Guacamole Birthday - Stampin' Up! Taco Fiesta

   I've got a cute masculine birthday card to share today for Testosterone Tuesday.  It really could be for anyone that enjoys a good pun or some chips and guac but it's a CAS design with little fuss so it falls into the "guy card" category for me.

   Parakeet Party is used for the card base.  The Basic White panel has 3 score lines across the bottom for some low fuss detail and they also gave a bit of an anchor for the sentiment.  I colored the avocados and the bowl of guacamole with Stampin' Blends markers and then punched them out with a circle punch.  They are backed with a slightly larger punched circle in Basic Black. Some dimensionals are used to adhered them to the card front.

  So it's a quick masculine card too!  Minimal supplies but still really fun!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Taco Fiesta

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Parakeet Party light & dark, Old Olive dark, Basic Black light & dark, SU300 (brown)

Paper: Parakeet Party, Basic Black, Basic White

Accessories: circle punches (or dies), dimensionals, scoring tool

Turtle Get Well - Stampin' Up! Playing in the Rain

   I needed a masculine get well card and this week the Paper Players have a Clean and Simple Get Well prompt so it was perfect timing.

  I haven't watercolored in a really long time and a customer recently inspired me by sending me a card that she watercolored at a class at our local botanical gardens.  I decided to pull out my (very dry!!) Stazon ink pad and some watercolor paper and give it a go.  No, I'm not going to share the first attempts...only the one that came out worthy enough to send to another human!  

  I chose some nice bright cheerful colors in Mango Melody, Parakeet Party, Granny Apple Green and a bit of Night of Navy for contrast.

  First, I adhered a piece of Regency Park DSP onto the card front.  Next I stamped the turtle from Playing in the Rain stamp set in Stazon and then watercolored with water painter brushes.  The sentiment is from the Through It Together stamp set and is stamped in Stazon as well.

  Once the turtle panel was dry I added a length of Night of Navy ribbon to the top and then backed the panel with Night of Navy cardstock.  The whole panel is popped onto the card front with dimensionals.

  The final detail is a Night of Navy enamel dot added to the flower center. See pretty clean and simple!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Playing in the Rain, Through It Together

Ink: Stazon, Mango Melody, Parakeet Party, Granny Apple Green

Paper: watercolor paper, Night of Navy, Regency Park DSP

Accessories: water painter brush, dimensionals, Night of Navy Bordered Ribbon, enamel dot 

Bunny Ears Easter - Stampin' Up! Sentimental Park

   Sometimes when I'm working on a card design I see something in a stamp or die that looks like it could be used for something else.  I was creating this card and while I was fussy cutting the leaves I totally had an "a-ha" moment where I saw bunny ears!  Of course I tucked that little bit of inspiration away and a few days later I sat down to see if I could come up with a design using this stamp as bunny ears.

  I paired the stamp with 2 patterns from the Sale-a-Bration Day at the Farm DSP to create a trio of little bunny ears peaking over the top of a hill.

  The card base is Balmy Blue then a layer of Basic White.  The sky/cloud pattern from Day at the Farm DSP is on the top half of the Basic White panel.  I fussy cut the hill pattern and added it to the bottom half.

  The bunny ears are stamped in Crumb Cake and then the inside is colored with the light Flirty Flamingo Blends marker.  I fussy cut all three pairs of ears then tucked them just behind the hillside.

  To fill in the sky I added a few die cut clouds from the Playing in the Rain dies.  They are popped on dimensionals for added interest (and because I can't say no to dimensionals lol!!).  I cut a few grass/flower stems using the same die set and added them to the hillside.  They are topped with the fun Loose Daisy embellishments.

  The sentiment is an old retired set called And Many More.  The size and bunny reference fit perfectly with the design. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sentimental Park, And Many More (retired)

Ink: Crumb Cake, Garden Green

Blends: Flirty Flamingo light

Paper: Balmy Blue, Basic White, Pear Pizzazz, Day at the Farm DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Playing in the Rain dies, dimensionals, Loose Daisy embellishments

Musical Thinking of You - Stampin' Up! Sweet Songbirds

   I'm playing along with the Festive Friday Challenge today.  They are celebrating World Music Therapy Day with a fun list of inspiration to get your creativity going.  From the list I have used Notes, Supportive Sentiment, Clean and Simple (CAS) Design and Ink Blending.

  Out of all my current stamp sets the Sweet Songbirds is the only one that has anything musical in it so wasn't hard to decide what to start with!

  I started with a piece of Regency Park DSP on the card front.  Next I backed a layer of Basic White with some Polished Pink.  I blended a bit of Balmy Blue into the background so I could have a nice sky for my bird.

  The clouds are punched with the cloud punch and I sponged a bit of Balmy Blue ink on the edges to define them a bit more.  The sentiment from the Beauty of Friendship stamp set is stamped in Night of Navy onto one of the clouds and is popped on dimensionals.

  The bird is stamped in Polished Pink and punched out with the Songbird Builder punch.  I added a punched beak in Mango Melody as well as stamped feet in the same color ink.  The bird body and wing are popped on dimensionals.

 Finally I stamped the music notes in Night of Navy to finish the design.  No embellishments are added to keep it more CAS than not.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Songbirds, Beauty of Friendship

Ink: Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Polished Pink, Mango Melody

Paper: Basic White, Polished Pink, Regency Park DSP, Mango Melody

Accessories: Songbird Builder punch, dimensionals, Cloud punch

Chubby Cat Birthday - Stampin' Up! Best Day

   I'm getting in just under the wire for posting a Testosterone Tuesday guy card!  My day was full up of college visits with my oldest and I didn't plan far enough ahead to schedule a post you'll get a rare evening post from me!

  I used the Inspired By Challenge in which I used not only the inspiration photo but loosely used the sketch as well.

  These colors were just perfect for a guy card and after looking through my stamp sets I thought the adorable chubby kitty from the Best Wishes stamp set was a perfect image to incorporate them all in.

  The card base is Basic White thick with a slightly smaller layer of Smoky Slate which is embossed with the retired Subtle embossing folder.  Then I added a narrow strip of Balmy Blue to anchor the other other elements.

  The squares are all die cut using the Stylish Shapes dies in various sizes.  The cat is stamped on the large Basic White one in Basic Gray ink.  I used Blends markers to color in the image using all the challenge colors.

  I stamped the sentiment in Basic Gray and then trimmed it down to fit inside the Real Red square which is popped on dimensionals.  And then I dug around in my retired stash of embellishments and blued out some Pacific Point candy dots which I swear are multiplying in the drawer as I never seem to make any headway in using them up!

  It's always a great idea to have some masculine cards tucked away in your stash and I would definitely suggest trying out these colors for a few cards!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Best Day

Ink: Basic Gray

Blends: Smoky Slate light & dark, Real Red light & dark, Balmy Blue light & dark, Night of Navy light

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Real Red, Smoky Slate, Pacific Point, Balmy Blue

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, candy dots (retired), Subtle embossing folder (retired)

Blushing Dear Friend - Stampin' Up! Sentimental Park

 I used the current Tic Tac Toe challenge for this card.  I used the right hand down choices of; CAS, stencil and flowers.

  

  This is such a pretty color combo that I'm sure I've used it more than once but it's also a good combo to use before Soft Succulent and Evening Evergreen retire on May 1.  Double check your reinkers and cardstock so you don't run out of your favorites!  My ordering link is in my sidebar -------->

  The first step for this card was to use one of the retired Adorning Designs stencils on the card base.  I blended some Soft Succulent ink for a nice subtle pattern.

  

  Next I cut a Stylish Shapes circle out of a Basic White panel and added the full panel to the card front.  The flowers from Sentimental Park are stamped in Soft Succulent then filled in with Blushing Bride.  I die cut the flower cluster as well as a few Blushing Bride flowers and popped them with dimensionals along the side of the open circle.

  

  I stamped the leaves in Evening Evergreen and then fussy cut them (the die cuts the large leaf/stem combo) and then tucked it behind the flowers.  The sentiment is stamped in Evening Evergreen and then fussy cut and popped.

  The finishing touches are small pearls on the Blushing Bride flowers and an Evening Evergreen baker's twine bow.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sentimental Park

Ink: Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen, Blushing Bride

Paper: Soft Succulent, Basic White, Blushing Bride

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, Sentimental Park dies, dimensionals, pearls, baker's twine

Cacti Hello - Stampin' Up! Taco Fiesta

   Check out this fabulous color palette that The Color Hues team has for us this week!  As soon as I saw my friend Nanc's stunning card in their design team gallery I knew I had to play along with these bright colors! Cyan and Lime Green translate to Tahitian Tide and Parakeet Party in Stampin' Up! colors and like Nanc' I added some black to really make the colors pop!

  The card base is Tahitian Tide with a Basic White layer next.  On top of that is a piece of Tahitian Tide embossed with the Gingham embossing folder.

  Next I stamped a row of cacti from the Taco Fiesta set across a piece of Basic White and then colored them in with my Parakeet Party Blends.  I used the color lifter marker to pull up some color in a dot and striped pattern to add some detail to the cacti.  Next I embossed in black the mustache face on one cactus and then backed the layer with Basic Black and popped it with dimensionals on the card front.

  I stamped and embossed in black the 'hello' word bubble from the Conversation Bubbles set and then die cut it with the coordinating dies.  It's also popped up on a dimensional above the cactus.

  I didn't want to take away from the smaller images by adding any embellishments so I left it plain and let the embossed texture and shiny black embossing be the main details.

  Thanks so much for the color inspiration Color Hues!!  This card just makes me smile so much I might have to keep it for myself!!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Taco Fiesta, Conversation Bubbles

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark

Blends: Parakeet Party light & dark

Paper: Tahitian Tide, Basic White, Basic Black

Accessories: Gingham embossing folder, black embossing powder, Conversation Bubbles dies, dimensionals

Park Floral Thanks - Stampin' Up! Sentimental Park

   It is very dreary here in Central Virginia with rain expected for a good part of the day.  It's not cold but I'm going to stay inside and doing stamping things!  I'm sharing a bright floral card to combat the gray weather to start my list of stamping things I need to do today!

  My stampers made this at my last Quick & Easy class.  When you've got gorgeous paper like the Regency Park DSP you want to show it off.  We paired a pretty design with a clean sentiment label.

  The card base is Balmy Blue, then a square of Regency Park DSP backed with a Shaded Spruce square.

  2 lengths of Night of Navy Bordered ribbon which I love are adhered to the card front on a diagonal.  I used glue dots but a bit of snail adhesive would work as well.

  A piece of Basic White is cut with the plain label from the Sentimental Dies set.  The open flower stamp from Sentimental Park is stamped off in Mango Melody across the label.  The 'thanks' is stamped over the top of the flowers in Night of Navy for a nice contrast.  The label is popped on dimensionals and a punched flower from another Regency Park DSP pattern is added to the corner with a Night of Navy adhesive backed Milky Dots in the center.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sentimental Park

Ink: Night of Navy, Mango Melody

Paper: Balmy Blue, Shaded Spruce, Regency Park DSP, Basic White

Accessories: Sentimental Park dies, Petal Park builder punch, Night of Navy Bordered ribbon, dimensionals, milk dots

  

Pastel Bubbles - Stampin' Up! Conversation Bubbles

   The team over at Global Design Project have a nice set of colors to work with for their current challenge.  Fresh Freesia, Highland Heather and Blushing Bride are so sweet together.  I had a card in mind when I started and it didn't end up how I had hoped but I think it came out good enough to share.  Maybe one of you can see my vision and improve upon it!!

  I basically just stamped and cut a bunch of different word bubbles from the Conversation Bubbles bundle and arranged them on a Highland Heather circle.  The stamped "just a note" is popped on dimensionals and the others are adhered flat but the big circle is popped on the card front.  

  I used a piece of Silver & Gold Specialty paper that was a Sale-a-bration reward last year and cut it with the Stitched Rectangle dies for a but of added detail for the background.  The silver polka dot pattern was subtle enough to let the challenge colors show but not just a boring flat piece of card stock,

 The word bubbles are jazzed up with some baker's twine, rose gold hearts, rhinestones and sequins.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Conversation Bubbles

Ink: Highland Heather

Paper: Highland Heather, Blushing Bride, Fresh Freesia, Basic White, Silver & Gold Specialty paper (SAB-retired), Rose Gold Metallic Specialty paper

Accessories: Stylish Shapes dies, Conversation Bubbles dies, dimensionals, baker's twine, rhinestones, sequins, Stitched Rectangle dies

Spring Showers Hello - Stampin' Up! Playing in the Rain

   I haven't used the Playing in the Rain bundle very much yet but I was inspired by 2 challenges to make a card using the stamp set and coordinating DSP.  The TGIF Challenge has a fun sketch with with 3 different sized panels and the Alphabet Challenge is on letter W and the theme is "water".

  

  I fussed around for a bit with other DSPs before deciding to go with the brighter palette in the Rain or Shine DSP.  I start with a Basic White card base then a layer of Country Gingham DSP in a Balmy Blue small plaid.

 

  Next I layered my 3 different Rain or Shine panels on top.  It took a bit of trimming and re-cutting to get my panels balanced.  If you want to try a similar layout here are my measurements:  

raindrop panel - 2 5/8" x 3 1/2"

crosshatch panel - 1" x 3 1/2"

flower panel - 1 3/8" x 3 3/4"

  I really like the Rain or Shine DSP because it's a specialty paper and for this particular pack that means that the designs on one side are have certain elements that are shiny or clear embossed.  The raindrops, umbrellas, clouds etc all have this fun detail.  The rainy one is perfect for this alphabet challenge!

  Next I stamped the bunny in Basic Gray and colored it in with Blends.  I stamped the bunny again on a piece of the DSP and then fussy cut the raincoat and added it to my colored bunny for a fun paper pieced coat.  I fussy cut one of the umbrellas from another sheet and adhered it and the bunny to the card front.

  The clouds are stamped in Smoky Slate and die cut.  I stamped the hello from the Beauty of Friendship in Balmy Blue to the largest cloud and then adhered the clouds behind the bunny.

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Playing in the Rain, Beauty of Friendship

Ink: Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Balmy Blue

Blends: Smoky Slate light & dark, Flirty Flamingo light, Petal Pink dark, Night of Navy light, Balmy Blue dark

Paper: Basic White thick, Country Gingham DSP, Rain or Shine DSP, Basic White

Accessories: Playing in the Rain dies, dimensionals

  

Goofy Goose Birthday - Stampin' Up! Silly Goose

   I was really drawn to all the cute animals in the Stampin' Up! Jan.-April mini catalog and the owls in the Sale-a-Bration brochure.  I couldn't resist the cuteness of the Silly Goose stamp set especially.  That and the fact that you can make a pretty quick card with white geese...hardly any coloring needed!  

  This week's installment of Testosterone Tuesday isn't overtly male themed but the fresh colors and clean lines do seem more masculine to me.  

  My stampers made this card at my last Quick & Easy card class which I hold once a month and it's perfect for new stampers or casual crafters who love to have a few extra cards on hand.  Though my more avid stampers seem to love it as well.  It's a class for all levels!  Check out my events calendar to see if you can join an upcoming class HERE.

  Since this is a very straightforward card design I won't go over every detail but will just point out a few things.  We don't currently have Stampin' Blends markers in Coastal Cabana but using the Pool Party dark and Bermuda Bay light markers gets you pretty close which are used here for the balloon. The Gray Granite light marker is perfect for a tiny bit of shading at the wings and under the feet.

  The 2022-2024 In Color Glimmer paper is a great way to add a bit of shine and shimmer while still keeping the overall design quick & easy and the ombre effect is a nice bit of interest.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Silly Goose

Ink: Basic Gray

Blends: Pool Party dark, Bermuda Bay light, Gray Granite light, Pale Papaya dark, Starry Sky light

Paper: Coastal Cabana, Basic White, 2022-2024 In Color Glimmer paper, 

Accessories: dimensionals, Matte Decorative Dots

Bright Hugs & Kisses - Stampin' Up! Country Bouquet

   Not a country floral in sight on this Valentine's day card!  I used the colors at Just Add Ink for this bright and bold hugs & kisses card using the Country Bouquet stamp set and punch. Orchid Oasis, Tahitian Tide and Polished Pink are a knockout combo I think!

  I used the challenge colors in nice big blocks to create a fun background for my shimmery X's and O's die cut with the Alphabet a la Mode dies.  I lined up the panels and then stamped across them using Versamark ink and the large open heart stamp in Country Bouquet.  I then mounted the colored panels on a piece of Basic Black for a nice contrast. 

  Next I cut 2 sets of X's and O's; one in retired Shimmer paper and one in foam adhesive sheets and put them together and adhered them to my card front.  They pop nicely against the background.

  I punched a few small hearts from Orchid Oasis glimmer paper and popped them on the card with dimensionals.  A few Tahitian Tide Matte Decorative dots finishes off the details.

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Country Bouquet

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic Black, Orchid Oasis, Tahitian Tide, Polished Pink, 2022-2024 In Color Glimmer paper, White shimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Alphabet a la Mode dies, Country Bouquet punch, matte dots, dimensionals

Park in Purples - Stampin' Up! Sentimental Park

   Sometimes it doesn't happen but I try to send my team members a card each month just to say hello and brighten their mailboxes with some happy mail.  This month I used Sentimental Park and paired it up with purples for a soft floral look.  

  I made one with a welcome sentiment for my newest team member and the others I used a friendship sentiment.  The Sentimental Park dies have the loveliest labels with the cute flower accents that are perfect for not only stamping a greeting on but also as a pretty accent element.

  I used a Fresh Freesia base then a layer of Basic White topped with a piece of Dandy Designs DSP in a floral pattern.

  I cut the label in Basic White then stamped the open flower cluster after stamping off once for a very light look.

  The flower is stamped in Highland Heather then is filled in with Fresh Freesia and is backed by a punched flower in Highland Heath.  The stem is Pear Pizzazz.  I cut a bunch of little flowers in Highland Heather and then added them to the edges of the label.  The whole label element is popped with dimensionals over a strip of Pear Pizzazz shimmer ribbon which was a Sale-a-Bration reward many years ago.

  The final touches are small pearls in the center of the small flowers and one larger one on the big flower.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sentimental Park, Stamping Your Way to the Top (retired demo-only set)

Ink: Highland Heather, Fresh Freesia

Paper: Fresh Freesia, Basic White, Highland Heather, Dandy Designs DSP

Accessories: Sentimental Park dies, Petal Park Builder punch, pearls, dimensionals, Pear Pizzazz Shimmer Ribbon (retired)

95 Candles Birthday - Stampin' Up! Design A Daydream DSP

   A member of my church recently turned 95 years old and her family had a little party and invited church members to the celebration.  I know Ms. Betsy quite well as I assisted her for over 10 years teaching the 2-3 year old Sunday School class.  She had been the teacher of this age group for as long as anyone can remember until just recently when her health has prevented her from continuing.  For such a dedicated and fun-loving woman she deserved a card that well and truly marked her 95 years!  

  I had seen these large candle cards over the years and one of my customers had recently made one for a milestone birthday for her mom so I was inspired to make one also.  A recent craft day gathering was the perfect place to focus on this one large project!  The first step was to I got to make a card base long enough to hold 95 candles!

  I basically cut a bunch of Basic White thick sheets in half the long way, scored them at 5.5" and then adhered them together back to back making a long accordion style base.  Then I added strips of DSP along the bottom of each panel as a base for the candles.

 

   I cut candles in different patterns of paper from the same pack so everything would coordinate.  You could use cardstock as well.  I cut my candles at 3/4" wide and 2.5" high and could fit 6 candles per panel.  I punched the flames out of Daffodil Delight cardstock using the small fish on the fish builder punch and just trimmed off the tails with paper snips.  I sponged Daffodil Delight ink around each flame for added definition.  Then adhered the candles and flames across all of the panels until I had 95 of them.

    I made sure to have one blank panel at the end of the candles to stamp a greeting and have a place to sign my well wishes.  I used some ribbon secured behind a panel of DSP on the backside of the last panel to create a built in way to tie the whole bundle together in lieu of an envelope or box .  It ended up being as thick a small paperback!

  And here is a quick video of the panel for the greeting at the end.

    Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Go To Greetings

Ink: Blackberry Bliss

Paper: Basic White thick, Daffodil Delight, Design A Daydream DSP, Blackberry Bliss

Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Fish Builder punch, ribbon, Alphabet A La Mode dies (for the 95 in the greeting)

Owl in Pink - Stampin' Up! Adorable Owls

 The clock is ticking down on Sale-a-Bration 2023 so if you still have your eye on some of the great SAB rewards place your order sooner rather than later!  Sale-a-Bration ends on Tuesday February 28 so if you love the Adorable Owls set and have gotten it yet don't wait!  If you don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator I'd be happy to have your business!  Ordering link is in my side bar or you can visit HERE

  I used the Adorable Owls set to make this card to play along with the Just Us Girls color challenge.  They've got us using Kraft(Crumb Cake), Pink and White.

  I love how the feel of the owls change depending on what colors you pair them with.  On this card the owl is kind of soft and chill with Petal Pink and Crumb Cake.

  The card base is Petal Pink, then a layer of Basic White embossed with the Brick & Mortar embossing folder.  I used a piece of Country Gingham DSP in a Petal Pink plaid pattern (say that 3 times fast lol!!) cut into a flag as a base for adding my other elements.

  The Burlap Ribbon is adhered in a zigzag across the DSP.  A Stylish Shape circle cut out of Petal Pink card stock is added to the side with dimensionals.  I stamped the owl in Crumb Cake and then colored it in with Blends markers.  I hope the little bit of Pumpkin Pie and Balmy Blue for the beak/legs and eyes are ok for the challenge!  I'm considering them my neutrals lol!  Once it was colored I fussy cut it and popped it with dimensionals onto the circle.

  The sentiment from the Picturesque set is stamped in Versamark on Crumb Cake cardstock and then embossed in white.  It is also popped on dimensionals.

  For embellishments I added 2 Crumb Cake enamel dots as well as a stamped and die cut mini star (found in the Conversation Bubbles stamp set).

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Adorable Owls (SAB), Picturesque, Conversation Bubbles

Ink: Crumb Cake, Versamark, Petal Pink

Blends: Crumb Cake light & dark, Pumpkin Pie dark, Balmy Blue dark

Paper: Petal Pink, Basic White, Crumb Cake, Country Gingham DSP

Accessories: Brick & Mortar embossing folder, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, white embossing powder, Conversation Bubbles dies(star), Burlap ribbon, enamel dots

Nature View Birthday - Stampin' Up! Picturesque

   I've held onto this card for a bit so that the recipient wouldn't see it before his birthday so now I can share it for Testosterone Tuesday.  Guy cards can be hard but you can never go wrong creating a card that is geared toward one of their particular interests.  My father-in-law loves nature and the outdoors and appreciates a good walk or hike so I decided to use the Picturesque stamp set and a few others to make an outdoors scene to celebrate his birthday.

  I started this card with a Basic White thick base, then used a piece of the Enjoy the Journey DSP as the next layer.  This paper pack is really adaptable for cards as well as scrap pages with the larger scale "mountain view" designs and smaller geometric patterns on the opposite sides.  I used a mountain view piece in greens and blues as it echoes the stamped panel in the forefront.

  To create the stamped panel I first blended Garden Green ink heavily onto the bottom of a Stitched Rectangle.  Then I stamped the "pine tree" frame, filled in the other trees with stamped off Garden Green.  The next step is adding the distant "river/mist" which I did using stamped off Coastal Cabana for a very light effect.  To blend the "sky" at the the top of the panel I very lightly blended Coastal Cabana ink so there wasn't any stark bit of white showing.  Finally, to complete the scene I added the distant mountains in stamped off Garden Green and a few die cut clouds from the Greatest Journey dies.

  To fill in the lower portion of the rectangle pattern I stamped 2 groups of pine trees from the Greatest Journey stamp set with one being stamped off for some variation and then layered them giving a nice spot to add the sentiment from Go To Greetings stamped on Coastal Cabana in Garden Green ink.  I flagged the ends, added some "man ribbon" aka linen thread and then popped it on dimensionals.  A few Elegant Faceted gems add just a hint of sparkle around the sentiment.

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Picturesque, Greatest Journey, Go To Greetings

Ink: Garden Green, Coastal Cabana

Paper: Basic White, thick, Basic White, Enjoy the Journey DSP, Coastal Cabana

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Greatest Journey dies, dimensionals, linen thread, Elegant Faceted gems

Floral Heart Valentine Double Easel - Stampin' Up! Country Bouquet

   Today's card is another one that we made at my last class.  This is a really easy fun fold that looks way harder than it is!  My stampers had a good time learning how to make this card and I did a video for them to refer to for measurements and I hope you enjoy it too bloopers and all!  See the YouTube link below and stamp along with me!

  I used the Country Bouquet bundle and Country Floral Lane DSP.  I'm going to list the measurements for the paper and the scores and then all of the supplies at the end like usual.  The measurements are also listed in the video.  To see details on how to put the card together definitely check out the video.

  Paper:

  

  Basic White thick base - 4.25" x 11"

  Sweet Sorbet - 4" x 10.25"

  Large piece of DSP - 3.75" x 5

  Small piece of DSP - 2.25" x 3.75"

Score Measurements:

 Basic White thick - score at 5.5"

 Sweet Sorbet - score at 2.5" & 5"

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Country Bouquet

Ink: Sweet Sorbet, Mint Macaron

Paper: Basic White thick, Sweet Sorbet, Mint Macaron, Basic White, Country Floral Lane DSP

Accessories: Country Bouquet Builder punch, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, Real Red & Burlap ribbon combo

Guacamole Engagement - Stampin' Up! Taco Fiesta

  I needed an engagement card recently so went with a silly one to celebrate the happy couple.  The Taco Fiesta stamp set continues to bring a smile to my face!

  I struggled a bit initially with this idea as the avocados are small and I couldn't get the scale of the rest of the card to work.  Finally I changed a few things and ended up here.  

  This one starts with a Parakeet Party base, then the avocados are stamped on Basic White and colored in with Blends.  I added a glimmer paper heart in the center as well as a strip of heart paper from the All Together DSP which is on sale now in the clearance rack!  Check out all the great deals HERE.

  To make the sentiment banner I inked up the 'Holy Guacamole" with my Basic Black regular marker and stamped it on Basic White.  Then I inked up the retired "you're engaged!" sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings and stamped that underneath before using the Stylish Shapes dies to cut the banner.  A bit of black baker's twine behind the sentiment is the last piece of this card.

  Super quick and easy once I got the design scaled correctly!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Taco Fiesta, Itty Bitty Greetings (retired)

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Parakeet Party light & dark, Mossy Meadow dark, SU400

Paper: Parakeet Party, Basic White, Real Red Glimmer paper, All Together DSP (retired)

Accessories: small heart punch, dimensionals, Stylish Shapes dies, black bakers twine

Blended Birthday - Stampin' Up! Best Day

   My stampers made this design at class on Tuesday and I think they all had fun using the new small blending brushes to color in this fun cake.

  After looking at the samples for the Best Day stamp set in the catalog you can clearly see where I got my inspiration from lol!  I didn't even realize I was inspired by the sample until I took a closer look at the page!  So all the credit for the idea goes to the Stampin' Up! concept artist who did these samples!

  We started our cards with a neutral base in Sahara Sand, then we embossed a piece of Flirty Flamingo cardstock with the new Cane Weave embossing folder.

  Next, the cake is stamped onto a piece of Basic White then using the new small blending brushes Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo and Soft Sea Foam inks were lightly blended over the image.  The new brushes work the same as the larger version they just cover a smaller area so are perfect for getting color into areas that need a bit more precision.

  The birthday banner is stamped again on a piece of scrap and then using Blends markers in Flirty Flamingo it is colored in with some shading and then fussy cut and popped onto the larger cake. Using Blends makers in the other ink colors we added some extra color and shading onto the cake.

  The cake layer has a bit of Soft Sea Foam ribbon added and is backed with a piece of Soft Sea Foam cardstock.

  A Wink of Stella pen is used to add a bit of sparkle to various parts of the cake and then a few Pastel Adhesive-backed sequins finish the details.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Best Day

Ink: Memento Black, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo, Soft Sea Foam

Blends:  Daffodil Delight light & dark, Flirty Flamingo light & dark, Soft Sea Foam dark

Paper: Sahara Sand, Basic White, Flirty Flamingo, Soft Sea Foam

Accessories: Can Weave embossing folder, Wink of Stella, sequins, dimensionals, Soft Sea Foam ribbon (retired)

Pink Petals - Stampin' Up! Petal Park

   I had my monthly stamp club class yesterday and we had such a good time creating with new items from the January - April mini catalog.  I don't know how I'm going to be able to squeeze all those wonderful new products into just 3 months of classes!  If you like a lot of stuff in this new mini definitely plan ahead since it is only lasting through May 1!

  We made this card using the Petal Park bundle as well as a few more items from the larger suite.  The layout was inspired by a recent challenge at Freshly Made Sketches if you think it looks familiar!

  We started with a Balmy Blue base, then a layer of Night of Navy topped with a layer of Basic White where all the stamping actions happens.  The sentiment from Sentimental Park stamp set is stamped in Night of Navy to one side of the panel and the flower stem is stamped in Shaded Spruce on the other side.  The stem is two step with the outline being in full strength ink and the fill in stamp with the same color ink but stamped off once for a lighter version.

  The trio of flowers is stamped on another piece of Basic White in Night of Navy and the fill in stamp is stamped in Petal Pink ink.  The flowers are punched out with the Petal Park Builder punch and a second medium flower is punched out of a piece of Regency Park DSP.

  The larger blossom is adhered to the card front, then the DSP flower is added with a dimensional and then the smaller punched flower is added with another dimensional. 

  A strip of the fabulous Textured Shimmer Paper in Balmy Blue is added underneath the stamping and a piece of Night of Navy Bordered ribbon is adhered with a bit of tear and tape to ensure it holds tight!

  Remember that middle-sized stamped flower that was punched out? Well you didn't think we were going to forget about it did you? It's added to the shimmer paper strip with a dimensional to bring some of the Petal Pink color to that side of the card.

  Final touches are the Adhesive-backed Milky Dots added to the flower centers.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Petal Park, Sentimental Park

Ink: Night of Navy, Shaded Spruce, Petal Pink

Paper: Balmy Blue, Basic White, Night of Navy, Textured Shimmer paper, Regency Park DSP

Accessories: Petal Park builder punch, dimensionals, Night of Navy Bordered ribbon, Adhesive-backed Milky Dots