Just Believe...it's time to say good-bye!

Today's project is another one I designed for my Retirement Party class last week.  It uses the very first stamp set I ever did a class with as a demonstrator:  Just Believe.  This set holds a special place in my heart, not only because it was my first class but also because it really is a beautiful set, full of lovely images and sentiments.  To properly send this set off I knew I had to do something special...

Any-occasion card featuring the Just Believe stamp set and using the Telescoping Framelits technique

Close-up detail of telescoping focal image.

 I saw a card on Pinterest recently that used this technique, creating a telescoping series of layers to give the image dimension.  I knew I had to try it with this stamp set.  It is such a cool technique and SO easy to do!  It will work with any set of framelits that has multiple sizes of the same shape.  I simply sponged my background using Certainly Celery and Baja Breeze ink (both of which are retiring), and then stamped the floral image using Basic Gray.  I then laid out my framelits on the image and ran them all through the Big Shot at once.  The result is a bunch of varying sizes of rings.  I then glued each ring onto a plain Whisper White oval of the same size and then layered them one on top of the other using dimensionals.  So easy and very effective!  The hardest part is getting the layers aligned exactly.  I used more retiring product with the Not Quite Navy background layer that I embossed with the Elegant Lines TIEF (both are retiring) and the Certainly Celery 3/8" taffeta ribbon.  The final touches were the butterfly from Papillon Potpourri, stamped on vellum with Basic Gray and punched out with the Bitty Butterfly punch, and the pearl basic jewels.  A perfect send-off to a much-loved stamp set!
Stop by tomorrow for another project that uses this technique!  Have a great Monday!

Elegant Ensemble

Today's project is the latest offering from Craft Project Central.  It is designed by Monika Davis...have a look:

Elegant Greeting Card Set and Gift Tote Ensemble designed by Monika Davis.

Monika has used one of my all-time favourite sets, Just Believe, for this project.  It is one of the first sets I bought after becoming a demonstrator and I don't think I will ever get rid of it.  It is so versatile as is certainly evidenced by Monika's lovely project.  To access the tutorial for this design head over to Craft Project Central and subscribe to September or book a private class or workshop with me this month and receive your month's subscription FREE!  That's a $10 value just for booking an event!  Call or email today to book your September event.

Shadow Stamping

Today I have another man card that I designed for my techniques group this month.  It uses the shadow stamping technique (also known as faux embossing) which creates the illusion of a raised image with ink.  It also allowed me to review Masking with them, as a couple of my club members are new.  Have a look...

Father's Day card for my DH featuring the Just Believe and Family Reunion stamp sets

Inside view with sentiments from the Full of Life and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets

Its not terribly visible in the photo, but the floral image is stamped twice, once in crumb cake and again in soft suede ink, with the latter stamped slightly offset from the former.  The result is the illusion of depth.  I created the sun by punching a 1 3/4" circle in a self-adhesive note and using it to mask my image panel.  I used Summer Starfruit and Cajun Craze ink to sponge inside the circle.  The DSP in the background is from the new Comfort Cafe pack...loving the variety in there!  The button is one of the new Naturals buttons from the upcoming Annual Catalogue...I tied using a nifty trick I saw on Pinterest (my newest time-waster!)  The best thing about this card is that I stamped it using my new Soft Suede ink pad...oohhh...how I love these new pads...can't wait to replace ALL of my colours!  The image quality is absolutely perfect!

A Quickie!

I have exactly 15 minutes before I have to start teaching my monthly class, so I will be brief!  Today's card uses one of my favourite and most versatile stamps sets from the main catalogue:  Just Believe.  See what you think...

"Manly'ish" card using Just Believe set and Woodland Walk DSP

Close up of "Shadow Stamped" focal image

I was going for something sorta manly...not sure I succeeded, but I sure do like this card!  The focal image uses a technique called "shadow stamping" where you stamp the image once in a light colour (I used crumb cake here) and then again, slightly off-set in a darker colour, in this case Garden Green.  The result is a 3-D effect that really makes you have to reach out and touch to see if the image is embossed.  It is very cool and still gives me the look of heat embossing while I wait for my new heat tool to arrive!  Speaking of which, I have a whole new appreciation for the quality of the SU heat tool.  The one I had, which I bought before I became a demo, was not from SU.  It died a very untimely death right in the middle of my Stamp-A-Stack last weekend!  I was able to borrow my friend Christine's SU model to finish my class and it sold me on buying an SU model to replace mine.  Can't wait for it to arrive...I miss heat embossing!!  Hurry up Mr. UPS!!

More Fun with the Paisley Petals DSP

Yesterday I gave you a little taste of the great new products that are part of the Spring Is Blossoming promotion that begins April 1st.  Today I have another card for you that uses more of that fabulous DSP.  Check this out...

Card made with the new Paisley Petals DSP and the Just Believe and Tiny Tags stamp sets.

Close up of sentiment and another gorgeous antique brad.

Inside of card...this is the lower right corner; I left the rest blank to write a nice note of appreciation.

The colours in this paper are so saturated and rich.  It makes any project that features it so vibrant.  I also  love the way the images in the patterns work with the Elegant Lines embossing folder!  That was a happy moment of discovery...let me tell you!  The more I play with these great new products, the more fantastic ways I am finding to use them.

I just wish I had a couple more weeks off work to fully explore the possibilities!  My holidays are more than half over and I'm nowhere near half-way through my TO DO list!  It didn't help that my son came down with the stomach flu AGAIN today!!  Just what every mom wants to do over March break...clean up barf...joy.  Hopefully this will be a short-lived episode and he'll be back to normal soon.  In the meantime I have to get cracking on his birthday party invitations!  The party is two weeks from Saturday and I haven't even finished the invites yet!  YIKES!  Then there are the two classes and two workshops I have next week that I haven't even started prepping for.  Oh...and my marking that I brought home from school with me.  You're probably thinking, "What is she doing blogging about it?  Get off the computer and get busy Leena!!"  I'm thinking the same thing...see you tomorrow!!

Ode to Cottage Wall...

One of my very favourite DSP packs by Stampin' Up! was the Cottage Wall DSP from last year's catalogue.  It featured the colours rich razzleberry, old olive and orchid opulence.  With the colour renovation and retirement of orchid opulence last summer, this beautiful paper was also retired.  The patterns have been reborn in this year's catty as Cottage Garden DSP, but the colours are now daffodil delight, peach parfait and old olive.  Don't get me wrong, I really like the new version (and I have a couple of cards to show you that use it) but I miss Cottage Wall.  Today's post is a little homage to that gorgeous paper; see what you think...

Thank you card using Just Believe set

Close up of focal image

Close up of sentiment

Inside of card

I am so pleased with this card!  It totally captures the essence of the Cottage Wall paper but uses all current product!  Here is what I did:
I started by inking the focal image from the Just Believe set using my rich razzleberry and old olive markers and then stamping it on whisper white cardstock.  I lightly sponged the edges of the cardstock in rich razzleberry and then adhered it to a slightly larger piece of old olive cardstock.  I then added a few little pearls to the centres of the flowers.  I then took a piece of rich razzleberry DSP from the brights stack, layered it on an old olive piece of Botanical Gazzette DSP and wrapped a piece of rich razzleberry grosgrain ribbon around it.  I adhered this to an old olive card base.  I adhered the focal image on the left side of the card front.  I tied and adhered a small bow from the same ribbon to the left of the focal image.  I then inked the sentiment image using my markers again and stamped it on whisper white.  I fussy-cut it out, added some pearls and adhered it to the right of the focal image using dimensionals.  I then ran a piece of vellum cardstock through my Big Shot with my Beautiful Wings embosslit, sponged two of the butterflies with rich razzleberry and adhered them to the cardfront using glue dots.  I bent the wings up so they had some dimension.  The final touch on the front was to add the pearls in the lower right-hand corner.
For the inside of the card, I stamped the same focal image in old olive ink.  I coloured and stamped the sentiment panel and cut it out.  I layered it over a piece of rich razzleberry DSP and adhered it using dimensionals, adding a little pearl to one of the flowers to tie it all together.
This card was pretty quick and easy...and is very Cottage Wall-y!  Just wait till tomorrow when I'll give you a little taste of the Cottage Garden DSP!