Seas the Day!

I've been dying to get these little creatures from the new Salt Air: Fauna stamp set inked up! I wasn't assigned these particular stamps for the release and I was so busy I didn't get a chance to ink them up! They are soooooo much fun! To begin, I sponged some Peacock Feathers Distress ink onto a panel of Bristol paper. Once it was blended to my liking, I added some flecks of the same ink at full strength mixed with water. I also spritzed it HEAVILY with shimmer spray!

Once that was dry, I used the Window Works Die to cut out a window. I thought that this particular die looked like a seashell or something from the sea! It is the perfect place to set the scene for this pair of Seahorses. I stamped them in two shades of pink for a fun and whimsical look.

You can see how cute they looked nestled into the opening. I had actually used these on a pair of cards that I will be sharing soon as well, and I just wasn't ready to put them away just yet.

I paired the seahorses and shells from the Salt Air: Fauna set with the coordinating Salt Air: Flora stamp set. I didn't want the scene to be too busy so I chose just a few colors.

The sentiment, which is from the Salt Air Sentiments, is heat embossed in silver for some extra shine and detail.

I went a little crazy with the clear Nuvo drops, but I love the detail and whimsy they add to this underwater scene! Thanks for fluttering by!

Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody

 Welcome friends! I've been itching to get this new Corner Adorner: June Mini Stamp set inky. I wasn't assigned this particular set for the release, but it has been calling my name! I was also thrilled to combine it with some previously released stamps and dies that I haven't had a chance to use yet.  I have this "new" stamp set basket that I put everything  into that I have recently purchased and then once I feel I have used it enough, it gets cataloged with the rest of my sets. My "new" pile was getting too large and so I took the opportunity to use some and I just love how they look together!

Before I jump into the details of the card, I just want to get a little personal with you all for a minute! I want to share a really great experience I had yesterday evening. A group of my friends got together and put together plates of cookies, wrote our names and numbers inside an assortment of my handmade cards and went out to "meet our neighbors". There are so many houses that I have zero clue who lives there! It is not what a neighborhood should be like, in my opinion! When I made THIS project, there were a few of you who mentioned that you don't know your neighbors and what a good idea it was!  I think in this day and age people just get wrapped up in themselves and we don't reach out like we should! It was SO much fun meeting all of these amazing people that live right by me! We all need each other, we need human connection in this age of texting, emailing, etc. Nothing can replace the one on one connections that we make with people that we can  have a conversation with, see the smile in their eyes or perhaps the hidden sadness! We NEED each other! So....I would like to issue a challenge to you to go and meet (or take cookies and cards) to ONE person in your neighborhood that you don't know TODAY! I promise you won't regret it....I guarantee you that you will want to go out and do it again!  To be honest, I'm not feeling the greatest....sore throat, cough, head congestion, etc. and I could have just skipped it, but guess what? I didn't think about how I felt the entire time. I came away feeling energized and happy...like the real kind of happy...the kind that lasts! As I came back into my neighborhood from picking my daughter up from dance, I saw one of the guys we met tonight and I was so happy to KNOW his name, to be able to say hello and he could say hello back because he knows who I am! Anyway, I'll get off my soap box, but the real reason I make cards is for reasons like this! And before I forget....one of my friends took a hedgehog card I made for the latest SugarPea Designs release that I didn't share because I wasn't happy with it! Guess what? She took it with a plate of cookies to one of her neighbors. He LOVED it and he OWNS a hedgehog! SERIOUSLY???  I was blown away! But...I'll quit for now! LOL! Now...on to the card!!!!

There are quite a few different stamping possibilities with this new Corner Adorner, but I chose to make raspberries. My raspberry plants are just starting to send out tiny little fruit that should be ripe in the next week or two! I can't wait! I wanted to make something fresh and summery for today's card. To begin, I stamped the leaf and vine portion of the image using two different green inks: Green Parakeet and New Leaf. I used my MISTI so that I could lay down the color gradually to get the shading that I wanted. At this point, I used the coordinating Corner Adorner: June die cuts. I wanted to make sure I stamped the flowers and fruit in just the right place and I needed the die cut piece as the guide. Once that was done, I added in the fruit using a combination of Raspberry Fizz and Hibiscus Burst inks. The flowers are stamped in Harvest Gold ink.

One of the new sets that I haven't used yet is the Stitch in Time: Borders stamp set. I thought it would be the perfect companion for these raspberries. I stamped the larger border onto a piece of Spring Rain cardstock using Versamark ink and then used white embossing powder. I used the coordinating Stitch in Time die cuts. I stamped one of the other images in Spring Rain ink onto a piece of white cardstock and used the dies to cut it out. 

