little inklings

Daisy Wishes

This card started out as my creation for Kristina Werner's 21st Color Inspiration Challenge, that took a life of its own. The challenge was to use Bravo Burgundy, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Soft Sky, and Whisper White. But somehow, I felt the need to use that beautiful new Baja Breeze In Color instead of the soft sky, and then of course, had to throw in some Chocolate Chip, since I can't seem to make a project with out it! LOL. This new stamp set is really great too. I like how it can be used for so many different techniques, including the Misting with Markers technique I used here.

Here’s how I made it: Using the Misting with Markers technique on this card, I inked up the Daisies stamp with Regal Rose classic ink – applying the lightest color first then adding the darker Rose Red and Burgundy tones around the edges of the flowers with markers for depth. I colored the stems in with an Old Olive marker then sprayed the whole stamp lightly with a water misting bottle before stamping on the whisper white cardstock. This creates a water colored result. I sponge daubered around the edges of the rectangle in Rose Red, then finished off the main image with the sentiment in the top right corner. The main image is layered first on Baja Breeze then a Rose Red Scalloped rectangle cut with my Nestabilities die and Cuttlebug. The background layer is paper pierced along all four sides, edges sponged in Chocolate Chip ink, then Chocolate Taffeta ribbon was wrapped twice around the right side of the card. Last, I assembled the layers of the card using dimensionals to the Chocolate Chip card base. 

Here’s the supplies I used: 

Stamps: Upsy Daisy, Wow Flowers 

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze, Rose Red & Whisper White 

Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red & Chocolate Chip Classic Inks, Markers: Bravo Burgundy, Rose Red & Old Olive 

Extras: Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals, Cuttlebug & Nestabilities, Water mister 

Here's the Measurements: 

Base: 5 ½” x 8 ½” Chocolate Chip 

Layers: 4” x 5 ¼” Baja Breeze, 4” x 5” Rose Red (to accommodate Nestabilities Scalloped rectangle die), 3” x 3 ½” Baja Breeze 

Image: 2 ¾” x 3” Whisper White

Rock-a-bye-Cutie-pie

I'm so glad its Friday!! Its Thanksgiving weekend here, and I'm looking forward to some family time, and laying pretty low, and maybe getting a bit more stamping done this weekend. Speaking of..I've completely missed Kristina Werner's deadline for submission for her 25th Color Inspiration Challengetonight (sniff, sniff), but I'm going to post anyway. The challenge was to use Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, So Saffron and Ruby Red. The inspiration pic. was so adorable - I had to put a card together. I think this Nursery Necessities set is so cute - and its pretty hard to go wrong with a little baby boy card for this color combo. Anyway, enough yick yack.. hope you like it!

Here's how I made it: My card base is a 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" piece of Confetti White. The next layer is a 4" square of Ballet blue. I paper pierced around the four sides, then I heat embossed the stars with the sweet stars wheel, versamark ink and White Embossing powder, then adhered it to the card base with dimensionals.

The little boat is stamped first on a 1 3/4" square of Whisper White card stock using Ballet Blue ink. I then stamped the boat three more times in each of the colors, then cut out the sails, and adhered them over top of the blue boat with dimensionals. I adhered the ribbons to the right side and set the image aside. The Certainly Celery matte is a 2 1/2" square. I paper pierced along the four sides, the created faux stitching. I heat embossed the sentiment with Versamark ink and white embossing powder on a piece of Celery scrap paper, then punched it out using my word window punch. The final step was to adhere all the layers together using dimensionals.

Here's the supplies I used:
Stamps: Nursery Necessities, Sweet Stars Jumbo Wheel
Paper: Confetti White, Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, Whisper White
Ink: Ballet Blue, Certainly Celery, Ruby Red, So Saffron, Versamark
Extras: White Embossing Powder, White Gel Pen, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals, Celery & Apricot 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Blue Gingham Ribbon.

Organically Happy

 I think one of my favorite times of the year is fall. I love all the beautiful colors that come out in the trees, but I also love how life seems to settle into a groove. For me, fall also means the start of another Stamp Club. I have the most wonderful and supportive group of ladies that attend my classes, and I'm always excited to share my projects with them. This was among the projects we completed at our first workshop. It was originally a card I made for a recent Great Swap Girls swap that featured a new stamp set from the SU! Fall & Winter Catty, but I loved the retro feel of this card so much, I had to share it at my class too.

Here’s how I made it: Starting with the large white panel, I stamped the solid image first in Pink Pirouette then stamped the outline image in Close to Cocoa randomly over top. I sponged the four edges with Chocolate Chip ink then adhered the panel to the right side of the Chocolate Chip panel. I paper pierced down the left side of the Chocolate Chip panel, then tied the striped ribbon around the two layers. I heat embossed the sentiment with Chocolate Chip craft ink & clear embossing powder on a piece of scrap Pink Pirouette paper, punched it out with my large oval punch, edges sponged in Chocolate Chip and matted to a circle I punched from a scrap Chocolate Chip CS using my 1 ¾” circle punch. I then assembled the sentiment and the stacked layers with dimensionals.

Here’s the supplies I used: 

Stamps: Organic Outlines 

Paper: Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White Ink: Pink Pirouette, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip Craft 

Extras: Paper Piercer, Dimensionals, Pink Pirouette Striped Grosgrain, Large Oval & Wide Oval Punches, Sponge Daubers, Clear Embossing Powder 

Measurements: Base: 5 ½” x 8 ½” Pink Pirouette Layers: 5 ¼” x 4” & scrap pieces of Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette scraps. Image: 5”x 3 Whisper White

Box of Inspiration

Do you ever wonder where the time goes? My husband & I just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary, and I can hardly believe its been that many years since our wedding day. As he would say... 'it feels like forever!'. Well, maybe it hasn't been forever, but it seems like we have alot of wonderful years to reflect back on. What did feel like forever though, was the arrival of that new Fall & Winter catalog! My shipment of brand new goodies FINALLY arrived, and in that wonderful brown box was a whole supply of wonderful inspiration. Which included the adorable little set  I used to make this card for my sweetie. Hope you like it.. :)

Here's How I made it:I stamped the strip of Riding Hood Red CS with the Canvas Background stamp in the matching colored ink and layered on the Kraft card base front. I embossed the sentiment in the right bottom corner with Chocolate Chip Craft Ink & Clear embossing powder then tied the Riding Hood Red wide grosgrain ribbon. Those adorable little owls and the branch they are sitting on were stamped using Chocolate Chip Ink on scrap Kraft paper, colored in using blender pens, then cut out and set aside. The vanilla background rectangle was stamped with the branch image along the sides using the Ink to Rubber technique, then once in the middle in solid Old Olive ink. I colored in the leaves, and adhered the branch that I cut out earlier right over top of where I stamped to add texture. Next I stamped and colored in the hearts and added the owls with dimensionals. I sponge daubered around the Vanilla and Kraft layers with Chocolate Chip ink, adhered them together, then layered them on top of an Old Olive rectangle, using dimensionals, then assembled the whole layered image to the card front using dimensionals. I also added this to the inside....

Card Measurements: 6” x 6” Kraft, 2” x 6” Riding Hood Red, 1 ¾” x 3 ¾” Very Vanilla, 2” x 4” Kraft, 2 ½” x 4 ¼” Old Olive, Scrap pieces of Kraft Paper

Here’s the supplies I used:
Stamps: Owl Together Now, Canvas Background Stamp
Paper: Kraft CS, Old Olive CS, Riding Hood Red CS, Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip Classic & Craft
Extras: Riding Hood Red Striped Grosgrain, Clear Embossing Powder, Dimensionals & Sponge Daubers, Blender Pens

Wonderful, one of a kind you

I now interrupt your regularly scheduled program...with a post....

I know.. its a miracle. Why, oh why does the summer have to be so busy? 

