Scrapbook Week-Sponging the Sky technique

Don't you love using the Lovely as a Tree stamp set?  It is so versatile for so many seasons and reasons.  When I checked my set I saw that the stamp set has been around since 2001.  I wonder if this is the oldest set in the current catalog.

Sometimes you just need a simple border on your scrapbook layout.  The pictures that you place on the page will tell the rest of the story.

I call this technique Sponging the Sky and have used it for winter, fall, and Christmas.  The technique is very simple to complete.

1. Select the colors you want to use on your sky.

2. Dip your sponge into the ink pad starting with the lightest color first and sponge from edge to edge.  The color will not be solid and will sponge in some areas and not others.  That is what gives it the special look.

3. Continue in this manner with 3 or 4 different colors, each color a little darker than the one before.

So, what do you think?

Come back tomorrow to see how I took the 3-D tree kit from the Holiday catalog and turned it into a scrapbook page.

Scrapbook Week-Candy Cane Lane designer paper

The bright colors and cute designs of this designer paper just made me smile when I saw it in the Holiday catalog.  I was able to use many items from the Holiday catalog for these 2 pages.

Read Red 3/4" stitched ribbon
Candy Cane Lane designer paper
Real Red 12 by 12 card stock

I hand cut the shapes from on of the papers and used the 1/2" punch to punch out the round shapes.  I can't wait to get my Christmas pictures on these two pages.

Scrapbook Week-November Paper Pumpkin kit

 Do you subscribe to the Paper Pumpkin?  I have been getting kits from the very beginning.  I do several things when I get my kit each month.

1. I made at least one sample of the projects that come in the kit.

2. Then I try to think out of the box to make the projects look a little bit different.

3. If I can I try to create a scrapbook layout with each kit.

4. Finally, I challenge myself to use every single bit of paper, ribbon, embellishments and even some of the scraps so that nothing goes to waste.

This layout was something I imagined making when I saw the November kit called Winter Wonderland.  It was fun putting the different items together to make these layouts.

Come back tomorrow to see another layout I made for winter.  

Dragonfly Dreams-Fab Friday

   What fun I have had this week.  I checked out a number of Challenge blogs and decided to go along with the Fab Friday challenge.







I liked the color combinations and thought they would work well with my Dragonfly Dreams week. Here are the steps I took to make this card.




1. I made my 3 layers coordinate with the 3 colors of the challenge.

2. I embossed the Sugarplum layer with the new Falling Petals embossing folder.

3. I scribbled Soft Sky and Sweet Sugarplum markers onto the back of an acrylic block, spritzed the block with water, then stamped it on some water color paper.

4. Next, I took an Aqua Painter and used some Sugarplum ink, tapped the painter on my finger and made some dots of color on the water color paper.

4. Finally, I cut out the dragonfly out of Very Vanilla and Soft Sky cardstock, applied it to the card, then glitzed it up with Clear Wink of Stella.

5. The saying is from the Bunch of Blossoms stamp set.

This might be my favorite card from this Dragonfly Dreams week.  Come back next week for Scrapbook Layout week.    

Dragonfly Dreams-Template Thursday

  Today I will be using on each card sample

    Inside the Lines designer paper
    Dragonfly Dreams bundle

This first card also uses
    Tags and Labels framelits 
    The saying from the stamp set called Bunch of Blossoms

Even though this designer paper can be colored in, it also looks great uncolored as the background for a bold thinlit, like the dragonfly.

For this card I added
 Stitched Shapes framelits 
 Layered Circles framelits 
 The saying is from the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set.

I love how the stitched shapes framelits and the layered circles framelits work so well together.

For this card I added

New watercolor pencils from the Occasions catalog

Aqua Painter

Vellum

Black embossing powder 

Saying from Watercolor Words

For the final card I colored in parts of the designer paper using our new colored pencils.  You do not have to color a solid image when you use them.  Just color and then use an Aqua Painter to blend the coloring marks.

After I finished my coloring I cut the paper into thirds and attached it to the card base.

Since my dragonfly was so big and bold, I needed a simple bold saying to complete the card.  Watercolor Words fit the bill.

Don't forget you too can have this great designer paper by spending $50 on any items you wish.  Then the designer paper is yours for free.  Can't make it to one of my classes.  Feel free to order online any time.  Just go to www.sushi.stampinup.net to my website.  There is a direct link to my store at the top of this page.

Come back tomorrow to see anothe Fab Friday card.

Dragonfly Dreams-Wednesday Wow

  I found another sample on Pinterest that was a wow to me so I am featuring it today.

1. I embossed the Smoky Slate layer with the Softly Falling embossing folder.

2. I took the strip of Whisper White card stock and sponged on it with Island Indigo, Night of Navy, and Perfect Plum.  I used the same colors to stamp some of the stamps  from the set called Awesomely Artisitic.  I really enjoy using the collage stamp sets for backgrounds.

3. I made Elegant Eggplant as the color for the dots, the dragonfly and the Solid Baker's Twine.  

4. The final touch was to cut the string of dragonflies out of Silver Foil paper.

Here you get a better look at the layers on the card.

This card looks like it might be very hard to make, but step by step was quite easy.  

Come back tomorrow to see how I used the Inside the Lines designer paper that can be earned for free during Sale a Bration.

Dragonfly Dreams-Technique Tuesday

Can you see the dragonfly in this card?  I used the masking technique to get the subtle image of the dragon fly.

1. First use the thinlit to cut out the dragonfly on a post-it-note, making sure one part is on the sticky part of the note.

2. Attach the post-it-note to your card base and stamp around it using a variety of stamps.  I used the stamps from the set called Timeless Textures.

3. I even used a sponge around the edges of the dragonfly with Smoky Slate ink to make sure the image would be totally visible.

4. When satisfies, pull off the post-it-note and you have a masked dragonfly on your card.

I found a similar card of Pinterest made by Leonie Schroder.  She has a wonderful explanation of how she made her card on her blog.  Check it out here.

Come back tomorrow to see a WOW card made with the Dragonfly Dreams bundle.

Dragonfly Dreams-Miscellaneous Monday

   Have you seen the Occasions catalog yet?  This set called Dragonfly Dreams was one that jumped out of the catalog at me and has become my favorite. Today's card shows off the stamped dragonfly image. And  best thing is there is a matching framelit that will cut the dragonfly out.
Don't you love sets that match the stamp and the framelit.

I love the realism of the background paper used in this card. It is called Falling in Love and can be used for so many things: Weddings, Anniversaries, Valentines, Birthdays, or just thinking of you.

This picture you shows you which layers I used dimensionals on. So this is a simple card that could be used with all the elements of this Bundle and the Falling in Love Designer paper.

Come back tomorrow to see a card I made using the masking technique.

Fix-It Friday-Balloon Adventure

  Wouldn't you love to get a little something in a cute bag like this?  What about a card that looks a lot like this bag?

 Can you see what I changed to turn the bag into a card?

1. I added two backgrounds on the back of the Party Animal designer paper.  The main card is cut from Crushed Curry which coordinates with the designer paper.  The inside paper is actually the reverse side of the designer paper.

2. Instead of adding ribbon on the side, I made a knot of the Emerald Envy ribbon on the top layer of the card.

3. I attached one of the Party Animal embellishments to the know.

The looks are the same, but the projects can be used for totally different occasions.

It has been fun this week exploring the items in the Party Animal Suite.
Come back next week to see what I do with the Dragonfly Dreams Bundle. 
 

Template Thursday-Balloon Adventure

I used the following items to make the cards for my template.

1. Party Animal designer paper

2. Balloon Adventure stamp set

3. Coordinating card stock

The small one inch squares make a great background for this card.  Remind me of a quilt.

On this card I made rectangles from the designer paper and contrasting card stock.

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For this final card I made 3 strips that went the width of the card.

Which card is your favorite?  These cards helped me realize how cute and versatile this designer paper can be.

Come back tomorrow to see how I took a gift bag and changed it into a standard sized card.

Wednesday Wow-Balloon Adventures

  What I love about this card and consider it a wow is that it can be used for several different occasions. I found this clever idea on Amanda Bates blog found here. I love how she cut out the balloons on the original thinlit and added the numbers in their place.  

1. New Years card

2. Birthdays held in 2017

3. Any landmark occasion in 2017

The inside of the card just adds to the front.

Come back tomorrow to see how I use 3 ingredients to make several versions of the same card.

Technique Tuesday-Balloon Adventure

Notice the word Celebrate.  It has been embossed onto the white card stock using the embossing folder found in the Occasions catalog called Celebrations Duo. But instead of the embossing being raised as we are used to, the embossing is recessed.  Before I stamped on the card stock it was a white on white embossed image.  As I stamped each balloon the ink went everywhere except where the recessed image was located.  Fun and easy to do.

Come back tomorrow to see a card I found on Pinterest that used this stamp set to create a great card to send out at the beginning of this year and for anyone who has a birthday in 2017. Thanks to Amanda Bates for her great idea.

Miscellaneous Monday-Balloon Adventure

  What do you like about this card?  I loved the color combination of Going Grey, Smoky Slate and Melon Mambo.

   Balloon Adventure is one of the sets that can be found in the Occasions catalog. There are 17 stamps in the set and 8 dies.  If you love both of these options you can purchase the bundle and save yourself 10% of the cost for both.

  If you have checked this out in your catalog you might wonder how I cut out the balloon.  There is no solid balloon die in the set.  Well, this balloon fits the large image of the balloon punch perfectly.  I love it when things coordinate so well.

  Come back tomorrow to see a technique called reverse embossing.

