Last Chance Impressions Abloom

Hello friends!  Hope you're doing well today.  Have you got a favorite stamp set that you grab for all the time?  I do, and unfortunately, it's now on the Last Chance List.  It seemed important to me to make another card or two with this and share them with you one more time.  Do you own the Impressions Abloom set?  These florals are an easy two-step stamp and look so pretty when made.  I can't even begin to tell you how many color combos I've used for this set.  And I think they all turned out great!  So, let's take one last look at one of my favorite sets.

For this design, the Impressions Abloom set was paired up with the Lovely & Beautiful 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper.  Don't they fit together nicely?  Start the card with a Calypso Coral card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

There is a 2" x 5 1/2" strip of this gorgeous gold-accented DSP that is attached to the Calypso Coral card base.  To enhance the gold on the DSP, a 1/4" strip of Brushed Gold Foil was cut and added to the left of the DSP strip.  This really made the gold accents pop.

There is a gold foil circle cut with the Stylish Shapes Dies.  This is the largest of the circle dies.

The next smaller circle is used to cut a Petal Pink cardstock circle.  This is layered onto the gold foil circle and attached with adhesive.  Set aside while we make the flowers.

On a 2" strip of Basic White cardstock, stamp the larger flower detail stamp with Calypso Coral ink a couple times.  Then stamp the solid flower stamp with Petal Pink ink directly over these.  I lined the stamps up with the larger petal.

Next, stamp the 'daisy' flower detail stamp using Petal Pink ink several times.  I didn't stamp any extra color on these to keep them very light.

The flower centers were stamped with the correct size centers using Daffodil Delight ink.  The leaves are the detail stamp which I used to stamp some leaves in Old Olive, Garden Green, and Granny Apple Green.  I wasn't sure which color I'd use until putting the cards together.  I ended up using the Granny Apple Green and Garden Green leaves.  The other will be kept as extras to be used later.

Both sizes of flowers and all the leaves were die-cut with the matching dies.  This gave me a pile of flowers and leaves to play with when creating.  For one card, the largest flower was attached with a bit of adhesive just in the center, and in the other card I switched the flowers around.  The 2nd flower was attached with a Dimensional in the center.  Then an assortment of leaves were tucked in under and around the flowers.

I found a twiggy branch from another set that I die-cut some pieces in the gold foil to carry those lovely gold tones throughout the card.  Some of the branches were used whole, but some of them were cut into smaller pieces to tuck in. 

When the circles were fully decorated, they were attached to the card fronts using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is also from the Impressions Abloom stamp set.  It's stamped onto a strip of Basic White cardstock that measures 3/4" x 1 3/4".  Calypso Coral ink was used for this.  The label was attached using two of the Dimensionals.

The inside of the card has a Basic White layer of cardstock that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  There is a 3/4" by 5 1/4" strip of the same DSP print along the right edge for an accent.

With all the gold foil accents on the card, I decided to do away with any extra bling for these cards.  It just felt like it was detracting from the design instead of enhancing it.

Well, I am very sorry to see this great stamp set show up in the last chance list.  It has been used often in my stamping.  If you don't have it yet, it might be something you'd consider adding to your stash.  

Thanks for sharing some of your precious time with me.  I hope you're inspired to get in your stamp area and do a little creating today.  Remember that there are new stamps, dies, kits, and much more that will be available on March 3rd.  You'll find lots of new treasures that will coordinate and work well with some of the favorites that you already own.  Stay tuned...

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Pretty Impressions Abloom Cards

Hello, my stamping friends!   It's still hot as can be around here.  It feels like I'm going to melt if I stand around outside for too long.  These temperatures in the high 90's are really taking a toll on us.  I guess that means we need to find more things to do inside the house rather than outdoors.  I made some simple cards the other day to send out to the shut-ins at church.  They turned out so pretty, I thought you'd like to see them and maybe try these quick cards for yourself.

