Blossoming Basket

Hey stampers!  Today I'm back with a card that was inspired by my brand new blog design.  I'm totally loving the facelift!  My blog designer couldn't possibly have done a better job at capturing exactly what I was looking for.  Thank you SO much Ben!  ❤

To create the card I began using a piece of Watercolor Paper, a Basic Black card base and the Petal Passion Designer Series Paper. 

Next- I stamped the Blossoming Basket stamp in Basic Black Archival Ink and water colored it using an Aqua Painter and the following colors:  Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist and Pumpkin Pie re-inkers.  

Using Lemon Lime Twist and Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Markers- I added some spatter.  

A trio of iridescent sequins from the Metallics Sequin Assortment were added to level out the color in the card.  The "you are loved" sentiment was stamped in VersaMark onto a piece of Basic Black card stock and heat embossed in White Stampin' Emboss Powder. 

I hope you've enjoyed my card!  Thanks for stopping by!

Amazing You

Hello there stampin' friends!  Tonight I'm back with a card that I created for the Y-Knot-Stamp-Everything team challenge.  We were given a sketch to use and then it was up to us on how to design the rest.  

My submission is definitely one of my favorite cards.  As you can see from my new blog design- I love everything black/white striped (with flowers of course).  Honestly I think I'm obsessed with all things black/white striped.   I literally just can't get enough!

This card was super simple to create.  It's just a few different layers, a banner and some embellishments.  Nothing too fancy but oh so pretty!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Stamping Sunday Blog Hop- Lots of Happy Birthday

Good morning stampers!  I'm excited to announce that today I am a guest blogger for the Stamping Sunday Blog Hop.  How cool is that?  I was really excited when Sara invited me to participate.  I was actually on vacation in Disney World when she asked and it totally made my day!  

The hop this month features either the Perennial Birthday Project Kit or the Lots of Happy Card Kit....using it in a way other than it was intended.  Of course I chose the Lots of Happy Card Kit.  Why you ask?  Simply put- I adore that kit!  The contents are absolutely amazing.  Especially the black and white striped paper!  LOVE IT!

I created 2 projects for the hop.  A card and an impossible box.  I'm really happy with how they turned out and I know my friend will LOVE them just as much as I do!  Her birthday was actually last Thursday but that's ok- she will get them at her birthday celebration on Tuesday.

Up first is the beautiful birthday card.  As I used Pink Pirouette Stampin' Blends to color the flowers on the image I thought it fitting to also use Pink Pirouette Card Stock.  I used the Lemon Lime Twist Stampin' Write Marker to color in the leaves.  It's a little difficult to see in the picture but I colored some of the leaves a few times to make them look darker than others.  

Here is a closeup of the front of the card.  The iridescent and black sequins add the perfect finishing touch!

This is the impossible box.  What exactly is an impossible box?  It's a one piece box/lid.  Simply pull up on the top to open!  Once open- the box is large enough for some candy treats or other small trinkets.

Here you can somewhat see the top appears to be "caved" in.  That's just the opening in the box!  It's pretty cool actually!  It's a self closing box so there is no extra ribbon or adhesive necessary to hold it closed.  

This is a closeup of the front of the box.  For the sentiment- I first stamped the sentiment in Memento Black Ink and stamped it onto a piece of Whisper White Card Stock.  Next I inked up the floral image with Smoky Slate Ink, stamped it off onto my grid paper and then stamped it directly over the sentiment.  Did you see the Pink Pirouette Organza Ribbon?  That was created using the White Organza Ribbon from the Occasions Catalog.  I colored it using the Pink Pirouette Light Stampin' Blend Marker.   To finish it off, I added a few coordinating embellishments.  SO cute and oh so fun!  Easy to create too!

I hope you have enjoyed my projects today!  Please continue along on the hop with us!  Simply click the link in the blog roll to visit the next blog!

Happy Sunday!

Fancy Friday Blog Hop- Color Challenge

Hello there and welcome back for another Fancy Friday blog hop.  Today we have a color challenge! We are creating with  Pool Party, Night of Navy and Emerald Envy.   I must admit- this was a little difficult for me.  I use Pool Party all the time but the other colors- not so much.  It's not that I don't like them- they are just not the "go to" colors for my style.  

I actually kinda like what I came up with!  I was a little surprised but it's not as bad as  I thought it was going to be!

I used Pool Party for the card base and as I was browsing my extensive stash of Designer Series Paper- I came across the perfect piece for my card!  It's from the Naturally Eclectic DSP and it is Night of Navy in color.

All images stamped for this card are from the Butterfly Basics stamp set.  Each of the leafy images was stamped onto a Whisper White scrap and fussy cut. To add dimension to the card, I folded the butterfly wings up to make them pop off the card.  

Please continue along our hop!  Up next is the amazingly talented Erica Cerwin!  Click the next button below to see what she has created to share today!

Sweet Valentine Rosebuds

Are you ready for Valentine's Day?  I've been busy preparing lots of fun things for the special day.  I've already shared several cards and now I'm sharing the little adorable treats that I will be gifting to my co-workers and favorite baristas at Starbucks.  This design is not my original idea.  It was created by fellow Stampin' UP! demonstrator Julie DiMatteo.  (Click her name to go to visit her site for the video tutorial).  

The little rosebuds are so easy to create!  They hold one Ferrero Rocher chocolate.  These are the perfect little treats for Valentines Day.  I mean don't we all love chocolate and roses?  It's a 2 for one deal!  Not only does the recipient get an awesome chocolate treat but they also get a beautiful rose.  

Here are some close-ups of how they look.  The ones above were created using Real Red and Pink Pirouette card stock.  The leaves were cut using the Leaflets framelits and Old Olive card stock.  

Since I work with both men and women- I wanted to create treats that were somewhat masculine.  That's where the Real Red and Daffodil Delight rosebuds come in.  Some rosebuds were created using Melon Mambo card stock as well.  

This rosebud was created with Pink Pirouette card stock but the petals were sponged with Melon Mambo ink to make them two-toned.  

Aren't they just the cutest?  Just think- you can get 6 out of one sheet of 8-1/2" x 11" card stock!  That's a lot!

Thanks for stopping by!

OSAT Don't Go Breaking My Heart Blog Hop

Hey there stampers!  It's time for another OSAT Blog Hop!  Are you as excited as I am?  I LOVE hopping with this fabulous group of Stampin' UP! demonstrators.  

I have 2 projects to share today.  The first was inspired by and is pretty much a CASE of a card that Shellie Gardner shared at OnStage this past November.  I've made a few changes however for the most part- I kept it the same as Shellie's.  

This view shows what the card looks like when it's opened.  This card looks harder to create than it actually is.  To make things a little quicker,  start with a Whisper White Notecard.  Cut off approximately 1/4" from the two side edges (the notecards measure 3-1/2" x 5".  After trimming it measures 3-1/4" x 5" when folded on the score line).   This allows the Classic Label Punch to punch directly in the center of the card.  

Using a sewing machine- stitch the sentiment and the heart together into the center of the card.  To close- simply fold both sides of the heart together and insert through the opening on the front of the card.  Easy peasy!

The idea for my second project comes from my friend Becky.  She created a tiny box like this last year and when I went searching for ideas- this one popped up!  It couldn't be any more perfect to coordinate with my card.  

The box is pretty tiny measuring in at 2" when complete.  The rectangle opening was cut using the Stampin' Trimmer.  In keeping with the same theme as my card above- the heart was also sewed to the box.  As the box is only 2" it doesn't hold a lot but it does hold a good amount of conversation hearts or M&M's (or a Ghirardelli chocolate square). 

No need to worry about the treats falling out as the box is secured tightly when closed.  It's a fun little treat!

I hope you have enjoyed my project for this month!  It's been a fun one to create! 

Happy Stampin'!