COLORING DSP WITH STAMPIN' BLENDS

 

Some of my Stampin' Blends markers were scattered about on my desk, so I decided to put them to use.  I didn't stamp images to color this time . . . instead, I cut up a pretty piece of True Love designer paper which provided a LOT of floral bouquets that I can use on cards.

The colors that I worked with are:  Highland Heather, Night of Navy, Granny Apple Green, Pink Pirouette, Calypso Coral, and Daffodil Delight.  While I still have plenty yet to color, look at what I have ready to use:

Aren't they gorgeous?  Take a look at the first completed card featuring my colored bouquets:

Stampin' Up! products featured on my card include:

Stamp Set:  Very Versailles

DSP:  True Love

Cardstock:  Highland Heather, Whisper White

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Sahara Sand, Highland Heather

Stampin' Blends:  Highland Heather, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green

Punch:  Story Label

Embossing Folder:  Painted Texture 3D

Accessories:  Stampin' Dimensionals, Baker's Twine, Wink of Stella

The printed design on the True Love designer paper is so easy to color and cut out with scissors, and the Stampin' Blends make the colored designs look printed with the easy shading that can be accomplished with the markers.  I know some people don't enjoy coloring, but I find it very enjoyable and relaxing.  All of the coloring shown in this post was completed in one evening.

The glimmer from Wink of Stella doesn't always show up well in photos but, in the above photo, you can see that it added a lot to the flowers.  Besides adding glimmer, I think the Wink of Stella sharpens colored images.

Now tell the truth . . . are you ready to grab a handful of Stampin' Blends and start coloring?

"TASTEFUL TOUCHES" & FRIENDS

So maybe stamp sets don't really have friends (besides the stampers who use them), but that's what I'm calling the other products that I used along with Tasteful Touches to make this card.  Those "friends" are as follows:

In Good Taste designer paper

Gold Brushed Metallic paper

Dragonfly Garden stamp set

Stampin' Blends markers (Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay, Real Red, Daffodil Delight)

Sprig punch

Pool Party cardstock

Vellum cardstock

White cardstock

Wink of Stella

Although I like (and own) a lot of floral stamp sets, there are some that are simply a dream to color.  I don't always have time to dedicate to coloring, but when I do . . . I don't want to stop.  The floral image in Tasteful Touches is a fantastic flower for coloring and also for cutting out by hand.  This stamp set is one that every stamper should own!  It has beautiful sentiments, great background and "filler" images and, of course, what I consider a perfect flower because it's not too small, not too big, and just . . . well . . . perfect.  When it comes to coloring, I usually go for a water brush or Blender Pen and ink, but this time I used Stampin' Blends and wondered why I don't use them more often.  They're dreamy!

I already had some dragonflies stamped, punched, and colored (for the Easter cards I plan to make) so I gave one of them a place on this card but, as you can see, the one stamp set (Tasteful Touches) and a piece of In Good Taste designer paper would have been enough to give this card texture, bright color, and dimension. 

Stay tuned because I'll have another card in a couple of days that features these same pretty flowers.

APPLE BUILDER PUNCH + HARVEST HELLOS

 

I haven't had a lot of time lately for stamping, but I treated myself to a card-making session last night.  It was so enjoyable!  I actually made this card three times before I got it the way I wanted, but any stamper knows that sometimes that's the case.

For my card, I used Stampin' Up!'s Apple Builder punch:

and Harvest Hellos stamp set:

I've had these products for a couple of months, but this was the first time that I've used them.  The apple punch is a keeper, and I love the size of the apple!  Of course, being able to use the same punch to create a pumpkin and jack-o-lantern is a bonus!  I kept my card clean and simple and was quite pleased with it:

Product details for this card:

Stamp Set:  Harvest Hellos

Cardstock/Paper:  White, Real Red, Granny Apple Green, Watercolor Paper, Berry Delightful

Ink:  Granny Apple Green, Real Red, So Saffron, Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Black

