from my ink pad to yours

Serene Garden Sneak Peek

The Serene Garden Bundle has so many possibilities with it's combination of embossing and die cutting framelits. Here is just one:

• This was inspired by a color challenge on Splitcoaststampers: Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Crushed Curry and the retiring Peekaboo Peach. Don't they look lovely together?
• I used the embossing die on watercolor paper. Well, first I tried using a blender pen on regular card stock and the texture of the embossing seemed like it was a little too much for my blender pen.
• The embossed areas are watercolored with ink pads, a little water and a fine paintbrush. The aquapainter's brush would have been to big for the look I wanted.
• I stamped the butterfly from the set with So Saffron, watercolored it, and then cut it out with the matching die. Watercolor paper again I might add.
• The design on the Whisper White card base is done by sponging through one of the Delightfully Detailed Laser Cut papers with Pear Pizzazz and Crushed Curry.
• "Birthday Wishes" is from Varied Vases, another set that will make it's debut in a few short weeks.

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Just a reminder that I still have my Retired Product promotion going on. Here is a card from one of the bundles that is available:

Check them all out here!

 

In The Pink and Then Some

I have a few pink cards for you today, and, if you hang in there you'll see a graduation card too.

This has a little bit of everything:

• The Bloomin' Heart thinlets (#140621) are on the retiring list and they are 30% off or $17.50US
• The coordinating stamped on the envelope in Blushing Bride is from the stamp set that coordinates with the thinlets, Bloomin' Love (#140643).
• Blushing Bride is one of the pinks that is staying. Yay!
• The Share What You Love Artisan Pearl is part of the Share What You Love bundles available this month. It is available as part of the A Little More, Please or Gotta Have It All bundles (medium and large bundles). It's pretty popular an may still be backordered though you can order the bundles.  If those don't happen to be on your shopping list for May, not to worry.  You should be able to get them as a regular catalog item in June.
• Don't you think Blushing Bride is lovely with Very Vanilla!

 

• This card is all about Powder Pink.
• The flower layer was fun to make. I applied the ink directly to the inside of the folder - the side with the Stampin' Up logo. Then run it through the Big Shot with a Whisper White piece of card stock.  In this case the ink is basically on the background leaving flowers and leaves un-inked.
• The leaf layer is dry embossed with the Layered Leave dynamic impressions embossing folder (#143704)
• Powder Pink 1/2" Finely Woven Ribbon (144134) is not only being retired but it is currently 40% off, while supplies last.

More Powder Pink:

• If you were luck enough to get some of the Fresh Florals DSP before it was discontinued, you will find this delicate design in your pack.
• The Petal Palette roses (bundle for Occasions Catalog - will be available in the new catalog as separate items) are gorgeous even without coloring when they are stamped with Powder Pink on Whisper White card stock.
• The Decorative Border Punch (#143721) with Powder pink paper puts a lacey edge to the DSP.

Now for the graduation card - these are in my old high school colors: red and gray.  Not just any red though. When I the CAS challenge on Splitcoaststampers this morning I decided to take my new Lovely Lipstick out for a ride to play with Smoky Slate and Basic Gray.

• Smoky Slate 3 1/4" x 1 1/4"
• Lovely Lipstick 3 1/4" x 1 1/2"
• Basic Gray 3 1/4" x 1 3/4"

Then I decided to try it with a little more texture in the background:

• Though it isn't quite as CAS, I thought that the stripes (Simple Stripes Embossing folder - #145648) went well with the weathered ribbon. Note: some people have better luck with this folder if you keep a piece of Vellum cardstock in the folder even after it has been embossed itself.  Mine does well with colored card stock though yours may vary.
• I changed up the sizes of card stock in the background for this card:
• • Smoky Slate 3 1/4" x 1 3/4"
  • Lovely Lipstick 3 1/4" x 1/4"
  • Basic Gray 3 1/4" x 2 1/2"
• This set, Blue Ribbon has been retired for a few years.  You can get if for free (from me), with a $50 order. Check out the link for Retired Product Bonus at the top of my page.
• It is easy to make this set work with any school colors!

Revisiting What I Love

If you have looked closely at the early release 30th Anniversary Share What You Love Suite you may have noticed that some of the flowers look familiar. The flower from Garden in Bloom a set that retires this month and the 3 part flower from one of my  favorite Sale-a-Bration sets ever, What I Love, both bear close resemblances to flowers in the designer series paper. So if you happen to have either or both of these sets it makes the suite, and its paper, even more versatile!

  

Anyway the idea that these would play together well made me get the What I Love set out to play after I saw this week's Splitcoaststampers Inspiration challenge and this Sunkissed Bedding Collection at Grandinroad.

I ended up doing both a CAS (clean and simple) card that played off of the sunny main print and a layered card that that featured many layers - just like a bed does.

• I used Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral and a little Pear Pizzazz. One stamp ( all from the 2016 Sale-a-bration set)m per color.  Just keep stamping until you think it is enough.  I stamped a quarter sheet piece of Whisper White and trimmed it into 2 panels.
• Hello is stamped with Make a Difference.  This is such a easy set to use - some of the letters some in doubles like my l's.
• To be honest I had intended to pop up the single panel in the top center of the card, but I misjudged how much room "Hello" would take.  No problem though. I just moved it over to the left edge and maybe it looks like I planned it???
• I didn't have any ribbon that would match so I just colored some white seam binding with the light Bermuda Bay Blends.
• The dimensionals are 2 layers thick to really make it pop.  It's is such a simple card I thought panel could use a little extra emphasis.

• Here's my layered card with the second panel.
• What I Love is the only stamp set used.
• Same stamping colors
• The Pool Party layer is embossed with the Quilt Top embossing folder and popped up with dimensionals.
• I colored the seam binding with Soft Sky to get a lighter ribbon this time.

