Showing posts with label Cupcake Inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cupcake Inspiration. Show all posts

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Ghosting Technique

Welcome to Try a Technique Thursday. Today I am playing with the ghosting technique along with being inspired by a few challenge prompts. 


The Colour INKspiration has a “showcase your favourite colour” for their 200th challenge. While it’s hard ti pick just one for the purpose of the challenge I have chosen Secret Sea … it’s such a gorgeous deep navy and goes with everything! 


Thanks to the Cupcake Challenge Let it Snow #CI632 - I am playing with the Elegant Pine Snowflake stamp set and dies for my focal images.


I am having another go at Tic Tac Toe challenge this time using the diagonal for the win - Navy, Free is Snowflake technique, and Holiday sentiment of “Warm Winter Wishes”


In addition to the Elegant Pine Snowflakes stamps and dies I playing with the new Triple Banner punch, a retired 3/8” circle punch for my glittery centre of my snowflake and of course some bling rhinestones. 


The Ghosting Technique is a simple technique to do but it packs a good WOW in the effect. The shadow of the ghost image really makes the focal images pop.  


First you want to stamp your focal image in  white ink or Versamark for a more subtle shadow to create the shadow layer. I have chosen Whisper White.

Clean the stamp well to ensure you don’t transfer white ink to your darker inker.

Next ink stamp with your dark inker choice and then carefully stamp slightly off from the white stamped image. 

Photopolymer stamps are perfect for this technique but you can use wooden stamps with a stamp a ma jig or rubber stamp with a stamp positioning platform. 

That’s it - you can repeat more ghosting if desired and complete your card design. 

You can also create the ghosting effect with your dies as well - I have cut pine accents for my focal snowflake in white and Secret Sea and layered to create that shadow effect with the paper as well.

See how easy it comes together with this short process video: 


I forgot how much I love Crumb Cake with Navy. A perfect holiday card for someone on my Christmas card mailing list! 


What’s your favourite Stampin’ Up! Colour? 

Happy Stampin’ 

Margaret 
Live, Laugh, Love
Be Totallyawake4-life


Sunday, November 2, 2025

Slimline Sunday

Welcome to another edition of Slimline Sunday. Today’s slimline design came together through inspiration from a few different challenges.


Cupcake Inspiration had a challenge #CI629 to create something that makes you smile - and anything that sparkle’s makes me smile!


My sketch layout is thanks to Atlantic Hearts challenge #653. I flipped the sketch orientation to landscape to fit the slimline design and the focal point of leaves/sprigs and a sentiment.


CAS on Friday has a birthday card challenge which prompted my sentiment choice “Because it’s your birthday”.


Played some Tic Tac Toe challenge again #tttc282 but this time with a diagonal of Leaves, for my Free I have used vellum and die cuts for the win. 


I am playing with my new goodies from the November Online Exclusive: The Friendly Foliage stamps & dies, The Words of Beauty stamps & dies. Also playing with the Exposed Brick 3D embossing folder, Traditional Sparking Sequins dots and Versamark and gold embossing powder. 


I just love how it’s come together. The foliage is just so beautiful and love the sophisticated look of the clean and simple gold and white palette - it’s so sparkly! 



Happy Stampin’

Margaret
Live, Laugh, Love
Be Totallyawake4-life





Sunday, October 12, 2025

Slimline Sunday


Welcome to another edition of Slimline Sunday - loving the additional play space with the slimline design! 

I’m playing with the retired Jar of Haunts, Wicked Cool and Well Said stamp sets and the current Alphabet A La Mode dies for my custom sentiment of Boo-Day. 


Todays design inspiration came from the following challenge blogs:

The Color Dare challenge #673. I have chosen Real Red, Gorgeous Grape and Pumpkin Pie from Stampin’ Up!


Cupcake Inspiration #628 for the Halloween vibes in the image.


Just Us Girls #796 also has Halloween word Prompt for this week!  

Inspired By #IB357 for the pumpkin themed mood board and a stacked image sketch.


To stack my images for the design challenge is used the masking technique.


As You See It #358 to create a card depicting your favourite thing about Fall and Halloween and pumpkins are at the top of my list of favourites. 

I love the resulting Happy Boo Day card - perfect for someone who shares their birthday with Halloween or even just a Halloween lover! 


What’s your favourite thing about the Autumn/Fall season? 

Happy Stampin’
Margaret 
Live, Laugh, Love
Be Totallyawake4-life


Wednesday, October 1, 2025

Wednesday WOW 🤩

Welcome and Happy Wednesday and you might need sunglasses for the WOW coming your way!


Today I am playing along with the following challenges:

Colour palette is thanks to Cupcake Inspiration #CI627 I have chosen Bubble Bath and the Earthen Tone Metallic paper.


CAS on a Friday for the CAS sketch inspiration. CAS is always a challenges for me but I’m trying! 


And over on Instagram the Stampin’ Fancy Fridays challenge of Sparkle and Shine for this month because well I love me some SPARKLE ✨ I have used the Wink of Stella to add my sparkle and the metallic paper is brining on the shine!


I am playing with Snowflake Kisses Dies and Greetings for You sentiment ephemera from Stampin’ Up!


I just love this colour combo with this die - pink snowflakes are so pretty and sparkly! 


It’s so hard to catch the gorgeous shimmer of the Earthen Tones DSP on the still camera ao here’s a little video of it in action.


I had too much fun and created a few extras with this colour palette and played with another challenge over at Tic Tac Toe #tttc280 with the Snowflake Kisses Die Cuts, Forever Plaid embossing folder and layers.


Loving the metallic paper when it’s embossed gives a double WOW factor! 



Here’s some more cause I was on a roll.


The colour on colour die cut is such a beautiful look.


So much subtle texture is just pretty!


And because I was raised to be frugal and practice waste not want not especially with that gorgeous metallic paper so used my scraps from cutting snowflakes to create another card. Sentiment is from a retired set called Sassy Salutations.


Ok just one more because I just can’t help myself with this die LOL!

Created a seasonal monochromatic version with the metallic paper challenge #TOT298 from over at Time Out Challenges.




Do you have a favourite? 

Happy Stampin’

Margaret 
Live, Laugh, Love
Be Totallyawake4-life

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Guest Designing for the Scrapbook Nerds

Good morning!

Hope everyone is doing well keeping safe from all that is going on in the world right now! It has been a roller coaster for me over here ~ was hoping being home in islolation mandate would mean more time for crafting however my auto immune system had other ideas and the past month has been ups and downs with a struggle between hives and digestive issues! 

However today seems to be a manageable day so havingg fun today finally able to spend some time in the craftroom catching up on some challenges and doing a guest design post for the Scrapbook Nerds!

I used a The Cupcake Inspiration #492 combined with the Inspire. Create. sketch challenge #068 to get my creative juices flowing to make my projects today!

I also wanted to play with the Concord & 9th Faceted Gems stencils available in the Scrapbook Nerds online shop as well as some of their fun Tonic Studios glitter papers!





I loved the color combo inspiration and chose to combine Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Pretty Peacock with Gorgeous Grape for my stencils! 

 The turnabouts are so easy to use! Here is a little process video from Concord & 9th





 I used my Stampin' Blends to colour the basic pearls for a coordinating pop of colour on my sentiment! 

Just love love love this colour combo however I can see that this stencil will look amazing in an array of colours and cannot wait to try out some more of them!!!

 Have an amazing day!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
Be Totallyawake4-life

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