In Good Taste Thanks - Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Greetings

    I generally find masculine cards harder to make than cards for women and a masculine card for a college age guy even harder.  I wanted to send a thank you to a young man who has been doing a lot to help our church have online worship every Sunday.  He's gotten a lot of the tech and video stuff running smoothly and I wanted to make sure his efforts were recognized at least by our family. 

  The In Good Taste DSP which will be in the new annual catalog coming out on June 3rd seemed like a good place to start.

   I started with the new In Color Misty Moonlight for a card base.  The colors listed for this set of DSP says Night of Navy but for this pattern Misty Moonlight is perfect.  Next is a layer of the In Good Taste DSP.  Then I trimmed a very narrow bit of another In Good Taste pattern with the quatrefoil shape to go across the cardfront.

  And to use as many new products on a card as I can I kept on with a strip of Whisper White embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.  I adhered a piece of Just Jade In Color ribbon over the Whisper White so a bit would peek through my banners.  I cut the banners with the Tasteful Labels dies after embossing one with the sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings.  I popped the banners on dimensionals and trimmed off the overhang on each end.

  Because it looked a little bland and I wanted a bit more of the Just Jade color to show a little ribbon knot is the final touch.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Whisper White, In Good Taste DSP

Accessories: Tasteful Labels dies, white embossing powder, Tasteful Texture embossing folder, Just Jade In Color ribbon, dimensionals

Retro Gold & Aqua - Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

   Here's another card from the vault from a few weeks back.  It was for one challenge or another and I didn't get it shared in time.  I think it came out with kind of a cool retro vibe.

  Check out all that golden glitz!  I started with a Coastal Cabana card base. Then a layer of gold foil topped with a piece of Whisper White embossed with the Parisian Flourish embossing folder.  I sponged Versamark over the top of the embossing for a bit of randomness and then heat embossed with gold powder. 

  A layer of torn and crinkled Smoky Slate cardstock is the anchor for the the rest of the elements that make up the focal point.  I dug around in my scrap ribbon and came up with 3 different ribbons to go with the color combination.  I layered those on the Smoky Slate cardstock.

   I embossed the flower and vase in gold on Whisper White then cut it out with one of the Stitched So Sweetly dies.  I used the light Bermuda Bay Blends marker to color the blossoms.  The label is then popped on dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped in Versamark and embossed in gold on Bermuda Bay cardstock.  It is also cut out with another Stitched So Sweetly die and popped on mini dimensionals.

    I'm trying out a new Blogger interface for this post so if things seem wonky it's because I couldn't figure out how to do some stuff that is normally very easy.  I'm not big on change but I thought I would give it a go so we'll see how that works out lol!  If you see anything on your end that's a problem please let me know so I can figure it out!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Varied Vases

Ink: Versamark

Blends: Bermuda Bay light

Paper: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Gold foil, Smoky Slate, Bermuda Bay

Accessories: gold embossing powder, Parisian Flourish embossing folder, Stitched So Sweetly dies, dimensionals, assorted ribbon (retired)

Sweet Bee Mother's Day - Stampin' Up! Honey Bee

  Still cleaning out the "cards to be uploaded" folder!  Only a little bit of time left to order out of the Mini Catalog so if you've had your eye on this Honey Bee bundle now is the time to order it!  We've been seeing bees of all sorts buzzing around the yard now that there are lots of flowers blooming.  Aggie being the goofy lab she is keeps trying to stalk them and bite at them as they buzz past her head.  She's going to get a big surprise if she catches one!!

  
  I've enjoyed stamping with the Honey Bee stamp set and Detailed Bees dies over the past 5 months.  It's a cute set and works really well as an all purpose set for lots of occasions.  I would certainly use Honey Bee as I would a lot of my flower sets.

  This card starts with a Whisper White base, then a layer of Peaceful Poppies DSP.  I stamped the hive in Daffodil Delight and popped it up over a piece of black ribbon and 2 diecut flowers.  The flowers are colored with markers; Pool Party and Pear Pizzazz.  Looking at the photo now I should have used a darker blue so the blossoms would show up better.  Oh well!

