One of the most innovative new products released by Stampin’ Up! in recent times is the new patent-pending ‘Distinktive‘ range of stamps.  

The stamps made with this distinktive process lay down the ink at different opacities giving the finished image more depth. There’s nothing tricky about how to apply the ink: just ink the surface lightly for a perfect photographic finish. 

If you have a copy of the Australian Stampin’ Up! catalogue then you can turn to the inside back cover to see all the other stamps in this range. But for more creative ideas you’ve definitely come to the right place. 

DistINKtive Stamps Video

Curious about the DistINKtive stamps? Check out this video for some great info along with handy tips and tricks. (Keep an eye out for a big WOW moment at about the 3.19 minute mark!)

3 Ways to Add Colour to DistINKtive stamps

There are so many possibilities with these stamps, including the following:

1. Stamp with one colour ink
2. Stamp and colour in the image, or
3. Layer different inks on the stamp with a sponge dauber.

DistINKtive stamps currently available:

1. Healing Hugs

Click HERE to learn more about the Healing Hugs stamp set. 

What a stunning flower. Doesn’t it look completely different when you ink it up in two vastly different colours? We’ve got Coastal Cabana above, and Blackberry Bliss below. 

2. Bokeh Dots

Click HERE to learn more about the Bokeh Dots stamp set. 

Oh my gosh, these two stamps are so unusual and so clever! Did you know they are perfectly sized to fit on an ink pad?! Mind blown, right? 

Whenever I say ‘bokeh dots’ I always smile, because it sounds like I’m saying ‘polka dots’. Yes, it seems I’m easily amused. hehehe. 

The bokeh one on the left has a fine grid overlaid on it, and the one on the right reminds me of fireworks. Utterly gorgeous. 

3.  Seize The Day

Click HERE to learn more about the 8 piece Seize The Day stamp set. 

An outdoorsy, natural set with inspirational sentiments. 

4. Stylish Christmas

Click HERE to learn more about this festive 7 piece Stylish Christmas stamp set.

This is probably my favourite of them all. Of course, it’s to do with Christmas so it’s already a winner but I’m just totally in love with the poinsettia flower. 

Lovely sentiments too. 

5. All The Good Things

Click HERE to learn more about the Japanese-inspired All The Good Things stamp set.

The final DistINKtive stamp set on offer in the latest Stampin’ Up! catalogue features an amazing koi fish and some beautiful inspirational messages. Did you know that Koi fish are symbols of love and friendship in Japan. You can learn 15 fun Koi fish facts right here. 

I have always been fascinated by bonsai right back to my childhood so was thrilled to see one in this stamp set too. 

Pretty amazing, aren’t they! Which one is your favourite? 

If you’re in Australia you can order any of these stamp sets from my online store and they’ll be sent directly to you. To order, just click the button below and type ‘distinktive’ (with a K) into the search bar of my shop. 

Happy stamping, 

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This week the CASEing the Catty challenge blog hop turns to pages 13 – 25 of the new annual Stampin’ Up! catalogue. So many lovely projects to inspire us, beginning with the oh-so-sweet Tea Room suite through to a number of new and carry-over stamp sets and framelits.

Technique: Die Cut Window Tearing

I was inspired by the layout on page 17 (see below), especially how the middle of the die cut shape was torn open to create a window with a stamped image peeking through. The die is from the Stitched Labels set (more on that below).

I found it easier to cut the middle of the shape with my scissors first, and then tear.

A helpful tip: Stamp the peek-through image and keep it close by. Use it to compare the size of the window you need to tear open.

Oh the possibilities! What a fabulous technique to use with all of our larger dies.

Having a look through the latest Stampin’ Up! offerings, I think the following framelits would be great ones to try with this technique:

Foliage Frame Framelits Dies	Bottles & Bubbles Framelits Dies	Layering Circle Framelits Dies	Layering Ovals Framelits Dies
Layering Squares Framelits Dies	Window Box Thinlits Dies	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies	Tropical Thinlits Dies

(Click on the images above to learn more about these dies)

Stitched Labels framelits

All the framelits used on my card were from a newly released set called Stitched Labels. I think it’s a fabulous addition to any die cutting collection.

One of the hidden gems in the Stitched Labels dies is this circled one above.

You can see how it has been used on the lower half of this card here.

It creates a fabulous detailed cut accent without cutting the outline of the die.

Colours used on today’s project were Rich Razzleberry, Petal Pink, and the greens from the gorgeous Tranquil Textures designer series paper pack. I’m loving this paper! It’s quite striking and bold on one side, and much more muted on the other. Something for everyone.