Punch/Dies:  Apple Builder, Tasteful Labels

Embossing Folder:  Brick & Mortar

Accessories:  Blender Pen, Sponge Dauber, White Baker's Twine, Wink of Stella

The apple and leaf images were stamped on Granny Apple Green cardstock using Granny Apple Green ink and then the apple image was stamped again onto Real Red cardstock using Real Red ink.  The apple stem image was stamped with Early Espresso ink onto the same color cardstock, and then the punch was used to cut those images.  Wink of Stella was used on the highlight lines on the apples.  The front of the card was embossed, and then I adhered the designer paper to the bottom half of the card front.  After stamping the sentiment on a scrap of Real Red cardstock, it was die-cut and adhered to the top left of the card.  It was a circle shape, but I trimmed the part of the circle that extended beyond the top of the card.  I assembled the apple pieces and decided on the placement of them.  Before adhering them into place, I used Soft Suede ink to stamp the twisted sprig image.  I know that image is more appropriate for pumpkins, but I couldn't resist using it.  

Coloring the apple slice was a bit tricky.  Leaving it white with a red peel added nothing to the card!  After playing around with how to color the image and which colors to use, I found that I had the most control of color with the Blender Pen and ink.  I used Real Red for the peel, So Saffron for the white area, and the core portion was a mix of Sahara Sand and So Saffron--with an Early Espresso colored seed.  It's amazing how coloring the image really brought it to life.

I don't know how this stamp set and punch didn't turn my head before, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with the two.  I hadn't planned to use a sentiment from the stamp set because I didn't pay much attention to them but, after taking another look, I discovered that I love that they appear to have been typed on an old typewriter.  [squeal]

So there you have it.  A fun and cheery card that's perfect for any time!  

SEWING PROJECT: WIP BAG W/VINYL FRONT

What's a "WIP" bag?

It's a work-in-progress bag that holds all (or most) of the items needed to complete a project, and the bags that I made have a quilted back and see-through vinyl front.  

I've made 5 of these bags so far, but the two that I'm sharing today were made for my mother and sister.  They're my fourth and fifth versions and, while I'm pretty proud of how they turned out, I don't share them as an example of perfection because they are NOT perfect.  Sewing is still new to me, and sewing vinyl is a tricky thing.  And . . . anyone who has sewn binding knows that it's one of the most dreaded parts of a project that requires it.  

First up is the bag that I made for my mother:

The bag is approximately 12" x 13" with a zippered top to keep items securely inside.  As I mentioned already, the front is see-through vinyl so that the contents can be easily seen without opening the bag.

From the angle of the above photo, you can see down into the bag.  I machine-quilted the back, and you can get a glimpse of the vinyl front.

The second bag (below) was made for my sister:

Again, the back of the bag was machine-quilted.

Of course, a sweet little card was made for my mother and sister, and I tucked the card inside their bag.

The card was kept very simple.  I used a blending brush to apply Balmy Blue ink to the center of the card front.  The stamped images are from the Quite Curvy stamp set.

What do you think of these bags?  They really are quite handy!  I've been carrying one with me when I take my husband for his chemo and infusion visits and have enjoyed having something to do while I wait in the car.

FREEHAND RAINBOW HELLO

This post will be as short and sweet as the card I'm sharing today.  It was a fast one to make, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process--which was 100% freehand with a Tombow calligraphy pen, Stampin' Up!'s Watercolor Pencils, and a Blender Pen.

I began by using a pencil to write H-E-L-L-O and then traced the letters with my Tombow permanent ink pen.  Although the pencil lines were no longer visible, I used an eraser over the letters to make sure they were gone since I wasn't sure how they'd react with the Blender Pen.  And then the fun coloring began.  In each letter, I mixed two colors, and the neighboring letter included a "rainbow progressive" color from the previous letter.  Once the coloring was complete, I used the Tombow pen to write "Oh" and "there".  As you can imagine, the card looked quite plain.  The addition of the tiny triangles and dots added just enough pizzazz, and I kept them to the right of the card since I wanted to use twine on the left edge.

