Flashback Friday - Retiring Favorites

This is the last Friday before the new catalog comes out so I thought it would be fun to do a flashback post sharing some of my favorite creations made with some of my most loved retiring stamp sets. So I don't "play favorites with my favorites", here they are alphabetically...

Big News - Fun sentiment stamps in a large size to be the focal point on your card.

Chalkboard grad card also uses Hardwood background (not retiring!) and Blue Ribbon (previously retired)

Big News is a fun set! My favorite image is the little WOO HOO! banner used on the card above...but the stamp I used the most in this set is the thank you stamp. It is the perfect size in a clear font that I found myself grabbing over and over.  The Zig Zag Embossing Folder used on this birthday card is also retiring. See an alternate version of the birthday card here.

Corner Garden is so much fun to color!

This vibrant card was colored using the Blendabilities Markers...I miss those.

Festival of Trees along with the Tree Punch was a great pairing to make beautiful Christmas cards and much more.

 This Christmas card really sparkled.

This coordinated gift set was fun to make.

A Christmas flip card using the Circle Card Thinlits...which is also retiring.

I just loved making this Christmas Keepsake Pocket Album! There are a few new Christmas stamp sets in the new catalog...but I always look forward to the Holiday Catalog to see all the fun new Christmas and Halloween stamps.

Perfect Peacock  is a beautifully detailed single stamp. If you love to color you need this stamp!

See all the details for the Perfect Peacock easel card  here.

This Perfect Peacock card was water-colored using my Aqua Painter in colors from the Bohemian DSP... see more here. 

Serene Silhouettes Is a beautiful set for any occasion. 

I especially loved using it for the emboss resist technique. Shown on the anniversary card above and on the birthday card below.

An alternate version of this card can be seen here.

I rather like the color combo and the layout used on this card. More info here.

It's not a stamp set, but the Spiral Flower Die has been one I have used quite often for a variety of projects...and to think at first I thought I didn't need it! More info on the Sweet Sorbet Topiary here.

 Roses adoring a sweet little bird house.

 More roses adorning battery operated candles.

and finally, a shadowbox scrapbook page.

Swallowtail - Who doesn't love butterflies? This stamp is larger than life and so very detailed.

This is the first card I ever made with this gorgeous stamp. More details here.

This one looks like it's going to fly right off the card! See more here.

This card uses the spotlighting technique. See more info along with an alternate version here.

World of Dreams - I absolutely love this set and have used it a lot.

The "thank you" sentiment is from the Big News set. I used that stamp quite often.

I created a trio of cards using the same technique along with Typeset Specialty Paper. You can see the entire set here.

Some of the retiring stamp sets have already sold out...but many retiring products are still available until May 31st (or while supplies last) Shop Now to get your favorites before they are gone!

I hope you enjoyed this Flashback...and the long Memorial Day weekend as well!

Sayonara Serene Silhouettes

Serene Silhouettes...another favorite that is soon to be retired. We used it at my Retiring Favorites Class last week to create this card along with the beautiful retiring In Colors.

Swipe each of the five In Color Markers across a clear block and mist with water to create the background. Then just stamp your image with Black Stazon after it's dried. I shared this free tutorial a while back if you want more info.

The sentiment is from Petite Pairs...I use that set a lot, but it is retiring as well. A pretty bow tied with White Seam Binding Ribbon finishes off the card. I'm sad to see all the Seam Binding Ribbon retiring...it is so soft and easy to work with. The stamped Whisper White layer is adhered to a Blackberry Bliss base...which is my absolute favorite retiring In Color.

For this next card, I swapped the Seam Binding Ribbon for Gold Sequin Trim and stepped up the card a bit with a few extra details...

Dazzling Details in Gold Glitz to be exact! I used it on the flowers and the added butterfly from Papillon Potpourri. 

The third card uses retired Blackberry Bliss Striped Satin Ribbon and some Basic Rhinestone Jewels.

The "HELLO" sentiment is from the Crazy About You stamp set...that one will be sticking around for a while longer. Here's a look at all three of the cards...

Which one do you like best?

Inspired Serene Silhouettes

I recently pinned this color combo for inspiration. This swatch consists of several colors that I wouldn't have thought to put together otherwise.

I took a little bit of liberty with my color selections, using only current SU! colors: Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sky, Midnight Muse, Crisp Cantaloupe & So Saffron. Here's what I came up with...

I just love the way the sponged main panel turned out! The colors worked well together and blended into such pretty shades.

I have an All Occasions Card Class scheduled for the 24th, and we will be doing a card that is based upon this...but a little more simplified so its easier to create multiples. If you are local and would like to attend, please contact me lwdesignz@gmail.com for all the details.

Have a great day!

Serene Silhouette Sympathy

Today I have two cards to share...both use the same supplies, technique and colors but I changed up the layout. One is a sympathy card and the other is for a birthday, but either could be used for any occasion really. The Serene Silhouettes stamp set is quite versatile!

I started out planning to make two of the same cards...one to send and one to have on hand for my sample board...BUT I made a slight error. When I use the Woodgrain Embossing Folder and the Timber Wheel on multiple layers, I like to make sure that the grain of the wood on all layers is running the same way. I didn't pay attention to that when I embossed my stamped image of the tree branch and birds, so I decided to make the extra card like this...

I like the way both of these turned out and cannot really pick a favorite. Which one do you prefer?

Thanks for visiting me today...have a great weekend!

Serene Silhouette Circles

Stamped using this years batch of In Colors paired with Whisper White, this card has a pretty, summery feel to it...which I thought was perfect to share here today on one of the last days of Summer.

Notice all the bling on this card? Looks like I used a whole lot of Basic Rhinestone Jewels doesn't it? Actually I just used little dots of Silver Sparkle Dazzling Details. Otherwise, it would have taken at least 40 rhinestones to get this same look. I layered some 1/8" Silver Ribbon over the White Organdy for some more silver shimmer.

Masculine Silhouettes

Thank you so much for the lovely comments on my last post...each one put a smile on my face! I guess when I wrote that post I had hit my limit of rude people...both in real life and online, and just couldn't take it anymore...so had to say something. Thanks again for listening and/or taking the time to comment.

Now, on to the real reason you stopped by...another card! This is one we made at my last card class. I always like to include at least one masculine card...and good thing I did because my Step-Father's birthday crept up on me earlier this week and I had this one all ready to give him.

I used the same design and technique as my last card (scroll down to read more about the offset embossing technique) but as you can see, the different colors and texture make it more masculine.

Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Apothecary Art & Timber Wheel
Card stock: Always Artichoke & Very Vanilla
Ink: VersaMark, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Always Artichoke & Marina Mist
Accessories: Always Artichoke Seam Binding Ribbon, White EP, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Woodgrain Embossing Folder

Have a fun & safe Labor Day weekend! I cannot believe summer went by so fast!

Serene Silhouettes Anniversary

Today I am sharing a card that I basically copied off myself. I created the first card using the same technique & colors a few years back. Since this card (shown here ) using the Just Believe stamp set has been consistently a favorite, according to my stats both here and on Pinterest, I thought I would try another version using Serene Silhouettes.

To create the shadow on the image and really make it pop, it was first stamped in Soft Suede and then using my Stamp-a-ma-jig I offset the image and stamped it again in VersaMark. Then it was embossed using Winter White EP. To make the white image stand out even more on the Very Vanilla card stock, I lightly sponged it with Crumb Cake ink using a Sponge Dauber. 

This version of the card looks more distressed and antiqued than my original card by inking up the edges and also inking the Beautifully Baroque embossing folder with Crumb Cake ink before running it through the Big Shot. 

The little butterfly, from Papillon Potpourri and the Basic Pearls used to adorn the ribbon and flowers add just the right finishing details.

Do you use Pinterest? Here is something to consider when pinning:
Like I mentioned earlier in this post, I can tell if a particular blog posting is popular by checking my stats here and also on Pinterest. Before Pinterest, I used to be able to tell if a post was well liked by the comments received on the actual posting. Now it seems most people don't take the time to post comments anymore, but instead, pin something if they like it...and yes, I'm guilty of the same thing! 

I LOVE Pinterest, so I'm certainly not knocking it BUT every now and then I come across a pin where the pinner is criticizing the creation in the pin description. This just happened to me recently where someone pinned one of my cards, and said they liked the layout, but then went on to say what they didn't like. "OK...thanks for the backhanded compliment B*$%!", I thought to myself. Later, I thought more about it...and it kind of made me mad. Us bloggers take a lot of time to share our creations with others. Most, including myself, are certainly not getting compensated for the time we put into it. Should we really have to read negative comments on a very public forum like Pinterest? 

I know what I post is appealing to some and to others...not so much. I'm fine with that...everyone has different tastes. But unless the person posting is asking for opinions why would someone think it's OK to make negative remarks? For those who need to critique and criticize then maybe they should have a secret board dedicated to those pins? 

Just something to consider when you are pinning someones creation...we never know who is reading what we write and how our words can hurt others who were simply sharing something they thought was their best work. One nice comment can make someone's day...but a negative one can ruin the fun of sharing.

Thanks for stopping by and if you read the above...thanks for listening.