[If you love patterned paper, you’ll be excited to know I’ll soon be offering a PAPER SHARE! Only 9 spots, so if you want to get your hands on 64 sheets of 6″x6″ patterned paper, for around the cost of a SINGLE PACK, then don’t miss out. Registration is opening later this month, ready for ordering on 1st of July. Request early access to register via email.]  

Next on the hop is the fabulous Monique. Click on the link below to see what she has for us this week.

Thanks for visiting me this week.

Happy stamping,

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What an exciting week at CASEing the Catty – the first one of the NEW catalogue! 

This week the theme was pretty broad. We could choose anything at all from the fabulous new 240+ catalogue so I started at the beginning, quite literally, with the inside cover. 

The cute scrapbook pages reflecting on the 30th anniversary of Stampin’ Up! caught my eye, and it was fun to look at the pages closely. What an amazing family! Shelli (co-founder) and Sterling, their amazing children and extended family including daughter Sara who is doing such a wonderful job as the current CEO.

I can’t even begin to imagine the sacrifices that every member of their family has made for Stampin’ Up!®. Rewarding, I’m sure. But I have no doubt there were many sacrifices too, and I’m very grateful for all they have done and continue to do so that we are spoilt for choice each new catalogue launch. 

In fact, it was the photo of Sara and her family that was the inspiration for my cards this week.

Here it is:

Memories & More

Memory keeping was on my mind, so I reached for the Delightfully Detailed Memories & More card pack and used the layout as inspiration this week.

This is what I created: 

Not a photo in sight! And amazingly not even a single stamp was used on this card. This is a great example of what the ‘and more‘ in ‘Memories & More’ refers to. The cards can be used for scrapbook pages, or card fronts, or gift tags, or lunchbox notes, or anything at all.

This card pack is such good value too at only AUD$17.50 for 50 double-sided cards in different sizes, 6 laser cut specialty cards and 4 sticker sheets.  

I added some of the Mint Macaron twine from the Nature’s Twine Pack, and unravelled and gathered some of it for extra interest. I love how the strands of the twine can be separated and used one their own, or with another couple of strands for a thicker detail. 

This card was a lot of fun to make, so I continued with another. Rotating the layout to the right gave me this one: 

Still just featuring the cards from the Memories & More card pack, and some twine from the Nature’s Twine pack. So fun! Really looking forward to trying similar cards with the new Tea Room card pack too. 

Let’s continue along the hop today to visit Jackie from New Zealand and see what she has for us this week. 

Happy stamping, 

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It’s officially the 1st of June here in Australia and you know what that means…

The new 2018-2019 Stampin’ Up! catalogue is HERE

Click image below to view the catalogue online

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With the launch of the 2018-2019 annual catalogue, we are shaking up the Stampin’ Up! colour collections to make sure all our inks, cardstock and coordinating products tick all the boxes:

Colours that we love and colours that we need to make our projects look complete.

We spent some time saying goodbye to the retiring colours, so now its time to say helllllooooooo new Colour Collections.

Brights

These fun colours are sure to catch the eye.

Poppy Parade was a popular In Color® from a couple of years ago that has made a welcome comeback. It’s brighter than Real Red! It almost has an orangey tone to it, if you know what I mean. And of course Flirty Flamingo was an In Color that was due to retire this year. Instead of finishing up, it has secured a coveted spot in the core colour collection!

Out of all the colour changes, the one I’m MOST excited about is the return of Coastal Cabana. Oh my goodness… I LOVED this colour when it was an In Color and like many others was so sad when it retired. Very happy to see it back and here to stay.

One of the most frequent requests I hear about the Stampin’ Up! colour range is the need for more purples. Well, we aim to please. Gorgeous Grape is the brightest of the new purples.. and yes, there are a few!

Regals

Bow down and make way for the Regals! These royal colours bring a richness to any project.

Blackberry Bliss is another popular In Color from earlier years. Not many other changes to this collection, although you’ll see that Real Red was displaced from the Brights (thanks to Poppy Parade!) so has found a new home here with the Regals.

It might take a little while to get used to Real Red’s inclusion here (old habits, being what they are) but you know what, looking at all these colours together I have to say it totally fits. Good job Stampin’ Up!.

Subtles

There’s nothing subtle about how gorgeous the Subtles collection is! Sometimes a loud and bright card is just what the occasion calls for, but when you want something understated in its beauty and elegance, the Subtles collection gives you the exact colours you need.

And hold on to your hats because this colour collection is welcoming FOUR brand new colours.

Petal Pink is lovely and sweet, Soft Sea Foam is fast heading towards being a new favourite (and looks stunning with Tranquil Tide), and Balmy Blue is that adorable baby blue we’ve been asking for. Highland Heather is the softer of the new purples, and looks fab with Gorgeous Grape.

