Pearly Gates Sympathy Card

It's a terrible thing to lose your mojo. Even though I wanted to craft and I loved looking at crafting ideas but actually sitting down and crafting myself just didn't seem to be in the cards (pun intended) for me.

This summer has been productive in other ways but not so much for card making. However, I was in need of a sympathy card and there was no way I was going to buy a card so I sat myself down and made one! My card is CASEd from a card by Janet Wakeland.

I began my card by cutting a piece of Watercolor Paper to 4.25 x 5.5". I used the clouds from the Up & Away Thinlits to die cut cloud templates from Thick Whisper White. Using the templates alternately, I sponged Soft Sky onto the watercolor paper to create a cloud-filled sky.

Next, I die cut Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper using the Detailed Gates Thinlits. To make this easier, I first removed the protective covering layer from the back of the sheet of glimmer paper. I then used the dryer sheet method for die cutting using my Magnetic Platform.

Because I wanted to adhere the gates to the sky panel, I scored each side of the gates at about 1/4" from the edge. Finally, I used my Stampin' Trimmer to slice down the middle of the gates so that they would open.

On a strip of Vellum, I stamped the sentiment from the Rose Wonder stamp set and heat embossed with Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder. I wrapped the sky panel with the vellum strip, folding it crisply at each edge, and then taped it to the back of the panel.

I then used liquid adhesive to adhere the gates to each side of the panel. The panel was then adhered to a Soft Sky card base using Fast Fuse adhesive.

I heat embossed the inside sentiment on a Whisper White matte and then sponged the edges with Soft Sky before adhering it inside the card.

To finish the card, I die cut a dove from Thick Whisper White using a die set from Impression Obsession. I used Mini Dimensionals to adhere the bird to the front of the card.

If I made this card again, I would die cut one gate from the Glimmer paper and one from Whisper White and adhere them together. This would prevent the gate from curling at the top. Other than that, I am pleased with how my card turned out!

Hopefully, this is the kick start that I need for my mojo!

Floating Reinker and Watercolored Rose Wonder

For my daughter's birthday, I chose to work with a rose theme since she loves roses. Because of this, I chose to use the Rose Wonder stamp set and the Rose Garden Thinlits.

I started by stamping the rose image on Shimmery White card stock using Versamark. I also stamped the leaves, but did them separately because I knew I would be cutting them out separate from the rose. I heat embossed the images using White Stampin' Emboss Powder.

The Floating Reinker Technique seemed to be a nice fit for this card so I got out my Aqua Pen and added water to all the spaces in the rose, making sure that they weren't too wet or too dry but just right :) I then picked up Blushing Bride reinker on my Aqua Pen and touched it to the water in various spots on the rose. This caused the ink to fill the sections with color. After cleaning my pen, I repeated this process using Rose Red to fill the remaining sections.

In working with the leaves, I also used my Aqua Pen but this time I chose to paint with the Cucumber Crush reinker. Because of the nature of the paper, the ink dried quickly so I was able to paint over sections to intensify the color in places, making the leaves look more realistic. I zapped both the leaves and the rose with my heat tool to be sure they were completely dry before continuing.

My next step was to use the Rose Garden Thinlits to cut out the rose and leaves using the now retired 6 x 6" Glimmer paper in Sweet Sugarplum and Mint Macaron. I used Connie Stewart's method of adhering detailed die cuts to glue the die cuts to the rose and leaves. After I was sure they were well adhered, I fussy cut around them, snipping off any extra pieces that were not needed.

Two mattes were die cut, one Mint Macaron and one Blushing Bride. I used the Hexagons Dynamic Embossing Folder to emboss the Blushing Bride matte and then adhered it to the Mint Macaron one using liquid adhesive.

After determining the correct placement, I used Dimensionals for the leaves and Foam Adhesive Strips for the rose and adhered them to the embossed matte. I wrapped Thick Cucumber Crush Baker's Twine around the bottom of the matte, securing it to the back with Fast Fuse. The matte was then adhered to a Rose Red card front using Foam Adhesive Strips.

