Another Friendship Friday

Hello Friends!  What?   You say it's not Friday?  You are absolutely correct.  I was having issues with my computer yesterday and couldn't get these two cards posted.  It's bad enough that these cards were posted a day late, but they missed out being on the last post too.  One of the cards came the next day in the mail, and the other card was sitting in another room so I could enjoy looking at it.  It's so simple, but such a cool design.  It just makes me happy when I look at it.  So of course, I need to share it with you all.  A little late, but so worth the wait!

created by Barb Eisenman

Isn't this just the happiest card?  I love it.  All the birds are fussy cut from the Flight & Airy DSP.  They look like they are sitting on a wire which is made from baker's twine.  Add the layering, sentiment, and spattering and it's done.  Wonderful!

created by Jean Mazurek

Another simple card, but what a WOW factor.  The die-cut layer is backed with gold foil.  The sentiment is also backed with a layer of gold foil.  Add ribbon and a few gems and you have a super WOW card!  Thanks for the postage stamps too, Jean.  You know I'll use them!  It's much appreciated.

I need to make a wedding card soon.  This design would be an excellent choice.  Just need to change the sentiment and keep everything else the same.  Gorgeous.

Okay, that's all the cards I have to share today.  Hope you enjoyed these two fabulous card ideas.  Have they inspired you to get out your stamps and create?  Hope so!  And many thanks to you wonderful ladies for the 'happy mail' you send.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Magnolia Mood in Three Versions

 Hello, hello!  I decided to make a birthday card for a friend using the Magnolia Mood Bundle today.  It is a very simple card but still looks elegant.  At least, I think so.  Since it was so easy to make, I figured it would be a great idea to make a few more playing around with different color combinations.  You know I can always use more cards, so why not!  

The Magnolia Mood stamp and die set are found on the Online Exclusive items section of the shopping site. It's an interesting bundle in that the dies cut both outline images and make some lovely, detailed images that can be used as a stand-alone which I have done today.

To start, the detailed magnolia was die-cut from Basic White Thick cardstock.  I wasn't sure what colors I would use, so this could be set against the different shades to decide on the final card.  I wanted a delicate, feminine look to the card, so I decided on Soft Seafoam and Basic Beige with an accent of Basic Black.

The Basic Beige measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half for the card base.  The Soft Seafoam was cut next.  It measures 4 1/2" x 3 1/4".  The Basic Black was cut to frame this at 4 3/4" x 3 1/2".

This sentiment comes from the Magnolia Mood set and was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  I decided where the die-cut would go and stamped the sentiment to fit the area.  The Soft Seafoam layer was then attached to the Basic Black layer using adhesive.  These layers were then attached to the Basic Beige layer using Dimensionals.

The die-cut magnolias have adhesive on only some of the solid petal areas and left rather loose on the leaves.  It's added to the card front next.

The bling added to the card is from the Blooming Pearls.  There are three pearls added to enhance the magnolia image.  I loved the greenish tinge on these pearls with the golden accent overall.  A nice finishing touch.

Here is where I figured it would be fun to make some more cards just to see how this card layout would work with different colors of cardstock.  I was very pleased with the outcome, but also surprised with the colors. 

This is the second card in the series I made.  The card base is Blackberry Bliss for a nice, rich base color.  

Bubble Bath was chosen for the color of the top layer.  These two colors always work nicely together.  The sizes are the same for all three card samples, just the colors change.

In between the two colors is a layer of Gold Foil Specialty Paper.  I wanted to give this card some extra elegance, so I chose the rich colors with gold as the accent.  I think that worked out well.  

The die-cut this time is the gold foil to match.  I tried to fit the die onto the gold layer, but no matter how I twisted it, it was just too small to fit the die.  I hate having a large layer of the specialty papers covered over wasting all that lovely paper.  But sometimes, that's how it works.

A sentiment from the Spotlight on Nature set was used for the card.  It's stamped with Blackberry Bliss on the left corner.  The two cardstock layers are attached together using adhesive.  Then this is attached to the folded Blackberry Bliss card base with Dimensionals.  

Again, the die-cut is attached with adhesive on the more solid petals of the image.  

