Birthday Patterns - Stampin' Up! Birthday Bonanza

 My card today really has very little stamping on the front.  I wanted to play along with the very cool and very out of my comfort zone challenge at Case This Sketch.  Those angles were hard to get just right but I got it done even if there isn't much stamping!

 I pulled my colors from the Birthday Bonanza DSP and layered them with some stitched rectangle dies for a bit of detail.

  The center panel is Daffodil Delight that's been stamped with Mango Melody.   The sentiment is 3 layers each of Basic Black using the Well Written dies.  The sentiment is placed over a piece of shimmer Bermuda Bay ribbon.  Retired candy dots dot the i's and sequins and rhinestones finish off the embellishments.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bonanza Buddies

Ink: Mango Melody

Paper: Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Birthday Bonanza DSP

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Well Written dies, candy dots (retired), sequins, rhinestones, shimmer ribbon (retired), dimensionals

Happy Hello - Stampin' Up! Happy Tails

 I'm running out of things to start my blog off with since I haven't done anything different in 2 weeks!  We're starting off week 3 at home and I can say we are definitely in a routine.  I did attempt to make bread of the weekend so I guess that's different!  Yeast and I don't tend to get along but we needed some rolls to go along with our sausage, peppers and onions.  It was an easy recipe and the rolls tasted good but they didn't end up like sub rolls, more like small hot dog buns!  Oh well.  I will try again another day and see what happens!

  On Saturday I worked on finishing up a set of cards to send out to my bible study group so I didn't stamp anything new.  You can see the design here.  Yesterday I had a bit of time (haha) so I worked on a design for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge which closes this afternoon.

  I was looking through my DSP for something to use on this sketch and so much of what I have is floral or nature-y and I wanted something a bit more graphic.  I came across a bag of scraps of a Sale-a-Bration DSP from several years ago; Bubbles & Fizz DSP.  Yes, I had to google it to figure out the name!

  I paired up the DSP with the sweet pup from Happy Tails and kept my layers minimal and used some stitched dies for some interest.  On the inside I stamped some more hearts and the sentiment "keep calm and wag on".  I think that will come in handy in the coming weeks!

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Happy Tails, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Basic Gray, Versamark, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral

Paper: Whisper White thick, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Calypso Coral, Bubbles & Fizz DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangles dies, Stitched Shapes dies, Dog builder punch, black embossing powder, dimensionals, Pineapple Punch 1/8" grosgrain ribbon

Bunny Pig? - Stampin' Up! This Little Piggy

  In keeping with our family's idea of trying to keep things as normal as we can we did what we normally do on Saturdays which is sleep in a bit, have a yummy breakfast (waffles today!) and laze about not doing much of anything.  We all took a walk to the nearby park and stretched our legs and waved from a far at others doing the same thing.  Now we're puttering about the house doing this and that.  Aggie and I are sitting on the front porch watching the neighborhood go by. It's not such a bad thing not to have places to go or people to see these days!

  My card to day is a bit of a goofy one as I wanted to participate in the Color Throwdown challenge which is to use purple, pink and white for a card.  I couldn't get the thought of Easter out of my head with those colors so I sat down to see what I could come up with.  I have exactly zero Easter stamps if you take away the generic flowers in my collection.  And the only Easter greeting I had is the tiny one in Itty Bitty Greetings.  What to do? What to do?

  I saw a cute card a few days back somewhere, Facebook? Pinterest? Challenge gallery? and they used the Daisy punch to make bunny ears for some punch art bunnies.  So smart and clever!  But I didn't want to case that exactly so I thought maybe another animal wearing bunny ears would work instead.  This Little Piggy was perfect!

  I stamped the pig in Memento black and colored him/her? in with Stampin' Blends.  It's a simple image to fussy cut so I got that finished then added the ears which were punched from retired White Velvet paper from a few Christmases ago.  The bunny tail is an Assorted Pompom from the current mini catalog.  I adhered with dimensionals the Bunny Pig onto a Highland Heather Stitched circle. Voila! Bunny Pig!

  The rest of the card is very basic with a Highland Heather base, then a Whisper White stitched rectangle and a piece of retired Gingham Gala DSP (my last full piece!).  The sentiment from the long retired And Many More set is stamped in Highland Heather ink and colored in with the Petal Pink marker.  It's perfect for this card don't you think.  Maybe I should have added an oink oink too!  I added a pink ribbon knot that I found in my ribbon scrap bin to finish off the embellishments.

  Always remember punch art if you're stuck for needing an image you don't have a stamp for!  You never know what inspiration it will spark!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: This Little Piggy, And Many More (retired)

Ink: Memento Black, Highland Heather

Blends: Petal Pink dark, Flirty Flamingo light, Crumb Cake dark

Paper: Highland Heather, Whisper White, Gingham Gala DSP (retired), White Velvet paper (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangles dies, Stitched Shapes dies, Daisy punch, dimensionals, ribbon (retired)

Joey Lion - Stampin' Up! Bonanza Buddies - Fab Friday 186

 Happy Friday...I think it's Friday anyway!  Every morning at least one member of our family asks what day it is.  Not that the day of the week matters much any more but we still feel the need to know where in the week we are.  At least every other week I have the new Fab Friday Challenge to help me keep track of days.  I hope this fun, bright, cheerful color combine will bring a smile to your face.

  When I saw the challenge colors I was excited and ready to get stamping.  I had an idea of what I wanted to do and which stamps I wanted to use.  Then a few hours later I still didn't have something I liked.  I kept changing elements and swapping out different things but I just couldn't get a finished project that I was happy with.  It all started with some water color stripes that I thought were a home run for a card element...nope!  I wanted to do something like I did with my rainbow card the other day so I made a nice panel with all of the colors and then....blah... I didn't like how anything looked. But I persevered and finished a card.

  The one thing that didn't change was the the custom sentiment "How You Doin' ?" which I thought was funny for a thinking of you card.  If you don't know this catch phrase from the show Friends then now is the time to binge the whole series.  Seriously we have weeks of staying home; you have lots of time to watch!  The Joey character on the show always makes me laugh so I named the lion Joey and put together the sentiment with the retired Labeler Alphabet set.   

  I ended up salvaging a strip of my watercolored stripes for along one edge and used a bit of texture with the Brick & Mortar embossing folder for the background.  I added a few retired white enamel dots because why not? 

  I hope you'll like these colors as much as I do but have a far easier time creating with them than I did!  I look forward to seeing your card in our Fab Friday gallery!  Check out the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team for more inspiration!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bonanza Buddies, Labeler Alphabet (retired)

Ink: Daffodil Delight, Mango Melody, Pumpkin Pie, Terracotta Tile, Memento black

Paper: Mango Melody, Basic Black, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Terracotta Tile, Watercolor paper

Accessories: Brick & Mortar embossing folder, Bonanza dies, black baker's twine, dimensionals, white enamel dots (retired)


 

Soft Spring Friendship - Stampin' Up! Thoughtful Blooms

  I have to admit that the quarantine is so much easier when it's 75 and sunny out!  Last week we had lovely weather and I was thinking "wow this stay at home thing isn't so bad" while sitting out on the patio eating lunch.  The past few days it's been rainy and much cooler and I haven't been outside as much and I can say that a bit a sunshine really does help my mindset.

  In the meantime I have a card that just screams spring.  If you don't see spring in these soft pastel colors then there just isn't any hope for you! :)  I used the current challenge over at Global Design Project and if you need to get some Easter cards made this is the color combination for you!

  I used the Thoughtful Blooms and Small Bloom punch which are both Sale-a-Bration rewards.  Only a few more days to earn freebies.  Stock up now for all of your stamping necessities!

  So Saffron has to be one of my least used colors.  I think when I usually need to grab a yellow I want one that's a bit more bright but with the Petal Pink and Pool Party it works for me on this card!

  I'm continuing to use some DSP and this sweet polka dot pattern is in the Bird Ballad pack.  I also found some of these retired white enamel dots in my drawer and thought they worked nicely for flower centers.

  I went ahead and cut paper for 9 more of beauties to send to my bible study group to let them know that I'm thinking of them.  Now I just have to stamp and put them together.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Thoughtful Blooms, So Sentimental

Ink: Versamark, So Saffron, Petal Pink

Paper: Petal Pink, Pool Party, So Saffron, Whisper White, Bird Ballad DSP

Accessories: white embossing powder, Stitched So Sweetly dies, seam binding ribbon, dimensionals, white enamel dots (retired)

Glimmer & Rainbows - Stampin' Up! Bonanza Buddies

  We are keeping up here with school work, house work, regular work and of course stamping "work".  While I call stamping my "jobby", part job part hobby I don't think it will be much of job in the weeks and months to come but I am sure glad I have it as a hobby right now.  Being creative with pretty papers and colors is something that will bring me a bit of peace during these crazy times.  And I hope that the cards I'm sending out daily will bring a bit of joy to those on the receiving end.

  My card today was inspired by the Festive Friday challenge for National Unicorn Day.  You're to use 3 items from the inspiration list to create your card.  I went with rainbow, glimmer and hearts.  And I may have a sequin and rhinestone thrown in for good measure!

 

  I'm not much of a watercolor-er as I tend to get too much water or too much ink and my blending and shading skills leave a lot to be desired but I'm pretty pleased with how my rainbow stripes came out.  Only a few oops spots!  I used watercolor paper, ink refills and an aquapainter.  I just alternated colors all the way down then trimmed the finished and dried panel with a Stitched Rectangle die.

  I wrapped a bit of silver metallic edged ribbon around the panel the built up the rest of the elements.  The heart is punched with the Heart punch pack in Sparkle glimmer paper.  The koala from Bonanza Buddies is stamped in Smoky Slate with his face embossed with shimmer black embossing powder.  His party hat is rainbow as well colored with markers and cut out and popped with a mini dimensional.  I added a sequin and rhinestone for more sparkler.

  The final item is the sentiment stamped on Pool Party cardstock and then popped with more mini dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bonanza Buddies

Ink: Memento Black, Smoky Slate, Versamark

Watercoloring: Calypso Coral, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Gorgeous Grape

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Sparkle Glimmer paper, watercolor paper, Pool Party

Accessories: Heart punch pack, Stitched Rectangle dies, Bonanza dies, silver metallic edged ribbon, rhinestone, sequin, dimensionals

Hello Honey Bee - Stampin Up! Honey Bee

  Big announcement yesterday from the governor of Virginia that public schools will be closed for the rest of the school year.  I think the news was kind of a surprise to our school district based on the subsequent communications from them.  We are still in the first 2 week closure period that was originally announced. We're waiting to see if there will still be online learning or what.  I've got my work cut out for me if I'll be having to home school a 6th and 8th grader.  Anyone have an online school that they can recommend??

  In the meantime we'll keep on keeping on with the regularly scheduled stamping program!  I joined in on the Just Add Ink challenge this week.  It's an interesting sketch with the main elements kind of stacked up in the center of the layout.

  The Honey Bee bundle seemed like a good one to use as it has different sized stamps and dies to work with the sketch.

  The card base is Night of Navy with a pieces of Whisper White embossed with the Coastal Weave embossing folder.

  The beehive is Soft Suede stamped off once for a bit of a softer look.  The honey bee is stamped in Daffodil Delight with the stripes colors lightly with a colored pencil.

  I cut a piece of honey comb in Night of Navy and used some of the cut outs to add to the white space around the main elements.  A Balmy Blue flag with the hello in Night of Navy finishes off the stamping.

  A Night of Navy baker's twine bow and a few Soft Suede candy dots finish off the embellishments for this card.

  Remember to keep stamping and sending out cards.  There are a lot of people out there who could use a bit of happy mail right now.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Honey Bee

Ink: Night of Navy, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Night of Navy, Balmy Blue, Whisper White

Accessories: Detailed Bees dies, Coastal Weave embossing folder, baker's twine, dimensionals, candy dots (retired)

Checking In Owls - Stampin' Up! Check You Out

 I hope everyone had a good weekend in spite of social distancing and staying safe at home.  I can't say I was terribly productive in doing anything but feeding my family and stamping.  But right now that's enough for me.

  For my card today I joined in on The Card Concept challenge which is "Woodland Nursery" and has an adorable inspiration graphic (see the end of my post).  This one actually took a bit of thinking because while I currently have a lot of animal stamps not many of the could be considered woodland animals.  I mostly have zoo, farm and extinct animals so cute little forest animals are few and far between.  Luckily I think the owl from the Check You Out set fits the theme.
 

  The background piece of Soft Sea Foam is embossed with the Tufted embossing folder and then topped with a tilted piece of retired Coffee Break DSP with a cool woodgrain pattern.  The sentiment is embossed in white in the lower corner.

  The owls are stamped in Soft Suede and the glasses and backing circles are Balmy Blue, Soft Sea Foam and Flirty Flamingo. I dug through my ribbon scraps and found matching pieces for each owl.  I gave myself a little pat on the back for using the retired paper and ribbon scraps.  Now I can buy new stuff right?  That's how this all works isn't it??