  The bee is stamped in Memento black and colored in lightly with the light Daffodil Delight Blends marker.  It's also popped on dimensionals.

  I stamped the sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings right below the hive.  To jazz up the card front a bit I added small adhesive pearls to the bottom of the hive as well as a few sequin/pearl combos around the hive.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Honey Bee, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Memento Black, Daffodil Delight

Blends: Daffodil Delight light

Stampin' Write Markers: Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Peaceful Poppies DSP

Accessories: Details Bee dies, dimensionals, adhesive pearls, black ribbon (retired), sequins (retired)

 

Purple Poppies - Stampin' Up! Poppy Moments Dies

  Now that Mother's Day is over and all the moms have received their cards (I hope!) I can share on my blog.  Plus I haven't gotten much stamping in over this weekend so nothing brand new to share at the moment.

  I took full advantage of all the beautiful poppy themed products for this card.

  The card base is Whisper White thick, then a layer of Whisper White embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.

  A piece of the Peaceful Poppies DSP backed with a layer of Pool Party is the background for the rest of this card.

  The poppies and leaves are die cut using the Poppy moments dies.  The centers of the poppies have a bit of shimmer thanks to the Wink of Stella pen.  Both poppies are popped on dimensionals

  The sentiment is stamped in Memento black on a narrow strip of Pool Party.  A crinkled seam binding fork bow finishes off this floral card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Something to Celebrate (retired)


Ink: Memento black

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Pool Party, Peaceful Poppies DSP, Rich Razzleberry, Blackberry Bliss, Basic Black, Old Olive, Mossy Meadow

Accessories: Poppy Moments dies, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, crinkled seam binding ribbon, Subtle embossing folder

Bouquet of Flowers - Stampin' Up! Jar of Flowers - Fab Friday 190

  Happy Friday everyone!  Yes, it's Friday; I checked the calendar to be sure lol!  And I also know it's Friday because we've got a new challenge over at Fab Friday!  I hope those of you working have a day or 2 off to do some full on relaxing including stamping!

  We are doing colors this time!  A lot of colors!  This was a tough one for me since there. is. so. much. pink!  But it's not called a challenge for nothing.  I think I did pretty well!

  The only idea I could think of when I saw these colors was flowers so that's what I went with.  It was also a good reason to ink up my brand new preorder set Jar of Flowers.  While I didn't use the jar on this card I think the flowers easily stand on their own!

  The card base is Blushing Bride and then I embossed a piece of vellum with one of the new Greenery embossing folders.  It's a two pack of embossing folders that are narrower than the traditional folders and are great patterns.

  For the flowers and stems I stamped the images on Whisper White with Memento black then colored them in with Stampin' Blends.  We don't have markers for every single color so sometimes you have to find one that's "close enough" so I used Lovely Lipstick as my close enough for Melon Mambo.  No Blushing Bride marker either but I didn't miss it with the other nice bright colors.  After coloring both pieces are fussy cut. I stamped the yellow flowers a second time and colored and cut them out to pop up with mini dimensionals.

  I wrapped a piece of narrow Whisper White ribbon around the stems and "tied" it with a Melon Mambo candy dot.

  The 'hello' from Well Said is stamped in Melon Mambo and cut out with the flag die from the new Tasteful Labels die set.

  I can't wait to see all the creativity with this set of colors!  Head over to the Fab Friday challenge site and see the rest of the Design Team inspiration and then play along with us!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Jar of Flowers, Well Said

Ink: Memento black, Melon Mambo

Blends: Call Me Clover light & dark, Pineapple Punch light & dark, Lovely Lipstick light & dark, Flirty Flamingo light & dark

Paper: Blushing Bride, vellum, Whisper White

Accessories: Greenery embossing folder, Tasteful Labels dies, dimensionals, Whisper White ribbon (retired), candy dot (retired)

Vintage Star Hello - Stampin' Up! Birds & Branches

  In normal times our family would be getting ready for an annual Memorial Day weekend camping trip with our church this coming weekend.  We enjoy the fellowship, food, fishing and kayaking during the weekend and will miss the outing for sure.  About the only thing that might be the same this year is our family heading out on our kayaks in the river...maybe.  It all depends on the weather and I hope we end up with a nice day because a change of social distancing scenery would be nice!