The added bling on this version of the card used the Adhesive-backed Pearl Trio in the rosy tones.  Love these with the colors of the card.

The last color combo I wanted to try was Pool Party with Pretty Peacock.  I always love these two together, so it should be a good match.

The card base is the Pool Party.  The next layer is Pretty Peacock with a layer of Basic White framed on top on that.

I had planned on using Pretty Peacock as the die-cut color, but after cutting it really didn't appeal to me.  So now what?  I found the Thoughtful Designs Specialty Designer Paper that I haven't gotten around to using yet. If you haven't seen it, it's a pretty ombre paper with a pearlized design on it.  I cut a piece from the darker end of the paper that measured 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" to die-cut the magnolia. 

I liked this print on the card which gives it even more interest.  It's attached the same way as the other cards.

Now, to the sentiment.  This was sitting on my table as a left over from another card.  For the life of me, I have no idea where the sentiment comes from even though I looked through my stamps.  Anyway, the Basic White strip is about 5/8" x 2 1/2".  It's attached with Dimensionals to the card front.

After trying several different embellishments on the card, the Basic Gray & Smoky Slate Pearls were chosen.  One of the larger pearls and two smaller ones were added to the card to finish.

It's funny how the first two cards came together with very little fuss.  The pieces just worked together so nicely and almost made themselves.  On the third card though, it was a struggle to find the right colors to work together and give me the look I wanted.  So much for quick making a few extra cards!  You never know how things will turn out.  But it definitely is a good thing to stretch myself and not use the same things over and over.  I'm glad I've finally used the beautiful Thoughtful Designs DSP.  It's so pretty and now I'll need to think of a way to use the other colors too.

Thanks for sharing your time with me today.  Hope you're inspired to get out your stamps and create!  It always makes me feel wonderful when another masterpiece comes together.  😏😏

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon  

Spotlight on Nature in Mauve

Happy Sunday to you.  Hope you're relaxing and enjoying the weekend.  Today I have a card for you that focuses on the color Moody Mauve.  I really like the color but haven't used it in a while.  It was time!  There's a lot going on with this card with two layers of circles with designs die-cut into them, pastel images that are water colored, DSP, and some bling to finish it off.  Really, it has a little bit of everything.

I love how the Moody Mauve and white elements play off each other and show up so nicely.  I started with a Moody Mauve card base measuring 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  

I had a piece of the Poetic Expressions DSP in this lovely mauve color in my stash already cut and ready to use.  It measures 4" x 5 1/4".  It's attached directly to the card base with adhesive.

Next the flowers, leaves, and butterfly images from the Spotlight on Nature set were stamped onto Basic White cardstock using Stazon Jet Black ink.

Each of the images were lightly colored with ink and Blender Pens.  The flowers are colored with a layer of Bubble Bath ink.  Then Moody Mauve was added for shading and some detail.  I made sure to keep the colors very light.  The leaves are all colored with Lost Lagoon and the Blender Pen.  Again, keep in very light.  The butterfly was based with Bubble Bath and just a few touches were added with Moody Mauve.  I love how I was able to get such pastel colors with adding just a touch of color with the Blender Pens.  

After the three pieces were colored, each of them was carefully fussy-cut with Paper Snips.  The sentiment is from the Spotlight on Nature set too.  It's stamped on a scrap of Basic White cardstock using Moody Mauve ink.  This was also fussy-cut.

The circle dies were cut next now that I knew the size of circles that I wanted.  The Basic White circle measures 3 1/4" in diameter.  The Moody Mauve circle measures about 2 3/4".  After die-cutting the circles, they were layered together with adhesive in the center area.

The leafy cluster was added to the circles to one side.  I used adhesive just down the center of the leafy cluster.  Over this, the flower stems were added.  Again, I only used a little adhesive in the center portion of the stems.  I added a Mini Dimensional under each flower to keep them in place.

The circles were added to the card front at this time.  They are attached using Dimensionals over to the left side of the card front.

The butterfly was attached with two Dimensionals to the right of the circles.  The sentiment was added using adhesive to keep it flat to the card.

