Happy Valentine's Day!

I used the same colored pencil technique from yesterday's post to make this Valentine card.  I love how easy it is to deepen the interior of flowers to give them some dimension.  I used the Whisper White cut-out from the Labels Collection frame used in yesterday's card to make the main panel on today's card.  I stamped the flowers in Pink Pirouette and the leaves in Gumball Green using the masking technique to make the leaves appear behind the flower petals.  After coloring the petals with pink colored pencils, pearls were added to the flower centers.  I very lightly sponged So Saffron ink on the panel's edges. The hummingbird was stamped in Raspberry Ripple, and the panel was matted on the same color cardstock.  This was trimmed to make a lovely framed border.  This panel was popped up with dimensional popdots on the Whisper White cardbase.  The cardbase has the beautiful Lacy Brocade embossed panel matted with Raspberry Ripple cardstock.  The embossing texture was brought to life with a coloring of Pink Pirouette ink that was applied using a brayer.  The edge of this background was very lightly sponged with So Saffron ink.

I hope that your Valentine's Day is filled with love and laughter!

~June

Stamps:  Bloomin' Marvelous (SAB set)
Paper: Whisper White, Raspberry Ripple
Ink:  So Saffron, Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: popdots, pearls, colored pencils, Labels Collection framelit, Lacy Brocade embossing folder, BigShot, brayer, sponge dauber

Bloomin' Marvelous Coloring

The beginning of the year is always a great time of year at Stampin' Up!  It's SaleABration time through March 22, and one of my favorite Free stamp sets from the SaleABration catalog is called "Bloomin' Marvelous".  This card was made with stamps from that beautiful set.

First, I used the 3rd largest Labels Collection framelit and cut out the shape on a white cardstock panel to make a masking frame.  I placed that frame on another piece of white cardstock, then sponged on So Saffron ink around the edges to create the outlined shape.  Leaving the frame on the paper, I stamped the flowers in Pool Party ink, then the leaves in Lucky Limeade ink with a masking technique.  The butterfly was stamped in Peach Parfait, and I added little pearls for it's body.  The top frame was removed, and I cut around the outlined shape leaving a 1/8th inch border so that I could add little pen dots around the outer edge.  The depth of flowers was achieved by using 2 darker shades of blue colored pencils to darken up the interior of the flower petals.  I added little black and Peach Parfait pen dots to the centers of the flowers.  To create the cardbase, I embossed a separate piece of white cardstock that was embossed with the Square Lattice folder.  I glued it down on top of the card, then attached the flowery stamped panel to the cardbase with dimensional popdots.

You can have your own Bloomin' Marvelous set with a $50 product purchase.  Click the SaleABration catalog on the left to see the cute selections this year.

Have a great day!
~June

Stamps:  Bloomin' Marvelous (SAB set)
Paper:  Whisper White
Ink: Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Peach Parfait, So Saffron (markers in Basic Black and Peach Parfait)
Accessories: popdots, pearls, colored pencils, Labels Collection framelits, Square Lattice embossing folder, BigShot, sponge dauber

SC320 CC310 for you...

Hello everyone! Today's card is a combination of Sketch Challenge #320 and Color Combination Challenge #310 on SplitCoast. The colors this week are So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, and Pacific Point. These summertime colors are so refreshing and coordinate very easily. This card actually uses stamps from 4 different stamps sets. I really like how many of the sets can blend together to really expand the usefulness. I inked the leftmost panel in Wild Wasabi ink, then sponged on Pacific Point ink on the flowers. After a few moments, the ink was dry and I colored in the flowers with a white gel pen. The middle panel was inked in So Saffron ink, with Wild Wasabi sponged on the very edges before stamping on paper. The stamp was cleaned before each use so that the Wild Wasabi green ink wouldn't contaminate the So Saffron yellow inkpad. I had stamped the polka dot label on scratch paper and cut out the oval circle so that I could use it as a mask to sponge in So Saffron ink on the label that was stamped for the card. The butterfly and label are raised with popdots.

I hope you have a great day and thank you for visiting with me!


