Saturday Showcase {With Sincere Thanks}

It's the last Saturday of the month and the long holiday weekend! Do you all have some fun plans? Crafty plans? I've got some of both! Today a few of us are sharing some cards using the new On the Border: Fall for Foliage die for this week's Ink to Paper Saturday Showcase! I didn't know that we would be using this die when I made my card for this week's DT tips that I shared yesterday. I decided to switch gears from an Autumn design to something more "everyday"!

Once I finished it off, I thought it had a spa-like feel; crisp and modern! The To Die For Sentiments: Boxed-In For You Die layered three times and adhered to the vellum really enhanced this streamlined look.

To begin, I die cut the border out of Simply Chartreuse cardstock.  I cut a panel of Spring Moss cardstock and added some ink blending around the edges using  Simply Chartreuse ink . Once that was done, I adhered the die cut frame over the top using liquid glue.  I added some black paint splatter using a small paint brush to get just a hint of added detail. I stamped the "with sincere gratitude" sentiment, which is from the Just Sentiments: To & From Essentials stamp set, in black.

The vellum portion is wrapped around the panel and secured in the back using adhesive. After that was done, I was able to adhere it to a standard A2 cardbase.

I added a few sparkling clear sequins here and there for some simple sparkle and shine! 

This card is much simpler than I usually make, but it's always nice to have a change. I love knowing that this border die can go from Spring to Autumn! Have a fun and safe holiday weekend! Thanks for fluttering by!

Ink To Paper Design Team Tips

Hello and welcome to this week's Ink to Paper Design Team Tips! I always love when it's my turn for this feature because it gets me thinking in a different way and hopefully I've provided some informative tips to help you do the same! Rainbow stamping has been growing in popularity over the last few years, but lately it is hot, hot, hot! Traditional rainbows, unicorns, and hearts might not be your thing, but that doesn't mean you can't participate in one of the hottest trends in the papercrafting community! Today I'm sharing tips on how to create unconventional rainbow cards using any stamps you like!

To begin, I die cut the leaves using the Lovely Leaves die collection and then used my MISTI to stamp them using the Lovely Leaves stamp set. The first leaf is stamped in Red/Orange, the second leaf Orange/Yellow and the second leaf has shades of blue and purple. I had originally stamped a few more leaves, but in the end these are the ones that looked the best for today's design. 

You could definitely try this same technique with your favorite flowers or any solid type image to create some fun results. One of my other favorite ways to incorporate rainbows, is to use pastel colors rather than the traditional ROYGBIV! For instance, you could try Raspberry Fizz, Hibiscus Burst, Pale Peony, Orange Zest, Harvest Gold, Green Parakeet, Aqua Mist, Winter Wisteria!

Another fun way to incorporate a subtle rainbow is to do some ink blending. I took a panel of white cardstock measuring 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inches and started blending in the same colors I used on the leaves. I started with red in the corner and worked my way around until I had all of the colors represented. This set the stage for me to add the On the Border: Fall For Foliage die over the top of the blended panel.

I die cut the "blessed" word, which is from the new To Die For Sentiments: Sweet Blessings, three times and then glued them together using Tombow Mono Multi glue. I adhered that directly to the die cut panel using more glue.

The "you are such a blessing in my life" sentiment is stamped in black onto a strip of white cardstock and adhered using foam squares. This sentiment is from the new Just Sentiments: Grateful Heart mini stamp set. 

I added a few dew drops here and there for some added detail and dimension.  I had so much fun putting this card together! I hope you get a chance to create an unexpected rainbow card of your own! Thanks for fluttering by!

Spellbinders Holiday 2019-by Sharyn Sowell

Hello and welcome! I'm so thrilled to be here today sharing this special post with you! I'm on the Spellbinders Blog today, which is such an honor, sharing three different series of projects using these amazing new dies by Sharyn Sowell. I'll be sharing everything here as well so thanks for joining me today!

My first project features the Shapeabilities Starry Forrest Etched dies. I wanted to create a night time scene with the animals and trees in silhouette.

I cut a panel of white cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4 inches and then added some Faded Jeans Distress Oxide ink around the edges using a blender brush. I kept it light around the bottom and the center to create some illumination. I gave it a nice coat of Shimmer Spray for some winter-y sparkle! I added the sentiment, which is from the Penned Elegance stamp set, stamped in black ink using my Mini MISTI. The trees and bunnies are die cut two times each and glued together using liquid glue for stability. I adhered them to the blended panel using foam squares. I added some white Nuvo drops here and there to make it look like falling snow!

This card was created in the same way but I chose a horizontal layout and stamped the sentiment in the right corner. The animals are all die cut twice, just like I did on the first design. 

