A Sister Collaberation

 Hi everyone!  I had a wonderful week in North Carolina, spending lots of time with family.  That also means I spent some time stamping with my sister Connie.  What fun that was!  I had taken a few cards I had finished to share with her, and also an idea I was playing with but just couldn't get it to work right.  It really needed another set of eyes to come up with a plan.  She gave me some great ideas.  We played around and got that second card made in no time at all.  First I'll share the card I made at home, and we'll just go on from there.

The idea for the cards was to make a detailed die-cut, then  color the die-cut on top of another piece of white cardstock using sponges or blending brushes.  This gives you two main focus pieces for making two cards.  Sort of a two-fer.  I decided to use the floral image from Artistic Dies for my die-cut piece.  Then I colored this with Blending Brushes and these inks - Fresh Freesia, Highland Heather, Polished Pink, Mint Macaron, and Soft Succulent.  On the little swirly flowers I used a Sponge Dauber and Daffodil Delight ink.  I was surprised how heavier and darker the color was when using the Sponge Dauber, even though I tried to keep it very light.

I die-cut a Basic White layer for the front of the card using the largest die in the Ornate Layers die set.  It has such a pretty eyelet-looking edge to it and I tend to use it often.

I wrapped the sheer dotted ribbon around the Basic White layer before it was attached to the folded Soft Seafoam cardstock base using just adhesive.

Using the Silicone Craft Sheet, the die-cut image was laid face down and lightly sponged with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  The it was attached to the card front with part of it over the ribbon.  I held this in place a minute or so to make sure it held.

The sentiment s from the All Squared Away set.  It was stamped on a 1/2" strip of Basic White using Soft Succulent ink.  Then the end was punched with the Banners Pick A Punch.  It was attached to the card front using adhesive.   Then a  3" piece of the ribbon was made into a very loose knot and attached using Mini Glue Dots over the top edge of the sentiment banner.  That's all there is to this pretty card.  Now on to the piece of Basic White that was under the die-cut when coloring.

This piece really gave me a run for my money.  Nothing I tried really made it stand out.  Then my smart sis said, "Why don't you cut it out?"  Duh, why didn't I think of that?  After cutting it out leaving an edge all around the image, we tried different colors of cardstock for the base.  We decided on Mint Macaron - not too light, but not too dark either.  But we didn't attach it just yet.  Still too many variables to decide on!

She had some pretty sprays of gold berries from a SU! laser-cut sheet that she was willing to share with me.  We cut some apart and tucked them in under the main image to get an idea if that would work.  Then for the sentiment...

We thought the gold embossing on the vellum looked the nicest.  You can definitely read the sentiment, but it doesn't cover up the pretty floral design.   We used one of her non-Stampin'Up! sentiments because it fit perfectly.

After laying it all out, we decided it still needed something else.  We gave it a healthy spritz or two of gold shimmer paint mixed with alcohol.  That tied all the gold elements in together.  Then it was just a matter of putting the main image on with Dimensionals, and tucking in the gold berries under and around it.  The banner has touches of adhesive underneath the gold-embossed lettering.  That was it.  A truly joint effort on our part.  It surely reminds me how much fun it is stamping with others, be they family or friends.  The great ideas just flow better when you're having fun together!

If you're still planning on placing an order before the end of June, place use the Host Code shown here.  I truly appreciate all your orders.

Hope you're enjoying your summer as much as I am!   I picked my first blueberries and made the yummiest muffins!  We didn't even know we had blueberries, and what a sweet surprise that was!!  Hope there are more coming as I was online looking up some recipes for those luscious blueberries.  Can't wait!

Happy stamping and creating your masterpieces!

Sharon

Fun with Dies and Embossing

 Hi there! So glad you stopped by today.  I was fooling around with my Artistic Dies and had cut out the open-work branch of leaves die for another project I was making.  That left me with the 'negative' of the leaves as scrap.  Now, I really have a hard time throwing away paper (or anything else for that matter) that I think I can find a use for.  Just ask my hubby, he'll be glad to tell you all about that problem I have!  ;)  Anyway, this piece was sitting on my table letting me know I shouldn't ignore it.  So here it is - repurposed into a cute card.

I had just read on a blog about putting the negative piece onto a card front then embossing the whole thing.  So that's what I did here.  I embossed it with the Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder.  I ended up trimming off an inch from the open edge afterwards and will probably use that somewhere soon.  I was surprised after embossing.  I thought at least a little of the embossing would be inside the leaves, but I was wrong - it didn't show up at all!  And what was even more interesting, it didn't show up on the backside of the flap or inside of the card - whatever you want to call it.  It left a plain leafy impression only.  I had thought to put a layer of the cute You're A Peach Designer Paper on the inside left to make it a little different than the usual card.  But I decided that I liked the very subtle non-impression from the embossing folder and would leave it blank.