  I'm playing along with the The Card Concept today with a vintage inspired card.  I was inspired by the wood grain, colors, metal buckets and the stars.  See the end of my post for the inspiration photo.  There isn't much stamping on this card but I did pull out some scraps of retired DSP to create with so I feel good about using what I have on hand.

 This card starts with a Night of Navy base then a layer of retired Wood Textures DSP.  I created the patchwork star by adhering different patterns and sizes of DSP (all retired) onto a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock.  I cut a star using the largest Stitched Star die.  This patchwork look is a great way to use up smaller pieces of DSP that coordinate.  A friend sent me a cool card that used this technique with a big die cut heart so you can really use any larger open shaped die.

  Next I stamped the 'hello' onto Very Vanilla in Night of Navy and cut it out with the new Tasteful Labels dies.

  The little galvanized metal buckets in the inspiration photo made me think of the retired Galvanized Metallic paper we had a while back and I thought it would pair wonderfully with the new jar punch.  After punching it out I used my scoreboard to make little scores along where the jar threads would be for a bit of detailing.

  I wrapped some natural colored thick baker's twine around the neck and added a retired Vintage Trinket safety pin to the knot.

  To decorate the jar I stamped a heart in Cherry Cobbler and Night of Navy using the heart stamp from the Birds & Branches stamp set and cut them out with the coordinating die adding a plain Very Vanilla heart also.  I popped the hearts up on dimensionals to finish off this card.

  I hope you all have some fun plans for the Memorial Day weekend in spite of the quarantine.  Maybe some camping in the back yard?

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Well Said, Birds & Branches

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy

Paper: Night of Navy, Very Vanilla, Wood Textures DSP (retired), various retired DSPs, Galvanized Metallic paper (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Stars dies, Jar punch, Birds & More dies, Tasteful Labels dies, dimensionals, Vintage Trinkets (retired), thick baker's twine (retired)

Christmas Berry Wreath - Stampin' Up! Thoughtful Blooms

   In these trying times we must make do with what we have on hand and that includes trying to make Christmas cards with only 2 Christmas sets.  I wanted to play along with the CAS Christmas Challenge which is to make a card using winter berries but there was a problem..... no winter berries to be found in either of my Christmas sets. 

  What to do? What to do?  I dug around and the only stamp set that had something even close to berries was the Sale-a-Bration set Thoughtful Blooms.  And it is a teeny tiny image!  How to get this itty bitty image to be the basis for a whole card.  Luckily part of the challenge is CAS which is Clean and Simple.  I decided that using the berry image to create a wreath might work.  That prompted me to figure out how to make a template for my Stamparatus that I had been putting off for some time.  It was far easier than I thought it would be and I'm pleased with how it came out.

  The berries are stamped in Shaded Spruce and Merry Merlot and once I got the wreath all set I cut it out with circle dies and added a larger circle in Copper Glimmer paper behind it for some shine.

  The double bow is Cherry Cobbler baker's twine which is a decent match for the Merry Merlot and that's added to the wreath with a glue dot.

  The sentiment from Merry Christmas to All (which is retiring in case you still want it) is stamped in Versamark right onto the DSP and embossed with copper embossing powder.  The DSP is retired Joyous Noel and the color is the retired Tranquil Tide but is a nice match to the Shaded Spruce berry stems.

  Overall I think it took longer to find a berry stamp and make the wreath template for the Stamparatus than it did to actually stamp this card.  And it was fun trying something new and using up some retired supplies.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Thoughtful Blooms (retired SAB), Merry Christmas to All

Ink: Shaded Spruce, Merry Merlot, Versamark

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Copper Glimmer paper (retired), Joyous Noel DSP (retired)

Accessories: Circle dies, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine, copper embossing powder, dimensionals

 

Spring Bird - Stampin' Up Birds & Branches

  My card for today uses another of the demonstrator preorder bundles.  I couldn't resist the Birds & Branches stamp set and coordinating dies.  Even though the Bird Ballad set is carrying over I needed to have this one too!  The styles are quite different and really I just can't resist.

