Wishing You Well – Wreath Thank You Card

November 3, 2018Leave a comment

I certainly hope that you and your family have escaped the truly nasty colds and viruses that have been going around. My absence on my blog has been due to a nasty “plague” capturing both my husband and me. We are finally on the mend (yeah!), and I’m happy to be back to share another gorgeous card using the Wishing You Well stamp set.

This is the third card that our group made in a recent Stamp Club. By the way – If you live near the Carrboro/Chapel Hill area in North Carolina, you are always welcome to join our Stamp Club. We meet every second Sunday of the month, beginning at 2:00 in the afternoon. Just leave me a note if you’d like more information.

Pictured below is the card that I would like to share with you in this post. I wanted to try to put a few layers of different inks onto the wreath and to make the colors look very fall-ish. Below the picture, you’ll find the steps that were used to make the card.

I know I’ve said this before, but it’s worth repeating. If you don’t yet have the Wishing You Well stamp set in your collection, you should really think about getting it. I think you’ll find the beautiful designs and sentiments incredibly versatile.

Here are the basic steps to follow to make the holiday wreath card:

The card base is made from Whisper White card stock cut to 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, scored at 4 1/4″ on the 8 1/2″ side.
The focal point is a piece of Whisper White card stock cut to 3 1/4″ x 3 1/4″.
Use the wreath stamp from the Wishing You Well stamp set to create the main image. You will use four colors to layer stamp the wreath.
First, use Crushed Curry ink (and stamp off before stamping onto the focal piece) to stamp one image of the wreath. This will be your guide as you continue to stamp.
Next, ink the wreath stamp with Cajun Craze ink. Stamp off before stamping on to the focal piece. And, when you stamp try to stamp a little off center from the original Crushed Curry stamped image. Before you change colors, stamp another image with the remaining Cajun Craze ink to get a lighter shade of this gorgeous color. And, again, move the stamp to slightly offset the first layer of Cajun Craze ink.
Follow the same steps using Old Olive ink for the third layer of color.
Also, follow the same steps using Cherry Cobbler ink. I recommend stamping off at least twice before stamping the wreath with Cherry Cobbler. This is a very strong red ink, and you don’t want to over power the other colors.
Finish the focal piece with the bow stamp from the Wishing You Well stamp set. Use Cajun Craze to stamp the bow.
Adhere the focal piece to a piece of Mossy Meadow card stock cut to 3 1/2″ x 3 1/2″.
Stamp “thank you” from the Love What You Do stamp set at the bottom of the card front, as pictured.
Adhere a piece of your favorite complementing pieces of DSP, cut to 4″ x 4″ to the top of the card front, as pictured. I used a piece from the Nature’s Poem DSP collection. I chose a piece with Cajun Craze to complement the overall design.
Adhere the Mossy Meadow card stock to the DSP with dimensionals.
To finish the card, you can add some “bling” to the wreath. I used a few star shaped sequins from a Paper Pumpkin kit. [I have quite a few extra Paper Pumpkin pieces that I keep on hand to use with many projects!]

This design can easily be changed to have Christmas colors and a Christmas sentiment. There truly are endless possibilities…

Shown below are the main products that I used to create this card. If you click on any picture, you’ll go directly to my on-line store.

Happy stamping!
Laurie

Wishing You Well Clear-Mount Stamp Set [147864] $19.00	Wishing You Well Wood-Mount Stamp Set [147867] $27.00	Love What You Do Photopolymer Stamp Set [148042] $21.00
Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $9.75	Mossy Meadow 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [133676] $8.50	Nature’s Poem Designer Series Paper [146338] $11.00
Crushed Curry Classic Stampin’ Pad [147087] $7.50	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin’ Pad [147085] $7.50	Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Pad [147090] $7.50
Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin’ Pad [147083] $7.50	Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00

Peaceful Poinsettia Christmas Card

October 23, 2018Leave a comment

If you’re like me, you’ve started making your Christmas cards. At our recent Stamp Club, the group made a gorgeous card using the Peaceful Poinsettia bundle. Take a look at some of the variations of the card.

Which card do you like the best? Did you look at the slight differences in the cards?