The sentiment is also one that I haven't used yet and is from the Kindness Counts set. This is one of those "must have" sets for me and I can't wait to use it even more! It fit perfectly into the space left over from where I placed the corner adorner. I layered everything up onto a piece of Pale Peony Bitty Big pattern paper. I just love the subtle detailing it adds to the card. I love how vintage and sweet this card turned out! 

The finishing touches are a few sequins and some clear Nuvo drops here and there to add some dew to the leaves and berries as well as the centers of the flowers! Thanks for fluttering by!

P.S. If you DO go out and meet a neighbor, I'd love for you to leave a comment letting me know how it went!

Confetti Camera {A Happy Hello}

Hey friends! I'm over on the Reverse Confetti Blog today sharing this bright and cheery "hello" card for this week's Confetti Camera! Each designer is asked to create a card using the 3-2-1 recipe which consists of: 3 different stamp sets, 2 stand alone dies, and 1 paper pad! Sounds like a fun recipe, right?

You can read all about my card over on the Reverse Confetti Blog (linked above) but I do want to give a few tidbits and the supplies that I used!

I definitely used and unexpected trio of stamp sets, but I love the results! My 3 choices are Pattern Blocks, My Sunshine (and coordinating My Sunshine Confetti Cuts) , and Tall Blooms. 

My 2 Stand alone die choices are the Stitched Rays Coverplate and the Polka Panel. The finishing touch is the sentiment strip stamped onto a piece of Fun Times pattern paper! 

Mix it Up #44 May all your DREAMS come true!

Hello! I'm super excited to be here today sharing my card with you for the current SugarPea Designs Mix it Up Challenge! It's always fun to get to create something with the newest release and that's just what I have done today!! I used the new Dare to Dream stamp set, which was fun because I didn't get a chance use the dream catcher image during the release. You can see what I made using this same set HERE. 

It probably won't surprise you that I had originally planned on using the new Stuck on You stamp set for today's card, but as it evolved, I really like the new direction it took! I knew that I would be using the  photo as my direct inspiration, but I also had envisioned a layout using these curved pieces. These were going to be"resting" places for my pots of cacti/succulents.

To begin, I die cut 3 curved pieces using the Card Front Element Builder as well as the top portion of the card. I wanted to keep the card cohesive with the subtle stitching lines that these dies add. After they were all cut, I got to work doing the ink blending; I used Spiced Marmalade, Antique Linen, Peacock Feathers, and Black Soot. I loved how nicely these colors looked to mimic the sunset in the photo. 

At this point, I didn't know exactly where I was headed; cacti? succulents? Llamas? Any of those would have worked, but then I remembered that I didn't use the dream catcher image. during the release. I decided that it would look really nice with these colors. I heat embossed it in gold onto a vertical strip of sheer vellum. This particular image doesn't have  a coordinating SugarCut, so I had to think of a good way to use it without covering up the blended background. I think the vellum is perfect! 

I also die cut the word "dreams" 4 times using the new Dreams SugarCut . I glued it together using liquid glue. I planned on embossing it in gold like I did on my card for the release, but as I put it against the background, I really liked how the white looked. I placed it just below the center of the dream catcher using liquid glue.

One of the fun parts of this stamp set it the different ways that you can mix and match the sentiments. I picked one that was only one line so that it could be added to a thin sentiment strip. It is heat embossed in gold onto a strip of black card stock. I contemplated tearing it like the black hills in the photo, but didn't take the time to experiment...i'm still wondering how that would have looked! Oh well!

Once the card was all put together, I thought the word "dreams" was just a little too stark so I used my old Stampin' Up Color Spritzing Tool and a Black Stampin' Write marker and added some black flecks! I just love the subtle detail it adds to the card. I toyed around with adding some gold sequins in the pattern that the stars are placed on the challenge photo, but in the end I decided against them because I really like how it turned out without them. I was a little worried in the beginning that I was making something worthy of a southwest motel circa 1988, but I actually REALLY like it! That is why I love challenges so much because I always end up creating something that I would NEVER have made otherwise! I really hope you will join us! It's always so fun seeing your creations in the gallery! Thanks for fluttering by!

Tuesday Ideas {Too Cute}

Today is my 20th Wedding anniversary! Wow! I can't believe it has been that long! What an amazing ride it has been; good and bad, but still amazing and I'm so grateful to have my wonderful husband by my side and as a father to my children! I'm over on the Precious Remembrance Shop Blog today sharing this bright, rainbow thank you card!