  I used the color challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments to create this little spring scene.

  The soft colors are perfect for a sweet little scene with a nest in the trees.  I used Crumb Cake and Soft Suede for the nest and branche.  After stamping the larger branch I added a few smaller ones to fill out the space.  The leaves are stamped in Mint Macaron once then stamped again without reinking the stamp.  I like that this makes each branch a little more full.

  The eggs are stamped off once in Rococo Rose for a little bit lighter look.  The bird is stamped in 2 layers of Seaside Spray ink with the first layer stamped off once.  I added the pink chest with the light Rococo Rose Blends marker and then used the color lifter to lighten it.

  The Birds & More dies have some fun "extra" shapes.  In addition to the dies to cut out the birds and nest etc. there is a cool leafy vine edge die that I used here as a border along the side of my scene.

  To finish off the details of this card I used the new Many Mates stamp set for the sentiment and die cut it with the new Tasteful Labels dies.  Look at that fun detail along the edge.  I popped the circle up with dimensionals over a piece of Rococo Rose scalloped linen trim.

  This is a cute set and I can't wait to make more cards with it!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Birds & Branches, Many Mates

Ink: Seaside Spray, Rococo Rose, Mint Macaron, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede

Blends: Rococo Rose light, Color Lifter

Paper: Seaside Spray, Mint Macaron, Whisper White, Crumb Cake

Accessories: Birds & More dies, Tasteful Labels dies, dimensionals, scalloped linen trim

Fern Hello - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern

  I was able to stamp a bit here and there over the weekend.  It was beautiful weather all weekend here in Central Virginia so it was hard to stay inside and stamp but I think I balanced outside time with inside time.  After power washing our side walk and long driveway on Saturday I rewarded myself with a mostly lazy afternoon but yesterday I hit the stamp room to play with some new preorder products and join in a few challenges.

  I'm getting in under the wire with my card today which uses the Color Throwdown colors.  Pink, yellow and blue.  Since some of our new In Colors fit into those shades I got to work.

  I decided to do a color block background starting with Blushing Bride, then the new Misty Moonlight and lastly the new Bumble Bee.  After attaching the strips to a panel of Whisper White I stamped and embossed different images from the new Forever Fern stamp set in white.  Not having the new In Color inks available with the preorder is really making me have to think about how to use the cardstock in different ways.  You don't realize how much you rely on just having the inks to match;  it will be a welcome addition to my ink pad holder having these 5 new colors!

  For a bit of added detail after the embossing cooled I cut down the panel a little bit with the Stitched Rectangle dies.

  Next I cut 3 leaf sprigs using the challenge colors then arranged them behind my sentiment panel which is cut using the new Tasteful Labels dies.  I stamped the "hello" in Night of Navy which seems to be a good match to Misty Moonlight until we get those inks.  Looking at it now I probably should have stamped it off once for a lighter look but it is what it is.  The label is popped on dimensionals too.

  Usually I would want to add some ribbon or other detail to the big open space on the label but in going with the challenge theme I decided to leave it be white space to draw the eye to the details of the embossing, leaf die cuts and elegant shape of the label.  Does it work or not??  I'm torn!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern

Ink: Versamark, Night of Navy

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Misty Moonlight, Bumble Bee

Accessories: Stitched Rectangles dies, white embossing powder, Forever Flourishing dies, dimensionals,  Tasteful Labels dies

First Look at Ferns - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern

 It's always a good day when new stamping supplies arrive in the mail and you have time to actually play with them!  I received my 2020-2021 Annual catalog preorder on Wednesday.  I was able unpacked it,  put the labels on the stamps, pet the new DSP and sniff the new rubber; you know all the normal things everyone does when they receive a box full of brand new items!  Or maybe it's just me!

  Anyway I was able to sit and play with a few of the new products yesterday to make a masculine birthday card.  The Forever Fern is a new set with gorgeous leaf images and has a coordinating die set called Forever Flourishing dies which in addition to cutting out the stamped images also has a lot of dies for additional leaf shapes.  I know I will get a lot of use out this bundle for all seasons.

