Ombre and Black Silhouette Card

Hello friends!  Yes, I love the look of an ombre background with an interesting black silhouette contrasting with it.  It has such a crisp, clean look that I'm drawn to.  I've had this idea rolling around for a bit, but I didn't have a really wonderful silhouette die-cut that would really stand out.  My sister, Connie, brought several sets that I don't own yet, so I was able to use one of them to create my idea.  I'm so thrilled with how beautiful it turned out!  I hope you try the idea yourself.  Of course, you can use the materials that you have and use whatever color combo you might prefer when trying this.  I'd love to hear about what you create.

Here is my creation and I love it!  It starts with a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Basic White cardstock along with an oval die.  I used the Layering Ovals dies that we had a few years back for this card.  I cut a piece of computer paper the same size as my white cardstock, die-cut the oval from it, then used a piece of Scotch tape over the top edge to hold them in place together while color blending.

Then comes the magic.  Get out your Blending Brushes and three ink pads that look nice together.  I used Old Olive, Pool Party, and Lemon Lolly.  I started with the Old Olive and added color to the bottom of the die-cut oval.  I purposely did not go straight across but angled the color a little.  Keep the color darker at the bottom edge and blend up into the 1/3 area very lightly.  Next, I added Pool Party ink blending down into the Old Olive area and up into the top 1/3 area keeping that top edge light.  Lastly the Lemon Lolly was added to the oval.  This time I didn't take the color up to the top edge but just feathered it out near that edge to give the illusion of the full shape.

Peek under the mask.  If the colors are as you like, then take it off entirely.  You can always reuse this mask to make another card if you want.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I went with colors that reminded me of a sunny day with the grass, sky, and sunshine.

It's time to make the silhouette image for the design.  The design is die-cut from the black cardstock piece cut to frame the white layer.  The Basic Black layer measures 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".  The die is from the new Beautiful Motifs Die set.  Isn't it the perfect delicate detailed piece?  After die-cutting, it's attached over the color-blended oval.

Next the sentiment was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.   The sentiment is from the Thoughtful Wishes stamp set.  I love the two different fonts here.  It's stamped to kind of curve around the bottom of the oval.  

After stamping, the white layer is attached to the black layer with "green glue".  The card base is Pool Party cardstock that measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.  The layers are attached to it with Dimensionals for a little pop.

Lastly are the lovely Pool Party clear gems that are added to the design.  These are from the Glossy Dots Assortment.  They are the perfect match for this crisp design.  

I love the overall clean look of this card.  It's so serene and calms me right down just looking at it.  Maybe I need to hang it on my bedroom wall so I can calm down and sleep at night?  😉 So funny!

Hope you enjoyed this simple idea.  You could use different shapes, or different color combos and silhouette shapes to make your creation.  The ideas are pretty much endless when you start thinking about it.  I'd love to see what you create.

Thanks for stopping by to see what is going on here.  Just hanging out in my craft room and creating as usual.  I'm happy to have the company.  Feel free to leave a comment to let me know what you think.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Sneak Peek and Last Chance Together

Hello stamping friends!  This catalog change-over time is always challenging deciding what stamps to use for blog posts.  Today is a bit of a mash-up with a favorite Thoughtful Wishes stamp set paired with the very new Sweet Blooms set and the new Pretty Florals stamp sets.  Oh, throw in some of the new Florals in Bloom Designer Series Paper just to keep things interesting.  In fact, both of the cards today are really focusing on the Florals in Bloom DSP just because I like it!  Oh my, it looks like I got my hands on some new goodies, and I just had to use it all!!  So, let's see what I've been stamping.

Here's my two lovely cards made with Florals in Bloom DSP for the main part of the card.  Don't you love these prints?  It's one of the very first items I needed to pre-order from the new Annual Catalog that you should be getting in the mail right about now.  These prints just scream spring as far as I'm concerned, so why not use them right away?  Let's get creating.  We'll make the pink one on the left first.

Love this print!  It looks like a flower garden just bursting with blooms!  I wanted to go and pick some.  Pretty in Pink is one of the coordinating colors, so this was my choice for the card base.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is scored and folded in half.

The next layer is Basic White cardstock.  It measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The DSP layer measures 5 1/4" x 4" also.  This is scored on the right side 3/4" from the edge.  It's folded back to reveal these dabs of color that blend with the floral print, then it's glued down to stay put.  This is attached to the Basic White layer keeping the edges even.  I used "green glue" for this.  

A length of about 12"-13" of the Pretty in Pink 3/8" Bordered Ribbon was cut.  Then it's wrapped around the white and print layers and tied into a knot in the front of the card.  Make sure to trim the ends because they tend to fray when tying them.  I also tucked a Mini Glue Dot under the knot to hold it in place.

After adding the ribbon, attach these layers to the folded Pretty in Pink card base.  I used Dimensionals for this.

Next is the sentiment.  This is a nice one from the new Sweet Blooms set.  It's a nice font and I love the sentiment it conveys.  This is stamped on a Basic White label that's die-cut using the Countryside Corners Die set.  This is on the Last Chance List right now.  If you don't own this set of dies, you really should consider getting them while you still can.  I think they're very versatile and use them often.  While cutting the white label, cut a Daffodil Delight label as well.

Stamp the sentiment with Garden Green ink onto the white label.  Using the new Pretty Florals stamp set, stamp three partial stems of the tiny flower spires in Pretty in Pink ink.  I also used Pretty in Pink ink with Wink of Stella to color in some of the petals.  A few of them got two coats to make them a little darker with just a hint of shine.

Layer the Daffodil Delight label off-set behind the sentiment label and attach together with adhesive.  Then use Dimensionals to attach to the card front.  

For a little added bling, add three of the Lemon Lolly Rainbow Dots to the card front.

Ready for the next card?

This is another print from the Florals in Bloom DSP that I'm having fun with today.  This print is matched up with the Peach Pie 2024-2026 In Color and a new 2025-2027 In Color called Secret Sea.  This is a lovely dark navy/black color that will be a great neutral to have on hand.

The Peach Pie card base measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half.

The Secret Sea layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".  Then the DSP layer measures 5" x 3 3/4".  The two layers are attached together with adhesive.  Then the Peach Pie 3/8" Bordered Ribbon is wrapped around the layers and tied in a knot near the bottom.  

These layers are then attached to the folded base using Dimensionals for a little lift.

For this card, the Stylish Shapes dies were used to die-cut the circles.  The 2nd largest circle die was used to cut the Secret Sea layer.  The 3rd largest die was used to cut the Basic White circle.  The sentiment from Thoughtful Wishes (Last Chance List!) was stamped with Secret Sea in the center of the circle.  The patch of small flowers from the same set were stamped over the sentiment using Peach Pie ink.  I like how these flowers fill in the circle but don't detract from the sentiment.  

The two circles are attached with adhesive.  Then they're attached to the card front with Dimensionals.

It took a few tries to find just the right touch of bling for this card.  The Tinsel Gems Three-Pack have a Misty Moonlight gem that really picked up the blues in the leaves.  The lightly tinted gems are a perfect match here.  Unfortunately, they are on the Last Chance List also.  I think I might have to purchase another pack while I still can. 

Well, there you have the mash-up of old and new.  It's always fun to do a lot of mix and match projects when the old favorites are leaving, and the new goodies are just starting to show up.  Did you have fun with these simple ideas?  Hope you're inspired to get out your stamps, ink, and paper and get creative.

When your catalog arrives, I hope you have fun perusing it and marking all your favorites and must-haves.  Maybe you'll be choosing this gorgeous new Florals in Bloom DSP just like I did!

If I can be of assistance to you or you have some questions, feel free to email me.  I'll get back with you as soon as possible.  Thanks!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

sharoncarr50@gmail.com

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

Hello stamping friends!  You know that old saying about the best laid plans of mice and men?  Well, that goes double for women too!  Here it is a week after I got back from my visit to my sister's, and I've finally got enough energy to get a post done.  The first couple days at Connie's were stamping heaven.  The fourth day, I woke up with a not-so-lovely fever and I was out of it for the rest of my stay, the drive home, and the next day or so.  Then came the coughing that knocks me off my feet and the recuperating.  So there, you have a rundown of my last two weeks.  Definitely not what we planned, but that's the way it goes sometimes.  I do have a few cards to share that Connie and I worked on, which is good since I haven't been in my stamp room for a long while!

I love the Layers of Beauty stamps, dies, and masks!  They are so quick and easy to work with and I've made several cards featuring these products.  Now I have a "mine and hers" version for you.  

First, we started out by stamping the main image onto a quarter sheet of Basic White cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black.  You need to angle it a little to get it to fit nicely.  After stamping, the image is placed under Mask #1 lining it up carefully.  For this layer, I lightly colored in with Lemon Lolly with a small Blender Brush.  In the areas for the tiny flowers, I added a light layer of Azure Afternoon ink.

Mask #2 has a light layer of Daffodil Delight ink added.  The tiny flowers have another light layer of Azure Afternoon on some of the petals.

Mask #3 has a layer of Peach Pie added for the deeper shading.  The centers of the tiny flowers are added with this mask too using Daffodil Delight ink.

Mask #4 has a light layer of Lemon Lime Twist added on all the leaves.

Mask #5 has a heavier layer of the same Lemon Lime Twist ink to add shading on the flowers.

Next, the image was die-cut using the coordinating dies.  The card base I chose for this card is Lemon Lime Twist.  It's not a color I use often, but I thought it was a perfect complement for the pretty yellows and blues on the image.

The design needed something else for a layer and all ideas I had didn't work.  Connie suggested a doily from her stash, and that was a perfect touch in my humble opinion.

The sentiment is from Thoughtful Wishes stamp set.  It's stamped on Basic White with Tuxedo Black ink.  Then it was fussy cut to fit the design.

The doily was attached with adhesive just in the center area.  The floral image is attached with both regular and Mini Dimensionals to give it some lift.  The sentiment is also attached with Dimensionals.  For a little bling, some Flat-backed Pearls were added.  I thought they really enhanced the look.

When I was finished with my card, it looked a little unbalanced to me.  All the design elements were too high on the card with too much space at the bottom.  I really couldn't take it all apart, so I did the next best thing.  I cut 1/4" off from the bottom of the card to make it just a bit shorter.  Did you notice?

Here are our cards side by side.  If you look closely you can see, we really did start out the same, but we diverged quickly.

For the tiny flowers on the floral image, Connie went with a purple tone.  I think she used Fresh Freesia.

She also kept her roses a lighter golden yellow.  The second layer of green on her leaves is Granny Apple Green which changes the look quite a bit.

I believe she used a sentiment from the Thoughtful Wishes set.  There is also a doily used on her card, but the card base is different.  I didn't write it down, but I think she used Bubble Bath for the card base.  If I'm wrong, she'll let me know.

She had some tiny little cute white flowers that she tucked in around the design, attaching them with Mini Glue Dots.  Nice touch!

Oh, one last thing I almost forgot.  She was using a Stampin' Blends to deepen the shadows on the roses to give her the look she wanted.  I think it was the Peach Pie Light color of Blends, but I wouldn't swear by it!

OK, I think that's all for now.  Besides, I'm wiped out and it's time to rest again.  What a bummer this flu is!!

Don't forget that the extra 10% off Bundles sale is still going on.  It lasts until the end of the month.  If you're planning on ordering, I would appreciate your business.  Thanks!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon