Make it Monday #206 - Stamping & Mixing Patterns

Hello friends.  In this weeks Make it Monday challenge, Danielle Flanders shows us how to make our own DSP!  I must admit I was a little intimidated by this when I first saw Danielle's beautiful card and video, but once I got started, the excitement grew, and I really like what I came up with!  Take a look:

I did not make as many papers as Danielle and some of the other entries, as I was a little chicken about my card being too busy...maybe I'll be braver next time!  Anyway, I used the large solid dots from Polka Dot Basics and Harvest Gold ink for my 1st paper, then the medium open dot (same set) and Orange Zest ink, along with every stamp in the "Keep it Simple: Birthday" for my 2nd sentiment paper, and then the medium chevron (Background Basics: Super Chevron) and Spring Moss ink for my 3rd paper.  My flowers and leaves (Rosie Posie) I stamped and fussy cut.  Here's what it looked like put together:

I added a few rainstones and some black & white bakers twine to finish off my card.  This really went together a lot easier than I thought, and I will definitely be trying this technique again! :0)

You can check out Danielle's beautiful card and video right here to play along and also see all the other great entries!

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)

Papertrey Ink March 2015 Blog Hop

Hello friends.  Time to play with Papertrey Ink's monthly blog hop again, and this month we're being challenged to use aqua and yellow.

I'm already getting requests for graduation cards, so figured this would be a great time to get started.  I am still in love with the "smooshed" technique, and used Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, and Harvest Gold inks to create my background, and then added a butterfly from the "Life is Beautiful" die which I cut from the Harvest Gold Pattern Pack in the mini and larger polka dot paper.  My sentiment is from Dawn McVey's new "Tucked In: Congratulations" stamp set.  I added a few aqua enamel dots to finish off the card.

Here's the beautiful inspiration picture we had to base our cards on.  I just love the soft colors and how they make me think "Spring"!

You can check out all the other cards and hop along over on Nichole's blog right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by and happy hopping! :0)

Ears to You & NBUS #4

Hello friends.  How about a little more Easter today?? 

Aren't these little guys SO cute?!  The 3 bunnies are on a single stamp (along with the sentiment), and I just stamped it 3 times in Raspberry Fizz, Pool Party, & Harvest Gold.  After fussy cutting them out, I made my little scene with the fence (PTI) and grass dies (IO), and then finished with the pompom tails and the banner sentiment.  Quick, easy, and fun!!

Darnell is having a NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) challenge again, and this card definitely qualifies, as this is another stamp that I HAD to have, and then it sat there!  I can't even remember if I got it last year or the year before (Steph?????), but it's good that I got it because I did NEED it this year!  Don't you love how I justify??!!! :0)

So if you're like me and have a collection of NBUS (if you don't have any, contact me as I have plenty to share!!), get stampin and play along!  You can find all Darnell's "Require-Mints" right here.

And while I'm playing along with Easter here, how about a little look at a couple of berry baskets (SU!), that my new friend Cindy graciously allowed me to "rent" this weekend!!

 

 

The first basket uses kraft cs and then stamped with the "Hardwood" background stamp and Soft Suede ink.  The little bunny butt is a couple of oval dies (Spellbinders) and circle punches (SU!), and a pompom for the tail.  The green basket (Pistachio Pudding) was embossed with the Decorative Dots ef (SU!) and then I added the border strip with some DSP paper I had.  These baskets are the perfect size, very sturdy, and oh so cute!  May definitely have to "rent" this die again...thanks SO much Cindy Westerink...you're awesome!! :0)

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today...love it when you do!! :0)

Chocolate Bunnies

Hello friends and Happy Spring!  I even saw 4 robins yesterday, so I'm pretty pumped that Spring is finally showing itself after this looooong coooooold winter!  Today is also our youngest daughters 20th birthday (we no longer have any teenagers...yeah!!), and my mom and I are going to visit my granddaughter today, so it is indeed a wonderful first day of Spring!! :0)  And with Easter right around the corner, I thought today would be a great day to share one of the cards I made for a friend from bible study who needed some Easter cards.  Take a look:

Don't you just  LOVE chocolate bunnies?!!  This little guy is a SU! stamp ("Chocolate Bunny") that I stamped in Soft Suede ink on kraft cardstock, and then clear embossed (he's shiny IRL!) and cut out.  I added a Melon Mambo ribbon and pop dotted him to a Tag Sale #5 die cut tag (PTI) that I first stamped with Baked Brown Sugar ink and the "En Francais" background stamp (SU!...I am putting this stamp to good use Steph!).  I used scraps of DSP to cover the front of my card base and also a few thin strips of Melon Mambo cardstock for a little definition between some of the DSP layers.  I also added a butterfly (PTI - "Life is Beautiful") cut from DSP and vellum and added a few pearls to its center.  A bit of sheer ribbon and a few pink sequins finished off my card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and hope you all have a wonderful first day of Spring! :0)

Make it Monday #205 - Confetti Cluster Stamping

Hello friends.  Playing along with this weeks Make it Monday challenge, where Lizzie Jones shows us how to take basic shapes and fill them with many small and different stamps to look like confetti.  Really cool technique if you do it right!  Some of the prettiest cards I've seen used just a basic shape, like Lizzie showed in her video.  Wellllllllllll, I did not use just a basic shape, and I'm not totally thrilled with my card.  I guess it pays to listen to directions!  Anyways, I finished it into a card and it is what it is...take a look:

Because I don't have the dies for Rosie Posie, I stamped the leaves and flower off a couple times before actually stamping on my cardstock, so that I made just a very light image in which to follow with all my smaller "confetti" stamps.  I used small stamps from the following sets:  Big Hugs, Shakers & Sprinkles, Polka Dot Parade #6, Sparkle & Shine: Holiday Additions, and Bitty Bouquets.  It's bright, it's colorful, and I'm sure someone will like it, but I think I will try this technique again and actually follow the directions this time! :0)

If you like to follow directions, you can find Lizzie's video how to right here.

Thanks so much for stopping by today...I love it when you do! :0)

A Smooshed Birthday

Hello friends.  Remember yesterday when I told you I had a few more "smooshed" backgrounds to make into cards and photograph?  Well I finished another one...take a look:

These backgrounds are SO much fun and very easy to do!  If you haven't tried it before, it's as simple as stamping your ink pads onto a piece of acetate, spritzing it with water, and then "smooshing" your card stock down onto it....easy peasy!  I used Raspberry Fizz and Harvest Gold inks for this background.  I embossed in black the flower from "Doodlie-Do" (PTI) and the sentiment from WPlus9.  The stripe down the left hand side is from SU!'s "Butterfly Basics" and I like how it gives an extra visual and balances out my card.  A few sequins and some black and white bakers twine finished my card.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and a special thank you to all of you who leave comments...they really do make my day! :0) 

Friendship

Good morning friends.  Still kind of stuck on last weeks challenge over at Papertrey Ink with watercolor "Smooshing", and played around a bit with some different colors and a new "Friendship" stamp I had found at one of my local stamp stores.  Take a look:

 
I started with Pool Party, Soft Sky, and So Saffron (SU!) reinkers, and really liked the bolder look of the reinkers vs. regular stamp pads for this technique!  Because the ink was darker on my background, I ended up stamping the ferns (Butterfly Basics - SU!) in Bermuda Bay rather than Pool Party so that it would stand out more.  I embossed the flowers in white so that they stood out against the background, but still appear soft.  The Friendship stamp (Penny Black) I embossed in black.  I matted with a layer of black and then attached to a Bermuda Bay card base.  A simple card, but one that really pops!

Hope you're not sick of this Smooshing technique, as I still have a couple more cards to show you when I finish them up and get them photographed. :0)

Well, time to get busy here...have to take my youngest back to college this morning...Spring Break is over for her.  Thanks so much for stopping by today and have a wonderful day! :0)