I tied a double bow of white twine from the Baker's Twine Essentials Pack.  This bow used about 14" to make it.  It's attached to the flower stems using a rolled Mini Glue Dot to hold in place.

For the added bling, this time the Iridescent Faceted Gems were added.  I usually only use three on a card, but this card needed five to look right.

Almost done.

One last addition was made after I thought the card was already finished.  A layer or two of Wink of Stella would add some nice shine to the butterfly on the card.  This time I used two layers to really make it shine.  This picture shows what it looks like in the sunshine.  Oh my!  So pretty.

Hope you enjoyed this quick idea.  I love the layers of the circle dies.  These Spotlight on Nature dies are so pretty with the die-cut details.  What a nice addition having the details already part of the layers.

Okay, I'm trying to decide what to play with next.  Christmas or general?  Any specific sets you'd like to see (if I have them!)  Any thoughts?  I can't decide.  Hope you'll help with some input.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Country Birdhouse

Hello, hello!  Hope you're doing well today.  I was asked to make a welcome back card for a lady in my Sunday School class.  She had moved away a couple years ago and has just moved back in town.  We're having a lunch on Thursday to welcome her back.  So, they wanted a card to let her know how happy they are that she's back in town.  Since I've never met the lady, I was having trouble coming up with an idea and colors to make a special card for her.  After much rummaging around through my stamps, I thought the Country Birdhouse set with a bird coming home would be fine.  Here's what I made for her...

I hope she likes this and will feel welcomed back with love.  The first thing I chose were colors for the birdhouse.  There are two patterns of paper used on the house.  I chose the light woodgrain for the body of the house from a print in the Nests in Winter DSP that is an Online Exclusive item.  The blue woodgrain for both the roof and the base are from the Country Woods DSP.   These pieces are all die-cut using the Country Birdhouse dies.  A scallop trim was also cut from Basic White cardstock to go under the edge of the roof.  A circle was cut for the opening in the birdhouse.  A piece of Basic Black cardstock about 1 1/2" square was attached behind the opening and the roof and base were attached to the house with adhesive.

A Gray Granite Light Blend was used to add a little shadow under the scalloped trim to give it some depth.  There was a little added along the side edges for some definition.

At this time, I decided on a card base of Misty Moonlight.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half. 

The layer on this is a print from the Country Lace DSP pack.  If has a light twill-style design on it.  It looked bland by itself, so I embossed it with the Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder.  That added so much texture and character to the piece.  It's attached to the card base using Tombow Liquid Glue then set aside for now.

The flowers and leaves are made with dies from Country Birdhouse Bundle.  The flowers and leaves are all cut from scraps I had left over from other projects using the Meandering Meadow DSP pack.  It's amazing all the different variations of the colors that are available on just two of the scraps.  I cut only two of the larger flowers in blue tones along with several of the smallest flowers.  The pointy petal flowers are all cut from peachy-pinky sky colors.

Next up, the bird from the set was stamped with Misty Moonlight ink onto a piece of Basic White.  The bird was colored first with Pool Party Light Blends on it's belly and lower wing.  Some Misty Moonlight Light Blends was added to the tail area, upper wing, and top of its head.  The Pool Party Light Blends was used to blend the colors on the wing and head.  Daffodil Delight Dark Blends was used to color the feet and beak.  Then it was die-cut with the matching die.

When playing around with all the pieces, I realized it needed some tall greenery behind the birdhouse.  There are a couple of pieces in the Thoughtful Wishes set that seemed to work.  The leafy stalks were stamped with Granny Apple Green ink and color was blended on the leaves using a Blender Pen.  After coloring it was die-cut.  It was then cut into two pieces and the larger one was attached behind the birdhouse.  It still needed more, so the plain stem from the set was die-cut from Pecan Pie cardstock.  This was cut in half and spread along the back behind the greenery and attached with adhesive.

After attaching the greenery behind the birdhouse, it was attached flat to the card front with adhesive.  The flowers and leaves were attached on the left side with Mini Glue Dots and two of the flowers have Mini Dimensionals behind them.  The extra greenery piece was added to the right side.  Then the flowers and leaves were attached with adhesive, except the large flower which was attached with Mini Dimensionals.

The bird was attached to the front of the card with Mini Dimensionals also.

The sentiment is from the Country Bouquet set.  It's stamped on Basic White with Misty Moonlight and trimmed to fit.  It's attached with adhesive.  The inside of the card has a quarter sheet of computer paper printed with the words Welcome Back with plenty of room for everyone to sign it.  Think that should fit the bill, don't you?

There is a drop of retired Shimmery Crystal Effects in the center of the flowers to give some added texture and interest.  If you use the Crystal Effects, don't forget to give it several hours to thoroughly dry.  And that's it for this card.  I hope everyone likes what I made to celebrate her return.  Now all they need to do is sign it.

Don't forget about the 15% off sale on the Designer Series Papers in the Annual Catalog for the month of August.  It's a good bargain.  And it ties right in with my 50th Anniversary sale.  When you purchase $50 from me this month only, I'll send you a card and a package of embellishments so you can celebrate with me!  Thanks for stopping in to see what's going on.  Hope you're inspired to play along with me and get creative.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Happy Sunday!

 Welcome my friends!  Hope you're enjoying and relaxing on this Sunday.  I've already gotten my nap in for the day.  Isn't that one of the best ways to spend your Sunday?  Now that I'm all refreshed and wide awake, I feel energized to get back to work.  Yesterday I spent time working on several cards using the Sophisticated Sled Bundle.  Two are still a work-in-progress and who knows when they'll get done.  But there is one that is finished though, and I have it to share with you today.

No matter how much I want to do something elegant with this set, I keep circling around back to a country feel.  I'm not giving up though.  Don't you love this card?  It just draws up memories of going to Ojibway Park and sledding down this hu-u-u-uge hill with my siblings then standing by the warming fires to take the chill off.  Then it was the long trudge up the hill to do it all over again.  It chills my fingers and toes just thinking about it.  What pleasant memories!

OK, enough of my trek down memory lane and on to the stamping part!  This card starts with a Real Red card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  The first layer is Crumb Cake that measures 5 3/8" x 4 1/8".  To get the texture on this layer, I used the Snowflake Sky 3D Embossing Folder.  It adds a nice bit of interest to the layer.  It's attached to the Real Red base using Tombow Liquid Glue.

The sled was made next, so I'd have it ready to figure out the layers behind it.  For some reason I really like red with this sled.  The frame was die-cut from Real Red cardstock first.  The I looked through some different papers to find a light-colored woodgrain piece I liked.  This one is from the Nests of Winter DSP.  It looked just a little too light, so a small amount of Crumb Cake ink was added with a Blending Brush.  The two wood pieces were attached to the sled base using adhesive.

For the greenery, one of the Meandering Meadow DSP background prints was a mix of greens that looks nice here.  Two pieces were cut and added to the sled with a touch of adhesive in the center.  The pieces are layered a little off-center so it looks nice and full. 

Now what to layer the sled onto.  After trying several different shapes and sizes, I tried the Countryside Corners Dies.  I just loved it with the sled.  The 2nd largest die cut the Real Red cardstock, and the 3rd largest size cut the Basic White.  That Basic White was just too white and boring.  It really needed something done to it.  The Sketched Plaid background stamp came to mind, and I thought it would be perfect.  I stamped it once with Crumb Cake ink, but it was way too dark.  The piece was flipped over (don't check the back of my card layers!) and stamped again after inking and off-stamping this time.  Oh yes, this is what I was looking for.  The two layers are attached together with adhesive.

The sled was attached to the layers with multiple pieces of Mini Dimensionals scattered over the back to hold it up well.  Then the Red layer was attached to the left side of the card front using Dimensionals for that too.

The sentiment is from the Sophisticated Sled Bundle so it goes perfectly with the sled.  The 2nd smallest die from the Countryside Corners Die set was used to cut a Basic White label.  The sentiment was stamped on this with Real Red ink off to the left side.  That same die was used again to trim off the extra on the right side that wasn't needed.  This is such an easy way to make a label that is the correct size for what you're making.  

The label is attached by tucking under the sled on the left and using a Dimensional under the right side to balance it.

Several of the Cherry Cobbler & Pearl Adhesive-backed Berries were added for color in the greenery.  It just didn't seem like enough, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to do to change things.  When I thought of the Adhesive-backed Snowflake Assortment, I was afraid they would be too big for the design.  But once they were added the card really looked finished.

Hope you like the walk down memory lane and my card that embodies those memories.  I'll admit, the card took me two days and several different possibilities before it finally came together.  Don't give up if you're struggling to get your card just right.  I find it really helps to put it aside and work on something else or walk away for a day or two and look at it again with fresh eyes.  I find creating to be frustrating sometimes, but so rewarding when you finally get your ideas transformed into a special card for someone who will love it.  Keep finagling with it your creation until you get just what you want.  You'll be so happy you did.

There's still almost a half of a month to take advantage of my 50th Wedding Anniversary sale going on this month.  For any $50 you spend with me as your demonstrator, I will send you a card and a package of embellishments for you to use.  I'm sure you'll love what I send you!  If you spend less than $150, please use the Host Code shown on the top right of this blog post.  Thank you so much!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Friendship Friday Cards

 Hello friends!  It's been just about three months since I posted all the lovely cards I've received from my wonderful friends.  There are cards from Mother's Day, birthday, 4th of July, and anniversary along with the normal thinking of you style cards.  I can't tell you how much it brightens my day when we walk to the mailbox and find these treasures lurking inside.  You ladies are truly talented, and I thank you for sharing the smiles and happiness with us.  There are other cards (store bought) that have also shown up here, but I didn't think you'd really be interested in seeing those.  So here we go.  Hope you enjoy sharing all these paper hugs from my wonderful family and friends.

created by Shirley Krone

I just love all the intricate detail that went into making this cute card!

created by Diane Wallace

My favorite Flight & Airy DSP used here for a beautiful card. 

created by Kathy Hintz

Clean and simple card using that fabulous scenery DSP.

created by Diane Wallace

Oh my - a darling quilted piece really ups the impact of this card.

created by Sue Fabris

Cute and country!  Love that adorable cow.

created by Barb Eisenman

Pretty Painted Lavender fun-fold card.  Lovely.

created by Connie Juengel

Hummingbirds and flowers - my favorite things!

created by Shirley Krone

Love this anniversary card.  And especially love the letter included with it!  😀

created by Barb Eisenman

Love this pinwheel design and the soft colors are so me!

created by Kathy Hintz

Just a truly gorgeous card with the lacy look on both the background and the label.  

created by Sue Fabris

Wow!  Love all the golden details on this card.  Amazing!

created by Diane Wallace

The vellum paper on this card is gorgeous!

I had to show you the inside of this fun-fold card.  The inside is just as wonderful as the front!

I can't begin to thank you for all the creative cards you've blessed us with and all the time that was invested in making these masterpieces.  You ladies are all simply wonderful and I love each and every one of you!!!

Hope you've enjoyed a peek at the incredible cards we've received lately.  Maybe one or two have inspired you to get out of your comfort zone and give it a try.

Love and blessings!

Sharon

My Changing Leaves Card Collection

Hello friends!  I've been a little fixated on using the Changing Leaves Bundle.  Guess I've been thinking about autumn and these items work so well for that.  I gave myself a challenge of only using three basic colors and seeing what I can come up with this Bundle.  I'm so pleased with the different looking cards that came from this challenge and I might try this on other stamp and die bundles.  Let's see what I made...

Here is the trio of cards I created for this challenge I gave myself.  I think they all turned out quite different even though the card layers are very similar.  It was interesting working with different styles on each of the cards.  The colors I chose to use on them all are Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Peach Pie.  We'll highlight the information on each card so you can see what was done.

The first card was the idea of a stamped background.  The card base is Very Vanilla that measured 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  There is a layer of Old Olive cardstock that measured 5 1/4" x 4".  The stamped layer is Very Vanilla that measured 5" x 3 7/8".

The largest leaf clusters were stamped with Peach Pie ink on the vanilla layer.  The next largest leaf cluster was stamped with Old Olive that I stamped off to make a light shade of green.  Lastly, Pumpkin Pie ink was used to stamp the smaller skeleton leaf randomly to fill in open areas. 

An Old Olive Marker was flicked onto this layer to even out the design a bit.  When dry, the layer was attached to the Old Olive layer by using adhesive.  

The die used is from the Everyday Details Die Set and is cut from Very Vanilla cardstock.  The sentiment is from the Everyday Greetings stamp set and is stamped with Old Olive ink.  I thought the sentiment fit perfectly in this die-cut.   It needed some color behind it to make it stand out.  The Old Olive cardstock used measures 3 7/8" x 1 1/2".  They are attached together with adhesive.

The ribbon is an old Pumpkin Pie 1/4" ribbon that was part of a combo pack that's been retired over 5 years now.  Yeah, I know I keep everything, but it was the perfect addition to help balance the colors here.  It's wrapped around the two layers and attached in the back then added to the card base with Dimensionals.  After adding the sentiment with Dimensionals, the bow was attached with a Mini Glue Dot.  At this point, I added one of the skeleton leaves die-cut from Old Olive cardstock.  It's attached with a little adhesive where it tucks under the sentiment.

The bling added here comes from the Adhesive-backed Speckle Dots.  I love these more natural colors.  Three of the olive color gems were used.

The next card I made turned out so different from the first.  I started with a base of Pumpkin Pie.  A layer of Old Olive was cut that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Then a layer of Very Vanilla was cut that measures 5" x 3 3/4".

The Very Vanilla layer was embossed with the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder.  After embossing, I used a Blending Brush and Pecan Pie ink over it all to expose the design.  Then a Pecan Pie Marker was used to spatter ink over the background.  After drying, it was attached to the Old Olive layer with adhesive and to the card base using Dimensionals.

The large leaf cluster was inked by using Sponge Daubers starting with Pumkin Pie on the tips and Old Olive ink in the center.  This was off-stamped before stamping onto Very Vanilla cardstock.  It was die-cut with the matching die.  The same leaf cluster was die-cut from Old Olive cardstock also.  These two were attached but off-set a little to let the green stand out against the background.  

Then the smaller leaf cluster was stamped onto Very Vanilla using Pumpkin Pie ink and die-cut.  One of the skeleton leaves was die-cut from Old Olive cardstock as an accent.  And a berry branch was die-cut from Pecan Pie.

The sentiment is from the Changing Leaves set.  It's stamped onto a Very Vanilla scrap using Old Olive ink.  It's die-cut with one of the dies from the same bundle.

The large leaves are attached to the card front with adhesive along with the Pumpkin Pie leaves.  The berry branch and the olive skeleton leaf are attached with some rolled up Mini Glue Dots.

Natural Tones Linen Thead (Online Exclusive) was wrapped around my finger three times and attached to the back of the label.  Then the label was attached with Dimensionals.

Three Neutrals Adhesive-backed Sequins in the brownish color are attached to the card to finish.

The last card I made I wanted to be simpler in looks.  There is a Very Vanilla card base, then a layer of Old Olive that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Next is another layer of Very Vanilla.

I die-cut a 1/4 size piece of computer paper with the 2nd largest circle die from the Stylish Shapes dies.  Using this as a mask, I used a Blending Brush to add Peach Pie ink to the center.

With the mask still in place, I stamped the largest leaf cluster with Pumpkin Pie ink with only the leaf tips showing.  After removing the mask, the Vanilla piece was embossed with the So Swirly Embossing Folder.  This reminded me of swirls of wind on an autumn day.   This was attached to the Old Olive layer with Tombow Liquid Glue, then using Dimensionals attached both pieces to the card base.

Only the three top leaves were stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock using Old Olive ink and were die-cut with the matching die.  The sentiment is from the same stamp set.  It's stamped with Pumpkin Pie ink onto a Very Vanilla strip, then it's die-cut with the matching die.  Just a small bit of Peach Pie ink was blended around the edges to enhance it.

Both the leaves and the sentiment are attached with Dimensionals.  A small Linen Thread bow was attached to the leaf stem using Mini Glue Dots.  

The bling for this card is the same Adhesive-back Speckle Dots in the olive color that were used on the first card.

WHEW!  That's a lot of stamping and a lot of typing too!  I hope these ideas spark your creativity.  Every time you sit down to stamp - even with the same stamp over and over - you always get something new and exciting.  I just love seeing how you get different looks with the same products.  Stamping is never boring!

I hope you've had a chance to redeem your Bonus Days coupons codes.  If not, please don't forget to get that done before the end of the month.  And don't forget about my own extra 50th Wedding Anniversary promotion.  If you spend $50 with me in the month of August, I'll send you a card and a package of embellishments as a way of celebrating with you.  Thank you so much for your patronage!!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

Nature's Sweetness Meets Changing Leaves

 Hello friends!  Hope you're enjoying your day.  We had rain again last night and more coming tonight and tomorrow.  So that means we have to enjoy the sunshine we have right now!  I really should get some errands taken care of while it's not raining!  But before I go out, I want to get this card posted.  I've had the Nature's Sweetness Designer Series Paper for a while.  My sister loves it so much I thought I needed to get it.  But I haven't gotten around to using it yet.  Then the other day while going through all my current DSP, I thought it would be a good day to use it for my next creation.  I wanted to use two of the prints for my card, but beyond that I had no plan.

I liked the look of Pecan Pie cardstock combined with these two prints.  A piece of Pecan Pie measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half for the card base.  Next a piece of the grid-style DSP print was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  A Blending Brush was used with Pecan Pie ink to give the edges a softer look.

In my stash of elements to use later, I had a circle frame cut from Pecan Pie cardstock that would make a nice frame for an image from the DSP.  The frame was made by using two sequential dies from the Stylish Shapes die set lined up to cut the frame.  I used a small piece of washi tape to hold the two dies in place for cutting.  This gives a stitched line close to both the inner and outer circle of the frame for added interest.  Then I ran into a problem.

The inner ring of the frame was a little too small for framing up the image I wanted to use.  After trying a couple of options, I used a larger circle die that is 3 1/2" in diameter to cut around the image.  This would give me a frame of DSP around the frame of cardstock.  

The main image that I was focused on was colored with Stampin' Blends.  Pods - Crumb Cake Light and Dark, Leaves - Old Olive Light and Lemon Lime Twist Dark

This circle of DSP was also edged with a Blending Brush and Pecan Pie ink just like the grid-style DSP layer.  This really tied the images and layers together.

Then I couldn't figure out how to finish it.  After struggling with multiple options and color accents, I finally put it aside for a day or two to give my brain a chance to rethink the whole idea.

I came back two days later and had a revelation.  I'd tried several different greens to add the finishing touch, but I hadn't tried the Wild Wheat color.  It was an interesting look - not a green I had used so far, but it blended well with the Pecan Pie color and all the gold accents from the DSP.  I was on a roll again.

I cut both a single and a double skeleton leaf that are from the Changing Leaves die set from the Wild Wheat cardstock.  There is also a solid leaf cluster in the Changing Leaves set that I cut out.  For some added interest, I used a berry sprig from the same set to cut out a Gold Foil stem.  This is cut into pieces to tuck around the leaves.  At this point, the DSP layer was getting a little flimsy, so a Basic White circle was cut to go behind it.  They're attached together with adhesive.  Then the circles are attached to the left side of the card using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set.  It's stamped onto a 1/2" x 2" Basic White strip using Pecan Pie ink.  The right end was flagged with Paper Snips, then a Blending Brush with Pecan Pie ink provided contrast to the edges.  This was tucked in flat behind the edge of the circle using adhesive.

As another extra bit of gold on the card, a bow was made from the Gold and Silver Trim Combo Pack.  The leaves are arranged on the Pecan Pie frame and attached with adhesive.  The bow was added with Mini Glue Dots.

The final accent was another bit of gold bling.  The Neutrals Adhesive-backed Sequins have the perfect gold accent here.  It's sort of a matte looking gold so it's different than what has been used already, but a great contrast.  Love all those different touches of gold.

There you go, another card using the Changing Leaves Bunde that can be found in the Online Exclusive section of the Stampin' Up! store.  Make sure you visit this section often.  You can find some really gorgeous items there.   But if that's not your style, there are also many cute and whimsical items too.  Go check it out.