Fix It Friday-Sealed with Love

One of the make n takes we made at OnStage in Madison,Wisconsin last November was this cute gift card.  I used a lot of the new items from the Occasions catalog.  At home using my Envelope Punch board, I made a matching envelope.

When thinking about Fix it Friday, I decided to try and take this cute design and turn it into a full sized card.

1. I enlarged the background paper so that is would fit on a full sized card.

2. I chose Crumb Cake for my card base because of the color of the accent piece on the card.

3. I added some Baker's Twine on the bottom of the card.  How did I get that twin around the fold of the card?  I punched a tiny hole in the fold and on the opposite edge so that the strands would be able to stay in place.

What a great week I had getting back into stamping and working with some products from the new catalog. 

 Next week I will be focusing on the Party Animal Suite.  I will use each item that is meant to coordinate. So, come back Monday to see what Miscellaneous idea I will come up with.

Have a great weekend and Happy Stamping!

Template Thursday-Fab Friday

  Where to go for my template for the week--Swaps, Pinterest, or a Challenge blog?  I decided to try the template seen above from the blog called Fab Friday.  Every couple of  Fridays they feature something as a kick off for you to create a card.  I like the idea of having something to help jump start my brain.

   So, I created 3 cards using this template.  

   4 layers of card stock

    1 saying

For this first card I centered the saying on a doily using the white side of the doily and the Sending Love designer paper. 

  For the next card, I turned the card 90 degrees and changed the card base to Real Red.  I added an envelope found in the Love Notes framelits. The little hearts were punched out from the Confetti Hearts Border punch.

 For my third card I decided to use the chalk board technique which I featured on Technique Tuesday.  I embossed the front of the card using the Happy Heart embossing folder from the annual catalog. Then added these cute kisses from the Sealed with Love stamp set as accent pieces.

Try to make some of your own cards using this template.  It was fun!

Come back tomorrow to see how I took a gift card and fixed it up into a full size card.

Wednesday Wow-Sealed with Love

   My wow card today uses the Love Notes framelits that go along with the stamp set called Sealed with Love.  This bundle has oodles of options to make great cards.

I used the string of hearts on the edge of the card.  It is really great because the hearts are attached but on the left side are cut out so that I could slip the Sending Love designer paper underneath the left side of each heart.  Love that look.

I created a cute little envelope using the Love Notes framelit and some Whisper White card stock.  To make the accent piece on the top of the envelope I cut out just the top flap of the framelit.

The doily is found in the new Occasions catalog and is  Vanilla on one side and White on the other.

My husband liked this WOW card and said he may take it from my card box and give it to me for Valentine's Day.

Come back tomorrow to see a template made several different ways for Valentine's Day.

Technique Tuesday-Chalkboard Technique

   Today's Technique is called the chalkboard technique and this card actually looks like a chalkboard.  Here are the easy steps to make this card.

1. Use black paper.

2. Take a sponge dipped into White Craft ink and spread it from side to side on the black paper.  It is most effective to start off the edge of your card stock and draw the sponge to the opposite side.

3. Now you are ready to make the rest of your card.

I used the stamp from the Sealed with Love stamp set.  

You might wonder how I got the chalk?  I looked at the confetti punch and saw a tiny rectangular piece that reminded me of chalk and punched it out twice.  

 This next card was made using a different technique to get the chalk look.  Instead of ink I used the embossing buddy and rubbed it all over the black paper until I got a chalk board look.  It is a softer more subtle look than that made with the ink.

I stamped the sayings from the Sealed with Love set all over in different directions to get the look of this card.  When I had finished then I place 1/8 strips of designer paper around the sayings for some added color.

This chalk board technique is simple but effective when placed on a card.  Come back tomorrow to see a WOW Valentine card.

I'm Back for Miscellaneous Monday-Love You Lots

    After having 2 medical procedures, traveling to Tennessee for Christmas, and then getting back in the car 4 days later to travel to Ohio for New Years,I am more than ready to be back stamping!
  This week I will be focusing on Valentine projects with items from the new Occasions catalog, the Sale a Bration catalog, and our great annual catalog.
   Today I wanted to show how easy it is to take card stock, ink, a stamp set, and some designer paper and make a card set where each card has a little bit different look.

Stamp Set: Love You Lots hostess set from the annual catalog
Designer Paper: Sending Love paper stack from the Occasions catalog
Card stock: Going Gray, Basic Black, and Whisper White
Ink: Memento Black ink pad
Accessories;  Heart border punch, Heart punches, and circle punches

I love this cute little frog.  

  For this card I added some circles and a small heart to coordinate with the lady bugs.

 Turned the direction of this card and added some heart shapes.

I cut the card stock at a diagonal to make this last card.  What a fun set of Valentine cards to make in a class.  

Come back tomorrow, Technique Tuesday, to see how I use the Chalkboard Technique and the set Sealed with Love  to make some more Valentine cards.