More Blended Bloom Beauty

Yesterday I showed you my first attempt using the new Blendabilities alcohol-based markers from Stampin' Up!  Today I have another project I made...colouring with these new markers is just such fun!

Any-occasion card featuring the Blended Bloom and A Dozen Thoughts stamp sets.

In addition to colouring the blossom, I also coloured the coordinating rhinestones in the centre of the flower and at the edge of the sentiment banner.  I love that I can instantly create coordinating embellishments!

Now in case you're wondering, I've given you a wee sneak peek at one of the new In-Colours for this year.  This lovely yellow is called Hello Honey and is just about as yummy as its name sake.  It is such a warm mellow yellow...i'm sure it will soon become one of my favourites!  It looks terrific combined with Coastal Cabana on this card...a marriage made in heaven, if you ask me!

Blended Bloom Love

I am in love with Stampin' Up!'s new Blendabilities alcohol markers!  They will be available to order when the new Annual Catalogue goes live in June, but as a demonstrator I got to pre-order select sets.  This weekend I had a chance to crack them open and have a go and, let me tell you, I LOVE them!!  I spent a good chunk of my Mother's Day afternoon sitting on the deck colouring...it was heaven!  I used them with several different stamp images, but my favourite, by far, is the brand new Blended Bloom stamp, which will also be available June 2nd.  Check it out:

Thank you card featuring the Blended Bloom A la Carte stamp with sentiment from Sassy Salutations

Isn't that gorgeous??  I had such fun playing with my Blendabilities that I had my whole team create this card at our meeting last night.  Each person used a different colour set but with the same basic card layout.  Such fun!  You may notice that, in addition to colouring that pretty flower, I also used my Blendabilities to colour the three rhinestones in the upper left corner.  A quick and easy way to add coordinating embellishments!

Now you may also be wondering about my colour scheme on this card.  It uses two of the gorgeous new 2014/15 In-Colours:  Blackberry Bliss and Hello Honey.  Both are simply yummy colours that look fantastic together.

 I can't wait for the new Annual Catalogue to go live so that I can complete my set and have a full colour pallette to work with!  The Blended Bloom image is so pretty and a great one to learn to colour on.  I made several more projects using this beautiful image which I will share later this week. 

A Twist at The Technique Twist

Happy Monday!  I hope you had a great weekend and a wonderful Mother's Day!  I was spoiled with breakfast in bed, a dozen roses and some new gardening gloves.  I put them to good use yesterday, as the weather here was picture perfect! 
I was so busy enjoying my weekend that I forgot to post about the new challenge over at The Technique Twist!  This time we're twisting our challenge...rather than a technique, we're all about 3D flowers.  For my sample I pulled out some of the oh-so-versatile filter paper and went to town...

Any Occasion card featuring the Feel Goods stamp set and filter paper 3D flowers.

Aren't those flowers pretty?  I made them using the Floral Frames framelits.  Each flower has 20 layers of filter paper diecuts!  You could certainly use less, but your flowers wouldn't be as full. 

I started by die cutting the floral frames - you can cut several layers of filter paper at once - and then spritzed them with some Blushing Bride and Gold Glow Smooch I had in my stash.  If you dont' have any Smooch you could use some rubbing alcohol with reinkers in Blushing Bride and Daffodil Delight in a Stampin' Spritzer.  I layered the coloured die cuts on top of each other and then pierced a hole in the middle.  I inserted a silver mini brad and opened the prongs to secure it.  Then I started scrunching each layer.  Once they were all scrunched I fluffed them up a bit and that's it!  Easy peasy flowers!

Why not try bringing some spring blossoms into your stamping space by creating your favourite 3D flowers.  Then be sure to enter your creation over at The Technique Twist...we'd love to see your work!

Happy Mother's Day...a little early!

Well this Sunday is Mother's Day and I thought it only appropriate to show you the card I sent my own mom to mark the occasion. 

Mother's Day card featuring the Family Reunion (retired) stamp set.

My mom is, among her many other talents, an avid gardener, so I thought it only fitting that I incorporate flowers on her card in some way.  I had been wanting to try this lattice look, done using the Chevron border punch, for a while so I figured there was no time like the present!  I punched the white card stock and then used the punched chevron shapes, inverted, to create the lattice look.  I had a bunch of branches, punched with the Bird Builder punch, left over from another project.  I began weaving them into the lattice and then added the little punched flowers in Raspberry Ripple.  To give the flowers dimension I layed them on my Stampin' Pierce mat and pressed in the middle with the eraser of a pencil...instant petals. 

The DSP I used is from the Sale-a-bration Sweet Sorbet pack (yep, still using that stuff up!) and the little butterflies were die cut using the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.  The sentiment is from the long-retired Family Reunion set and I punched it using the Artisan Label.  I used up some of the my remaining Raspberry Ripple stitched satin ribbon and finished with one of my beloved Antique Brads.
Although this card took a while to put together it was worth the effort for the woman who gave birth to me and allowed me to survive my teen years ( and let me tell you, I'm sure that wasn't easy!).  I love you mom!!

Baby Mojo

Well I'm late again!  Today's project was designed using LAST WEEK'S sketch over at Mojo Monday.  I quite liked the sketch, but alas I am too late to enter the challenge.  Ah well...maybe next time!  Here is my project:

Baby card featuring the Zoo Babies, Hearts A-flutter and Sweet Essentials stamp sets.

Would you believe this is the first time I've inked up my Zoo Babies stamp set??  I've had it for nearly a year and it just finally saw ink this past weekend!  Sad or what??  Thankfully it is back in the new 2014/15 Annual Catalogue so I'll have another year to play with it.

Here are some tips in case you want to recreate this one:

• The colour in the top photo is really off...the bottom one is more accurate!  My colour scheme was Coastal Cabana, Pool Party, Crumb Cake and Whisper White.
• The DSP is from the Fresh Prints DSP stack.
• I used the Adorning Accents TIEF to add this little embossed hearts along the bottom of the card base.  (psst...if you like those little hearts get those folders now...they're retiring soon!)
• The rear panel is stamped using the soon-to-be-retired Hearts A-Flutter stamp set and was then run through the Big Shot with the also-soon-to-be-retired Square Lattice TIEF.  I trimmed the left edge of the panel with a bit of Stretch ruffled trim (also retiring!)
• The sentiment is from the Sweet Essentials stamp set (it's retiring too...are you sensing a theme here?)
• The ribbon is 3/8" taffeta in Crumb Cake, which is...wait for it...also retiring!

Yup, I'm losing a ton of supplies to retirement this year!  There is going to be one heck of a Yard Sale come June...stay tuned for more about that!

Speaking of retirement, there are some great soon-to-be-retired items on this week's Weekly Deals.  Check 'em out:

Alhambra Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel Reg. Price: $10.50 Sale Price: $7.88	Card Base Pop' N Cuts Reg. Price: $48.95 Sale Price: $36.71	Hearts A Flutter Clear-Mount Stamp Set Reg. Price: $22.95 Sale Price: $17.21	Holiday Ornaments Framelits Dies Reg. Price: $30.95 Sale Price: $23.21
I Am Me Designer Series Paper Reg. Price: $13.50 Sale Price: $10.13	Pacific Point 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon Reg. Price: $12.50 Sale Price: $9.38	Real Red 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon Reg. Price: $6.75 Sale Price: $5.06	The Man, The Myth Board Book Designer Template - Digital Download Reg. Price: $16.50 Sale Price: $9.90

Florets for Grammy

My son is very close to my mother.  She is his only Grandmother and he simply adores her.  For Mother's Day this year I wanted to make a special card for him to send to her so I pulled out the soon-to-be-retired Fabulous Florets stamp set along with some of the out-going In-Colours.  This is what I ended up with:

Mother's Day card featuring the Fabulous Florets stamp set with sentiment from the (retired) Family Reunion set.

Pretty, huh?  I asked me son if he thought Grammy would like it and his response was "Ohhh, yeah!".  This one took a bit of time but was worth the effort.  I stamped the flowers in Versamark, heat embossed in white and then white-washed each flower and leaf with my Aquapainter and Whisper White craft ink.  Then I used a blender pen and Primrose Petals and Raspberry Ripple markers to colour the flowers and a Gumball Green marker for the leaves. 

I layered the Top Note die cut on a background that I left just stamped and heat embossed...I liked the way the coloured flowers contrasted with the plain line-art images.  The sentiment is from the long-retired Family Reunion stamp set.  It is one I will likely keep forever, as it has a stamp for just about every family member you could imagine!  I used Primrose Petals stitched satin ribbon and a vellum butterfly cut with the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.
A pretty card for a beloved Grammy!

Triple Time with a Twist!

Yay!!  It's Friday!!  TGIF!!  How about some stamping inspiration as we head into a weekend??  This week's challenge over at The Technique Twist is Triple Time Stamping.  This fun technique creates some awesome looking projects!  Here is one that I  put together:

Encouragement card featuring the Triple Time Technique and the Serene Silhouettes stamp set with sentiment from Blessings From Heaven.

I began by laying out my pieces.  I really just used scraps of Whisper White card stock I had laying on my stamp desk.  I temporarily adhered them so that I could sponge without them moving around.  HEre are some tips for you:

• I  created a mask for the sun using the 1-1/4" circle punch and a Post-it note.  
• Starting from the bottom, I sponged Pear Pizzazz for the grass, then added Old Olive and Always Artichoke toward the bottom. 
• I then moved to the top and worked my way down with So Saffron, then Crushed Curry, then Tangerine Tango, Cajun Craze and finally Cherry Cobbler.  With each new colour I didn't go quite as far down the page so that I ended up with gradually darker shading from the bottom to the top.  
• I removed the circle mask and sponged the sun with So Saffron.  
• The silhouette image is stamped in Staz On, as is the sentiment.
• The mats for each layer are just 1/8" larger, which is narrower than most tutorials suggest for this technique.  I like the narrower mats, as they don't detract from the image as much.
• I used Naturals White for the card base.

On the inside I stamped the silhouette image again in black Staz On.  I also stamped the sentiment from the Trust God stamp set on scrap Whisper Whiteand die cut it using the Squares Collection framelits.  I then sponged a bit of So Saffron, Crushed Curry and Tangerine Tango to echo the front of the card.

Inside view with sentiment from the Trust God stamp set.

I am actually planning to send this card to the principal of my son's school, who is battling breast cancer.  She is a wonderful lady who is facing this horrible disease for the second time.  I know it will brighten her day to know many are praying for her recovery.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!  If you have time to give this technique a try be sure to enter it over at The Technique Twist...we'd love to see your work!

Now for some exciting news!!  Project Life has arrived! 

A selection of Project Life products are now available for order with more to come in the new 2014/15 Annual Catalogue.   My box of PL goodies arrived this week and I am SUPER excited to play with them this weekend!  I also can't wait to get my hands on the other collections in the new catalogue...so many awesome ideas!  You can view the selection of products currently available by clicking HERE.  Then contact me or place your order online and get going on preserving those precious memories!
Have a great weekend!!