from my ink pad to yours

September 14, 2022

My "Neighborhood"

It's a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood is the general theme for the September 2022 Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop with a focus on each participant's favorite place in the world!

I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota in the US and spent a lot of time on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Even though we currently live in a downtown Saint Paul high rise, we still spend as much time as possible at our "Sea Villa" up on Lake Superior. Even as I write this we are finishing up an extended stay up here as we celebrate our anniversary. As summer starts to change to fall, this is one of my favorite times to be here. Walks in the woods, time spent watching the ever changing lake and listening to the waves are just some of the ways we relax up here. With some recent rain we even found some waterfalls to visit.

Of course I usually sneak in a little stamping when I'm up here. I keep a cupboard of crafting essentials up in our loft. This trip I brought along Season of Chic so that I could work on a design team project I had for Splitcoaststampers weekly Color Challenge which included "nature" for dessert.

So many current Stampin' Up sets relate to this area, from Adventurous Journey with its boat and kayak to Wildlife Wonder with some of the animals found in the north woods. I decided to bring Season of Chic for it's versatility and the fact that I love to explore what's in bloom along the roadsides and walking paths.
The colors in our challenge this week are Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen and Rich Razzleberry. There is a lot of this razzleberry/orchid color popping along the paths right now.
I stamped all of the die cut elements on this card on watercolor paper so that it would be easy to soften and blend out the colors a little.
I decided to bring in even more nature by picking a small fern and inking it up with Evening Evergreen ink and pressing it into some Soft Succulent card stock. Yes, I have the fern folder and stamp but those are in St Paul and this a fun, if slightly messy, substitute!

I'm looking forward to checking out the neighborhoods "around the world" on our blog hop. Wont you join me in peeking in on them? Next up is Tricia Buts.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

If you would like to receive my newsletter please click on the Stay in Touch link at the top of my blog. You can also check out the Stampin' Up! catalogs link in the same location. If you don't have regular Stampin' Up Demonstrator and would like hard copies of any of our current catalogs please feel free to email me at cbondersonsmith@gmail.com

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the September host code, QYUY6YC3, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Posted at 06:00 AM in Season of Chic | Permalink | Comments (6)

August 10, 2022

Never Ever Grow Up

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

It's been a busy summer and here we are back again to hop around the world with all of the talented stampers with Around the World on Wednesday.

This month our theme is "Never Ever Grow Up". I think you will see a variety of fun cards for the younger set as you hop around the world with us. Since most in our family are the adult variety of kids I thought I would get a head start on a holiday that I think that gives many adults a chance to embrace their inner child, Halloween.

This set features 3 fun witch hats and a pair of silly feet. A little more of the playful than the scary variety. Plus a spider and stars stamp. Plus there's a punch that gives you a hat, band and stars. So many possibilities!
I stamped the first pair of feet on the bottom center of a scored white card, using Jet Black Stazon ink. This makes it easy to stamp the remaining feet which will go off the edge a bit.
Either Stampin' Write Markers of Watercolor pencils will work well with the Stazon ink.
I pulled out another fun set, Bottled with Happiness for its line "Let's get into the spirit".
Layer some scallops cut with the Scallops & Contours Dies and add a Black & White Gingham bow to keep the "cute" going.
What do you think of the little sparkly green star on the band of the hat. I punched it out of the glitter washi.

Now that you've had a little Halloween preview it's time to move on to the next blog in the hop, Tricia Butts. I can't wait to see what creation she has for us!

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Thanks so much for hopping with us!

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the August host code, QSGZGFJ, I will send you a free gift. Plus you get to choose a free Sale-A-Bration item with each $50 ordered. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 06:00 AM in Bewtiching | Permalink | Comments (7)

July 13, 2022

CAS(e) A Team Member

I'm back today with a fun Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop: Our theme is CAS(e)ing a team member.

AND! I get to case the talented Wendy Lee. It was so much fun practically immersing myself in her blog, absorbing her style. To top it off, I had a great little chat with her. In the end I decided to CAS(e) her fabulous, glimmery Kite Delight card, Glimmery Thanks.

For the most part I use specialty papers in small doses. Wendy's card is more of a Go Big, Go Bold card when it comes to glimmer and I thought it would be a great way to stretch myself as I tried on a little bit of someone else's style. By using one of the colors Wendy used, I could also incorporate this week's color challenge over at Splitcoaststampers: Parakeet Party, Polished Pink, Coastal Cabana and Blushing Bride.

Since it is Christmas In July all month for our color challenges, I initially aimed for a wintry Christmas scene - a little whimsical for a vintage trailer.

What do you think of that large glimmery background? I think it is perfect with these whimsical colors. At first I was concerned that the paper depict the idea of a forest of pines, so I tried stamping on the glimmer paper. Since I used Parakeet Party it doesn't show really well but I did learn that the ink will dry as I wasn't picking any of it up on my fingers.
I cut the detail of the trees from white glimmer paper to depict the snow. And then used a partial Stylish Shapes circle of white glimmer paper to give my vintage trailer a base of snow.
The Polished Pink/Blushing Bride trailer gets a little bit of sponging around the edges to lend depth.

As you can see, I also borrowed Wendy's sketch with a Stylish Shapes circle to lend focus and organize my scene. I really like how this sketch works with the Trees for Sale stamp set and the Tree Lot dies. So much so that I decided to make a second card with a few tweeks:

Recalling a Christmas spent in Pensacola a few years back, I decided to use a warmer climate for the next scene. I took some liberties with the color combination and added some Granny Apple Green for some bolder trees. I like how this stands out from the Glimmery Parakeet Party background. Maybe I prefer just a tish less glimmer too?
I also changed up how the Coastal Cabana color is used. The circle is lightly blended on White cardstock and I added a skinny border layer. Wendy loves layers! I hope I used enough. Since I've shared a few sheets of the Parakeet Glimmer paper this was my last sheet so I cut out a circle to use on a future project. Thus, this time my circle is actually inlaid into the Parakeet Party layer...

I might have to come up with some more cards with this sketch - in the other glimmer paper colors. It really is a fun look. Thank you for the inspiration, Wendy!

Well that's enough chatter for these cards. On to Alaska! I can't wait to see what Teri West comes up with.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Tatiana Tobin - AU

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cazz Boylan - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Melissa Gifford - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

If you don't have regular Stampin' Up Demonstrator and would like hard copies of any of our current catalogs please feel free to email me at cbondersonsmith@gmail.com

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the July host code, PJ3P2ZKP, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Trees For Sale Photopolymer Stamp Set (English)

[159785]

Tree Lot Dies

[159938]

Stylish Shapes Dies

[159183]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

[159229]

2022–2024 In Color 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Glimmer Paper

[159246]

Real Red & White 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Glimmer Paper

[159578]

Parakeet Party 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159259]

Polished Pink 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[155710]

Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131297]

Blushing Bride 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131198]

Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131202]

Polished Pink Classic Stampin' Pad

[155712]

Parakeet Party Classic Stampin' Pad

[159208]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad

[147097]

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad

[147095]

Blending Brushes

[153611]

Posted at 06:00 AM in Happier than Happy, Tree Lot Dies, Trees for Sale | Permalink | Comments (9)

June 08, 2022

Let's Hear It for the Boys

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Yes! I have been a bit MIA if you haven't been keeping track of me on my Facebook page or Instagram. Just lots of non-stamping stuff going on...But, I'm back today with, drum roll please, ... Let's Hear It for the Boys, a blog hop with the awesome Around the World on Wednesday group.

Our theme is projects that celebrate the guys in our lives. I took a little bit of a twist on this one. After we get done celebrating those guys, they may need some thank you notes. I made these for my husband to use after he retired last week.

I got started with this set of cards by using a color challenge calling for Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green and Mango Melody. This was also my first go round with the Rugged Icons Dies:

I can easily see myself using all of these, well maybe I'll need to use my imagination for the beard. Anyway, here is the first card:

After experimenting with a few die cuts I realized that whatever color is used for the outline needs to work for trees and the shadow of the mountains. With the bright colors of the challenge I decided to go with the boldness of basic black. I also cut a Mango Melody and Coastal Cabana scene to use for the inlay.
I cut the same image from the front of my Basic White card base and lined the inside of the front with a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Granny Apple Green cardstock. This kept the inlay easy I only needed to add the sky, sun and river or trail.
I centered the black frame so that the horizon line was level and secured it with sponged on Multipurpose Adhesive.
Add the inlay. Hint: Fit the pointed end of the sky piece on the left into place first.
Add your greeting. I loved the way the simple font from Sending Smiles works here.

With one card down and feeling a little more comfortable with the dies I tried a modification of my simple card sketch to avoid the extra layer on the inside of the card.

This one used some smaller layers on the front to add the Granny Apple Green. I also changed the path to a river. Since I knew I'd be making a few more I positioned my greeting on the Stamparatus to get consistent placement.

I love the way the bright challenge colors looked with the black but wanted to try some more muted colors. There are lots of possibilities if you consider various darker shades of green paired with lighter shades. For these I settled on Evening Evergreen for my frame with Soft Succulent in the background:

I used Balmy Blue for the sky/river and So Saffron for the sun. I subbed in Crumb Cake on the second card to depict a trail.
The same greeting used previously was stamped in Evening Evergreen.

Now it's time to check out the rest of the blog hop.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Melissa Gifford - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the June host code, X6MYPQDK , I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Posted at 05:00 AM in Rugged Icon Dies | Permalink | Comments (4)

March 24, 2022

What's Cookin' Handmade Stamping Up Card

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Well, have you checked out the Retiring List/ Last Chance Products? Some items are up to 60 % off. See my post on that from yesterday here. Check here for my Retired Project Gallery. It is a work in progress but I do have a few favorites on there already

I wrote up this post before seeing the retiring list and, sadly, this is a bundle that is retiring. So far I haven't located the stencils in the new catalog either and these are really must haves in my opinion.

This card is from a color challenge I designed for a few weeks ago. The colors were Real Red, Pool Party and Petal Pink. The red and pale blue had me thinking about a couple of vintage style kitchens: my mom's late '60's kitchen and my daughter's vintage 1940's kitchen which still boasts some the most unique drawer pulls I've ever seen. Dessert for this challenge was flowers:

Real Red

Pool Party

Petal Pink

Here's what I came up with:

The background is made with the Butterflies & Flowers Decorative Mask and Blending Brush,
I cut a white and Real red scalloped rectangle with the Scallops & Contours Dies, layering them ever so slightly to give the skinniest Real Red border. It's a little reminiscent of some layering with the largest die in this set here.
The two-tone vintage bowl was stamped with Real Red. I added Light Pool Party with a Blends Marker. The home I grew up had the palest blue/green painted cupboards and breakfast nook. ...with Real Red Mediterranean tile patterned kitchen carpet. Remember that? It was a rather sharp look that wasn't quite like any other kitchens I'd been in.
A little Basics Baker's Twine in white, allowed me to add that Real Red wisk as an accent.
and the Petal Pink? Yes, I barely got this in there. I stamped a spoon with Crumb Cake ink (Neutrals are allowed) on a scrap of Petal Pink. You may have noticed that many of my photos are taken with a piece of wood tone DSP in the background. This weathered wood pattern has always struck me as having some petal pink in the background. So I felt justified in using Petal Pink for the old wooden spoon. OK?

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the February host code, YPYJ7NWJ, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 11:00 AM in What's Cookin' | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 23, 2022

Last Chance Products

Hello Stampers,

I know that most of my posts are inspirational cardmaking in nature but today is really about things coming and going from Stampin' Up!

Demonstrators have just had a peek at the new 2022-23 Annual Catalog and with that comes the Last Chance Products Promotion. Check out the Last Chance Promotion HERE.

If you have favorites in the retiring 2020-22 In Colors waste no time in snatching them up. When they are gone, they are gone.

If you are intrigued by getting a sneak peek at what's to come, by all means check out the "Join the Fun" button at the top of my blog! Demonstrators recently had a guessing game on their private Facebook page to learn the new 2022-23 In Colors. They are featured here:

While I really love them all I'm especially excited that there is something closer to a periwinkle, Orchid Oasis. The other new colors are called Starry Sky, Tahitian Tide, Parakeet Party and Sweet Sorbet. Can you pick them out in this picture?

I'm really looking forward to the time I spend with stampers in my downline as we chat about the new stuff and get together to try out everyone else's favorites...

Effective April 1 we will have a shipping increase: In the United States, standard shipping and handling charges will change from $6.95 USD or 10% (whichever is greater) to $7.95 USD or 11% (whichever is greater)—including territories and APO/FPO.

Stampin' Up! does try to be conservative in their prices increases but please be aware that this next catalog is likely to see a number of increases across the product lines.

Finally I'm preparing a gallery of projects featuring retiring products. Since I don't know in advance what they are it is certainly a work in progress but you can find the index for it here:

2022 Retiring Product Gallery

Retiring Product List - this will be link on a separate page, allowing me to update it with corrections or improvements.

Initial List - see my shopping page or the above link for more updates:

Download 2021-2022-Annual-Catalog-Last-Chance-Products_US

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Posted at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 12, 2022

Embossing Techniques with Stamping INKspirations

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Happy Saturday! Today we are doing an Embossing Blog Hop with Stamping INKspirations.

I thought I would try something I haven't done for awhile: emboss resist. It turns out that it worked out as a great way to pull together these images from Amazing Silhouettes.

I stamped the images with white craft ink on 1/4 sheet Basic White cardstock since the sheen of the ink was a little easier to see and thus control the placement better.
I started with the tree since it was the fussiest about being "upright" and then added the others around that.
The whole sheet was embossed with white embossing powder.
Polished Pink, Mango Melody and Granny Apple Green inks were applied with Blending Brushes. Use a tissue to blot of any extra ink.
I trimmed the sheet to 3 1/2" x 4 3/4" and attached to a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of gold foil paper.
The thanks was cut from the same gold foil and layered over a slightly large die cut of vellum cardstock.

Here's a skinny shot of the vellum under the gold foil:

And finally, here is a more posed shot - not taken in front of the patio door to catch the light on the foil...

Now it's time to check out the rest of the blog hop. The talented Teri West is next!

Angie McKenzie ● Aurélie Fabre ● Jill Chapman

Jo Blackman ● Leonie Stuart ● Tricia Butts

Karen Henderson ● Mo Rootes ● Jan Musselman

Susan Webster ● Sue Allen ● Chris Smith

Teri West ● Gez Carpenter ● Danielle Kassing

Elaine de Montmorency ● Terry Hamilton ● Vickie Littlewood

Lorraine Tierney ● Annette Ball ● Marieke Bart

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the March host code, M9VSSZKV, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 03:50 PM in Amazing Silhouettes | Permalink | Comments (11)

March 09, 2022

Layer Up with Around the World on Wednesday

Before you read on please draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

I'm so curious about this month's Around the World Blog Hop and I think you will be too. The theme is Layer Up and it's all about using (lots of) layers PLUS we get to decide what that really means.

I confess that I thought twice about this one. Lately I lean towards CAS and border cards, not necessarily many layers. Layers of embossing? Layers of ink?...

Well, I've been thinking about trying to layer these Picture This pieces since I first cut a bunch of them while trying a friend's dies - last summer. Of course I never put the die in exactly the same place so when I stacked them up little moon shapes peek through when you layer them. Anyway, the thought of layering them intrigued me. I finally used them yesterday for a color challenge since I had die cuts for two of the colors (Mango Melody and Flirty Flamingo) and a card base, Pale Papaya, in the third. A key for this particular look was that the colors a rather close to each other on the color wheel.

The Flirty Flamingo and Mango Melody layers are shifted just slightly from each other leaving only crescent shapes of Mango Melody showing through the Flirty Flamingo.
Since the circles were originally cut from quarter sheets I had room to trim them down in order to create borders.
While I could have embossed my greeting directly onto my card I chose to use a separate piece and add it as an extra(!!!) layer. This gave me a little more wiggle room to get it centered in the framing circle. The inside greeting, "you matter to me" is also from the Happy & Heartfelt stamp set from the January - June 2022 Mini Catalog.
Brushed Brass Butterflies finish this off beautifully, especially since it echoes the gold in the greeting.

There are so many possibilities that I decided to put together a few more, using up the rest of the die cuts I had packed. Depending on the colors and the way you layer the dies there are many possibilities.

Monochromatic: I just love using white on white!

These are layered differently, basically turning the top circle layer 180 degrees so that they create a different pattern than the crescents in the previous card.
A little texture from my favorite folder, Tasteful Textile 3D, adds a little more interest.
I decided not to add much more to this, just a die cut "thanks" from the Amazing Thanks dies and a few tiny gold flowers that didn't make it onto the previous card.

Finally, using higher contrast colors becomes graphic art by itself:

This one uses 4 untrimmed quarter sheet die cuts over another Pale Papaya card base, arranged in a random fashion. Pretty thick though you could also trim these a bit to leave several borders.
I used Very Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie and Granny Apple Green because well, those are the colors I had - and I didn't have either the dies or a large Stampin' Cut & Emboss in my traveling stash.
I die cut the Happy & Heartfelt greeting with a Stitched Rectangle die. This did fit in my Mini Stampin' Cut & Emboss, which is the only machine I have with me right now (and it's 20% off this month)!

What colors would you use? I think I'll be trying some more of these once I'm back home...

Now it's time to see how everyone else interpreted our little layer theme. Next up is Tricia Butts. I'm sure she has something wonderful to share with us!

Here is the whole group for this month:

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 04:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

February 14, 2022

Rainbow of Happiness

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Body

Content

BLOG HOP

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Posted at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

February 12, 2022

A Color Challenge with Stamping INKspirations

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Hello, my crafting friends! I hope your weekend is going well. Today I'm doing a little blog hopping with Stamping Inkspirations, organized by my friend Angie, MacKenzie.If you have arrived here from the blog hop, I'm Chris Smith from St. Paul, MN.

Today Angie has us doing a color challenge with some beautiful colors.

Blushing Bride, Polished Pink, Fresh Freesia Bumblebee and Garden Green. Are you thinking spring and flowers? I might have been too. Except, we've been traveling for much of the past few weeks and even though I was just barely organized to sign up for the hop, I apparently wasn't when it was time for me to pack to head up north to check in on the big lake. Even though I keep a second stash of ink pads up there - I don't have the in-colors and this combo has three of them. I do have a stash of ink refills so I set about trying to recreate the colors by mixing them with others as needed and adding white craft to lighten if necessary. I used some sponge daubers to blend the colors onto Basic White cardstock and ended up with these:

I used Rich Razzleberry and a little Highland Heather mixed with a healthy amount of white craft refill to approximate Fresh Freesia.
For Bumblebee I used Crushed Curry and a little less white than I normally would.
My Polished Pink stand-in was Flirty Flamingo with Melon Mambo mixed with the white.
The green sheet is mostly Garden Green with a bit of Bumblebee blended in.

I've always love the "oil painting look" but haven't done this technique since Stampin' Up! started carrying the Blending Brushes which are a little quicker to use. My older technique requires sponge daubers and I'm starting to think that they work better if they are old. When I ordered new daubers a few years ago, the sponge would expand when I put craft ink on them, becoming very wobbly and hard to control. Now I am wondering if the sponge gets stiffer as they age because they worked beautifully now. So if you try this, use some daubers that have been in your stash for a while... I'll add a how-to video towards the end of the post.

Second problem ... I only brought two stamp sets with me thinking I just had to work on a color challenge for Monday which I intended to be masculine. All I had to work with were On the Horizon Bundle and Wildlife Wonder stamp set. What to do, what to do? I thought my chances were better with the bundle and it's dies...

Other than my limited supplies the scene is a bit inspired by our trip to Green Valley AZ earlier this month when we went to visit my parents for mom's birthday. They have a lovely view of the Santa Rita mountains with a bit of Green Valley's dessert flora in between them and the mountains. I decided to take a chance cutting up the die cut with the string of little trees to see if I could create some quasi Prickly Pears.
I applied my desert flora over the bottom edge of the card, trimming off the excess in an attempt to add to the depth. I say you should try anything once.
I also tried a trick I've done with blended backgrounds in the past. Trim off one edge and turn it upside down as a border. You can do this on one or both sides.

