can you spot them all before I reveal them to you? Mini Catalogue & SAB 2021. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

My colour combination is Seaside Spray, Rococo Rose and Mossy Meadow, with Whisper White. Don’t forget to read up on the replacement for Whisper White that is coming soon.

The first new product is the Vine Design Stamp Set, this can also be purchased as part of a Bundle with a fabulous set of dies.

Next, I’m so happy to see the return of an Oval Punch. This is a two in one punch with a scallop layer and smooth inner that work perfectly together.

Braided Trim in Mossy Meadow is my third new product on this card. I love the thinner trims and am delighted to there’s some Baker’s Twine in the Mini Catalogue too!

Mini Catalogue & SAB 2021. Project designed by Karen at HIPPOFROG Designs

Finally, pretty new Pastel Pearls in co-ordinating Seaside Spray add a finishing touch. I think these Pearls are going to very quickly become a favourite.

Don’t forget to take a look at my 2021 Classes. Head to my Class Timetable for full details and to book your place.

Happy crafting

Karen Young HIPPOFROG Designs

To order any of the supplies shown below, head to my Online Store

Online Shopping Club Code Join my team Current Products Special Offers Book a Class