Encre, papier, ciseaux

Coffee Anya Window Card

Inspiration: Inspired By challenge #135

In my last paper haul, I scored a few different lemon-pattern sheets of paper. Not sure if they are trending, but I know I tend to always be drawn to this pattern. Love the sunny colour and the cute shape. Recently, I remembered about my neglected Watercolor Wonder, which I used to love and play with all the time back when Stampin' Up! was still selling them. Out of curiosity, I pulled them out and left them on my desk to play with again and see if I still like them. While they are creamy and easy to blend, I also remembered why they fell by the wayside once I mastered ink watercoloring. Even the darkest of hues look really washed out. In the case of this card, I was able to make it work because my patterned paper has soft hues and so the watercolored image still remain the focal point. With more saturated papers, the main image just gets lost in the project. I'm afraid that now that I have various options at my disposal, the Watercolor Wonder have dropped down the list, which is a little sad.

On to the card, I used both sides of a single sheet called Pink Lemonade from the Dea Lizzy It's All Good collection. Because my main image comes from the Coffee Anya FB stamp set, which includes a matching front and back of the same little girl, I wanted to add an opening and do a floating card. I kept hitting road bumps, but I persisted. First, I realized that if I could a window large enough to insert the girl into (at first, I wanted to use thread and glue the two images back to back), I would loose too much of the lemon paper and we couldn't really tell what the pattern was, so I decided to go for a smaller window and use window sheet (acetate) inside.

When I cut my card, I went on autopilot and did a top-folding card, which is always my favored method for a 4-1/4" x 5½" card. Only after I had die-cut the window and started gluing stuff together did I realize that the inside Anya would be hanging upside down when you open the card! Had I done a side-folding card. it would have been fine. I pondered whether to restart from the beginning, cut the front off the existing card and find a way to assemble on a new card base or just live with it... and I went for the third option. Chalk that up to a learning experience and I'll know better next time but for now, this'll do. It should be noted that I didn't have matching dies for this set, so I had to carefully handcut the images and hope that the handcutting would match up evenly. The result was really close, so it looks good on the project. I used a white-patterned window sheet from an older DSP pack called Quatrefancy. I like the subtle touch it adds to the finished card.

I drew inspiration both from the lemon pillow and from the sketch from the Inspired By challenge. I had to adapt it to work for my image, but you'll notice the oval frame around the main image, which was created with the Stitched Oval Scallop Frames and yellow glitter paper. I used a trio corner punch on the lemon patterned paper and added Candy Dots in each corner. I repeated the idea inside with patterned paper and a second glitter frame.

The sentiment reads, "You Are Fabulous!" I used a Metallic Rose Quartz envelope and layered two of the ovals I had leftover from cutting the window through the card. Another one of those ovals was used to stamped my signature on the back of the card. Make sure you use those scraps to your advantage when you finish off the inside of a card and the matching envelope.

 

 

 

 

  

 

Supplies
Stamps: Joyeux anniversaire beauté (Stampin' Up!); Coffee Anya FB (The Greeting Farm)
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Cold-Pressed Watercolor Paper (Fabriano);
Assorted Glitter Cardstock (Unknown Source)
Patterned Paper: Pink Lemonade - It's All Good (Dear Lizzy for American Crafts);
Quatrefancy Window Sheet (Stampin' Up!) 
Ink: Blushing Bride, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!); Jet Black (Lawn Fawn) 
Dies: Stitched Oval Scallop Frames, Wonky Stitched Oval (My Favorite Things);
Stitched Shapes (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Watercolor Wonder Crayons,
Classic Label Punch, Trio Corner Punch, Subtles Candy Dots (Stampin' Up!);
A2 Rose Quartz Metallic Envelope (envelopes.com)

 

Vintage Friendship Card

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #542

This card was born of the remaining pieces I had from the Queen Bee collection after putting together my last layout. Based on the Mojo Monday sketch, I played with the papers I had left until I found a pleasing arrangement. I had a circle die-cut that was perfect for the focal piece and I went hunting for sentiments that would work in it. I found this circular stamp in the From My Heart stamp set. It reads, "Friends? Yes please! - Charles Dickens" I think the current situation is reminding us daily of the importance of our friends and the void it leaves when we cannot see them. I couldn't believe how perfectly the image fit in the die-cut. They could have very well be made to be used as set! I embossed the image in Pewter powder 

I looked in my ribbon collection and found a two-tone green ribbon that was the perfect shade for the papers. This is another really old purchase, so it was nice to use it up. I matted the main image with polka dot paper die-cut with a stitched circle die. For my card base, I had a feeling the old River Rock cardstock would work well and sure enough, it was a nice match, so check for another older supply put to good use.

The card base felt a little too bright, so I stamped the edges with an image from the Timeless Textures stamp set, an old favorite I always pull out when I need to add texture to a project. I used another image at the top and the flourish image on a die-cut I layered over the ribbon to fill in the space a bit. Dew Drops were added to the die-cut and a little Wonderful Gem on the stamped tape at the top. I then decided to restamp my main image on paper scraps, handcut the banner and teapot and pop them up over the main image. It was worth taking the time to do that, as it instantly lifted the design up and brought the eye to the center of the card.

