Sneak peek: Just Add Text

I'm back with my third sneak peek of a stamp set from the upcoming 2017-18 Stampin' Up! catalog. This set, Just Add Text, is the set I won during prize patrol at the April OnStage event. This set contains six stamps, each a different quote or sentiment in a different font style. These images are meant to take center stage, and that's what I did for my two cards.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Just Add Text, Banners for You
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Pool Party card stock
Ink: Pool Party, Tranquil Tide, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Accessories: Stitched Shapes and Layering Ovals Framelits dies, Hexagons Dynamic embossing folder, linen thread, rhinestones, clear Wink of Stella glitter brush pen, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Mono Multi liquid glue

This card actually features two new products: the stamped sentiment from Just Add Text and one of the new In Colors, Tranquil Tide, which is a rich hunter green-sort of color. I also used a few products that I've had for a while but hadn't yet tried out: the Hexagons Dynamic embossing folder and the Banners for You stamp set (for the flower images).

I made five cards of this design, one for each of my table mates and new stamping friends from OnStage. Rather than stamping five individual panels, I stamped a larger piece of thick Whisper White card stock and then cut it into 2"-wide strips. I also stamped individual flowers on scrap card stock, added Wink of Stella to the blooms, cut them out by hand and adhered one to the focal panel on each card.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Just Add Text
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore), Basic Black card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, watercolor pencils
Accessories: Aqua Painter brush, metallic enamel shapes, gold washi tape (unknown), 1/8" Basic Black ribbon, Corner Chomper (We R memory Keepers), Dimensionals

This card was inspired by the April Paper Pumpkin kit. I love the look of the cards in the kit -- a soft watercolor wash against a black card base -- but I don't want to "mess up" those cards, so I decided to practice with this one.

I scribbled lines of color on watercolor paper with the watercolor pencils. Then I used an Aqua Painter brush to blend the colors. I stamped the sentiment in black over the wash and added three gold enamel stars.

I really like the way the focal panel turned out, but I had a hard time with the rest of the card. I tried a few different possibilities and finally settled on a piece of gold and white washi tape along the bottom of the card front and a piece of black ribbon wrapped around the card front and knotted just above the washi tape. I'm still not crazy about this layout, so I may pull off the watercolor panel and try again another day.

I hope you've enjoyed these sneak peeks of three new Stampin' Up! stamp sets. Thanks for stopping by!

Sneak peek: This Little Piggy

I've been busy playing with the new stamp sets that I received at the OnStage Local event earlier this month. Today I'm going to share a couple of cards made with the adorable set This Little Piggy, which will be in the 2017-18 Annual Catalog from Stampin' Up!

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: This Little Piggy
Paper: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso card stock; The Sweetest Thing - Tangerine paper pad (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Stitched Shapes and Layering Circles Framelits dies, Large Polk Dot embossing folder, Fancy Frost sequins, Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Mono Multi liquid glue

The This Little Piggy stamp set has four different adorable pig images as well as a cloud, a group of three little lips/kisses, and a few sentiments. It's perfect for a variety of occasions.

I love this little flying pig and thought she would be perfect for paper piecing. I stamped the images on Very Vanilla card stock and then used three different prints to complete the paper piecing: light pink with white polka dots for the body, light blue gingham for the wings and clouds, and a pale pink for the piggy's snout and ears.

I cut out the focal images with stitched circle dies and added a scalloped circle behind the smaller circle (made with the same print as the pig's body). I finished off the circle theme by embossing the card base with large polka dots and adding a few pink sequins.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: This Little Piggy, Labeler Alphabet, Crazy for Cupcakes
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Basic Black, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Early Espresso, Basic Black marker, Project Life journaling pen, colored pencils and blender pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen, Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), sequins - Princess assortment (Craft Medley), Stamp-A-Ms-Jig, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

This card makes me smile, but it took a little "selective stamping." The actual image of this pig is holding a flower and includes the sentiment "You make me happy." I wanted him to be holding a balloon instead, and I didn't need the sentiment, so I used a Basic Black marker to apply ink to just the pig and ground parts of the image.

I stamped the image on Whisper White card stock and then used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig stamp positioner to stamp the balloon so it looks like the pig is holding it. (When inking the balloon stamp, I only applied ink to part of the string because it was too long.) I added a few clouds, masking the balloon so one of the clouds appears to be behind the balloon, and colored them with clear Wink of Stella to add a little sparkle.

I used my Basic Black marker to extend the grass/ground by hand drawing some additional lines on either side of the stamped image. (And, I think I actually did a pretty good job, because it's hard to tell where the stamped image ends and my hand-drawn portion begins.) I colored the panel with colored pencils, rounded the corners and mounted it on a piece of Basic Black card stock.

For the sentiment, I stamped the words "This little piggy says ..." using the Labeler Alphabet on Whisper White card stock. I cut apart the words and used Dimensionals to add them to the focal panel. I also used Dimensionals to attach the panel to a thick Whisper White card base and then doodled a fun border around the edge of the card base. And since everything is better with sequins, I had to add three shiny pink sequins as my final detail.

This will be a birthday card for my soon-to-be-three-year-old cousin, so inside the card I stamped a large "Happy birthday" sentiment and added three more sequins.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sneak peek: Tabs for Everything

Last weekend I attended Stampin' Up!'s OnStage Local event in Minneapolis. It was a fun day filled with free goodies, sneak peeks of new products, business and creative ideas, and of course a copy of the 2017-18 Annual Catalog (yippee!). I went to the event by myself but joined in with a group of other "lone" demos and had a great time getting to know new friends.

Everyone who attended the event received the stamp set Tabs for Everything, a new set filled with little words, accents and images perfect for filling a planner or making tabs for a journal. The more I looked at the set, though, the more I realized it held a lot more possibilities. So I sat down to make a set of 3" x 3" cards using just this stamp set.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Tabs for Everything
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, Project Life journaling pen
Accessories: Stitched Shapes Framelits dies, Layering Circles Framelits dies, rhinestones, Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen, Dimensionals

Aren't they cute? (I apologize for the slightly blurry picture. I didn't realize until I was uploading the pictures that my camera had been in the wrong setting.) I made five sets of these cards -- one for each of the other demonstrators at my table last Saturday.

Each of these images has an outline stamp and a "fill-in" stamp, and they are so easy to line up! I love it. I also love that this set uses several different fonts for the words, so when you combine them to make greetings you get adorable-looking sentiments. Speaking of "adorable," in the card on the left, I used a journaling pen to very lightly add a comma into the sentiment.

I used one image for each card, and I also stamped that image inside the card and on the corner of the envelope so everything coordinated. You can't see it in these photos, but I also used a Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen to give the focal images a little sparkle. I love the little colored scallops peeking out from behind the stitched circle on each card.

I received a couple of other stamp sets at the OnStage Local that I haven't had a chance to play with yet. I'll try to make that my next project so you can see more sneak peeks. Thanks for stopping by!

Blog suggestions needed

I know I've mentioned in previous posts that I've been struggling with my crafting motivation and inspiration. In addition, blogging has become a bit of a chore -- something I feel like I have to do, not something I necessarily want to do. I'd like to change that, and I could use your help.

What is something that you like to see on blogs? Are there certain types of posts that inspire or motivate you? Maybe layout challenges or color combinations or different ways to use a certain stamp set. If you have a blog, are there certain posts that are especially fun for you? As for content of blog posts, do you like reading a lot of text, or would you rather just get right to the pictures/projects?

I know I don't have many blog readers, but if you happen to see this post I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Thanks for stopping by!

Spring bunnies

Thanks to the March Paper Pumpkin kit, Bunny Buddies, I had quite a few adorable cards (and treat bags!) to use for Easter this year. But I did need a couple of additional cards, so I pulled out an old stamp set and combined it with some fun new products to make these two cards:

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Serene Spring, Delicate Details
Paper: Crumb Cake, Sweet Sugarplum, 110-lb white card stock (Neenah); Succulent Garden Designer Series Paper (DSP)
Ink: StazOn Jet Black, colored pencils and blender pencil (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Layering Squares Framelits dies, Subtles Candy Dots, Sweet Sugarplum twine (left over from Paper Pumpkin kit), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), Glue Dots, Dimensionals

Isn't that bunny in the basket adorable? It's one of my favorites, and I don't think I'll ever part with that set. I colored each focal image with colored pencils, matted it with a Sweet Sugarplum scalloped square and added a couple of simple embellishments: a Candy Dot in the center of the flower and a Sweet Sugarplum twine bow on the basket.

For the card base, I added a strip of DSP with a gingham pattern to a Crumb Cake card, stamped a lacy border using Crumb Cake ink and added the focal layer to the card with Dimensionals. Here's a secret: I had intended to make both cards with the layout on the left card, but when I was stamping the lace on the second card, the image didn't come out cleanly. So I moved the DSP over and stamped a different lace image.

These certainly aren't fancy cards, but I think they're perfect for spring. Thanks for stopping by!