Stamps: Baby Blossoms, Just Believe, Vintage Vogue, Great Friend
Paper: So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, Whisper White
Ink: So Saffron, Wild Wasabi, Pacific Point, white gel pen
Accessories: sponge daubers, dimensional popdots, pearls

Color & Sketch Challenge Combo

How fun to play in challenges today! My card submission is a combination of two challenges on SplitCoastStampers - Karen's color challenge # 309, and Roxie's sketch challenge # 319. The color challenge was to incorporate Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze and Daffodil Delight.

I used post-it notes to protect the lower area of my bottom background panel before stamping the floral image in black ink. All images are waterclored using SU markers. The bird was heat embossed with Versamark/clear embossing powder, then popped up with dimensional popdots. The edges of my bottom background layer have some sponging done to it.

It's been too long since I last posted - my sincere apologies. I pledge to be better and post regularly again.... there's no denying that I do miss it, so I'll see you again soon. Thanks for visiting today - have a blessed and happy day!

Stamps: Nature Walk
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, Daffodil Delight, Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black, Versamark, SU markers for coloring/watercoloring
Accessories: post-it notes, eyelet border punch, aquapainter, sponge dauber, heatgun, clear embossing powder, Daffodil Delight Ribbon

Punched Posies using SC93

There are lots of adorable flower selections included with the Punched Posies Hostess Set that's available in the Summer Mini catalog. This layout is based on Splitcoast's Sketch Challenge 93. To add a bit of dimension on my large flower, I added additional ink on the outer petal edges using a sponge dauber in Bashful Blue ink. The center flower ring was stamped and punched out with the 3/4 inch circle punch, then I added a green brad in the center. The circle was popped up with a popdot on the flower. I used some masking to create the mass of leaves down at the bottom, as well as popping up 3 cut-out flowers. The sentiment comes from the new 2010-2011 IB&C Hostess set called Occasional Quotes.

Stamps: Punched Posies, Occasional Quotes
Paper: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Vanilla, 2009 SAB designer paper
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue
Accessories: dimensional popdots, sanding block, sponge dauber, brad, 3/4 inch circle punch

As always, thank you for your visit and I'll see you next time! Have a great day...

Teen Birthday card

We celebrated another birthday in my family this week, and I made this card for my oldest son. After stamping the tree and wolf in Chocolate Chip ink, I punched a 1/2" circle post-it for the moon shape and sponged all around it in River Rock and Crumb Cake inks. This was trimmed down and matted with C.Chip cardstock. The background River Rock panel was scored vertically several times to create a slight texture on the left side, then matted as well with C.Chip cardstock. I stamped the birthday sentiment and added a small piece of ribbon with a large decorative brad inserted to hold it down. The pieces were assembled on a Vanilla cardbase. The cardbase has some random stampings using the speckle stamp from Itty Bitty backgrounds in C.Chip ink (by the way, this little stamp set will be officially retired on June 30th - I love my 15+ year old speckle stamp, and it will still be lovingly used in my home for many more years to come!!). This masculine card could be used for a variety of occasions by changing the sentiment, and I hope it's given you some ideas. Have a nice weekend, and I appreciate your visit...

Stamps: Nature Silhouettes, Sincere Salutations, Itty Bitty Backgrounds
Cardstock: Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, River Rock
Ink: Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Crumb Cake
Accessories: 1/2 inch circle punch, sponge dauber, scoring tool, chocolate chip ribbon, brad

Sponged Backgrounds

As you've probably gathered by now from my posted projects, I love to sponge ink! Usually, it's along the edges of layers, but every now and then, I love to make my background with this technique. This background uses a torn post-it note with sponged ink to create my hillside on Blush Blossom cardstock. Not rocket science by any means, but I love the effect. The colors used on this card are Blush Blossom, Close to Cocoa and Ruby Red. There's one small layer of Cameo Coral cardstock around my main panel. I used my homemade Champaigne Mist Shimmer Paint spray (which my hostess club members will get to play with this month!) all across the stamped panel. In real life, the spray adds a beautiful, subtle glittery effect across the entire surface.... it's so pretty! Just use a small spray bottle, fill with one teaspoon of 70% rubbing alcohol and about 7 drops of Shimmer Paint... shake well before each use, and you are ready to rock! Ribbon and little pearls finish off the main panel. The textured background is a new embossing folder in the Summer Mini called Square Lattice. The stamped trees are from Trendy Trees....

Have a great weekend! See you soon!

Autumn Pheasant

Happy Friday to you! This card has a very easy technique using torn post-it's and sponging on Whisper White cardstock to create layers in the ground. TIP - sponge the upper ground area first (the line of sponging that the pheasant is walking on in Close to Cocoa ink), then move your post-it upward at an angle to create your "second" layer, then up further to create the last layer. Turn this around so that the ground is on the bottom of your cardfront and use another torn post-it to protect your ground to sponge your sky background (I used Bordering Blue, Summer Sun and Pumpkin Pie inks). I stamped the wheat stalks from Autumn Days and a floral selection of Pocket Silhouettes in Black and Close to Cocoa inks, then the Pheasant in Black ink. The pheasant was colored in with various markers, and a white gel pen was used to create the white band on the pheasant's neck.

This was matted with Really Rust (with the edge distressed with the cutter kit), white, and Only Orange cardstock, then adhered to a Black cardbase.

I hope you are having a nice Friday, and I'll see you again soon.

Stamps - Autumn Days, Pocket Silhouettes
Paper - Whisper White, Really Rust, Only Orange, black
Inks - Black, Close to Cocoa, Bordering Blue, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, markers for coloring
Accessories - sponge dauber, post-it notes, white gel pen, cutter kit

Abstract Season

Happy Saturday! This is the last sample of the Abstract Background technique that I have to show you. I actually made this card after creating the Abstract Background tutorial a couple posts ago, so my card colors are pretty much the same ones used for that post. I used a different stamp set - this one is called Season of Friendship, and it's so pretty for autumn cards. One of the stamps in this set has a set of three leaves, and I used my markers to color each leaf before stamping. Doesn't it make a pretty background paper? The sentiment was stamped and punched out with the Modern Label punch, and I added a bit of depth with sponging along the edge of it and the background paper. The sentiment was matted and adhered to the cardfront with dimensional popdots. I cut out one set of leaves and glued it to the top of my sentiment for interest. The button has a bit of twine tied through it, and it is attached with a popdot.

I hope that you have a most enjoyable weekend - I have a birthday celebration to attend where there will be lots of Japanese food to eat.... YUM! See you next time... :)

Stamps - Season of Friendship

Paper - Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango

Ink - Summer Sun, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, SU markers: Summer Sun, More Mustard, Close to Cocoa

Accessories - Big Shot, Top Note die, Modern Label punch, sponge, button, twine, dimensional popdots

Abstract Sunrise

Hello Again! Here's another card utilizing the Abstract Background technique described in my last post. This one was made for my Dad, so I tried not to get too "frilly" and kept it on the simple side.

I started this scene first by stamping/tapping a straight line across most of the Whisper White cardstock with the Bashful Blue inkspot. I added a post-it note above the horizon so that my random stamping with the Bashful Blue inkspot wouldn't cross into the sunrise portion above. After making the water by tapping the inkspot randomly around, I removed the post-it note and reapplied it on top of the newly-created water. This was done to protect it from the sunrise scene that was made next... The sunrise was stamped by tapping the inkspots from lightest color to darkest using Summer Sun, Apricot Appeal, Pale Plum, Almost Amethyst and Ballet Blue inkspots. I removed the post-it note, then used my Close to Cocoa inkspot to create my cascading hillside down the left side and across the bottom of my scene. I finished up by stamping the sentiment & deer from the Nature Silhouettes stamp set, and a floral selection from Pocket Silhouettes in Chocolate Chip ink. This was matted with several layers of cardstock, white brads were inserted, then the whole thing was adhered to the cardfront.

I hope you enjoy my additional sample of the Abstract Background technique. It really is easy to create, and I love how unique it looks! I have one last sample to show you tomorrow, so I hope you get a chance to drop in...

With my kids starting school next week, I need to go do my part in stimulating the economy with some back-to-school purchases! Cha-ching!!! ~8)

Have a super weekend!!

Abstract Background Tutorial

I was playing around with my Stampin' Spot inkpads one day and thought this abstract blending of one color into the next was pretty and unusual, so I made a card with it utilizing the technique for my background on this card. It's so easy to do - just simply start tapping the inkspots randomly from lightest color ink to the darkest.

You can see the whole step-by-step process in pictures below... First, I punched a 1 3/8inch circle from a post-it note and started tapping the Summer Sun inkspot around...



Then I added More Mustard....



Then Pumpkin Pie...



And finished up with Really Rust...



After removing my circle post-it, I filled in the white space with Summer Sun again, and it naturally saturated the center and created a nice halo effect for the sun...



Lastly, I stamped the solid butterfly and floral sprig from the ever-beautiful Great Friend stamp set in Chocolate Chip ink.



I finished the card with matting and alittle bit of sewing. I did lightly sponge Ruby Red ink on the outer edge of the Top Note diecut... just because I like sponging! Tee hee.... However, I tried to keep this one simple so that you could see the technique more clearly. Here's the finished card once again... I have a couple more samples of this technique to share with you, so I hope you can visit again soon. Take care! :)

Giving Love and Support

Well, I mentioned in my previous post that I was going to dig around in my stash to figure out what I would be working on during Scrapbook Day - but then I read an email from a dear friend whose FIL is very, very ill. She and her husband know that I've been thinking and praying for strength and recovery for their father and their family, but I felt moved to make a card for them anyhow. This card utilizes the faux layering technique and was achieved by lots of sponging, torn post-it notes and a bit of masking with the tree and strands of grass around the deer silhouette. I wanted to have a lower border with a floral selection from Pocket Silhouettes, yet have another scene on the cardfront in addition to not having the bulk of additional layers, so the faux layering technique was the perfect choice. I'm very pleased with this card... perhaps it is a bit unusual, but to me, it conveys warmth, strength and serenity. I extended the floral border to the inside of the card with plenty of room to write some thoughts before giving them this card.

I will be back soon to post the things I make during Scrapbook Day.... I have no idea what I'm going to do yet, so I guess I'll close and poke around my craft room a bit. Take care, and let the ones you love know it, and that you are always there for them! See you next time.... :)

Stamps: Nature Silhouettes, Pocket Silhouettes, Sentiment from Friends 2-7

Paper: Blush Blossom, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke

Ink: Chocolate Chip, black, Cameo Coral, More Mustard, Always Artichoke

Accessories: post-its, sponge dauber, brads

WICKED color, Watercolored Rose

Hello again... here's my WICKED submission for the color challenge posted by Brenda (aka QBee's Quest) on Split Coast Stampers. I mentioned alittle bit about these challenges on my previous post. With this particular challenge, we were to use these three colors: Riding Hood Red, So Saffron and Baja Breeze. These are awesome color choices - thanks, Brenda! :)

I love roses more than any other flower, and I especially love the bi-color ones, so this was my inspiration for this card. The open-lined flower was stamped in black ink and immediately heat embossed with clear embossing powder on glossy cardstock. I watercolored the flower with Riding Hood Red and So Saffron re-inkers and aquapainter. The ink doesn't dry immediately on glossy paper, so watch out for that or you might smudge ink in places you didn't intend! :0 (I helped speed up the process by hitting it lightly with my heatgun). I stamped the flower again on scrap paper and cut it out so that it would serve as a mask for sponging done in Baja Breeze and a touch of So Saffron inks. I used my coluzzle to cut out the oval, and hand cut the matted layer out of Riding Hood Red cardstock. This was mounted with dimensional popdots. The cardbase is So Saffron, and I trimmed off about 3/4 inch from the front flap so that I could adhere my Riding Hood Red eyelet border strip down one side.

Thanks for checking out this card project! Remember, you can click the picture and it will open up a larger version for you (so you can see better details). The gloss from the paper made it hard to capture the depth of color with this rose - but I hope you enjoy it anyway. Stay tuned for another WICKED project to be posted tomorrow - so, until then, have an awesome day!!

Stamps - Fifth Avenue Floral, Great Friend (sentiment)

Paper - Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Glossy White

Inks - Riding Hood Red, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, black

Accessories - aquapainter, sponge, coluzzle/oval template, heatgun, clear embossing powder, eyelet border punch, dimensional popdots

Spring Wagon

Recently, I made some clean and simple cards that used Wagon Full of Fun for my main images, and they were colored in with a SU blender pen and Stampin Pastels. Stampin Pastels are chalks that come in all of our standard colors, and are held together in a flat, easy-to-store container for just under $25 - you can't beat that! Truly, it's a very economical, versatile, and useful product. Instead of using the included sponge applicators to color - which gives a soft, pastel coloring to your projects - I chose to use the blender pen. This technique results in a darker, more pronounced coloring. Simply touch the tip of the blender pen on the corner of an individual chalk block to pick up some color, and off you go! When you are done with that color, just clean off your blender pen tip by scribbling on some scratch paper until the color is gone, then pick a different color to use. Easy-peasy, and oh-so-pretty!!

I used the masking technique to make the flowerpot and cupcake look like they are inside the wagon. Stamp the wagon on a post-it note and trim around the top edge of the wagon. After stamping your wagon on your card block, use the post-it to cover the wagon, then stamp your other image just above the wagon. Remove the post-it and ta-da - your image looks like it's sitting in the wagon. How cute! :)

The sentiments were stamped, punched out, and layered. I assembled the cards together and finished them by using a 2-way glue pen and sprinking Dazzlin Diamonds on the images.

Have a super Saturday, everyone... see you next time!

Stamps - Wagon Full of Fun, Sentiments are from Thoughts and Prayers, Voila

Paper - Lavendar Lace, Old Olive, white

Ink - black

Accessories - Stampin Pastels, blender pen, Scallop and Circle Punches, Dazzlin Diamonds glitter, 2 way pen

Great Times

Paper Pleats are today's cool technique challenge on SplitCoast! I made today's card for someone leaving on vacation, and my pleats are the tied-back tent flaps. I used several different stamp sets to create my scene: Under the Stars (raccoon and chow), Happy Camper (trees and campfire, & also retired), and Cute and Curly (sentiment). The trees were stamped first, then masked so that I could sponge in the night sky. The ground is also sponged. The moon is made from a 3/4 inch circle post-it that was put down before sponging. The sentiment is computer generated and punched out with the Curly Label punch and mounted on popdots. The campfire, raccoon and grub were stamped on white cardstock and cut out with scissors, then popped up with dimensional popdots. They are colored in with colored pencils. Thanks for stopping by today and I hope you have a great afternoon!

Stamps: Under the Stars, Happy Camper, Cute and Curly
Paper: Night of Navy, Garden Green, white, black
Ink: Night of Navy, Handsome Hunter, Chocolate Chip, black
Accessories: sponge daubers, ribbon, dimensional popdots, colored pencil, post-it, computer/printer, SU punches: 3/4 inch circle, Curly Label
Techniques: masking

Squash Valentine card..... say wwhhaaat???

Hello, Everyone! :) What a weird title for today's post, but let me explain... Today's challenge on SCS is to make a squash card. Most of the time, they seem to be used for scrapbooking, hence "squash album", and you might have heard of that term. Anyhow, Lynn created a PDF in the first post so that you can see just how easy this is to create... there's a Word document in post #10 for those of you who prefer this format. I've made these squash albums before, and they are perfect for gift giving! It was fun to make a card version today.

Well, it sure felt good for me to make a card for a different kind of celebration... and in this case, yep, you guessed it! -Valentine's Day. I don't know if this card is really "vintage", but the colors made me feel that way when I was typing up the title. This is a card that sort-of evolved... my original idea was completely different! I love organdy ribbon (it's my favorite kind to use), and I was completely depressed about it when Stampin' Up! stopped selling it many years ago, so I use what I have very sparingly. I continue hoping that they bring it back with every new catalog release... tee hee! Nothing wrong with hopin'.....

The background script is from the upcoming Level 2 hostess set Rustic Rooster (ooh, sneak peak!) and is stamped in Creamy Caramel on the same color cardstock. The large heart from Always was stamped, masked and stamped again on top of the background in Close to Cocoa. I reverse-masked and sponged the inside of the heart with a sponge dauber. The edges were swiped against the Creamy Caramel inkpad. The ribbon and half-back pearls were added last, and everything was mounted on my 4 inch square Very Vanilla squash card.

Have a great day, and I hope to see you again very soon... thanks for stopping in!

Stamps: Always, Rustic Rooster
Paper: Very Vanilla, black, Real Red, Creamy Caramel
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa
Accessories: organdy ribbon, half-back pearls, sponge dauber, SU photo corner punch
Techniques: masking

Simple Christmas Thank You Card

I hope that your Christmas celebration was filled with much happiness! The last two weeks were very hectic for me (and I'm sure for you, too!), so I apologize for not posting... I squeezed in work and sleep between finishing up Christmas shopping, cooking and baking, wrapping gifts, and completing all the Christmas cards. I made over 70, but most were done assembly-line style (once I decided on which card, that is!).... and to top it off, they were either mailed or hand-delivered to boot.... YAY!

Well, I had to work the day after Christmas, so yesterday was spent vegging around the house and making some simple thank you cards for family and friends for the wonderful Christmas gifts that were given to my family. I love this Merry & Bright stamp set, and decided that this little snowman would bring a smile to just about anyone's face. I stamped the snowman and trees, masking where necessary, in order to create my little scene. Then, I re-masked the snowman and little tree beside him to protect them from sponged ink done in Summer Sun, Bordering Blue and Night of Navy which created the glow from Heaven above. The snowman and tree were colored with markers, and snowman shadows were colored with light blue colored pencil. I stamped the snowflakes in White Craft ink. This was mounted on a Real Red block, and the sentiment is from Warmest Regards (retired).

I hope that you get some time to wind down after the holiday hustle and bustle. Take care and see you soon...

Simple Christmas Elegance

This Christmas card is a CASE from my upline's last group meeting. When she showed it to us, I knew I was going to have to make this because it is so simple to do, yet stunning to look at in real life. Not only that, but mailing these will be a snap! No bulky items to wonder about, no increased postage costs, and best of all, this card design is quick to put together so you could whip up a bunch to send to family and friends in no time flat.... yay! Thanks so much for sharing this beauty, KM... Truly, it is simple elegance at it's best!

The Whisper White cardstock was cut to 8 x 5 1/4 inches and scored in half to make the "card" 4 x 5 1/4 inches in size. The back of the "card" was adhered to a 1/4 sheet of Night of Navy with the card crease along the top to make a standard 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card. It leaves such a pretty 1/8 inch dark blue border all around (the pic shows the top white layer bowing out a bit, so I took my bone folder afterward and ran it across the crease to stiffen it up and make the card lay flat against the base). To stamp the design, I cut a 2 x 3 3/4 inch rectangle out of the center of a 1/4 sheet of vellum using a ruler and craft knife, then stuck a small piece of repositionable tape along each rectangle edge. The vellum mask was put on top of the Whisper White, and I very lightly sponged Going Grey ink in the rectangular opening to create the grey block. The grouping of trees comes from a stamp from the timeless set ~ Lovely as a Tree, and it was stamped in Going Grey ink too. The vellum mask was removed, and the the large pine tree from the same stamp set was stamped in Night of Navy ink. Finally, the sentiment comes from one of our current Level 1 hostess sets called Best Yet and was also stamped in Night of Navy ink. I am finding this sentiment set to be extremely useful with a great variety of sayings, and perfect for adding just the right touch!

I hope you enjoy this beautiful card as much as I am... thanks again, KM... this one's a keeper! See you next time!!

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree, Best Yet
Cardstock: Whisper White, Night of Navy, vellum
Ink: Night of Navy, Going Grey
Accessories: ruler and craft knife to create rectangle in vellum, sponge, repositionable tape