Watered Feathers

I am back again with another watercolor card! This was a card I made for a swap this fall and I got to indulge my love of blues here :)

My first step was to stamp the feather image repeatedly with Versamark ink on a panel of watercolor paper, then heat embossed with White embossing powder. Then I wet the watercolor paper with plain water, then added the stripes of different colors. After the colors died, I spritzed again with some Pearlized water (Perfect Pearls in Pearl color mixed in a water mister).
I think you got the rest :)

• Stamps: Four Feathers, Wetlands
• Ink: Smoky Slate, Pool Party, Lost Lagoon, Versamark
• Paper: Smoky Slate, Lost Lagoon, Watercolor
• Other: Big Shot with Ovals framelits, Occasions Paper Piercing Pack, Paper Piercer and Mat, Lost Lagoon Satin ribbon, Embossing Buddy, White embossing powder, Heat Tool, Aquapainter, Signo white gel pen, dimensionals, sewing machine and thread

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 I stamped a feather in each color of ink on the inside edge and drew a border with my Signo white gel pen, of course!

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Here are a few New Arrivals to the Stampin' Up scene, go check them out! I personally can't wait to get my hands on that new Photopolymer set!

I feel like doing a little more watercoloring, how about you? :)

Heart Full of Thanks

OK, this is the last swap I made for convention! Can you believe I signed up for 11 organized swaps?! Crazy right. But I am not the craziest. I saw a lady post in a thread on SCS that she had made 900+ swaps for convention this year. Wowsa, that is a lot of work, but I bet she enjoyed it :)

 Well, after designing so many swaps, I can tell you that I was feeling pretty dried up in the creativity department there for a while. So I dug through my stash of cards and CASEd myself! I changed a few things, and added a different technique, and I love it! I even designed and made it on 2 hours of sleep while I was trying to make my body flip from nights to days. I'm a little impressed with myself this time :)

It was tough to catch in the picture, but I used the Woodgrain embossing folder to create some debossing. It is a little more subtle and really lets the stamping shine through. I opened all the tabs, laid down the Crease pad, then the cardstock, then laid one side of the embossing folder over the cardstock, covered that with the Silicone pad, and topped it all off with a single cutting pad. Worked like a charm!

And what do you think of this ribbon treatment? I tried just the 2 ruffled ribbons, but it just didn't feel right, so I added the Naturals Trim and it was perfect. Yup. I am pleased :)

• Stamps: Four You, Hearts a Flutter
• Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake, Strawberry Slush
• Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White
• Other: Big Shot with Woodgrain embossing folder, Strawberry Slush and Crisp Cantaloupe Ruffled Stretch ribbon, Natural Trim ribbon, Rhinestones Basic Jewels

Wow, I didn't even use dimensionals!! However did that happen ;)

Yippee-Skippee!

I have been stamping for a LONG time and I have amassed quite a collection of tools, so when Stampin' Up! came out with the new Simply Stars, I was so excited because the images fit perfectly in the retired Large and Small Star punches! But for the swaps I am in, we can only use current products. I did not realize how hard that was going to be with this set. Apparently, if I have it, I want to use it, lol! But I did manage to come up with a cute card anyway :)

This was another card for the Masculine cards swap. Once I started doing masculine cards, I had a hard time stopping! Sometimes your Mojo takes you in directions that are lovely, but not exactly what you need, hehe. I actually got to the point that I took all of the stamp pads for the colors I had already used in swaps and set them aside. I wanted a variety of color combos and realized I was in quite the blues/yellows/greens mood. But I still had some blues left to use.

• Stamps: Yippe-Skippee!, Simply Stars, Bring on the Cake
• Ink: Marina Mist, Smokey Slate, Soft Sky
• Paper: Marina Mist, Naturals White, Smokey Slate Core'dinations
• Other: Big Shot with Argyle embossing folder, Sanding Block, Signo white gel pen, Subtles and Neutrals Candy Dots

I think this is about as flat as my swaps got! I have a addiction to dimensionals :)

Too Much Happy?!

Never! I ♥ ♥ ♥ this one! It is another Project Life style scrapbooking insert swap, and I can't stop looking at it! I love that the Mosaic Madness stamps fit just perfectly into the petals of the Floral framelit, and that the smaller Floral framelit fits so perfectly ion the points of the Mosaic stamps in the center. And the sun and beach feel of this piece. Yup, pretty happy with myself :)

Really, I can't help it. I have to use as much Core'dinations as possible! It is so awesome! I actually could not stop myself from just designing and immediately making all of the swap pieces right away. I had been designing the prototype for each swap, then cutting and Big Shotting everything, then putting the kits aside to work on after everything was designed. The plan was to keep the creative juices flowing and them just coast with the busy work. This way I was not getting so rushed at the end that I couldn't think of anything. It worked pretty well!

• Stamps: Mosaic Madness, Yippee-Skippee
• Ink: Crushed Curry, Smokey Slate
• Paper: Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Bermuda Bay Core'dinations
• Other: Big Shot with Floral framelit and Modern Mosaic embossing folder, Sanding Block, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper Piercer and Mat, Bermuda Bay 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Dimensionals

I hope everyone else loved this at least half as much as I do!

Single Layer Birthday

 This was one of the toughest swaps to design for, I swear! When you have all kinds of tools and embellishments in your stash, you tend to use them all the time. That is great, it is the reason you bought all that yummy stuff in the first place right? (Ok, I'll admit there is stuff I have bought that I just pet, and save for something really special) But, seeing as how I am a demonstrator and need to teach new people how to create lovely things at the beginning of their papercrafting journey, it really helps to have some beautiful, single layer, limited supply samples :)

Turns out I was having trouble deciding which color to use, so I made a few practice runs at it before I settled on this one. I did emboss this one, but it is still a limited supply card, I swear! And I actually used a ruler to draw that outline, which I am sure you can tell :)

• Stamps: Secret Garden, Perfectly Penned
• Ink: Illuminate, Calypso Coral, Crisp Cantaloupe
• Paper: Crisp Cantaloupe
• Other: Signo white gel pen, Embossing Buddy, White embossing powder, Heat Gun, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, ruler

I tried it in Pistachio Pudding with the greeting from You're Amazing and Wild Wasabi ink and marker.

 And in Primrose Petals with Raspberry Ripple ink for the sentiment and Primrose Petals marker for the flowers.

Which is your favorite?

Awesome...Thanks!

This is a pretty in your face card, but that can be really fun sometimes :) This is the first thing I made with the new Simply Stars set and I used this card for the second half of my Savvy Swappers June swap. Now I am kind of thinking I should make a few more, some for Operation Write Home, one for my card sales box, and one for me to use :)

Stars and Chevrons were made to go together, don't you think :) And I am so glad I decided to buy the Soft Suede taffeta ribbon not that long ago. I never know what I am going to need until I start playing.
Did you know that these stars coordinate with the retired SU Large and Small Star punches? I am so glad I still have those, but I couldn't use them for the swap because they are not currently available. Can't demonstrate something you can't sell :)

• Stamps: Positively Chevron, Yippe-Skippee, Simply Stars
• Ink: Soft Suede, Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight
• Paper: Soft Sky, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White
• Other: Big Shot with Modern Mosaic embossing folder, Signo white gel pen, Simply Pressed Clay with Buttons and Blossoms Mold, Soft Suede Taffeta ribbon, White Baker's Twine, Paper Piercer and Mat, needle

Cool Christmas

And the swaps keep coming! I'm telling you, I went a little crazy, and it is going to take a while to get them all posted :) And Christmas is now 5 short months away.  This is a super easy card to mass produce and is quite mailable.

