Love is Patient

I used the Viva la Verve February Sketch, turned sideways, for this masculine Valentine card.

The colors are a little unconventional for Valentine's Day, but I love how it turned out--especially with the heat embossed text on acetate over the heart. I had some trouble with the acetate softening, then warping after it cooled, when I heated the embossing powder, but I found that if I left it lying on the table while heating it, rather than holding it in my hand, it didn't warp nearly as much.

I thought about using the same leather print paper for the inside of the card, too, then heat embossing the Valentine sentiment in white, and, later, personalizing it with a white gel pen, but it didn't seem very interesting or creative, so I went with the white heart, instead.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful weekend!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
VLV February Week 1 Sketch Challenge

TCP Tuesday 307: Anything Goes

Pink & Main Challenge #6: Love

~Hugs,

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Sew Sweet, Valentine

I saw this Tim Holtz sewing machine stamp at a convention last weekend and thought it would be perfect for a card for my daughter sometime. I had totally forgotten that Valentine's Day was just a week away, but turns out, it makes for a cute Valentine's card. She will especially like that I colored it pink!

I stamped the sentiment with a Paper Sweeties Alpha Set, and the zigzag stamps are from an old Tim Holtz set. Those cute little tags are from the YNS Bookmark/Tag Die Set-Large.

On the inside I used a mix of stamps--Tim Holtz, Hero Arts, and Flourishes. 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Your Next Stamp Sketch Challenge #32

MFT Color Challenge 39

Cupcake Inspirations Challenge 346

TCP Tuesday 307: Anything Goes

DoubleClick Skittles Challenge: Use a Heart

Pink & Main Challenge #6: Love

~Hugs,

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Paper Sweeties September Release Party!

Today is Paper Sweeties' Release Party, and the newest stamps and dies that we've been featuring for three days are in the shop right now! Don't you just love that sweet little mason jar image? 

If you saw my post from yesterday, you know that it was not an entire project. I have Part 2, today, which finishes out the bookmark set, and I also created a cute holder for them.

After making the bookmarks, I knew I'd need a place to keep them together when I wasn't using them, and I found the perfect way to store and display them in an easel stand design from the Silhouette store. After making the stand, I heat embossed the Mason Jar image on watercolor paper, die cut it with the matching die, watercolored it, then created a rub-on of the "Fruit of the Spirit" text (in Word) for the jar label. I went over the label with a Spica pen which gives the letters just a little bit of sparkle. Now, I can just pull a "fruit" right out of the jar when I need to mark my place in a book! But, I still haven't shown you the rest of the bookmarks...

I made these the same way I made the earlier bookmarks, with heat embossing and watercolors. For the text on these, I used a Paper Sweeties die cut and stamp (Love), an old alpha stamp set from the dollar bin (Self-control), an IO alpha die (Goodness), and a retired Sizzix alpha die set (Faithful). I like every one of the bookmarks in the set, but my favorite is "Self-control." I was super pleased with how the watercoloring turned out on the apples, and it's the only one that I paired specific text with specific fruit. Do you get it??? If Adam and Eve had used more self-control when they were looking at that yummy fruit, well.... ;~)  (I know the fruit may not have been apples, but it's what most people think of when they think of that fateful day, so I went with it.)

If you'd like to see any of these better, you can click on these, individually, for a larger photo.

And, here's what the easel holder looks like when it's empty. 

I thought you might like to see the entire set all together, too. (If you zoom in on this photo, don't look too close. I had a seriously hard time editing the photo, and it is nowhere near perfect.) 

I hope you enjoyed seeing this project. Now, to see more new release goodies, visit my Paper Sweeties Teamies' blogs. You will LOVE what they have for you today!

Angel Johns 
Cheryl Lea

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Emily Frasier 
Jill Norwood 

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

And, don't forget, for a chance to win a gift certificate to the Paper Sweeties' boutique, play along with us in this month's Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge. 

  

Thanks for stopping by. I'll have one more project for this new release tomorrow. Hope to see you then!

I'm entering this project in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday: Love this Technique (heat embossing & watercolor)

Simon Says Wednesday: Stamptember

613 Avenue Create Challenge #141: Anything Goes

Pink & Main Challenge #1: Anything Goes

Paper Issues: How 'bout Them Apples With Paper Issues-Round #1

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Paper Sweeties September Release Sneak Peeks!

Ready for a peek at one of Paper Sweeties upcoming New Release stamp and die sets? I used the brand new Mason Jar stamp and matching Mason Jar Sweet Cuts die sets on this card.

I heat embossed the jar, with clear embossing powder, onto watercolor paper, did some loose watercoloring using Koi watercolors and Color Burst powder, and die cut it with the Mason Jar die. Then, I put the colored image between two pieces of copy paper and ironed it to remove the embossing. The Mason Jar set comes with lots of sentiment stamps, and I chose the simple "Sweet" sentiment to make this an any occasion card, and surrounded the label area with yellow gel Pearl Pen dots. Besides the jar die, this Sweet Cuts set also comes with a cute little fishtail flag die, which I used to cut the flags under the button. After zigzagging around the edge of the main layer, I added a few Paper Sweeties' sequins in Cookie Dough, Robin Egg, and Peppermint, filling the centers with Diamond Stickles.

More inspiration is just a click away on each of my teamies' blogs!

Angel Johns 
Cheryl Lea - That's Me!

Debbie Marcinkiewicz – Paper Sweeties
Emily Frasier 
Jill Norwood 

Kathy Schweinfurth

Larissa Heskett
Mackie Robertson

Maria Patrick

Michelle Bala
Mynnette Kitchen

Nancy Penir

We'd love for you to play along with us in this month's Paper Sweeties Inspiration Challenge. Debbie also has another challenge blog, The Shabby Tea Room, with a monthly challenge, too!

  

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you'll come back again tomorrow. I'll have a super fun project featuring the second New Release set, that I will share over the next two days!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Sugar Pea Designs SugarSketch 29
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: Stamp and Punch/Die Cut
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Stamptember Use a Stamp Challenge
My Favorite Things Color Challenge 29
613 Avenue Create Challenge 141: Anything Goes
TCP Tuesday Challenge 298: Anything Goes
Pink & Main Challenge #1: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Mean Green Flying Machine

(For my Paper Sweeties September Inspiration Challenge post, scroll to the next post, or click here.)

My very favorite color ever is green, or to be more precise, Pear--hex #d1e231. Seriously, it is that specific. But, I love all shades of green. At Christmas every year, I decorate with pear green and dark brown, most of the interior of my house is sage green, and much of my wardrobe, including my bowling shoes, is green. It is nature's neutral--everywhere, and beautiful in any setting. Shoot, if God has a favorite color, I wouldn't be surprised one bit, if it was green! So, in honor of my favorite color, I decided to make a green card today.

I colored the balloon and cloud images with Copics, adding some white Sharpie and gel pen highlights. The Green Apple straw originally was green and white. After flattening it in my Vagabond, I used Champagne Inka Gold, to turn the white stripes yellow, then I sprinkled Watermelon mix, Sugar Sprinkles, and Gold sequins around the card. The centers of the sequins and random pearl dots are made with a gold Pearl pen. The distressed sentiment layer was stamped with a Crackle Background, and the sentiment is a retired Taylored Expressions stamp.

On the inside, I used the same Crackle Background stamp for the sentiment panel, and cut a patterned strip out of scrap from the front of the card. 

So, what about you? Are you a fan of green? What's your favorite color palette? 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a colorful week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve August 2015 Week 4 Sketch Challenge (Turned sideways)
Simon Says Monday Challenge: Trio of Colors (Green/Brown/Yellow Copics)
Simon Says Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
613 Avenue Create Challenge #139: Anything Goes
Chocolate, Coffee, & Cards Challenge #98: Use a Sentiment
Pink and Main Challenge #1: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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