Bold Baby Chick Easter Card

 Hey there!  So glad you stopped by.  Today's card is the last Easter card I'll be sharing with you this year.  I mentioned yesterday that I needed a few more cards, and this was one of them.  Thought I'd try a little something different from my usual pastel themes.  This one is really bold, bright and cheerful.  I might go ahead and make one or two more of these but change up the sentiment to be more general.  Wouldn't this card add a little sunshine and happiness when it arrives in the mail?  Let's get going and I'll give you the directions to create this card yourself.

The first thought for this card was to use the Art Gallery Designer Series Paper I had left over.  Yes, it is retired, but it just sort of screamed spring at me, so I gave it a try.  What a surprise!  I love it!  This card needed a card base of Poppy Parade to balance all the bold colors.  You know it's not my favorite color, but I find myself reaching for it more often lately.  It really is the right color for this card, isn't it?  The Poppy Parade cardstock was cut to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2", scored and folded in half.

I wanted a couple of panels of DSP layered together instead of a full layer of DSP.  I cut 2 pieces of this overall print, one at 2" x 3 3/4", and the other at  2" x 4 3/4".  

I chose to use Mossy Meadow to match the DSP colors and to frame the two pieces of DSP.  These were cut at 2 1/4" x 4", and 2 1/4" x 5".  The printed designs were attached to the Mossy Meadow layers using adhesive.  At this point the two panels were attached to the folded card base using the MultiPurpose Liquid Glue to keep them nice and flat on the card, but firmly attached to the extra layers.  The larger panel was attached to the left side with the smaller one on the right side and overlapping the first panel.

Since I wanted to use the Easter Friends stamp for the card, it was time to find dies that would nicely frame the sentiment and baby chick image.  The Tasteful Labels Die set had two dies that would fit just right.  The first, longer die cut a piece of Thick Basic White cardstock.  The sentiment from the Easter Friends set was stamped with Poppy Parade ink.  This was set aside until ready to put together.

The medium sized die with the notched corners was cut from the same Thick Basic White cardstock.  First the baby chick was stamped using Daffodil Delight ink onto the center of the die-cut.  The Daffodil Delight Dark Blends was used to color in the beak and feet.   Mossy Meadow ink was used to add a little grass underfoot.  This uses the grassy stamp in the set, but only the top edges of the grass were actually stamped onto the cardstock.  The rest was just hanging off the bottom edge.

Now that everything was stamped and ready to place, the two pieces were attached with Dimensionals.  It needed some flashy bling to go with the boldness of the card now.   After looking through my stash of bling, I found the Artistry Blooms Adhesive-backed Sequins.  They have a pretty iridescent cast to them that showed up nicely, but they weren't too flashy to compete with everything else going on with the card.  They're lined up at the bottom right corner right along the edge.

And there you have it - another card idea to use up some of that gorgeous Designer Paper that you're just hoarding.  I can say that because I know what I'm talking about.  Have you seen my stash of DSP yet?  Oh my heavens!  But I do love looking at and going through the many colors and prints that I have stored away.  And here's proof that I do get them out and use them regularly.  I'm giving you a challenge to get your paper stash out and create something beautiful with it!!

In case you're wondering, both the Easter Friends stamp set and the Tasteful Labels Dies are retiring at the end of the month.  I will miss both of them, but especially the dies.  I've used them so often.  They were a kind of go-to set for me.  Looking forward to what will be new favorites of  mine in the new catalog.  If you don't have your new 2022-2023 Annual Catalog yet, you should be getting your copy very soon.  If yours hasn't arrived by the end of the month, give me a call so I can make sure you do get a copy.  You're going to love all the new colors, stamps, and accessories in there!!

And if there are any last-minute items you need that are retiring, please use the Host Code at the top of my blog when ordering.  I really appreciate it so much!

Happy stamping and creating!

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

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

Joyful Easter Duckling

 Hi there!  Hope you're doing well and staying warm during all these cold temperature days and nights.  Yes, I'm sticking with spring themes here to combat the weather, just like yesterday.  Today I'm heading for Easter with a cute little duckling that looks like it's doing a 'happy dance'.  He's from the Easter Friends stamp set.  It just makes me smile to look at him!  I hope he makes you happy too!

Sorry the colors on this picture don't quite measure up to the colors I actually used which are so much warmer and inviting.  The card base is Pear Pizzazz cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.  

Here's where a little sisterly influence comes into play today.  I hardly ever remember to use my Decorative Masks for adding a background to a card.  My sister uses the masks quite often with great results.  I usually reach for embossing folders instead, but thought I'd give it a try this time.   I used the Basic Patterns Decorative Masks and Blending Brushes for this card.  So happy I did.  For the most part, I blended Pear Pizzazz ink onto the same color card.  When I was almost finished, a light touch of Mossy Meadow ink was added to the center of the card.  For clean-up, the stencil gets rinsed off in the sink with just water and then blotted with a paper towel before putting away.  Easy peasy.

Here you can see the correct coloring much better.

At this point, that cute little duckling from Easter Friends was stamped on Basic White cardstock with Bumblebee ink.  That's a color I usually only use in the fall, but he seemed to need it.  I used a Mango Melody Blends to color in his beak and feet.  Some of the grasses were stamped in Mossy Meadow ink along the bottom.

It was time to get him cut out.  Again, like yesterday, I fussed with what die set to use.  That's been a problem lately as I've been trying to use something other than my usual rectangle shapes.  Got stuck in a rut, you know how that is?  This cool shape is from the Stitched So Sweetly dies.  It's a fun look for my little ducky.

Putting ducky on the card front with no layering wasn't a great idea.  Just too blah for that happy ducky.  Ok, back to the dies again.  After much searching to find just the right die, I found one from way back when I just started out die cutting layers.  We won't say how many years ago that was, but needless to say, it was before Stampin'Up! was selling dies.  Oh yeah, way back in the dark ages!  😆   It is from Spellbinders and is a series of oval dies, some scalloped and some plain.  For some odd reason, this seemed to work for ducky, so that's what I used.  Gotta keep him happy you know.  The oval was cut from Mossy Meadow cardstock to be a good contrast for ducky.  The two layers were attached with adhesive, then popped up onto the card front with Dimensionals.

The Easter sentiment is from the same stamp set and was stamped onto a 3/4" strip of Basic White cardstock.  Mossy Meadow ink was used for this.  The right edge of the strip was cut to lay flush with the right edge of the card, but the left edge got a little punchy treatment.  The Banners Pick-a-Punch was used to flag the end.  This was attached to the card front with adhesive.

A small bow was needed but couldn't be too feminine for this little guy.  A bit of Mossy Meadow woven trim (retired) looked fine and not too frou-frou, so it was made into a small bow.  It's attached to the card front with a Mini Glue Dot.

Lastly, ducky wanted to play with some little friends to share in his joy.   Several butterflies from the Brushed Brass Butterflies came to play with him.  This made him so happy he started doing his 'happy dance' again.

Hope you enjoyed our little outing with ducky.  He really is so easy to stamp and play with.  And he makes me happy just looking at him!  And it's wonderful to have one more Easter card finished and put away until needed.

Thanks for stopping in today.  I appreciate hearing about what you think of my projects.  Hope you get some inspiration and ideas from what is shared with you.  That is my goal each time I post.  I miss you and love hearing from you.  

Reminder - Sale-a-Bration ends next Monday February 28th!

Keep on creating and having fun!

Sharon