Using the MISTI, the sentiment from the Rose Wonder stamp set was stamped in Cucumber Crush on Mint Macaron and then stamped again with Versamark so that it could be heat embossed using Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder. An oval from the Stitched Shapes Framelits was used to die cut the sentiment. It was adhered to the card front using Foam Adhesive Strips.

A Thick Whisper White matte was cut for inside the card. The Rose Wonder stamp was used to stamp offset on the right side of the matte using Versamark. It was heat embossed using White Stampin' Emboss Powder. Blushing Bride and Mint Macaron inks were sponged over the embossing and then the matte was adhered inside to complete the card.

I'm very pleased with how it turned out and my daughter loved it! If you would like to use the color scheme from this project, feel free to save the following image.

I am definitely going to miss Cucumber Crush! I love its vibrancy and find that it works well, in small doses, with several of our Stampin' Up! colors. If you love it too, be sure to stock up on it before it's too late! Place an order today in my online store.

Glitter Grid Birthday

As soon as I saw Tina Zinck's Glitter Grid Technique, I knew I would have to try it! I mean, who can resist Dazzling Diamonds Glitter? She has a great video tutorial for this so be sure to check it out.

I started by using my Watercolor Pencils to color in a piece of the Inside The Lines paper available only until tomorrow from Sale-A-Bration. On the back of the paper, I then drew three lines to section the paper and then subdivided them with vertical lines.

Versamark was used to ink up the entire surface of the paper and then it was sprinkled with Heat & Stick powder.

My heat tool was used to heat the paper until the powder melted and then I quickly coated it with Dazzling Diamonds glitter and heat set it. I then turned the paper upside down and burnished it with my hand to make sure the glitter was truly adhered to the Heat & Stick powder.

I used my Stampin' Trimmer to cut the paper up using the lines that had been drawn on the back of the paper. A matte was cut from Basic Black and I placed each piece of the cut up glitter panel on top, fitting the pieces together like a puzzle.

Once I was sure the pieces were in the correct places, I spread them out a little on the black matte so that black could be seen between the pieces. I used Snail Adhesive to adhere each section to the matte.

I ran a length of the Basic Black 3/8" Stitched Ribbon down the right side of the panel and secured it on the back with Fast Fuse. I then adhered the panel to a Bermuda Bay card base using Dimensionals. A bow was adhered to the ribbon using a Glue Dot.

Using Jet Black Stazon, the bee from the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set was stamped on both Daffodil Delight and Vellum. Each was fussy cut with the wings being cut off of the Daffodil Delight bee. A Basic Black Stampin' Write marker was used to edge both bees. Liquid adhesive was used to glue the bee's body onto the vellum one. Clear Wink of Stella added some nice glimmer. The bee was adhered to the card front using Foam Adhesive Strips.

The sentiment from the Rose Wonder stamp set was stamped with Versamark on Basic Black. It was heat embossed using White Stampin' Emboss Powder and then die cut using an oval from the Stitched Shapes Framelits. It was adhered to the card front using Dimensionals.

A Whisper White matte was cut for the inside of the card. Old Olive was sponged around the edges. A flower from the Inside The Lines DSP was colored with the Watercolor Pencils using the Clear Wink of Stella for blending. It was fussy cut and then adhered to the matte using liquid adhesive. The matte was adhered inside the card to complete it.

I hope you will try this Glitter Grid Technique using some of the Inside The Lines DSP or simply some other DSP cut up and used for this technique.

Catalog Party Prep Part 5

Today brings us to the last day of my 5-part series. If you missed them, be sure to view Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

For my card set today, I CASEd the stamping on embossed images technique from Patty Bennett. Of all five card sets, I think this one is my favorite because the technique I used is just so much fun to do!

