Artisan Design Team – Inspired Thoughts Bundle

Hello! I’m Tami Hewlett from California, USA and today, I’m sharing my projects from the December Artisan Design Team Showcase. They feature one of my favorites, the lovely Inspired Thoughts Bundle! This bundle just speaks to my heart because it’s all about the beauty of nature and trees.

Be sure to check out the entire showcase on the Stampin’ Up! Facebook page. This is the 2021 team’s last showcase, and we are going out with a bang! The projects are AMAZING!!!

The Inspired Thoughts Bundle includes the Inspired Thoughts Stamp Set and the Inspiring Canopy Dies. You can find it on page 52 of the Stampin’ Up! 2021-2022 Annual Catalog. I love the versatility of this bundle. The stamps include a HUGE array of sentiments that every stamper needs in their stash, and dies work for any season!

Winter Snow:

For my first card, I created a beautiful winter scene. Who says bare trees can’t be pretty? Add some frosty snow and a striking sky and the scene transforms into an inviting landscape.

I started by painting the background on Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper. To obtain the intense colors, I placed a few drops of ink refill into the lids of my ink pads (Night of Navy, Pacific Point, and Balmy Blue) and then dipped my Water Painter into the saturated color and dabbed it on wet paper. Once the paper dried, I flicked clear water over the entire panel and used a paper towel to lift off some color creating the illusion of falling snow.

Next, I used several different sheets of In Good Taste Designer Series Paper to cut the trees, “bushes,” and sentiment label to give my cards a natural look. I just love that paper!!! I cut the bushes with the tree “leaf” dies, but to me they look very similar to the snow covered Manzanita bushes in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Then, to add snow to the bare trees, I used a Q-Tip to add White Craft ink to portions of the die cut so I could emboss with white.

My slimline card measures 7-1/4″ x 4-1/4,” so I found that when I went to cut the snow layers, the die did not extend all the way across the 7″ layer. To compensate, I extended the cut by aligning the tip of my die with the initial cut, giving the die a little wiggle to make sure it was lined up correctly, and then running it through the die-cutting machine a second time to finish the cut. (See photo above.)

Finally, instead of a typical banner for the sentiment, I used a Bone Folder to curl the left side and attached the rounded end to the back with some Mini Glue Dots.

Spring Blossoms:

My next card is full of Spring cherry blossoms, a common site in the Central Valley of California where I live.

Similar to my first card, I watercolored the sky, but this time I added splatter with a Polished Pink Stampin’ Write Marker to mimic blossoms floating gently in the air.

Next, I cut the tree trucks from In Good Taste Designer Series Paper. I trimmed off one tree and then dry embossed the tree trucks with the Bark 3D Embossing Folder for a rugged look.

I cut the blossoms from a sheet of watercolor paper that I had painted with Melon Mambo, Polished Pink, and Blushing Bride ink. And then I cut the grass from a sheet of Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper. If you flip the die around, you can change the aspect of the hills.

The Canopy Dies include a small circle to create a moon or sun. I used that same piece to create a scalloped edge on the left side of my card by adhering multiple circles to the back side of the layer.

Since this is my last official post as a 2021 Artisan, I wanted to say thank you to the rest of the team, my customers, and my subscribers. This past year has been an amazing experience in so many ways. I’ve learned so much, been inspired by the team’s artwork, and made lifelong friends!

But as you know by now, as one adventure ends, a new one is just beginning!!! I can’t even begin to express how excited and humbled I am to work with the new 2022 Artisan Design Team! Similar to the past teams, this one is jam packed with creative, amazing artists from around the world, some I’ve know and admired for years, and others that I can’ wait to get to know better. It’s going to be an awesome year!!!

I encourage you to follow each 2022 team member on Instagram. Here is a list of their accounts:

Anne Alexander (AU) / @bellestampinwithann

Berdien Weideveld (NL) / @berdien_weideveld

Brenda Nelson (CA) / @stampwithbrenda

Brigitte Keiling (DE) / @stempelfantasie

Charlet Mallett (US) / @i.heart.stamps

Chelsey Christensen (US) / @creativechelsey

Helene Legrand (FR) / @stamp2linotte

Karen Hadler (NZ) / @karenhadlerstampingbees

Karine Lison (FR) / @karinelison73choupinette

Kim Fee (UK) / @simplyfairies_kimfee

Leah Fedynak (CA) / @ellefedynak

Madeleine Mrotzek (DE) / @stempelschick

Martin Stone (UK) / @martinmayhem

Melodie Viljoen (AU) / @stampingwithmelodie

Sandra Herzog (AT) / @herzerlskreativecke

Silvia Berger-Frohlich (DE) / @silvie.creates

Stesha Bloodhart (US) / @stampinhoot

Tami Hewlett (US) / @tamilhewlett (That’s me!)

Vickie Boucher (AU) / @vickiboucher

Yvonne Spikmans-Van Bruggen (NL) / @thecreativeteacup

Have a fantastic day!

Use Host Code F9366KUA for purchases at my online store to qualify to receive free exclusive project tutorials. This month’s PDF includes 13 great tutorials designed by my demonstrator friends and I to inspire your creativity! The projects feature products from the 2024 Annual Catalog, Online Exclusives, and September-December Mini Catalog. Enjoy!

Product List

@thecreativeteacup