The Crafty Thinker: Stephanie Fischer - Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrator

Friday, 27 January 2017

Hot Glue - Three Silver Streaks

This card is entered into the Crazy Crafters' Project Highlights this week. To see all the other great cards and vote for your favourites (from 7pm AEDT) click here.

This is my second attempt at the hot glue embossing technique. I was pretty unhappy with my strange drops until I turned them upside down! Now I think they're not so bad.

I was really unhappy with my colouring and was really giving myself a hard time but now that it's all layered and finished - I'm actually quite pleased with it!

www.thecraftythinker.com.au, Hot glue embossing, #thecraftythinker, Stampin Up Australia Demonstrator, Stephanie Fischer, Sydney NSW

Hot glue embossing - I think this looks a bit like drops of mercury or liquid silver

So I'm slowly learning not to despair too early because with a few finishing touches the result can be surprising.

My hot glue drops have quite a bit of depth and weight!

The basic concept of the hot glue embossing is to lay down a pattern with your hot glue gun onto watercolour paper. Let it dry and then heat it with a heat tool for a few seconds to warm it up and get it tacky again, sprinkle it with embossing powder and then use the heat tool to set the embossing powder.

After that, spritz the paper well so that it's very wet and drop water-based inks onto the paper so that the colour floats on top and the colours bleed together. I really wasn't happy with my colouring, so I have to admit to adding more colour with a sponge dauber! Whatever works, right?!

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Wednesday, 25 January 2017

Hot Glue Silver Square

I have recently been experimenting with the Hot Glue Embossing technique with mixed results! This, to be perfectly honest, is my least favourite so far. I see too many worms and tadpoles!

www.thecraftythinker.com.au, Hot Glue Embossing technique, #thecraftythinker, #stampinup, Stampin Up Australia Demonstrator, Stephanie Fischer, Sydney NSW

Tadpoles?, worms? Fun with Hot Glue Embossing

To see some of my other cards click here or here.

When colouring this one, I was interested to see what would happen if I added some Basic Black ink because it's an ink that doesn't react with water.... and that's exactly what happened! It didn't react at all - it just sat where I put it, a bit like an oil slick. At that point, I was convinced that the experiment had been a dismal failure but once dry, I rather liked the almost marble effect that it gave. The other colours I used were Pear Pizzazz and Elegant Eggplant.

I still find this technique intriguing and fun .... I just have to practice and get better at it!

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - To visit my online store, click on one of the product images below (Australian Residents ony)

Tuesday, 24 January 2017

Adventures with Balloons

I made this card to enter into Jessie Holton's colour challenge this week #CTC020.

http://www.jessieholton.com/2017/01/17.html

I wasn't sure I would like the colour combination but, as it turns out, I really like it! It seemed like a good opportunity to break open the Balloon Adventure Bundle which I've picked up to use several times in past weeks .... and then put down again. Today was the day!!

The set is designed to make a pop up card easily but I decided to use it for a panel for the front of the card today. I confess, I did add some Very Vanilla to the mix and I used it to cut the decorative balloon panel.

www.thecraftythinker.com.au, Balloon Adventures, #CTC020, #thecraftythinker, Stampin Up Australia Demonstrator, Stephanie Fischer, Sydney NSW

Despite the Peekaboo Peach, I think this card would be suitable for male or female recipients

I used the matching stamp set to stamp the banner and greeting in Night of Navy and used a Peekaboo Peach Stampin' Write Marker to colour in the lettering.

I then partially cut the balloon bouquet again using Peekaboo Peach cardstock and glued the strings in place. I cut a bow with one of the dies also in Peekaboo Peach and glued it in place so that its ends overlapped the Very Vanilla border.

I cut the striped and spotty balloons from the die set using both Smoky Slate and Peekaboo Peach cardstock and then paper pieced, mixing and matching the colours.

The gorgeous opalescent little sequins on the middle balloon are from the Cupcakes & Carousels Embellishment Kit.

The balloon panel is attached to the card with Adhesive Foam Strips to provide dimension.