You don't want to miss out on my 50th Anniversary Celebration sale only for my customers.  For any $50 you spend with me, I'll send you a card you can use along with a current embellishment as a thank you.  You'll love what I pick out for you!  Please use the Host Code at the top of my blog post for your order.  Thanks!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Rose Gold Changing Leaves

Hello my stamping friends!  Today's card features a retired metallic, the inside of a Paper Pumpkin envelope, a cool hybrid embossing folder and die set.  Sounds like a little bit of everything!  That's how I end up making so many of my cards, a little of this and a little of that until it comes together into something that pleases me.  Let me share this one with you.

This is one of the cards I've made lately using the Changing Leaves Bundle which is a current Online Exclusive.  For some reason when I looked at the set, I saw Petal Pink, Copper Clay, and rose gold metallics for a really elegant look.  I love how all these colors just blend together and make me happy.  Let's make this together.

I started with Petal Pink for the card base.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

Next is a layer of Copper Clay cardstock.  I love how these two colors work so well together.  Both of them are favorites, so this is perfect for me.  The layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".   Set aside for now.

The next layer is the 4 3/4" x 3 1/2" piece of retired Rose Gold Metallic Paper from a few years back.  I love the warmth the rose gold color gives to the card and works perfectly with these colors.  Using either gold or silver would necessitate using different cardstock colors for the card.  This really would be pretty but wasn't what I was planning on today.  I need to try a color palette in silver, grays, and black just to see how it looks.

As you can tell, I really struggled to keep myself out of the mirror background of the metallic paper when picture taking.  But there's my hands!  Ok, I really got off-topic there.  I embossed the Rose Gold Paper with the Changing Leaves Embossing Folder, but didn't use the cutting die for this layer.  After embossing, it was attached to the Copper Clay layer using Tombow Liquid Glue to hold in place.  Then these layers were added to the folded card base using Dimensionals.

The leaves were all made next. The solid leaf is Petal Pink cardstock that was both cut and embossed with the Hybrid set.  After cutting, a small amount of Copper Clay ink was brushed over this with a Blending Brush.  This really enhanced the detail from the embossing.  The double skeleton leaf is cut from Petal Pink and the single leaf is cut from Copper Clay.  These were not enhanced with any extra color.

When arranging these leaves on the card for placement, they just got lost on the metallic paper.  Looking around for possible additional contrast on the card, I found a scrap piece from a Paper Pumpkin envelope.  Many times, the envelopes have a design inside that I cut out and use for other cards.  This is one of those pieces.  The pinkish-brown woodgrain look has some Petal Pink coloring that seemed to work well with the colors of the card I already used, so why not?  The piece is an odd shape, 3 3/4" long, about 1 1/4" at the top and about 1 5/8" at the bottom.  This was attached with Tombow Liquid Glue about 3/4" from the left edge of the rose gold piece.

The solid leaf was attached flat with adhesive first.  Next the skeleton leaves were attached with touches of the liquid glue on the center spine of the leaves.  

The sentiment also comes from the Changing Leaves stamp set.  It's stamped with Copper Clay ink onto a Basic White strip of cardstock.  It measures 5/8" wide and 3 1/4" long.  After stamping, I used a Blending Brush and Copper Clay ink to add a little color on the edges.

A 1/4" strip of Copper Clay was attached across the card front to anchor the sentiment.  Adhesive was used for this.  Then the sentiment layer was attached over this using Dimensionals.

This gives you an idea of the dilemma of what bling to use.  It seemed that anything with a metallic shine really got lost in the design.  I chose to use the Adhesive-backed Speckled Dots in a Copper Clay color.  They showed up nicely on the mirror finish and matched perfectly the colors I had used.  As you can see on the photo the bling hadn't been added yet.  The design really needed the extra color dots.

Thank you for stopping by again to see what's being created lately.  I tend to skip around the different sets I have, but I'll try to get another card or two made using the versatile Changing Leaves Bundle.  We'll see how that works out.

Don't forget about my 50th Anniversary special going on for any customers this month.  If you purchase $50 worth of merchandise from me before the end of the month, I'll send you a card and a package of embellishments that are current right now.  Please use the Host Code at the top of this blog post.  Thank you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon