A room with a view

Last weekend I went to the Rubber Stamp & Scrapbook Expo with my friend Lisa. Of course, I couldn't come home without a few new goodies. (I have to do my part to keep the economy going, you know.) The first thing I wanted to try out yesterday was a die that cuts window shapes, so I made three cards, each with a different "view."

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!^® unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Sail Away
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, watercolor paper, cherry wood veneer (Creative Imaginations)
Ink: VersaMark pad; Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, So Saffron, Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango; Close to Cocoa marker
Accessories: Black detail embossing powder, window die (Spellbinders / Our Daily Bread Designs), Aqua Painter brush, Simply Scored tool, foam tape (unknown), Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

I really love how this card turned out. I stamped the boat image on watercolor paper and then embossed it. I used an Aqua Painter brush and Classic Stampin' Ink refills to watercolor the background. The water started out Baja Breeze, but I tried to add some shading with Not Quite Navy and didn't like the result, so I went over all the water with Not Quite Navy. For the sunset sky, I started with a strip of So Saffron near the water. Above that I painted Peach Parfait, blending the two colors together where they met. At the top I used Tangerine Tango, again blending the colors together.

I cut the window frame out of Whisper White card stock, glued it over the stamped and painted image, and then trimmed off the excess watercolor paper around the frame. I wanted to create the feel of being in a cabin "up north" and watching a sailboat on the lake, so I adhered a piece of wood veneer to the card base. It's almost impossible to see in the picture, but to make the veneer look more like paneling, I scored vertical lines in it every 1/2" and then traced each line with a Close to Cocoa marker. I used foam tape to adhere the window to the card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Up, Up & Away
Paper: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Early Espresso, Whisper White card stock; Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Signo white gel pen
Accessories: Window die (Spellbinders / Our Daily Bread Designs), Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, corner rounder, Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue, foam tape (unknown)

For this card, I stamped the birds, clouds and balloon baskets in Basic Gray on Pool Party card stock and used a white gel pen to fill in the clouds. The hot air balloons are stamped on white card stock, cut out and glued to the Pool Party card stock. I adhered the Early Espresso window frame over the stamped images and trimmed off the extra card stock.

The window die also includes pieces to die cut curtains and a valance, so I used a fun print from the Summer Smooches DSP to make curtains and glued them to the window frame. Finally I embossed the card base with polka dots to add to the whimsical feel of this card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Spring Garden
Paper: Textured Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Soft Sky; Soft Sky Prints DSP
Ink: Old Olive, Concord Crush
Accessories: Window die (Spellbinders / Our Daily Bread Designs), Tombow Mono Multi liquid glue

This was actually the first card I made with the window die, and it was definitely the fussiest. I wanted to cut the window frame directly in the front of the card so you could see through it, and it took a bit of trial and error.

I started with a piece of 5-1/2" x 12" textured Chocolate Chip card stock and scored it at 4-1/4" and 8-1/2". I cut the window frame out of a separate piece of textured Chocolate Chip card stock. Then I set the window frame on the card front, traced inside the frame and cut along the traced line. I repeated those steps on a piece of Soft Sky Prints DSP then glued the DSP on the card front and the window frame on the DSP. I also added some Whisper White curtains.

For the next part of the card, I stamped a 4" x 5-1/4" piece of Soft Sky card stock with flowers and butterflies. I adhered that piece to the front of the right panel. (The panel is only 3-1/2" wide, so it's a bit shorter than the stamped card stock.)

The middle panel of this card has space to stamp a greeting and/or write a message. I might also stamp a few flowers here just so it doesn't look so plain. But I'm not sure yet what kind of card I want this to be, so for now it's still blank.

When I have a chance I'm going to make a few more cards like this. If I can get the process smoothed out a bit, I'll create a tutorial to share with you.


Thanks for stopping by!