Fabulous... is what you are!

In September, I am hosting my first ever "scrap-a-stack".  At this event, the guests will each make (5) 2-page, 12x12 layouts for the $25 class fee.  Whoo Hooo!  Come to this event and get some serious scrappin' done -- and if you're a "superstar die hard", you can make the bonus layout for $3 more -- and go home with 12 pages complete.

Part of my goal for this event, is to use up a bunch of retired DSP I have accumulated over the years, so most of the papers I will be incorporating will be retired, but lovely none-the-less. 

Here is the first one -- using retired "Everyday Enchantment" DSP and Bashful Blue/Poppy Parade accents.  This layout is a complete Case of one I saw on Pinterest -- courtesy of Kay Kalthoff.  Isn't it just lovely?!  I always loved this paper anyways, so that is a great start.  I will have some less "flowery/girly" kits for this one if it's too feminine for your tastes. :)  The title here, "Fabulous is what you are" is part of a stamp set called "A Million and One thanks".  This wouldn't suit every photo set, but it sure is perfect for my little Sabina who loves to look "fabulous". :)

If you haven't seen it, there is a great special from now through the end of September -- 15% off the butterfly punch and the matching stamp set -- Papillon Potpourri.  Click on my website below to learn more.
Happy Saturday to each of you!

World Map's first inking!

I recently purchased the new World Map background stamp, and finally had a few minutes to play.  I want to showcase this stamp as a great stamp for using on masculine cards.  So, here is my creation -- another card we are making at my next stampers club.

I simply stamped the stamp in black Stayzon ink on my Whisper White panel, colored in the edges of the water with Marina Mist ink using my ink pad and blender pen, and then Pear Pizzaz ink for the edges of the continents.  After assembling my card, I used Crystal Effects to outline all of the water, making a raised, textured "watery looking" border for all the water.  Quite a simple card, but I like it.  For the accent on the lower right, I used my Word Window punch to punch out a couple strips and folded them over the edge of the front panel, and added some of the new Neutrals candy dots to the tips.  Like? :)

Ok!  that's it for today.  Off to roast at the Fair in just a bit, once the little muffin wakes up from her nap. :)  I hope each of you are enjoying your Saturdays too!

Brayered Sky meets Serene Silhouettes

So, I've been wanting to try my hand at the "brayered sky" technique as I want to teach at my next class.  There is an absolute genius "brayerer" by the name of Michelle Zindorff who makes THE most amazing projects layering color with a brayer, so I checked out several projects on her blog and tried my hand at it.  I would recommend you visit her blog to "see how it's done" as she is indeed the master of this technique. My first couple of attempts weren't great -- definitely a technique that takes practice and patience, but keep at it, because the end result once you "get it" is amazing.  Don't you think?

I started with a Whisper White strip of cardstock -- 2 1/4 x 4 1/4" -- and brayered Crushed Curry ink onto the bottom half of the strip.  Next, I punched out a 1"circle from a sticky note and positioned that over my inked area where I wanted the setting sun to be.  Next I brayered Pumpkin Pie ink onto the top half of the strip until I was happy with the intensity of it.  Some tips and tricks -- work from the outer ends of the strip in toward the center, or you will have sharp contrast lines.  I then used my tag framelit from the Chalk Talk framelits and cut the strip to the dimensions I wanted -- making it longer than the actual framelit allows by placing my top cutting plate at different positions to "extend" my tag length.  After cutting it, I stamped the tree from Serene Silhouettes stamp set in Black Stayzon ink.  Finally, I sponged Old Olive ink on the bottom edge and Cajun Craze ink around the top edges.  I have to say, I love how it turned out.  I'm doing masculine cards for my next Stampers Club theme, and they are always a challenge to me.  The flowery, feminine cards are much more in my element.  Leave me a comment telling me what you think!

Happy Saturday to you and yours!

Sand, Sun, and Water

Happy Tuesday, Everyone!  I don't have to work today after all.  So,.... Whooo Hoooo!  I'll post to my neglected blog instead! :)

I recently got the new Eastern Elegance Designer Paper.  As is often the case, it is much prettier and more vibrant in real life than it looks in the catalog.  I LOVE this paper, I've decided, and it works perfectly for my scrappers' club this month, as the theme is beach days.  PERFECT paper for this theme!  Let's see if you agree. :)

I used the SU shaker frames to make this adorable little sand and sea shells shaker frame.  First, I punched a 1 3/8" circle out of Whisper White card stock -- then stamped the coral (from a new-to-me stamp set -- By the Tide) in Crisp Cantelope ink on it.  Next, I gently removed the adhesive liner of second largest sized shaker frame only.  Then put my stamped circle face down onto the exposed adhesive ring, stuck it on there good, then gently removed the shaker frame from it's closely packed comrades.  I now had the frame into which I put a tiny bit of sand a tiny shells, being careful not to get sand on the exposed sticky part of the frame.  I then cut a circle out of window sheets, using my Circles #2 die -- the second largest circle.  I created the top by using my 1 3/8", 1 3/4" circle punches and my 2 3/8" scallop circle punch -- adhering those together, and then sticking the window sheet circle to the back.  I then put the complete top onto my sticky frame -- completing the sand/shells shaker frame.  So fun, and once you get the hang of how to make them successful, really quite easy with our shaker frames. 

For the "sand" word, I die cut the letters out of sand paper to add even more texture.  I popped them up on dimensionals to help them stand out even more.

For the "ocean strip" right above the sand frame, I started with a 2 x 3 1/2" strip of scrap card stock.  I next tore 1/2" strips of Soft sky, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, and Baked Brown Sugar card stock -- and layered those torn pieces on top of each other to create "ocean waves on a beach" type of look.  So easy, but a dramatic result.

The inspiration for this layout, came from a layout I saw on Pinterest. I changed it a bit, but the idea came from there. 

Hope all of you have a fantastic day!  The new SU holiday catalog is here.  Yeah! Yeah!  I've been enjoying the new Festive Flurry framelits and matching stamp set as well as too many (gasp!) other treasures from it, too.  If you haven't gotten a copy of it, be sure to contact me and I'll get one to you ASAP.

Happy scrapping and stamping!