Floral Wreath

Yesterday's card was a fun little quickie. I have to make those once in a while so I don't get the reputation of the 'sad stamper.' 

I became involved with the cancer care ministry at our church after my dad passed away. I still have many, many days of missing him terribly. 

This card is for a woman who also is not going to find healing on this earth. But she and her family have put their faith and trust in the Lord and they know they will be reunited one day. I hope you have done that too, trusted Jesus Christ as your personal savior, and if you don't know what that is all about I'd be happy to share what He has done in my life. 

This card uses a Clear Dollar Stamps set, Christian sympathy, but many of the sentiments are nice just for a thinking of you type of card, which is what this one is. I dug out a set of tiny floral images called Ferns and Flowers from a company that is now no longer in business, but you can find similar stamp sets at Rubber Stamp Tapestry. They also have these cool plastic templates? shapes? that help guide you in placement of the tiny stamps to create a wreath, as I did here.  

   Center the template on your cardstock. I used two cotton balls and my Stampin Up chalks, dipping them into old olive and then garden green and brushed around the oval template so when I lifted it up, I had a light green oval circle. Using that as your guide, stamp the tiny ferns and flowers around the outside edge of that oval. A mixture of greens and double stamping help give the wreath more depth. The single pearl pin stands for two things, a tear to acknowledge the family's sadness in slowly losing someone they love, but it also stands for our hope in the One who can provide ultimate healing.  Thanks for looking. 

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps Christian Sympathy, Ferns and Flowers mini stamps (company no longer in business)

Paper: Stampin Up vanilla and Old Olive, Papertrey Ink Plum Pudding and Spring Moss

Ink: Papertrey Ink Plum Pudding, Lavender Moon, Aqua Mist, Spring Moss, Stampin Up Eggplant, Creamy Caramel, Soft Sky

Other: Stampin Up chalks, Fiskars corner emboss/punch, Papertrey Ink Plum Pudding satin ribbon, pearl pin from Making Memories

Tea for Two

My friend Linda is hosting the color challenge for Clear Dollar Stamps on Papercraft Planet. The challenge she set was to create a monochromatic card. I thought this little teapot was the cutest thing and pulled it out to play. 

You might be asking, what color did you use for your focus if this is a monochromatic card? :) Good question! I chose Regal Rose, one of the colors in this luscious DP from Stampin' Up. That is my focal color on the scalloped square and in the little tea towels. 

I have a classic silver stainless steel teapot in my house, so silver and white are the neutrals. I fussed with it for a while to incorporate more of my focal color but it just looked best in CAS mode. This is also a petite little card, barely 4" square. Thanks for looking, I hope you like it!

This serves now as my challenge for my Ocean's 11 bloggers group. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to create a small, square, CAS card. Any colors, any stamp company. Have fun!

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps 'Kitchen Clutter'

Ink: Brilliance Graphite Black archival ink

Paper: Papertrey Ink white, SU Regal Rose, Bella Rose DP

Accessories: Silver prismacolor pencil, Ciao markers, Spellbinders square and scalloped square nestabilities

Papertrey Ink March blog hop background paper challenge

Welcome to my creations for the March Papertrey Ink blog hop! I had sooooo much fun making these background papers! I was so excited when I saw the challenge posted. 

I have some Basic Grey Sugared paper that I thought would be fun to recreate, especially when I pulled out my Papertrey Ink Green Thumb stamp set! I think the large poofy flower stamp from that set almost perfectly matches the flower in the BG paper! I made it in three different shades, would have made more combinations, but I ran out of time! I took a photo of all four papers together so you can see the similarity. Tell me what you think and which color combination you like best!

For all of them, I used the swirl from Papertrey Ink Silent Night and the flower poofs from the Green Thumb set. Colors and further descriptions of the PTI ink and paper I used are in the individual posts below. Please take a look and let me know what you think! Thanks for visiting!

Sweet birdie

Can you spot the background paper in this post? I think this is my favorite of the three I created, just because the colors are so happy and bright! Although I like the aqua too. . . 

This kind of showcases an alternative way to use the background paper you create. Instead of as background the paper becomes the focal point, using the Spellbinders nestability to cut out a sweet little bird. 

This card and the one below use sentiments from a Clear Dollar Stamp set called 'Whatever.' I think it is going to be so versatile!

A friend loaned me her Manhattan Flower die from Stampin Up and I had to try it out. I think it makes a nice backdrop for the bird. I used a piece of carefully hoarded vellum from a retired SU Candy set to tie the colors together. I think it was called Candy. 

I had a lot of fun creating my cards, please look at the two posts below this one for the other two in the set of three that I made. 

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Silent Night and Green Thumb, Clear Dollar Stamps "Whatever," Stampin Up Belle Toile

Paper: Papertrey Ink Lemon Tart, Sweet Blush, Neenah Solar White, Stampin Up Pretty in Pink

Ink: Papertrey Ink Lemon Tart, Berry Sorbet, Stampin Up Apricot, white craft, Stazon black

Accessories: Manhattan Flower die (SU), glitter, GG ribbon, Spellbinders petite circle nestability, Spellbinders bird die

Believe in Prayer

The minute I saw this stamp set in Clear Dollar Stamps I knew I wanted it. I could just see so many possibilities for it, as with the card above this post. 

This card uses the second background paper I made for the Papertrey Ink blog hop. This features the PTI blush paper with blush and Berry Sorbet inked with the flourish from Silent Night and the large flower image from PTI's Green Thumb in Stampin' Up white craft. 

The "Believe" sentiment from the Whatever set by Clear Dollar Stamps is inked in PTI Berry Sorbet on Kraft paper, with the smaller line in black and Berry Sorbet on white. I had one little flower button left from a stash I bought a while ago at Michael's. I'm awaiting the restock of the cream buttons at PTI, hope they come in soon! Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Silent Night and Green Thumb, Clear Dollar Stamps 'Whatever'

Paper: Papertrey Ink Blush, SU Kraft, Neenah Solar White

Ink: Papertrey Ink Blush, Berry Sorbet, SU white craft, Stazon black

Accessories: GG ribbon, button

Mermaid Tales

This is the third and final card I made with the background paper I made using Papertrey Ink colors and stamp sets. I had another image in mind when I first made this background paper but then the more I looked at it the more I saw sea anemones. :) So the little mermaid from Whipper Snapper fit the bill best. 

For the background paper I used Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist paper, Aqua Mist and Spring Moss Perfect Match Palette hybrid ink, along with Stampin Up Tempting Turquoise for a bit of contrast, and Stampin Up white craft ink. I used the swirl from Papertrey Ink Silent Night and the small and large puffy flower image from Green Thumb in Spring Moss and the white craft to recreate the look of the Basic Grey paper. On this background paper I embossed the white flower puffs so they would show up in a more vivid way. 

I masked the mermaid so she would appear as if she were swimming behind the seaweed and colored her in with Stampin Up watercolor wonder crayons. I then masked out the images of the mermaid and the seaweed and sponged Papertrey Ink aqua mist ink around them. She is swimming underwater, so I used a piece of printed vellum that reminded me in this case of swirls of water to cover the colored in image, to maintain the look of being underwater. 

I tried for a cuttlebug folder that sort of mimics the flowers to run across the top. Used some ribbon from Target and a little sentiment to complete the picture. Thanks for looking at my blog. Hope you enjoyed your visit!

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Silent Night and Green Thumb, Whipper Snapper mermaid and seaweed, Inky Antics sentiment

Paper: Papertrey Ink Spring Moss, Aqua Mist, Neenah solar white, vellum

Ink: Stazon black, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist and Spring Moss, Stampin Up white craft, Tempting Turquoise

Accessories: Target ribbon, cuttlebug With Love embossing folder, nestabilities

Comfort

It has been a while since I have had time to stamp.  We have had truck issues, which aren't worth talking about save to say they are finally over! Yay! 

Today's card is for the technique lover's challenge on splitcoast stampers, this is TLC212. Claire or waltzingmouse in Ireland generously shared her technique to create a beautiful knotted ribbon frame.  Here is her blog, check out her beautiful creations. 

Ever since I received this set, Clear Dollar Stamps Christian Sympathy, I've wanted to create a card using the saying about God's comfort within the Spellbinders bird die. When I went through a dark time in my life, many years ago, I clung to Psalm 57:1b, "In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast." I usually like the NIV version of the bible, but for psalms and Isaiah and a few other books, I really like the King James version, it is beautifully poetic. So in this dark time I would picture myself as a little bird, hiding under God's wings, fully protected and comforted.  So this saying seemed so fitting for inside of the bird, tucked under God's wing. 

I used the SU Such a Tweet wheel on the brown cardstock with SU vanilla and then Irridescent Ice EP over it, so it shimmers nicely, you just cannot see it in this photo. I also sewed seed pearls on the ribbon knots and the ribbon was just a lucky find in the bottom of my sewing box. Thanks for looking. 

Stamps: SU Such a Tweet wheel, Clear Dollar Stamps Christian Sympathy

Ink: SU Pink Pirouette, vanilla craft, Stazon black

Paper: Basic Grey Sugared, Papertrey Ink brown, white, Blush and Spring Moss

Accessories: Spellbinders bird die, seed pearls, ribbon, Spellbinders petite scalloped circle, labels one, cuttlebug folder, black brad, Irridescent Ice EP, Cuttlebug vintage die

You are my Refuge

Refuge and strength, two wonderful words. This card is for someone who has been having a very hard year and is leaning on the Lord for their strength, just a little pick me up to hopefully brighten their day.

  I started with this gorgeous DP, it always makes it easier to create a card when you have the right DP in mind, don't you think? I only have some scraps of it left, it is called Florentine Venetian and I think I bought it long ago at Michael's. 

  The gold on the background paper is carried into the accent stamps I used on the sentiment. For the scalloped border I used a pretty, shimmery vellum. I pierced just part of the way around the oval for two reasons, one, so that the holes would not interfere with the sentiment and two, that way I have a good place to put my Stampin' Up dimensionals to hold the piece on place, since it overlays the vellum. The sentiment is from a Christian sympathy set by Clear Dollar Stamps, but I think it works for encouragement as well. Thanks for looking.

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps Christian sympathy, SU Belle Toile (behind the sentiment)

Cardstock: vanilla, Papertrey Ink Berry Sorbet, vellum

Ink: Tsukineko Brilliance Graphite Black, SU Pink Pirouette, gold craft

Accessories: spare piece of ribbon, Martha Stewart scallop edge punch, paper piercing tool and guide, fine detail gold EP, oval nestability

A Poppy for your Thoughts

Each week Splitcoast Stampers hosts a sketch challenge. This is created for SC218. I bought a few Magnolia stamps before Christmas and particularly liked this poppy, with the botanical, antique book plate feel. Thanks for looking.

How I did it: First I used SU reinkers and an aquapainter to color the poppy, Rose Red for the petals, So Saffron for the flower center and a combination of Certainly Celery and Old Olive for the stem. For the bit of shimmer that you see in poppy leaves I brushed over the image with a bit of twinkling H20s. For the background behind the poppy image I wanted a softer look so I used SU watercolor wonder crayons in a combination of barely banana, more mustard, close to cocoa and chocolate chip. A bit of blue helps highlight the 'P' in the upper corner. I also sponged the edges a little with Vintage Photo. Thanks for stopping by. 

Stamps: Magenta crafty individuals, SU Belle Toile

Cardstock: SU Vanilla, Bordering Blue, Old Olive, confetti white, random burgundy and Deja Views Timeless Collection

Ink: Tsukineko Brilliance Graphic Black, SU Rose Red, Ranger Vintage Photo

Accessories: SU buttons, Cuttlebug vintage die, gold leaf pen, twinkling H20s

Spring Peeps!

As part of our Ocean 11 blog group, the members are going to post challenges. The first was posted by Chirleen! We had to create a spring themed card that is 3-D. Sorry to have two shadowbox cards in a row, but when I think 3-D that's what comes to mind first!

  And what says Spring like Peeps! These peeps are naturally, sugar-coated (Martha Stewart chunky glitter) as is the scalloped circular opening to mimic those neat little sugar eggs you would get sometimes as a kid that had a sugar diorama inside. Remember those? 

  I have no idea where the DP is from, but I edged it with my sharpest pair of scissors to look like grass. The 'sky' paper behind the bunnies is part of that paper set too, I didn't stamp that. The wee flowers are cut out individually from a cute SU set (retired) called Pocket Full of Posies. Fiskars scalloped border punch and a bit of ribbon. Thanks for looking!

Butterfly Sympathy

I always find it hard to make sympathy cards, I make them CAS usually because for me it is 'sad' stamping. I almost always make mine specifically for the person who has had a loss in their lives and my heart is heavy while I am creating because someone I care about is grieving. 

   I had been waiting for a stamp company to issue a set that expresses the right sentiments for such times, because our only hope in life is through Jesus Christ. He is our rock and our strength, not that we do not grieve when we lose a loved one, but we have ultimate hope in God. 

  Clear Dollar Stamps issued such a set with their last release. My friend Linda, who designs for them, always uses such pretty colors even for her sympathy cards, she likes bold and bright. So this time I departed from my usual palette of purples and blacks and chose soft yet more colorful DSP and colors to match. 

How I did it: This is a shadowbox card. These are a lot of fun to make. Take a standard sheet of cardstock, cut it in half and then one of the halves in half again so you have two pieces of cardstock that measure 5.5" by 4.25", the size of a standard A2 card front. 

  With your cutter, put your cardstock in the cutter so the long side is facing you and score at one-half inch and one inch in from each end.  That makes the folds you see on the side of the card above. This will fold flat for mailing, but pop up for viewing. You write your greetings on the back side. The only part on this card that is glued together are the two end panels that measure 1/2" by 4.25", you glue the top layer to the bottom layer on the very ends. 

  I measure one piece of the same size DSP, 5.5" by 4.25" and laid it over one of the sheets of white cardstock. Then I used the Labels One Spellbinders Nestability die to cut my opening through both sheets at the same time, so the sheets of paper will line up when you glue them together. 

  I stamped the back panel of white with SU's Belle Toile BG stamp in bordering blue, and the piece of white cardstock cut out from the hole in the top layer with bashful blue in Belle Toile, then sponges the edges of the piece with bordering blue. I stamped the CDS sentiment with black stazon, then centered and glued the piece down on the inside layer. 

  In matching green paper (don't have a name, sorry, bought it at Archiver's when I bought the DSP) I punched out the Martha Stewart scalloped edge punch and turned the scallops in to face the card to help frame the focal point, the sentiment. I used a cuttlebug vintage die to cut out four pieces of scalloped corner framing in bordering blue and assembled them to form a 'square' around the opening in the top layer. 

  The butterfly is from SU's Winged Things. I colored it with Ciao copic markers, didn't have an exact match for either the blue or the green, and then overpainted the blue and green parts with twinkling H20s for some sparkle. I attached K&Co. pearls to the corners where the vintage scalloped piece met and overlaid the butterfly on the other corner. Thanks so much for looking.

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps Christian Sympathy, Stampin Up Belle Toile and Winged Things

Paper: Papertrey white, K&Co. DSP, green from Archiver's 

Ink: Black Stazon, SU Bordering Blue and Bashful Blue

Other: Twinkling H20s, Copic Ciao markers, Martha Stewart scalloped border punch, Cuttlebug vintage corner die, K&Co. pearls, sponge, aquapainter