Pinkfresh Studio {You are Remarkable}

I'm not quite sure why it took me so long, but I recently joined the Pinkfresh Studio Fan Page on Facebook! There is an exclusive Inspiration Challenge for members there each month, and this is my card for the challenge! While I'm not entering because I'm on the design team, I always enjoy participating in inspiration challenges because they get me thinking differently and reaching for products I don't often go for! 

I was actually thrilled because it gave me the chance to use the recently released Hanging Garden Layered Stencils that I haven't used yet! I absolutely love these so don't be surprised if you see more from me using these! I inked them up using Fresh Pear, Meadow, Olive, Apricot, and Coral Reef ink to fit the color parameters of the challenge. Honestly, you don't HAVE to use those colors, but rather go where the inspiration takes you, but these are some of my favorites, so I went with it!

Once I had the stenciled portion finished, I die cut the YOU portion using the Heather Uppercase die set. I added ink over the top part of the letters using Coral Reef and Passion Fruit inks for an Ombre effect! 

Now, I had a furnace repairman in the basement with me while I was making this card, so I felt anxious, which may be why the "YOU" letters are too close to the "You are remarkable" portion of the sentiment (LOL!) I actually made two cards and remedied that problem on the second card, but ended up taking pictures of this one (face palm). All I need to do is remove the letters carefully and place them just a bit higher and all will be well! ha ha! 

If I were to make this card again, however, I would simply stamp the "You are remarkable" sentiment, which is from the Thankful for Friends stamp set, closer to the bottom of the frame. Oh well...what's a girl going to do?!

The frame is die cut using the Essentials: Pretty Frames die set and then I added some Olive ink around the top portion, letting it fade out around the bottom. I wanted it to fade away, just like the color on the letters. I placed it over the top of the stenciled panel using foam squares and then mounted that onto a top folding white A2 card base.

I had some flowers and leaves left over from THIS card, so I added them to the "O" and to the stenciled portion.  I added some Essentials: Jewels here and there for some sparkle and shine as well as a sprinkling of glitter! I hope you'll come join us on the Facebook page and participate in the challenge! You still have a few days! Thanks for fluttering by!

Warmest Birthday Wishes

I thought I'd better pop in with these cards I made back in July before summer disappears! They are super simple, but they use the darling Summer Vibes stamp set that was a must-have for me! I got it when it was first released and there it sat, unused! Boo! I decided that I'd just do some simple ink blending and coloring to create some quick birthday cards!

I used the fabulous Cloud Mix-ables Stencil for the sky and some Scattered Straw Distress Oxide ink for the sand portion. I used my color spritzing tool (photo of this near the bottom of the post) to create some sandy specks at the bottom of the panel.

I die cut the panel using the Diagonal Stitched Rectangle dies to give this simple card some extra detail. After that was done, I stamped all of the images in black and then colored them with Copic markers. I don't do nearly as much coloring as I used to and I forget how therapeutic it is! I used the Sunny Vibes Die-Namics to die cut all of the colored images. I arranged them on the card here and there for a beach-y scene! This is my favorite of the two because it has a bit more depth to the scene.

This one is a little bit more plain, but I just adore that sweet little bunny working on her sandcastle! The shell and sun both have a coating of Nuvo Crystal Glaze over the top. After I had photographed the cards, I decided that the umbrellas need some glaze as well, so they are shiny now, too!  I added a trio of White Nuvo Drops to the centers of the palm trees as well as some sparkling clear sequins. The sentiment is stamped onto a strip of white cardstock and added to the panel using foam squares. 

For those of you who have asked about the color spritzing tool....this is it! It is from my SU! days and I still have all of the markers that fit with it. This is how I add a lot of the ink splatter to many of my designs.

This little kitty is just the cutest, don't you think? I added it to the inside of the card using foam squares. The sunglasses also have a layer of glaze for some realistic shine. I thought this SENTIMENT was the perfect touch to accent this bibliophile kitty! ha ha! I gave one of these cards to my son for his August birthday and the other will be heading to one of the kiddos from church in the next day or two! 

I'm glad I got these cuties inked up, but guess what? I still have MORE summer stamps that I haven't used at all! Those might have to wait until next year! So sad! Summer goes by way too fast! Anyway, thanks for fluttering by!

