Lovely Hibiscus

Good Monday morning to you! Today I am featuring a retiring stamp set that happens to be one of my favorites, Humming Along. See another card I made with this stamp set here. The hibiscus is main attraction on this card, and it can be a birthday card or an I’m-thinking-of-you card.

My inspiration was the real thing! I spent a week on the island of Kauai, HI, where I took a Drawing in Color class with my best friend from high school. We graduated from Kailua High on the island of Oahu 50 years ago next month! This trip was a celebration and reunion all in one, as we hadn’t spent much time together in many years. It was an incredible week of laughter and reminiscing and feeling “at home” in the islands. Here are some of the hibiscus flowers we saw there.

Gorgeous! And you can see, I have a lot of color choices to make on my next ones. I started with the pink, as it seemed the easiest to tackle first, and used pencils for my medium. Coloring with Blends would be fun too, but in some ways more challenging. I see Poppy Parade in the center of that first flower, don’t you?

I used Faber Castell Polychromos colored pencils on this hibiscus. They are a wonderfully smooth, soft pencil that doesn’t require a lot of pressure. I highly recommend them! The colors I used on my hibiscus are Warm Gray IV for shading, Middle Purple Pink, Purple Violet, Red-Violet, Cadmium Yellow, and Ivory. For the stem and leaf I used Warm Gray IV, Cadmium Yellow Lemon, and Earth Green Yellowish.

My background paper is retired Color Theory DSP that I had in my stash. I used a narrow border of Basic Black, a base card of Berry Burst, and Black Embossing Powder over the Forever Lovely sentiment. I didn’t put any embellishments on it yet, but am thinking a few iridescent sequins or jewels would add that touch of sparkle that I love.

Retiring List

The retiring list is a little confusing, because several of the stamp sets listed on it will actually be returning! They are retiring the current Wood-Mount and Clear-Mount stamps and replacing them with Cling stamps. So look for that distinction on the list, marked with an *.  You can view the US list for the 2018-19 Annual Catalog HERE, and for the 2019 Occasions Catalog HERE. Another thing to keep in mind is that the stamp sets that are retiring will be available till May 24, then until the supply is gone. All other items, such as paper, ribbon, embellishments are “until supplies last,” since they are not manufactured by Stampin’ Up!

Out With the Old, In With the New!

I am so excited about the new catalog coming out on June 4th! There is something so fun about having new supplies to play with. Even though we are sad to say goodbye to some of our favorites (although I keep what I love and use them way beyond their retiring date, as you may have noticed!), the new fresh ideas are what keep our interest and creativity flowing! Watch for sneak peeks throughout May. The catalog will be launched June 4, 2019.

Have a wonderful week! I’m flying north to spend a week with my grandson. I’ll be packing my April Paper Pumpkin Kit, so I should have some cards from that to share with you later in the week. Perhaps some alternative ideas to share as well!

Product List

Humming Along Cling Bundle [150621] $42.25	Humming Along Cling Stamp Set [148758] $20.00	Hummingbird Framelits Dies [148538] $27.00	Forever Lovely Photopolymer Stamp Set [148624] $21.00
Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] $6.00	Versamark Pad [102283] $9.00	Black Stampin’ Emboss Powder [146956] $5.00	Heat Tool [129053] $30.00
Berry Burst 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [144243] $8.50	Basic Black 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [121045] $8.50