Can you see it here?  It's more of a tactile feature of this card rather a visual one.  But I really like it and will now have to incorporate something like this again, maybe as more of a focal point.  Don't you love when you get a wonderful unintended consequence?  Too bad all of life can't be this way!

At this point, I moved to the inside of the card.  There is the layer of the You're A Peach Designer Series Paper inside the card, that's 4" x 5 1/4".  Since I had trimmed off 1" from the front flap to show off the DSP, I needed to figure out the size and position of the Basic White cardstock layer inside the card for writing on.  I used a piece about 2 1/2" x 3 3/4".  When this was attached to the inside of the card, I off-set it so it wouldn't show when the card is closed.

Back to the front of the card again.  I thought butterflies or dragonflies would be a good accent.  I ended up with the butterflies because the size fit better.  The Brilliant Wings die set was used to cut one filigree butterfly and two smaller solid butterflies from Balmy Blue cardstock to match the teensy flowers on the DSP.  

The filigree-style butterfly is attached with a skinny strip from the edge of a sheet of Mini Dimensionals placed just under the body.  The two smaller butterflies are attached using Mini Glue Dots.

The sentiment comes from the Beauty of Friendship stamp set.  I just wanted a tiny sentiment in the corner and this one worked out fine.  It's stamped with Old Olive ink on a Basic White strip of cardstock, then just trimmed down with Paper Snips.  It's popped up on the card with Mini Dimensionals. 

After looking at several different types of bling to enhance this card, the clean and simple look seemed the best for the overall design of it.  Thus, it is naked of bling.  Oh my!  So that's it for this pretty card.  It's simple, but not too simple in design.  Hope you give this layered embossing a try.  It's quite nice in person when you can really see the embossed look and touch it too. 

If you're planning on ordering this month, please use the Host Code shown to the left.  I would greatly appreciate it.  I do appreciate all of my customers and have fun mailing out cards and/or little goodies each month.  Will I be sending you something special for this month?  I hope so!

Happy stamping and stay cool,

Sharon

Gift Bag Envelope and Card

I've been on the road this week spending time with family in North Carolina and having such a wonderful time.  And of course, when you stay with someone, you really need to give or send a thank you card to show your appreciation.  The combo I'm sharing today was made for my sister Connie.  She's very artistic and I'm usually trying my hardest to make something I think she might like.

To make it different this time, I used one of the adorable Ombre Gift Bags as the envelope for her thank you card.  I had just gotten these and thought they were so pretty.  I was looking for a way to use them, and this is really pretty basic, but it was a good start anyway.

This one is the Evening Evergreen shade and is a nice dark backdrop for the lighter, softer flowers.  I die-cut a piece of Basic White cardstock with a Scalloped Contours Die for the front label.  On a scrap piece of Basic White, I stamped the two flowers using the Flowers of Friendship stamp set and Pale Papaya ink.  The leaves are from the same set and were stamped with Soft Succulent ink.  These were all punched out using the coordinating Flowers & Leaves Punch.  (You can get these items together in a bundle and save 10%.)  To add a little more color, I used the same color Stampin' Blends on both flowers and leaves.  

Next the sentiment was stamped on the label.  I stamped this with one of the cute thank you sentiments from the Flowers of Friendship stamp set and Soft Succulent ink.  Did you notice the two fonts on the same stamp?  Isn't that cute and eye-catching?  Love it! 

The flowers were attached to the label with Dimensionals.  Then the leaves were tucked under the flowers and attached with a little adhesive after curling the ends of the leaves up a bit for dimension.  Then two sequins from the Artistry Blooms Adhesive-backed Sequins were added to the flower centers.

A twist of the Pale Papaya and White 1/2" Ribbon was added under the label.  Then Dimensionals were added behind the label to lift it from the bag.  Ok, the envelope was finished, on to the card.

I liked the cards I made earlier with this special fold, so thought I'd make another one.  This one used Evening Evergreen for a card base cut 11" x 4 1/4" and is folded at 5 1/2".   Measuring in 3/4" from each side, a strip was cut off.  A 1/2" strip of Hand-Penned Designer Series Paper was added to each side with a Basic White piece inside under the top flap for writing.  Another piece of the DSP was cut to fit and added to the front flap using Adhesive.  A piece of Vellum was  die-cut using the Stitched Rectangle Dies to match the label on the envelope and was attached to the card front.  

The Hand-Penned bouquet was stamped on Basic White cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink then colored using Blends: Light Pale Papaya, Soft Succulent, Pool Party, and Cinnamon Cider.  It was then die-cut using the coordinating Penned Flowers Dies.  This was attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  A strip of the Pale Papaya and White 1/2" Ribbon was tucked under the bouquet of flowers to match the envelope we just made. 

The sentiment is from the same stamp set and stamped with Tuxedo Black ink.  It was then 'bubble-cut' and attached to the label using Mini Dimensionals.  A sprinkle of the same Artistry Blooms Adhesive-backed Sequins was added for a little touch of bling to finish it off.

If you can't tell by now, I really love this Hand-Penned Petals Bundle and tend to reach for it quite often.  Isn't it funny how attached to one special set we get?  Or is it just me?!?  I'm so happy that Stampin' Up! gives me so many different coordinating sets and bundles to choose from to meet my needs and moods.  Wonder what my next favorite set will turn out to be.  hmmm...

That's it for today.  I want to remind you that I'm here to help you with your stamping needs and questions.  I love to hear from you.  Leave me a comment and tell me what you think of my projects.  Is there something in particular you'd like me to work with?  If so, let me know.  I'll work on trying to fulfill your requests.

Remember we still need to send cards during the summer so  take time to do some stamping during this wonderful summer weather.  Enjoy the sun, but don't get too much!   Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Artistically Inked Hello

 Welcome back!  You know when you've got some left-over card pieces sitting on your work table and you just look at them a couple of days before something clicks?  No?  You don't ever have left-over card parts or you don't take days and days to figure out what to do with them?  Lucky you, if that's the case.  Not so for me.  I've been looking at two pieces left from a card last week, and I finally had some inspiration today and got it finished.  Hooray!!

And not only got it finished, but I used a new bundle for the very first time.  Makes my day!  Isn't the new Artistically Inked set just the coolest?  I love the watercolor-y look to the different flowers and leaves.  This is one that I'll have to spend more time playing with for sure!

I started out with some Thick White cardstock cut to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  I already had the piece of the striped You're A Peach Designer Series Paper left over from a few days ago.  And also had the piece of Basic White that had been die-cut with the scallop edge from the Scalloped Contours Dies to make the pretty stitched looking edge.  And again I went with Pacific Point cardstock for the framing layer on the card front.  Before attaching to the card base, I wrapped a length of the sheer dotted ribbon around it and tied with a knot.  This was then added to the card base using Dimensionals for a little pop.

I inked up the large watercolor flower with Daffodil Delight ink, then used a Sponge Dauber to sponge on a little bit of Mango Melody ink in around the flower center area before stamping on Basic White cardstock.  Then I stamped the small circle-ish piece with Mango Melody ink on the cardstock.  Next stamped 1 double leaf, and 2 single leaves with Granny Apple Green ink.  There is also a trio of tiny flowers that I needed.  These were stamped with Balmy Blue ink.  Then everything was die-cut using the coordinating Artistic Dies.

The flowers and leaves were juggled around to find a pleasing look to me, then were attached using Dimensionals under the larger flower and double leaves.  Everything else was just attached with adhesive and tucked under and around the main flower.

The sentiment was stamped with Night of Navy ink using the Many Messages stamp and die-cut using the Messages Dies.  This set is one large stamp and one large die that make 19 little sentiment pieces all at the same time.  Actually I have this set stamped up in both black and navy on white and die-cut so they are ready to use whenever needed.  Handy little set to have on hand all ready to go.  The sentiment was popped up on this card with Dimensionals also. 

The card only needed a bit of bling to satisfy me.  The Artistry Blooms Adhesive-backed Sequins had a pretty blue that I thought went nicely with the card, so 3 of them were added.  And then it was done.  Nice and easy, but pretty too.

In case you'd like to order any of these products this month, please use the Host Code shown here.  Of course, it's greatly appreciated.  And I love to spoil my customers with cards and/or little gifts just for them.  I'd love to count you as one of my customers too.

That's it for today.  I love blues and yellows together - they remind me of summer for some reason.  So with all the heat we've had lately, this seemed like just the right card to make.  Thanks for hanging out with me today.   Hope you stop by again soon.

Inky hugs and smooches,

Sharon

Even More Peaches

Figured I was on a roll with the peaches and was having so much fun that I thought "why quit now"?  So I have another peachy card for you today.  Hi there!  Glad you've stopped in today.  I have a really simple and sweet card for you today.  Yes, there are peaches involved.  *grin*  I just can't seem to get enough of them!

This card idea started out with the Peaches Designer Paper.  The background is Balmy Blue on this paper, so that's the color of my card base.  It's cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and folded in half.  Very basic.

The first layer is the lovely You're A Peach DSP that is covered with all these gorgeous peaches!  This is cut at 5 1/4" x 4" and attached to the card base with MultiPurpose Liquid Glue.  I like that is has a little 'play time' so you can adjust it if needed to get it straight.  

The next layer is one of the lacy dies in the Ornate Labels Die set.  It's the smallest long skinny die.  I love the tatted look on the edges, because it reminds me of my Grandma's doilies.  It was die-cut from Basic White cardstock. 

The peaches are my two left-overs from the last card I posted using the Sweet As A Peach set.  These were inked with Pale Papaya ink and blushed right on the stamp with Calypso Coral ink and a Sponge Dauber.  Make sure you 'huff' on it, then stamp on Basic White cardstock.  The leaves were stamped with two different inks to try different colors to see what I liked.  One is Garden Green, the other is Granny Apple Green.  I'm really not sure which I like better, so I used one of each.

The peaches and leaves were then die-cut using the Peach Die Set.  This makes it so easy to layer up some of those peaches on your card.  The peach on the left was attached to the 'doily' layer using adhesive.  The right one was attached using Dimensionals.

The whole white doily layer was then attached to the center of the card front using more Dimensionals to really make that detailed edging show up nicely.

Lastly the card needed a sentiment.  I've been hearing about so many friends and acquaintances having surgeries and such that I've really needed some 'caring' cards.  The sentiment here is from the new Quiet Meadow stamp set.  It is a lovely set with four different sentiments, two different background stamps, and two floral stamps.  And even better, it is bundled with the Meadow die set that is so awesome!  This is one of the first bundles I needed from the new catalog.

This time I just used one of the sentiments that is stamped onto one of the Tasteful Labels Dies.  I liked the stitching and the slightly tailored shape of this die to offset the 'doily' effect.  The sentiment is stamped with Garden Green ink, then attached onto the card with adhesive under part of it and a Dimensional under the left edge to keep it level.

For the pretty bling on this card, I had just gotten some more Artistry Blooms Adhesive-backed Sequins.  They arrived just in time!  I used the Mango Melody color and it looked perfect here.  Just the right touch!

That's it for today's idea.  Hope you like it.  It's great when you need a super quick card to get in the mail right away.  (Especially if you have some extra peaches just lying around!)

If you're planning on ordering in June, consider using the Host Code here.  It's much appreciated!

Thanks again for stopping by to see what's new around here.  I'm having fun stamping and creating this weekend as I'm on my own.  Nothing like a little peace and quiet to help the creativity flow!

Blessings today and on your week ahead,

Sharon

Sweet Peaches Again

 Hi!  So glad you've stopped by again.  I had so much fun playing with my new Sweet As A Peach stamp set yesterday, that I decided to just keep playing with it today too.  Yesterday's card was very pastel and so sweet.  But today I wanted to play with bolder colors than what I usually gravitate towards.  Hope you like the change up and that you find it interesting.

Yes, it's definitely bolder and brighter than usual.  But that makes it fun when you challenge yourself to stamp outside of your box - whatever that might be.

Again I started with a base of Thick White cardstock cut at 8 1/2"x 5 1/2" then folded in half.  I knew I wanted to use one of the designs from the You're A Peach Designer Paper that matches the stamp set I was using.  I love the simplicity of the blue and white stripes of this paper, but wanted a bolder color for layering than the Balmy Blue that matches it.  So I tried Pacific Point and surprise!  It worked very nicely.  So the first layer is cut at 5 1/4" x 4" and attached to the card base with adhesive.

Next I cut a piece of Basic White to 5" x 2 3/4" and die-cut the long side of it with the Scallop Contour Dies using the long wide scallop edge.  Isn't it pretty with the stitching lines following along the scallop edge?  

I cut a piece of the stripe DSP at 5" x 1 3/4" which was just the right size to tuck under the scallop edge on the white cardstock.  I made sure there was a nice even border of the Pacific Point showing all around this layer.  I wanted a ribbon on the card, but couldn't find anything I really liked in my stash.  So I used a 1/2" x 5" strip of the Pacific Point cardstock to mimic a ribbon instead.

On to the peaches!  For the colors on them, I fully inked the peach with Pale Papaya then used a sponge dauber to add a blush of Calypso Coral to one side of each of them.  These were stamped on Basic White and then die-cut with the coordinating die set called Peach.  Good name for it, right?  I stamped and cut 5 peaches and also 5 of the stem/leaves with Garden Green ink to go on my card.  When arranging them on the card, I ended up using only 3 of the peaches but used 4 stems with them.  The rest are stored in the stamp box for the next stamp session.

The sentiment is from the same stamp set.  It was stamped on a 3/4" strip of white cardstock.  Happy birthday was stamped with Calypso Coral and the rest with Garden Green.  The ends were trimmed with the Banner Pick A Punch.  To make it pop a bit more, the edges were sponged very lightly with Pacific Point and a sponge quarter.

To add the final touches, five of the Genial Gems were scattered on the card.

That's it for today's edition.  Hope you enjoyed another take on that lovely Sweet As A Peach Bundle.  Remember, when you purchase this as a bundle you receive 10% off.  Bundles are awesome!

Please use the Host Code when you place your order anytime this month.  I greatly appreciate it.  I love my customers and friends and will be sending out cards and goodies after the end of the month.

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Sweet as a Peach

 Hi there!  Happy June to you.  Just got this new Sweet As A Peach Bundle and I couldn't wait to play with it  For the first card I made today, I wanted to keep in nice and sweet and pretty simple.  So that's just what I did.  Don't you love it when a plan comes together with no fuss or muss?  It doesn't happen often, so we need to appreciate it when it does occur.  *grins*

See, nice and sweet and fairly simple too.  Can't go wrong with that.  I did have a bit of trouble deciding on the peachy colors to use, so I mixed them up a little.  Therefore, it might not be quite what you think I used.  I started with a base of Basic White cardstock cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  I tend to use Basic White for my card bases quite often because I like to write alot inside my cards - kind of long-winded you could say.  But I digress here...

The next layer I chose to use Petal Pink instead of Pale Papaya like I had intended.  And I think it looks gorgeous with these lovely peaches if I do say so myself!  This is cut to 5 1/4" x 4".  Just enough for the white border to show all around.

The next layer is Basic White that was die-cut with the Stitched So Sweetly Dies.  I just love the stitching which sets off the scalloped edges.  So pretty.  I used the largest size so there'd be plenty of room for stamping and a sentiment too.

I figured the easiest way to stamp and get the peaches nicely nestled in the leaves would be to use the Stamparatus.   This one stamp set alone is an excellent reason to have this tool in your 'toolbox'.  It was so easy to stamp the leaves on scrap paper and then line up the peaches to fit right in there.  After a test trial, I switched out the scrap paper and tucked in the die-cut white cardstock piece.  The leaves were stamped using Pear Pizzazz ink.  The peaches were inked with Pale Papaya ink, then lightly blushed using a Sponge Dauber and Calypso Coral ink.  Don't you love how the color just blends in together when stamped?  So yummy!   mm-mmm   They look good enough to eat!

Back to the card here and quit thinking about eating those fresh peaches.   OK?  

The sentiment comes from the Sweet As A Peach stamp set.  There are all these 'sweet' sentiments with two different fonts tucked together and they work so nicely with the peachy stamps.  Gotta love what Stampin'Up! puts together for us.  So coordinated and this one is a winner in my humble opinion.  I used the Double Oval Punch which is a carryover from the last January - June Mini Catalog.  So happy it's in the new catalog for us.  I stamped the sentiment with Calypso Coral ink onto a Basic White scrap and punched with the smaller oval.  Then I used the larger scallop oval to punch Pear Pizzazz cardstock to give it a good accent layer. 

It needed a little something else and my Pale Papaya & White Woven Ribbon was sitting there saying "pick me, pick me!"  I tried it out and it was just what was needed.  A 5" piece was attached to the card and wrapped to the back.  It wasn't quite enough yet, so I cut a piece about 3 or 4" and folded it to lay nicely.  This was attached with some Mini Glue Dots.  Then this whole layer was attached to the card front using regular  Dimensionals.  The sentiment layers were put together with adhesive and then attached to the card with Mini Dimenisonals.

I sincerely hope you like this clean and simple card idea.  Sometimes less is more and I think that's what worked here.  

If you're thinking of placing an order this month, please consider using the Host Code shown here. It would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks to all of you who have been placing orders regularly.  You are the very best!  And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Even though the weather is warming up and you want to spend time outside, take a little time to stamp and create.  It'll put a smile on your face.  And when you send the card, it'll put a smile on someone else's face too!  That's a win for everyone!!

Creative hugs to you!

Sharon