These happen to be the only ones I have left.  When making them, I had actually used two other prints from the Floral Impressions Designer series paper along with this one to make a nice variety of cards.

For all of the different cards, I started with a Basic White Thick card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored and folded in half to make a basic card.

For this card, I cut a piece of the Floral Impressions DSP that measures 3" x 4".  Watch the direction of the design so it is cut in the proper direction. The wider measurement is the width of the paper's design.  

A layer of Petunia Pop was also cut for these cards.  This measures 4 1/4" x 3 1/4".

Holding the DSP with the front facing you, rip approximately 1/2" from the bottom edge by pulling it towards you.  Take the top part of the paper and attach to the Petunia Pop layer.  Do not attach along the bottom edge.  With the strip of DSP that you ripped off, flip over so the back side shows and tuck the unripped edge underneath the 1st piece and attach to the Petunia Pop cardstock.   This will make both of the ripped white edges of the paper show when it's layered to the Petunia Pop.  After layering together, this was attached to the center of the folded Basic White Thick card base using adhesive.

There was a veritable garden of flowers stamped for accents on the cards.  For this one, the solid daisy type flower was stamped with Peach Pie ink that was off-stamped, then stamped on Basic White Cardstock.  Then the detail stamp was stamped with Peach Pie ink full strength over this.  The plummy flowers were stamped with the solid smallest flower with Petunia Pop ink that is off-stamped first.  Then the detail stamp with the same color was stamped over this.  All the flowers had centers stamped in using Gray Granite ink.  After stamping, all the flowers were die-cut with coordinating dies.  The extra detail dies fit into the outline dies on the flowers and gave the flowers lots of added detail.

Leaves were die-cut from both Old Olive and Garden Green cardstock pieces.  There were two different sizes cut also.  

The sentiment is from the Everyday Greetings stamp set.  It is stamped on a label that is cut with a die from the Greetings of the Season die set.  The sentiment for this card was stamped with Timid Tiger ink.  Other inks were used on the different cards depending on the colors in the DSP prints.

All three of the flowers are attached to the corner of the design using Dimensionals.  The sentiment label is tucked in partially under the flowers and attached flat with adhesive.  One of the larger leaves and two smaller leaves are tucked in around the flowers.  I used both greens on each card for added interest.

I had some retired sequins in a peachy tone that went nicely with this design.  On some of the other cards, different gems were used that matched the other DSP print colors better.

The ladies that have been joining me each month to put the cards together had no problems with the ripping and tucking on the DSP piece.  They were all impressed with how easy these cards were to put together and they looked so bright and cheerful.  Hope all the recipients of the cards will enjoy them too.

Hope you're inspired to get out some of those leftover pieces of DSP that you don't know what to do with.  Maybe this technique would be the perfect solution for using some of that DSP that you have sitting around.  I know I'll be considering this idea again when I'm looking through my stash of DSP.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Two More Floral Impressions DSP Cards

Hello my friends.  Hope you are doing well and enjoying summer.  We've got a heat wave coming so I should be spending more time indoors next week.  With the weather predicted to be in the very high 90s, that's definitely time to find indoor projects to do.  Today I have two cards using one of my favorite prints in the Floral Impressions DSP pack.  I've put off showing these because one was a Mother's Day card that I was using and didn't want her to see.  I think I've waited long enough, don't you?  Where does the time go?  Mother's Day can't have been over a month ago already, can it?  Sheesh!  Well then, on with the show!

This is the first card I made using the pretty blue and purple floral print in this DSP pack.  I think they are so pretty and couldn't wait to create with this.  This is a very easy fun fold design that I've used quite often.

It starts with a 1/2 sheet of Berry Burst cardstock.  This is scored at 2 1/8" and 4 1/4".  This makes the front fold back on itself.

The DSP is from the Floral Impressions pack that is an Online Exclusive item.  The piece for the front folded back flap measures 1 7/8" x 5 1/4".  It's attached to the flap with 'green glue'.  The green striped piece on the inside of the card is the back side of the print.  This measures 4" x 5 1/4" and is also attached with 'green glue'.

The next step is to die-cut two Basic White layers, one for the front of the card and another for the inside.  The 3rd largest rectangle die in the Textured Notes Dies set was used to cut these.  The pieces are set aside until you're ready to work with them later.  The Textured Notes Dies are part of the suite of items in the Botanical Textures Suite that is found only in the Online Exclusives.  All the items in this suite are part of the BOGO 50% off sale that runs until the end of June.

Next the flowers were die-cut with the Impressions Abloom set.  This is also one of the Online Exclusives that is a suite of products.  These are also available to purchase during the BOGO 50% off sale.  The multi-petaled flowers were die-cut from Misty Moonlight cardstock, the smaller flowers were cut from Berry Burst cardstock, the tiny flowers are cut from Pool Party, and the stems and leaves are cut from both Old Olive and Mossy Meadow cardstocks.

Before arranging the flowers on the white layer, the centers of the main flowers were stamped with Misty Moonlight ink.  This helped give the flowers some definition.  Only two of the flowers were attached with Dimensionals.  All the rest are attached with either adhesive or Mini Glue Dots for the tiny flowers.

I'm not sure which set I got the Mother's Day sentiment from, but I know it was retired.  I just hunted through my stash until I found one.  This was stamped onto a 3/8" strip of Basic White using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  The ends were trimmed closer.  Then a small piece of Misty Moonlight was cut to frame the sentiment.  It was attached to the white layer with Dimensionals.

The white layer was laid on the card front to see where it needed to be attached so it was centered properly.  I put tiny pencil marks on the back, then added two strips of Tear & Tape to hold this layer firmly on just the left side.

The second white layer that was die-cut is attached inside the card making sure it is hidden right behind the front white layer.  I used 'green glue' for this so I could maneuver it into place a little.

After attaching the white layer, I chose one of the More Messages labels that were already stamped and die-cut previously.  I had stamped them three different times so far using Tuxedo Black ink, Secret Sea ink, and Pecan Pie.  It's so easy to stamp once and die-cut all the different sentiments at once.  Then you have multiple sentiments on hand when you need them.

For this sentiment, I used a Blending Brush and Berry Burst ink to add a blush of color around the edge of the label.  Then it was attached with adhesive. 

I had lots of leftover flowers, so just a few pieces were added to the inside of the card for a nice accent.

There are two butterflies added onto the front and one inside the card.  There were also three of the darkest Purple Fine Shimmer Dots added to the flower centers on the card front.  Now let's look at the 2nd card.

The colors and stamps are the same on this card, but the cut of the card is a little different.  Start with a 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" size card base cut from Berry Burst.  It's scored at 4 1/4".  Then 1" is cut from the edge of the front flap.

The DSP size for the front flap is 3" x 5 1/4" and it's attached with adhesive.  

The inside of the card has a layer of Basic White that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  A 1" strip of the same DSP print is attached along the right edge, so it shows when the card is closed. 

This time the 4th largest die was used to die-cut the Basic White layer.  Another layer of Berry Burst was cut that measures 2 1/2" x 4".  They are attached together with adhesive.

The flowers are the same color and cut as the previous card.  (Whenever I'm cutting flowers, leaves, etc. for one card, I always make extras and usually make another card at the same time.)

This time when the front layers were attached, I used several Dimensionals on the left half and the middle area, so it's raised from the flap.  It also overlaps about 1/2" over the edge of the flap.

The sentiment is another one from the More Messages set that I already had available.  Very handy dandy.

Ok, that's about it for now.  Hope you made it to the end.  I know this post seemed especially long when I was reading it over to make sure it all made sense.  Hope you're inspired to get out those stamps and play a little today.  Or maybe a lot!

It's fun to make just small adjustments to your card base that will turn it into a fun fold card.  It makes it more interesting for you to make and more fun for the recipient too!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Another Impressions Abloom Idea

Hello friends and Happy Sunday to you.  If there are any fathers out there, I need to say Happy Father's Day too!  There, I think that covers it all, don't you?  Today I have a really simple card that still looks very nice as far as I'm concerned.  I keep grabbing the pink and purple shades when playing around with the flowers in the Impressions Abloom bundle.  It's just so easy to mix and match those colors.  So, I thought it was time to use some of the warmer orange-y shades for a change of pace.  I was surprised by how much I love these colors together.  They give the card a warm and cozy feel.  Give it a look and tell me what you think.

To make today's card, I started with a Very Vanilla card base that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  This is scored and folded in half.  Another piece of Very Vanilla is cut at 3" x 4" for the focal layer.

I decided on Crumb Cake for layering.  This piece measured 3 1/2" x 5 1/4".  To add some interest to the layer, it was embossed with the Distressed Tile 3D Embossing Folder.  Then about 1/2" - 3/4" was ripped from the bottom edge to add to the visual appeal.  Then it's attached to the card base with 'green glue'.

Now it's time to make that pretty cluster of flowers.  The Impressions Abloom set is a two-step stamp set, meaning you have a stamp with a more solid image and then another stamp that adds all the detail to the image.  These are so much fun for creating multiple color choices for each flower or just going with a simpler color palette like I used here.  

For my grouping, the largest flower is made with Timid Tiger ink.  The detail stamp was used first to stamp on a Basic White cardstock piece.  Then the solid stamp was inked and off-stamped before stamping over the detail to give me these gorgeous flowers.  Since I wasn't sure just how these flowers would be arranged, I stamped a couple extra.  You can never have too many flowers on hand when you're ready to create!

For the medium sized flowers, Peach Pie is the ink color used.  Stamp the detail stamp first with full-strength ink.  Then the solid image is inked and off-stamped before stamping over it.  Again, I stamped a few extras just because you never know when you'll need them.

The leaves were stamped with Garden Green ink.  I only used the detail stamp on these.  And of course, I made extras.

The centers of the flowers were stamped in with Pecan Pie ink.  Only the detail stamps were used for the centers.

All the flowers and leaves were die-cut with the matching dies from the bundle.  That makes it so easy to get a whole garden full of flowers cut in minutes instead of fussy cutting them.  To fill in the design, the tiny flowers were die-cut from Timid Tiger cardstock to match.  Oh good, now I have a whole cluster of pretty flowers to play with!

Time to prep the extra piece of Very Vanilla that you cut.  The sentiment is from the same set.  It's stamped with Pecan Pie ink to stand out.  (This card would work nicely for so many occasions, just change the sentiment to fit.)

Crumb Cake ink and a Blending Brush added a blush of color to anchor the flowers.  I decided to add a light spatter of Pecan Pie ink mixed with a drop of water to add interest to the Very Vanilla layer.  Give it a minute to dry, then attach to the card base with Dimensionals.

Take a little time to arrange the components on the card to get an idea of spacing.  The large flower is the only one that I attached with Dimensionals.  The two medium flowers and the leaves are all tucked around and under the center flower and were attached with adhesive.  Afterwards, the tiny flowers were tucked in.  These were each attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

For the extra bling for this card, I chose the Pecan Pie & Clear Ribboned Adhesive-backed Dots.  They seemed to be the perfect accent for these flowers.

I'm still debating whether to tuck a double bow made from Linen Thread at the bottom of the large flower.  I've put it on and off a couple times now and I just can't decide.  Do you think it needs it?

Hope you like this simple card idea.  It was fun to get out of my comfort zone of pinks and purples for a change.  It seems like whenever I need to make a card for someone, that is the color palette I grab first.  

Hope you've taken advantage of the "BOGO 50% Off Suite Sale" going on this month.  Remember you don't have to buy a complete Suite.  Any of the individual items in the Suite also works too.  TIP - the lowest priced item is always the 50% off item!!  Pay attention when ordering.  For example, I ordered two different times so I could get the higher priced items in the first order.  Then went back to get the lower priced items next.  And of course, Rewards get tallied for your next order (or save them up!).