Snowflakes would look good too, but I really like the elegant and vintage feel to this one. That is Pool Party ink and Coastal Cabana ribbon. They look good together, I think :)

• Stamps: Lovely Romance, Greetings of the Season
• Ink: Whisper White, Pool Party
• Paper: Whisper White, Crumb Cake
• Other: Signo white gel pen, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper Piercer and Mat, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Coastal Cabana Stretch Ruffle ribbon, Dimensionals

That has to be one of the shortest "other" sections I have done is a while! I guess a girl collects a few tools over the years ;)

Freaky Love

More swaps! This is for the Savvy Swappers group I joined at the beginning of the year. We decided to exchange our June swaps at convention this year.

When I saw this sentiment, I had to have this set! It is so darn cute! And totally something I would say :)

The heart in the center is actually sponged with Whisper White masked with a negative of the large Heart punch. I am not sure, but I think I used Core'dinations on over half of the swaps I made!

• Stamps: Yippe-Skippee!
• Ink: Whisper White, Illuminate
• Paper: Naturals White, Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations, Early Espresso
• Other: Big Shot with Beautifully Baroque and Adorning Accents embossing folders and Labels framelits, Festive and Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper Piercer and Mat, Signo white gel pen, Small Heart and Full Heart punches, Sanding Block, Embossing Buddy, Heat Gun, Cherry Cobbler embossing powder, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Dimensionals, sponge

Green Hexagons

I finally dipped my toes in the swap hostessing pool! I hosted a Masculine card swap at convention. We all need more ideas for those, although I seem to do plenty on my own. Maybe I was playing to my strengths :)

 This is another set that is so easy to create your own patterned paper with. The hexagons line up so easy and there are several different patterned stamps, so you can have several colors going all at once. My Pistachio Pudding pad was so juicy I had to do the stamp-off technique on the Whisper White, but I really like it that way.

• Stamps: Six-Sided Sampler, Four You
• Ink: Pistachio Pudding, Early Espresso, Gumball Green, Baked Brown Sugar
• Paper: Pistachio Pudding, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
• Other: Big Shot with Honeycomb embossing folder, Hexagon punch, Signo white gel pen, Garden Green, Crumb Cake, and Early Espresso Candy Dots, Dimensionals

Beach Memories

Today is the kick-off of Stampin' Up! convention, and I can guarantee you that I am having a great time! I know I am excited just typing this as I can't wait to meet up with my friends and go exploring again :)
I have held off posting my swap projects until now as I wanted people to have their swaps in hand and get to see them first.
This is a 3"x4" Project Life style scrapbooking insert, which is something you will be able to use soon with a new product in the Holiday Mini. (It goes live on August 1st, just a couple weeks away)

I just love these birds, and how easy they are to watercolor. I did not use watercolor paper on this, although that was my plan. I sorta had the project all cut up before I realized I had used Naturals White. It still works great.

• Stamps: Wetlands
• Ink: Illuminate, Crumb Cake, Pacific Point
• Paper: Crumb Cake and Pacific Point Core'dinations, Naturals White
• Other: Big Shot with Woodgrain embossing folder, Sanding Block, Natural Trim ribbon, Aqua-painter, Embossing Buddy, Smokey Slate embossing powder, Heat Gun, sewing machine and thread

Hopefully I will post an update with a completed page using this element!

Shoebox Swap: Wetlands

I have never done a shoebox swap before and I was a little nervous that I didn't have enough of a Wow to my project, and that it would take too much time. I also was not planning on doing a masculine card, but most of the sets I got right away from the catalog were masculine sets. I do use them alot, so that is not a bad thing :)

This was my prototype. I used Wild Wasabi as the base green, and it looked kind of washed out. It looks ok, but it just did not have the punch I was envisioning.

So, I tried it with Gumball Green Core'dinations, and sanded the Woodgrain texture. What a difference! When I showed these to my hubby, his comment was that he liked the more subdues DSP on the first one, but the darker green on this one. I hope everyone enjoys making this card at the swap!

• Stamps: Four You, Wetlands
• Ink: Early Espresso
• Paper: Crumb Cake, Gumball Green Core'dinations, Naturals White, Soho Subway DSP
• Other: Big Shot with Labels and Ovals framelits and Woodgrain embossing folder, Occasions and Festive Paper Piercing Packs, Paper Piercer and Mat, Signo white gel pen, Dimensionals, Sanding Block, Paper Snips

 

ETA: We flew in to Salt Lake City at about 1:30pm on Tuesday, then drove 4 hours south to Moab and Arches National Park. I thought I would share how we spent our sunset :)

 Here the sun is just starting to dip below the horizon and we are rushing to get to the Delicate Arch viewpoint before the sun actually sets.

And this is at twilight, which I am shocked this came out so well. There was not that much light for walking down the trail back to the car!

Calling All Whovians!

SAB has started!! Time to get in on all the free stuff , and what better way to kick it off than with a Time Machine! What, you don't see a time machine here? Really? It's right there! The TARDIS from Doctor Who! I may have mentioned this before, but my family is a bunch of Sci-Fi freaks, and we love Doctor Who, so I had to get this set :)

I tried to give a little impression of the opening credits with the watercolored piece behind the main image. First I did a wash of Wisteria Wonder over the whole piece of watercolor paper with an Aquapainter, then while it was still wet, I dabbed the Aquapainter with Island Indigo reinker all over the paper. After I had all 10 of those done (for the swap) I decided I needed to add a little shimmer to the watercolored piece, so I stamped the TARDIS (phone booth) all over it in Illuminate ink. I had a great time making this card, and my boys already have plans for who to give my copies too, lol!

• Stamps: Feeling Sentimental (SAB 2013)
• Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo, Illuminate
• Paper: Naturals White, Wisteria Wonder, Watercolor, Whisper White
• Other: Big Shot with Lacey Brocade embossing folder, Aquapainters, Island Indigo and Pool Party ¼" Satin ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Free tutorial with $35 purchase

Just place your order on my demonstrator website!
More details on the Virtual Stamp Club tab.

Easter Blessings

Another swap card today! This one features one of the great single stamps available. I know it is a bit early for Easter stuff, but not if you want to plan ahead to send out some lovely greetings to those special people we can't make it to see on Easter.

I also just realized that I used a SAB item on this card. See that luscious ribbon? That's it!
I paired this greeting with another beautiful set, Crosses of Hope. I think the Lacey Brocade embossing folder really helps tie the design of that cross into the rest of the card, don't you?

• Stamps: Easter Blessings, Crosses of Hope
• Ink: Early Espresso, Pool Party
• Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party Core'dinations, Crumb Cake
• Other: Big Shot with Lacey Brocade embossing folder, Ovals and Apothecary Accents framelits, Paper Piercer and Occasions Paper Piercing Pack with Mat Pack, Sanding Block, Pearls Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Signo white gel pen

Free tutorial with $35 purchase

Just place your order on my demonstrator website!
More details on the Virtual Stamp Club tab.

Cloudy Thoughts...

Are you ready for some rain? Well, maybe just some clouds and fun umbrellas! I used a whole pile of new stuff on this fun card. I have been dying to share it with you all, but it is one of the swaps I did recently and I wanted everyone to have theirs first.

The Core'dinations card stocks are so fun to play with, and you know me, I love to add the distressed look to things. The Cloudy Day embossing folder is a must-have!
 This card is a bit of a nod to the show "How I Met Your Mother" Every time the lead hcaracter hints that he has just made contact with the woman who will be his wife, you see the top view of a yellow umbrella walking down the street. My sons are currently mowing through this series on Netflix :)

• Stamps: Rain or Shine
• Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals
• Paper: Primrose Petals Core'dinations, Naturals Ivory, Very Vanilla, Print Poetry DSP pack
• Other: Big Shot with Cloudy Day embossing folder and Labels framelits,  Sanding block, Paper Piercer with Festive Paper Piercing Pack and Mat Pack, Rhinestones Basic Jewels, Summer Starfruit and Raspberry Ripple stitched satin ribbon, 1" Square punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

And a little rain falls inside the card along with anther polka dot banner from the Print Poetry DSP pack.

I have 3 more swaps to post, so stay tuned!

Free tutorial with $35 purchase

Just place your order on my demonstrator website!
More details on the Virtual Stamp Club tab.

Thanks a Bunch

The last of the Holiday Mini Swap cards that I made! Lots of layers here. I actually used MDS to print the DSP as I had a picture in my head of what I wanted to make, and I had to have that Razzleberry polka dot print!

I stamped the main image twice, once in Rich Razzleberry and once in Crumb Cake, die cut the Crumb Cake with the Window Frames die and hand cut the Razzleberry  piece. I wanted a lot of contrasting texture and the feel of a country setting. Think wood caskets for aging the wine, simply elegant picnic settings, and the rich colors of fall harvest.

• Stamps: Friendship Preserves
• Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake
• Paper: Crumb Cake, Naturals White, Whisper White, Gumball Green, Polka Dot Parade DSP (printed off with MDS on Whisper White)
• Other: Big Shot with Window Frames & Labels framelits and Woodgrain and Fancy Fans embossing folders, Crumb Cake Seam Binding ribbon, White Baker's Twine, Rich Razzleberry button, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Only 2 layers of dimensionals on this card, trying to make them flatter. But I ♥ dimensionals...

 Inside just a little more texture and fun :)

Owl, It's A Party!

I just love this little owl! And  Owl Occasions has a ton of accessories to make him perfect for several occasions :) This card is another one I made for the Holiday Mini swap I participated in.

Lots of marker to stamp here, and so worth it! I think this turned out adorable. The main image die cut is actually the Window Frame die with 2 of the half circle edges cut off.

• Stamps: Owl Occasions
• Paper: Gumball Green, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
• Ink: Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals, Crumb Cake
• Other: Big Shot with Window Frame and Apothecary  Accents framelits and Argyle EF, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding ribbon,  White Baker's Twine, Signo white gel pen, Paper Piercer with Piercing Mat, Needle, Stampin' Dimensionals

I had to resist the urge to use the Woodgrain EF yet again, but I think the Argyle looks fabulous too :)

I just couldn't stop on the inside!! This would make a great invitation too, not just a birthday card. Although you may want to consider doing the images on MDS for invitations to save some time :)

Birthday Wings

 Ok, I just realized how much I have neglected my blog in the last month or so. I have been out having fun in the summer sun. Yes, I took some vacation and did not bring my stampin' stuff. Can you believe it?

I have also started working out with a personal trainer in some small classes. Look out world, Tanya has started Kick Boxing! Papercrafting is a wonderful outlet, but I need to make my butt shrink and improve my health, so I am practicing more moderation in my crafting time. It is taking me a little time to get my balance of activities down, but have no fear, I will get there soon :)

In the mean time, I have yet to post my Holiday Mini Swap projects, so here is the first one I will share with you.

 This is a really fun card to make. I love all the banners out there right now, and they are so easy to do with minimal supplies :) The Affection Collection set has this awesome winged heart image that i used to make the birthday sentiment at the top. This makes a great card for tweens and some teens, and I know just who I am sending this to this year ;) 

• Stamps: Affection Collection, Bring on the Cake
• Ink: Basic Gray, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Baja Breeze
• Paper: Naturals White, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, First Edition DSP
• Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits & Fancy Fans EF, 1” Square punch, Signo white gel pen, Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Color Spritzer, sponge, paper snips

 A certain niece of mine loves bling so I had to put lots of rhinestones on this card. I think they make all the difference :)

And how about some more banners? Makes me think of a party!

Stamps: Affection Collection, Bring on the Cake

Ink: Basic Gray, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Baja Breeze

Paper: Naturals White, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, First Edition DSP

Other: Big Shot with Apothecary Accents framelits & Fancy Fans EF, 1” Square punch, Signo white gel pen, Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Color Spritzer, sponge, paper snips