Relaxing at the Beach

Hello Friends, here we are again with another go at the Oceanfront stamp set.   I figured I couldn't let it get the best of me, so I sat down and played around some more with the colors and layout.  And I'm glad I did!  I was determined to stamp on a quarter sheet layer and work with it from there.  It actually worked out nicer than I thought it would.

Start out with Basic White cardstock cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  The first item I stamped was the water stamp with Coastal Cabana ink approximately in the center of the piece.  It's important to get the horizon line straight at this point.  I noticed after it was finished that the left side of the water was a little low.  Since everything else was stamped already, I just let it go.

Next the sky was stamped with Balmy Blue ink.  Again, like the last card I shared, I chose to keep the horizon area lighter and the darker inking on the top edge.

Lastly, the sand area was stamped in using Crumb Cake ink.  I stamped it once angling it against the water.  It was re-inked, then turned around to stamp upside down and stamped once.  At this point, without re-inking, I turned it right-side up and stamped it partially over the area I just stamped but down a little farther.  I was paying attention to the size of the image, wanting it to stay approximately the same distance top to bottom and side to side.

Now it was time to add the extras.  The Oceanfront stamp set has two different sizes of rocks, speckly sand, and 3 different styles of grasses.   Lots to choose from to add accents.  I stamped the double rock image to the bottom left corner of the stamped image with Soft Suede ink.  I added some of the speckly dots to the sandy area using Crumb Cake ink.

At this point, I decided to use the Stitched with Whimsy Die set to sort of frame the picture.  The 2nd largest die from this set was used.  It gives a fun, double-line stitched look.  Most of the scene was contained in the stitching, but a few little spots snuck out.

A few more accents were needed to finish this picture.  For those, I turned to the On the Horizon stamp set which coordinates with this one so nicely.  Of course, you can't have a beachy scene, without seagulls in the air.  The seagulls needed to be flying by in the distance, so they were stamped in with Smoky Slate ink.

There's a nice little grass or plant cluster die in the Perfect Plants Dies.  One each were die-cut from Soft Succulent cardstock and Just Jade cardstock.  These were attached near the rocks in the bottom left corner just using adhesive.   

Then this whole layer was attached to a folded Thick Basic White cardstock base that was cut at 11" x 4 1/4".  Dimensionals were used to lift the layer from the white card base.

The sentiment is also from the On the Horizon stamp set.  I used a Soft Suede marker to ink only the word "relax" and stamped onto a small scrap of Basic White.   It was fussy cut around the word and added to the card front with Mini Dimensionals.  And the very best accent for the card was added last - Pebbles Enamel Shapes.  I added five of them in the different shapes and colors.  I love these colorful little rocks as an accent for this style of card!  (ps - they are back in stock as I write this!!)

If you've got this stamp set, get it out and start playing with it!  It's not as scary as you think it's going to be to get some lovely beachy scenes going.  And the best part?  Each one will be different from the last, even if you're using all the same colors of ink.  Just by stamping each one individually, each one will be unique!  Isn't that awesome?

Thanks for stopping in to see what I've been creating today.  Please leave a comment if you would.  I really love hearing what you think of these cards I make.  Thanks for hanging out with me for a bit today.  Hope you had fun and maybe were inspired to get your stamps out and play.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Oceanfront Card

Hey friends!  It's just been a little crazy here.  Because Carson had a weekend-long baseball tournament going on, Nate spent last weekend with us.  Of course, there was much running around with baseball practices for him, but we had still had a great time watching movies, putting puzzles together, and baking.  I do love spending time with my grandsons.  They each have such different personalities, but both of them are so much fun to be with.  And that's my very good reason for not posting in a while.  It's hard to post something when I haven't been creating much at all.  Today I sat down with the Oceanfront stamp set.  I've been struggling to coming up with something different than everything else that's being shared on Pinterest.  I think I managed that with today's card.

I finally figured out that I'm happier with this stamp set when I'm stamping on a skinnier piece of cardstock.  The Basic White cardstock piece I used measures only 2 1/4" x 3 3/4" for this card.  There's a layer of Misty Moonlight cut at 2 1/2" x 4" to frame the stamped layer.  

Stamping starts with Balmy Blue ink on the stamp that I think of as "sky".  Play with this stamp a little to get a feel for it.  One flat side stamps a little heavier and the other side is lighter.  Each of these will give you a little different look.  For this card, I wanted the lighter sky at the horizon line.  The "water" stamp was stamped with Misty Moonlight ink.  This already has the waves etc. in the stamp so it's easy to get a great look.

Next up was the "land" stamp.  This was stamped with Soft Suede ink.  I actually stamped it several times to fill in the area.  I had to flip it around upside down and then back again to fill in.  I wasn't too sure how this would work out, but surprisingly it was fine.  I figured if it looked bad, I'd just trim down the white cardstock piece a bit to get rid of whatever I didn't like.  😁

So far, the created scene looked a little boring to me and needed some extras added.   To add some interest to the scene, I grabbed the On The Horizon stamp set.  The seagulls were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink in the sky.  Then I thought that some grasses would work on the dirt.  They were stamped with Old Olive ink.  Those two additions made the scene much more interesting to me.  

After stamping, this was layered onto the Misty Moonlight cardstock that was cut earlier using adhesive.  Seeing how it would look on the Crumb Cake cardstock base that I was planning on using, I decided to add some of those same seagulls across the front of the card.  They were stamped in on each side using Crumb Cake ink.

On a 3/4" strip of Basic White cardstock, the sentiment from the On The Horizon stamp set was stamped with Misty Moonlight ink.  It was then trimmed up close to the ends of the words.  There was a small strip of Misty Moonlight cardstock that measured about 7/8" high and 2 1/2" long.  This was just a little shorter than the white strip.  I liked how it accented the words on the top and bottom, even though it didn't totally frame around the words.  

Both items on the front of the card were attached with Dimensionals.  A double strand of Linen Thread was tied into a small bow.  This was attached to the bottom of the scene using a Mini Glue Dot.

To keep with the simplicity of the card, a white layer was added to the inside of the card.  The only stamping here were the seagulls going across the top of the layer.  These were stamped with Crumb Cake ink to match.

I was really happy how this card turned out.  I have been playing with possibilities of different colors and layouts with the Oceanfront set.  So far, this is the best scene I've made, but I still have more ideas tumbling around in my head. I'll keep playing with this stamp set and share with you whatever else is created.

That's it for today's edition.  I know most of you have been taking advantage of both the sale items on the retired list and the shipping costs before they go up April 1st.  I thank you for supporting me.  You are so special, and I appreciate you immensely.  Please get those stamps out and play around.  It never hurts to try something new.  If you really don't like the outcome, it's only paper!  You can either turn it over and try again, or pitch it!!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Important Information!

 Hi friends, today's post is going to be very different than other posts I've done.  All I'm giving you is information that is important for all of you to be aware of.

Starting 1 April 2022, standard shipping and handling rates will permanently increase in all markets. As expedited shipping option rates are calculated in addition to standard shipping and handling pricing, these options will also see a cost increase.
 
The new pricing structure will increase shipping charges as follows:

In the United States, standard shipping and handling charges will change from $6.95 USD or 10% (whichever is greater) to $7.95 USD or 11% (whichever is greater)—including territories and APO/FPO.  In other words, the increase is $1.00 or one percentage point, per order (dependent on the total).  

• In the United States, the minimum shipping charge of $7.95 USD will apply to order totals up to $72.31 USD. Order totals greater than this will be calculated at 11%.

In the United States, three expedited options are available, and will be priced as follows:

• Next Day Upgrade: $38.00 USD ($3.00 USD increase from the previous rate)
• 2nd Day Upgrade: $23.00 USD ($3.00 USD increase from the previous rate)
• 3 Day Shipping Upgrade: $15.00 USD ($5.00 USD increase from the previous rate)
• The expedited shipping option rates above are calculated in addition to the standard shipping rate (e.g., the next day shipping option would cost $7.95 USD or 11%—whichever is greater—plus $38.00 USD)
• Please remember that expedited shipping is not guaranteed. Expedited orders move up in picking/fulfillment priority (which we have control over internally), but once it leaves Stampin’ Up!’s distribution center, we have no control over when it arrives to you. Shipping vendors are experiencing significant challenges in this global crisis and will continue to for some time.

Ok, that's all the information that Stampin' Up! gave us.  In fact, I copied and pasted the pertinent info so you have what we've been given.  When you order through the Customer Portal, all the figuring will be done for you so you don't have to worry about the math.  During the past few years, Stampin' Up! has actually been losing money on shipping and there has been discussion of raising shipping rates.  They try very hard to keep costs contained and as low as possible for us.

On to the fun stuff now!  The retired list has been released!  Wow!  It's a big one.  But then I say that every year as so many of my favorite stamp sets and dies are retired.  When you are looking at the retired items, be aware that Bundles will be retiring, but sometimes the items will still be sold separately - without the 10% discount!  When you sign into the Customer Portal, there will be a page in the beginning that will take you directly to shopping the retired products.  Rick and I spent a couple hours last night and this morning trying to get a succinct list onto my blog, but obviously that didn't work.  Neither of us are up on all the IT stuff and it really shows sometimes.  So sorry I can't post the list like I wanted.  Just bear with me on this please!

If you have any questions about all this info, just give me a call and I'll try to help you.  Thanks for everything!!

Sharon

Darling Duckling Easter Card

Happy Wednesday!   Here we are, back to those gray and rainy days again.  The plan was to make something bright and happy to lift my spirits and hopefully yours too.  Maybe it was time to play with my Easter Friends set again.  In case you're looking, it's found on page 27 of the January-June Mini Catalog.  Don't you just love those cute little animals?!  Any one of those cuddly animals should make you feel happy.  Today I'm focusing on that sweet little duckling again.  It just makes me smile when I see it.  Thought it would be a good idea to make another Easter card while I still had the time.  Hope you like this special little duckling.

When I was making all those cards that had a peach theme to them last week, I had a piece of the You're A Peach Designer Series Paper left over that didn't get put away with the rest.  It was just sitting out there on my table letting me know I should do something with it.  Right now!   So after looking at the polka dot design and the soft Pale Papaya and Calypso Coral colors on it, this is what I created.  I started with a Pale Papaya cardstock base that's cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  The You're a Peach DSP measures 4" x 3 1/2" and is attached much closer to the left side of the card front.

I thought the Stitched So Sweetly Dies would look nice here because of the pretty scalloped edges along with the stitching.  The largest rectangle die from the set was used to cut the Calypso Coral cardstock, and the 2nd largest die cut out some Basic White cardstock for the focal point.  Before attaching the Calypso Coral piece to the card front, it was embossed with the Tasteful Textiles 3D Embossing Folder to give it that wonderful texture.  It was then attached to the card front using adhesive and positioned more to the right of the card.

The duckling was stamped with Pale Papaya ink onto the white about 3/4" up from the bottom edge.  That gave me space to stamp in some grasses for it to be dancing in.  The grasses were stamped using Pear Pizzazz ink and were stamped 3-4 times, re-inking each time.

I used Daffodil Delight Light Stampin' Blends to color the body in sort of "sketchy" and make sure it wasn't really heavy and solid - more fluffy looking.  😄  The beak and feet were colored with Pale Papaya Light and Dark Stampin' Blends to give them some definition.

The sentiment is from the A Wish For Everything stamp set.  The 'happy' was stamped in Pear Pizzazz ink and Easter was stamped with Calypso Coral ink.  I liked the two different fonts for the sentiment that continued the light-hearted theme of the card.

Before attaching the white layer to the card front, I attached a 10" piece of Pale Papaya/White ribbon under this to run diagonally across the card for more interest.  Then the stamped layer was attached using Dimensionals.   Looking at the card, it still needed some contrast on the focal point.  I remembered that the Peach Dies set has some small flowers that would be a good accent.  I die-cut 3 flowers from Calypso Coral cardstock and scattered them in the grasses at the bottom.  They are attached with Mini Glue Dots.

I thought 3 of the 2021-2023 In Color Jewels in the Pale Papaya color would perk up the corner of the Calypso Coral layer. They would relieve that large expanse of color and give the card a softer look.  I think they're a good addition to the overall look.

For some reason, I couldn't get a really good picture of the inside of the card.  After 6 tries I gave up.  This is the best of the bunch.  I guess you'll just have to bear with me and use your imagination to see the wording better.  😕  Both the words and chick were stamped with Calypso Coral ink.  The chick then had a bed of grass stamped in under it with the Pear Pizzazz ink.  The words are from the A Wish for Everything stamp set.

That's it for today's post.  Hope this cute duckling

puts a smile on your face too.  I just want to give it some music to dance to now!

The retiring list of stamps and accessories is coming out soon!  Be sure to check back so you know the latest news.  If you're thinking about ordering any of the 2020-2022 In Colors that will be retiring, best to do this quickly before the supplies are sold out.  This seems to happen early on each year, and I don't want you to miss out on something you're going to need later.

Thank you to all of you that have been ordering online and using the Host Code when you do.  That's the main reason that I'm still able to be part of the Stampin'Up! community.  Your support has been invaluable.  It's been great to share ideas with you here on my blog and I appreciate any and all feedback.  Plus, I'm really looking forward to this Friday when I'll share some lovely cards that have come in the mail lately.  I can't begin to tell you how special each and every card and note is to me.  You make my day so often.  Thank you, my friends!

Happy creating and sharing!

Sharon

Making Waves Again

Hello, hello!  Hope you're all having a great day out there. I told you I'd be playing in the waves some more, and I was definitely telling the truth.  I find it so intriguing that the creations using either just the stamps, just the dies, or both of them together can give you so many different looks and feels. Today's card has an island vibe going on, and it reminds me of our cruise around the Hawaiian Islands back a good number of years ago.  I truly loved the beauty and splendor that was just about everywhere you looked.  Just gorgeous.  That's what my thoughts were on when this card was created.

This card started out with one of the beautiful pages of the Waves of the Ocean Designer Series Paper.  I liked the tones of pinks and blues colliding into a frothy, foamy-looking type of shoreline.  A 5" x 3 3/4" piece was cut to build my scene on.  I was going to use it in a portrait style card, but felt I needed more space across to fit my design so switched it to be landscape style.  All the stamping was done before I chose the cardstock colors for making the card base and layering.

The DSP and wave stamp were placed on the Stamparatus so I could get the wave exactly where I wanted it.  That was a stroke of genius because I actually stamped the wave 3 times with Bermuda Bay ink to get it as dark as I wanted.  I'm finding that this stamp works so much better on the Stamparatus to get a clean look and also to stamp multiple times with either the same color or more than one color to get added shading and/or depth of color.  This is pretty much a must-have staple in my humble opinion.

After getting the wave colored the way I wanted it, I moved on to the island placement.  I used one of the stamps in the Oceanfront stamp set which was the smaller land or water stamp.  I used Crumb Cake ink that was off-stamped, and stamped multiple times in the same general area, but not right on top of itself.  This gave me a soft, almost misty-looking, land mass that was off in the distance.  I inked up the trio of palms from the Paradise Palms stamp set using Soft Suede and Old Olive markers, off-stamped and then stamped onto the masked land area.  This gave me shorter palm trees that weren't way too big for the card.   It also kept it all looking more in the distance than if the colors were darker and crisper looking.  The sun from the Paradise Palms set was also stamped in the top corner using Daffodil Delight ink.  Then I used a Blending Brush with the same ink to put a sunny halo around the sun.  I put the sun on this corner of the card because there was already yellow on that edge of the Designer Paper that I was using.  Looking closely, you can see more of it in the water area and a bit under the land area too.  

At this point, I decided that I liked the darker Bermuda Bay surrounding the card as a layer and Coastal Cabana as the card base.  The DSP was layered onto the Bermuda Bay using adhesive, then was attached to the card base using Dimensionals.  I thought the Rhinestone Waves Basic Jewels in the Coastal Cabana color looked nice sparkling in the water.  I added three of them going up the curl of the wave and two more in the foam of the water splashing down.

The sentiment is from the Paradise Palms set.  I used the Stamparatus again for stamping because it needed several stampings to get the Bermuda Bay color as dark as I wanted.  It was punched out using the Double Oval Punch with the plain oval for the white layer and the scallop oval for the Bermuda Bay layer.  These were added to the left of the card using Dimensionals to pop it up.

I hope you give this Waves of the Ocean Collection a try.  I'm finding it to be so much fun trying different techniques to achieve amazing possibilities.  So far, the Waves of the Ocean DSP, the Blue Foils Specialty Paper, and the Rhinestones Waves Basic Jewels are all still available.  Remember these three items will not be in the upcoming catalog like the stamps and dies.  When they sell out, that will be it.  Which is really too bad because they're so much fun to create with!  The information on this collection can all be found at the top right corner of my blog.  If you're getting this post in your email, just click on the header and it should take you directly to my blog.    Be sure and leave me a comment if you like what I've been doing.  I appreciate your comments!

Thanks for stopping in again to see what's going on.  I've been getting my list of customers together for mailing out the new 2022-2023 Annual Catalog.  Yes, it's time for moving on from the past year onto the next fun edition of our Annual Catalog.  That reminds me that I haven't mentioned the older In Colors that will be retiring with the old catalog - Cinnamon Cider, Just Jade, Bumblebee, Magenta Madness, and Misty Moonlight.  Boy, I'm really going to miss some of these colors!  If you need any cardstock, ink pads, markers, or ink refills for these colors, now is the time to order.  The new In Colors will be unveiled along with all the new stamps, dies, and other goodies.  I can't wait to see what will coming in the new catalog!  Hope you're excited too.  That also means I'll have a retiring list available soon, so keep your eyes peeled so you won't miss out on anything!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

It's All About the Peaches

Hi Friends!  I confess I got a little carried away yesterday while stamping.  I started out to make one birthday card for a friend who loves peaches.  Easy peasy.  Right?  Maybe not so much.  I got out the You're A Peach Designer Series Paper, the Sweet As A Peach stamp set and coordinating dies.  So far, I was right on track doing what I had planned.  I did design one card, then realized I could make two at the same time and I'd have an extra one for later.  Great idea!  Then I noticed several partial pieces of DSP and figured I ought to do something with them while all the coordinating tools were out. From there, well, just look at the picture and see what happened.

My original card is on the bottom right.  This design uses 1/2 sheet of DSP per card, so that's why I made two.  You can see the other one there in the pic.  The rest was all just having fun and using up pieces that were already cut or were scraps that I didn't know what to do with.  Oh yes, the card on the left only used a small 1 1/4" strip of DSP, but it also used some flowers that were already stamped and just sitting in my table trinket stash.  The black die-cut band on that card was just sitting around too.  I don't know what I originally cut it for, but I love it on this card.  I won't give you the directions for all of these cards, just the one I had planned on making in the first place.  Needless to say, there are many colors of cardstock, ink, assorted ribbons, dies, and bling used on these cards.  If you have questions about any of them, you know you can just ask.

This style of fun fold card relies heavily on the gorgeous Designer Series Paper to make it into a real wow card.  But it's very simple to make - which is just as important to me!  To make, start out with your choice of Designer Paper that you love the prints on both sides of the paper, and they don't clash.  If either of the prints have a definite directional print, pay attention to that while cutting.  Those are the most important things to remember when making this card.

Use one sheet of Designer Series Paper that is cut down to 5 1/2" x 12".  This paper will be scored at 1 3/4", 4 3/4", and 7 3/4".  (There are optional dimensions that I'll post at the bottom.)  The first fold is inward, next one out, and the last in inward again.

The front layers are cut with the Stitched Rectangle Dies.  I used the 4th largest for the Calypso Coral layer, and the 5th largest for the Basic White layer.  The white layer has the sentiment stamped in the top left area using Calypso Coral ink.  The other sentiment was inked up with the Calypso Coral marker to omit a couple words.  The leaves were stamped with Pear Pizzazz ink onto a white scrap.  The peach was inked with Pale Papaya ink and has Calypso Coral ink dabbed on with a Sponge Dauber to create a blush on it before stamping.  Both the peach and leaves were die-cut using the coordinating dies.

Both the peach and leaves were attached to the white layer with adhesive.  The layers were attached together with adhesive also.  Carefully planning out where the layers will go on the card, I used Tear and Tape to attach these layers to the front green layer only. 

There is a layer of Calypso Coral cut at 2 5/8" x 5 1/8" cut to fit the inside of the card without showing.  A piece of Basic White was cut at 2 1/2" x 5" to layer onto this after stamping a sentiment.  These are then attached to the inside of the card with adhesive.

You could add some bling if desired.  I know my friend is not a "bling diva" so I left the card simple and clean to match her tastes.

Oh yes, I did mention some alternate measurements.  If you cut your DSP to 5 1/2" x 11 1/4", your scoring numbers will be different.  They would be 1", 4", and 7".  Either card works well, just choose the look you prefer.  These other measurements are shown on the 2nd card I made like the one I shared.  You can see in the picture that you only have 1" for your front flap.  I prefer to have a larger flap to work with, that's why I chose to use the original measurements I gave you.

Have fun stamping and creating!  You never know just what you might come up with when you spend some time playing with your paper, inks, and stamps.  It's all good and a great way to replenish your card stash so you're ready when you need that card right now!! 

Just a reminder that the Mini Cut and Emboss Machine is on sale now this month along with a good number of stamp and die bundles.  20% off is an awesome sale!  Check on the Stampin' Up! website for the complete list.

And the Sneak Peek of the Waves of the Ocean Collection is available before the new catalog comes out in May.  Only the stamps and dies will be in the next catalog.  The Waves of the Ocean 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper, Blue Foils 12" x 12" Paper, and the Rhinestone Waves Basic Jewels will not be available then.  They are only available until they are sold out!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been stamping lately.  Hope you're taking time to be good to yourself, relax, and get creative.  I've heard from a couple friends that it's 70 and sunny where they are.  So get out there and soak up some rays!  It's good for you - body and soul.

Many hugs,

Sharon

Hey Chick!

Hey there!  Looks like I needed to make a thank you card today, so I'm going off the beaten path for a while.   In fact, I'm so far off the beaten path today that I seem to have ended up in the yard with all the chickens.  But that's ok.  It's been a fun side excursion.  I'll be upfront with you and tell you I grabbed stamps from a bunch of different sets both current and retired.  I had a whole pile of them on my table when I was finished!

Today's card is all about the chickens and eggs.  Our daughter has made a new friend down here.  Her friend wanted to raise chickens, so she studied up on the many various breeds and then made her choices.  Last fall she received 4 dozen eggs that she would hatch into her chicken flock.  We've been getting updates and pictures on all these cute little fluff-balls that have now grown up to be feisty hens.  Oh, and one rooster with a major attitude.  There were a few more roosters, but they were passed on to another farm.  Anyway, the hens are finally laying eggs, and we were the recipient of 2 dozen gorgeous, colorful eggs.  Oh yum!  Thus the need for a thank you card with chickens and eggs on it!

The card started out with Mango Melody for a base that is 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  I chose that color because the yolks are just about that very color.  The next layer is Poppy Parade cut at 5 1/4" x 4".  Then a layer of Very Vanilla to do all the stamping and creating on.

I used a Blending Brush to add Cinnamon Cider ink to the bottom third of the cardstock for the ground and Balmy Blue near the top to lay in some sky.  Since I already had the Blending Brushes out, I did some blending of those two colors on scraps of Very Vanilla cardstock so I could die-cut some eggs.  I also used some Mint Macaron ink for this, because that was the color of some of the eggs we had received. After that, some grass from the Oceanfront stamp set was added to the ground area rather randomly using Garden Green ink.

Then one of the hens from Hey, Chick and one from Hey Birthday Chick were stamped on Very Vanilla scraps with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  These were colored with Stampin' Blends in these colors:

Daffodil Delight Light & Dark, Mango Melody Light & Dark, Pumpkin Pie Light, Poppy Parade Light.  It was fun blending these colors into one another and seeing just what I would come up with. 

For the inside of the card, I stamped two stamps from the Best of Cluck set.  These chicks were all colored with the mix of yellows and golden shades that were used on the chicks from the front of the card.  There's also a little of the Cinnamon Cider 'ground' underneath the bunch of chicks.

The extra chick (Best of Cluck) was stamped, cut out, and then attached over a strip of Poppy Parade cardstock that was placed at the right side.  I wanted to bring all the colors together inside the card too.

It was time to go back to the card front and start putting all those eggs and the two chicks together.

The chickens were positioned and the eggs laid out in a pleasing fashion.  The eggs were attached with Mini Glue Dots and kind of piled up together.  There is one egg more off to the side that has a Dimesional under it to make it pop.  The chickens have  a bunch of Mini Dimensionals under them, and there's one under the egg that's about to hatch too.