Using Adhesive Foam Strips provides plenty of dimension

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - To visit my online store, click on one of the product images below (Australian Residents only)

Monday, 23 January 2017

Hey, Chick - Looking Eggselent! Sale-A-Bration

This card was inspired by the Global Design Project sketch challenge this week #GDP070.

www.thecraftythinker.com.au, Sale-A-Bration, Hey Chick, #GDP070, #thecraftythinker, Stampin Up Australia Demonstrator, Stephanie Fischer, Sydney NSW

No ducks, but the eggs are almost lined up in a row!

It's a very straight forward card. I stamped the images from the free Sale-A-Bration stamp set Hey, Chick onto Very Vanilla cardstock and coloured them with watercolour pencils and an aqua painter.

I mounted the stamped strip onto a slightly larger piece of Watermelon Wonder cardstock and then another piece of Very Vanilla (this time I didn't place it evenly - I left a wider border at the top). I added the fussy cut "stickybeak" before adhering the panel to the piece of paper from the Carried Away Designer Series Paper pack.

It's a happy but non-specific greeting suitable for all sorts of occasions

Naturally, the stickybeak makes a appearance inside the card too!

The peeking chicken is adhered with a piece of dimension so that it sticks forward from the panel.

At this point in writing this blog post I'm wondering whether "stickybeak" is a term used anywhere outside of Australia! If not - it can be translated as "nosey-parker"!

I'm really having fun with this stamp set - I'm still pinching myself that it was a freebie! In fact, the ribbon and the pack of printed paper were also freebies!

For more information on Sale-A-Bration freebies, click the here.

Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time!
Stephanie

Product List - Click on a product image below to visit my online store (Australian Residents only)

Sunday, 22 January 2017

Crazy Crafters Blog Hop: Special Guest Valerie Moody - Botanical Frame

Welcome to the Crazy Crafters' Blog Hop with our Special Guest stamper, Valerie Moody - we are thrilled to have Valerie join us this month and so excited to CASE (Copy And Selectively Edit) any project that has been created by her .

Whether you are starting the blog hop here at my blog, Stephanie Fischer - The Crafty Thinker, or have come from the person before me, be sure to click on the person listed under me further down the page to continue your journey on this blog hop.

Stampin' Up! - Flourishing Phrases - Wedding Gift Box - Artisan Design Team Blog Hop - Valerie Moody. X

It was very difficult to make a decision because it turns out that I really love Valerie's work and found inspiration at every turn but this is Valerie's project I eventually chose to CASE, taking inspiration from the frame and flowers. Click on the image of her card to link to Valerie's blog.

The Botanical Builder Framelits remain one of my very favourite die sets - they make it so easy to create something very pretty!

So this is the card that I made.

#thecraftythinker, #crazycraftersbloghop, Botanical Builder, Stampin' Up! Australia Demonstrator, Stephanie Fischer, Sydney NSW

The frame and corner of flowers inspired by Valerie Moody's gift box

This was such a quick and simple card to make but I'm so happy with the result. I made it for a friend who is moving into a new home.

The base card is a 51/2" square in Night of Navy. To that I added a layer of paper from the beautiful Floral Boutique pack and then used another sheet to create the frame with Layering Squares framelits. I cut a variety of flowers and foliage using the Botanical Builder framelits with Peekaboo Peach, Pink Pirouette, Flirty Flamingo and Pear Pizzazz cardstock. For the flower centres, I used Enamel Shapes in Night of Navy and Pink Pirouette.

I placed a layer of Whisper White behind the frame and stamped the greeting on it with Tangerine Tango ink.

The same colours appear inside the card in the form of stamped flowers

To decorate the inside corner of the card, I used the Blooms & Wishes stamp set with Peekaboo Peach and Flirty Flamingo inks. I added a flower centre to the larger flower with Night of Navy ink and used a Night of Navy marker to add centres to the other flowers by hand.

I hope you've enjoyed this card and I welcome your comments.

Thanks for following our blog hop. Remember that currently you are at my blog - Stephanie Fischer - so click on the next name in the list to ensure that you don't miss out of seeing any of the blogs and the amazing inspiration they contain.

Thanks for visiting
'Til next time
Stephanie

Product List - To visit my online store, click on a product image below (Australian Residents only)