 For my layout I played along with the CAS(e) This Sketch challenge as it seemed like the perfect design for all my little leaf images.

  I started with a Whisper White thick card base then topped it with a panel of the new In Good Taste DSP.  The pack has 24 sheets of fantastic photographic images of textures and patterns.  I'm always a sucker for wood patterns but this pack has so much more to love than just wood.  And with 24 sheets I don't have to be stingy with cutting into it!

  I got busy stamping and die cutting different leaves.  I pulled my colors from the coordinating pack of DSP Forever Greenery.  Do you see an unfamiliar color?  If you do good eye!  It's called Just Jade and is one of the new In Colors this year.  I used it for some of the smallest leaf sprigs as well as the largest label.

  The labels are cut with the new Tasteful Label dies which is a nice mix of new shapes.  I stamped the sentiment with the new set Many Mates in Pretty Peacock then I colored in the open letters with Pretty Peacock Blends in a gradient color scheme.

  I arranged all the die cuts and added a bit of linen trim for texture then popped the label up on dimensionals.   I really like the images and the colors and know I'll be getting a lot of stamping in with them in the coming weeks!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern, Many Mates

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Pear Pizzazz

Blends: Pretty Peacock light & dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Just Jade, Pretty Peacock, In Good Taste DSP

Accessories: Forever Flourishing dies, Tasteful Label dies, linen trim, dimensionals

Triple Challenge Christmas - Stampin' Up! Snowman Season

  I'm not quite sure why I've been so drawn to doing Christmas card challenges lately seeing that I really only have 3 Christmas stamp sets and one of them is a sentiment set!  Maybe it's good that I'm planning ahead?  If this keeps up maybe I'll have a unique card to send to each person on my list?

  For my card today I've combined 3 challenges kind of unintentionally.  I had the 52 Christmas Card Challenge in my mind trying to think up what would be a good non-traditional color combo using my 2 stamp sets.  Then I saw the Paper Players color challenge which is a fun, bright combo that could work for Christmas.  I pulled the colors and stamp sets and then kind of gravitated towards the Global Design Project challenge of CASE the designer and used the basic layout for for my bright snowman card.

  The card base is Granny Apple Green with a sprinkling of snowflakes in the same color ink in opposite corners.  Next is a piece of Melon Mambo topped with a polka dot embossed piece of Whisper White.  Following some details from the CASE the Designer challenge I added a little strip of Pool Party ribbon and a stamped flag to the upper corner.

  The snowman is stamped in Smoky Slate then colored with Blends.  We don't have a Melon Mambo Blends so I used Lovely Lipstick which I think is a great match.  After coloring, the snowman is cut and layered with the Layering Circles dies.  The circle panel is popped on the polka dot background with dimensionals.

  And for the part of the card that took the longest to figure out...the sequin embellishments!  I played around with all colors/kinds of sequins for a long time.  I had the whole front covered then took some off, rearranged again and again.  Then just one color, then a mix, then layered with the snowflakes, then not.  Finally I arrived at what I have with the colored sequins adhered to the snowflakes.  I even added a dab of shimmery Crystal Effects in the centers which doesn't show well in the pic.  Sometimes it's the little details that hold up finishing a card!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowman Season, Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo, Smoky Slate

Blends: Lovely Lipstick light & dark, Pool Party light, Granny Apple Green light & dark

Paper: Granny Apple Green, Melon Mambo, Whisper White

Accessories: Layering Circles dies, Stitched Rectangles dies, dimensionals, Shimmery Crystal Effects, Large Polka Dot e.f. (retired), satin Pool Party ribbon (retired), snowflake sequins (retired), sequin assortment

Bokeh Butterfly - Stampin' Up! Butterfly Gala

  I follow quite a few challenge blogs and lately I've gotten to play along with so many great challenges but I still end up coming across some I've never joined before.  While commenting on the lovely cards in the challenge galleries of Fab Friday I come across some new to me challenges that I put on my list to check out.  One of the newest ones is called Daring Cardmakers and their current challenge is to make some inky backgrounds.

  My cards lately have had simple dry embossed or DSP backgrounds so I thought this challenge would get me to stretch a bit.  My first attempt with an ink smash background technique became a bit of a green sloppy mess so I decided to switch gears.  I don't own any of the cool stencils SU has available so I had to improvise so I went back to a technique that I did for a class a number of years ago with some homemade stencils.  This one is called the Bokeh Technique.

 

  The backgrounds starts with sponging various colors in a random pattern on a piece of Whisper White.  I filled in all the space, overlapping the colors so they blended.  I used Highland Heather, Coastal Cabana and Seaside Spray.  Then I used my homemade circle stencil which is just a piece of acetate with various sized circle cut out.  I used my white craft ink pad and a sponge (a dauber works well also) and lightly sponged circles right over the top of the colored background.  I moved the stencil several times to fill in space and slightly overlap some of the circles.  I let it dry for a bit then cut it out with the Stitched Rectangle dies.

  After mounting the background on the Whisper White card base I went to work on the rest of the card.  Not wanting to cover up too much of my cool background I kept the rest of the elements to a minimum.  I added a Coastal Cabana strip across then topped it with a narrow piece of Whisper White grosgrain ribbon from my scraps.  Next is a Stitched Shape circle cut from vellum.  I embossed and watercolored in a butterfly from Butterfly Gala and then popped it on dimensionals on top of the vellum.

  Finally, I stamped the Hello from Varied Vases in Highland Heather and then added a variety of sequins and faceted gems sprinkled down the card front.

  I'm pleased with how this one came out and glad that I took the time to do an inky background.  Now whom to send it to???

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Butterfly Gala, Varied Vases

Ink: Highland Heather, Coastal Cabana, Seaside Spray, Versamark, White craft ink

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, vellum, Coastal Cabana

Accessories: Butterfly punch, Stitched Shape dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, sequins, faceted gems, dimensionals, white embossing powder, narrow grosgrain ribbon (retired)

 

Poppy Thank You - Stampin' Up! Painted Poppies

 I was able to find a bit of time to be in the stamp room yesterday and was actually able to make a card.  I didn't have much mojo over the weekend so instead I spent some time cleaning up and doing some stamp room housekeeping that tends to get overlooked in favor of stamping.  The Just Add ink challenge was just the ticket to get inky.  The color challenge is Smoky Slate, Basic Gray and Rococo Rose. 

  I was able to pull in a lot of Rococo Rose products that tend to get overlooked in my stamping as pink isn't one of my go to colors.  I like the simplicity of the stamping but with interest from the textures and patterns on the rest of the card.

  The card base is Rococo Rose with a layer of Rococo Rose In Color DSP in the scripty pattern.  I embossed a panel of Smoky Slate with the Parisian Flourish embossing folder and added a little bit of the Scalloped Linen ribbon to the edge.  I actually cut off one side of the scallops to use so just the little bit of color peeks out.

  The tag is cut from the Bonanza dies and the poppy is stamped in Basic Gray and colored with the Rococo Rose Stampin' Blends.  I popped the tag on dimensionals and added a shimmer Basic Gray knot to the top.

  The sentiment is from the Sale-a-Bration set Thoughtful Blooms and is embossed on Basic Gray cardstock.  I die cut it with the Stitched So Sweetly dies, added some faceted gems to the side and popped it up on dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Painted Poppies, Thoughtful Blooms (retired SAB)

Ink: Basic Gray, Versamark

Blends: Rococo Rose light & dark, Smoky Slate light

Paper: Rococo Rose, Smoky Slate, Whisper White, Basic Gray, In Color DSP

Accessories: Bonanza dies, Stitched So Sweetly dies, Parisian Flourish e.f.,  white embossing powder, dimensionals, faceted gems, Scalloped Linen ribbon, Basic Gray Shimmer ribbon (retired)

 

Posy of Daisies - Stampin' Up! Daisy Delight

  It's funny once you have lots of time on your hands and can stamp with all of your stamps without worrying about showing new stuff and preparing for classes how much you gravitate towards certain stamps.  I've used the Daisy Delight stamp set and daisy punch a lot this spring.  I think I had forgotten what a cute set it is after the initial newness wore off.  I'm sorry that this set is retiring but I'm getting a lot out of it now for sure.

  I made this card for my mother in law's Mother's day card.  She loves flowers and purples so I chose a pastel palette with Purple Posy and Soft Sea Foam as the main colors.  I used the Freshly Made Sketches challenge which is closing shortly.  I deviated a bit from the layout but I think you can still see the basic idea.

 The card base is Whisper White thick, then a layer of Soft Sea Foam embossed with the Tin Tile embossing folder.  Next, to keep with the sketch, I added 2 panels of the retired Mercury Glass acetate which is lovely and I wish it was a regular item in the catalog.

  The daisies are stamped with Versamark onto Purple Posy cardstock then embossed in white.  Each flower is actually 2 stamped images layered for a nice full look.  The centers are stamped in Daffodil Delight and cut out by hand.

  The leaves are stamped on Pear Pizzazz cardstock with Pear Pizzazz ink then fussy cut.  The left most flower as well as the sentiment are popped on dimensionals.  A bit of retired shimmer ribbon in Pear Pizzazz highlights the sentiment.

  Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Daisy Delight, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Versamark, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Highland Heather

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Purple Posy, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Sea Foam, Mercury Glass Acetate (retired)

Accessories: Tin Tile embossing folder, white embossing powder, Daisy punch, dimensionals, Stitched So Sweetly dies, Pear Pizzazz shimmer ribbon (retired)

Breathtaking Rainbow - Stampin' Up! Breathtaking Bouquet - Fab Friday 189

  Happy Friday!  It seems like the 2 weeks since our last Fab Friday Challenge have flown by.  We're back at it again with a fun sketch this time.  A nice big center panel offer a lot of possibilities!

 

  The Breathtaking Bouquet background stamp in the Mini Catalog is so pretty and I'm disappointed I didn't get to share it more with my stampers in classes.  Now that it's spring it was the perfect stamp to use for all kinds of seasonal cards.  It's retiring at the end of this catalog period so if you overlooked it up until now I urge you to take another look before it's too late.

  I followed our sketch exactly and wanted to use the big panel to show off the stamp so I embossed it in white onto watercolor paper and then did a rainbow watercolor wash effect down the whole panel.  I spritzed some water onto the watercolor paper and let it soak in a bit then blotted it up with a paper towel.  I pressed clear blocks onto my ink pads to pick up the colors I wanted to use then brushed them onto my paper with an Aquapainter.  The order of colors is Flirty Flamingo, Grapefruit Grove, Pineapple Punch, Coastal Cabana and Highland Heather.  Once the watercolor panel was dry I backed it with a piece of Basic Black and popped it up on a Whisper White card base.

  The sentiment from Tropical Chic is embossed in white onto Basic Black cardstock, flagged and popped up with dimensionals over a length of crinkled seam binding ribbon.  A crinkled seam binding fork bow finishes off the edge of the sentiment.

  Check out the great inspiration from the rest of the Fab Friday team and play along with us!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Breathtaking Bouquet, Tropical Chic

Ink: Versamark, Flirty Flamingo, Grapefruit Grove, Pineapple Punch, Coastal Cabana, Highland Heather

Paper: Whisper White thick, Basic Black, watercolor paper

Accessories: white embossing powder, crinkled seam binding ribbon, dimensional, glue dot
  

Golden Christmas - Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Christmas

  When I went to pick the project I was going to share today I realized all the cards I had ready were Mother's Day cards and I don't want to spoil the surprise for the moms in our life.  So you'll see those cards over the weekend or early next week.  Instead I'll show a Christmas card that I didn't get around to sharing over the winter.  Nothing like being totally out of season!

  Very little stamping on this card but the gold really makes it shine.  I started with a Night of Navy card base, then a layer of Shaded Spruce embossed with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder.  I topped that with one of the fun patterns from the Wrapped in Plaid DSP.  I used a lot of it up for classes as well as personal stamping and I still have some left as I'm sure many of you do too.  These are classics that can be used for many Christmases to come.  Some can also be good for masculine birthdays or Father's day.  Don't feel you have to stay in the winter holiday realm just because that's what the paper was marketed towards.

  I used a gold foil tag and punched out the tree with the Pine Tree punch leaving the negative space showing the DSP.  The tag has a bit of gold/Shaded Spruce ribbon threaded through the top.

  And now for the only stamping of the card; the sentiment is stamped in Versamark and embossed with gold onto a Cherry Cobbler Stitched Shape circle die cut.  I had a few sticker stars left from an old Paper Pumpkin kit that I added around the popped up sentiment to finish it off.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Christmas

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Night of Navy, Shaded Spruce, Gold Foil, Cherry Cobbler, Wrapped in Plaid DSP

Accessories: Pinewood Plank e.f., tag punch (retired), gold/Shaded Spruce ribbon, Pine Tree Punch, gold embossing powder, dimensionals, Stitched Shapes dies, gold foil stickers

Friendly Cow - Stampin' Up! Over the Moon

  I'm continuing to send out a lot of cards to friends, family and others in our community.  This one is a cute, cheerful hello with the adorable Over the Moon stamp set.  It's on the Last Chance List so if you've loved this stamp set now is the time to get it.

  This one starts with a Daffodil Delight base with a layer of fun striped DSP from the Bird Ballad pack.  You could re-create this casual striped look with Stampin' Blends or even Stampin' Write markers.

  Next is a layer of Pool Party embossed with Subtle embossing folder.  The cow is stamped on a Stitched Shape oval and colored with Blends.  It's popped on dimensionals with a "hello" banner on the side.

  The 'friend' is die cut in Basic Black 3 times with the layers adhered together for a sturdier element.  I added a little rhinestone for the dot in the 'i'.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Over the Moon, Well Said

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Crumb Cake light, Soft Suede light, Pool Party light & dark, Old Olive light & dark, Petal Pink light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark, Basic Black dark, Ivory

Paper: Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Whisper White, Basic Black, Bird Ballad DSP

Accessories: Subtle e.f., Stitched Shapes dies. Well Written dies, dimensionals, rhinestone

Strong Tree - Stampin' Up! Rooted in Nature

I'm behind with a bunch of stuff around the house due to various reasons so it's going to be short and sweet today. 

  Just a quick and easy thank you that has a bit of a masculine vibe.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Rooted in Nature

Ink: Early Espresso, Old Olive, Pool Party

Paper: Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, Peaceful Poppies DSP

Accessories: Nature's Roots dies, Hammered Metal e.f., brads (retired), baker's twine (retired), dimensionals

Bluebird Thank You - Stampin' Up! Free As A Bird

  It's no secret among my local stampers that I like bluebirds.  In the spring we have a nest box with a camera in it to see bluebird pairs making their nest and raising their babies.  One of the rooms in my house that I use for classes has the camera feed on the TV and I turn it on during classes for all to watch.  It's a continuous source of entertainment for us to see these birds carrying on with things.  Our first nest has hatched and fledged and we've been seeing another pair of bluebirds checking out the available real estate so we're looking forward to watching it all over again.  Thinking about my bluebirds I designed a card with a beloved bluebird!

  I discovered a new to me challenge a few weeks ago and decided to join in the newest challenge. Inspire. Create. Challenge has fun sketch this time so I jumped right in.

 

  The card base is Whisper White thick.  I still have quite a few sheets of the soon to be retired Bird Ballad DSP so I grabbed this pretty floral pattern and build my card up from there.  The DSP is backed with a panel of Old Olive cardstock.

  The Stitched Shape circle is a nice clean background for the bird. The narrow strip is Terracotta Tile with the thank you stamped in Memento ink.

  The bluebird is stamped in Memento black and colored with Blends (listed below).  He's fussy cut and popped on dimensionals.  A black bakers twine bow is a little bit of embellishment.

  I hope you're seeing signs of spring with birds nesting in your area.  If you can do a nest box camera it really is a cool way to see the secret life of birds!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Free As A Bird

Ink: Memento black

Blends: Night of Navy light & dark, Cajun Craze light, Calypso Coral light, Petal Pink light, Mango Melody dark, Old Olive light & dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Old Olive, Terracotta Tile, Bird Ballad DSP

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, black baker's twine, dimensionals