And Mint Macaron… well, what can I say. I don’t think I’ve ever used more of a single colour of cardstock than I have of Mint Macaron. An In Color from a few years back, I think I nearly cried when it went away (not kidding). There were quite literally cheers at our recent convention when we learnt that Mint Macaron was coming back.

Neutrals

If you think the Neutrals will be dull and boring, well think again. The latest Colour Revamp gave us a big surprise with the inclusion of real colours to the neutrals. Not just shades of brown and grey anymore… a few colours have moved into the Neutrals collection, making it more exciting and colourful.

And it makes sense. Many of us use Night of Navy as a neutral these days (think of denim jeans, they go with nearly everything). And Merry Merlot and Mossy Meadow means we have Christmas colours in every colour collection. So clever!

The Basics

.

But hang on – are you wondering where Black, White and Vanilla are?

They have formed their own little posse called The Basics.

And as an FYI: With the reintroduction of Stazon Black ink, plus the return of Memento Black ink, there was no need for the Basic Black ink as well so it won’t be going forward in the 2018-2019 annual Catalogue.

Do you get confused about which black ink to use? Remember, it depends on what you’re going to do with the stamped image.

• If you’re colouring with watercolour supplies (like ink, blender pens, pencils, etc) then use Stazon Black ink.

• If you’re colouring with alcohol markers like the Stampin’ Blends, then you’ll need to use Memento ink so the outline stays nice and crisp.

In Colors®

The next stop on our colour caravan is the 2018–20 In Colors! Including Blueberry Bushel, Call Me Clover, Grapefruit Grove, Lovely Lipstick and Pineapple Punch, these colours are a bouquet of hues that lend well to any project. They are very bright!

Back for another year is Powder Pink, Lemon Lime Twist (make the most of this one!), Tranquil Tide, Berry Burst and Fresh Fig. They pair amazingly well with many of our new colours too.

Regarding the spelling…

Does it annoy you when you see the spelling of color instead of colour? Or worse, a mixture of both?

Fun fact: Here in Australia we use colour with a ‘u’, but because ‘In Color®‘ is the registered brand name we have to spell it without the u.

I know, I know… it looks a bit weird, especially when we are mixing them up, but it makes sense when you understand why.

Bring on the new Stampin’ Up! Colour Revamp

So there you go! My review of the new Stampin’ Up! colour collections.

If you have any of the retiring colours then LUCKY YOU! You’ll be able to use them as much as you want. But if you are ready to add some new exciting colours to your collection, which will help invigorate your existing collection, then check out the amazing range from 1st June 2018 in my online store.

It’s great that Stampin’ Up! are keeping our product range current and fresh and on trend. Exciting times ahead.

Happy stamping,

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Welcome back to another CASEing The Catty Sunday blog hop and challenge. With only a few days remaining for the 2017-2018 Annual Catalogue, we are farewelling our favourite retiring project.

This is a great opportunity to have one last look at all the ideas and gorgeous samples that have inspired us over the past year.

I can’t go past a cute little bag or box, so this little gem on page 52 jumped out at me.

And this is where it took me:

This started off as 5 ½ ” x 8″ panel of Naturally Eclectic designer series paper, scored on the long side at 2″, 4″, 6″ and 8″. The short side was scored at 3 1/5″. I have really loved this paper, and will be sad that it’s not available after the end of May. Better stock up now!

The card on page 52 featured the cute Message in a Bottle stamp set, which is also retiring in just a few days (along with hundreds of other products -> check them out here. But in my version today I paired the paper with a brand new stamp set, called Pick a Pennant. I got this set early, but you’ll be able to order yours from 1st June 2018. This set includes lots of letters that can be used to create personalised pennants and banners. I used just three of those letters to spell out the name ZOE. The two piece flowers and other elements make this an incredibly versatile stamp set… not just your average mini alphabet set.

The papers inspired me to finish the set with a little card (Whisper White Narrow Note Cards & Envelopes, page 19 of the Occasions Catalogue or check them out here).

The bird is another two-step image from the same Pick a Pennant stamp set. So cute!

I adhered matching paper to the envelope flap, to finish off the ensemble.

So there you go! I hope you enjoy our last look at some of the retiring projects in this week’s CASEing the Catty hop. Continue along to the amazing Bron to check out what she has in store for us this week.

Want to join the fun?

We have an awesome Facebook Challenge group where you can share your projects and see what others have made. No need to have your own blog or website; all you do is create and upload a photo to the group. Click the image below to visit and/or join the group.

Happy stamping,

Read all about the NEW Colours here.

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