I used the Little Things stamp set paired with the Thanks stamp set to create lots of fun rainbow details! My MISTI came in handy for this design and was easy to create! This would be a perfect design to mass produce since the main layer has the majority of the stamping.

I began with the green polka dot strip and worked my way up the card; flipped it upside down ans finished it that way. I was using my MISTI corner, so it was easier that way.

I stamped the "thank you for" portion onto a white square and added it to the card with foam squares. I thought it would be fun to check off the boxes with Nuvo drops in coordinating rainbow order.I also added a few buttons from the shop for some extra detail. Thanks for fluttering by!

Merry Monday #295 {The Sweetest Chrismtas}

It's so good to be back with a card for the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge. I took two weeks off and it feels like it's been forever!  

This week Marcia has challenged us to use the inspiration photo for our cards! I love the green and red peppermints. I usually do a lot with red and white peppermint stripes for Christmas, but I love the addition of the green! 

I'm loving how bright and summery my Instagram feed is getting, so I decided to keep with something "Merry and Bright"! Ha ha! I chose to use the fabulous pattern paper from the Shakers and Sprinkles Kit for my starting point, so I took all of my color cues from there. So...I made Raspberry Fizz and Simply Chartreuse peppermints. Aren't they cute? 

All of the images are from the Candy Cane Christmas stamp set. It is one of my favorites! To begin, I die cut the sequin print paper using the Shape Shifters: Oval 1 die. It was the perfect backdrop for the trio of circles. The sentiment circle is stamped in Hawaiian Shores ink and then the sentiment is stamped in black. I used a circle punch to punch them out. They are adhered to the card using foam squares for dimension.

I added some clear sequins here and there and was about to call the card done, but it seemed like it was missing something. I decided to stamp a pair of candy canes from the same set in Raspberry Fizz and Hawaiian Shores ink. I used the Candy Cane Christmas Die set to cut them out. I tied them up with some Pure Poppy Baker's Twine. I was hesitant to use this color since there isn't any other red on the card, but I think it looks just fine since the red stripe is so thin. The oval piece is adhered to an A2 cardbase with another piece of the pattern paper from the Shakers and Sprinkles kit. The whole things is spritzed with Frost Shimmer spray for some fun detail.  I had so much fun making this card! I hope you'll join us this week! It's always so fun to see your creations in the gallery. Thanks for fluttering by!

Reverse Confetti Stock your Stash and Color Throwdown #497 {Hey, Sugar}

Hey, Sugar! I'm back today sharing my card for the current Reverse Confetti Stock Your Stash Challenge! This month's theme is Hello/Just Because and I knew that the new Hey, Sugar stamp set would be perfect and I haven't used this particular sentiment yet, so I was excited to get it inky! I made a few projects during the release using this set that you can see HERE. I just love all of the cute images and punny sentiments!

I also created this for the current Color Throwdown Challenge, which was so fresh and summery that I just couldn't resist! That being said, I designed this card for the sole purpose of having it be a shaker card and I wanted to put real sprinkles inside until I realized that the sprinkles weren't the colors for the challenge! LOL! Oh well! I had plenty of sequins in the right colors so it all worked out! I WILL however, be making another card using sprinkles so stay tuned! 

To begin, I die cut the Diamond Stripe Square Confetti Cut and adhered some acetate to the back using 1/8 inch scor tape! It is so handy for these types of projects! After that was done, I did some ink blending in the challenge colors. I also spritzed it will water and shimmer spray to give it some sugary sparkle and shine! I put a pile of sequins in the middle and then attached the acetate piece using foam strips. I always like to run my Embossing Buddy along the sides of the foam tape so that the sequins won't stick to the sides once you start shaking!

After that was done, I got to work on the cute sweets and treats that are on the front. I stamped each image using Versarmark ink and then heat embossed them in white. I watercolored each image. I thought that would be a good medium for the popsicle  and the sucker. Once they were colored, I die cut them using the Hey Sugar Confetti Cuts. I actually die cut them twice and glued the colored one to a plain white one for stability. In hindsight, I wish I would have die cut them before I did the watercoloring because the pressure warped the paper from being wet. Oh well...I covered them up with so much glitter and glaze, you can't even tell! ha ha! The finishing touch is the "Hey, Sugar" sentiment stamped in black.  I hope you get a chance to join us this month for the Stock you Stash Challenge! Thanks for fluttering by!