I added a few sparkling clear rhinestones here and there to mimic the look of stars. I had so much fun on both of these similar, yet different designs. I love creating serene and peaceful designs that also capture what the season is really about!

My second project uses two of the new dies; the Shapeabilities Winter Friends Etched Dies paired with the Shapeabilities Peace on Earth Etched dies. This project is probably my favorite of the series and I hope you like it as much as I do! 

 To begin this design, I blended Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink around the edges using a blender brush, making sure to leave the center light. Once that was done, I used the Shapeabilities Peace on Earth Etched Dies and embossed the design, rather than die cut it using an embossing mat in my die cutting machine. I stamped the "may your holiday be blessed" in black ink at the bottom.

After that was done, I used the die that cuts out the center of the heart. This set a perfect scene to add in the sweet little girl and the pair of bunnies. Each one is die cut twice and glued together using liquid glue. I added them to the embossed/die cut panel using foam squares.

The "Merry Christmas" sentiment, which is from the Sentiment Staples: Christmas, stamp set is heat embossed in white onto a red strip of cardstock and adhered to the top of the card using foam squares. I added a trio of sparkling clear sequins here and there for some sparkle and shine!

My final project uses the Shapeabilities Love Came Down Etched die to create this intricate card. I die cut it twice out of white cardstock and glued it together using liquid glue. 

Once that was done, I added some selected ink blending to the rose, the green vines, the angels, and the baby Jesus and hay.

I added it to the green panel using foam squares. I added some sparkling clear sequins here and there for some added sparkle. The green panel is adhered to a standard A2 top folding red card base using foam squares for added dimension. I had so much fun creating all of these festive projects! Thanks for fluttering by!

Inspired By...a note to you {no one compares to you}

It's Thursday; time for a brand-new Inspired By Challenge! I was so happy to be able to do a fun potpourri card featuring a little of this, and a little of that! 

I took a pretty literal approach to the inspiration photo this week as you can see; the colors, the typewriter, the pencils and the gold!

I decided to create two cards this week since the elements I chose to use are mostly die cutting with just a touch of stamping. 

To begin these two cards, I die cut the typewriter elements,which are from the SugarPea Designs Just My Type SugarCuts. I also used the coordinating You're my Type stamp set to stamp the paper portion and the sentiment!

Once I had the typewriters assembled and stamped, I cut two pieces of white cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4 inches. I stamped the "no one compares to you" sentiment, which is from the brand-spankin'-new No One Compares To You stamp set.  I absolutely love it!

Once the stamping was done, I added the pierced detail around the edge using the Nesting Basics: Pierced Rectangles. The pencil and clipboard pieces are from the Spellbinders Large Die of the Month.I love how cute and realistic they are! These are simple and sweet, but I had so much fun! I hope you'll join us this week! Thanks for fluttering by!

Thank you fairy much!

I fell in love with this adorable Fairy Garden stamp set from Hello Bluebird when it was first released and my sweet mom bought it for me for my birthday! I've been dying to use it and I finally got a chance!

I just love anything Hello Bluebird, but these fairies are some of my favorites! I stamped all of the images that I planned on using and got to work coloring them! I decided to go for a Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather feel with each of them having their own signature color. I didn't use blue, though, since I had decided to make the background blue.

There's something very therapeutic about sitting down to color when there are no time constraints! Once everything was colored, I die cut them using the coordinating Hello Bluebird die set. I set them aside and got to work on the background.

I wanted to create a dusky background so I blended some Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink and Faded Jeans Distress Oxide ink onto a panel of white cardstock measuring 4 by 5 1/4 inches. I had originally planned on adding a light coat of Shimmer Spray and then some white paint splatter, but this particular bottle of spray made little sparkle spots everywhere, so I just went with that! It actually created a magical sparkly background that worked out perfectly anyway!

I arranged the flowers and fairies and then decided on the placement of the sentiment. I moved the die cut pieces off of the panel since I hadn't glued them down yet and stamped the sentiment in black using my mini MISTI. I added the die cuts using foam squares for dimension as well as a few sparkling clear rhinestones! I added it to a standard A2 cardbase using foam squares. This was another card that I was able to make "just because" and it was so much fun! I can't wait to use these sweet fairies again! Thanks for fluttering by!

I could just SQUEEZE you!

Hi friends! I'm just popping in today to share a few cards I made using the Lemon Blossom stamp set from The Greetery. I wanted to use the "happy summer birthday" sentiment before Summer disappears! I will pop this one in the mail ASAP to the next birthday gal on my list! I also wanted to use the "I could just squeeze you" sentiment as well. I haven't sat down and made anything "just because" in a LONG time, so I was happy to get to just stamp away creating all of the bits and pieces for these two cards!

To begin, I die cut everything using the Lemon Blossom Die collection a few times; I wanted to have a lot of pieces to choose from. Once they were all die cut, I used my mini MISTI to get everything stamped quickly. The citrus slice image is a two step stamp. Betsy has included a little tab on the edge of the stamp so that you know which way to line them up. I actually just layered the second step directly over the first step stamp and lined up the tabs that way. Because it was in my MISTI, I was able to just stamp the 2nd step very easily.

I love how the bright pink centers of the blossoms really make the flowers come alive! I love the attention to detail that Betsy puts into everything that she does!

Once the pieces were all stamped, I set them aside and got to work on the blended panels. I cut two pieces of Fresh Snow Linen Cardstock at 4 by 5 1/4 inches and then blended in some Hawaiian Shores ink using the Taylored Expressions Blender Brushes. 

I smooshed my Hawaiian Shores ink pad onto an acrylic block and added some water so that I could add some ink flecks to the blended panel. Once that was done, I added the different sentiments using black ink. I added the die cut pieces here and there and then spritzed the entire piece with Shimmer Spray. I added some clear Nuvo drops to the the lemons and slices for some juicy shine. The finishing touch is a few sparkling clear sequins. I added each panel to a standard A2 cardbase using foam squares. I had a lot of fun on these two cards! Thanks for fluttering by!

Pinkfresh Studio August Release Blog Hop {Wishing YOU peace}

Hello and welcome to the Pinkfresh Studio August release blog hop! I'm so in love with ALL of the products being released today and I'm sure you will love them, too! I'm incorporating a few different sets today on this pair of cards as well as a new alphabet that I LOVE SO MUCH! {It has nothing to do with the fact that it is called Kelly Alpha Upper Die set wink wink} There is also a Kelly Alpha Lower Case die set as well! Anyway, you'll want to hop along to EACH of the designers' blogs and leave comments along the way. There will be a winner of a $25 dollar gift certificate on each blog and the winner will be pulled from the comments! There will also be a giveaway for the entire release on the Pinkfresh Studio Blog and Instagram! Winners will all be posted on Sept 2nd on the Giveaway page!

Also, there are a few promotions going on that you'll want to take advantage of:

First, there will be automatic US free shipping on orders of $100 dollars or more. Second, there is a free die with purchase WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.

Pinkfresh Studios

Angelica Conrad

Ashlea Cornell

Caly Person

Channin Pelletier

Dawn McVey

Emily Midgett

Heather Hoffman

Ivana Camdzic

Jung AhSang

Kelly Lunceford (you are here)

Kristina Pokazenieva

Laura Bassen

Lea Lawson

Leanne West

Norine Borys

Rebecca Luminarias

TaeEun Yoo

Yasmin Diaz

Zsoka Marko

Now that all of the business is taken  care of, let's get down to the fun stuff! As I mentioned before, I created two cards for today's hop! I used the versatile set called Lovely Blossoms stamp set. I had so much fun stamping all of the different flowers and picking which colors to use to create these little clusters!

I wanted to keep the cards similar, but not exact so I switched up the colors of the Essentials Pretty Frames die set . I chose this bright Raspberry color for this card. I knew it would pair well with all of the different colors of blossoms I had stamped!

I actually die cut all of the pieces first using the Lovely Blossoms die collection; I die cut quite a few so that I would have many to choose from when creating these tiny bouquets. I simply placed the die cuts back into the negative space in my mini MISTI and stamped them all assembly line style!

Once they were all cut and stamped, I got to work laying out the rest of the card. I die cut the center portion of the  Essentials Pretty Frames die set using Linen cardstock. I layered the frame on a panel of Linen cardstock as well using foam squares and strips to give it some dimension. The center portion is adhered with foam squares as well.

The "YOU" letters were die cut using the Kelly Alpha Upper dies twice for each card. I wanted to create sturdy letters so they are stacked together using liquid glue. I added these to the center portion of each card. These dies remind me of vintage story books and I can't wait to use them for lots of things; especially Christmas cards!

Once that was done, I got to work arranging the flowers in little bouquets/clusters using foam squares for dimension.

I heat embossed the "wishing you peace" portion of the sentiment, which is from the new Floral Vase stamp set in white onto a black sentiment strip. It is added over the die cut "YOU" using foam squares. You are going to fall in love with ALL  of the sentiments from this release; they are always so unique!

I added some Essentials Crystal Mix to the centers of some of the flowers. I love how you can see through them so you can still see the color of the centers!

I hope you enjoyed today's blog hop! Don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible to win the prize! I'll be sharing lots more projects using more of these fabulous new stamp sets, so stay tuned! Thanks for fluttering by!