I've been Spring Cleaning

By the way, I have a few new, unused What I Love sets that will soon be on my Bonus page so stay tuned! I took photos of about 30 stamp sets and bundles which will soon go on this Bonus page. This will be similar to what I did last year.  Instead of selling them I prefer to give them away with orders.  There will be more details on the Bonus page which will appear in the bar at the top of my blog. You will need to use my code or place a $150 hostess order to get one of these bonus stamps.  I'm sorry but this will be available in the US only.

Have a good week - make time to exercise your creativity!

 

Keep it Simple Palette

Happy Friday! Let's keep it simple today with a monochromatic Petal Palette card inspired by a similar card I made in the very early days of my blog.

• Stamp the large floral image from Petal Palette in night of Navy several times on a 4.25" by 2" strip.
• Stamp the same image once in the lower left corner of the inside of a top fold Whisper White card
• Use the scallop or wave from Seasonal Layers Thinlets to trim about 1.5 off of a top the front lower edge of your card.
• Optional - use the Night of Navy Stampin' Write to make little dashed stitches along the scallops.
• Stamp Congratulations about 1 inch above the scallops to allow room for your ribbon.
• Line up your 2" strip evenly over the lower inside. Apply adhesive to the top edge and lay the top of your card down over this to attach.
• Tie your ribbon - I used Night of Navy 1/2" Gingham. (allow about 20-21" if you cut it before you tie.)

Here is a closer peek at the inside:

And here is the card that inspired it

Have a good Friday - it sounds like we will have a taste of summer here in Minnesota today.

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Note: All of these supplies will carry over into the next catalog. The Petal Palette Bundle (stamps and dies #145655) and The Colorful Seasons Bundle (stamps and dies #145348) with their 10% savings will no longer be available after May 31. The stamps and dies will only be available to purchase separately.

The hostess code for May is WQHRPRDM.

 

 

Sea of Textures Sneak Peek

Sea of Textures is an intriguing new set with all sorts of artistic possibilities. One option will be to get it in a bundle with the Under the Sea Framelits. I set out to play withthe bundle by embossing it on a couple of different pieces of patterned paper and trying out the dies on the same print. This card features kind of an abstract seaweed pattern from a new collection called Tranquil Textures.

• The three circles for this card came from yesterday's sketch challenge at Splitcoaststampers.
• The netting die was one of the things that first attracted me to this bundles.  It would work with the So Many Shells - even floral sets.
• While I didn't use the sand dollars other than a little flower left from the middle they are adorable and could easily hold their own on a card.
• The octopus and greeting are embossed in gold.
• A thin layer of gold foil paper between the Shimmery White and "seaweed" pattern from Tranquil Textures DSP really helped to pull this card together. Other papers include Soft Seafoam and Mint Macaron.
• Finished with Dimensionals and a pearl from Artisan Pearls.

Back to work today... Happy stamping.

Share What You Love, Love What You Do

Happy May Day!!!

Today is the kick off of a  month long 3 tiered special with Stampin' Up! The Share What You Love Suite is featured in 3 different bundles designed for beginners on up. You also have the opportunity to purchase the new In Color Stampin' Pads - with the new case!! I'll have some hostess code and freebie information at the end of the post, but for now let's get to today's cards:

The Share What You Love Designer Series Paper (DSP) is one of the products in the Gotta Have it All bundle and can you say gorgeous? I couldn't resist giving it a whirl in one of my favorite card sketches for DSP. 

• Whisper White Thick Card Stock and Mint Macaron, Share What You Love DSP
• The Mint Macaron flower is cut from this paper too.  Can you see the shimmer in my curled petals? It is applied with a dimensional.
• Leaflet and words are from the Love What You Do stamp set
• White layer measures 2" on top, 3.5" on the bottom
• The top part of the Mint Macaron layer measures 1.75" though a bit of it is under the white layer.  These triangles were cut from a 3.75 strip of card stock.  Once I got the pieces figured out I used some washi tape on my trimmer to easily replicate the pieces.
• I cut strips of DSP that were 1 5/8 -1.75" - it's not too fussy as the white layer goes over it.
• The Share What You Love Artisan Pearls are tiny little beauties in 5 colors that coordinate with the Share What You Love paper.

I used some retiring favorites in another Love What You Do card for today's Color Challenge on Splitcoaststampers:

• The flowers and message are from the Love What You Do set and are stamped in Black.
• Pink Pirouette is one of the colors that I'm particularly sad about being retired.  I just ordered extra card stock yesterday.
• While I colored this with my Pink Pirouette Blends you could easily use markers with these little petals.
• The Black and White Bakers' Twine is also being discontinued.
• I made the little checked pattern across the bottom with 3/8" strips of a piece I stamped with the retiring Brushstroke background stamp.

The Grapefruit Grove In Color Stampin' Pad is included in all of the bundles, but you also have the opportunity to purchase any of the 2018 - 2020 In Colors during the month of May.  You can also purchase the set of 5 at 10% savings.

Shopping Information

For the month of May and the duration of the Share What You Love special I'm doing some spring cleaning and will be offering free already retired sets with orders.  Pictures will be added to my blog on a separate page soon but it will include:

• Penned and Painted
• From the Herd
• Timeless Love
• Go, Graduate
• Picture Perfect
• Beautiful Bunch
• Flowering Flourishes
• Thoughtful Branches
• Just Believe
• Crosses of Hope  ... and many more. 
• a selection of bundles with be available to choose from for orders over $150! Think Birthday Fiesta, BYOP, Just Sayin'

All orders under $150 need to use my hostess code: WQHRPRDM. Orders over $150 should not use this hostess code because you will want to get hostess gifts.