Here are some other pictures from our recent travels, noting the difference in climate and scenery...

The first is looking towards the Santa Rita Mountains from my parents' patio.
The second shows Cowboy Whiskers Prickly Pear as seen during a trip to the Sonora Desert Museum last Saturday. You don't want to brush up against one of these but I really thought the name was appropriate.
One of the cards I made with Mom, a birthday card for a quilt loving friend. We used the quilt dies from a holiday catalog a few years back along with the Flowering Cactus Medley from last year plus her new Cactus Cutie Bundle. Sorry for the poor pix - it's the only one I took.
Finally a shot of Lake Superior, near Tofte, MN before we left to return to St. Paul earlier this morning. It was 15 below!

Here is an older video of the sponge dauber blending technique - with even more cacti (Flowering Desert) from the archives:

Gosh, I'm chatty for a Saturday... all because I thought I needed to explain how I got to my card... Now for the rest of the blog hop, next stop is the amazing Tricia Butts:

Angie McKenzie ● Leonie Stuart ● Aurélie Fabre

Rachael Merrick ● Jan Musselman ● Jo Blackman

Karen Egan ● Mo Rootes ● Robbie Susan Chandler

Danielle Kassing ● Gez Carpenter ● Ann Krucek

Annette Ball ● Susan Webster ● Karen Henderson

Elaine de Montmorency ● Chris Smith ● Tricia Butts

Teri West ● Linda Moore ● Marieke Bart

Vickie Littlewood ● Jill Chapman ● Susan Simpson

Terry Hamilton ● Cheryl Hamilton ● Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

On The Horizon Bundle (English)

[157779]

Sponge Daubers

[133773]

Whisper White Craft Stampin' Ink Refill

[101780]

Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin’ Ink Refill

[115664]

Highland Heather Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[147167]

Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[141402]

Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[115662]

Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[131157]

Garden Green Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[102059]

Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[131158]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

[159229]

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[121045]

Basics Embossing Powders

[155554]

Heat Tool (Us And Canada)

[129053]

Paper Snips

[103579]

Paper Trimmer

[152392]

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

Clear Block F

[118483]

Multipurpose Liquid Glue

[110755]

Posted at 03:39 PM in On the Horizon | Permalink | Comments (15)

February 10, 2022

Furry Friends Crafty Collaborations Blog Hop

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Today we have the theme of Furry Friends for our Crafty Collaborations blog hop.

Stampin' Dreams Blog Hop Banner

If you are following the Stampin' Dreams blog hop and are new to my blog, welcome to my inkpad. I'm Chris Smith. Normally I stamp in a little pantry sized studio in downtown St. Paul, MN but more often than I care to admit, it carries over onto our nearby dining room table.

At first I didn't think of otters as furry friends and thought I would feature a bunny today... but we've been traveling and stamping time got tight so plan B was necessary. I decided to feature a group of projects I did during a stamping play date with one of my he'Artstringstampers downline a while back. There will be plenty of time to talk bunnies later...

So, otters have fur right? In fact, unlike most other marine mammals, otters don't have blubber and instead use a very dense water resistant fur to keep them warm. That must be what makes them so cute! The projects I'm going to share with you today use watercolor pencils (and a whole bunch of other stuff we had out on the table) to make that fur come to life.

As you can see here, even though they are called watercolor pencils I don't always use watercolor with them. They are SO versatile. I used them dry on several of these pieces as I think this gives a little more texture to their fur.

This card uses a number of dies. One of my he'Artstringstampers team buddies was visiting and I played with her Layering Diorama Dies to create a simple pond. The grass and leaf are from the Palms Dies in the mini catalog. Finally, I added one of the Tasteful Labels Dies to add my embossed greeting.
Can you see all of the ways I used my pencils? I love to start soft and then add pressure to intensify my colors as I did at the edges of my little pond. A little more green for variation to my Granny Apple Green grass. And, finally the textured look of the otter.
Something to keep in mind about watercolor pencils: if you are using water with them you will want to use a water resistant ink like Stazon Jet Black. If you plan to use them dry you can use either the Stazon or Memento's water based ink, Tuxedo Black. Sometimes I get away with using waterbased ink when I'm using blender pens, as long as I let it dry several hours and use a light touch with the Blender pen. Otherwise it is safest to use Stazon with anything that will be wet or damp.

Here are a few more:

I stamped the otter, hat and greeting on a Crumb Cake that had been precut with the Tailor Made Tags dies. I have to say that I love the old fashioned typewriter font with this set!
Similar use of the pencils, this time stamping directly on the Crumb Cake makes coloring this little guy super easy.
I used the White Stampin' Chalk Marker for the pompom.
This gets a fun ribbon treatment that is simply a mix of scraps: Pool Party Sheer and White Glitttered Organdy colored with a Granny Apple Green Blends all tied up with Black & White Baker's Twine from the Playful Pets Combo.

This next project is one that got away from me a little but I'm going to share it anyway since you might want to try some of the features if you have these supplies. You know I had to keep playing with Liz's Diorama dies:

I combined the dies with Art in Bloom hybrid bundle, using the folder inked with Mossy Meadow to emboss the Pear Pizzazz top layer.
Tone on tone Mossy Meadow stamping of the leaves on the middle layer.
More "dry" watercolor pencil on the actual pond layer with just a bit of pencil shading around the edges.

Finally the tag that started me down this path. I had originally seen some Otter tags by the talented Trayce Bauer on Instagram (@inkingtheedges 11.24.21 post). This was my version:

I used Blender Pens with the pencils. It's still a good look, just without the texture but I make up for that using Trayce's idea of the embossed Pool Party background.

Amazing Otters is a Sale-A-Bration set. That means that you can get it "free" with a purchase of $50 (US). It is only available until the end of February. I think these adorable critters will definitely earn their spot on your stamp shelf. As you can see, they will play nicely with so many other stamping supplies!

Now it's time for the rest of the blog hop. Depending on how you interpret "Furry Friends", Stampin' Up has at least 20 stamp sets featuring one or more of these critters. If I'm looking at the trail correctly you should be taking a virtual hop to see the talented Denise Willerton in Canada:

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Watercolor Pencils

[141709]

Watercolor Pencils Assortment 2

[149014]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad

[101406]

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[122924]

Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131201]

Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[133676]

Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[102482]

Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[131297]

Granny Apple Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[146990]

White Stampin' Chalk Marker

[132133]

Playful Pets Trim Combo Pack

[152466]

White 3/8'' (1 Cm) Glittered Organdy Ribbon

[156408]

Pool Party 3/8" (1 Cm) Sheer Ribbon

[152462]

Layering Diorama Dies

[155565]

Tailor Made Tags Dies

[155563]

Paradise Palms Bundle

[157719]

Sweet Conversations Bundle (English)

[157624]

Metallics Embossing Powders

[155555]

Basics Embossing Powders

[155554]

Bloom By Bloom Photopolymer Bundle

[150598]

Blender Pens

[102845]

Posted at 10:57 AM in Awesome Otters | Permalink | Comments (7)

February 09, 2022

Back to the Basics with Around the World on Wednesday

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Today I am blog hopping with the Around the World on Wednesday team:

We have a great theme for this month's Around the World on Wednesdays Blog Hop. It's all about Basic Essentials. What do we use on a daily basis? Well, I think that the item I order more than any other item in the catalog is Basic White Cardstock. Part of the reason is that I really do like "white" space. But it is also because I love blending colors together and that also requires white cardstock. Today's card will show you both of those features plus a few more essentials!

This card was inspired by my friend Barbara, a fellow color challenge hostess. She chose the combination Night of Navy, Balmy Blue and Just Jade. She also suggested "dessert" of water. Since we were traveling to visit my parents last week, I needed to work ahead and chose supplies and techniques that were well within my comfort zone: White, CAS, blending... The bundle, On The Horizon, seemed like a natural for simplicity and getting the water feature covered.
I started by blending a quarter sheet of Basic White cardstock with the three challenge colors working from Just Jade on the bottom, Balmy Blue around the middle and Night of Navy towards the top. I like to give my cards the illusion of being taller than they really are by adding a border so I cut a half inch strip and applied it to the right front edge of a white card. (Essential item #2 is my trusty trimmer! In fact, next on my to-do list is a class for a group of new stampers who just ordered trimmers last month...)
Then I cut the grass and "water" using the Horizon Dies. I love to use dies with blended paper as it can provide a little more variation and realism.
I stamped the birds and "BREATHE" in Night of Navy on second quarter sheet of Basic White. Though this color was in the challenge, it is also a color I frequently pull out to get to know a stamp set. If I was going to use only one color with white cardstock it would be Night of Navy!
Before attaching the die cut images, I ran the stamped piece through my Stampin' Cut & Emboss with my most used embossing folder, Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder. (I actually have two of these - one to use with white craft ink...) There is no theme this folder can't work with. It's also really good for making your cardstock look just a little like watercolor paper.
Attach the dry embossed piece to the card base, apply the die cuts and you're done.

Now it's time to check out the rest of the blog hop. I'm so curious to see what others consider their essentials. Brenda Nelson is next!

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Melissa Gifford - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Teri West - US

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 04:00 AM in On the Horizon | Permalink | Comments (6)

January 30, 2022

Friendly Hello

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Happy Sunday!

I have a quick post today and then will share a blog hop for your Sunday perusal. So, grab a cuppa and get ready...

This card features a technique I first tried out last fall. I thought that some of the beautiful papers in the Friendly Hello Sale-a-bration collection would be fun to use while trying it again. these stamps and coordinating papers are one of the choices you can get when you order $100 worth of stamping supplies from Stampin' Up! during Sale-a-bration, which runs through February 28th.

The "lacey" look to the background is done by using the detailed floral die from the Penned Petals Dies. (These dies can be purchased alone or as part of a bundle with the Hand-Penned Petals stamp set. You need about 4 of the detailed flowers. Use the adhesive sheets if you have them. Otherwise a sponge and some Multipurpose Liquid adhesive will do the trick.
I used my one of my Blending Brushes to apply a little Pool Party to the front of my card base.
The main images from the Friendly Hello stamp set were stamped in Basic Gray ink and colored with the Pool Party and Smoky Slate Blends Combos. Then these are fussy cut.
Layer over a scalloped rectangle from Scalloped Contours Dies and a piece of vellum cardstock.
Embellish with Artistry Blooms Adhesive backed Sequins.

Now it is time to check out the other talented stampers!

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the January host code, ZD9RQ6SY, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Friendly Hello Bundle (English)

[159990]

Penned Flowers Dies

[155557]

Scalloped Contours Dies

[155560]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

[159229]

Vellum 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[101856]

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad*

[122938]

Blending Brushes

[153611]

Pool Party Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154894]

Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Combo Pack

[154904]

Artistry Blooms Sequins

[152477]

Adhesive Sheets

[152334]

Hand Penned Petals Bundle (English)

[155492]

Posted at 11:01 AM in Friendly Hello | Permalink | Comments (7)

January 24, 2022

Another Love & Happiness Valentine

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

I have another Valentine with the versatile Love & Happiness Bundle and it is part of the Crafty Collaborations Valentine Blog Hop.

This is a card I designed for this past week's color challenge on Splitcoaststampers. Jeanne, our hostess chose Poppy Parade, Polished Pink and Pear Pizzazz. Talk about an alliterative combo but it really works, especially if you want to include dessert which is to make a Valentine card!

Here are the bare bones of the combination:

Poppy Parade

Polished Pink

Pear Pizzazz

Well, actually I started with just white "bones", making use of the hybrid 3D embossing folder with coordinating dies (all part of the Love & Happiness Bundle) to make this love white floral heart:

I made two of the embossed hearts, one for the background and one to cut out and pop up. The heart is located in the center of the folder so to make it appear higher I cut more off the top than the bottom. For this card, I cut it with the largest scalloped rectangle from the Scallops and Contour Dies. This one has a open, kind of lacey border.
I thought that I would create more of a bouquet arrangement off to the side but really ended up liking this simple little flower centered near the top of the heart. The problem was this wasn't leaving me with much of the challenge colors. What to do, what to do???
Well, I did three things. First of all I added my greeting stamped in Poppy Parade and cut with one of the two label dies in the bundle.
Then instead of the white baker's twine I had intended to use I switched it up to the Poppy Parade and White twine (Fan Baker's Twine from the Hey Sports Fan Suite). This adds a note of playful sweetness that I really liked.
Finally, a trick that I'm sure to use again now that I've done it once: I cut out two more layers of the scalloped rectangle out of Poppy Parade and Polished Pink. I played around with these a bit and ended up layering them both with the Poppy just under the white layer. The two extra layers add dimension and just a hint of color. They could have both been either color - or you could try just one. Whatever. I just really like the added emphasis this adds. This is fun to use on a card like a Valentine when there's no excuse not to go a little overboard!
Just to make sure you go overboard enough - add one tiny pearl to the center of your flower. Voila. I had so much fun designing this card. I hope you enjoy it too!

Now you're off to the rest of the blog hop!

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the January host code, ZD9RQ6SY, I will send you a free gift, your choice of a Simply Shammy or the Brushed Brass Butterflies. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 10:54 AM in Love & Happiness | Permalink | Comments (11)

January 12, 2022

Casing the Catalog with Around the World On Wednesday

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

I'm back again today hopping with the amazing stampers that Angie Mackenzie has put together with the Around the World on Wednesdays team.