Green on green card – The die cut piece is adhered with dimensionals. The center “dots” of the poinsettia flower were left in the die cut.

White on green card – The die cut piece is adhered directly to the top of the card. The center “dots” of the poinsettia flower were taken out of the die cut. Pearls were added to the sentiment on the ribbon.

White on white card – The die cut piece is adhered directly to the top of the card. The center “dots” of the poinsettia flower were left in the die cut and covered with Basic Pearls.

Here are the basic instructions for the cards –

The card base is made from either Whisper White card stock or Mossy Meadow card stock. Cut the card base piece to 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, scored at 4 1/4″.
Choose the color you would like for the card front (either Whisper White card stock or Mossy Meadow card stock). Cut the card front to 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8″.
Use two dies from the Detailed Poinsettia Thinlits Dies set to decorate the card front. Use the corner die that will leave the holly berry bows on the edges and in the corner. Also, use the poinsettia die that leaves the detail pictured.
You can cut both dies at the same time if you would like. The poinsettia die nestles into the corner die.
Make sure you save the die cut pieces for the bows. You will adhere them to the front of the card as pictured. This will give a nice embossing effect. I recommend the Fine Tip Glue Pen to adhere the bow pieces.
Choose your favorite piece of Designer Series Paper (DSP) to make your ribbon. I chose a piece of retired DSP from my stash. Cut the DSP to 1 1/2″ to 6″. Stamp the “Christmas Wishes” sentiment from the Peaceful Poinsettia stamp set onto the DSP. Use Early Espresso ink. Score the DSP at 3″ and fold in half. Adhere the right 3″ piece to the bottom of the card front piece, and wrap the stamped piece onto the top right of the card. Use scissors to cut a flag end on your ribbon. Use your bone folder to give the ribbon some curl. Adhere the ribbon to the card front as pictured.
Embellish your card as you would like with Basic Pearls or other pieces of bling.

This card would also be gorgeous in a red on red design with a pretty green ribbon. And, how about blue on blue with a silver ribbon? Yup, the options are endless!

Below are the main products that I used to make the cards. If you click on any picture, you’ll go to my on-line store.

Happy stamping!
Laurie

Peaceful Poinsettia Clear-Mount Bundle [149962] $48.50	Peaceful Poinsettia Clear-Mount Stamp Set [147781] $21.00	Detailed Poinsettia Thinlits Dies [147925] $33.00
Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $9.75	Mossy Meadow 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock [133676] $8.50	Early Espresso Classic Stampin’ Pad [147114] $7.50
Pearl Basic Jewels [144219] $5.00	Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00	Fine-Tip Glue Pen [138309] $7.00
Bone Folder [102300] $7.00

Oct 23 ONLY – 15% off Selected Stamp Sets!!

October 22, 2018Leave a comment

Stampin’ Up! is celebrating its birthday and wants to extend the celebration to everyone. On October 23 ONLY, the stamp sets shown below will be available for 15% off their published price.

Click on any item, and you’ll go to my on-line store. Don’t miss out on this great deal!

Happy stamping!
Laurie

Time For Tea Photopolymer Stamp Set [147069] $17.00	Another Wonderful Year Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146695] $31.00	Best Bunny Photopolymer Stamp Set [147136] $16.00
One For All Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146655] $22.00	Bubbles & Bubbly Clear-Mount Stamp Set [147383] $19.00	In Every Season Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146709] $23.00
En Route Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146594] $21.00	Friendly Expressions Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146673] $19.00	Peaceful Place Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146689] $22.00
Apron Of Love Photopolymer Stamp Set [145835] $21.00	Hanging Garden Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146239] $19.00	Free Cake Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146440] $19.00
Birthday Backgrounds Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146446] $18.00	Balloon Celebration Photopolymer Stamp Set [140675] $26.00	Blow Out The Candles Photopolymer Stamp Set [146420] $15.00
Cake Soirée Clear-Mount Stamp Set [145745] $35.00	A Little Wild Clear-Mount Stamp Set [144344] $21.00	Sweet Baby Clear-Mount Bundle [148345] $46.75
Labels To Love Clear-Mount Stamp Set [144967] $21.00	Beautiful Promenade Photopolymer Stamp Set [146842] $21.00	Kindness & Compassion Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146729] $20.00
Sunny Days Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146735] $21.00	A Big Thank You Photopolymer Stamp Set [147377] $17.00	Bee Thankful Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146765] $14.00
Floral Frames Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146508] $21.00	Swirly Frames Photopolymer Stamp Set [146519] $21.00	All The Good Things Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146558] $19.00
Sweet Storybook Photopolymer Stamp Set [146511] $21.00	Better With You Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146567] $19.00	Pick A Pennant Photopolymer Stamp Set [146499] $21.00

Peaceful Plaid Poinsettia Card

October 15, 2018Leave a comment

Yesterday afternoon, our monthly Stamp Club members got together and made three festive cards. The card I’m sharing below is the first of the three that I’ll post. We had a great time making the plaid pattern with the Buffalo Check background stamp and masking the beautiful poinsettia image from the Peaceful Poinsettia stamp set.

Masking is one of my favorite techniques since it can make a one layer card look multi-dimensional. This card was especially fun with the amazing plaid background.

Here are the steps that we used to create the card.

The card base is Whisper White card stock cut to 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, scored at 4 1/4″ on the 8 1/2″ side.
The card front is Whisper White card stock cut to 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″.
The first step is to stamp the poinsettia image from the Peaceful Poinsettia stamp set onto the card front with Call Me Clover ink. Position the image as pictured.
Next, use the poinsettia outline die from the Detailed Poinsettia Thinlits Dies set to cut a mask to put over the stamped image. The die fits perfectly around the stamped image. I suggest cutting the mask from copy paper or a post-it note. These types of paper are very thin and will give you good results for masking. Use a two-way glue pen to add some glue that will dry to just be tacky. You’ll then be able to use the die cut paper like a post-it note over the stamped image.
The next step is to stamp the Buffalo Check image over the entire card front. In other words, you want to stamp the Buffalo Check image over the masked stamped poinsettia image. To do this, put a glue dot on each corner on the back of the card front piece. Put a piece of paper on the base of your Stamparatus. Lay the card front onto the base. The glue dots will hold the paper in place. Position the Buffalo Check on your Stamparatus plate to ensure the stamped image will cover the entire card front. Use the amazing new Gray Granite ink to stamp the Buffalo Check background stamp. You may need to add extra pressure when you stamp to make sure the checks are stamped well around the masked image.
Now, it’s time to add the additional colored lines to get the plaid pattern. Grab your Call Me Clover and Lovely Lipstick Stampin’ Write Markers and an acrylic ruler. Draw lines with the smaller end of the markers to add color. Use the picture as a guide.

When you’re happy with the results, take the card front off the piece of paper. Carefully take of the mask over the poinsettia stamped image.
Use a Blender Pen to color the poinsettia image with the following In-Colors: Call Me Clover, Lovely Lipstick, and Pineapple Punch. I used a stamping block as my palette and scribbled a little color from my Stampin’ Write Markers onto the block. Then, I picked up the color from the block with my Blender Pen.
After you’ve colored the poinsettia image, you can fill in the white space around the image with Gray Granite ink again using your Blender Pen. I found adding the Gray Granite ink around the image added a nice touch to the design.

Stamp the “May this season be filled with peace.” sentiment from the Peaceful Poinsettia stamp set onto the card base. Use Call Me Clover ink to stamp the sentiment. Use the picture for placement of the sentiment.

To finish the card, you will cut the card front as pictured to allow the sentiment on the card base to be seen between the two card front pieces. Use your ruler to decide where to cut the card front. Use dimensionals to add the two card front pieces to the base.

I hope you will use this design to either CASE this card or to make another card using your choice of stamps and colors. There are endless possibilities!

Below, the main products that I used to make this card are shown. Click on any picture and you’ll go to my on-line store. Enjoy!

Happy stamping!
Laurie

Peaceful Poinsettia Clear-Mount Bundle [149962] $48.50	Peaceful Poinsettia Clear-Mount Stamp Set [147781] $21.00	Detailed Poinsettia Thinlits Dies [147925] $33.00
Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730] $9.75	Call Me Clover Stampin’ Pad [147139] $7.50	Gray Granite Classic Stampin’ Pad [147118] $7.50
In Color 2018–2020 Stampin’ Write Markers [147159] $15.00	Blender Pens [102845] $12.00	Stamparatus [146276] $49.00
Stampin’ Dimensionals [104430] $4.00

Blended Seasons – Artist Trading Cards!

October 7, 2018Leave a comment

My husband, Bruce, and I live in the beautiful state of North Carolina. Each October, the North Carolina State Fair is one of the prime events in the area. If you’re going to be in the Raleigh area beginning this Thursday, be sure to check out the NC State Fair website for the event calendar. Click on the logo below for more information.

Just like many state fairs, the NC State Fair has several friendly competitions. One of them is card making! I’ve entered the card making competition each year beginning with 2008. Every year, I am in awe of the amazing talents of so many artists. They are all very inspiring.

A few years ago, a new category was added to the card making category. It is the Artist Trading Cards (ATC). Entries have four ATC cards, each measuring 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″. This category has really stretched me with stamping and other techniques.

Today, I’d like to share the entry that I literally just dropped off for this year’s ATC competition. I hope you enjoy the fall theme and recognize the stamp set that I used.

The ATCs feature the recently available Blended Seasons stamp set. If you did not add that stamp set to your collection, don’t fear. I bet you have a stamp set in your stash that you can use to create a similar set of Artist Trading Cards.

Here are some of the steps that I used in the process:

Cut a piece of Crumb Cake card stock to 5″ x 7″.
Use your Stamparatus (the most amazing stamp positioning tool ever!!) to stamp your favorite image in opposite corners of the card stock piece. I stamped four separate pieces of card stock with four different colors of inks. I wanted to have a variety of stamped line colors to play with and figure out which pieces I wanted to keep.
Before you cut the 5″ x 7″ to their final 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ sizes, be sure to complete the coloring of each piece.
On one piece, I used Tim Holtz distress inks over the image stamped in Old Olive ink. After I distressed the piece, I sprinkled some water onto the piece and took the excess water off with a paper towel. The effect is really fun. After this piece of card stock was cut, it was used for the upper left and lower right quadrants.

On another piece that I stamped with a really light touch of Cajun Craze ink, I used my Watercolor Pencils to add interest and depth to the design. After this piece was cut, it was used for the upper right quadrant.

On yet another piece that I stamped with Cherry Cobbler ink, I used my Aqua Painters to add color to the leaves. I like the way Aqua Painter made the inked lines bleed a little. After this piece was cut, it was used for the bottom left quadrant.

I did have another piece that I had stamped with Early Espresso ink. The colors that I used to decorate this piece didn’t work well with my final project. But, I will use the piece for another project.
After I figured out which pieces were going to be used for each quadrant, I put them together on a scrap piece of paper and spattered some Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint over the entire piece.

Since I had extra leaves from each piece that I chose not to use in the final project, I fussy cut some of the leaves and decided where I would place them on the cards. To add a little interest to the leaves, I highlighted them with Clear Wink of Stella.
The final touch was random drops of Ranger Glossy Accents. They add a very unique, whimsical feel.

This technique can easily be translated into cards. Stay tuned, I’ve been inspired by the ATC entry! I’m going to make a few cards with similar layouts. Check back to see them.

Some of the products that I used to make the ATCs are shown below. Click on any picture, and you’ll go to my on-line store.

Happy stamping!
Laurie

Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Pad [147090] $7.50	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin’ Pad [147087] $7.50	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin’ Pad [147083] $7.50
Stamparatus [146276] $49.00	Watercolor Pencils [141709] $16.00	Crumb Cake 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [120953] $8.50
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $8.00	Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint [147044] $8.00	Aqua Painters [103954] $17.00

Stamped Greetings

One Stamp Set – Three Designs – Endless Possibilities

Wishing You Well – Wreath Thank You Card

Peaceful Poinsettia Christmas Card

Oct 23 ONLY – 15% off Selected Stamp Sets!!

Peaceful Plaid Poinsettia Card

Blended Seasons – Artist Trading Cards!