I started by cutting five standard card bases, one from each of the new In Colors–Peekaboo Peach, Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sugarplum, Emerald Envy and Dapper Denim. I also cut five mattes from Thick Whisper White card stock.

After embossing each matte using the Fluttering Embossing Folder, I inked up the flourish stamp from the First Sight stamp set and proceeded to lightly stamp–so as not to stamp between the embossed bits–on top of the embossed matte, . I stamped several times until I ran out of ink and then re-inked the stamp for more stamping. I continued stamping until I was pleased with the coverage.

What is cool about this technique is that the stamping just goes on the raised butterflies and you get some incredible dimension to the stamping because not all of it is the full-strength color of the ink. In addition, the flourish stamp provides a truly unique pattern. I repeated this technique with all five colors.

I knotted a matching piece of the new ruched ribbon around each stamped matte and then adhered the mattes with Dimensionals.

The label outline from the Rose Wonder stamp set was stamped on Thick Whisper White using ink that matched the color of the card. As well, the sentiment from the Endless Birthday Wishes stamp set was stamped and die cut using the Rose Garden Thinlits. The sentiment label was then adhered with Dimensionals on the top right of the card front.

On a Whisper White matte adhered to the inside of the card, I stamped the flourish stamp again in the bottom left and top right. I then stamped a butterfly from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set on a scrap of Whisper White and punched it with the Elegant Butterfly Punch. I added a coating of Wink of Stella and then adhered the butterfly in the bottom left corner with a glue dot to finish the card.

Don't they look lovely in the In Colors? I hope you will give this technique a try–it should work with any embossing folder with large raised portions such as Brick Wall, Large Polka Dot and possibly the new Petal Burst. If you don't have the First Sight stamp set with the flourish stamp, try another similar stamp that you do have!

Drop me a comment below about your try with this technique–I'd love to hear from you!

Catalog Party Prep Part 1

I worked hard to create treat boxes and prizes for my upcoming Catalog Launch Party. I hope this will provide you with some inspiration for your own parties and/or card making. This will be the first of five parts.

I started with treat boxes for my ladies. I used the retiring Tag A Bag Gift Boxes and lots of previously retired DSP. The design was CASEd from Stamp With Joy.

I picked out coordinating card stock and DSP and cut them to the required sizes necessary for each side of the box as well as strips needed to create the belly bands.

After everything was cut and ready, I folded the boxes to create them as well as the acetate covers. I then used Fast Fuse to adhere the side panels to each box and after putting on the acetate cover, wrapped the two-piece belly band around each box and secured it with Fast Fuse. Matching ribbon was tied around each belly band and secured with a bow.

Using the Chalk Talk stamp set, I stamped matching tags on Whisper White and attached them to the coordinating bows on each box.

In each box I placed the following: a Ferrero Rocher chocolate, a sample of twine, a sample of ribbon, stamped ticket for door prize draw, sponge dauber, clothespin, Washi tape, wood die cut and a punched butterfly in various colors (used to determine winners for Prize Patrol).

I then set about creating card sets for prizes using the 2016-2018 In Colors. This set of cards was CASEd from Laura's Creative Moments.

I started by cutting a card base from Emerald Envy card stock that was 11 x 4.25"; when folded it would produce a side fold card that measured 4.25 x 5.5".

Because I needed to stamp the butterfly to wrap partly around the back, I needed to know where the card would be scored. I scored a small mark at the top and bottom only. This allowed me to judge where the fold would be but would not disrupt my stamping of the card itself.

I set up my card stock in my MISTI and carefully drew around it and marked the middle point on the grid paper. I positioned the Swallowtail stamp where I thought it should be and then removed the card stock. I stamped the butterfly on the grid paper to see if the placement was right. I used my Embossing Buddy and on the card stock and re-stamped, this time with Versamark, on the card stock.

I used I heat embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder and then proceeded to do the same on the remaining In Color card bases.

Next, I cut around the edge of each stamped butterfly to reveal the inside of the card. On a Whisper White matte I used ink matched to the card base to stamp one of the now retired Flowering Fields stamps. I stamped once full strength, and then stamped on either side to provide some contrast and dimension to the stamping. I also stamped a small butterfly from the same stamp set.

I also stamped a sentiment, in matching ink, from the Rose Wonder stamp set onto Thick Whisper White. It was die cut using the Rose Garden Thinlits. It was adhered using Dimensionals.

After all cards were made, they were stacked with envelopes and tied up with a piece of white ribbon.

Loving these, in all five colors!

Birthday Bouquet Card Set

Did you know that Stampin' Up stamp cases can be used for more than just stamps? I love all the stamp cases and use them to store a variety of Stampin' Up items.

I use the Clear-Mount Stamp Cases #119105 to store my Stampin' Write Markers in color sets, the Full Wide Stamp Cases #127551 to store my sponges by color set, and I will soon have my reinkers organized into the Half Wide Stamp Cases #127552.

If you visit Kelly Kent's Blog, you can download and print her pretty inserts for your markers and reinkers.

Some people also store a variety of embellishments in the stamp cases. Bev Adams has some useful resources for this type of organization.

In addition to actual storage, the stamp cases can be used for creating lovely cases for treats or card sets. Jan Farring has a tutorial for a lovely case with a handle.

I created a card set with a matching case as a thank you gift for a friend. I chose to use the lovely Birthday Bouquet DSP. I cut a piece measuring 11 1/4 x 7" and slipped it into the front of the case where the stamp label usually goes.

Next, I created the cards for the set. I decided to make eight cards in total—four thank you cards and four sympathy cards. I cut standard card bases and mattes from Pool Party and Blushing Bride card stock  Two mattes of each color were embossed on the top 2/3 with the retiring Decorative Dots Embossing Folder and two with the Elegant Dots Embossing Folder. Matching ink was sponged over each to bring out the embossed texture. The edges were also inked.

Two different papers from the Birthday Bouquet DSP were cut and adhered to the bottom 1/3 of each matte and then a strip of coordinating ribbon, either Pool Party Glitter Ribbon or Blushing Bride Satin Ribbon from the Love Blossoms Embellishment Kit was adhered across the join of the DSP and the matte.

The mattes were then adhered to the matching card bases using Dimensionals. The Bold Butterfly Framelits were used to cut butterflies from both vellum and Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper. These were adhered with either a glue dot or a Dimensional. The vellum butterflies also received a coating of Wink of Stella.

The sentiments, from the Rose Wonderstamp set were stamped on Thick Whisper White using Basic Black Archival and then the ends flagged using the Banner Triple Punch. These were adhered with Dimensionals. Using the retiring Envelope Liner Framelits, liners from matching DSP were die cut and adhered inside envelopes.

Using Fast Fuse Adhesive, two strips of the Blushing Bride Satin Ribbon were adhered inside each side of the stamp case. The finished cards and envelopes were stacked on either side and the ribbons tied in bows to hold them in place.

For the front of the finished card set case, a large butterfly was die cut from Watermelon Wonder card stock with the Butterflies Thinlits Dies. The smaller butterfly was stamped with the Butterfly Basics stamp set using Blushing Bride and die cut using the Butterfly Thinlits Dies and then the edges were inked with Watermelon Wonder.

Both butterflies were inked with Versamark and heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder two times to make them super glossy. Their wings were bent up a bit and they were then adhered to the case using Glue Dots.

Card case without cards and envelopes.

Open card case with cards and envelopes.

 

I'm quite pleased with how this set of cards turned out! Making a set of cards in a decorated stamp case makes a lovely gift!

   

 

 

Rose Wonder Meets Color Burst

I needed a quick birthday card the other day after discovering that one of my friends at Walmart was celebrating her birthday. I actually came up with the design and created the card before leaving for work—probably the fastest card I have ever made!

I started by using my MISTI to stamp the rose from the Rose Wonder stamp set on watercolor paper with Basic Black Archival ink. I then re-stamped it using Versamark and heat embossed it with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder.

Using a small paintbrush, I wet the leaves and then sprinkled on green Color Burst. I loved the varying shades of green that resulted! I repeated this process with the rose, this time using reds. I used the paintbrush to draw some color into areas where the paper still showed. I set the painted matte aside to dry.

Next, I used Jet Black Stazon to stamp the sentiment on Thick Whisper White card stock. I used the Rose Garden Thinlits to die cut the sentiment.

I used my heat tool to dry the watercolor completely and then adhered a piece of craft foam to the back using Fast Fuse Adhesive. This was adhered to a Real Red card base. The sentiment was adhered using Dimensionals. To complete the card front, I adhered a handful of crystal sequins.

For the inside of the card I stamped some leaves in Cucumber Crush and inked the edges as well.
All in all, I pretty happy with how this card turned out!

Next time, I will have more time to work with the Color Bursts to give the rose more detail. I really want to give the Color Bursts a workout to see how many ways they can be used!

Have you had a chance to play with Color Bursts yet? Drop me a note below–I'd love to hear from you!

Painted Rose For Global Design Project

On my way home from work today, I stopped to pick up a prescription for my husband. As I passed the magazine rack in the store, some colorful covers caught my eye and I had to stamp some pictures for inspiration. As I drove home, a card design was staring to gel in my mind.

After supper, I quickly began making my card because I had to finish it tonight in time for the Global Design Project deadline!

The color scheme for my card changed dramatically from the one I first thought I'd use! I will still utilize the color scheme I first thought of but I'm pleased with the one I selected for this card.

I used Jet Black Stazon to stamp the rose from the Rose Wonder stamp set on a piece of the Typeset DSP. I used the same watercolor technique as I did yesterday, placing rubbing alcohol in my Aqua Painter instead of water, and painted using the Watermelon Reinker. I set it aside to dry thoroughly.

A Basic Gray card base for a 4.75 x 6" card was cut and then I cut a partial matte from Watermelon Wonder and used one of the now retired Adorning Accents Edgelits on it to give an ornate edge to my matte. I then used the matching piercing template from the Paper-Piercing Pack Essentials to pierce a line that followed the cut edge.

Next, I stamped the matte using Watermelon Wonder and stamps from the Timeless Textures stamp set. The matte was then adhered to the card base using Fast Fuse adhesive.

I used the Rose Garden Thinlits to cut the rose and two stems of the leaves from Basic Black and cut off the rose's leaves. Now that my painted rose was dry I was able to glue the die cut rose over top of the painted rose using Multi Medium Matte.

I cut a strip of Basic Gray to go across the card front and embossed it using the Pretty Print Embossing Folder and then sponged a bit of Smoky Slate ink onto it to make the embossing stand out more. It was adhered to the card front using a strip of self-adhesive fun foam. The leafy stems were adhered to the strip using Multi Medium Matte and then the rose was adhered over top using Dimensionals.

Using Jet Black Stazon ink, the sentiment from the Bloomin' Love stamp set was stamped and the scroll from the Number of Years stamp set was stamped over it on Watermelon Wonder. It was then die cut using the die from the Large Numbers Framelits. It was adhered at the bottom of the card using Dimensionals.

Three pearls were placed under the embossed strip of Basic Bray to complete the card front.
The inside was kept pretty simple. Whisper White was matted with Watermelon Wonder and adhered to the card with Fast Fuse. One stamp from the Timeless Textures stamp set was stamped in the bottom right corner to complete the card.

So, do you like it? I think the Watermelon Wonder and Basic Gray work well together, accented by the Basic Black. If you would like to use this color scheme, feel free to save the graphic below.

I've entered this card in the Global Design Project #30. Why don't you come and play sometime?

I'd love it if you could leave me a comment below to let me know you stopped by! Have a great day!