I didn't think there was a need for any bling in the chicken yard.  I may be wrong on that.  But I was afraid they would just try to eat any rhinestones I added thinking it was just their food!

Hope you enjoyed hearing all about the fancy chicks that my daughter's friend is raising.  Heather wants some too, but so far we've talked her out of getting her own and just hanging out at her friend's chicken yard.  Didn't know you could raise chickens in the city, but the gentleman behind us has a few and you can hear the rooster early in the morning.  Thank goodness he's not too loud and doesn't wake me up!  Guess things are a little different in the south.

Maybe we should make a goal to get out some stamps that we haven't played with in a long time and give them some ink and love.  It just seems to get the creative juices going when I work with something I haven't laid eyes on in over a year.  It's almost like playing with something new!!

Have fun and get creative, chick!

Sharon

Birthday Waves Card

Hi all.  Yes, I'm still playing in the water with the Waves Collection.   This collection has so many possibilities, and I've just been scratching the surface.  Today's card was made for a friend's husband whose birthday is right around the corner.  He likes being outdoors, so hope he likes this card.  And anyway, the sentiments I've written inside will definitely fit him!

This card starts with a cardstock base of Daffodil Delight cut to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  The first layer I used is Night of Navy cardstock cut to 5 1/4" x 4".  Next up is the layer of Simply Marblous Designer Series Paper from Sale-a-Bration last month.  I thought the gray marble look would work for the background of a sky and sea.  This was cut to 5" x 3 3/4" to line up nicely on the Navy.

First the wave was stamped at the bottom of the DSP using Night of Navy ink.  I used the Stamparatus to hold the DSP in place and actually stamped the wave twice to get a nice clear image.  The birds from On the Horizon stamp set were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  

The sentiment comes from the Let's Set Sail in the 2022 January - June Mini Catalog.  It was stamped with Night of Navy ink in the big open area to fill it in a little.

I removed the DSP from the Stamparatus after finishing the stamping to add the Daffodil Delight ink to it.  Using a Blending Brush, I built up layers of Daffodil Delight ink at the very top right corner for sunshine.  After getting it as bright as I wanted, I added some yellow to the wave area to make it look like the sunlight was shining through the water.  Not sure if it really worked out that way, but I can live with it.  😉

This layer was attached to the Night of Navy cardstock using adhesive.  Then it was attached to the folded Daffodil Delight card base using Dimensionals to give it some depth.

The inside of the card also has the two layers of Night of Navy and Basic White to carry the colors forward.  The Basic White layer is cut to 5" x 3 3/4".  The sentiment is stamped with Night of Navy ink.  The flock of birds were stamped off to the side using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  This was layered onto a piece of 5 1/4" x 4" Night of Navy cardstock using adhesive.  Then it was all attached to the inside of the Daffodil Delight card with adhesive also.

At this point I thought the card was finished.  But it still wasn't quite right.  I wasn't crazy about adding any of the rhinestones to this card either, colored or clear.  Hmmm.  Then I remembered the Shimmery Crystal Effects that I have.  It's found on page 128 of the Annual Catalog.  Don't know why I always forget about this tool.  It's so simple to use and just needs about an hour of drying time so it doesn't smudge.  I added just a bunch of teeny tiny droplets to the foamy waters like splashes.  If the card is lying flat, you can hardly tell that they're there.  But when it's angled and some light is hitting it, some of the glittery-ness (?) and shine just sparkles so pretty!  Oh sorry, not pretty - it's for a guy you know.  "It has a nice subtle shine."  (How's that?  Not too frou-frou?)

Anyway, all kidding aside, I like how this card turned out.  I find it amazing how many different looks can be had by changing ink colors, cardstock, and DSP.  It's pretty remarkable.  If you're thinking about getting this set, you can either wait until the next catalog comes out in a couple months or get it now during the Sneak Peek time.  It's up to you.  Either way, it's awesome!

Have fun stamping and creating,

Sharon

New Waves of the Ocean Collection

Oh, my goodness!   Stampin' Up! has really done it again!  Available as of March 1st thru May 2nd is this fabulous collection.  The stamps and dies are an early release from the next Annual Catalog that is coming out soon.  But the Waves 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper, the Blue Foils 12" x 12" Specialty Paper, and the Rhinestone Waves Basic Jewels are only available while supplies last.   The Waves of Inspiration Bundle of stamps and dies will be in the next catalog.  All these items are shown at the bottom of this post showing their order numbers and prices if you're interested.  I have to admit that I'm having trouble making myself stop playing with these items - either singly or as a group.  I've made several cards with these goodies that I want to share with you.  Instead of focusing on just one card for this post, I've got four I want to share with you.  So let's get started...

This first one uses it all!

Cardstock - Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Basic White

DSP - Waves of the Ocean

Foils - Silver

Ink - Bermuda Bay, Night of Navy

Markers - Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso

Stamps - Waves of Inspiration, On the Horizon

Dies - Waves

Bling - Rhinestone Waves Basic Jewels

Tools - Stamparatus, Blending Brushes 

Cardstock - Misty Moonlight, Fresh Freesia

DSP - New Horizons 6" x 6"

Foils - Night of Navy

Be Dazzling(ret) Glitter Paper

Ink - Rich Razzleberry, Blackberry Bliss

Stamps - Waves of Inspiration, Flowering Rainboots (sentiment)

Dies - Waves

Tools - Stamparatus, Blending Brushes

Cardstock - Balmy Blue, Misty Moonlight, Basic White

Inks - Balmy Blue, Misty Moonlight

Markers - Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso

Stamps - Waves of Inspiration, On the Horizon

Dies - Waves

Tools - Stamparatus, Blending Brushes

This was the very first card I made and was using retired and off-brand items just to get a feel for this set.  Love it!!!

Cardstock - Seaside Spray (ret), Gray Granite, Basic White

Off-brand glitter paper

Inks - Gray Granite, Seaside Spray(ret)

Markers - Gray Granite, Early Espresso

Stamps - Waves of Inspiration

Dies - Waves

Bling - Rhinestone Waves Basic Jewels

You can get an idea of how many different looks you can get by simply changing the inks, cardstock, and possibly the DSP used.  Some cards didn't even use any DSP, simply stamped on the white cardstock and went from there.  I'll be honest here and tell you I've got many more ideas floating around in my brain to use this collection in even more ways.  In fact, this is what I'll be focusing on for a little while, unless you don't like these and tell me to quit and go on to something else.  😞 Otherwise, look out!   I'll be riding the waves a little longer.  Hope you'll get your sunscreen on and play in the waves with me!  😎

Ok, that's it for today.  Enjoy your weekend - even if that means staying inside and reading a good book.  Or maybe even getting ahead on all your stamping projects!  Blessings and love,

Sharon

Sweet Bunny Card

Hello Friends!  Hope you're having a great day today.  It's gray and rainy today, so I thought I needed to share something soft and cuddly with you.   This sweet little bunny just makes me smile, and I hope you like it too.

When making this card, I was planning on it being an Easter card.  But now that it's finished, I think it would make a terrific card for a little girl's birthday or even for a new baby.  The colors just shout out to me babies and little girls.  What do you think?

The card starts out with a cardstock base of Petal Pink that's cut to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  The next layer is Mint Macaron that's cut 4" x 5 1/4".  To give this layer some added interest, it was die-cut with the Stitched Greenery die.  I love the delicate stitched lines that remind me of the stitching designs in quilting.  This would be so pretty on a quilt, wouldn't it?  It's adds such a great background for so many different types of cards from outdoorsy to sweet.  Just changing the cardstock used makes all the difference in the world.  

After running it through the machine, it was added to the card base using Dimensionals. 

Next is a layer of the Friendly Hello Designer Series Paper that was available during Sale-a-bration.   If you were lucky enough to get this DSP and stamp bundle, I hope you're enjoying it.  It's definitely a big favorite of mine!  This print is Petal Pink and white and just the sweetest look.  I paired it up with the Stitched So Sweetly dies for this card to get a lovely, scalloped-edge layer.  This is the 2nd largest die in the set.

To match this, the next smallest die was used to die-cut a Basic White piece.  This is the perfect size to stamp this sweet bunny.  The bunny is from the Easter Friends stamp set in the 2022 January-June Mini Catalog and is found on page 36.

The bunny was stamped with Gray Granite to keep it a soft look.  A little Basic Black Stampin' Blends was dotted in on the eyes to make them more defined.  And just a small touch of Petal Pink Stampin' Blends was added to her little twitchy nose.

I decided to angle the two layers instead of putting them on straight up in the middle to give the card a more playful look.  The DSP layer is added with adhesive, but the white layer is popped up with Dimenisonals.

This little bunny wanted a pretty pink bow to dress her up a bit.  I used the Petal Pink ribbon from the 1/8" Cotton Ribbon Combo Pack on page 43 of the Mini Catalog.  (The Misty Moonlight ribbon is very nice too and will be shared with you soon.)  The ribbon was tied into a small bow and attached at the bunny's neck with a Mini Glue Dot.

I decided not to do anything on the inside yet. I can't seem to decide just what occasion I'll be using this sweet bunny to commemorate.  But I'm sure it will be for a girl!  Maybe I should make another card right away for Easter like I was thinking of making in the beginning.  What a good idea!

Don't forget about the fabulous sale going on for the Mini Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine at 20% off.  And the 13 different stamp and die bundles that are 20% off also.  Love the spring savings to get you going this month, but only this month!  Orders need to be placed by March 31st to get these savings.  And when placing your order, please use the Host Code shown at the top right corner of my blog page.  It would be greatly appreciated.

Hope you've been energized and inspired to get your stamps and papers out to make some pretty cards.  Isn't this the perfect card to share on a gray and rainy day?  Hope it adds some sweetness to your day.

Happy creating and stamping,

Sharon

Eclectic Bird Card

Good morning y'all!  Hope you're having a fabulous Friday wherever you are.  Right now, I'm looking out onto the deck watching the birds at the feeder and enjoying the sunshine.  Life is good!   I certainly hope that your day is just as nice.  Today I have a card to share that I made while visiting my sister.  It was fun playing with stamp sets she has that I don't own.  You know it's always fun playing with things you don't have at home, right?  Here's the card I made with her materials.

The stamp set used is called Eclectic Garden.  I'm not particularly enamored of the vegetable stamps in this set, but I really do like that little bird fellow.  So it was fun getting to make a card with it. 

To make the card, start with a card base of Cinnamon Cider 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  I chose that because I wanted to use this gorgeous print from the Hand-Penned Designer Series Paper.  There isn't a print in that whole batch that I don't love but hadn't used this one in a good long while.  This piece was cut at 5 1/4" x 4" and attached to the card front using adhesive.

I don't remember if somewhere over the years whether Stampin'Up! had a dark green suede finish paper.  I don't think they have, but they sure ought to.  Connie had this lovely paper, and I couldn't resist adding it to the card.  It was just the perfect addition.  The strip is 1" x 5 1/2" so it goes fully edge to edge.  It's attached with adhesive.

Stamping the bird was the next step.  We tried out several dies to find the right size and shape for the bird, and finally settled on the Tasteful Labels Dies found on page 166 of the Annual Catalog.  Did you notice the pretty embossed edge that this die leaves?  It just framed the bird so nicely.  

The bird was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink right in the center.  For coloring I used Stampin' Blends to give me just the right color tones and depth to go with the DSP.  For the bird, Pool Party Light and Dark, Bermuda Bay Light (just touches), Pale Papaya Light and Dark, Daffodil Delight Light, and Cinnamon Cider Light for the eye.  The stem was colored with Cinnamon Cider light and Dark, and leaves with Garden Green Light and Dark and Just Jade Light and Dark.

The hello was stamped with Cinnamon Cider ink.  I cannot remember which stamp set it comes from.  I was just paging through the catalogs to see if I could find it.  I was surprised by the number of hellos there are, but none were the correct size and font.   So, you're on your own to pick a sentiment that works for you.  Update - upon further checking I finally found the correct hello.  It's part of the Hello Ladybug set.

There was a tiny bit of sponging around the die-cut piece to help it stand out from the DSP.  I used Cinnamon Cider for that along with a Sponge Dauber.  It's amazing how that little touch of color on the edges really makes a difference.

On this pic you can get a real good look at the coloring and shading on the images.  I love coloring with the Stampin' Blends.  It's so easy to put a dark color over a lighter one and go back in and blend with the lighter color you started with.  You can even go in with a complimentary color and go back and blend to come up with something even better.  These Blends are simply amazing!

The very last addition is a few clear rhinestones on the die-cut.  I see I only added two instead of three.  Or maybe one fell off with packing cards up to bring home.  I might leave it like this or go on and add the third one.  I haven't decided yet.

I don't always share the inside of the card with you, but I really like how this one turned out.  There is a layer of Basic White cardstock that's 5 1/4" x 4".  The sentiment from the Eclectic Garden was used and stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.   I had a piece of the Hand-Penned DSP left over that was 4" x 1 1/8" that was attached to the bottom of the Basic White cardstock.  It needed more definition between the two, so I added a 1/4" strip of Cinnamon Cider cardstock just above the DSP.  That looked great to me and finished off the inside of the card nicely.  This was all attached inside the card with adhesive.  And another card has been finished.

Hope you like this card and you're encouraged to get out your Stampin' Blends and do some coloring.  Just remember that the color bleeds through to the backside, so it will need to be layered onto something else to use.  But it's so worth it to get those projects that are so much fun to color!  Be creative and have fun figuring out which colors you like to layer onto others for a different look altogether.  Remember, it's just paper.  If you don't like it, it's not the end of the world.   The sky's the limit for your imagination!

The Mini Cut & Emboss Machine is on sale!  Woo Hoo!!  And not only the machine, but a number of die and stamp bundles too.  Here's the listing:

150673

Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine

$60.00 $48.00

158382

All Squared Away Bundle

$50.00 $40.00

156227

Art Gallery Bundle

$56.00 $44.75

155834

Beauty of Friendship Bundle

$58.00 $46.25

154065

Celebrate Sunflowers Bundle

$57.00 $45.50

156220

Garden Wishes Bundle

$57.00 $45.50

159519

Hydrangea Haven Bundle

$58.00 $46.25

155674

Pansy Patch Bundle

$57.00 $45.50

155847

Quiet Meadow Bundle

$59.00 $47.00

158359

Seascape Bundle

$52.00 $41.50

155823

Sweet as a Peach Bundle

$41.00 $32.75

159529

Welcoming Window Bundle

$56.00 $44.75

155845

What’s Cookin’ Bundle

$51.00 $40.75

155507

Wild Cats Bundle

$43.00 $34.25

This sale ends the 31st of March, so get these items you've been thinking about before they are out of stock.  A 20% off sale is not to be missed!

Sending blessings and lots of hugs your way, 

Sharon