This month we are casing the new January - June 2022 Mini Catalog. I chose to case a card on page 29:

If you look closely you will see some tone on tone die cuts in the background of the card. That intrigued me and I decided to try a similar card with the Crane of Fortune Bundle from the Symbols of Fortune Suite which is found on page 22:

I also simplified my colors, choosing to use just Soft Sea Foam and Basic White along with a Mossy Meadow stamped greeting.
The most time consuming part was layering the gingko type leaflets on my card base. But even that isn't too hard if you use adhesive sheets. Any extra time this does take is well worth it for the lacy appearance this lends to a special occasion card!
Cut a label with the Tasteful Label dies along with three small leaflets from the Basic White Thick card stock.
Stamp the floral image off on scratch paper once and then stamp a soft image on the label die cut. Stamp your greeting over this using Mossy Meadow.
Attach one leaflet to the upper left of the label and two leaflets to the lower right, then attach the whole label to your card with Stampin' Dimensionals.
Add a few Polished Dots and you have an elegant wedding or graduation card!

Now it's time to check out the rest of the blog hop. The amazing Brenda Nelson is up next.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Melissa Gifford - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Ximena Morales - DE

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Emma Goddard - UK

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 04:55 AM in Crane of Fortune | Permalink | Comments (2)

January 11, 2022

His & Hers Vintage Valentines

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

Today I'm joining in on a Vintage Technique Blog Hop with a couple of Valentines.

I'll share a few of my favorite vintage techniques and then send you on a blog hop to see some others.

I initially did the masculine Hats Off/ Sweet Conversations card for today's color challenge over on Splitcoaststampers - for a color combo that I had doubts about. By the time I had it done I realized that I used what I would consider a vintage technique. So I paired it with another favorite technique for a His and Hers approach. Here is the first:

The color challenge was to use Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry (and neutrals if needed). Dessert was to use them on a masculine Valentine.
Another challenge I had with this was to try not to make this look like a blue and yellow U of Mich hat. That wouldn't make a good Valentine for a Minnesota Gopher fan...I'm hoping the Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry look at least a little like Minnesota's Maroon and Gold and the blue looks like denim???
As you can see I added the neutral, Crumb Cake, as a textured layer, using the stripes for the Stripes & Splatters 3D embossing folder duo. This is how I ended up going down the path towards a vintage look. I roughed up the edges with my fingernail before attaching it to my Rich Razzleberry DSP.
I stamped the Birch background stamp with Tuxedo Black on Rich Razzleberry before die-cutting the letters. These were attached to the Crumb Cake layer BEFORE roughing them up. Otherwise they are just too tiny to work with. I used the paper piercing end to rough up the edges here.
The hat and it's patch were colored with pencils. I colored in two directions on the hat to give it kind of a canvas/woven texture.
The little hearts are from Sweet Conversations.The slight texture in these images worked perfectly with my well worn/loved hat idea. I stamped on Basic White card stock but used my Crumb Cake light Blends marker to cover the white outline on these (and the hat) to help with the somewhat rustic or vintage look.
The DSP layers are on a Crumb Cake card base.

I couldn't pass up this technique theme without sharing one of my all time favorite techniques for adding vintage or shabby chic charm:

This is a technique I came up with when I first got my first die cutting machine. It involved pressure embossing designer papers (DSP) and then lightly going over the raised design with sandpaper to expose the design and white core of the paper. It works best with a pattern having little to no white in it - until you expose the core.
I decided to try this out with the Love & Happiness Bundle which includes a 3D embossing folder, along with the Flowering Fields DSP. This Fresh Freesia/Rich Razzleberry pattern works particularly well because the reverse side adds even more to the design.
To start with I embossed the DSP Bouquet of Love Hybrid Embossing folder and then cut out the embossed heart with one of the dies that comes with the folder. Use some sandpaper to lightly sand the raised areas: the flowered side of the frame and then the purple side of the cut out heart.
I trimmed my flowered piece down to 3 3/4" x 5". Since the heart design is placed in the center of the embossing folder I trimmed more off the top than the bottom so that I could have my heart appear more towards the top. I don't know why but I prefer not having my focal point in the center of my card. Maybe I'm just off balance?
Mount your DSP frame on Rich Razzleberry trimmed just slightly larger 3 7/8" x 5 1/8. I used Multipurpose Liquid adhesive, leaving room on one side of the heart to slide ribbon through. I also didn't put the glue right up to the edges so that I would be able to rough up the edges as desired. Add ribbon if desired. I used 3/8" Fresh Freesia Open Weave.
Rough up the edges of your sanded heart as desired - with your fingernail - and attach.
Stamp your greeting in Rich Razzleberry and die cut. As you can see, there are several greetings to choose from. You could also use this for a friend or "the one I love".
Use some scraps to die cut a few flowers. These are also from the Love & Happiness Bundle.

Finish it off with a Fresh Freesia jewel in the center of your flower.
As I look through the patterns in the Flowering Fields DSP I see more patterns I would like to try with this shabby chic technique

Now its time to check out the other blogs. I'm sure you will come away with all sorts of ideas to inspire your stamping!

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Love & Happiness Bundle (English)

[157642]

Birch Cling Stamp

[149256]

Hats Off Bundle

[158361]

Sweet Conversations Bundle (English)

[157624]

Playful Alphabet Dies

[152706]

Stripes & Splatters 3 D Embossing Folders

[157980]

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[120953]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[115316]

Brights 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) Designer Series Paper

[155228]

Regals 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 CM) Designer Series Paper

[155227]

Flowering Fields 12” X 12” (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper

[157670]

Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad

[147091]

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

[132708]

Watercolor Pencils

[141709]

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

[149653]

2021–2023 In Color Jewels

[155571]

Fresh Freesia 3/8" (1 Cm) Open Weave Ribbon

[155615]

Stampin' Dimensionals

[104430]

Posted at 09:55 AM in Birch, Hats Off, Love & Happiness, Sweet Conversations | Permalink | Comments (11)

January 08, 2022

A Sketch Challenge with Stamping Inkspirations

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

A slightly belated Happy New Year to you all!

I'm blog hopping today with the talented stampers with Angie McKenzie's Stamping Inkspirations.

We have a sketch challenge this month with an extra challenge to add some shimmer and shine!

Isn't this a cute sketch? I love borders and this is a little different way of using them. I planned to use our new January - June Mini Catalog's Rainbow of Happiness for this challenge and ended up not being able to decide which lower border to use so I just did two cards.

My first card adds in a few extra favorite products, especially the cute stitched cloud border from the Basic Border Dies:

As I mentioned I chose the Rainbow of Happiness Bundle of stamps and dies to start my card.
My shimmer comes from what else but the Rainbow Glimmer paper and my shine comes in with a few sequins from the Expressions in Ink Ephemera Pack.

I thought the splatter effect of the of the embossed background (Stripes and Splatters 3D Embossing Folders) would be fun to layer behind my rainbow.
The Cloud Punch is bigger than the smaller cloud dies that come with the Brilliant Rainbows Dies so it adds even more design or greeting options. Use the negative piece that's left after you punch your first cloud to go through your other greetings to see what fits. I thought this greeting from Blessings of Home would work really well with my rainbows. Go ahead and keep this "frame with your stamp set you can readily explore your other stamps. Do you have other cloud or weather related dies? Add these frames too.
I made my own rainbow ink pad by putting Gorgeous Grape, Coastal Cabana and Granny Apple Green reinkers on a folder cheap baby wipe. You want to use a cheap one that doesn't have a brand name embossed into the wipe.
After trying the idea on the brighter Coastal Cabana, I decided that the clouds worked better with the lighter Pool Party base.
Since this is a colored card base, I added a layer of Basic White to the inside. Before adding this I stamped the rainbow with my rainbow "pad" stamping it off to get paler shades. I used the greeting: "I am here for you" from the stamp set, Through It Together. This is a wonderful set of encouraging greetings. Most are pretty small so when you use them on the inside there is lots of room for your handwritten message too. If this is a big reason why you send cards, do look this set over! You can find it online by the last link on this post or on page 72 of the Annual Catalog.

This next card focuses a little more on shine than shimmer and I tweaked the sketch to work better with one of the greetings in the Rainbow of Happiness Bundle:

I love to use this bundle with gold. Gold in any fashion because you know. Gold at the rainbow's end. My absolute favorite embellishment in the mini catalog is the Brushed Brass Butterflies. Aside from being adorable they add dimension and shine with out making your card too thick. Technically they are brass but they are gold in my book!

The rainbow die cuts all of the pieces at once. So, when you mix up colors, you end up with arches of all different sizes. I have a little bin full. This rainbow is the result of playing with some of these leftovers.
These are the cloud die cuts from the bundle. Aren't they cute? I especially love the look when you layer them.
And isn't this rainbow scallop border die cut adorable. Though I didn't use it here there is also a little coordinating scallop die that you can use to layer different colors behind the border.

Now it's time to check out the other blogs. You are going to love Jo Blackman's work!

Angie McKenzie ● Susan Simpson ● Donna Lester

Karen Egan ● Terry Hamilton ● Cheryl Hamilton

Leonie Stuart ● Gez Carpenter ● Aurélie Fabre

Tricia Butts ● Susan Webster ● Jill Chapman

Sue Allen ● Jan Musselman ● Chris Smith

Jo Blackman ● Lorraine Tierney ● Marieke Bart

Elaine de Montmorency ● Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Danielle Kassing ● Karen Henderson ● Kirsty Patrick

Mo Rootes ● Judith Patterson ● Teri West

Rochelle Laird-Smith ● Annette Ball

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the November host code, ZD9RQ6SY, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Rainbow Of Happiness Bundle (English)

[157727]

Blessings Of Home Cling Stamp Set (English)

[157930]

Cloud Punch

[157749]

Stripes & Splatters 3 D Embossing Folders

[157980]

Brushed Brass Butterflies

[158136]

Expressions In Ink Ephemera Pack

[155465]

Basic Borders Dies

[155558]

Brilliant Rainbow Dies

[157726]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

[159229]

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[159276]

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock

[122924]

Gold Foil Sheets

[132622]

Rainbow Glimmer Paper

[153056]

Versamark Pad

[102283]

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad

[147107]

Granny Apple Green Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[147163]

Product List

Through It Together Cling Stamp Set (English)

[155796]

Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[131164]

Gorgeous Grape Classic Stampin' Ink Refill

[147164]

Metallics Embossing Powders

[155555]

Posted at 02:55 PM in Blessings of HOme, Rainbow of Happiness | Permalink | Comments (14)

November 15, 2021

Merriest Moments in Non-Traditional Holiday Colors

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

I'm hosting a color challenge over on Splitcoaststampers this week. Since some people are still making Christmas cards and others are done I wanted to pick a combination that could cover the holidays but would be easy to use for something else.

Night of Navy

Petal Pink

Cinnamon Cider

What do you think? Could you use those colors? I came up with them while I was away from my craft stash so I really didn't have anything in mind for the colors - or for the dessert suggestion I made: dots. Anywho...

The dots are subtle - in the background of the 3D embossing folder. They're actually square but let's not qibble...

Merriest Moments is one of the hybrid bundles that includes the stamp set and Merriest Frames Hybrid Embossing folder which has dies and a beautiful 3D Embossing Folder. I tapped the inside of the folder with white craft ink to add just a bit more emphasis on the design. Start with a 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" ie 1/4 sheet piece of Petal Pink card stock and then trim it down to 5 1/8" x 3 7/8".
Layer this on to a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Night of Navy and adhere all to a folded 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" Very Vanilla card base.
Stamp your greeting in Night of Navy ink on a larger scrap of Very Vanilla card stock and cut with the rectangle die in the bundle. Adhere this to the inner part of the frame. I really like this greeting as it isn't just a "Christmas" card but let's you recognize the fact that not everyone has an easy time with the holidays. Lots of room to write on the inside Very Vanilla space!
Stamp both sizes of floral/poinsettia images with Petal Pink ink on Petal Pink card stock. Do the same with the rounded leaf image and Cinnamon Cider. Die cut these along with the tiny pine and dotted botanical shapes. Pine in Night of Navy and dotted in Cinnamon Cider. I love that these little things are cut in threes making for quicker work and less likelihood of me losing tinier dies. Also cut a few tiny, unstamped poinsettias.
Use a pencil - or hard straw to curve the petals and apply as shown. I used Mini Glue Dots to add the flowers and Multipurpose Liquid Glue in just the hidden tips for the smaller pieces.
Add a couple of Pearl Basic Jewels to the centers of the flowers and you are done.

Before I forget! Seasonal Sale starts on Tuesday, November 16 - 18th. Cardstock is 10%off, Ink pads are 15% off and dies from the annual catalog are 20% off. Such a deal I decided to delay my product premier order after Onstage by a bit so I could stock up on my favorite Basic White card stock and a few dies I don't have yet...

See more here: Download 11.16.21_FLYER_SEASONALSALE_US-2

And the last chance list for retiring products from the July - December Mini Catalog: Download July-December-2021-Mini-Catalog-Last-Chance-Products_US

You can get even bigger savings by joining my team during the month of November. Instead of getting $120 worth of product for $99, during the month of November you can get the same amount for $75. Get yourself a Stampin Cut & Emboss or shop the sales when they are in effect. The $120 worth of products is your choice. Click join the fun above to learn more - or contact me!

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a minimum $50 (US) order using the November host code, 9P92HTER, I will send you a free gift. US customers only. Customers placing an order smaller than $50 will still receive my thank you card.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me:

Product List

Posted at 09:40 PM in Merriest Moments | Permalink | Comments (4)

November 13, 2021

Encircled with Friendship Thank You Notes

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

This month's theme for the Stamping Inkspirations Blog Hop is thank you notes - being ready to send lots of them! Angie McKenzie, our fearless leader, suggested this as we all need to send thank you notes AND they can make handmade wonderful gifts.
I decided to feature the bundle, Encircled in Friendship for this project. I initially just purchased the the dies, Encircled in Beauty, for a Christmas project and then went back to buy the stamp set because they have such beautiful messages. Here is a little photo story my project:

You might call this first part the simple stamping version: just stamps and a little bit of watercolor pencil. This was stamped in Pear Pizzazz. The Stamp-a-ratus helped me to get the placement just so. I used the watercolor pencils Old Olive and Flirty Flamingo to color.

For a little something special I added some clear Wink of Stella.

The Stamp-a-ratus helps when when you are making multiples and adding another layer featuring this lovely, detailed circle die.

Since I knew I would be making several of these I came up with a system to make sure I was always die cutting the circle in the same place. I cut two of the circles out of copy paper, using the first to determine the Stamp-a-ratus placement. I cut the second one so that I had about a 1 1/2"+ strip to guide placement of the die.

Once you have the circle secured in the proper place you can remove the guide for subsequent cards. If you place your post-its towards the inside of the circle you can make sure you can avoid tearing the portion that you actually use on your card. Ask me how I know this!

For ease in assembly - and to avoid too much glue on my fingers - I just apply Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive around the circle portion and plain sections and then apply it to the card.

Then I go back and use a scrap strip with just a rather thin layer of adhesive to slide under the un-adhered sections and then gently press the inner circle into place. This is much quicker that it looks!

You could use Adhesive sheets when doing the die-cutting but you know how it goes. I don't always plan that far ahead. This is a good trick to have up your sleeve when you are designing on the fly!

With the intricate, lacey circle you could easily leave it like this...

...or add just a few little pearls!

Repeat 3 more times and you almost have a gift.

These have been paired with 4 envelopes and tied with a little White Crinkled Seam Binding.

Now it's time to see what the talented Leonie Stuart has for us:

Angie McKenzie ● Jo Blackman ● Elaine de Montmorency

Gez Carpenter ● Karen Henderson ● Linda Moore

Jill Chapman ● Chris Smith ● Leonie Stuart

Jan Musselman ● Deb Macdowell ● Mo Rootes

Danielle Kassing ● Terry Hamilton ● Tricia Butts ● Teri West

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with Me: Product List

Posted at 03:59 PM in Encircled in Friendship | Permalink | Comments (5)

November 10, 2021

Favorite Month with Around the World on Wednesday

Hello my papercrafting friends!

Today is the second Wednesday of the month and that means that it's time for another hop with the Around the World on Wednesday crew. This month our theme is all about our favorite month.

You know, I don't know if I've ever thought much about which is my favorite. I suspect if I did it would change through the years. When I really think about it, I look for what I like in any month I'm in. And as I've thought about this blog post, I've pretty much convinced myself that November truly is my favorite month.

The weather in November: I live in Minnesota, US and there is a pretty wide range of temperatures that are possible. We will still get a few warm days - this past weekend was an example: a 65 degree football game is pretty special. Welcoming Woods card with Gilded Leafing
Though we may begin the month with the fall colors softening, somewhere along the line we start to expect the first snowfall. Now I will be the first to admit I don't always enjoy being out in the white stuff but the first snowfall is always kind of exciting AND usually pretty. Though I look out my windows and see soft golds today it probably won't be long until we see some snow blowing and a little wind howling. Snowstorms and blizzards are actually enjoyable if you don't have to travel.Gingerbread Dies with Holly Jolly Wishes and stencil technique:Layer stencil over card stock. Sponge/dauber white ink over your stencil. Spritz with water. Lay a second piece the stencil to absorb excess ink and water. Voila! Two background pieces at once!
Did I mention football? It's my football fan husband's birthday at the end of November. I always have to do some of my most creative stamping to come up with something that works for him. This year I rescued the retired Alphabet Labeler stamp set out of the BOGO box to come up with this football field, enhanced with MN Gopher colors. A color challenge calling for Shaded Spruce, Cherry Cobbler and Gold led me down this path...our seats are way up near the top of the stadium, close to the 50 yard line. A Wish For Everything Birthday Card
The food - I love soup season and usually keep quite a few in the freezer. Some that I've made recently are Chicken Wild Rice, Beet Fennel (what beautiful color!) and Butternut Squash with Beans.
Preparing for the holidays. Thanksgiving, of course is still about food and family. I'm more excited than ever to have all of our kids home in Minnesota for the first time in 14 years. I don't usually do a lot of shopping in November but I do love to go out and get armloads of Poinsettias to fill our home. This Poinsettia Petals Christmas card
But seriously, the thing that I celebrate throughout the month of November is the STAMPING!!! Early in my "career" as a demonstrator it quickly became obvious that stamping is a wonderful past time for deer hunting widows - and also football widows. It's delightful to get together with friends and do some crafting and preparations for the upcoming holidays. And even better, as a demonstrator, November is when we gather as demonstrators (this year it will again be done virtually) for Onstage. Among other things, we get introductions for new product coming out for Sale-A-Bration and the January - June mini catalog. We even get to pre-order a number of new items to start coming up with ideas and planning the the new year. Blessings of Home is a set that we could order ahead of Onstage so that we could do some make and takes at home. Of course, I couldn't wait to play with mine and came up with this and a few more. And of course, I'm just itching to find out what we can preorder on Friday. In fact, November is even a great month to sign up to be a demonstrator.

Blessings of Home Suite card featuring stamps, dies, DSP and dots - coming soon!

That's it for me! I do really love November! I'll be remembering that as the winds kick up later today ... while I'm inside stamping with friends...

Next up is Brenda Nelson. I can't wait to see what she has to show us about her favorite month.

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Emma Goddard - UK

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Before you read on I want to draw your attention to the "STAY IN TOUCH" link just above. Click there to sign up for my newsletter. You'll be so glad you did! Many thanks ~ Chris

I so appreciate that you took the time as you visit my blog today. Let me know what you think and come back again soon! Feel free to ask questions if something isn't clear.

I would love to help you with your stamping journey and have you shop with me! You can click on "Shop with Chris Smith" at the top of my blog.

If you place a $150 or greater order please don't use the hostess code. You will still receive the gifts but you will also get your own hostess benefits.

Shop with me:

Product List