I made a matching envelope using patterned paper, glued a die-cut for the address block, added a border sticker at the bottom, then stamped and embossed my flourish image to tie it all in.

Using up all kinds of older supplies AND ending up with a project that still feels current is always very satisfying. I sure am not running out of newer supplies to play with, but I feel like I can't justify hanging on to the older supplies if I don't actually use them so from time to time, I need a little kick in the behind to dig a bit and reuse.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Du fond du cœur, Timeless Textures (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: River Rock (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers, Border Stickers, Die-cuts: Queen Bee (Pink Paislee)
Ink: VersaMark, Soft Suede, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Outside In Stitched Rectangle Dies, Dotted Rectangle Dies (Lawn Fawn);
Stampin' DImensionals, Pewter and Pool Party Stampin' Emboss Powders,
Wonderful Gems, Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' Write Marker (Stampin' Up!);
Green Ribbon, Brown Ribbon (Unknown); Dew Drops (The Robin's Nest);
Circle Double Stitched Dies (Art Impressions)

 

By the Sea Planner Page

Inspiration: Festive Friday #64 (Circles + Die-cuts + Summer Fun)

I mentioned in a recent post that I would keep using the By the Sea papers from Carta Bella before putting them away. I was thinking I'd make a card, but inspiration just wasn't coming. I put the papers away shortly and then I was inspired to make a planner page. As mentioned before, I bought a pretty champagne planner from Elizabeth Designs and some of her Planner Essentials die collections but I'm using it as a mini-scrapbook album rather than a planner. I had a lonesome picture from Millenium Park that probably was not going to be used in my 12" x 12" album, so I had fun with my planner dies and lovely Carta Bella papers and created this page. I'm really excited about it, it turned out even better than I would have thought.

On the front, I'll point out the border I created with baker's twine. I used Planner Essentials #10 for the base page and it has a row of little squares along the right edge. I started weaving my twine over and under, creating four alternating rows and I tied it in a bow at the bottom. It adds a very lovely texture and it changes the look of the little squares. Fun way to use this die differently. Because the picture was taken by the water, I made sure to incorporate the rings from the same collection. The date die comes from Planner Essentials #2.

On the back, I was eager to use the pocket from collection #2. It was the piece that made that set the most interesting to me. I slid in the smallest die from the same set and created a long postage strip die-cut using a #10 collection die. I added a small sticker on each square. Collection #2 includes an arrow, so I cut it out of Seaside Spray cardstock and I glued some red and white twine all around it before adding it to the pocket, along with a couple of word stickers. I picked the circle die from the Planner Pocket #2 collection, die-cut out of Blue Obsidian Mirror cardstock (to repeat the circles shown on the front). I embellished the little dots on it with gems and pearls.

At the top, I added a piece of braided burlap trim, punched a small wide oval out of the wooden patterned paper and added a Sail Away trinket threaded with red twine on it. I also used the other trinket (the steering wheel) on the front of the page. The red foil reinforcers were die-cut using a die from the Planner Essentials #7 collection.

 

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Blue Obsidian Mirror Card (Tonic); Red Foil Paper, Seaside Spray,
Cherry Cobbler (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers and Stickers: By the Sea (Carta Bella)
Dies: Planner Essentials 7, Planner Pockets 2, Planner Essentials 10,
Planner Essentials 2 (Elizabeth Craft Designs) 
Accessories: Braided Burlap Trim, Stampin' Dimensionals, Iridescent Pearls,
Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems, Wonderful Gems, Sail Away Trinkets,
Small Wide Oval Punch, Jumbo Eyelets, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine,
Sahara Sand/Night of Navy Baker's Twine, 1-3/4" Circle Punch (Stampin' Up!);
White Gel Pen (Gellyroll)

 

Cocktail Time

Inspiration: CAS(E) This Sketch #382 + Simon Says Stamps Wednesday (Reach for a Star)

This card has been a long time in the making. I originally made the starry background months ago when I was putting something else together. I had leftover dyed texture paste that I didn't want to waste, so I randomly picked up a stencil and a piece of Abandoned patterned paper from Tim Holtz and applied the remaining paste on it. I also used my glitter duster (which is currently filled with Champagne fine glitter) on the paste before it dried.

The Oddball with Martini image was stamped when I received new Stamping Bella stamps and put aside for months and months. It ended up with my starry background as I thought they could be paired to whip up something, but those pieces remained on the corner of my desks unused for the longest time. Not sure why tonight was the night - possibly because it was late and I wanted to keep on crafting and because the sketch I was looking at was working out well, and so did the SSS theme. Anyway, I quietly worked on coloring my image with my Polychromos pencils, die-cut the image out and then I worked out a design plan.

For the sentiment, I was looking at clear stamps so that I could bend an sentiment to fit on the banner and I found what I needed in the brand-new Nothing's Better Than stamp set from Stampin' Up! The sentiment on the banner reads: "Today's program" and I added the word "Cocktail" under the woman's feet. The sentiment was embossed with Copper powder.

This card is quite big - the finished size is 4" x 8". I was liking the background and patterned paper's colours and didn't want to lose too much of it, so I went oversize (which also happens to be in right now). Since I was going oversized, I looked through my 12" x 12" patterned paper for one that matched so I could make my own envelope. (The Abandoned papers are 8" x 8" so they were not big enough to make a big-enough envelope.)

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Oddball with a Martini (Stamping Bella); Rien de meilleur (Nothing's Better Than - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Blackberry Bliss, Midnight Muse, Certainly Celery (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Abandoned (Tim Holtz); Unknown 12" x 12" (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Blackberry Bliss (Stampin' Up!); Tuxedo Black (Memento); VersaMark
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder, Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems,
Fresh Fig and Old Olive 1/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Envelope Punch Board, Iridescent Pearls,
White Texture Paste, Green Reinker, Washi Tape, Champagne Fine Glitter (Stampin' Up!); Fancy Wavy Banners Dies (Lawn Fawn);
Wonky Stitch Rectangle Stax (My Favorite Things); Polychromos Pencils (Faber-Castell);
Glitter Duster, Hocus Pocus Stencil (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anomymous);
Oddball with a Martini Die (Stamping Bella)

 

Merry Stripes

Inspiration: The Card Concept #138B + Little Red Wagon #559 (Stripes)

I'm slowly easing into Christmas cards as I've received my Holidays minicatalogue preorder and as I'm seeing more Christmas challenges appear online as well. This card was definitely inspired by the inspiration picture from the Card Concept. As beautiful as the tree and gifts are, it was the holiday pillow propped on the chair that caught my eye. I loved the simplicity. I loved the red on pink stripes. I really loved the single word with the typing font. And I realized I could really easily incorporate all of those elements in a card.

The first thing I did was pull out my Typo Lowercase Alphabet Bigz die from Tim Holtz and die-cut the letters for the word Merry, including the period at the end, which I thought was a nice touch. I found a piece of black suede paper in my scrap drawer, so it added a nice texture. I had a feeling I would need to go oversize in order to incorporate the BIgz alphabet on my project, so I laid out the letters to figure out which size I needed and I landed on a 7" x 3-1/2" card.

I cut a Very Vanilla thick cardstock piece of that size, I used my wide purple tape to mask the middle and I spritzed Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide spray on it. I then grabbed my Gansai Tambi watercolors and added stripes over it. I embraced the uneveness, which adds fun and whimsy to the card.

At this point, I was torn between keeping the card as is or adding a touch of embellishing. I was hoping to add a small poinsettia in the corner using my new poinsettia dies. While I was trying out stuff, I remembered the Plush Poinsettia specialty paper that was also part of my preorder. It includes vellum sheets with holiday patterns in white flocking. Since I had used vanilla cardstock, I was hesitant, but I handcut the images to try them out and it looked pretty cute (even in white), but I decided to try inking the images with Distress Oxide ink to see how it would look. I really liked the result, so I ended up adding the flowers, leaves and branch to the card. I used the new Beaded Pearls (one of my favorite embellishments from the new minicatalogue) and a few beads and gems as well. I'm really happy with the result.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Thick Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!); Black Suede Paper (Chatterbox)
Specialty Paper: Plush Poinsettia
Ink: Spun Sugar, Cracked PIstachio, Festive Berries Distress Oxide (Ranger)
Dies: Typo Lowercase Alphabet Bigz (Tim Holtz for Sizzix)
Accessories: Beaded Pearls (Stampin' Up!); Blender Brushes (Picket Fence Studio);
Gansai Tambi Watercolors (Kuretake); Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide Spray (Ranger);
Pearls - Glossy Berry Mix (Little Things from Lucy's Cards); August Crystals (Studio Katia)

 

Blue Poinsettia

Inspiration: Freshly Made Sketch #445

The Freshly Made Sketch inspired me to combine my new Poinsettia dies with the Balmy Blue glimmer paper. I'm really stocked that the Feels Like Frost Designer Series Paper is making a comeback this year. I thoroughly enjoyed working with this paper when it came out last year and I'll enjoy pairing it with new stamps to hopefully go through the rest of my paper this year. (Not holding my breath, though, as there's a lot in there!) 

For the sentiment, I used "You shouldn't have, but I'm glad you did" from the Peaceful Moments stamp set. It gave me the chance to test out the new Banners Pick a Punch, also from the August-December Minicatalogue. I was really excited about this one, to punch out banner ends on narrow strips of cardstock (1/2", 3/4" and 1"). I added blue adhesive-backed gems from the minicatalogue as well. I'll pass this advice along: always make sure you read the descriptions carefully. When I saw the blue gems and the Wonderful gems, I assumed they would be similar to the gems Prima sells. Especially since they have gold speckles in them just like the Prima ones do. I was very excited about them and when I opened up my box and saw how tiny the Stampin' Up! ones were, I immediately got deflated. I also thought the In Color enamel dots would be the same size as the enamel dots we've sold for the last few years. They are not - they are 1/8" wide...! As it stands, I've already used all three embellishments on projects in the past couple of days and they all looked really cute. Once I wrapped my mind around what they are rather than what I was expecting them to be, it was fine, but I thought I'd pass the warning along, to avoid any disappointment you might have.

