"By the Tide's" final debut

Happy Saturday!  Before the day gets crazy, I might as well post to my neglected blog while I enjoy my coffee!...

This card is one we are doing for my stampers' techniques club this month.  This stamp set, "By the Tide" is on the retiring list. :(  So sad, I love this set, and won't be getting rid of it, as it's a perfect realistic "ocean" type of set with the coral and fish and adorable sea horses.  I've used it for many projects -- from scrap pages to cards.

The hostess this month, wanted to use this set for a Father's Day card, so we are doing the "faux tile" technique -- read all about how to do these techniques in these posts.

Card stock colors I've used here are: Island Indigo, Soft Suede, and Whisper White.  That cute banner for the sentiment, comes from the "Number of Years" bundle -- a very useful set of dies and stamps!  The card base, is stamped in Island Indigo ink with the nautical looking stamp from another retiring set -- Open Sea.  It's a great stamp for adding that nautical touch to your project.  Ink colors used: Island Indigo, Cameo Coral, Memento Black, Soft Suede.  I strategically sponged my card to give the effect that sunlight is shining through the water to the ocean floor -- kind of highlighting the sentiment.  It's hard to photograph, but the fish panel is shiny -- just like tile -- since it's embossed with clear embossing powder.  Fun look!

Greeting cards by the dozens!

Last month, I hosted an All Occasions Card Buffet class.  Participants could choose the cards they wanted to make, and boy, did we all stamp a lot of cards!  It was fun to see what everyone chose to make and which cards were the most popular.

Here is the collection of all ten cards!

This first card features the free Sale-a-bration set, "What I Love" stamp set.  It is a three step stamp that is much more beautiful in real life than in the brochure.  Inks used: Blackberry Bliss, Rich Razzleberry, Blushing Bride, and Mossy Meadow.  Card stock used: Blushing Bride, Blackberry Bliss, and Whisper White.

Here is another popular free Sale-a-bration set -- Flowering Fields -- along with matching Wildflower Fields DSP -- also a SAB freebie.  Inks used: Memento Black, Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive, Cameo Coral.  Card stock used: Hello Honey, Blackberry bliss, Lost Lagoon.  Those little candy dots give a nice little accent, as well as dazzling details applied to the flower petals for a little bit of sparkle.

This little punch art fox card, was a sweet little idea I saw on Pinterest.  I used different colors and a few different punches than what they used, but I got the idea from there.  You could make a girl fox with a flower in her hair, or a boy fox with no flower. :)  Punches used: Bird and branch, extra large oval, retired small oval, cupcake, 1 3/8 circle, festive flower, word window, scallop circle.  Card stock used: Heavy weight white, retired Baja Breeze, retired Gumball Green DSP, Cajun Craze, Whisper White.

I really love the Ronald McDonald stamp set this year -- Sprinkles of Life.  SU donates a percentage of each of these sets sold to the Ronald McDonald program.  They came up with a super cute set this year, I think.  You can make trees, baskets, clouds, ice cream, cupcakes, and more with this set and its matching tree builder punch.  These would be the perfect little birthday card for the little girl in your life.  That embossing folder used on the front of the card, is a new one in the Occasions catalog called Confetti textured embossing folder.  It has an un-embossed middle section -- perfect for stamping a message or an ice cream cone or cupcake in!  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  I used some retired Regal Rose card stock, as well as Chocolate Chip and Whisper White.  The little cherry is from the cupcake punch.  We used a sponge dauber to add Regal Rose ink to the embossed area, to make the pattern pop.

This little Easter Lamb stamp is from the Occasions catalog.  I LOVE this cute little lamb!  Just could not resist getting this stamp!  Works perfectly for Easter, of course, but also for a baby card or birthday.  Just pure sweetness!  We stamped the lamb on Sahara Sand card stock, and cut it out using a die I ordered from Dave's Dies.  We then used the white gel pen to color in some of the "wool".  Card stock colors used: So Saffron, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper white, Sahara Sand.  Ink colors: Memento Black, Blender pen and Old Olive and Strawberry Slush inks. Doesn't this card make you want to buy that little lamb stamp???!!!!  It just makes me smile!

Washi tape is all the rage these days, and I have collected a ton of it! but don't seem to use it up like I should, so I challenged myself to use washi tape on a card.  I got the idea for this card from Pinterest as well.  Simple, cute, and not hard to create.  The card base is Crisp Cantaloupe -- a retired color that matched this pack of retired washi tape.  Soft, spring colors.  The flowers were made using the Flower shop bundle.  We used the fun flower punch for the leaves -- simply punch the flower out of green and cut the petals apart for leaves.

I really wanted to feature this elk stamp from Wilderness Awaits stamp set, since Montana is elk country!  We used watercolor paper and the new water proof Basic Black ink and used Auqua painters and Soft Suede ink to color in the elk.  It's good to practice your watercoloring skills once in a while!  The card base is Crumb Cake stamped with the Hardwood background stamp.  LOVE that stamp and use it all the time!  So versatile.

Simple masculine card featuring the Map Background stamp, and The Open Sea stamp set.  We used the 2 1/2" circle punch to punch a bite out of the Island Indigo panel and stamped the ship on the white card base.  Some rhinestones colored blue with a Sharpie, and a bit of retired Island Indigo chevron ribbon.  Fun!

This stamp set -- World of Dreams -- hasn't seen ink as much as it should, so it was on my list to use. I think the little nest is perfect for a Mother's Day card -- with the little pearl eggs in it!  Colors used: Pool Party, Early Espresso, Pool Party glitter ribbon -- from the Occasions catalog.  The little flowers are from the Itty Bitty punch pack -- using the gold Wink of Stella pen to add gold to the centers of the flowers.

Last, but not least, the Rose Wonder bundle!  I made two versions of this card -- one simple and one with stamping the small flower in Soft Suede ink and colored in with the gold Wink of Stella pen.  Colors used: Basic Black, Tip Top Taupe, and Very Vanilla. I put the vanilla card stock through my Xyron before die cutting it, so you could just peel and stick the die cut to your card front.  Makes it so much easier to apply intricate die cuts.

Whew! if you've managed to read all the way to the end of this post, GOOD FOR YOU! :)  Remember that March is the last month for Sale-a-bration, so if there are freebies you have to have, get them now!

Wetlands meets "reflection technique"

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Here is another card we will be making at my next Stampers' Techniques club.  I was really glad to see that this stamp set, Wetlands, is NOT on the retiring list of stamps that are going away, as I really, really love this set, and reach for it often when I am making a masculine card.  I have committed to making one masculine card in every class that I do, as we all need cards for the men in our lives, even though they might not be the most fun to make.  I have also been wanting to teach the reflection technique, so this was the perfect set to do it with.

You'll start by cutting a Whisper White die cut with the Labels framelits (which are retiring, by the way -- so if you want them, get them now!).  Next, stamp your top Canadian goose image as close to the top of your die cut as you can using Memento Black ink.  Then, use the slick side of your stamp-a-ma-jig imaging sheet, and stamp the goose again in the black ink.  Turn your imaging sheet over, so the inked area is facing your card stock -- line up the reflection image with the original goose you stamped -- making sure the legs and body match up.  Lay your imaging sheet down and rub it firmly to transfer the inked image to your die cut piece.  When you lift the imaging sheet off, you will have the reflected image on your die cut.  It will not be as crisp of an image as the original stamped one, and that is ok because a reflected image is more fuzzy in real life.  Now, to get that sponged look, I started by masking the body of the goose so that I didn't get blue sky ink on him.  I then sponged the sky with Pool Party ink.  Next, I used a sticky note and sponged the grasses and soil line with Old Olive and Soft Suede ink.  I wanted the part above the water to be more vibrant than below the water line, so I sponged accordingly.  I then used a Blender pen to add some Crumb Cake ink to the goose body, and also blended the sky/water line a little to create that blurred border.  I used a Pool Party marker and a chalk marker to add some streaks to make the water look more realistic.  After assembling the card, I added crystal effects to the water area -- scribbling it over the entire water area to further add to the "water look".

I really love how this card came out.  Makes me want to try this idea again.  One note about this technique: I think a die based black ink, like the Tuxedo Memento black, works best for this rather than stayzon ink, as the stayzon won't transfer from your imaging sheet to the card stock very well, I've found.

Other things used in this card:  Pool Party card stock base, Basic Black card stock, Neutrals candy dots, burlap ribbon, the zig zag embossing folder, Teeny Tiny wishes stamp set, word window punch, and the retiring modern label punch.

Hoping this inspires you to try the reflection technique for yourself!

Four Feathers found my house!

I'll admit, I wasn't jumping on the feathers band wagon when this little stamp set, Four Feathers came out in the holiday catalog last fall.  And, THEN..... I kept seeing all these beautiful things done with this set, and, well, I changed my mind, and this little set and it's matching framelits made their way to my door...

This set and framelits were carried over from the holiday catalog, and are still available to order.  Since I had never used them yet, I decided to feature them at my stampers club this month.  I was inspired by a few cards I've seen on various sites.  I wanted a masculine card to add to my line up, so World Map background stamp fit the bill perfectly, and it show cases how simple stamping can make an amazing background.  I stamped the map stamp on Very Vanilla card stock in Soft Suede ink, and then sponged the edges with more Soft Suede ink to give it that weathered, vintage look.  The little strip of Soft Suede card stock on the front was embossed with the zig zag embossing folder, and then sponged with Suede ink to make the pattern pop.  The feathers are stamped in Old Olive and Bermuda Bay ink and cut out with their coordinating framelits.  One feather is cut from the gold glimmer paper.  A button from the neutrals collection, or a stamped and sponged wood element piece, some linen thread, and a couple of candy dots complete the card.  A little zip, but not TOO much for the man in your life!

Be sure to check out the latest four NEW Sale-a-bration freebies you can get with a $50 order just during the month of March.  I'm loving these new options!!!http://su-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/SAB2015/2nd%20Release/Flyer_SAB2_demo_Feb1715_US.pdf

Father's Day Silhouette

Happy Wednesday, Everyone!

Here is a quick card to share with you from my last Stampers' hostess club last Sunday.  This stamp set, Serene Silhouettes, is one of my all time favorites.  The tree can create a cool African safari type look, like I did on this brayered sky card or just a simple sponging effect like this one, and the branch with the birds on it makes an awesome Christmas card -- with the branch sticking out of a glittery snow bank.  Yep! versatile set that I reach for over and over.  AND it's carrying over to the new catalog, so it will still be available for purchase.

I have had a request to make my club cards a little less complicated, so I tried my bestest to do that this time around.  This card looks hard and has a lot of layers, but is actually pretty easy.  I stamped the Island Indigo panel in Island Indigo ink with the Hardwood background stamp -- from the Occasions catalog.  Then, I stamped the tree in Early Espresso ink on Very Vanilla card stock.  I punched out a circle from a  sticky note with my 1 1/4" circle punch, and placed the circle where I wanted the "moon" to appear.  I then sponged the panel with Island Indigo ink at the top and Old Olive ink at the bottom.  Some linen thread wrapped around and some of the Naturals wood buttons and ta da! and nice little masculine card for you that you could use for any occasion.

Colors used in this card: Early Espresso, Old Olive, Island Indigo and Very Vanilla card stock.  Inks: Old Olive, Island Indigo,  and Early Espresso.  The dimensions for the card stock: Early Espresso -- 5 1/2 x 8 1/2", Old Olive -- 4 1/8 x 5 3/8" and 3 3/4 x 2 1/2", Island Indigo -- 4 x 5 1/4", Very Vanilla -- 3 1/2 x 2 1/4 and 4 x 5 1/4".  There are a lot of layers to this card, but I felt they were all needed to tie it together beautifully.  And, after all, it's a stampers techniques club card, so it needs to be amazing, right? :)

The new catalog is right on the horizon!  It goes live June 2nd -- and the last day to order from the current catalog, is June 4th, so there is a little crossover of the two where you can order from both for a couple of days.  I am planning a New Catalog Open House in late June, so stay tuned for those juicy details coming up.  I have created some super cute samples using the brand new In Colors and some new stamps and accessories.  There will be great food, great stamping, a bunch of discounted retired products to shop, and BEST OF ALL!, this is a FREE class.  So round up some crafty friends and plan to attend!  Date to be determined very soon.

Have a fantastic day, everyone!

"Faux Tile" technique meets Lovely as a Tree!

For my stampers' club this coming Sunday, I wanted to show the "faux tile" technique.  Believe it or not, I have never done this technique before.  It is fun and actually pretty easy!

I started with a Very Vanilla 3 1/2 x 4" rectangle.  I then scored it diagonally every 1 1/2" to create 1 1/2" blocks, using the diagonal score plate that fits over the SU score board.  Next, I stamped the new Hardwood background stamp in Sahara Sand ink onto the "valley side" of the grid.  Then, stamped the trees in Espresso ink on top.  Finally, I used the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and added a little "splatters" in Old Olive ink.  Sponged the edges in Early Espresso ink and added a sponged a little ink over the panel to make the grid stand out even more.  Finally, I applied Versamark to the entire panel and embossed it with clear embossing powder.  It is such a cool look, and not that hard to do.  Those cool little wood greeting pieces are from the Occasions catalog -- Essentials Wooden Elements.  There are a lot of little wood pieces in this pack, that are perfect for stamping on, sponging, etc.  LOVE these little things! and a lot of embellishing for $4.95!  Of course, some neutral candy dots, striped grosgrain ribbon, and linen thread finish off this manly card quite nicely.

Hope you'll feel inspired to try your hand at a masculine card or two!  They are always my hardest cards to create, but definitely a necessity! :)

Happy Wed to each of you!

Folded shirt card

Happy Thursday!

Today I have a quick post showcasing a "folded shirt card".  I'm using some papers from the new paper stack -- Sweater Weather -- from the Holiday catalog.  There are a lot of nice small patterns in this paper, which makes them well suited for this project.  To make the shirt, use a piece of designer paper 3 1/2 x 5".  For the pattern of how to fold the shirt, email me and I can send you the pdf.  I got this pattern off of splitcoaststampers ages ago, so no idea who to give credit to for it.  There are many versions out there for the folded shirt idea, so this is just one of many.

I used the Tasteful Trim XL die to make the diagonal trim on the card.  The script stamped on the left hand card is from the "By the Tide" stamp set.  The colors I used here are Pool Party and Chocolate Chip.  This is another card we are making at my upcoming masculine cards class for my monthly stampers hostess club.

 Below is the lineup of the three cards we are making at my class.  I generally have trouble coming up with masculine cards, so was pretty proud of these ones. :) 

Ok, I'm off to finish getting ready for my scrap booking retreat I'm going to this weekend.  Whoopeee!

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!

Just for him -- birthday card

In my upcoming Card Buffet on March 18th, we will be making this simple Masculine birthday card.  Now, I admit, I have a hard time making cards for the guys! cause 99.9% of my stamps are flowers!!!  Yes, I LOVE flowers -- in real life, AND in stamps, too, obviously...  So, when sorting through my stamps, I landed on the Just Believe stamp set, which has a nice little leafy branch silhouette, perfect for what I had in mind...

I embossed my Crumb Cake card base with the Striped embossing folder -- ANOTHER freebie during Sale-a-bration!  I cut Vanilla and Early Espresso die cuts with my Labels Framelits -- I LOVE these babies!  I think I have already gotten my money's worth out of them, I've used them so much.  I stamped the branch in Early Espresso on the Vanilla label die cut, then sponged the top half with Pumpkin Pie ink, and the bottom half with So Saffron ink -- to give a bit of a sunset appearance.  A strip of Mocha Morning designer paper along the bottom, and some retired Early Espresso satin ribbon, and here you are!
I added a glitter brad from the Basic Glimmer Brads pack, to give that little extra special touch...

A birthday card he'll love!

The next time you feel challenged trying to come up with a masculine card, try this Inlaid Embossing technique using just a bunch of circle punches and the square lattice embossing folder!  I punched a variety of circles out of More Mustard, Soft Suede, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze and Early Esspresso and arranged them in a random pattern on an Early Esspresso panel.  After gluing them all in place, I embossed the panel in my Big Shot using the Square lattice embossing folder.  The result is so unique and interesting!  I then mounted this panel onto a folded Soft Suede card and added the Happy Birthday sentiment (from Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set) -- punched out with the Word Window punch, and then mounted onto the Modern Label punch out.  For the final embellishment, I added Basic Rhinestones to the sentiment -- coloring them with my colored sharpies, to match.

My inspiration for this card, came from this (http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/photo/1807770?cat=500&ppuser=132623) card I saw on Splitcoaststampers.  I think this card could be easily adapted to a graduation card -- using the colors of the school -- or a baby girl card using a variety of shades of chocolate and pink.

We will be making this card at my upcoming Father's Day class on June 12th.

Happy crafting!