A Jar of (Fall) Flowers

 Happy Tuesday...and happy first day of school! Yep...I am headed back for year #25 as a high school music teacher, and I have to say I've never been so anxious. Covid-19 means a whole new way of doing education, including teaching instrumental music without instruments! Don't ask...

Suffice to say, I spent the better part of the weekend in my studio trying to distract myself from the uncertainty and anxiety surrounding the return to school. I turned to one of my favourite stress-relievers...colouring! I decided a little colour therapy was in order, so I made a last-minute change to my plans for this week and decided to feature the Jar of Flowers bundle. The beautiful florals in this stamp set are just what the doctor ordered. Check out this pretty fall card...

One of the things I love most about this time of year is the abundance of gorgeous sunflowers. I used the sunflower image from the Jar of Flowers set, stamped in Early Espresso ink on some light woodgrain DSP from the In Good Taste DSP pack. I coloured the image using Stampin' Blends: Light Mango Melody, Dark Pumpkin Pie, Dark Old Olive, Dark Cajun Craze and Light Cinnamon Cider. The sentiment is from the Celebrate Sunflowers set and is stamped in Early Espresso. I used the Stitched Nested Labels dies to die-cut my woodgrain DSP. Here is a closer look...

The background DSP is from the Flowers for Every Season pack. I added a vertical element using Cinnamon Cider card stock, embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder. I love the subtle texture of that folder! I embellished a little using a couple of leaves from the In Good Taste Elements and some Bumblebee Gingham ribbon.

On the inside I kept it super simple, adding a panel of Whisper White card stock and a scrap strip of the same DSP I used on the front. (*Reminder...NEVER throw out those scraps...they are the perfect accent for the inside of your cards!)

I'll be demonstrating this card and two others (with LOTS of colouring) in today's Tuesday Live @ Five video at 5 pm ET over on my Facebook page. If you miss me, you can catch the replay shortly afterwards on my YouTube channel. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Have a super week!

Product List

Jar Of Flowers Bundle [154064] $49.50	Celebrate Sunflowers Cling Stamp Set (English) [152517] $33.00	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $10.25	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $13.25
Bumblebee 8-1/2X11 Cardstock [153077] $12.00	Flowers For Every Season 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [152486] $15.75	In Good Taste Designer Series Paper [152494] $29.00	Mango Melody Combo Pack Stampin' Blends [147945] $12.00
Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [144599] $12.00	Cajun Craze Combo Pack Stampin' Blends [147931] $12.00	Cinnamon Cider Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [153105] $12.00	Old Olive Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [144597] $12.00
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $163.00	Stitched Nested Labels Dies [149638] $48.00	Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder [152718] $12.25	1/4" Bumblebee Gingham Trim [153658] $9.50
In Good Taste Elements [152476] $8.75

Beautiful Autumn

 Happy September! Can you believe the summer is gone? Today I head back to school for the first time since mid-March. I have no idea what this year holds in store...it definitely will be one to remember!

With the new month brings thoughts of cooler days and beautiful fall colours. I decided to mark the new month by focusing on the gorgeous Beautiful Autumn bundle from the August-December Mini Catalogue. Check out this pretty card...

There is so much to love on this card, I hardly know where to start! 

I began with a die-cut scalloped rectangle, cut from Gilded Autumn DSP using the Stitched So Sweetly dies. I stamped images from the Beautiful Autumn stamp set in Crumb Cake and Bumblebee ink and then layered one of the gold hoop embellishments from the Forever Greenery Suite in the Annual Catalogue. I added some laser cut gold foil elements as well as stamped images that I punched using the Autumn Punch Pack. I added some Braided Linen Trim for rustic texture. The sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso ink on a Very Vanilla label die-cut using the Stitched So Sweetly dies. Here is a closer look...

On the inside I added a Very Vanilla card stock panel on which I stamped another sentiment in Early Espresso ink as well as some scattered leaves in Bumblebee and Cajun Craze.

I demonstrated this card in this week's Tuesday Live @ Five video. You can catch the replay below:

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a beautiful week!

Product List

Beautiful Autumn Bundle (English) [155189] $68.25	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad [147085] $10.25	Bumblebee Classic Stampin' Pad [153116] $10.25	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [147116] $10.25
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $10.25	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101650] $13.25	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686] $12.00	Forever Gold Laser-Cut Specialty Paper [152493] $20.00
Plaid Tidings 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [153527] $15.75	Gilded Autumn Specialty Designer Series Paper [153520] $20.00	Stitched So Sweetly Dies [151690] $44.00	Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $163.00
Gold Hoops Embellishments [152474] $10.25	In Good Taste Elements [152476] $8.75	3/16" (1 Cm) Braided Linen Trim [147808] $9.50

A Sunflower Celebration

 Happy Tuesday! I hope you are enjoying these fleeting summer days. They certainly are getting noticeably shorter...fall is definitely on the horizon. 

One of the best things about this time of year is sunflowers! I absolutely LOVE the gorgeous colours of these happy blooms. The Celebrate Sunflowers bundle perfectly captures the beauty of this season, so I am featuring it all week long. Check out this simple card I made...

Isn't that sunflower image just stunning?? The detail is so amazing that it really deserves all of the attention on this project. I created my background by sponging and blending three late-summer shades of ink: Bumblebee, Pumpkin Pie and Cinnamon Cider. I used a die-cut Whisper White rectangle as my foundation and sponge daubers to apply the ink. I absolutely LOVE playing with colour like this! 

I stamped the sunflower in Early Espresso ink, which brings out the amazing detail in the image and contrasts beautifully against the blended background. I added a light spatter of Champagne Mist Shimmer paint with a Water Painter. I matted the die-cut rectangle on Early Espresso card stock and then adhered it to a Very Vanilla card stock matte, embossed with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder. The sentiment is stamped in Early Espresso and popped up with dimensionals. The only embellishment is a hint of Bumblebee Gingham ribbon peeking out from behind the focal image. 

On the inside of the card I simply stamped another beautiful sunflower in Early Espresso ink. I so love the simplicity of this look!

I'll be demonstrating the this card in today's Live @ Five video over on my Facebook page. There's nothing like seeing ink blending done live to make you fall in love with the technique! If you are unable to join me live you can catch the replay over on my YouTube channel shortly afterwards. 

Thanks so much for stopping by...have a great week!

Product List

Celebrate Sunflowers Cling Stamp Set (English) [152517] $33.00	Bumblebee Classic Stampin' Pad [153116] $10.25	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad [147086] $10.25	Cinnamon Cider Classic Stampin' Pad [153114] $10.25
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $10.25	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $13.25	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101650] $13.25	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119686] $12.00
Stitched Rectangles Dies [151820] $48.00	Pinewood Planks 3D Embossing Folder [152320] $13.50	Sponge Daubers [133773] $7.00	Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint [147044] $11.00
Water Painters [151298] $16.25	1/4" Bumblebee Gingham Trim [153658] $9.50