Thursday, February 26, 2015

Thanks So Much


I love commercial cards:  the art work is fantastic and the inspiration is endless!  The card below was inspired by a birthday card I received that is so full of great ideas, I'll never toss it.  I used just one of the ideas here . . .



After stamping and white embossing the fanciful balloons, I wanted to add some sparkle and shine.  But my usual glue-pen-and-glitter method would have taken a long time and not given me the intricate designs I was hoping for. 

Enter a product I've had for years and never used:  Heat & Stick embossing powder!  This was the perfect chance to try it out:  I inked up some fine-lined circular designs with VersaMark and stamped.  Then I dusted on the Heat & Stick powder just as I do with any embossing powder.  Tap off the excess and heat just until the powder turns shiny – this takes only 5 seconds tops.

Now it's sticky:  just dust on the glitter, brush off the excess, and you're done!  I hope the photo shows at least some of the sparkle.  So easy peasy:  and I'm keeping my jar of Heat & Stick right on my work table instead of buried in a drawer . . . this wonderful little embossing innovation is gonna get a LOT of use!

Cardstock:   Bazzill White, Generic Pink, Textured Green
Stamps:        Various circle images from Hero, Stampin’ Up,
                           My Sentiments Exactly, The Angel Company, Stampin’ Up
                           “Thanks so much”
Inks:               ColorBox Frost White, VersaMark, Gelly Roll Clear Star
Emb Powder:   Judikins Detail White, Stamp Oasis Heat & Stick
Dies:              Spellbinders Ribbon Tag Trio Two
Doo Dads:    Past Time Stamps Ultra Fine Glitter, Oriental Trading
                           Enamel Dots, deckle edged trimmer

Monday, February 23, 2015

You're the Best!


The size of this card (5x7) was dictated by the size of this gorgeous image . . .




Parsons Studio is no longer with us, much to our huge loss, but I have six of her stamps and am very glad of it.  They tend to be oversized and they also scream to be watercolored.  Which is why I haven't used them until now.  As I am no longer afraid of watercoloring (thanks to the Online Card Classes Watercoloring for Stampers), I hope to use her images to their best advantage.  This one of the pears was a little tricky to decide how to color:  the pears overlap and are translucent, so what does one do?  Next time I play with this image, I plan to treat the pears as solid and color each one so that it overlaps the adjacent one.  I think the result will be entirely different . . .


Cardstock:   Generic Yellow, watercolor paper
Stamps:        Parson’s Studios Seven Sliced Pears, Purple Onion
                            Citrus Set: “You’re the best!”
Inks:               ColorBox Black
Emb Powder:  Judikins Detail Black, Black Diamond
Dies:              Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles , Wplus9 Banner Trio
Watercolors:   Peerless Olive Green, Green Myrtle, Poinsettia Red,
                             Chrome Orange


Thursday, February 19, 2015

Happy


I've heard that there are people in this world who would just as soon forget about celebrating their birthdays . . .



 . . . may I never be one of them!  I  LOVE birthdays . . . how about you? 

The message inside this card says "It's your birthday. GO WILD."  Good advice.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Hershey, Cutie, Neenah Solar White
Stamps:        Impression Obsession Geologic, Silver Crow
                           Swimming Lady, Posh Impressions Hilltop, Hero "Happy,
                           Go WIld", Stampin’ Up Starry Background
Inks:               Ancient Page Chocolate, Pine, Distress Black Soot,
                           ColorBox Gold, Copic Marker Chrome Orange
Emb Powder:  Vippies Transcendence
Dies:              DieNamics Mini Wavy Pennants
Colored Pencils:  Prisma Orange, Poppy Red, Putty Beige, Sandbar Brown
Doo Dads:    Anna Griffin flower punch, Gamsol, Green jute fiber

Monday, February 16, 2015

The Word Is Out . . .


Our grandson's birthday was last month and as it's the dead of winter, I thought it would be fun to give him something summery to look forward to . . .


Love those intense Peerless watercolors!  But I need a lot of practice with skin tones:  lacking a good tan shade, I used a greatly watered down brownish-red for the boy's image and he came out looking a little sunburned.  Oh well – shades of summer!

