Inspire.Create. STAMPING CHALLENGES Challenge #223 Use Up Your Scraps

Hello, and a very warm welcome to another Inspire.Create Stamping Challenge!

I’m Karen Farquhar, joining you from Australia, and I’m so excited to be sharing this week’s challenge with you.

Our challenge this week is “Use Up Your Scraps.”

If you’re a crafter like me, you probably have a huge stash of leftover papers, ribbons, embellishments, elements and die cuts that are simply too lovely to throw away! Well, today’s challenge gives you the perfect opportunity to put those precious bits and pieces to good use.

You might be surprised at just how beautiful a project you can create using the scraps you already have in your craft room. Sometimes, the smallest leftover pieces can inspire the most wonderful designs!

So, gather up those scraps, get creative, and see what you can make.

Happy stamping, everyone! I can’t wait to see your wonderful creations.


My favourite patterned paper from the May–August Stampin’ Up! catalogue has to be the gorgeous Moonlit Flora Designer Series Paper. I love it so much that I didn’t buy one or two packs—I bought three! So, needless to say, I now have an abundance of this beautiful paper.

As difficult as it was to cut into some of my favourite patterns, I decided it was time to put them to good use. I chose several coordinating designs from the pack and created Sunburst Card.

I absolutely love how the different patterns come together to create such a pretty and eye-catching design. 

 

My card base is made from A4 cardstock, cut in half and then folded in half at the 10.5 cm mark.

I found it easier to work in imperial measurements for the remainder of the cutting. To create the sunburst, I started by cutting strips of my Designer Series Paper measuring 4" x 1½". I then cut each strip diagonally to create two triangular pieces.

I wanted the sunburst to have a straight edge along the side of the card, so I positioned the two outer diagonal pieces 1½" in from the edge of the card front. From there, I adhered the remaining triangle pieces, placing them edge to edge around the centre to create the beautiful sunburst effect.

Once all the pieces were adhered, I simply trimmed away the triangles that extended beyond the edge of the card front.

I love how this technique allows you to showcase lots of coordinating patterns on a single card—and it’s a fabulous way to use up those beautiful scraps!

You can find even more inspiration from our talented design team over on the Inspire.Create. Stamping Challenges website.
To join the challenge be sure to submit your projects here by 10am Sunday (UK time).

Below are the products I’ve used for today’s project. If you’re based in Australia and would like to purchase them, simply click on the product thumbnails to visit my online store. 

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Inspire.Create. STAMPING CHALLENGES Challenge#222

 Hello, and a very warm welcome to another Inspire.Create Stamping Challenge!

I’m Karen Farquhar, joining you from Australia, and I’m so excited to be sharing this week’s challenge with you.

Our theme this week is “Hidden Message” — a fun theme that gives you lots of opportunities to get creative and add a surprise element to your project!

I can’t wait to see what you all come up with. There are so many fun ways to incorporate a hidden message, so let your creativity run wild and have fun with it!

Happy stamping, everyone, and I look forward to seeing your wonderful creations! 


A few suggestions from me 😊

One idea could be a card or scrapbook page with a pull-up tag, which could be used to hide some personal journaling, a secret message, or even an extra photo or two. It would add a fun little surprise element to the page or card.

Another idea is Stampin’ Up! Flip Flaps self-adhesive sleeves. These are great for adding extra photos, journaling or decorative elements without having to squeeze everything onto the main page. They could also be used to hide a little secret message or create an interactive feature.

I also really like the idea of pop-up cards — a fun twist on a traditional greeting card! The 3D designs make them extra special, and there’s something lovely about seeing a scene or shapes pop to life when the card is opened. Whether it’s for a birthday, Christmas, or simply to brighten someone’s day, pop-up cards add a little bit of magic and make the message even more memorable. 





For my submission, I chose to create a fun fold card. At first glance, it looks like a regular card, but spin it around and a hidden message is revealed on the other side. A fun little surprise to fit this week’s “Hidden Message” theme!
 


I will add a more personal note before giving the card.



Here’s what the card fold looks like! 😊 A big thank you to Christy Fulk for her wonderful YouTube video and for sharing such a clear and easy-to-follow tutorial on how to make this card. I really enjoyed making it and hope you’ll give it a try too! 💕✂️ 

You can find even more inspiration from our talented design team over on the Inspire.Create. Stamping Challenges website.
Happy stamping, everyone, and I look forward to seeing your wonderful creations! Be sure to submit your projects here by 10am Sunday (UK time).

Below are the products I’ve used for today’s project. If you’re based in Australia and would like to purchase them, simply click on the product thumbnails to visit my online store. 

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Inspire.Create. STAMPING CHALLENGES Challenge#221


 Hello and welcome to the Inspire.Create Stamping Challenge. I am Karen Farquhar from Australia. For this challenge we had to CASE a Card.

What Does CASE Mean?

Copy – Recreate a project you love while making it your own.

Adapt – Modify parts of the design to suit your style or supplies.

Steal Inspiration – Use another maker's layout or design as a starting point when you need a creative boost.

Ways to Change a Card

  • Switch Colours – Use a completely different colour palette for your cardstock, ink, or embellishments.
  • Swap Stamps – Replace the stamp set or focal image with one you already own.
  • Change the Layout – Rearrange the design, such as moving the focal point from the side to the centre or changing the orientation.




Today I'm sharing a card I CASEd from Tammy Fite, one of my fellow members of the Inspire.Create. Stamping Challenges design team. She created this beautiful card for one of our recent colour challenges, and I loved it the moment I saw it. It was the perfect inspiration for today's project.


While I loved the gorgeous colour combination Tammy has used, I needed to create more masculine type cards for upcoming family birthdays. So, I used Tammy's layout as my inspiration, but changed the Designer Series Paper (DSP) to Waterside Retreat for the background and fussy cut the images from the DSP instead. The seagulls were stamped using the coordinating Relaxing Waterside stamp set, adding the finishing touch and bringing the whole design together






I also loved the die set Words & Wishes Tammy used for the sentiment, so I couldn't resist using it on my cards as well. It adds just the right amount of detail and complements the design perfectly.


I know that most stampers don't mind having their work CASEd—in fact, many take it as a compliment. However, I think it's important to acknowledge the original designer and give credit where it's due. Inspiration is one of the wonderful things about our Stampin' Up! community, and recognising the creator is a simple way to show appreciation and respect for their creativity. Thank you Tammy Fite for your inspiration.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my project today and feel inspired to join in the challenge! You can find even more inspiration from our talented design team over on the Inspire.Create. Stamping Challenges website.

We’d absolutely love to see your creations—be sure to submit your projects here by 10am Sunday (UK time).

Below are the products Tammy & I have used for today’s projects. If you’re based in Australia and would like to purchase them, simply click on the product thumbnails to visit my online store. 

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Inspire.Create. STAMPING CHALLENGES Challenge#220 Single Layer Card

 Hello and welcome to the Inspire.Create Stamping Challenge. I am Karen Farquhar from Australia. Today we have been set a colour challenge. For this challenge we have to create a card using a single layer.

For my card I have used Stampin' Up!'s card and die bundle 'Ouch'. I fun get well set.

 

I always find it difficult to resist adding dimension to my projects, so I challenged myself to create the illusion of depth instead. To achieve this, I stamped my Band-Aid images onto copy paper, carefully hand-cut them, and used them as masks while stamping the remaining images. This masking technique creates the impression that the Band-Aids have been casually tipped out of their packet, naturally overlapping one another.

I have to admit, though—I broke the challenge rules just a little! Instead of stamping directly onto the card base, I stamped the design on a Basic White card front and then layered it onto a Lemon Lime Twist card base. Maybe it's bending the rules rather than breaking them, but the Basic White layer gives the design a beautiful frame which coordinates with the colourful Band-Aids. I hope you’ve enjoyed my project today and feel inspired to join in the challenge!

You can find even more inspiration from our talented design team over on the Inspire.Create. Stamping Challenges website.

We’d absolutely love to see your creations—be sure to submit your projects here by 10am Sunday (UK time).

Below are the products I’ve used for today’s project. If you’re based in Australia and would like to purchase them, simply click on the product thumbnails to visit my online store. 

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Inspire.Create. STAMPING CHALLENGES Colour Challenge Challenge #219

 Hello and welcome to the Inspire.Create Stamping Challenge. I am Karen Farquhar from Australia. Today we have been set a colour challenge. For this challenge our colour combination is yellow, pink and orange.



For my submission I have chosen Stampin' Up! colours Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush and Timid Tiger in various shades. The stamp and die bundle is Stampin' Up!s  Splash and Relax. 
How inappropriate for the miserable weather we are having here on Australia's East Coast.
Although I shouldn't complain given the heat wave people are suffering through in Europe at the moment. My heart goes out to you.





The Splash & Relax Stamp set is a '2 step stamp set' which took me a little while to figure out.
With the beach balls and swim tubes segment shaped stamps I stamped full strength colours first and then with the round images I used their stamped-off colour over the top. The coordinating dies are so very cute, with sun glasses, handles for the swim tubes, thongs (flip flops), a sun visor, and sun lotion. All essential for a day in the sun.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my project today and feel inspired to join in the challenge!
You can find even more inspiration from our talented design team over on the Inspire.Create. Stamping Challenges website.

We’d absolutely love to see your creations—be sure to submit your projects here by 10am Sunday (UK time).

Below are the products I’ve used for today’s project. If you’re based in Australia and would like to purchase them, simply click on the product thumbnails to visit my online store. 


Product List


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