Soft Wildflower Meadow

I played around with a fun technique using White Craft Ink and the Wildflower Meadow stamp. Not sure what the technique is called, but I love the results!

I just stamped the image onto Crumb Cake using the White Craft ink and let it dry...or you can use your heat tool to speed up the process. Then I used my Aqua Painter and various Classic Inks to add color to the flowers & hummingbird. The result is soft, pretty blended colors that mix a bit with the white ink. You cannot tell by my photo, but I also painted over the top with some shimmer spray to give the flowers some extra sparkle when the light hits it.

I was inspired to try this technique when I saw this pretty card . She used blender pens instead of the aqua painter on hers...so that's another alternative. I just prefer the aqua painter myself, so that's what I used. Here's another card I also created with this technique. Both cards use the new In Colors as my color palette. (with the addition of Wisteria Wonder to the top card)

Have a lovely weekend!

An Epic Blue Ribbon Grad (and birthday too!)

Today I have a couple cards to share using the exact same products...one for a graduation and one for a birthday. I love how versatile the Blue Ribbon stamp set is!

The Epic Day DSP has a lot of fun designs...so it was easy to make the cute little pennants. I was also able to personalize them really easily by adding the year using the Designer Type Photopolymer Stamp Set. Here's the birthday version...

I decided to wait to personalize the little banner when I know who the card is going to.

Have an epic day!

Easy Watercolor Background Tutorial

I shared a card here on Friday and have since gotten several emails asking exactly how to do the background. It's a really fun technique to play around with and very simple to get beautiful results. I'm not really sure what it's called...so I'm just going to call it the watercolor background technique. I took photos of each step to show you exactly how to do this.

Step 1: Gather supplies. For this project I used:

• Acrylic Block I
• Stampin' Write Markers: Calypso Coral, Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Pear Pizzazz & Old Olive
• Whisper White card stock cut 5 1/2" x 4
• Stampin' Spritzer filled with water

Step 2: Swipe markers across acrylic block to create strips of color, blending each color into the next as shown below.

Step 3: Lay the block onto Stampin' Scrub and spritz with water. I found that about 4-5 spritzes across the block was perfect...but this is really where you'll have to experiment to find the look you are going for.

Step 4: Pick up block and tilt slightly if you wish to blend colors further...it will look something like this.

Step 5: "Stamp" your background onto your base, being careful to lay it down straight. I left about a 3/8" border along the top (which will actually be the side of my finished card) Hint: press on the block and allow it to sit for a minute so the paper will absorb all the ink & water.

Allow the panel to dry before going on to the next step. I just kept making more back grounds and when I was done with that the panels were dry...so maybe an hour or so. Or if you are in a hurry use your heat tool to speed up the dry time. Hint: Create a small background, using this same technique & colors, on some scrap for any images you may want to stamp & punch out.

Step 6: Use post it notes to mask the edges of your watercolor background. Hint: if your ink pads are very juicy, you may want to also use some scrap paper over the post it notes so that the ink doesn't bleed through.

Step 7: Stamp your focal images first. I used the Papillon Potpourri stamp set with Tangerine Tango, Rich Razzleberry & Island Indigo ink.

Step 8: Stamp your small scrap background to punch. I used Rich Razzleberry.

Step 9: Fill in with a swirl...I used the pretty flourish from Everything Eleanor inked in Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo & Coastal Cabana.

Step 10: Stamp En Francais over entire design. I inked mine in Island Indigo and then stamped it off once so it wasn't so dark. I also pressed in the areas that I wanted it to be a little darker.

Step 11: The best part! Pull off the post it notes to reveal your fabulous work of art! Proceed to embellish as you wish to create your finished card. Here's what mine looks like...

I used the Needlepoint Border to emboss my edges, popped up the punched out butterfly and stamped my sentiment, from Blooming With Kindness, in Coastal Cabana and adhered it to a base of Pool Party card stock.

I hope you'll give this technique a try, if you haven't already. I also hope you like this look because I'll be sharing several more cards I have created using this technique in the next couple weeks.

Grateful Creative Elements

I love the pretty, blended colors that make up the background strip of this card using markers & an acrylic block. After I created the background panel, I masked the edges with post it notes and stamped flowers & the swirl from the Creative Elements stamp set along with En Francais.

Can you guess which punch or die cut I used to create the label for my sentiment? At first I was just going to use it as a stamped strip, but after playing around with some of my framelits I came up with an easy way to make this die cut label using the Apothecary Accents Framelits. Check it out...

1. Just cut a strip of card stock just under an inch wide...so approximately 15/16 or 7/8 inch wide. 
2. Stamp the label image from Creative Elements. 
3. Line one end up under the framelit, allowing the other end to lay on top, as shown above.
4. Place top cutting pad on top of framelit carefully. Tip: you may want to use post-it notes or temp adhesive to hold it securely in place...if like me you don't yet have the Magnetic Platform Pad. It's on my next order and can't wait to get it!
5. Start to roll thru the Big Shot, but stop after it cuts the end, and reverse back out instead of rolling all the way through. Hope that makes sense...rolling all the way through will just kind of crease up the other end a bit.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 to cut the other end of the label.

I then embossed my sentiment, from Apothecary Art, using White EP. I think I'll be using this image so much more now that I've discovered this!  

Have a great weekend!

Father's Day Coast To Coast

I was doing some re-organizing in my stampin' space recently and started looking through some of my favorite retired stamp sets. One of my very favorites has to be Coast To Coast...so I decided to use it for my Dad's Father's Day card this year.

This beautiful lighthouse image was stamped in Black Staz-on onto a leftover Behr paint chip that I brought home when trying to decide on a color for my bath a while back. Good way to recycle! Two of the colors were almost a perfect match to Night of Navy & Brocade Blue (retired), and just for good measure I added some Cherry Cobbler!

The En Francais background was stamped in Night of Navy. The "Happy Father's Day" greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and I stamped it inside a Bitty Banner image inked with just my marker to eliminate the original wording. I also used Tiny Tags (a newly retired favorite) along with "Dad" from Fancy Flexible Phrases.

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful Dad's out there! I hope you get to spend time tomorrow with all the favorite Father's in your life!

Hello In Colors!

I guess it's been a little while since I posted! I've been really busy around the house, painting and gardening, etc... Such a busy time of year, and unfortunately not enough time to stamp lately! Here's a cute card I made when I first got the new batch of In Colors. I wanted to create something that used all five colors...so here it is.

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri,  Creative Elements, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card stock: Crisp Cantaloupe, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding & Strawberry Slush
Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding & Strawberry Slush
Accessories: Elegant Butterfly & Bitty Butterfly Punches, Basic Pearls & Fancy Fan Embossing Folder

Have a colorful day!

Two By Two Mosaics

One of my favorite stamp images from the last catalog was this adorable Two By Two stamp...I'm sad to see this one retiring so soon. Here it is paired up with some new stuff...Modern Mosaic stamp set along with the coordinating Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder and the new In Colors.

I like that the Modern Mosaic stamp set can create fun cards all on it's own, but also like the fact that it can be used to create fun backgrounds as well. The soft color pallet of the new In Colors is perfect for a baby card, don't you think? I used Pistachio Pudding, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe & Coastal Cabana card stocks, and then all five colors, including Baked Brown Sugar to water color the image with my Aqua Painter. Here's a closer look at this darling image.

This stamp will only be available through June 3rd and after that will retire for good. So if you want to add it to your collection don't forget to add it to your next order. Here's the list of other retiring sets you won't want to miss out on. 

I'm Mad For Mosaics...

...and the new In Colors too! The Mosaic Madness set and the coordinating products are a lot of fun to work with! The punch is quick & easy...just stamp and punch out shapes to layer onto a base embossed with the Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder. There's even a DSP called Quatrefancy Specialty...but I have yet to use that because I've been too busy enjoying the latest batch of In Colors...it's no surprise that Coastal Cabana has already become an instant favorite!

The hardest part of this card was stamping each image inside the embossed area because I chose to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig. You could also eyeball it pretty easily if you are using the clear mount set, but I don't mind taking a few extra minutes using the Stamp-a-ma-jig because then I know each image will be pretty much centered. (otherwise it would bug me and I'd probably re-do it which would end up taking longer than using the Stamp-a-ma-jig to begin with!)

I used 4 out of the 5 new In Colors: Pistachio Pudding, Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush & Crisp Cantaloupe.

As you can see above, this set makes a nice card on is own...but it also works well as a background for a multitude of other sets, (I'll show you an example of that next time) it can make masculine cards, feminine cards, and just about any occasion card, which makes it a very versatile set.

This & That

Have you seen the This & That Bundle of products yet? They are so much fun! I got a couple of the albums...one for myself and the other for my future daughter-in-law. We got together one day last week to decorate the covers and we had such a great afternoon visiting while we worked on our project together. She hasn't done too much scrap booking, but I thought this would be perfect for her to journal her thoughts & some photos while my son (her fiance) is deployed in Afghanistan. Then when he returns he can read about things that happened while he was gone.

Here is my beautiful DIL-to-be along with her This & That journal. Didn't it turn out cute!? There's going to be a Hexagon Punch available in the new catalog that will punch out those shapes in the perfect size for this cover...but we had to do it the hard way because the punch isn't available yet. :-(  I made a little template out of chipboard and we just traced it onto the Epic Day DSP and cut them out...it wasn't too bad. We also added some stickers from the Epic Day Sticker Pack. Here's how mine turned out...

I had to take the coil out to adhere the DSP into place and I must have bent it a little in the process...so be careful if you do this. Other than that I love how it turned out and cannot wait to start adding some photos & mementos. I'll make another post showing some of the inside pages in the future.

Have an epic weekend!

Mosaic Madness Flower

Yesterday I finally had some time to spend playing with my Sneak Peek box of goodies! I must say...I really do love the new In Colors! I think they might just be one of my favorite sets of In Colors yet! I also had a lot of fun using the Mosaic Madness Bundle, which includes the stamp set along with a coordinating punch. I love that they've included bundle pricing in the new catalog! To make these stamps even more fun & versatile there is also a coordinating embossing folder as well.

While on Pinterest one day I saw this card and loved how she created a flower using the punched out shapes. So of course I had to try it! Here's what I came up with.

I used...
Stamps: Mosaic Madness & Itty Bitty Banners
Card stock: Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe & Strawberry Slush
Inks: Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe & Strawberry Slush
Accessories: Modern Mosaic & Needlepoint Border Embossing Folders, Mosaic & 3/4" Circle Punches, Bitty Banner Framelits, Basic Rhinestone & my good friend...the Stamp-a-ma-jig

Good thing I am on very good terms with my Stamp-a-ma-jig because to really enjoy this set and be able to create some fantastic backgrounds, I feel the Stamp-a-ma-jig is a must have tool.

Check back soon for more fun cards using the Mosaic Madness Bundle and new In Colors!

Wildflower Meadow for Mom

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! It was very cold & windy here. My oldest son had to work, so I only got to see him for a little while and my youngest son was recently deployed to Afghanistan, so I didn't get to see him at all :-( ...BUT I did get to spend time with my Mom...so that was nice! Here is the card I made for her.

I've been so busy lately that this is the first chance I've had to play with my pre-order goodies. The Wildflower Meadow stamp is one of my favorites in the new catalog! Happy it was included on the pre-order. I inked it first with Pool Party and then wiped off the areas I wanted to color Calypso Coral. I then just colored using my markers and sponge daubers to blend the colors a bit. After stamping I ran the image thru the Big shot using the coordinating Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folder. Here's a closer look...

You cannot tell from either photo, but the image really has a pretty shimmer because it was spritzed with some homemade shimmer spray... alcohol mixed with Frost White Shimmer Paint in a Stampin' Spritzer bottle. You can also add some re-inker to make it any color you wish. Unfortunately, all the Shimmer Paint is on the retiring list...so you may want to pick up an extra bottle. The strip of DSP along the left edge is from the new Quatrefancy papers.

The label is from a Nestabilities set I picked up over the weekend at the Mega Meet Scrapbook Convention...so I had to try it out! I got some really fun stuff there...like a LOT of beautiful patterned paper...because I don't already have a whole LOT of beautiful patterned paper! lol Yes, I admit it...I'm addicted to beautiful patterned papers! (I guess there are way worse things I could be addicted to, right?)

Birthday Keepsake Flip Album

Over the weekend we celebrated a dear friends milestone birthday. She requested no gifts, so I kind of respected her wish. I made her this flip album that will contain photos from her party. (I made one for another friend a couple years ago when she hit the "big 5-0" and all my girlfriends told me then...we better all get one of those when we hit 50!) So here is the one I made for Bonnie.

I used the retired Thoroughly Modern DSP through out the album, so the color scheme you see here is what is used in those papers...Crumb Cake, Bermuda Bay, Rose Red and I also added Basic Black. I used the Designer Type Photopolymer Stamp Set (embossed in black) along with Daydream Medallions (embossed in silver) for the cover. Here is another photo with the embossing shining in the light.

After I get the photos into the book, I'll share some of the inside pages. I also made her a joke gift....a basic black (so it goes with everything & looks classy! haha) bedazzled, cone bra top so she can channel her inner Madonna!

You might be asking yourself why I would post this on a SU! themed blog? Well everything I used (except for the actual bra) is Stampin' Up! I cut large circles of of Basic Black card stock and cut up one side to the center, and folded it into a cone shape, which I adhered into place with Sticky Strip.. Then I "bedazzled" it with adhesive backed rhinestones and attached the cones to the bra using hot glue. For added fun I added the little 5-0 charms to each cup using fishing line so they dangled freely. Those were made from Silver Glimmer paper, sizzlets & small scalloped punch.

You cannot say I didn't support my friend as she hit her milestone birthday, right?