Cardstock:   American Crafts Primaries: Green, Watercolor paper
Stamps:        Cats Life Press Diving Boy, Hero Wish Big: Cake
                           and Text, Stamp Camp, Texture Specks, Studio G “8th
Inks:               ColorBox Black, EK Success Brushables; Apricot
Emb Powder:   Judikins Detail Black
Dies:              Papertrey Ink Angled Labels
Watercolors:   Peerless Poinsettia Red, Forget Me Not Blue,  Hunter’s
                            Green
Doo Dads:    Glossy Accents

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Love


Definitely not  a card for mass production . . .



 . . . took me three days just to get the prototype put together, and another seven to finish the collection.  Good thing I love to stamp, because there sure was a heck of a lot of it on this card!  I hope my eight extremely dear recipients feel the love that went into this one . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Kisses, Generic White, Black
Stamps:        All images: Inkadinkado One Plus One Equals Love
Inks:               ColorBox Black, Frost White, Brilliance Rocket Red
Emb Powder:   Judikins Detail Black, Opaque White, BMuse Ruby Red
Dies:              Cheery Lynn A2 Frame
Doo Dads:    Red wood heart, cherub charm, red floss

Monday, February 9, 2015

Take a Bow


My dear friend Anna Seniw owns a rubber stamping store called The Creative Corner in Glen Spey NY and she happily celebrated her 10th year anniversary a few months ago.  So I had some fun putting together the following for the occasion . . .


I love to make boxes, especially ones with acetate-backed die cut openings in the lids so you can see what's inside.  Visible are the card with its matching gift card holder . . .



The sentiment "Take a Bow" does not refer to the bows I've used for embellishments but rather one's response to kudos after accomplishing something truly significant – such as Anna has done with her well-run store during these exceedingly difficult, economically-challenged years.  She has been amazing with her excellent customer service, wide-ranging product line, and wonderful classes taught not only by herself, but also by several luminaries in the stamping world.  May her success only increase over the coming years!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pauly Poo, Neenah Solar White, Watercolor paper
Stamps:        Viva Las Vegas “Take a Bow”
Inks:               Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical Caribbean Blue, Hibiscus
                         Rose, Merry-Go-Round Green, Distress Salty Ocean
Emb Powder:  Vippies Transcendence
Dies:              Dee’s Distinctively Lattice Two, DieNamics Prima Donna
                           Petals, Spellbinders Framed Tags One, Mama Elephant
                           Dainty Bow
Emb Folder: Cuttlebug D’Vine Swirl       
Doo Dads:    Crystals

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Your Special Day


I don't very often use pre-printed papers, but Stacy Stamps has come out with such gorgeous ones that I just might change my mind . . .



Stacy's papers are of substantial weight – as far away from flimsy as it gets – and many of her designs coordinate with stamps already in her line of lovely floral images.  This card originated in a class Stacy taught at The Creative Corner in Glen Spey NY where Stacy comes every year at summer's end to enchant us all with her newest images, products, time-saving techniques, and her always-entertaining sense of humor!  She is a not-to-be-missed event for sure . . .

Cardstock:   Generic Deep Purple, White Glossy, Stacy Stamps
                           Poinsettia Paper
Stamps:        Stacy Stamps Poinsettia, Hero “Your Special Day”
Inks:               Ancient Page Pine, Memory Box Grape Jelly         
Dies:              Memory Box Creekside Leaves, Hero Small
                          Tag Frame
Doo Dads:    Enamel Accents White, Gelly Roll White pen,
                          Wink of Stella Clear, Purple eyelash fiber



Monday, February 2, 2015

It's Your Day


There have been scores of tutorials and demos lately featuring reinkers and all the fun you can have with them.  So I've been having some fun as well . . .



I added the merest drop of four intense colors to my craft sheet, spritzed with water, and laid my watercolor paper down in it.  Oh joy!  Lots of splendid color for sure.  I heat-dried after the first pass, and then went after the drops left behind – heat-drying after each blotting.  This is how you get the wonderful splotches and blobs so characteristic of watercolor work. 

As I've got a shelf full of reinkers, I foresee many happy hours ahead!  

Cardstock:   Generic White, watercolor paper
Stamps:        Rubber Stampede Gerbera Block Print, Stampin’ Up
                          “It’s your day”
Inks:               Nick Bantock Reinkers Prussian Blue, Cerulean Azure,
                          Chartreuse Leaf, Chrome Yellow, ColorBox Frost White,
                          Distress Pumice Stone
Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White
Dies:              Hero Frames with Sprigs
Doo Dads:    Silver Flower Soft, DIY enamel dots