If you have any questions or are looking for a demonstrator, I'd be happy to help you.  Just email me at the address below or leave a comment in the section below.  Either way I'd love to talk to you.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

Another Impressions Abloom Card

Hello friends!  I've got a lovely, bright card idea for you today.  I wanted to use the Beautiful Bokeh Designer Series Paper, so that was my starting point for the card.  For some reason the Impressions Abloom stamp set keeps handing around my worktable, so I thought it would be a good match for those gorgeous DSP bokeh prints.  And I had seen a card design by Tami Hewlett using the Everyday Arches die that really pulled all these ideas together.  Thank you, Tami, for inspiring me!

The mottled background on the arch is the basis of the flower colors I used, and they complement each other so nicely.   Like I said, the first step for this card was choosing which print to use.  This one is a blend of Calypso Coral and Fresh Freesia.  I used the Everyday Arches die to cut the DSP.  Next the choice for a card base was made for Basic White.  This let the other colors be the main focus.  

Instead of just placing this on the card front, a layer of Basic White was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  This layer was embossed with the Exposed Brick 3D Embossing Folder to give it lots of interest and texture.  This layer was attached to the card base with "green glue".  The DSP arch was then attached to this layer with the "green glue" also.

Now for the focal point of the card.  Using the Impressions Abloom stamp set, I started stamping the large flower using the detail stamp and full-strength Calypso Coral ink onto Basic White cardstock.  Since I was stamping anyway, I stamped a few extra for future projects.  Next, the solid stamp for this flower was inked with Calypso Coral ink, off-stamped, and then stamped over the detail image I had already stamped.  This is easy to line up because there is one petal that is longer than the rest.  I love the two-tone look on the flower from having the solid image stamp much lighter.

Next the daisy style flowers were stamped in the same fashion with the detail being full-strength and the solid background being off-stamped.  These were stamped with Fresh Freesia ink.  

The centers of the flowers were stamped a little different.  The solid stamps were inked with Lemon Lolly ink and stamped inside each flower.  Then the detail stamp was stamped over this using Crushed Curry ink.

The leaves were stamped with just the detail stamp.  For the best color choice, I checked the Color Coach for inspiration.  I made some of these Coastal Cabana to be light and fresh, and others were stamped with Lost Lagoon.  After all the pieces were stamped, they were die-cut with the coordinating dies.  When finished, there was a whole bouquet of flowers to play with.  I loved the combination of all these colors together and dove right in.

When arranging the placement of the flowers, I realized there needed to be a contrast between the background and flowers.  Two Basic White leafy stems were die-cut using the Textured Floral dies.  These were nice and airy and fit the design well.  

First the white stems were attached with adhesive.  Then the flowers were added with Dimensionals.  Lastly, the leaves were tucked in around the design using Mini Glue Dots.

The sentiment is from the Wonderful Thoughts stamp set.  It's stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto the white strip about 5/8" wide.  This was trimmed and tucked in among the design.

For the final touch, three of the Iridescent Foil Gems were added for a little sparkle.

I don't know about you, but I'm just thrilled with the way this card idea turned out.  It's so vibrant and fresh looking to me.  It's a little out of my comfort zone, because you know I love pastels.  But I'm very happy with it.  If you want to give this one a try, the design wasn't hard to make at all.  If these aren't your favorite colors, go through the Beautiful Bokeh DSP prints and find one to inspire you.  I'd love to hear what you make with this design as a starting place.   There are so many possibilities to try.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Impressions Abloom Cards

Hello friend!  Glad you could stop by for a visit today.  I've been focused on creating this past week instead of posting, so I'm way behind for the month.  There are different cards I'll be in need of very soon.  Like sending cards to the wonderful ladies that have placed an order lately, 5 birthday cards, and the cards for the shut-ins that I've been working on.  I feel like my mind has been scattered in too many different directions lately and I just need to take a deep breath and chill a little.  Today's card features the Impressions Abloom stamp set.  No dies used this time, just stamping.  Sometimes I feel the need to make simpler cards and get away from the multiple layers and die-cuts and fussy cards.  I was just talking to a friend about some cards I've prepped for the shut-ins that have five layers and 7 die-cuts for each of the 23 cards.  That's just a lot of die-cutting and will take a good amount of time to get them all put together.  Thank goodness I have several ladies that have been helping me get the cards made and in the mail.  But I digress.  Today's card is a very simple card to make, but I love the look.  Hope you do too.

Let's get started right away.  The base of the card is Basic White that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" that is scored and folded in half.  

The next layer is also Basic White.  This time it measures 5 1/4" x 4".  This has the majority of the stamping directly on it.  I wanted to use two of the sentiments from the Impressions Abloom set, so I had a good idea of the space needed for the sentiment.  That made it fairly easy to decide where to place the flowers so they would be partially tucked underneath.

I started with the detailed stamp of the daisy.  This was stamped twice with Crushed Curry ink.  Then I switched to using Daffodil Delight ink.  I inked the solid daisy stamp, off-stamped, then lined it up and stamped over the detail stamp.  This gives you a good daisy shape and softens the first color used.  It was easy to line up the petals on the daisy because there is a wider space between two petals you can use for guidance.

The leaves for the daisies are from the same set.  Just the detail leaf stamp was used to keep it lighter.  The stamp was inked with Garden Green ink then off-stamped to lighten up the leaf even more.  One of the daisies have three leaves added and the other one has only two.

The centers of the daisies were stamped in with the detailed center stamp only.  I used Pecan Pie ink for this and kept the ink full strength.  I was going for more of a black-eyed Susan look for the flowers.

The huge amount of white on the card was telling me it needed just a little something added.  I used a Mossy Meadow Light Blends to flick color on this white layer.  Then used a Daffodil Delight Dark Blends to flick a little yellow on the background too.  This I set aside to dry thoroughly while I worked on the sentiment.

I placed the "Thanks" stamp on a block, then added the rest of the sentiment stamp under this.  Make sure you do a test stamping to make sure the two are straight together.  I had to make a little adjustment on mine.  I stamped using Garden Green ink on a 1" strip of Basic White cardstock.  After stamping, the strip was trimmed to 2 1/4" long.

This was backed with a strip of Pecan Pie cardstock.  This was cut to measure 1 1/8" x 2 3/8".  The two pieces are attached together with adhesive and set aside.

The spattering was dry by now so it could be used.  I decided it needed a little more detail on this layer.  It was embossed with the retired Subtle Embossing Folder to give it a little texture but not detract from the design.  

This layer was attached to the folded Basic White card base using adhesive.  The sentiment layers were attached to the card front using Dimensionals making sure it overlapped onto the flowers. 

At this point, I wasn't sure I wanted to add anything else to the design.  Then I thought of those Tiny Bee Trinkets.  They would be a good size for the daisies and definitely not too overpowering.  I added one and was going for the other two to give me the usual number of three embellishments.  Then I decided I liked the single tiny bee as the accent and that was it.  All done.

I was easily able to make my stack of thank you cards yesterday afternoon.  I like it when a plan comes together, and I actually get it finished in a normal amount of time.  (Like the same day I started it!)

Just a comment here.  These daisies all look so much more orange than they do in real life.  Not sure why the camera did a switch on the colors, but I just thought I would mention it if you're wondering.

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I've been stamping.  This is turning into my favorite stamp set at the moment and is getting quite a bit of use.  Hope you aren't tired of seeing ideas with it, because I'm not ready to quit using it for now.  I just love the different two-step flowers and all the many color combinations available to use.  I want to keep creating huge bouquets of flowers, die-cut them all, and then just play with them!  Hope you're loving this set too.

Have you placed an order lately and seen how easy it is to reap your own rewards?  Isn't this great?!  Every time you place an order, you will earn the rewards.  Stampin'Up! will keep track of the rewards you've earned, and you can redeem them on your next order.  Or you can let those rewards build up so you can cover something bigger that you have your eye on.  Either way it's a definite win for you!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

What To Do With Leftovers

Hello friends and a Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers out there that have a hand in shaping the world around us.   I hope each of you had/have a mother that is as kind and loving as mine.  I feel truly blessed by her and still miss her every day.  She was a great inspiration and role model in teaching me how to be a good mother and a good person.  I can only try to live up to her example.

Today's card is all about using those leftovers you have after one of those creative marathons.  Or am I the only one that always has leftover die-cuts of stems and leaves, extra sentiments because I changed my mind, and those pieces cut from other projects - the ovals, circles, and rectangles, etc.  On yesterday's card, I cut a large oval from the DSP gracing the front panel of my card.  The oval die is from the new Impressions Abloom set and was used to cut a pretty print from the Floral Delight DSP.  It was much too pretty to throw out, so I used it for the center back-drop for today's card.

That piece of DSP was the starting point.  Let's see where it goes from there.  The DSP print looked nice with Old Olive, so that is the base color for the card.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

There is another print in that pack of DSP that sort of looked like fabric with different tones of Old Olive in it.  This was cut to measure 5 1/4" x 4".  Then it was embossed/die-cut with the Pattern of Friendship background die.  This added the wonderful striped texture to the DSP.  

The Gold Open-weave Trim was wrapped around this layer and attached to the back with Tear & Tape.  This gave just a bit of subtle sparkle when the light hits it just right.  Then the layer was added to the front of the folded Old Olive base with adhesive.

Now, it's time to play with that oval of DSP that was leftover.  I started playing with different pieces of greenery to see what kind of a focal point could be added to the card.  These are the ones that I chose to use.  The white fern type of branch is from the Beautiful Motifs set.  The olive bolder stem and leaves are from Impressions Abloom.  And the smaller stamped and cut greenery is from the Grow with Love set that is an Online Exclusive set.  I liked how these pieces worked together.  They are all attached near the center bottom of the oval piece.  The oval is then attached to the center of the card base using Dimensionals.

I had just stamped and die-cut the new multi-word stamp called More Messages using Pecan Pie.  That meant I had a whole pile of sentiments to choose from.  If you haven't noticed the More Messages stamp and die bundle in the Online Exclusives, you really should check it out.  It is one large stamp with 19 different sentiments that are great for everyday use.  There is 1 die that cuts all of them at once.  Hence, you have a whole pile of sentiments that are ready to use when you are.  I actually stamped it three times - once with Pecan Pie, once with Memento Tuxedo Black, and once with the new Secret Sea that is a lovely navy/black tone.  I separated each group of sentiments by color and put them in little baggies to use as needed.  So handy.

Ok, back to the card.  I chose a sentiment and attached it with Dimensionals.  A double bow was made with Gold Twisted Thread that is retired.  It's attached just under the sentiment with Mini Glue Dots.

The inside is a layer of Basic White with a 1/4" strip of the yellow checked print from the same DSP pack - Floral Delight.  That bit of yellow is a nice contrasting accent to the rest of the card.  Now on to Connie's version using the very same oval on her card.

She also started with an Old Olive base for her card.

There is a layer of that cute yellow and white check print from the Floral Delight DSP that she added.  (That's where I got my little strip for my card.)  Before attaching, she also has the Gold Open-weave Trim wrapped on her card too.

There is another oval die in the Impressions Abloom set that cuts that skinny frame that is added to her oval.  The Old Olive trim really makes the oval stand out nicely.

She chose to use the same greenery stems that I used.  Then added the Gold Twisted Thread double bow to the greenery with Mini Glue Dots.

She chose a different sentiment from the ones I had stamped and cut earlier.  It's also stamped with the Pecan Pie ink.  This is attached with Mini Dimensionals to the left of the greenery.

Hope you like these two versions that are similar but still different.  It's fun to be stamping with someone and each doing our own thing but encouraging each other and making suggestions too.  

I love having all those little bits and pieces saved from other projects.  It makes it easier to just try out different shapes to see if you like them without having to find everything and die-cut and then not be happy and put it all away.  And then start the search all over again.  Do you do that too?

Anyway, it was fun having Connie here to play and create with her.  We both got so much accomplished and were quite pleased with all we had made.

Let me be honest with you.  I like Connie's card more than my own today.  It has a touch of drama to it that really attracts me.  Which one do you prefer?

You really won't hurt my feelings if you like her card better.

Thanks for stopping by today to see what I've been up to lately.  There are a few more items that Connie and I did together that I hope to get to soon.  I've been doing more creating myself that I want to share too.  I guess I'll be busy doing a lot of blogging in the future!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Sort of a CASe with Impressions Abloom

Hello, my stamping friends!  Today is shaping up to be another cold and rainy day.  It hasn't started yet, but it's gray and dreary.  We're told the rain will definitely be here soon and will last til tomorrow evening.  Of course, tomorrow is Sunday, and we've been getting rain just about every Sunday for a while.  Add in the fact it will be Mother's Day too and we're supposed to be going to see the Spartanburgers play ball at the new ballpark that just opened last month here in town.  I'm just not sure the day is going to be all that great the way things are going.  We'll see.  Maybe it will all work out just great.  Positive thinking and all that.  Anyway, today I have a bright and cheery card with daisies, so that's a good thing.  And this card is the starting place for two more cards I'll share later.  I saw something close to this card, but I haven't been able to find it again.  Whoever made the original idea, thank you for getting my mojo going!

The card idea that got my mind whirling had a strip of cardstock that was tucked into a die-cut opening.  I thought that was a cool idea so that was the start.  The cardstock base is Old Olive cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

A 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Floral Delight DSP was cut with an oval die from the Impressions Abloom set.  Make sure you keep the oval that is cut out!

A piece of Timeless Plaid 6"x 6" DSP was used to fill is the opening and give it a contrasting print.  A piece of Daffodil Delight cardstock that was about 1 1/2" x 5" was embossed with the Mini Corrugated Embossing Folder.  This piece was attached at the top edge of the DSP print and tucked in at the bottom.  These pieces were all attached to the Old Olive card base using adhesive.

Next the flower pieces were die-cut using the Impressions Abloom dies.  The daisies are Basic White, the centers are Daffodil Delight, the stems and leaves are all Old Olive cardstock.  I always like to cut extra when I'm doing this step, so I have more ready when I need them next time.

The stems and leaves were all attached flat to the corrugated piece by using adhesive.  The daisies were popped up on one Dimensional each.  The centers were added to the daisies using Mini Glue Dots.

Oops, I just noticed one of the flower centers was attached upside down.  Do you think anyone will notice?

The sentiment is from the recently retired Happiest Day stamp set.  I really like the words, so I'll probably still continue to use them   This time they are stamped on a 5/8" strip of Basic White cardstock using Pecan Pie ink.  I thought this matched the stems in the DSP and blended well with the design.  The sentiment was trimmed and then attached to the card front with several Dimensionals.

The last decision is what kind of bling would work on this card.  The Tiny Bee Trinkets looked like they'd be very happy flying around in this daisy garden.  So I obliged, and three of them were added to complete this card.

I liked the card so much that I made one for Connie too.  Don't forget that I mentioned this card was a jumping off place for two more cards.  That's where the die-cut floral DSP comes in.  She and I both took those pieces and made another card with them.  Needless to say, we didn't make the same card at all.  Stop by tomorrow for the next installment of the ongoing saga of my sister and I starting to stamp with the same products and then doing our own thing.  I promise you'll like the cards we created.  See you soon.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon