A Bewitching Card

Hello friends!  Back again with another card idea for you to try.  You know how much I love autumn.  I think I might have mentioned that once or twice.  Today I thought I'd go with a Halloween card.  I know lots of people go all out for the holiday, but that's not really my thing.  I do have to make several cards every year, so here goes with the first one.  I bought the new Bewitching stamp set found on page 57 of the July - December 2022 Mini Catalog for this year's cards.  For some reason I like just the witches' feet and hats.  How weird is that?  Please don't tell me I have some weird fetish.  I'm sure I don't.  At least I don't think so!

Here's my version of the wicked witch of the west kind of melting down to her shoes.  Well, maybe not that exactly.  My idea started with Smoky Slate cardstock as the base.  I wanted just gray and black tones with Fresh Freesia as an accent.  I think it worked out pretty well.  At least in real life.  I've taken 27 pictures with different backgrounds and different lighting, and nothing worked very well to show the cool Fresh Freesia accents against the gray.  I love the subtle differences between the Smoky Slate and Fresh Freesia colors on the card.  Well, I better explain what I did in case you really can't tell from the pics.

There is a 3" x 5 1/2" layer of Basic Black cardstock that is attached to a 3 1/4" x 5 1/2" layer of Fresh Freesia cardstock.  A 7" strip of the Metallic Mesh Ribbon is wrapped around this and attached in the back.  The mesh ribbon reminds me a little of spider webs, so I thought it would be a great addition here.  This is all attached to the folded Smoky Slate card base using adhesive.

The witch's hat was stamped onto Smoky Slate cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  After punching this out with the Witch Hat Builder Punch, I used Smoky Slate Light Blends to shade the spider web on the hat, and Smoky Slate Dark Blends to shade the left and bottom sides of the hat.  Using Wink of Stella, the web was lightly traced for just a bit of shine. 

The legs and shoes were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto another piece of Smoky Slate cardstock.  Fresh Freesia Dark Blends was used to color the stocking stripes. Wink of Stella was colored onto the shoe buckles.   I actually colored three layers of this so it would show more, but the pics don't show it at all.  Bummer.

Since there's no punch for the legs and shoes, these were fussy cut.  I left them attached at the top for ease in placing them, but maybe I should have cut them out separately.  Something to think about for next time.

When the hat was punched, it also punched out the gray hat band and three stars.  I knew I didn't want the hat band to be Smoky Slate, so I punched just the hat band from a skinny strip of Fresh Freesia.  Then I thought I'd also prefer the stars in that color, so punched them also.  The hat band has some 'wrinkles' colored in with Fresh Freesia Blends.  The hat and legs were attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

Now I ran into a problem.  I didn't own any current stamps that have a Halloween sentiment.  Okaaay, time to go checking into my retired stash.  The first set I found was the Banner Year set from last year.  I liked the 'Happy Haunting' and 'Boo!' stamps and decided to look no further.  The sentiment for the card front was stamped onto Fresh Freesia with Tuxedo black.  Then was trimmed a little closer to the sentiment.  It was attached with Dimensionals over the ribbon at the bottom.

To stay with the layering on the front a little, I cut a 3" x 5 1/4" strip of Basic White.  There are two skinny strips of Fresh Freesia added to top and bottom this time instead of along the sides.  I placed it on the middle of the Stamparatus for my next step.  The spider from Bewitching was stamped to the left side.  It required two stampings to get the face of the spider to show nicely.  Then Boo! was attached to the Stamparatus.  It was stamped once with Tuxedo Black ink.  Then the cardstock was moved 1/2 grid square up and to the left.  Boo! was then stamped with Smoky Slate ink.  The cardstock was moved 1/2 grid square up and to the left again.  Then Boo! was stamped with Fresh Freesia ink.  I really liked how the wording turned out!  It sort of reminds me of a spooky echo. 

Last look at the card and you can see the addition of a knot of Mesh Ribbon added with Mini Glue Dots to the top of the card.  And multiple Fresh Freesia and Smoky Slate punched stars added to both the card front and inside to finish it off.  They were also attached with Mini Glue Dots to make it quick and easy.

So that's my first Halloween card for the year.  It's amazing what can be done with just a hat and some shoes.  I'll have to give this one a whirl again.  So sorry I had to use retired sentiments on the card.  I try to stick with current items, but every once in a while, that just doesn't work as planned.

Thanks for stopping by again.  Let me know what you think of the card.  I always appreciate your comments!

If you're placing an order soon, please use the Host Code shown at the top of the blog post.  I really appreciate it!  I've already got some goodies planned for sending out to all of you that order.  I think you'll like them!!

Happy spooky stamping and creating,

Sharon   

Ombre Tea Cup

 Hello ladies!  Hope you're having a fabulous day today.  My psycho cardinal is back running into the dining room window again.  That poor girl must have an awful headache by now!  She usually sits on my car window and fusses at the side-view mirrors.  We've had to fold them back in against the window when we're not driving to make her stop.  So now she's back at the dining room and bedroom windows.  She actually woke me up way too early banging on my bedroom window this morning.  Whoever heard of a cardinal that flies into windows on a regular basis?  And not just once, but maybe 12 - 15 times before she quits.  Then she's back again to go at it another day. BTW, this has been going on for months. Crazy!  I wish I knew what to do to make her stop before she hurts herself.  Any suggestions?  Ok, that's enough about my crazy cardinal.  I don't suppose that's why you showed up here today, is it?  I had to make a card for a friend of mine going through some health issues.  We used to sit and have a cup of tea and visit on a regular basis. But both of us moved away.  I really miss our chats.  So, the Cup of Tea stamp set was my choice for her card.

My thinking here was to make something really bright and cheery, because I can't be there to cheer her up in person.   I started out by working with the Sale-a-Bration freebie - Silver & Gold 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper.  I cut a 1/2" strip from the bottom edge of the dotted print.  Then I cut it in half to get two 3" x 3" strips.  One I'll save for another project.  

I started with So Saffron ink and a Blending Brush to bring the yellow up from one end about halfway.  The end is darker with it blending out to very light as you go up.  Then I used Balmy Blue ink and came down from the top edge and blended dark to light in the middle where it overlapped the So Saffron and became a soft green color.  The blue wasn't dark enough for this, so Tahitian Tide was blended from the top edge to darken.  This only goes down about 1 1/2" or so.

The next thing was stamping the striped teacup with Tahitian Tide ink.  I liked the stripes as a contrast to the dots on the DSP.  The greenery in the set was stamped with Parakeet Party ink.  Then the band of 5 flowers was stamped twice - once with So Saffron and once with Daffodil Delight.  Out of the ten flowers stamped, only seven were used.  After the stamping of the teacup, greenery, and flowers, they were all die-cut using the matching Teacup Dies.

The sentiment is from the same set.  It's stamped with Daffodil Delight ink onto a 1" strip of Basic White cardstock.  The ends were trimmed square. 

After deciding to add a layer of Silver Foil paper behind the dotted layer, it was cut just a bit wider than the sides of the DSP.  They were attached together with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue, then attached to the card front also with the Glue.  The sentiment layer was also backed with the Silver Foil.  Then it was time to get all the pieces onto the card.  

The back of the teacup lip had a little adhesive across it to just barely hold the greenery in place.  Then Dimensionals were added behind both pieces to add to the card, and especially spanning the teacup and greenery to stabilize them.  The tiny flowers were added with Mini Dimensionals behind them to tuck in around the flowers. 

One tiny flower was added to the greenery flat with a Mini Glue Dot.  One of the larger flowers was added over the cup edge using a Dimenisonal.  This gave it a pleasing multi-dimenisonal look to the finished piece. 

The sentiment layer was also attached using Dimensionals.  I didn't attach it in the center of the card, but off to the side to give it more appeal.

Because of the silver foil layered behind the two areas and the silver dots on the DSP, I decided not to add any extra bling to this card.  I felt it would just get lost in the finished design.

Hope you like this bright and happy card.  And I hope it cheers up my good friend.  By changing the sentiment, I think it would make a great birthday card too.  What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by to see what's happening here.  My psycho cardinal finally gave up banging into the window.  Hope she's taking a breather somewhere and doesn't come back for a while.  I've been fretting about not seeing my hummingbirds this year, but this morning three of them were out at the feeder and doing all kinds of aerial acrobatics.  So much fun to watch them!

Thank you for the orders that have been coming in.  You know how much I appreciate you!  If you're thinking of placing an order soon, please use the Host Code shown at the top of my blog post.  When an order is placed through this, I can order extra goodies to share with you all without spending an arm and a leg for the items and then shipping them to you.  Thanks in advance of any orders placed!!!

Please stop by again soon.  I love seeing the comments you make.  It really makes my day when you take the time to leave a comment.  It keeps me connected to you!  And that's a good thing.

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Sale-a-Bration Card

 Hello there.  Happy to have you back today for another card idea.  I've got to admit, I'm not sure about posting this card today.  I wanted to share an idea using mostly Sale-a-Bration items making up the card.  That part was easy.  The problem comes because of Sale-a-Bration items that have already sold out and are no longer available.  One of the three items used to make this card are already gone.  Yikes!   I've gone back and forth arguing with myself and finally decided to go for it.  I know some of you may already have some of the things I'm sharing on this card, and that's great.  If you can't get it anymore, check your stash and get creative.  Use something else that you already have.  It could end up even better than what I've made!!  Here we go...

First off, let me list the three items from the Sale-a-Bration brochure that I used on this card.  Pool Party and Soft Sea Foam Card and Envelopes - love these, but alas they are already gone.  You could easily use the Soft Sea Foam cardstock in place of this.  Amazing Phrasing - love these sentiments. They're kind of funky and fun with a really "loose" font. And the Rings of Love 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper - still available!!!  Thank goodness that isn't sold out too, because my Tree Rings Hybrid Embossing Folder and Die-Cuts are on their way here.  I want to die-cut some of that cute paper that matches the tree rings die.  So much fun!  But, back to my card today.  

The card started with one of the Soft Sea Foam cards for the base.  The choice of the "birds and branches" print from the Rings of Love DSP was easy because the bitty birds are adorable, and the little leaves are also Soft Sea Foam so are a wonderful match.  The DSP measures 4" x 3".  Soft Suede cardstock was cut to layer behind it, and it measures 4 1/4" x 3 1/4".  They were attached together with adhesive.  Then attached to the card front slightly over to the left side using Dimensionals.

Next was the sentiment from the Amazing Phrasing set.  This was stamped onto a strip of Basic White cardstock approximately 5/8" wide with Night of Navy ink to match the birds.  It's layered onto a 7/8" strip of Soft Suede cardstock.  Before layering together, the right edge of each was flagged with the Banner Pick A Punch.  This was attached to the card front using Dimensionals too.

The little bits of leaves are from the Cottage Wreaths stamp set and die bundle.  I wanted just a few bits of greenery added, and really had a problem with which colors to use.  I ended up with two sprigs of Evening Evergreen and one of Crumb Cake.  There's also a branch stamped with Soft Suede ink on white then die-cut.  

It looked like it needed something added where the leaves all attached to the sentiment layer.  I decided on the Brushed Metallic Dots to stay with the more subtle color scheme.

Lastly, I still had several sprigs die-cut but not used on the front of the card.  Didn't want to waste anything, so three were attached inside the card in the bottom corner.

I apologize profusely that I'm using an item that you can't get anymore.  How frustrating for me when planning these ideas, and for you too if you want to get these items.  So sorry.  But like I mentioned before - check your stash and improvise!!  This is just another chance to get creative.

If you'll be ordering before the end of the month, please use the Host Code shown on the blog post page.  I really appreciate your ordering through me!!  You're the BEST!  Try to stay cool with this hot weather.  We've got 97 degrees today, so I'm staying inside in the air conditioning and stamping my little heart out!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Hues of Happiness in Blues

Hi there!  Glad you're back for another installment.  Just in case you're wondering about that peach festival we were going to, well...  We only saw about a third of it and got totally poured on.  There was lightening, thunder and just buckets of rain.  Good thing we don't melt, because we got back to the car and just sat there dripping.  At one point, I wiped a drip off my face and wiped it on my jeans which proved to be useless.  My jeans were even wetter than my hand, so there was no wiping it dry!  How crazy!  I looked and felt just like a drowned rat.  So much for that outing! LOL It sure gave us something to laugh about though.  Ok, enough of that, let's get stamping!  Today's card is quite simple to make, but it has lots of goodies going on to make it fabulous.  At least, I think so! 

Isn't it pretty?  And it's even a quick and easy fun fold card!  It all starts with a half sheet of Orchid Oasis cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  Then it's scored at 2 1/8" and again at 4 1/4" to make a z-fold.  Fold it in half as usual, but then fold the top flap back on itself so it lines up with the side fold.

The gold striped layer is one of the free items from Sale-a-Bration.  It's 6" x 6".  I cut 2" from the bottom to make it 4".  Then cut it in half to get two 3" x 4" pieces.  I cut a piece of Starry Sky cardstock to 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" to layer the gold striped paper on with adhesive.

Now the fun starts.  There is a design in the Hues of Happiness Designer Series Paper that matches up with the Blossoming Happiness Dies which are part of the Happiness Abounds Bundle on page 108-109 of the Annual Catalog.  I kind of went a little crazy and die cut two full sheets of these gorgeous roses and leaves.  I've been grabbing out flowers whenever needed, but I still have a good size stash left.  I saved some of the scraps from around the roses that have these tiny 5-petal flowers and sometimes leaves too.  Now I know what it means to 'fussy-cut' something!  Woo Boy!  It sure was hard to hang onto those tiny flowers, but they really add so much to the finished look.

Now I have the roses, leaves, tiny flowers all set to go, but I needed a sentiment to go with the card.  The sentiments in the set are lovely, but not what I wanted to use this time around.  The sentiments in the Season of Chic set located on page 99 of the Annual Catalog were just what I was looking for.  I stamped the one I chose onto a 1/2" trip of Basic White cardstock using Starry Night ink.  It was trimmed to 3" to fit across the gold-lined paper.

It was time to build the focal layer of the card.  First the sentiment was added not quite to the bottom edge using adhesive.  Next the roses were arranged and attached using Dimensionals.  The leaves were tucked in around the roses and attached with adhesive.  Then the tiny flowers and leaves were added here and there.  They were attached with Mini Glue Dots to make it quick and easy. 

This layer was added to the folded card front using adhesive on the left side only.  When you lay the card out flat, you can see how the front is attached only on the left half that folds back.  

Now comes the cool inside of the card.  I was only going to use a quarter sheet of Basic White cardstock and keep it plain.  But after thinking about it, I decided to use one of the Basic Borders Dies (page 169 Annual Catalog) to dress up the edge since it showed when the card was closed.  I used the stitched zig-zag edge for this.  Doesn't it add to the finished look?

The sentiment inside the card is also from the Season of Chic stamp set.  It's stamped with Starry Sky ink to match.  Because of the little flowers tucked in and around the card, I decided not to use any other bling on the card.  The tiny flowers and the gold stripes seemed to be just enough.  No point in going overboard on the bling.  Unless you just can't help yourself.  But that's your choice then, right?

I hope you give this quick and easy fun fold card a try if you haven't made one of these in a while.  It's just a little different and a whole lot of fun.  Thanks for stopping in again to see what's happening.  You never know what you might see and or read!  Please use the Host Code shown on the top of my blog page if you're ordering soon.  Remember Sale-a-Bration is going on now and that lovely Gold/Silver DSP is one of the freebies.  That is one of the most versatile items in Sale-a-Bration brochure.  Who can't use more white paper with gold or silver stripes or dots printed on it?   Time to start thinking of those Christmas cards which would work so nicely with this paper. 

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Hello Harvest

Good day to you!  After a long night of lightening and rain, the sun is shining brightly again.  I thought it would be another gray day.  But was I ever wrong, and it's a good thing too!  We're planning to go to a peach festival later on today.  I'm so looking forward to all the wonderful 'peachy' things we'll be able to eat and buy.  Doesn't it almost make your mouth water just thinking about it?  I considered the idea of making a peach themed card to share today, but instead I'm sticking with my fall theme that I've been going with.  Since I simply love anything to do with fall, whether it's pumpkins, sunflowers, colorful leaves, bright blue skies, apples and cider, etc, that's what I'm going with. So here's the card I made to share with you today.

This card is made with the Hello Harvest Bundle found on page 50 in the current mini catalog.  This whole look just embodies fall to me with the pumpkin and sunflowers, fall colors, and of course the sentiment too.

I've got to admit that the big bunch of Stampin' Blends on my worktable are still sitting there since last week when I started in on the fall cards.  As you can see on this card, I'm still using all those fabulous fall colors.

To make this card, start with a half sheet of Old Olive cardstock that's scored and folded in half.  The cute, checked designer paper is from the Gingham Cottage DSP pack.  These are a collection of checks - some are tone-on-tone and others have black added to them.  This is one of the smaller check prints in Pumpkin Pie.  It measures 5 1/2" x 2" and is attached to the front of the Old Olive card base. 

Both the pumpkin and the flower bunch images were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock.  The pumpkin was colored with Pumpkin Pie Light & Dark Blends, along with a little Daffodil Delight Dark for some highlights and a touch of Poppy Parade Light and Crumb Cake Dark for a bit of shading.  On this piece, I went over the separate colors quite a bit with the Pumpkin Pie Blends to get the colors very blended so you can't see the individual colors at all.

On the sunflower bunch, Daffodil Delight Light & Dark, Old Olive Light & Dark, and Granny Apple Green were used to color it.  

Did you notice the oak leaves tucked behind the pumpkin?  They're part of the set also.  To get those colors, one was inked with Crushed Curry then rock'n'rolled in Cajun Craze ink then stamped.  The other started out with Crushed Curry then rolled in Old Olive ink.  I made several when doing this because I wasn't sure of the placement on the card.  It never hurts to have some extra fall leaves ready to use when needed, you know. 

 After the coloring and stamping was finished, all the pieces were die-cut using the Rustic Pumpkin Dies. There were several little curly vines cut from Old Olive cardstock too.   

The sentiment here is one of four from the Hello Harvest set.  It was stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Under the sentiment a little dot and dash design from the set was stamped in Pumpkin Pie ink.   Then it was punched out with the Rectangle Postage Stamp Punch.

All the pieces were assembled and arranged on the card.  The pumpkin and sunflowers were attached with Dimensionals.  The sentiment and oak leaves were attached with adhesive so they're flat on the card.  The little viny curlicues are tucked under and around the images. 

Lastly, two Champagne Rhinestones were added to the sentiment label, and three more were snuggled in around the focal images.  I'm so happy with how the card turned out.  Hope you are enjoying all these fall card ideas.  It's one way to beat the heat that most of us are dealing with now.  Just keep thinking of autumn weather with gorgeous blue skies and crisp cool temps.  And don't forget the cider and doughnuts, pumpkins, and sunflowers.  Here's to cooler weather!

If you're planning on ordering any time soon, please use the Host Code shown at the top right of the blog page.  Your orders are always appreciated!   And so are any of your comments!  Please come back again soon to see what is happening in my stamping world.  You never know just what you'll find.

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Another Fond of Autumn Design

 Hello Ladies!  Back again with another card using the Fond of Autumn stamp set and the coordinating die set.  Yes, I love these images and the coloring too!  I find it very relaxing to play around with my Stampin' Blends and color some images.  And it's even more wonderful when those images can be die cut and I don't have to fussy cut them!!  lol

Isn't this a beautiful card for autumn with all those gorgeous and rich fall colors?  It uses another one of the sections of the main image from the Fond of Autumn set.  The extra flower at the top of the tag and an extra oak leaf are from the same set too.  So versatile!  If I hadn't used the fall color palette for this card, it definitely could be used all year long.

  

To make the card, start with a card base of Crushed Curry that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", that's scored and folded in half.  On this card, I wanted a designer paper that has woodgraining for that fall touch.  This paper is from the In Good Taste DSP again, but this time I went with a really dark color to off-set the rest of the design.  It's cut to 5 1/4" x 4" and is attached with adhesive.

The images from Fond of Autumn were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored with Stampin' Blends.  The colors used on this card are:

Old Olive, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, and Bronze.  All of the coloring used both the Light and Dark versions of  each of these Stampin' Blends. 

I liked the idea of the images nestled on a tag for the focal point on this card.  The Tailor Made Tag Dies were the perfect match.  This is the largest die that was used.  Did you notice the pierced edge all around?  Nice touch.  It also cuts a hole for ribbon to go through. Instead, I used a 3" piece of Gold Shimmer Ribbon, folded it in half, and stapled it over the hole for a different look.

The sentiment is from the new set called Hello Harvest.  I love this one and will be working up some ideas with this soon.  But the words were used on this card because I love them.  I haven't used the rest of the set yet, but this sentiment has been used on a couple of my cards already.  This time they were stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  On the double lettering part, a Mango Melody marker was used to draw your eye to it.