I wanted to share this card with you today, that I made for my wonderful mother's birthday not too long ago. Anyone who knows my mom, knows how wonderful and unique she is, and knows how proud I am to be her daughter (love ya mom), so it was only fitting to make a very special and unique card for her. I used Kristina Werner's 11th Color Inspiration Challenge for the color combo of Rose Red, Old Olive, Going Grey, So Saffron and Whisper White to come up with this ornate and detailed card I hope you like it!

Here’s how I made it: I started with a 8 ½”x 5 ½” piece of Going Grey Cardstock (CS) folded in half for the card base. The next layer is a 5 ¼” x 4” piece of Whisper White CS, edges all sponged with a dauber in Rose Red ink. The next layer is a 5” x 3 ¾” piece of Rose Red CS. I paper pierced around one short side, and the two long sides. I scalloped a 3 ¾” x1 ½” strip of Bali Breeze designer Series Paper using my slit punch, and adhered it to the bottom of the Rose Red Layer. I heat embossed the sentiment in the bottom right hand corner with Black Craft ink and Clear Embossing Powder, then added the Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon just above, securing it with a glue dot. The scalloped and plain circles were both cut using my Nestabilities. I heavily sponged the Rose Red scallop circle using a dauber and Rose Red Ink, and lightly sponged the Whisper White circle. The flower was stamped three times, once on the centre of the Whisper White circle, then two more times on scraps – in all cases, they were heat embossed, again with Black craft ink and Clear embossing powder. I colored all the flowers in using Blender Pens, then carefully cut out the flowers that I stamped on the scrap paper. I stamped the little flower for the centre, again with Black craft ink, Clear embossing powder, heated to set, colored it in and punched it out with a ½” circle punch, then added it to the centre of a large brad from the Build a Brad kit. I assembled the flower in layers with Dimensionals. Adhered the Whisper White layered circle to the scalloped circle using adhesive and added the complete image to the card front using more Dimensionals. PHEW!!

Here’s the supplies I used:
Stamps: One of a Kind, Warm Words Paper: Going Grey, Rose Red, Old Olive & Whisper White Cardstock, Bali Breeze Designer Series Paper Ink: Rose Red, Old Olive, So Saffron Classic Inks, Basic Black Craft Extras: Clear Embossing Powder, Blender Pens, ½” Circle Punch, Dimensionals, Piercer, Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, Build a Brad kit, Slit Punch, Nestabilities, Daubers

Congrats!

Ok my friends... time to pull up my socks... 

This past month has been a whirlwind around my house from vacations and job changes to basement flooding and sick kids. I have found it difficult to find that time and muster up the creative energy for stamping. But you know what I realized? Stamping is truly my therapy.....I go a little loopy with out it..

Anyway, this week seems a little better,with things settling down a little and I'm excited to participate in Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration #16 . FINALLY!!! With a bridal shower to attend this weekend, I needed a card for the event, and the colors seem to be perfect! Have I ever told you that I {heart} Kristina?! Anyway, here's my card. Hope you like it!! :)

Here's how I made it: I started with a 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of Soft Sky Cardstock (CS) folded in half for my card base, and sponged around the front panel edges with the  matching ink. The next layer is a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Certainly Celery. I stamped the flower image randomly using Versamark Ink, sprinkled Clear Embossing powder, then heated to set. I sponged around the edges with Certainly Celery ink, then adhered the panel to the cardfront using Dimensionals. The Very Vanilla strip, measuring 4" x 2" is stamped with the flower as a focal, using the Ink-to-Stamp technique - which is basically flipping your stamp on its back, and coloring the rubber with your markers. (Tip: Always start with the lightest colors first, so you don't wreck your markers - ahem - not that I'm speaking from experience, or anything :). In this case, I didn't have a Soft Sky marker, so I just used the corner of the large ink pad to place the color just where I wanted it, then I colored in the rest. 

I added the sentiment, sponged around the edges, adhered the Vanilla Ribbons (there's actually 2 strips of the narrow grosgrain there.. don't ask... it was a mistake-covering thing.. ) around the bottom, added the paper piercing details, then tied the Vanilla taffeta ribbon as an accent. Finally, I adhered the strip to the card front using dimensionals.

Here's the supplies I used:

Stamps: Together Forever, Warmest Regards

Paper: Soft Sky, Certainly Celery, Very Vanilla cardstock

Ink: Versamark, Certainly Celery, Soft Sky Classic Inks, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery & Old Olive Markers

Extras: Very Vanilla 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Vanilla Taffeta ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder, Sponges, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals

Miss Me?

I'm still here!! I'm SO sorry I haven't posted in over two weeks! YIKES. Despite optics, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I just returned from a family vacation. I thought I would have internet access at our destination, but apparently, I thought wrong. We had a wonderful vacation, spending our time at a lake in central Alberta. It was our first official vacation with our kids. We were ready to come home though, which I think is always a sign that a good break was had by all. Anyway - I have lots to share with you, and will back at my challenges this week, which I'm pretty sure, I'm suffering withdrawals from.

Hope you are all well, and enjoying the start to the summer!

So Happy!

Happy Saturday everyone! Hope you're all having a great weekend. Our weekend started off pretty good, with nice weather, and some time to get a few things done around the house, stamping included.

I have to confess, I've been a bit of a slacker lately, with my challenges. I even missed Kristina Werner's Color Inspiration Challenge deadline last week {GASP}. I know, I know, its quite sad - I look forward to her challenges so much, I feel like I don't fill my creative quota for the week, if I miss. I did put a card together after the fact, which I will share with you this week. But today, I was bound and determined to get back on the wagon, and I did, putting this card together this afternoon, which is quite the accomplishment - stamping during daylight hours. I went to post it before the entry deadline, and wouldn't ya know it, my internet went down - for FOUR HOURS. So, I'm posting anyway, hoping for some grace. Kristina's challenge was to use Sahara Sand, Whisper White, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi. I always find Sahara Sand a challenge to work with, but I liked how this one turned out. Hope you do too. :)

Here's how I made it: I started with a 8 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of Wild Wasabi card stock (CS), folded in half. The next layer is a 4 " x 4" square of So Saffron CS. The next layer is a 3 3/4" square of Sahara Sand. Along the top, I used my Jumbo Stampin' Around Lots of Dots wheel, inking it up with Wild Wasabi ink. This wheel is tricky - you have to line up the seam at the edge of the paper, before you roll, since there is a bit of a break in the spacing there. Next, I cut a 3 3/4" x 1 " strip of Whisper White CS, and inked up the Nursery Letters jumbo wheel in So Saffron, and rolled it over. Then finished the strip off with the Spiral punch, adhering to the card front. Next I added the Wild Wasabi double stitched ribbon.  

The stars and the sentiment are from the Nursery Necessities set, which is ADORABLE, I might add. I stamped the large star first, on So Saffron CS, in So Saffron ink, then punched out using the Large Star punch. The small star is stamped on Sahara Sand Paper, in Wild Wasabi, then also punched out, this time using the small star punch. I added the So Saffron brad in the middle, then adhered both the Stars to the card front using dimensionals. Last, I added the sentiment, stamping it in Wild Wasabi ink on So Saffron CS, and punching it out using the Word Window punch, and adhering it to the card front with dimensionals. All three layers are also adhered using dimensionals. 

Here's the supplies I used:

Paper: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Sahara Sand & Whisper White Card stock

Ink: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron Classic Inks

Stamps: Nursery Necessities, Nursery Letters Jumbo Wheel, Lots of Dots Jumbo Wheel

Extras: Spiral, Word Window, Large Star & Small Star punches, Dimensionals, Rich Regals Brads, Wild Wasabi Double Stitch Ribbon

Oozing Summer?

I am SO ready for summer!! Bring on the BBQs and popsicles, sandboxes and eternally filthy kitchen floors. Tell me you know what I'm talking about... I have two boys.. who love bugs, dirt, rocks and sand.. and it all ends up on my kitchen floor. I could sweep and mop every single day, and my floors would still resemble that of a flora & fauna display at the local museum. But still, I say BRING IT ON!! 

It was so nice here today. I suppose after two weeks of rain, I'll call just about anything nice.. but really! I didn't even wear a coat to work.. (here's where Jen T comments on how she doesn't even own a coat :) How JEALOUS am I that she gets to call MAUI home?? )

I put this card together for a recent workshop, and I think it oozes summer. I liked how it came together. This Priceless set is so pur-tee. Hope you like it.. and are enjoying a bit of summer, where ever you are!

 

Here's how I made it: I started with a 8 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of Rose Red cardstock (CS) which I stamped with the Paisley back ground stamp in matching ink, then rounded the two bottom corners with my corner rounder.

Next, I scalloped a 4 1/4" x 1" strip of Chocolate Chip CS using my Slit punch (leave me a comment if you want to know how to do this). I adhered the scallop behind a strip of Close to Cocoa Designer Series Paper that measured 4 1/4" x 2", and wrapped a strip of Chocolate Chip narrow grosgrain ribbon around it to hide the seam. Then adhered the combined pieces to the cardfront using adhesive.

The butterflies are stamped on a 3" x 2" piece of Whisper White CS - First in full strength Rose Red ink, then stamping the second and third butterfly without re-inking in between, to fade the ink. I then filled the spaces with the little asterisk stamp in Close to Cocoa ink, sponge daubered around the edges and matted it to a 3 1/4" x 2 1/4" rectangle of Chocolate Chip. I adhered it to the cardfront, then using my mat pack, I paper pierced around the three exposed sides of the main image. The last step was to stamp the butterfly and the sentiment on a scrap piece of paper and cut/punch them out respectively. I adhered the butterfly to the card using sticky strip, as I found regular adhesive not to be sticky enough. And I adhered the sentiment using dimensionals.

 

Here's the supplies I used:

Stamps: Priceless, Paisley background stamp, All Holidays

Paper: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip & Whisper White card stock, Close to Cocoa Designer Series Paper.

Ink: Rose Red, Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa Ink

Extras: Corner Rounder, Slit Punch, Chocolate narrow grosgrain, Paper Piercer, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

A Blue Bird-Day

Somebody stop me! I'm up to more Pun Fun!  I just love this cute little set. I think mostly becuase its not flowers. Can I confess? Sometimes I just need to make a card without any flowers on it. But I have so many flower sets that I love...I guess its just easy for me to go to these cute little guys for a different kind of card, altogether. This was another cutie and a quickie that we made at my recent workshop. And I thought it would be great for just about anyone to receive. Hope you like it!

Here’s how I made it: My card base is a 4 ¼” x 8 ½” piece of Wild Wasabi Cardstock (CS) folded in half. I then stamped the Polka Dot background stamp using Wild Wasabi ink, and trimmed about ½” off the front pane of the card and scalloped the edge with my corner rounder. I then added a bit of adhesive to the long side of a 4 ¼” x 1” strip of So Saffron. To get the panel perfectly straight, open up the Wild Wasabi card base and lay flat with the polka dots down, and the cut short side to the right. Line up the So Saffron strip with the 4 ¼” panel on the left, adhesive side up, then close the card. VOILA. The main image is a 2 ¼” x 2 ½” piece of Whisper White cardstock, with the Bird embossed using Basic Black craft ink and clear embossing powder. I then colored the birdie in, and adhered him to a 2 ½” x 2 ¾” Brocade Blue matte. I added him to the card front and tied the Brocade Blue wide grosgrain ribbon around the card.

Here’s the supplies I used:
Stamps: Polka Dot Background Stamp, Pun Fun
Paper: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Brocade Blue, Whisper White
Ink: Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Brocade Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Grey, Black Craft
Extras: Brocade Blue Wide grosgrain ribbon, Clear Embossing Powder, Dimensionals, Corner Rounder