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Moments de plénitude (Peaceful Moments)
Cardstock: Purple Posy, Highland Heather, Rococo Rose, Vellum
Specialty Designer Series Paper: Feels Like Frost
Ink: Night of Navy
Accessories: Poinsettia Dies, Stitched Rectangles Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies,
 Balmy Blue Glimmer Paper, Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems,
Poinsettia Dies, White Medium Envelope, Stampin' Dimensionals

 

Witching Hour

Inspiration: Try Stampin' on Tuesday #467

The Flight of Fancy stamp set was my favorite new item from the upcoming August-December Minicatalogue. While this is not my best watercoloring job ever, it at least got me going on using my new preorder supplies. (In hindsight, I should have used masking fluid on my little witch image and done a wash on the entire sky instead of trying to watercolor around the image after it was already colored.) I used the new Magic in This NIght DSP as well and some of the new ribbons and embellishments from the various suites. I realized when I was finished that my card didn't have a sentiment, so I went back, pulled out the Ornate Frames dies and stamped "Boo!" from the Have a Hoot stamp set, embossed in Copper powder.

 

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Flight of Fancy, Chouettes pensées (Have a Hoot)
Cardstock: Pretty Peacock, Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper
Designer Series Paper: Magic in This Night
Ink: Basic Black, Pretty Peacock, Crushed Curry, Basic Grey, Cajun Craze,
Blush Blossom, Blackberry Bliss, Soft Suede
Accessories: Ornate Frames Dies, Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems, Wonderful Gems,
All the Trimmings Embellishments, Iridescent Pearls, Aqua Painter Brushes,
Clear Wink of Stella Brush, Basketweave and Metallic Ribbon Combo Pack,
Stampin' Dimensionals, White Medium Envelope

 

Flowery Crate

Inspiration: Inspired By #133 (Pretty Blossoms) 

I looked at the Wood Crate die the whole year it was in the Stampin' Up! catalogue and while I thought it was adorable, there were a few details that prevented me from purchasing it. I felt it was a little too small, I didn't like the stamp set that went with it (which made some of the dies from the set irrelevant) and I also could see in the sample pictures that the sides tend to curve outwards, which does not go with the wood look. I may not have been the only one with reservations about this die set as it retired after only a year in the annual catalogue. And it found its way to the Clearance Rack. At its new reduced price, the set became more appealing even if I wasn't using the shapes that go with the stamp set and I was more willing to be lenient on the design aspects I was unsure about. This was ordered quite a while ago and because it was already retired when I received it, I never got around to using it until tonight.

I was in the mood to craft, I wasn't sure what to work on and when I'm unsure, it's usually a good time to put something simple together. I knew the crate wouldn't be complicated and it gave me a chance to see the finished size of the assembled die-cut. (3-1/4" x 1-5/8" x 1-1/2". It's small.) Before I started die-cutting anything, I looked at the current colour combo challenges and I picked the one from Global Design Project. I liked the idea of doing the crate in a dark blue colour and adding pink and aqua flowers on it. I have not received the new In Color inks yet, so I substituted Misty Moonlight for Midnight Muse (an older In Color). I stamped the crate pieces with the Hardwood background stamp. I lined the inside of the crate with a piece of Pool Party cardstock embossed with the Tin Tile embossing folder. (I made life simple for me: I decided I would use whichever embossing folder I pulled out of the box first, choosing blindly.)

For the flowers, I wasn't sure if I'd do punches, dies or stamps. I quickly looked through my recent stamp sets and Perennial Birthday caught my eye. I stamped the flowers in various ink colours and colored them using Stampin' Blends markers. They all had to be handcut since this stamp set doesn't have dies to match.

I went around the crate and made little flower arrangements. I used the little tag from the die set on pink cardstock, stamped a birthday sentiment that was the right size from the Beautiful Bouquet stamp set and added Night of Navy/Sahara Sand baker's twine on it. I finished embellishing the flowers and crate with Peaceful Poppies sequins and From my Heart faceted gems. I also made a bow out of pink metallic thread and added it to one end of the crate.

 

 

 

Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Anniversaire vivace (Perennial Birthday), Ravissant Bouquet (Beautiful Bouquet), Hardwood
Cardstock: Midnight Muse, Petal Pink, Pool Party
Ink: Basic Grey, Petal Pink, Pool Party, Midnight Muse
Accessories: Wood Crate Dies, Peaceful Poppies Sequins,
From My Heart Faceted Gems, Black Mini Stampin' Dimensionals,
Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder, Sahara Sand/Night of Navy Baker's Twine,
Stampin' Blends Markers

2020 In Colors Meet Nothing's Better Than

Inspiration: Mojo Monday #541

I was looking at the Mojo Monday sketch for inspiration and decided I could make a set of cards using the new In Color Designer Series Paper stack. My initial plan was to make monochromatic cards, but as I started working on the first one (chocolate, using the Cinnamon Cider color), I realized that I have not purchased the ribbon in that color and that adding a touch of Bumblebee on the card would look really nice. So each of the card showcases two colours and highlights how nicely all five of the new In Colors pair together.

I used the Stitched So Sweetly dies (first released this Spring in the minicatalogue) for the scalloped rectangle piece and I used the largest of the Peek-a-Hoot dies for my main image. I picked sentiments that would fit and played with the image arrangement accordingly. For example, the cocktail filled the entire tag, so I moved my sentiment to the scalloped rectangle instead.

I think this would make a great workshop set, as it's easy to mass-produce and is a nice introduction to the 2020-2022 In Colors.