The flower cluster on the bottom was attached flat to the tag with adhesive.  An extra oak leaf was tucked in on the left edge.  The flower and leaves on the top were attached with Dimensionals.  Then the entire tag was attached to the card front using Dimensionals too.

I've spent so much time looking at this card while making it, taking pictures, and writing about it, and it just struck me that it still needs something.  I had already checked the different pearls and rhinestones and didn't really care for the look.  But I think I've still got a ladybug trinket or two set aside because they're just so darn cute I couldn't get rid of them.  Wouldn't that be a perfect accent?  What do you think??

For more info on the stamps, dies, and coloring used here, please refer back to the previous post which has much more information about coloring and die-cutting on this set.

Thanks for checking in with me today to see what I've been creating.  I've got to tell you, now that all those fall colored Stampin' Blends are still out on my worktable, I just might keep on playing with this fall theme and see what else appears.  It is one of my favorite times of the year, so I guess you'll just have to deal with me making fall cards for a little while.  Hope they get you inspired, and you get your coloring tools out, whichever ones you prefer.  Have fun coloring and let your inner child come out.  Remember how much fun it was to color in your coloring books?  Yes, I loved it too!  Have fun!!  And don't forget about Sale-a-Bration going on right now.  For every $50 or $100 you spend, you can choose one of Stampin' Up!'s exclusive freebies.  And they've got some truly fabulous choices for you.  Please use the Host Code shown at the top right of the blog page when you order.  Thank you!!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Fond of Autumn Idea

Hello Friends!  I know it's smack-dab in the middle of July and who is thinking about autumn anyway?  Ummm, that would be me.  I love the changing of the seasons, crisp fall air, and all the fabulous color.  No, it's not like that outside my window at all.  Temps are in the mid - high 80's with either sunshine or rainstorms.  So, I thought I'd cool things down a bit with cards from the Fond of Autumn set that I think is overlooked in the July -December 2022 Mini Catalog.  When I tell people that this is one of the first new sets I ordered, everyone says "why?  It's just another fall flower stamp."  Oh my goodness!  Look again on page 52!  Can you see that the dies do fabulous things?  There is a die that cuts out the entire floral cluster, but there's another one that cuts that same cluster into 4 different parts.   Love that!!  For today's card, I want to share a card made with one of the parts of that cluster.  Tomorrow, I have another card that uses a different part of the cluster.  I haven't figured out what to do with the other two sections yet, but I'm working on that.  First of all, let me show you the work in progress and then get to the nitty gritty details.

Here's the very beginning of the process.  The flower and leaf cluster were stamped on Basic White cardstock.  In fact, I stamped it twice on a half sheet of cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Then the coloring started with my Stampin' Blends.  As you can see, I have them laid out to see all the colors.  On a scrap piece of white cardstock, I colored swatches of colors I thought I might like on it.  I didn't use all of the colors I had out, but almost every single one is on that design!  

If you look closely, you can see the die on the finished design piece just as it cuts them out in the first picture.  Here, I have the die on the piece that's not finished and the separated die-cut pieces.  In the first picture you can see I also colored some extra pieces in the set and die-cut them to be used in the projects too.

The list of Stampin' Blends used is:  Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Pale Papaya, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Bronze, Mint Macaron, Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen, Granny Apple Green, Old Olive, and Mossy Meadow.  Oh yes, the Color Lifter too. 

One of the very best things about the Blends is how you can put one color on top of another and you can still see that two different colors are used.  Check out the oak leaves with their multiple colors but blended together to be totally gorgeous in my humble opinion.

Okay, now you've got an idea of how the set is used, let's see a finished card.

No matter how many times I tried this picture, the colors just aren't showing up as nicely as in the other pictures!  Can you see the Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, and Mossy Meadow Blends on the leaves?  And the Bronze and Pumpkin Pie mix on the acorns? It's even hard to see the two colors on the acorn caps.  But it's all there and I love it!

This card started with a Pumpkin Pie card base that's 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  I liked the idea of wood behind the images but had no current wood DSP.  I found the In Good Taste DSP with all the lovely wood grained patterns.  The one I chose has traces of Pumpkin Pie in the design, so I thought it'd be perfect.  It's cut to 5 1/4" x 4".  

Before attaching the DSP, a length of Natural 1/2" Woven Ribbon (found on page 25 of the Mini Catalog) was wrapped around and attached to the folded card base using MultiPurpose Liquid Glue.  A short length of ribbon was tied to it off to the side.

I was thinking about Thanksgiving time, so looked for a sentiment that would work.  I wanted the images to flow around the sentiment and this one from the Hope & Prayer set (page 71 in the Annual Catalog) worked fine.

The Stylish Shapes Die set was used for a nice, stitched square to stamp on.   The sentiment was stamped with Memento tuxedo Black ink in the center, then the die-cut images were arranged around it.  The sentiment was attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  The main image on the bottom was attached with a mix of adhesive and Dimensionals where needed to keep it flat.  The little extra pieces were attached both above and below the white layer with the acorn attached with a Dimensional.

Five of the amber gems from the Leaf Label and Amber Gem pack were added for some bling.  (Now I have to find a way to use the Leaf Labels too!)  I think that's it for this card.  If you don't feel comfortable using so many colors of Blends together on one piece, practice on scrap paper til you get the hang of it.  It's amazing when you start playing around with your colors to see what you can come up with by mixing!!  I'm curious to hear what you think of this idea.

