Turtle & Co. Stack Up

  I don't know if it's just me but I'm ready for some structure and schedule again.  It was nice when the summer began and we didn't need to be anywhere but now I'm ready to plan my days around the school schedule's and to get my much needed mommy time when both boys are at school at the same time....9 whole hours a week this year!!  I hope to get some regular stamping in during these hours and I have lots of projects in mind to try as well as some around the house projects.  School starts on Tuesday for Ryan...Kindergarten!!  And Alex's first day of preschool is on Wednesday. 

  Any, enough rambling, on to the fun stuff....stamping!  Here is the second card we made at my Turtle & Co. mini stamp-a-stack.  I just love the Pool Party & Poppy Parade color combination.  I've seen a few really cute Christmas cards using this color combination and I think I might have to try my hand at it too!

  The base is Pool Party that we embossed with the new Stripes embossing folder (love it!!).  Then we cut a scallop square out of watercolor paper using the Big Shot and the scallop square die.  Since the ladies were making 2 of each card we simply used the paper trimmer to cut the scallop square in half to have one panel for each card.  We used watercolor paper for the images because it really does give the best results for watercoloring...it takes the color beautifully and there isn't any bleeding.  Also, make sure to use Stazon for the outlines.  Other inks will bleed and smudge and just make a mess of your images. 

  We used post it note masks to get our animals all stacked on top of each other.  Then we used Aquapainters and the ink pad lids to watercolor.  Simply squish the closed ink pad lid into the pad and open it up.  You'll see the ink on the inside of the lid and you just pick up that ink with the Aquapainter and start coloring.  You can also use reinkers the same way; squeeze a drop of ink on to a piece of plastic (the stamp-a-ma-jig image sheet works, the top of a stamp set case, the lid of an embellishment container etc.).  If you use Stampin' Spots just press the spot down onto one of those plastic items and you'll get the same little smears of ink to use.  Easy!

 

  The Poppy Parade banner was hand cut with the paper snips as well as the sentiment which was just stamped on scraps of watercolor paper.  You can make up any combo of sentiments just by stamping the different words and piecing them together however you'd like.  The banner is attached with a mini library clip (so cute!!!) that is embellished with a baker's twine bow.  The whole image panel is popped up with dimensionals of course because I can't not use dimensionals if you haven't noticed.

  Remember for each Turtle & Co. that is sold Stampin' Up! donates $3 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.  RMHC provides wonderful services to families who have sick children.  What would you do if you had to be far from home for weeks or months at a time while your child was receiving treatment at a hospital?  The cost of a hotel room for that amount of time would be astronomical.  RMHC provides a place for families to stay so they can be close to their child who is in the hospital.  Check if there is a local RMHC near you and what you might be able to do to help.  In the meantime, put Turtle & Co. on your next Stampin' Up! order and start creating some cute cards for a great cause.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Turtle & Co.

Ink: Stazon, For watercoloring- Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Pear Pizzazz, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green, markers for coloring the hat- Poppy Parade, Pool Party

Paper: watercolor paper, Pool Party, Poppy Parade

Accessories: scallop square die, mini library clip, bakers twine, dimensionals, Stripes embossing folder, Aquapainter