 

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Rien de meilleur (Nothing's Better Than)
Cardstock: Cinammon Cider, Magenta Madness, Misty Moonlight
Designer Series Paper Stack: 2020-2022 In Color
Ink: Cinammon Cider, Magenta Madness, Misty Moonlight, Just Jade, Bumblebee 
Accessories: 2020-2022 In Color Enamel Dots, Stitched So Sweetly Dies,
Peek-a-Hoot Dies, Magenta Madness and Bumblebee 1/4" Ribbon, White Medium Envelopes

 

On the Porch Swing

Inspiration: Festive Friday #63 (Pink + Green + Flowers)

The starting point of this page was the Summer Market collection from Carta Bella. After making a card with the papers, I wanted to use them on a scrapbook page as well. I looked at my summer pictures and picked some with us sitting out on the swing on my parents' back porch. This page is fairly simple, as I followed a Page Maps sketch and in addition to the papers, I added some washi tapes, Thickers, twine and Crystal Drops. I don't know what I'd do without the Page Maps sketches, they really help me to scrapbook more easily and with a variety of different layouts.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Riley's ABCs (Lawn Fawn)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Cardstock: Call Me Clover (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Summer Market (Carta Bella)
Accessories: Square Punches, Stampin' DImensionals, Washi Tapes,
Black Baker's Twine (Stampin' Up!); Yellow Baker's Twine (Doodlebug Design);
Calming Aqua, Bubblegum Blush and Pale Gold Crystal Drops (Nuvo);
Circle Layering Dies (Tonic); Happy Day Alphabet Thickers (American Crafts)

 

Gone Fishing

Inspiration: Page Maps January 2020 + Lasting Memory Layout Challenge #504

I purchased a couple of pages as well as the sticker sheet from the Gone Camping collection from Carta Bella. I've mentioned before that I absolutely love the look of those retro-looking collection and yet have trouble incorporating them into my projects. Two years ago, I joined my sister's family for a long weekend at the cabin they are rented for a week and I have some pictures to scrapbook, including some from when my brother-in-law and my niece got up early to go fishing together. 

The proposed sketch was perfect with the three portrait pictures. I knew I wanted to use the fishing gear paper and I looked through my cardstock to decide what colour to pick for the page base. I was not initially planning to go dark, but I noticed it went with the paper really well and also completed the deep blue of the pictures beautifully. Because I really liked the backside of the fishing gear paper, I used my leftover piece to die-cut the tag I added at the top, and I layered the "Forever wishin' I was fishin'" tag from the sticker sheet and tied those together with red and white twine. I fidgeted for a while to figure out how to do the title piece. I had the fish sticker and it was tempting to make one of those silly framed fish, but the dimensions weren't right, so I ended up picking the Gone Fishing sticker which worked the best and adding eyelets on each end of fill in the space, and putting the fish underneath. The truck sticker was a shoo-in at the bottom, as the size and dimensions were perfect.

For the journaling, I had thought about printing it on vellum and adding it over a picture, since all three are very similar, but my journaling was pretty short, so I did a vanilla strip of cardstock and typed on it with my typewriter instead. I inked the edged of this piece with Antique Linen Distress Oxide ink and the edges of the page with Walnut Stain Distress Oxide ink.

 

 

 

Supplies
Cardstock: Cajun Craze, More Mustard (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers and Stickers: Gone Camping (Carta Bella)
Distress Oxide Ink: Antique Linen, Walnut Stain (Ranger)
Acessories: Washi Tape (Crate Paper); Stampin' Dimensionals, Eyelets, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twnine,
Bonanza Dies, Stitched Nested Labels Dies (Stampin' Up!); Blender Brushes (Picket Fence Studio)

 

Cathedral Window

Inspiration: Frank Garcia Class - Lesson #1 - on Scrapbook.com + Fusion (colours from inspiration picture)

I watched the first lesson of the Frank Garcia class yesterday and was inspired to start crafting along with him. While my card is very much inspired by his project, the result is quite different. I did reproduce those elements from his original card:

• the paper and cardstock layers with the marker-inked edges and the dimensional tape
• the Lawn Fawn backdrop die on white cardstock
• the Liquid Pearl border
• the glitter-covered wreath
• the little bells hung with twine in the center of the wreath.
• a stamped sentiment on a banner die-cut

 I used the Santa Baby paper collection from Prima, one of my favorites with its soft hues. I don't really have big Prima flowers on hand, so I knew I'd have to come up with another plan, so I started hunting for supplies and when I spotted the Cathedral Window Etcetera pieces I bought last year and have yet to use, I knew this could look great. I also pulled out the Christmas paper dolls.

For the wreath, I knew I had some green and white opalescent box wreaths from last year's Stampin' Up! catalogue. They were wrapped smaller than I remembered, though, but I knew they're made of string of wire that can be unwrapped and reworked into another shape. I played with the idea of following the edge of the window at the top and then I also tried wrapping it around a spritz bottle to form a larger wreath and I liked that idea better. I did that with two wreaths and I layered them on top of one another using my glue gun. I then put Distress Collage Medium over the leaves and sprinkled white fine glitter over it. The window piece was spritzed with Brushed Pewter Distress Mica Spray and I used the Collage Medium to add snow on the top and bottom, sprinkling the same white fine glitter again. 

I did look at the very few Prima flowers I have, but they weren't the right look. I did find, however, the vanilla paper shapes I bought from Prima years ago and I pulled out a little embossed star, which was a nice way to ground the little guy's feet. While I was looking through embellishments, I also found last year's Snowflakes & Stars wire elements and decied to add a copper star on top of the paper one.

For the sentiment, I went back to my Stitched with Cheer stamp set, which I've used over and over through the years. I picked out Rococo Rose as my ink to stamp and I like how well it blends with the Prima papers. I added a few rhinestone embellishments, snowflake sequins, and I decided to add a silver and grey button to tie in with the darker paper doll, threaded with Soft Sky cotton twine. I alternated two colours of Liquid Pearl to create the border and I added drops of clear Crystal Drops around the card.

I like the final result and I'm surprised that this still feels like a very "me" card, as the original shown by Frank is very different from my usual style. I'm looking forward to watching the other videos from his class and see if they also inspire something.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Cousu avec joie (Stitched with Cheer - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Whisper White, Mint Macaron (Stampin' Up!)
 Patterned Papers: Santa Baby (Prima Design)
Ink: Rococo Rose (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Quilted Backdrop Die (Lawn Fawn); Crystal Fine Glitter (Martha Stewart);
Cathedral Windows Etcetera (Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous); 
White Opal, Platinum Liquid Pearl, Distress Collage Medium (Ranger); Morning Dew Crystal Drops (Nuvo);
Frosted Finishes Embellishments, Winter Wonderland Embellishments, Mini Jingle Bells,
Snowflake Sequins, Stampin' DImensionals, Bunch of Banner Dies, Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker,
Snowflakes & Stars Wire Elements (Stampin' Up!); Christmas Paper Dolls (Tim Holtz for Idea-ology)

 

Nautical Step Out Cards

Inspiration: August 2018 Workshop publication from KaiserCraft + Little Red Wagon #557 (dry embossing with a folder and heat embossing with gold powder)

KaiserCraft used to offer monthly publications showing their new products and samples made with them, including instructions for each samples. I kept a few of them and found one in which was shown a step out card. I've done those for Stampin' Up! workshops in the past, but it had been a long while, so I decided to make a new version with more recent supplies.

I decided to use the Come Sail Away patterned paper and the matching Sailing Home stamp set. Unfortunately those papers retired on me before I had time to use them a lot. As much as I'm drawn to nautical papers, their theme is very specific and I have noticed that I don't get to use them very often. This is what happened here, and even though the catalogue is retired, I decided I would still use them because I know once I move them from my current paper pile to my retired paper pile, they might not get pulled out very often. I also made sure to make matching envelopes out of Designer paper, both because the finished cards are an unconvential size 4" x 6") and also to use up the paper more quickly.

I'm pretty happy with how the card turned out. The suite also includes the Smooth Sailing dies, which halped with embellising the card more quickly and easily. I used gold foil paper to add a bit of shine, the Coastal Weave embossing folder on the front and the Designer Elements to embellish. I left the rest very flat so that the card would fold nicely. I wanted to use the little banner die from the same set, so I found a smaller sentiment in another stamp set, which reads "Big kudos!"

 

 

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Terre à l'horizon (Sailing Home), Saisons colorées (Colorful Seasons)
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Mossy Meadow, Soft Suede, Whisper White, Seaside Spray, Sahara Sand
Designer Series Paper: Come Sail Away
Ink: Sahara Sand, Night of Navy, Seaside Spray, Soft Suede
Accessories: Coastal Weave 3D Embossing Folder, Smooth Sailing Dies,
Layering Ovals Dies, Stitched Shapes Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies,
Designer Elements, Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals,
Envelope Punch Board

 

Your Birthday is a Really Bug Deal

Inspiration: Inspired By #132 (sketch) + Lawn Fawnatics #80 (Fun With Food)

I'm running behind on using my new Lawn Fawn stamp set. I still had not used A Bug Deal, purchased in the Spring release. When I saw the Inspired By sketch, I thought the small bugs would fit nicely on the three circles from the sketch. I wanted colorful papers to make a birthday card and I grabbed the first paper collection that caught my eye, namely Beach Day from Carta Bella (a collection from quite a few years ago). I also made a type of cards I hadn't done in many years: a matchbox card! Someone was sharing a clearance haul on YouTube and sharing a Sizzix die that makes matchbox cards and I thought, I used to love making those and I haven't done one in ages. I made sure to glue both of my layers with adhesive strip so that it would stay in place when I pop the front of the card in. I used my mini stapler to staple the bottom of the card and then I hid it with a strip of paper and baker's twine.

The layout is pretty simple: punched patterned paper matted with cardstock, little images stamped, colored and die-cut and a piece of orange ric rac that dates back to my early Stampin' Up! years. I decided to use the English sentiment from the set because I liked the pun. I used navy embossing powder to make sure the text was easy to read on the patterned paper.

I decorated an orange metallic envelope to match as well. There's just something about the colorful patterns that makes me happy when I look at this card. And it was really fun to revisit the matchbox card concept again. For reference, I cut a regular card base out of cardstock, at 4-1/4" x 11" and I scored it at 4-7/8" and at 10-1/4". Easy-peasy. You could definitely add a double-fold at the top is you do want it to look more like an actual matchbox, but you have to think about dimension and how you will fit it into an envelope to mail if you do. I didn't bother and made a flat version instead.

 

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: A Bug Deal (Lawn Fawn)
Cardstock: Blueberry Bushel, Poppy Parade, Crushed Curry, Granny Apple Green, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Beach Day (Carta Bella)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); VersaMark
Accessories: Circle Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pumpkin Pie Ric Rac,
Mini Stapler (Stampin' Up!); Boy Doodle Twine (Doodlebug Design); A Bug Deal Dies (Lawn Fawn);
Navy Embossing Powder (Top Boss); A2 Flame Metallic Envelope (envelopes.com)

 

Hugs Stand Closed for Summer

Inspiration: MFT Sketch #497 + Festive Friday #63 (Pink + Green + Embossing) + Little Red Wagon #557

Confinement had already started when I purchased the Market Stand set from Avery Elle. It contains different words that you can stamp on the stand sign, to make it what you want: Tiki bar, Advice, Lemonade, Farmer's Market, Free Hugs and Kissing Booth. I kept thinking that it would be cute and a little cheeky to use the little "open" sign from the set, cross the word off and handwrite "closed" underneath. I've also purchased a few sheets from the Summer Market collection from Carta Bella, which pairs with the stamp set beautifully. I based my Copic coloring on the paper colours.

For the sentiment, I wasn't sure what to use so I started looking through my stamps and one of the first things I saw was "Le temps d'une pause," which loosely translate to "Taking the time for a short brake." Seemed to go well with my closed hugs stand. I used Emerald Envy glitter embossing powder to match the green in the papers. I added dry embossed stitching underneath to try and fill in the space a bit, and a piece of white pompom trim for texture. I used a little flower sticker from the same collection and added clear confetti and gems to add sparkle.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Market Stand (Avery Elle); Saisons colorées (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Call Me Clover, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Summer Market (Carta Bella)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento); VersaMark
Accessories: Markers (Copic); White Gel Pen (Gelly Roll);
White Pompom Trim, Stampin' Dimensionals, Needlepoint Border Embossing Folder,
Emerald Envy Glitter Stampin' Emboss Powder (Stampin' Up!);
Outside In Stitched Rectangle Stackables Dies (Lawn Fawn);
Sparkling Clear Confetti Mix (Pretty Pink Posh); 
Jewels - Ice Cube Mix (Little Things from Lucy's Cards);
Slim Edgers Dies (PinkFresh Studio); Sweet & Tart Heart Sprinkle (Trinity Stamp)

 

I [Heart] Unicorns

I kept going with the Dream Big paper collection from Simple Stories after finishing my first layout with it and dove right into this one, which was inspired by the unicorns pattern. My niece has been obsessed with unicorns for a few years now and the love for them doesn't seem to be fading. This was the chosen theme for her last birthday party and she recently let me know that she would love to have a pet of her own, with a unicorn topping her wish list, right above a dog. 

This page took a while to complete and I'm still uncertain about it as it feels a little top-heavy. I do like the handcut unicorn at the bottom, with the little bit of tulle peaking out. You can see another handmade tassel using sparkly crochet thread and beads. I also used a piece of chipboard from the Poolside chipboard pack (the August ticket). 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers: Dream Big (Simple Stories)
Cardstock: So Saffron, Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Punches: Heart, Three Hearts, Lace Border Trim (Stampin' Up!) 
Accessories: Dulce Say It in Crystals (Prima Design); Iridescent Bubbles (Studio Katia);
Iridescent Mini Star Confetti (Pretty PInk Posh); Bonjour Thickers (American Crafts);
Bundle of Joy Enamel Dots (Echo Park); Thrift Shop Border Rub-Ons (October Afternoon);
Carpe Diem Insta Quote Stickers (Simple Stories); Transparent Glitter Stickers (Starform);
Ref. Articles Dies (Kesi'art); Eyelet, Mini Stampin' DImensionals, Silver Washi Tape (Stampin' Up!);
Beads (Bead Landing); White Pearl Metallic Crochet Thread (Aunt Lydia's);
White and Glitter Gel Pen (Gelly Roll); Teal InkJoy Gel Pen (PaperMate)

 

Rainbow Brite

Inspiration: Just Us Girls #543

My sister and brother-in-law texted me this picture a couple of years ago. We had discussed dressing up as Rainbow Brite for Halloween not long before they stopped by a store and found this adorable rainbow costume. I've been sitting on this picture for a while but today I was pulling out my supplies to start crafting and found the Dream Big papers from Simple Stories, which were perfect with their rainbow colors and patterns. This came together pretty easily (although slowly since i was distracted by a show I was watching on my computer at the same time). I used the brand-new Stitched Rainbow dies from Lawn Fawn. I love that they included the base piece to mount the rainbow on, which makes it easier to assemble the rainbow and move it around before gluing it in place (and it also offers the option to pop it on dimensional foam easily as well - plus the stitching is cute). I added two clouds die-cut out of Dazzling Diamonds glitter paper, topped with Shimelle enamel shapes.

I'm still working on using my Pool side chipboard pieces from Crate Paper. The diamonds (kites?) were the perfect colour so I scattered all three on the layout. I've shared recently my attempts at creating my own embellishments. My latest endeavour was tassels. I acquired sparkly crochet thread (silver and gold) and a big bucket of beads, and this gold tassel was my first one. I love how it turned out, and it looked nice hanging at the bottom of one of the diamonds. 

 

 

 

Supplies
Patterned Papers: Dream Big (Simple Stories); Various Paper Scraps;
Dazzling Diamonds Glitter Paper (Stampin' Up!)
Punches: Elegant Tag Topper, Three-Way Banner (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Stitched Rainbow Die (Lawn Fawn); Golden Yellow Twine (May Art);
Cool Metal Eyelets, Crop-a-Dile (We R Memory Keepers); Poolside Chipboard (Crate Paper);
Amy Tangerine White Layers Thickers, Lullaby Thickers,
Shimelle Box of Crayons Enamel Shapes, Heat Wave Thickers);
Here and Now Dear LIzzy Puffy Stickers (American Crafts); Dulce Say It in Crystals (Prima Design)

 

I'll Rise But I Won't Shine

Inspiration: Simon Says Stamp Wednesday (Bright and Cheerful)

This is the last of the four images I had stamped on watercolour paper a few weeks ago and left aside to colour when I had a moment. This weekend, I grabbed the Oddball with a Coffee image and colored her with my Faber-Castell watercolor pencils. I didn't have a colour scheme in mind, so I just went with what grabbed my attention. 

Today, when I sat dowb to stamp, I was trying to figure out how to work her into a design and I kept thinking about this funny saying I've heard many moons ago: I'll rise but I won't shine. With her coffee mug and deadpan look, the Oddball is personifying that saying quite well. I pulled out the Radiating Rays stencil from My Favorite Things and I used Wilted Violet and Chipped Sapphire for the background and Scattered Straw and Wild Honey for the rays and center.

To add my sentiment, I used the Birdie Brown Alphabet & Numbers stamp set and Oliver's Stitched ABC's dies for Rise and Shine. I masked the bottom of the cardstock and added Chipped Sapphire ink to ground the design. I colored the rays and the pink letters using Lawn Fawn's Liquid Stardust and popped the die-cut Oddball image on dimensional adhesive.  

The finished card measures 3½" x 7". I'm really pleased with how it turnedo ut. This is very different from my usual style, so I'm happy that it turned out like I was envisioning.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Oddball with a Coffee (Stamping Bella); Birdie Brown Alphabet & Numbers (My Favorite Things)
Cardstock: Pineapple Punch, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!); Bristol Smooth (Canson)
Designer Series Paper: Unknown Collection (Stampin' Up!)
Inks: Chipped Sapphire, Wilted Violet, Scattered Straw, Wild Honey Distress Oxide (Ranger);
Tuxedo Black (Memento); Night of Navy, PIneapple Punch Classic Ink (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Liquid Stardust, Oliver's Stitched ABCs Dies (Lawn Fawn);
Envelope Punch Board, Stampin' DImensionals (Stampin' Up!); 
Oddball with a Coffee Die (Stamping Bella); Albrecht-Dürer Watercolour Pencils (Faber-Castell);
Radiating Rays Stencil (My Favorite Things)

 

Summer Celebration

Inspiration: Inspired #131 (Summer Please) + Little Red Wagon #556 (Summertime Fun)

I got my hand on the new Lawn Fawn release and got to playing today. The first set I reached for is Simply Celebrate Summer. As per the other seasonal Simply Celebrate sets, the little rows of seasonal items really appealed to me. I based the colour palette on the Color Throwdown challenge - only to realize this was last week's and already closed. Still, the colours were perfect for the items in my images. 

The images were stamped in black ink on watercolor paper and colored with ink and both a blending pen and an aquapainter brush. I layered the images over 1" strips of cardstock, each embossed with a different embossing folder. I was planning on repeating a colour, but then I realized that the pineapples would look great over white embossed cardstock, which always look crisp and neat. I looked for a long narrow French sentiment I could put in the empty row. I found "Everything is more rosey with you," which is sweet and goes well with the little touch of pink in the card.

I added sequins and beads on some of the images to dress them up and dew drops on each side of the sentiment. I stamped the row of watermelon slices twice on a green envelope with VersaMark, adding clear embossing powder for a tone-on-tone glossy look.

 

 

 

Supplies
Stamps: Simply Celebrate Summer (Lawn Fawn); Fabuleux flamant (Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Thick Whisper White, So Saffron, Flirty Flamingo, Coastal Cabana, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)
Inks: So Saffron, Flirty Flamingo, Coastal Cabana, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry (Stampin' Up!);
Jet Black Premium Ink (Lawn Fawn)
Embossing Folders: Perfect Polka Dots, Cloudy Day, On Point, Boho Chic, Needlepoint Border (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Simply Celebrate Summer Dies (Lawn Fawn); Dew Drops (The Robin's Nest);
Rose Gold Embossing Powder (Simon Says Stamp); Stampin' Dimensionals,
Blender Pen, Aqua Painter Brush (Stampin' Up!); Avocado A2 Envelope (envelopes.com);
Warm Golden Glow (Little Things from Lucy's Cards)