  The owl panels are all popped on the card front to finish this Woodland themed card up.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Check You Out

Ink: Versamark, Soft Suede, Balmy Blue, Soft Sea Foam, Flirty Flamingo

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Soft Sea Foam, Balmy Blue, Flirty Flamingo, Coffee Break DSP (retired)

Accessories: Tufted embossing folder, white embossing powder, Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, various retired ribbon

Little Vase Hello - Stampin' Up! Varied Vases

  Sunday blogging must mean we are living in crazy times! I have actually had so much time to stamp that I have been participating in challenges left and right and have some I want to share and enter before the deadlines.

  Today's card is using an older stamp set and some bits and pieces found in my scraps to make a quick hello card using the Color Throwdown challenge.

  We are to use teal, coral, green and cream and I went with Stampin' Up!'s Pretty Peacock, Calypso Coral, Old Olive and Very Vanilla.

  I was looking through my papers to see what I had in the challenge colors I thought this pattern from Woven Threads DSP worked well with the patterns on the Varied Vases images.  The Calypso Coral scalloped edge was in my scrap bag and works perfectly with the scalloped shelf image.

  Even though I've been using them a lot lately the candy dot supply seems never ending.  Why did I buy so many??  Oh yeah because the 10 or 12 of each color on a sheet was never enough for a class so I bought 2 or 3 of each color collection.  Yikes!  You'll be seeing these used on my cards for a long while!  I used a few on this card along with a tiny faceted gem in Pretty Peacock.

  It's hard to tell in the photo but the image panel as well as the vase are both popped on dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Varied Vases

Ink: Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Pretty Peacock

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Woven Threads DSP

Accessories: vase builder punch, Stitched Shapes die, Seasonal Layers die (scallop), dimensionals, candy dots (retired), faceted gems

Think Spring - Stampin' Up! Colorful Seasons

  I never blog on the weekends but with this crazy time of social distancing I'm finding I have quite a bit more free time than usual so I might as well share if I've got projects ready to go.

  I was inspired by the Stampin' Up! Only Challenges which is to make a card that makes you think of spring.  Easy enough right?  Light greens and pinks are what's happening in nature in my area. Spring has sprung!

  My Designer Series Paper pack hardly ever get used all the way up.  I worry about using too much of it on personal cards and then I won't have enough to use in classes.  Then I don't end up using it in classes because it's hard to design class projects and only use just a little and generally 2 sheets of a design isn't enough for 20-30 stampers.  It's a terrible stamping conundrum.  I've been trying to use more of my DSP the last week or so since who knows when I'll be able to do classes again and it might even be retired when that time comes around!

  This card uses a large piece of Garden Lane DSP for the background and then everything else is built up from that.  I rounded the corners of the DSP to soften the edges as well as echo the sentiment die cut. I'm even proud of myself that I used 2 older sets to put this one together.

  The leaves are Soft Sea Foam ink and cardstock and the image is from Rooted in Nature.  The flowers from Colorful Seasons are Petal Pink ink on Whisper White cardstock.

  The sentiment also from Rooted in Nature is stamped in Mint Macron ink onto Whisper White and then cut out with Stitched So Sweetly dies.  Everything is popped a bit with dimensionals and some little pearls are added to the center of each flower.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Rooted in Nature, Colorful Seasons

Ink: Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink, Mint Macaron

Paper: Soft Sea Foam, Whisper White, Garden Lane DSP

Accessories: Seasonal Layers dies, Nature's Roots dies, Stitched So Sweetly dies, dimensionals, adhesive pearls

Dino Days Hello - Stampin' Up! Dino Days

  TGIF! Or is it Tuesday?  Saturday??  I think a lot of us are having a hard time remembering what day it is without those touchstone reminders of a regular week!  I have been a bit of a stickler making the boys get up (not quite as early as a normal school day though, I'm not a complete monster!), eat, get dressed and start on school work every morning.  I think we all do better with a schedule even if it's modified to fit these crazy times.  And keeping everyone on track in the morning allows me to head to the stamp room in the afternoon for some paper therapy.  Win win!

  I think a lot of my cards will be thinking of you and hello cards for now.  I'm going to try to send out a few cards a week to people just to keep in touch and hopefully brighten their day while we are all staying close to home these days.  I am planning on checking with my church to see about some homebound members who might enjoy some fun mail as their daily contacts might be dwindling down to just one or 2 carers.

  One positive to being at home more with less 'to do' responsibilities is that I've had a chance to do some stamping challenges and have time to photograph and edit. Today's card was inspired by the sketch at Hand Stamped Sentiments

  Dino Days hadn't seen ink in a bit and is a fun cheerful set to make a hello card with.

  I followed the sketch pretty closely and mixed in some greenery using the Tropical Chic stamp set.  The leaves work well with the Dinoroar DSP.   The Whisper White circle die cut (from the Painted Labels dies) was in my pile of card parts and I even was able to use some retired Old Olive candy dots.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Dino Days, Tropical Chic, Free as a Bird (sentiment)

Ink: Mango Melody, Old Olive, Pretty Peacock

Paper: Old Olive, Pool Party, Whisper White, Dinoroar DSP

Accessories: Dino dies, Painted Labels dies, Coastal Weave embossing folder, Tropical dies, dimensionals, Crushed Curry baker's twine (retired), candy dots (retired), faceted gems

Modern Poppies - Stampin Up! Painted Poppies

  Well it's official; 3 days into the 2 week no school, stay home, social distancing thing the schools have closed until at least April 13.  When I heard the news yesterday I took a deep breath and kept stamping.  There's not much else we can do but it's going to be a long haul and we have some adjustments to make.  I hope I have enough cardstock stockpiled! Now postage stamps to actually mail all these cards is another story!

  I started and completed today's project over 2 days and it didn't quite turn out like I had envisioned.  The color combo was inspired by bedding I saw in a catalog and the layout is from the current challenge at the Global Design Project which is to case one of their designers.

  At first I tried to color in the white embossed poppies with various mediums; Blends, colored pencils, ink and Blender pen and it was all basically a hot mess.  The colors were either too dark and saturated or too light and blotchy.  I ended up with a sponge dauber and ink pad and lightly inked the centers of the flowers.  I used a white colored pencil and added a bit to highlight the leaves.

  For the circle element I cut it out using the Painted Labels dies in Whisper White then cut another one in Pretty Peacock and used the cut outs to fill in the openings in the Whisper White circle.

  The Pretty Peacock poppies are embossed in white and die cut and I added some Gray Granite centers (from the Poppy Moments dies) colored with clear Wink of Stella.

  A few faceted gems finish off the embellishments.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Painted Poppies, Honey Bee (sentiment)

Ink: Versamark, Pretty Peacock

Paper: Gray Granite, Pretty Peacock, Whisper White

Accessories: white embossing powder, Painted Label dies, Poppy Moments dies, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, faceted gems

Breathtaking Spring Flowers - Stampin' Up! Breathtaking Bouquet

  Our family is rolling with the social distancing groove.  We are trying to keep to somewhat of a normal schedule and doing ok.  We aren't much for crowds or constantly being on the go normally so so far we aren't going crazy or getting too irritated with each other.  But it's is only Day 3 as far as the boys being home from school (we aren't counting the weekend!).  We'll see how we feel on Day 12 lol!

  In the meantime I'm trying to find some time to create which is much more difficult for me when everyone is at home.  I usually do my stamping in the the early afternoon after completing chores and errands and before the boys get home from school.  I'm finding the ideas aren't coming quite so easily with 3 other people in the house moving about.  I'm going have to learn to focus a bit more!

  I was able to complete this card yesterday and after I had it finished I realized how I could have made it differently for a more pleasing layout.  In the end I think I stamped the Breathtaking Bouquet layer too small and it ends up being about half the height of the card which is just too even and I think it would look better if more of the image was stamped and colored.  Too late now; I've finished coloring and don't think I'm going back to it again for a while!

 I was inspired by the challenge over at the Paper Players which is to do a CAS design with Spring Flowers.  While the coloring was not simple the overall look and layout of the card is clean and simple so I'm going to share it in the gallery over there.

  The card base is Pool Party, then a layer of Whisper White embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.  I tied a bit of the polka dot tulle ribbon in a knot around the Whisper White layer.  A sentiment and a little butterfly help anchor the ribbon.

 The Breathtaking Bouquet background stamp is stamped in Memento and colored with Stampin' Blends (colors listed below).  Once I was finished coloring I fussy cut along the top edge and then popped it up over the embossed layer.  It didn't take as long to color as I thought it would; the longest part was deciding which colors to use!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Breathtaking Bouquet, Itty Bitty Birthdays, Butterfly Gala

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Granny Apple Green light & dark, Bermuda Bay light, Pineapple Punch light & dark, Highland Heather light & dark, Poppy Parade light & dark, Calypso Coral light & dark, Petal Pink light & dark, Pool Party light

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, polka dot tulle ribbon, Butterfly Duet punch, dimensionals

Play Ball Birthday - Stampin' Up! For the Win

  I hope everyone is staying safe at home and hunkering down.  We've been home since Friday pretty much minus a trip to church to drop off food pantry donations on Sunday.  It was all drive up and go so it didn't even really feel like "going out".  We even had church streamed online for the first time! Crazy times!   Since everyone is stuck at home I expect to see beautiful lawns and gardens this year.  No excuses not to weed!  And lots of cards of course!!

  I was able to make this card last Friday before the kids were sent home from school for the next few weeks.  I was inspired by the sketch over at CAS(e) This Sketch. (see at the end of my post for the sketch). I decided to try for a baseball field look!

  How did I do?

  The card base is Whisper White thick.  There is a narrow strip of Soft Suede on the edge that I stamped (stamping off once) with the smaller splotch stamp from Painted Poppies.  That kind of looks like the infield right?  On top of that I used a piece of Call Me Clover that was embossed with the Subtle embossing folder for some texture.  The sentiment is heat embossed in white.  I used my retired Fringe scissors along the one edge to make a bit of "grass".

  Next I inked up the baseball stamp from the For the Win set with my Real Red and Sahara Sand markers.  I did that 3 times and then punched them out with a circle punch.  They are popped up around the sentiment on dimensionals.

  Since there isn't real baseball at the moment maybe it's time to break out some baseball movies until the real thing is back?  And stamp while watching of course!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: For the Win, Painted Poppies

Ink: Soft Suede, Versamark

Markers: Real Red, Sahara Sand

Paper: Whisper White thick, Call Me Clover, Soft Suede, Whisper White

Accessories: white embossing powder, Subtle embossing folder, dimensionals, fringe scissors (retired)

Spring Bird & Blooms - Stampin' Up! Free as a Bird - Fab Friday 185

  Happy Friday!  What's on your to do list for the weekend?  Stocking up on canned goods and toilet paper?  Searching out the last bottle of hand sanitizer in your town?  Stamping all weekend long to do your part for 'social distancing'?  I can't help with the first two but stamping all weekend I can help with!! I can get you started with the newest Fab Friday Challenge!

  There are so many possibilities with this sketch!  I can't wait to see all the creative things you come up with!

  So I have to confess that the square panel on my card is not off set like in the graphic because I didn't translate it properly on to my rough sketch that I was working from in my stamp room.  I honestly didn't notice it until I enlarged the graphic to add to my blog post.  Oh well.
 

  Since I have daffodils and pear trees blooming right now and bluebirds nesting in our nest box I was inspired to do a full on spring Mother's Day card.  My Free As A Bird set hasn't seen ink in months so it was high time to get stamping and coloring.

  The bird and blooms are all colored with Stampin' Blends (colors listed below) and I really like how vibrant and cheerful they came out.  Once they were colored I fussy cut which went way faster than you might think.

  For my (non-offset) square panel I cut out a square frame in Whisper White and then backed it with a Whisper White piece cut with the Detailed Hearts die.  I popped the whole panel on dimensionals over the top of a piece of Birthday Bonanza DSP. 

  The 2 Basic Black sentiment strips were stamped with Versamark then embossed with white embossing powder.  They and the bird and blooms are all popped with various numbers of dimensionals following the sketch. Definitely remember to use your embossing buddy!

  Head over to Fab Friday to see the rest of the Design Team inspiration and then play along!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Free as a Bird, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark

Blends: Bermuda Bay light, Pool Party light & dark, Calypso Coral light & dark, Mango Melody light, Petal Pink dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Basic Black, Birthday Bonanza DSP

Accessories: Layered Square dies, Detailed Hearts die, white embossing powder, dimensionals, Bermuda Bay shimmer ribbon (retired)

Glittery Pink Poppies - Stampin' Up! Painted Poppies

    My card for today is another poppy card that we did in my last class and I really ended up loving this color combination that was inspired by a challenge that was live when I was doing my designing for the class.  I thought that the blue/pink combo really made the poppies pop and the bit of shimmer from the embossing and Shimmery white paper was a little glitzy but not over the top.

  The flowers are embossed with Shimmer White embossing powder on Shimmery white cardstock.  Then they are colored with Aquapainters and Flirty Flamingo and Blushing Bride ink.  It's fun to see so many cards made with the watercoloring because everyone's flowers end up so different.  After the flowers were colored and dried they were cut out and then popped over the cut and stamped label.

  The Night of Navy panel is embossed with the Parisian Flourish which is so pretty and elegant I hope it carries over to the next annual catalog so I can keep using it.

  And finally, I showed my class the "fork bow" with the seam binding ribbon. It's a fun technique that makes a really nice tidy little bow.  I did this Fork Bow tutorial with photos a long time ago.  Hopefully you find it helpful or even a little reminder of how it's done if it's been a while for you.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Painted Poppies, Here's a Card

Ink: Night of Navy, Seaside Spray, Versamark, Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo

Paper: Seaside Spray, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Shimmery White

Accessories: Parisian Flourish embossing folder, Painted Labels dies, Shimmer White embossing powder, seam binding ribbon, dimensionals

Get Well Sloth - Stampin' Up! Back on Your Feet

  I was able to finish up a card yesterday and I was even able get it photographed.  I was looking through some challenges at the end of last week and came across the current CAS(e) this Sketch and The Card Concept challenges and thought that I would be able to work with both of them.  I like the offset cluster of the sketch and the greens and neutral were pretty in the inspiration photo.  While the inspiration photo is definitely geared towards St. Patrick's day I decided to do something different as I've made St. Patricks day themed cards in the past and I just never send them.  I decided to do a get well card because those are always nice to have on hand.

  The sloth in the Back on Your Feet set seems like he'd be perfect for both challenges.

  I went with the Clean and Layered look by stacking several layers of Whisper White and Call Me Clover to make my background.  The top layer of Call Me Clover is embossed with the Layered Leaves embossing folder.

  I stamped and colored in the image with Stampin' Blends and then fussy cut.  I die cut a few leaves in Soft Sea Foam using the Natures Roots dies.  I popped the colored image over the top of the leaves to create the cluster from the sketch.

  I think I need to up my sentiment game as I didn't have any larger font sentiments that would work with this card so I used the small Get Well from Well Said and just repeated it across a strip of Whisper White.

  Hopefully I can get back in the stamp room today for some more fun!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Back on Your Feet, Well Said

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Gray Granite light & dark, Smoky Slate dark, Call Me Clover light & dark, Soft Suede dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Call Me Clover, Soft Sea Foam

Accessories: Layered Leaves embossing folder, Stitched Rectangle dies, Natures Roots dies, dimensionals

 

Fun Fold Toucan - Stampin' Up! Bonanza Buddies

 I hope everyone out there had a good weekend!  We enjoyed lots of relaxing time even though we did get some household stuff done.  We took a few walks, had some nice meals out and took advantage of the warm sunny weather yesterday and read out on the patio and porch.  So in keeping with the relaxing weekend theme even though it's Monday I have a nice relaxed fun fold to share!

  Some fun folds are a bit stressful because there are so many measurements and one wrong score line and you've got a sheet of scrap paper on your hands instead of a cool card.  This one is so easy that one of the score lines doesn't even really count!

  All you need to do is cut your regular 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock in half as you would usually do to make a card base.  Then fold in half (or score at 4 1/4" to be really precise) like always (see it doesn't really even count as a score line), then score at 2 1/8" and fold that back to the center score.  Boom.  Easiest fun fold ever!  It's just the card front folded over.

  I wanted to show off the adorable toucan from Bonanza Buddies but also throw in a look at a fun way to use the Sale-a-Bration set Thoughtful Blooms and the matching Small Bloom punch.  Instead of using the round stamp to make balloons from the Bonanza Buddies set I made little flower balloons instead.

  The balloon/flowers and toucan are mounted on a scalloped circle and then popped with dimensionals on the front flap.  Be sure to only put adhesive on the side of the circle touching the flap so your fun fold card actually opens and your recipient can actually see the 'happy birthday' stamped on the inside!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Bonanza Buddies Thoughtful Blooms

Ink: Memento Black, Gorgeous Grape, Mango Melody, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight,

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Gorgeous Grape, Mango Melody, Birthday Bonanza DSP

Accessories: Layering Circles dies, Bonanza dies, Small Bloom punch, dimensionals

Another Poppy - Stampin' Up! Poppy Moments Dies

 I'm finally getting towards the end of the "to be shared" pile.  I hope you're not sick of seeing more poppies because this might not be the last one! Now to find time to stamp new cards!

  This was a sketch challenge that I thought was a nice way to use up some narrow strips of DSP while having a more bold focal image.

 
 My birthday stash was so depleted at the start of the year that I was really focusing on making sure I had plenty of choices for the coming months.  I liked the scale and font of the greeting from Varied Vases for this card.

  This Peaceful Poppies DSP was a nice background and had a bit of depth and texture look and I added a bit more by using the Coastal Weave embossing folder on a piece of Pool Party cardstock.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Varied Vases

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Pool Party, Peaceful Poppies DSP, Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, Mossy Meadow, Old Olive, Basic Black

Accessories: Poppy Moments dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, Coastal Weave embossing folder, dimensionals


 

So Much Dino Love - Stampin' Up! Dino Days

  Since my daffodils are blooming and my husband cut the grass the other day I guess I can continue the theme of out of season things we're doing.  I've got a Valentine's Day card to share!

  I made this one for my youngest son and wanted to incorporate some annual catalog and mini catalog items for a "not too mushy" card! And honestly it doesn't have to be for Valentine's Day because you can give someone a special I Love You card all year long...regardless of what the crazy weather is doing or what day the calendar says it is.

  The little T Rex arms always make me laugh and I included the the sentiment on the inside that says "I love you THIS much (It's more than it looks.)  The label die is from the Painted Labels dies and is a nice size to help bolster up a smaller image.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Dino Days, Heartfelt

Ink: Pool Party, Granny Apple Green, Real Red

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Real Red, From My Heart DSP

Accessories: Painted Labels dies, Dino dies, Heart dies (retired), dimensionals

Soft Poppies - Stampin' Up! Painted Poppies

    My card today is another combination of the poppy suites.  I combined the Painted Poppies bundle with the Poppy Moments dies for this softer take on the bold red color of my previous Painted Poppies share.

  I really like the intricate and detailed cut outs in the Whisper White background.  It's adding texture and interest without having to cover the whole piece of cardstock.

  The stem and leaf are colored with Colored Pencils and the blooms are cut out and the larger one is popped on a dimensional.  The centers are die cut in Basic Black for added depth to the stamping.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Painted Poppies, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Old Olive, Memento Black, Poppy Parade

Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Pool Party, Poppy Parade, Basic Black

Accessories: Painted Labels dies, Poppy Moments dies, Stitched Shapes dies, seam binding ribbon, dimensionals

Golden Hive - Stampin' Up! Honey Bee

 With no school here today I'm running behind of my normal schedule.  Not having to get the boys up and going to get the bus we all slept in a bit so all the rest of the routine; breakfast, morning walk with Aggie and blogging have all been pushed back.  I'm sure later in the day when I haven't gotten to all I wanted to do today I will wish I hadn't slept in!

  I've got a card to share that I made a while back and it's pretty lush with a large golden beehive!

  Gold embossing just looks so nice with the Honey Bee stamp set!  I embossed the hive and added a few gold foil hearts.  If I still had the gold Wink of Stella I would have colored the bees with that instead of So Saffron. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Honey Bee, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black

Blends: So Saffron

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Golden Honey DSP, Gold Foil

Accessories: gold embossing powder, dimensionals, Detailed Bees dies, black baker's twine

Bold Poppy - Stampin' Up! Painted Poppies

  I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and enjoyed the Leap Day on Saturday.  We had a lazy, slow start to the day with not a thing to do on the calendar so on one hand I wish I had gotten to some of my to do list but on the other hand it was nice to laze about a bit and hang out with my family.  I didn't even get to any stamping this weekend so I'm digging deep in the vault for today's card.

  This card was one of the first I designed back in January for my stamp club to try out the Painted Poppies and Peaceful Moments bundles.  I stuck with the predominant color combination of the Peaceful Poppies DSP using Old Olive, Poppy Parade and Rich Razzleberry.

  In retrospect I would have stamped off the splatter stamps that go across the line of poppies so the color wouldn't be so bold and overwhelm the smaller images.  This is also a great design to swap out for other color combinations to create some different looks. 

  Fingers crossed for some stamping time today after I wade through some chores and boring stuff!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps:  Painted Poppies

Ink: Old Olive, Poppy Parade, Rich Razzleberry, Memento Black

Paper: Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Poppy Parade, Whisper White

Accessories: Poppy Moments dies, dimensionals