If you'll be placing an order yet this month, please use the Host Code shown at the top of the blog page.  It's much appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by to see what's happening here.   Hope you've been inspired to play with your Stampin' Blends some more.  They really are an awesome coloring tool.

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon 

Happiness Abounds with Vellum

 Hello Friend!  Back again today with another post comparing and contrasting stamping projects with my sister Connie.  Hope you're not too bored with this type of post showing our two stamping styles using the same products as a starting point.  We really had a great time stamping together last month and I thought you'd enjoy seeing two ideas for each project.  I actually took these with me to Florida planning on posting them while I was down there.  Since we had so many internet connection problems, only one card idea was posted while there.  Now I'm playing catch up with these older project ideas and still trying to get some stamping done that's using some new products too.  So let's get started so I have time to get downstairs and get some playing done too!

This card all started with 'someone's blog post of a similar card using the Happiness Abounds stamp set with White Embossing on Vellum with the coloring on the back.  You'd think I'd know better by now than to forget to write down the post creator's name and blog address for a project I wanted to CASE.  But alas, I did forget and now a month later, I can't find it again!  I'm so sorry that I can't give her credit for a lovely card!!  Anyway, I showed it to Connie when I was there, and we decided to do our own versions of the original card idea.  

The original card had one of the Cup of Tea teacups with the flowers coming out of it.  After I got home, I stamped, colored, and die-cut several teacups, but I couldn't get one I really liked with the flowers.  So I decided to go without.  Here's how I made it...

The card base is Pool Party that's cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.  There's a layer of Bermuda Bay that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  On top of that is a Basic White layer that measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  The white layer was die-cut with the interesting background die in the Blossoming Happiness Die set that coordinates with the Happiness Abounds stamp set.  Love how this die cuts a partial design from the layer!  So delicate and pretty.  After die-cutting, the sentiment was added along the bottom edge.  It's from the Simply Succulents stamp set and was stamped with Bermuda Bay ink.  The two layers were attached together and then attached to the Pool Party card base using adhesive.

Three different flowers and two different leaves were all stamped on Vellum with VersaMark ink then sprinkled with White Embossing Powder.  They were heat set with the Heat Tool then colored.  Stampin' Blends were used to color on the back side of each one.  Colors used are Flirty Flamingo, Pale Papaya, Highland Heather, and Granny Apple Green.  When coloring, I colored out of the lines on each one so after die-cutting them, the color showed on the edges, not white.  Each of the pieces were die-cut with the matching dies so it was easy peasy!  They were attached to the card front using Dimensionals in the middle of the two larger flowers and Mini Glue Dots behind the rest, tucking them in around the larger flowers.  Three of the retired Polished Dots were added to the design.  (Sorry about the retired gems.  Thought they were still current!  I'm sure having trouble remembering what is current and what isn't.) Can you see how the die-cut background peeks through the vellum flowers?  Just love that look!

Here's Connie's version of the card.  She used a darker mix of Stampin' Blends for her flowers and a different green too for a bolder color look.  Plus she chose to use a different mix of flowers from the set.  Don't those changes make a really different look?  Don't be afraid to try different color mixes!  We just used what we preferred.  

She also had a retired teacup and saucer that she used.  It was colored very softly with Pool Party Blends to keep with the color scheme.

So, there you have it.  Another compare and contrast version of a card that Connie and I both put our own spin on.  Hope you like the idea of heat embossing on vellum and coloring on the back to get a real pretty and delicate look.  It takes another step or two, but it's well worth it when you see the finished piece.

Thanks for checking in again today.  If you're planning on placing an order, please consider using the Host Code shown in the top right corner on my blog post.  And don't forget that Sale-a-Bration is in full swing right now.  For every $50 order, you can choose from several items to receive free.  And for a $100 order, there are some really great choices too!  Make sure you check out the Sale-a-Bration brochure before you order so you don't miss out on any of these goodies!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Splendid Thoughts Today

Hello and Happy Sunday to you!  I hope you're taking some time out from your frenzied life for a little relaxing and refreshing your soul.  I always look forward to Sundays and going to church as a way to take stock in my life and look at life from another perspective. Today we went to a different church to find one that feels more like home to us all.  I don't think this one will be my new church home, but I do feel like I've learned something new that I can incorporate into my way of thinking.  Needless to say, I still have so much to learn and adjust in my attitudes and actions to live a more Christ-like life.  Praise God that He loves me - imperfections and all!

Today I'm sharing a card that was inspired by cards that Connie and I made on my past visit in June.  The originals used a product that was non-Stampin'Up! (shhh, don't tell anyone!)  I wanted to do a remake using one of the new Sale-a-Bration items - the Silver & Gold 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper that you can get free with a $50 order.  This DSP is so pretty and looked to be the perfect backdrop for my card design.

The card base is a half sheet of Basic White cardstock that's scored and folded.  A piece of the Silver & Gold DSP that measures 4 1/4" x 3" was layered across the center of the card using adhesive.  The small sentiment "sending hugs" is from the new Splendid Thoughts stamp set on page 65 of the new July - December 2022 holiday catalog.  It was stamped down in the bottom right corner using Soft Succulent ink.  This was set aside while all the other plants were stamped, colored, and die-cut.

Now we get to the stamping of the awesome images in the Splendid Thoughts set.  I just love the look of the eucalyptus branch in the set, so that was a "must use" item for the card. I'm not sure what the other plant is, but that was used too.  Both plants were stamped with Soft Succulent ink onto Basic White cardstock.  They were colored with both the Light and Dark Soft Succulent Stampin' Blends.  It was so easy to color in with the Light. shade with the Dark, and then go back and blend with the Light again.  I just love the look of these!  

The plants were cut using the coordinating Splendid Stems Dies.  There are the two dies that fit these plants, plus five dies for open-work leaves of different sizes to choose from.  Plus, it has a die for this cool half-circle that I used as a planter and a die for the bee in the set too.  Lots to choose from.  I die-cut four of the open-work leaves and the planter from Soft Succulent cardstock to keep the card quite neutral with all the tone-on-tone going on that I had done the first time around.

When I had all the pieces die-cut that I was going to need, I used Stampin' Seal on the back of the planter and started placing the pieces the way I wanted from the back.  You know, placing the front images on first and filling in around and behind them.  When they were all positioned, I carefully used more Stampin' Seal and also Mini Glue Dots to get everything attached to the front of the card.

The last step is of course the bling.  I thought about using rhinestones, but with the gold striping on the DSP, I thought the Brushed Brass Butterflies was a nice subtle accent without being too much.  I sure am using those little butterflies a lot.  They just seem to be the perfect touch!

Now that you've seen the remake, I thought you might like to see the originals Connie and I made.  Of course, we start out with the same basic design and then off we go down our own creative paths. 

My design is on the top here.  You can see I stuck pretty much with my original design, except for the Very Vanilla Cardstock used here.  The gold striping is from a wide Washi Tape Connie has that is truly beautiful.  I thought it looked better with Very Vanilla, but Connie preferred it with Basic White.  The Sale-a-Bration Silver & Gold DSP is shown on the right next to our cards for a comparison.  The gold lines are much finer and closer together for a really different look.

Connie and I used the same colors, but totally different layouts as you can see.  This is one of the best parts of stamping - the creativity!  No matter how many times you pick up the same set, you can always make just a few tweaks or do some major changes, and you always get something different and wonderful and totally you!!

Well, there you have it for today. Hope you enjoyed both Connie's and my take on the Splendid Thoughts stamp set.  It is really an awesome set and I plan on using it again soon.  I've already got more ideas percolating for this set!

Thank you, ladies, for your recent orders.  I truly appreciate each and every one of you!  I feel so very blessed to have a wonderful group of friends supporting me.  If you have any questions about my cards, or anything else, feel free to contact me.  I love hearing from you!  And a huge thanks for the gorgeous cards that have been coming in the mail for me.  It's such a blessing to feel the outpouring of love each time I get another card in the mail.  Love you so much!!!  Your ideas and creativity astound me and makes me want to stretch myself even further.  Thank you so much.

Blessings and many hugs,

Sharon

Eucalyptus Embossing Folder

Hello Friend!  So happy to be back in town and trying to get back to normal again.  What a crazy week was spent in Florida going to lots of baseball games and getting either fried or melted in the hot, hot sunshine!  Gotta say, I love my sunscreen!  It sure got a workout in Florida.  But it really did its job, and I didn't get burnt to a crisp.  Yay!  I did try to stay in the shade as much as possible, so that helped too.  For those of you who care, Carson's team was bumped up from being a double A team to AAA.  It was a real test of their abilities to even win two of the six games they played.  They really played their hearts out and didn't give up.  I'm so proud of Carson and each one of those boys on the team!  Now enough of talking about all that and let's get to stamping!

Today's card was made with a technique I had never tried before.  And I just love how it turned out!  I was visiting my sister Connie again and she had me try this technique.  Have you ever used Stampin' Blends to color an embossed image?  This spray of leaves is from the Elegant Eucalyptus 3D Embossing Folder.  It actually has two of the smaller embossing folders in the set, and I'll be sharing the other one soon.  It was first embossed then the images colored.  I've used chalks before to do this, and it gives a soft, misty look.  But coloring with the Stampin' Blends give such a lovely, crisp look.

I started with a piece of Basic White cardstock that measures 5 3/16" x 3 3/8".  This was embossed in the center with the Eucalyptus Embossing Folder.  My idea was to keep all the leaves and berries very soft looking.   Using the Soft Sea Foam Blends, I colored the larger leaves first.  Next, the eucalyptus branches were colored with the Soft Succulent Light Blends.  There were two berry-type branches that I colored with Gray Granite Light Blends.  There were still two triple berry sprigs that were left to color.  For these, I had run out of soft colors that I wanted to put together for this card.  So, Wink of Stella was added for a little bit of color and glitz.

The next step was to add this onto a Gray Granite cardstock layer measuring 5 5/16" x 3 1/2".  They were attached together with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  Then it was all attached to a Basic White cardstock base measuring 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored and folded in half.  The layers were attached to the card base with Dimensionals.

We discussed several possibilities for sentiments for our cards.  She had a die that spelled out hope that I thought was perfect.  It was die-cut from Silver Foil paper and attached to the center of my leaves.  I used multiple rolled up Mini Glue Dots under the letters to attach this.  Because the glue dots were rolled to fit, it makes the sentiment stand up just a tiny bit from the card. There you have it - my finished card.  

Now when Connie and I stamp together, many times we'll start with the same basic premise and then we go off in our own direction.  She left the first white layer a little larger and backed it with Soft Sea Foam cardstock.  As you can see, her colors were much different too.  The larger leaves were colored with Granny Apple Green Blends.  The eucalyptus was the darker Soft Succulent Blends, and the smaller leaves and berry branches were colored with Soft Sea Foam Blends.  She also added Wink of Stella to the triple berry stems.  And if you look closely, you'll find she drew in a few extra berry stems to fill in more.  She used the same hope die-cut but placed her sentiment on the bottom right of the card.

Isn't it fun to see how two people can work on the very same project, but the end result really reflects the different personalities through color choices and the total finished look.  It's always great to spend time with Connie and be challenged by her artistic abilities.  Hopefully I'll get around to sharing another project or two that we put our own spin on!

Thanks for stopping by again to see what's been happening around here.  Give this technique a try when you have a chance.  It really is pretty and something a little bit different from the normal stamping.  

If you're placing an order soon, please use the Host Code found at the top of my blog page.  It's always appreciated.  If it gets too hot outside, go in an airconditioned room and get creative.  After you cool down, you can always go back outside again.  Enjoy your summer!

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon

Nature's Prints Wreath

 Good morning from sunny Florida!  We're down here for our grandson's baseball team which is playing in a tournament over the next week.  Yesterday there were skill matches for homerun hitting, accuracy and distance in throwing, and timed running.  He took place in all three events along with droves of other boys.  There was supposed to be a parade of teams and opening ceremonies last night, but they were cancelled because storms moved in late in the afternoon. There are so many teams here!  Some from as far away as Oklahoma and Texas.  What an awesome complex to play at and be part of all the fun.  But we have run into a few glitches while here.  Like neither the internet nor bathrooms working in the rental house all the time.  Not that those two are connected, but ewwww!  Right now, the septic tank is being worked on.  And the internet is connected at the moment, so I'm trying to get a post in here quick before it's lost again.  So, let's talk about card making, shall we?

I made this card almost two weeks ago, but never got around to getting it posted.  I love wreaths - on doors, inside houses, or on cards.  So when I saw the Natural Prints Dies had a wreath die, it was on my list right away.  I had all these ideas for cards, but then struggled to get the first one made.  The little add-ons to the wreath have been changed three times trying different colors and flowers.  I finally got it the way I liked it, so I'm sharing it with you.  

The card base is the new In Color Tahitian Tide.  Isn't it a pretty, clear turquoise color?  The first layer is Basic White that measures 4" x 5 1/4".  To add texture and interest to this, it was embossed with the Brick and Mortar 3D Embossing Folder.  To help define the bricks just a bit, a light rubbing of Sahara Sand with a Blending Brush was used.  It was attached to the folded card base with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue, then set aside while I worked on the rest of the design.

The wreath was my next step.  I cut the wreath from Garden Green cardstock first.  The Natural Print Dies also has several medium to short greenery stems you can cut.  For this card, several of each size were cut from Granny Apple Green and tried some yellow flowers with that.  Honestly, for some reason it just didn't look right to me, so off they came.  Next I tried Mint Macaron, but after looking at it awhile, that idea was ditched too.  That's when the whole idea was shelved for another day.

Ok, here it is another day, and I give it another try.  This time I went darker for the add-ons and used Evening Evergreen. I even cut a couple extra pieces from Garden Green too. The Garden Green pieces have a brushing of Garden Green ink on the edges using the Blending Brushes.

I also switched the flowers I was trying to use to the Artistically Inked little trio of flowers.  Then changed the color to Fresh Freesia ink, stamped them and die-cut them with the matching Artistic Dies.  Much better mix of colors in my humble opinion.  Ok, let's see if I can get this card actually finished.

The wreath is attached to the card front with Multi Purpose Liquid Glue.  Then the bits and pieces were laid out in a generally pleasing fashion but weren't all attached yet.  I wanted to get the sentiment ready before the final layout was finished.

The sentiment is from the Nature's Prints set.  It's one of four sentiments that have this cool, funky font that I just love.  It's stamped on a piece of Basic White cardstock using Garden Green ink.  It's then die-cut using a label die that's part of this same Nature's Prints Bundle.  It has just a tiny bit of Tahitian Tide brushed around the edges using a Blending Brush.  It's positioned on the wreath and attached with Dimensionals.  The extra pieces of greenery were tucked in and around the wreath.  Some were attached with adhesive, and a few were attached with Mini Glue Dots.   Each of the flowers were attached with a Mini Glue Dot just in the center and curved a bit on the edges so they weren't totally flat.

Three of the littlest flowers were attached to the front of the label along with a little greenery.  It needed a bit of bling to finish it off.  I tried rhinestones, pearls and sequins and none of them really enhanced the card at all.  Then I remembered those cute little Brushed Brass Butterflies!  Three of them were added to the card and I pronounced it finished, before I decided to change something on it again!

Hope you like wreaths too and want to give this one a try.  Usually I have no problems putting wreaths together, but this time it took a little more effort.  Guess my mind was thinking on other things instead.

If you're planning on placing an order, there is a new Host Code listed at the top of the blog page.  Please consider using it - I would appreciate it greatly!  And thanks for waiting around for me to get another post for you.  Hopefully we'll have internet connections here tomorrow too.  Take care and get creative.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon