Salted Background Technique
April 24, 2017
Are you looking for a stunning new background technique to try? Well, the designers at Stylin' Stampin' INKSpiration are showcasing the Salted Background Technique on the blog today. Check it out, give it a try and share your creations in this week's challenge. It's super easy!
I followed the instructions except I substituted Watercolor Paper for the Glossy Cardstock. I'm sure the colors would have been more vibrant on the glossy, but hey....you gotta use what you've got, right? I used fine sea salt on this project. On another "experiment", I tried some rock salt (aka ice melt). It was pretty cool, but unfortunately I didn't use vibrant colors and it bleached it to the point that it had very little color. So, a little hint: use deep, darker colors for best results.
The colors I used may not sound familiar to you. That's because they are NEW! Stampin' UP! will be offering 5 new In Colors for 2017--2019. I used Lemon-Lime Twist, Tranquil Tide, and Fresh Fig. After spritzing my watercolor paper with water, I added color with an aquapainter and ink from the lid of the ink pads. Squeezing the pad to the lid gently before opening it will give you a nice "pool" of ink to work with for this technique.
The card base is Tranquil Tide card stock and the butterfly was die-cut from Fresh Fig card stock. Look closely and you'll see a few more sneak peeks including the Eastern Beauty Photopolymer Stamp Set, Eastern Palace Specialty Designer Series Paper, and Eastern Gold Vinyl Stickers. All of these will be available for customers to purchase beginning May 1, 2017.
I'll have more sneak peeks at these new items on Friday, so be sure to check back.
Thanks for stopping by!
Polka Dot Inspiration
April 21, 2017
Polka dots are one of my favorite patterns. This week, our challenge at TGIF Challenges is to use Polka Dots to inspire our design. Be sure to check out what our designers created and we'd love to have you play along with us, too!
With many items retiring from the Annual Catalog, I'm trying to use up my stash of Designer Series Paper. The Pop of Pink Specialty Designer Series Paper is definitely one of my favorites and I'll be sad to see it go. As of this posting, you can snag a package of this paper for a sweet discount by using the link at the end of this post.
For the focal point, I heat embossed the greeting by stamping first with Versamark ink, sprinkling the image with White Stampin' Emboss Powder, then heating it until the powder melted with the heat tool. I cut out the image and the layered circle with my big shot and a couple of my favorite dies.
You'll also notice a few accessories that accent this card--gold metallic thread, lace doily, brights enamel shape, coordinating washi tape, and a few more strips of that beautiful Designer Series Paper.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Product List
#TGIFC102 - Color Challenge! Mint Macaron-Tip Top Taupe-Sweet Sugarplum
April 07, 2017
Happy Friday and welcome to another great challenge from TGIF Challenges! We've got a fabulous color combo to inspire you. The designers have some amazing projects that you'll want to check out HERE.
There are still quite a few stamp sets from the Occasions catalog that I haven't gotten inky with yet. The Special Reason stamp set is one of those, but I thought the floral images would be perfect for this challenge. I love that there is a matching set of framelits with this set that really steps it up a notch.
For the background, I inked up the inside of the Hexagons Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder with Tip Top Taupe ink and "stamped" it onto Whisper White card stock.
The images were stamped and die cut, plus I added some additional card stock die cuts to create this bouquet of flowers.
Helpful hint: I stamped off the Sweet Sugarplum ink before stamping the flowers to create a variety of shades of that color. You can usually get 2-3 depths of color from each ink pad that you own.
I embellished the card with a strip of Gold Foil paper, a lace doily, and a few In Color Enamel Shapes.
What would you create with this color combo? Whip up a quick card, scrapbook page, or 3-d item and play along with us on the TGIChallenges Blog. I'd love to see you there!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Product List
Saturday Crafternoon
April 06, 2017
I have fallen head over heels for the Oh Happy Day All-inclusive card kit! It includes EVERYTHING you need to create 20 adorable cards for all occasions.
Join me on April 22nd at Stout Chiropractic in Kokomo, Indiana to assemble your cards from 2pm--5pm. I'll be ordering kits on Monday, April 17th so get your payments in by then.
And if you're not local or can't attend?
You can order this kit in my online store and assemble the cards at your leisure. The only supplies that I suggest you have are SNAIL Adhesive, Tombow Multi-Adhesive and Paper Snips.
Here's a video to entice you a bit more.....
Monday Montage 91
April 02, 2017
Welcome to the Monday Montage blog hop! Every other Monday, my friends and I share inspiring projects. Be sure to visit all the stops....you don't want to miss anything!
As some of you already know, I went to Florida 2 weeks ago to be with my son after his tonsillectomy. We spent 5 days in a hotel room, the only entertainment being cable television. I knew that I would get bored quickly and that I would want to do something creative. However, packing my craft supplies was not an option with traveling light and flying. I decided to take the Oh Happy Day card kit, along with some paper snips and adhesive.
What a pleasant surprise! This kit has EVERYTHING you need to make 20 super adorable cards. You get the stamp set, an acrylic block, a Basic Black ink spot, pre-scored cards, gold foil accents, and some beautiful floral die-cuts.
Click on the photo below if you'd like more info on the kit.
There are full color instructions for each card. I thought this 3-1/2" x 4" tri-fold card with a heart flap was super adorable. I love the way all of the elements are layered together and the combination of the bright colors. Who wouldn't want to receive this cutie?
The card below features many of the bold die-cuts and a foil heart accent. Again, you get everything in the kit to make this card. You'll just need scissors to cut the Baker's Twine and some adhesive. I recommend SNAIL and the Tombow Multi-adhesive. You get some dimensionals in the kit and I even had a few left over.
This kit makes 20 different cards and I've only shown you 2 of them. If you are a beginner or experienced stamper, this kit is perfect for all levels. It would also be a great project kit to take to a crop or scrapbooking retreat. You can learn more about this kit in my online store or from your demonstrator.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Be sure to visit all the stops on the hop. Click next to see what the Wonderful Wendy has created or click back to check out Kreative Kaitlyn's fabulous project.
Paper Weaving
March 28, 2017
The March Technique Challenge for Stylin' Stampin' INKSpiration is paper weaving. It's been years since I've done this technique, so I decided to try it out with a slightly different spin. I found several different weaving patterns on this website, and went with a diagonal pattern for my background.
I used strips of the Urban Underground Designer Series Paper to weave together. The simple greeting is from the Suite Sentiments stamp set and I added a few of the Urban Underground Embellishments.
If you'd like to check out what the other designers created with this technique, just click HERE.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
100 Challenges!
March 24, 2017
Happy Friday! We are celebrating our 100th Challenge at TGIF Challenges by featuring our founder, Mercedes Weber. Each designer was asked to design a project inspired by Mercedes wonderful style. You can check out her blog HERE. All of our designers participated and there is some amazing inspiration for this challenge.
I couldn't select just one of Mercedes' cards to CASE, so I chose elements from several recent cards that she has posted. I also tried a new technique on the Inside the Lines Designer Series Paper, and I'll share a video tutorial for that next week.
I used the Dragonfly Dreams photopolymer bundle for the stamped image and greeting on this card. Shades of blue---Dapper Denim, Marina Mist, and Soft Sky---fill the background. You'll notice a few hints of bling with the Silver Glimmer paper strip along the side and some scattered rhinestones.
I'm just guessing, but I think Mercedes must be a big fan of doilies. She uses them a lot on her projects! I love these new ones because one side is white and the other side is vanilla. It makes them so versatile!
Of course, I had to use my favorite die....the Stitched Shapes Framelits. I really don't think anyone should be without this set of Framelits. Be sure to get it this month and earn some Sale-a-Bration products, too.
Don't forget to check out what the other designers created this week. We'd also love to have you play along!
#TGIF100 Challenge Blog Roll
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Monday Montage 90
March 19, 2017
Welcome to the Monday Montage blog hop! Every other Monday, my friends and I share inspiring projects. Be sure to visit all the stops....you don't want to miss anything!
I recently started selling my cards in a local nail salon. The owner wants most of the products to be faith-based and I promised to create some Easter cards for her once I return from Florida. I whipped up a few quick designs that I'll be able to deliver to her this week.
As you can see, the Easter Message stamp set in the Occasions Catalog fits the bill perfectly. I kept the designs very simple, using basic card stock, ink, watercolor pencils, ribbon, and a few Big Shot items.
This card features a color scheme of Very Vanilla, Basic Black, and Old Olive. I die cut the focal point with the Stitched Shapes Framelits and the Layered Ovals Framelits. The Very Vanilla 1/4" Satin Ribbon can be found on page 51 of the Occasions Catalog. It adds a lovely touch to this clean & simple card.
The background of this card was embossed with the Sparkle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. The cross image was watercolored using the Early Espresso pencil and an Aqua Painter. I pieced some Elegant Eggplant cardstock for the draping on the cross. The color combo is Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Elegant Eggplant, and Wisteria Wonder.
The final card features a background embossed with the Hexagons Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. I inked up an acrylic block with Soft Sky ink, then stamped the main panel. The floral image was stamped in Basic Black archival ink, then colored with the Watercolor Pencils. So quick and easy!
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Be sure to visit all the stops on the hop. Click next to see what the Wonderful Wendy has created or click back to check out Kreative Kaitlyn's fabulous project.
Spring is Here!
March 19, 2017
Welcome to the Control Freaks monthly blog tour! This month's theme is Spring Is Here! If you started at the beginning of the tour, you just visited the other Melissa, Melissa Davies. Don't you just love her creations? I'm sure you'll find some amazing projects on this tour, so be sure to read to the end to find your next stop.
When I think of Spring, I immediately think of Spring Break. Our family has made so many great memories at the beach the past few years during Spring Break. This year, with my son being in the service, we were unsure of what his schedule would be.....there was a good possibility that he would be home during the break. Therefore, we have decided to postpone any family vacation until later this year.
However, as luck would have it, I still ended up in Florida this week. My son had his tonsils removed on Friday and I decided to spend a few days with him during recovery. There hasn't been any time to go to the beach, but at least I'm getting to enjoy some Florida sunshine for a few days, right?
All of my projects feature the Day at the Beach stamp set, which I paired with the Suite Sentiments stamp set. Both of these are available in the Occasions Catalog.
I accented each of the cards with the By the Shore Designer Series Paper and a few well-placed White Perfect Accents. I mostly used colors from the paper as my inspiration: Very Vanilla, Calypso Coral, Soft Sky, and Dapper Denim.
The images were stamped with Basic Black Archival ink and colored with the Watercolor Pencils and a Blender Pen. This is my favorite way to use the new pencils. Be sure to get your hands on these before the end of Sale-a-Bration.
Thanks so much for stopping by my little corner of the web! Feel free to PIN any of the projects shown here today.
Don't forget to visit Wendy Weixler to continue on the blog tour. She's got some amazing projects to share with you!