 

Flash Sale {Thank you for your love and kindness}

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! I'm back again today for this week's Papertrey Ink/Ink to Paper Flash Sale! If you'd like a  sneak peek of each week's Flash Sale, make sure to check your email for the Papertrey Ink newsletter each Sunday evening! We're transitioning to autumn projects, so I've selected some fun colors and stamps for this week's Flash Sale! This sale will begin on Monday, August 17th at 12 Noon EDT and go until Wednesday August 19th at 12 Noon EDT.

Stamps: Lovely Leaves, It's A Sign: Love & Kindness, It's A Sign: Wood Frames, Rustic Brick Background, Just Sentiments: Grateful Heart

Dies: Lovely Leaves, It's A Sign: Wood Frames

Paper: Honey Nut cardstock, Saffron Spice cardstock, Weathervane cardstock

Ink: Weathervane, Saffron Spice, Honey Nut,  Fine Linen

If you read my blog last week, then you already know that I'm trying to remedy my neglect of Honey Nut and Saffron Spice! I decided to bring these two beauties to life on today's cards! I used both the ink and the cardstock for a cohesive look.

I used quite a mix of stamps to pull these two autumn designs together! I love mixing a bit of this and that when I create my cards. My first step was to get the focal images/sentiment stamped. I used the It's A Sign: Wood Frames stamp set and die collection for the circle portion. It is stamped in Weathervane ink and then the sentiment, which is from the It's A Sign: Love and Kindness stamp set, is stamped in black. 

From there, I got to work on the leaves. The oak leaves are stamped in Fine Linen and Saffron Spice ink and the other larger cluster of leaves are stamped in Fine Linen and Honey Nut ink. I used a small blender brush to tap the inks together where they meet for a two-toned, seamless look.

I also added a heat embossed sentiment from the Just Sentiments: Grateful Heart stamp set at the bottom to give the card some contrast and reinforce the salutation. 

I stamped the Rustic Brick Background in white onto a panel of Weathervane cardstock that measures 3 3/4 inches by 5 inches. I also added some extra white ink around the edges of the panel by simply  using the edge of the ink pad.  I cut and scored two card bases; one out of Saffron Spice cardstock and one out of Honey Nut. Each one got some sponged ink around the corners for added contrast. At this point, all of the elements were ready to layer together!

This is always the fun part when it's time to put everything together! I used foam squares to add everything onto the card bases. Once they were all assembled, I added some White Nuvo Drops around the leaves and a few sparkling clear sequins here and there for some sparkle and shine. These were a lot of fun to put together and will be perfect to add to my growing autumn stash! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Ink to Paper August Release Countdown Day 3

Welcome to day 3 of the Ink to Paper August release countdown! Today is less about autumn and more about flowers, birds and more! I have A LOT to share today, so enjoy! First up is this gorgeous new set called Ravishing Ranunculus paired with the new Clearly In the Vase stamp set. I have three cards to share using these beautiful new flowers!

I love to plant an assortment of Ranunculus in the spring in the pots on my porch. They don't last long, so I enjoy them while I can! For this first card, I stamped them in pink and purple for a mixed bouquet.

I stamped the leaves and stems as well and then arranged them in the stamped vase. I found that I could get a more realistic arrangement if I placed the stems in first and then added the flowers using foam squares.

I found that it was easiest to stamp the largest solid image first, and then the outline image. Once that was done, I went back in with what I would normally consider the 2nd step, but this way I could get everything lined up properly! Once I figured that out, it was so easy to get these put together!

If you can't tell, I simply adore using the Nifty Plaid Background. I stamped it in Hawaiian Shores ink and then added some ink blending around the edges and then some ink splatter over the top.

I used the "Happy Birthday" sentiment from the new Feathered Friends 3 mini stamp set, which I will share at the bottom of today's post. I really like both of the sentiments that are included in this set and I will probably be using them a lot!

I tied a bow of True Black Baker's Twine around the card and tied in a bow for some added texture and detail. I used dew drops here and there inside the vase portion for some watery looking detail.

For my next card, I added the sweet bird from the Feathered Friends 3 stamp set and the other sentiment included in the set. Isn't it so adorable? I kept saying "the world is so much "tweeter" with you in it" when I was making this card! LOL!

I arranged the stems inside the vase again on this card, but for some reason I kept them straight up and down! ha ha! It wasn't until I was editing my photos that I noticed how unnatural it looked! LOL! While it looks unnatural, they do look tidy, don't they? 

I decided to stamp two birds at once while I was making my card at the bottom of today's post. I had this little guy left over and ended up popping him at the bottom of the vase for some added interest. The Feathered Friends collection is one of my favorites and I love adding them on my projects!

The background is a 4 by 5 1/4 inch piece of Bitty Big: Aqua Mist pattern paper and then I added a Pierced Feature Frames: Oval frame over the top using foam squares. I added the vase in the center using additional foam squares. The sentiment is stamped on the smaller print of the same Aqua mist paper using black ink.  I secured it to the frame using glue dots.

I added the bird and a few sequins for added detail.  Once again, I used the guide that was provided for us for my colors. I really love this combination!

I think this particular color combination works nicely for spring AND fall alike! 

This last card using the Ravishing Ranunculus stamp set uses it more as a background with the sentiment as the focal point!  I'm sneaking an early peek of the new Inside Sentiments set that will be showcased tomorrow! Shhh...don't tell anyone!

It pairs perfectly with the sentiment die from the new Border Bling: Grateful Vine. I used the border on the bird card from yesterday. I die cut it twice out of white cardstock and then once out of gold specialty paper and glued them together.

The background uses the new Trellis Cover Plate, which is so much fun! I kept the middle diamonds in tact for a different look and it also gave me the opportunity to add a dab of glue to each one to secure it to the card base.

The sentiment is stamped on the middle size circle from the Love to Layer: Scalloped Circles and then the grateful word is glued above. 

This is my last card for today and uses so many things that I love! I used the gorgeous Aqua/Yellow color combination again, paired with touch of Mint!

I used the Cover Plate Trellis die for the background, cutting it out of white cardstock and then adding it over a Aqua Mist card base using liquid glue. Once that was done, I added the outer frame that is die cut using the Border Bling: Tin Stitch Die with foam squares. I also added the white leaf vine that is from the new Border Bling: Grateful Vine die. 

I love any excuse to use the Into the Blooms die which worked perfectly to accent this card. I added a few of the daisies here and there as well as a trio of leaves. The bird is tucked on top of the flowers and leaves using foam squares.

The sentiment is stamped in black and added using foam squares. I tucked it inside the frame for something different. I seem to get stuck in  design ruts, so it's always fun to try something new!

This concludes day 3 of the release! Join me again tomorrow for the 4th and final day! Thanks for fluttering by!

 

Ink to Paper August Release Countdown Day 2

I'm back for day 2 of the Ink to Paper August release countdown! First up is the new Feathered Friends Die 3 that I combined with the nest/grapevine wreath that is part of the Hello Pumpkin stamp set that was showcased yesterday. I also used a few other favorites to bring this design to life!

To begin this design, I used Distress Oxide Inks to color all of the pieces of the bird die cuts. I used the sample that was included for us to reference. I've been taking quite a bit of creative liberties with these birds , but for today I tried to keep it the way it is supposed to look!  ha ha!

I had the nest left over from my day 1 projects and the bird looks so cute perched on the edge. One of my favorite stamp sets from last year is the Lovely Leaves stamp set and I used it in a little bit of a different way on today's card. I chose to stamp just the outline portion in black onto Honey Nut cardstock for a more graphic look. 

I also created two flowers using the Into the Blooms dies to tuck behind the sentiment. I heat embossed the sentiment in gold onto black cardstock. This particular sentiment is from the Floral Delicacies Stamp Set and it happens to be one of my favorites.

The background was created using the new Border Bling: Grateful Vine, which I dry embossed. I also added some black paint splatter over the top using a fine point paint brush.

The sentiment is wrapped around the background piece and secured in the back using clear tape. Once that was done, I was able to adhere it to a top folding A2 card base using ScorTape.

I placed a trio of sparkling clear sequins here and there for sparkle and shine. This is one of my favorite color combinations for fall. I don't know why I don't use Honey Nut cardstock and ink more!

Next up is colorful design using a new set called Framing Fall and the companion Framing Fall Sentiments stamp set. I had so much fun creating the blended panel for my Halloween card yesterday, so I did some more blending using Distress Oxide inks.

Once the panel was finished, I stamped the two images using black ink and then die cut them using the coordinating Framing Fall dies. I stamped the portion on the top opposite as the portion on the bottom to give the design more visual movement.

I die cut the Grateful sentiment and then heat embossed it in gold using the Framing Fall sentiment set. I kept the remaining portion of the blended panel and used it to anchor the sentiment with foam squares.

I added the "Begin each day with a grateful heart" sentiment, which is from last year's Just Sentiments: Grateful Heart stamp set. It is one of my favorites and worked perfectly on this card.

A little bit more paint splatter for this card as well as some sequins finish it off! Join me tomorrow for day 3 of the countdown! Thanks for fluttering by!