Flowering Desert

Hi there!  Have you had a chance to play with the Flowering Desert Stamp Set?  This fun set is filled with gorgeous succulents and sweet sayings!  

My color combination was Garden Green, Lovely Lipstick and Granny Apple Green.  To create the card- I began by stamping the succulents in a variety of colors.  Some were stamped with ink full strength while others were stamped off onto a piece of scrap paper first.  

The Wood Words Stamp set and coordinating Wood Crate Framelits were used to create the Thank You tag.  Overall- a fairly simple yet cute card!

Thanks for stopping by!

Fancy Friday Blog Hop

Hello there and welcome back for another Fancy Friday blog hop.  I'm hopping with my fancy friends today- all are either current or former members of the Stampin' UP! Artisan Design Team.  For this month we are sharing our favorite Occasions Products.  

For me- this was easy peasy!  I totally adore the Tea Together Stamp Set and coordinating Tea Time Framelits Dies.  When I first saw this set I knew I had to try the no-line watercoloring.  I'm definitely far from perfecting this technique but I think overall both of my cards came out pretty well!

I've been playing around with Soft Sea Foam, Flirty Flamingo and Lovely Lipstick for a color combination and overall- I think it works!  

To create the card above- I inked the rosebud image from the Tea Together Stamp Set in Soft Sea Foam ink and stamped it off onto a scrap piece of paper before stamping it onto the Watercolor Card Stock.  Then each individual rose/leaf was colored in using a variety of watercolor washes that had been created with either the Lovely Lipstick or Soft Sea Foam re-inkers and an Aqua Painter.  

A piece of Flirty Flamingo from the All My Love Ribbon Combo Pack was used to tie a bow around the watercolor layer of the card.  Happy Mother's Day was stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento ink onto a Soft Sea Foam card stock scrap and cut out with the smallest oval from the Stitched Shapes Dies.  

Creating the card above is pretty straight forward.  I used the Rectangles Stitched Framelits Dies to create the Basic Black layer.  Once the layer was cut out- I embossed it using the Lace Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

The top left corner of the Basic Black layer was curled using a Bone Folder until the card stock fibers split.  A Flirty Flamingo bow from the All My Love Ribbon Combo pack was added for interest.  

This is a closeup of the no-line watercoloring that I did for the Tea Pot.  Next time I think I'll make an even lighter wash or not color the entire piece in.  That way the kettle would look kinda shiny.  Overall I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.  Especially since it was my first time trying the no- line watercolor technique.  

I hope you have enjoyed my projects tonight!  

Please continue along on our hop and visit my friend Marisa Gunn's beautiful project!

Monday Montage #133

Hello there stampin' friends!  Welcome back to another edition of Monday Montage.

I'm so excited that my Stampin' UP! Occasions Catalog order came!   It actually arrived on Friday but not until super late so I haven't really had a lot of time to play.  Normally I don't wait forever to place my order but this time around I was just too busy to order it sooner.  I've been making gnomes to sell for my husband's Red Cross fundraiser (he needs to raise $10k for the Red Cross so that he can run the Boston Marathon).  Though they are super cute- they do take some time to create.  Interested in purchasing a gnome to help us reach the $10k goal?  Click this link HERE to see the details!

My favorite stamp set from the Occasions Catalog is Tea Together.  It's super cute and can be used to create literally any type of card for any occasion. It was my intention when I first started this card to create something that would fit along the lines of #simplestamping.  As you can see- #simplestamping did not go well for me.  This turned into an avid crafter card pretty quickly!

  My color scheme was Basic Black, Lovely Lipstick and Soft Sea Foam.  Yes- even though the leaves are dark- they were created using a Soft Sea Foam Reinker and an Aqua Painter.  The gorgeous rose was created using several layers of Lovely Lipstick.

Can you see the beautiful Lace Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder imprint that I used on the Rectangle Stitched Framelits?  It's so pretty!

To complete the card- I added a bow created from the 1/8" Grosgrain Lovely Lipstick Ribbon.  No card can ever be complete without a little bling so you'll also see some Rose Metallic Thread and a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to use the links below to navigate through the hop!  Click the BACK button to see what the fabulous Cheryl Curtis has created or click the NEXT button and head on over to the amazing Elizabeth Price's blog.

Monday Montage Hoppers

Amy O'Neill - Amy's Paper Crafts

Breelin Renwick - Craft-somnia Momma

Cathy Casey - Sugar Shack Designs

Charlet Mallett - Painted Orange

Cheryl Curtis - Pomp and Sustenance

Dani Dziama - Dani's Thoughtful Corner

Elizabeth Price - Seeinginkspots

Julie Warnick - Creating on the Run

Melissa Stout - The Stamp Doc

Wendy Weixler - Wickedly Wonderful Creations

OSAT Blog Hop: #SimpleStamping

Hey there stampers! Welcome back for another fabulous One Stamp At A Time Blog Hop!  It's time for some #simplestamping.

Before I share my card today- I want to give a little background on how I came up with what I created.  When I was little (and I do mean little- think mid 70's or so) The Grape Ape was my favorite cartoon.  I don't really remember exactly why- I just remember always wanting to watch it when it was on and loving every minute of it.  Fast forward to last night- I opened my Stampin' UP! order and the first stamp set I grabbed out of the box was Hey Love.  One of the images in that set is an ape.  Literally the first thing that popped into my head was "Grape Ape".

Which brings us to today.... Super simple stamping!

It's not the most fabulous card ever- but it does remind me of the Grape Ape (even though Grape Ape wore a green jacket, a baseball cap, and a green bow tie).  Yes- I used the blends however I did not do any shading at all.  I simply just colored the ape in.  As the ape image doesn't have a bow tie or a green jacket- I've added a piece of Granny Apple Green ribbon to add that "Grape Ape" feel. 

The inside of the card was stamped with the I'm ape over you image.

My 3d project is a little but more involved but the stamping is once again super simple.  

Angie J. shared this project on her blog a few weeks ago and I thought it was super cute.  I however changed mine up a bit!  I didn't go with the Grape Ape theme here as I didn't have any DSP to match. I instead chose the stinkin' sweet skunk from the Hey Love Stamp Set.  Isn't he adorable?

I hope you have enjoyed my projects for today!  Be sure to follow along on the hop! 

Use the links below to follow around on the hop with us!  We have LOTS of gorgeous creations to share!

Thanks for stopping by!

A little Gnome fun!

Hey there stampers!  Today I'm sharing something OTHER than a stamped card!  Why?  Simply because on April 19, 2019 my husband Mike is fulfilling his dream of running the Boston Marathon.  Since he's not an elite runner and does not have a qualifying time- his only option to run the marathon is to raise $10k for charity.  Thankfully- he was chosen to be a member of the Red Cross Team and has been raising money towards his goal.  

I've been trying to help Mike get to his goal the only way I know how!  By selling the items that I create.  These gnomes have been so popular!  They sell for $20 each or 2 for $35 (shipping is extra and is based on actual shipping cost).  

These little cuties measure approximately 5-1/2" tall and are totally adorable!  

I have made many gnomes in many different colors.  Even for the holidays!  We've got the Valentine's Gnome above and the St. Patrick's Gnome below!

Mint green Gnomes with hand needle felted hearts...

Houndstooth print...

and many many more.

I have a limited number of gnomes available for purchase!  Looking for a different gnome?  I'm happy to customize the best way I can!  Please email me with any questions or to place an order! 

Just wanna place a donation?  Please feel free to visit HERE .  We truly appreciate your help!  Have an iPhone?  Simply scan the QR code below to go directly to the donation page!

Thanks and Happy Stampin'!

Creation Station Blog Hop: Share What You Love

This month's Creation Station theme is "Share What You Love".  For my project- I have chosen to create 2 cards with the same basic layout but with different elements.  When the Occasions Catalog came out- I convinced myself that I didn't "need" any of the sets that could be used for Valentine's Day.  Boy was I wrong.  I'm really wishing I would have bought them now!  They would have been perfect for this month's challenge!  

For this challenge- I created 2 cards.  Both have pretty much the same layout- just different elements. The first one features the hearts stamp from the Treat Time Stamp Set and the LOVE sentiment from the Labels to Love Stamp Set.  Both of which are available in the Annual Catalog.  

The second card focuses more on the LOVE sentiment from the Labels to Love Stamp Set.  

Both cards have the Poppy Parade Mini Striped Ribbon.  It's so cute!  I love that this particular ribbon is available in 3 colors.  It's one of my go to ribbons as it ties nicely and looks great!

Here are the cards together.  I'm not sure which one I like better!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope that you will follow along on the hop!  There are lots of beautiful creations to see!

#tgifc197 Color Challenge

https://tgifchallenges.blogspot.com/2019/02/tgifc197-color-challenge.html

Hey there stampers!  Welcome back for another TGIF Challenge!  Today we are having a Color Challenge using Coastal Cabana, Berry Burst and Pineapple Punch.  This is such a bright and colorful combination!  

Since February is the month of love I wanted to create a "love" themed card.  This fun card features the Labels to Love and Treat Time stamp sets from the Annual Catalog and the Well Said stamp set from the Occasions Catalog.  

On the Coastal Cabana layer- I used the cluster of hearts from the Treat Time stamp set to create a border for the Berry Burst layer.  The LOVE image from Labels to Love was stamped 6 times to create a tic-tac-toe board.  (Did you notice that Coastal Cabana won with 3 diagonally?) 

A Pearlized Doily peeks out from behind the Berry Burst layer.  

The 1/8" Pineapple Punch Grosgrain Ribbon adds the perfect amount of brightness to tie this fun card all together.  A simple "you" banner tied to the bow completes the sentiment.  

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll play along with our challenge this week!

Product list:  

Card Stock:  Whisper White, Berry Burst, Coastal Cabana, Basic Black

Inks:  VersaMark, Pineapple Punch, Berry Burst, Coastal Cabana

Stamps:  Well Said, Labels to Love, Treat Time

Tools/other supplies:  Rhinestone Jewels, 1/8" Pineapple Punch Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Metallics Sequin Assortment, Pearlized Doilies

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Stampin'!