This may have been my first try at freehand text on a card, but it won't be my last.  As a matter of fact, I look forward to creating a set of cards similar to this one.

What are your thoughts? 

"ARRANGE A WREATH" - SIX ASSORTED CARDS

 

Stampin' Up!'s Arrange a Wreath bundle is a great one!  The stamp set includes images and sentiments that are perfect for Valentine's Day, Fall/Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, and a simple wreath design will work for occasions throughout the year.  The Wreath Builder dies . . . just look at the two wreath options!  Of course, they can be used together or separate.  I've posted other wreath cards (click HERE to see them), but today I am sharing an assortment.

Card #1 is a nice Fall design that also features designer paper from the In Good Taste collection.  A circle was die-cut from the center of the paper before it was adhered to Early Espresso cardstock.  My two die-cut wreath colors are Mossy Meadow and Soft Sea Foam.  Can you see the texture on the leaves of the die-cut wreaths?  

Card #2 is a simple Valentine design that features the Painted Texture 3D embossing folder.  Doesn't it have a neat texture?  My wreath colors are (again) Mossy Meadow and Soft Sea Foam.  The hearts and sentiment are stamped with Real Red ink.  The die-cut hearts were brushed with Wink of Stella, but I don't think that shows up in the photo.  I really like the "crate" image in the stamp set, and I stamped it with Crumb Cake ink onto white cardstock and then distressed the edges.  This particular image goes so well with just about any wreath.

Card #3 features a soft, pastel palette for Spring/Easter.  Notice how I used both wreath styles--one from white cardstock and the other from Soft Sea Foam cardstock.  They pair together so nicely!  The egg images were stamped with Blushing Bride, Daffodil Delight, and Highland Heather inks and then cut with the egg dies.  The Bumblebee Gingham Ribbon was so perfect for this card!

Card #4 demonstrates how simple it is to create a Thinking of You card with this product bundle.  My cardstock colors are Basic White, Soft Sea Foam, Pool Party, and Mossy Meadow (for the wreath).  The pear images were stamped with So Saffron ink, and then I used a Sponge Dauber to very lightly apply a bit of Old Olive ink.  I used a Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker to color the stem, and my pears were brushed with Wink of Stella after they were die-cut.  This card also features the Brick & Mortar 3D embossing folder and Just Jade gingham ribbon from the Flowers for Every Season Combo Pack.  TECHNIQUE:  One thing that may not be obvious from the photo is that the leafy wreath die was used to cut the wreath twice--once from Mossy Meadow cardstock and again from the Soft Sea Foam cardstock layer, which also cut the circle from that layer.  I set the Soft Sea Foam wreath aside, and then inlaid the Mossy Meadow die-cut wreath in its place.  Pretty cool, huh?

Card # 5 . . . now isn't this a sweet little card with a sweet little message?  Square cards make me happy, and I think this one will make someone's day.  It features Basic White, Soft Sea Foam, Highland Heather, So Saffron, and Mossy Meadow cardstock.  The die-cut wreaths are Basic White and Soft Sea Foam, and I used So Saffron, Mossy Meadow, and Highland Heather inks to stamp the flower and leaf images.

Card #6 . . . I saved my favorite for last.  I love everything about this card, and it looks so much nicer in real life.  The wreaths were die-cut from Basic White and Mossy Meadow cardstock and adhered to the Vellum Cardstock with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals.  The small and large flowers were die-cut from Real Red and Crushed Curry cardstock, and I think those two colors play together very nicely on this card and also coordinate with the Flower & Field designer paper (one of the Sale-a-Bration products).  In the center of the flowers, I placed rhinestones from Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels (red) and Gold Glitter Enamel Dots (gold).  The embellishments at the top corners of the Vellum Cardstock are Gilded Gems.  The sentiment is from Tasteful Touches stamp set and, of course, I again used the Bumblebee Gingham Ribbon. 

Now you tell me . . . which of these designs is your favorite? 

If you'd like to purchase this product bundle, you can do so HERE.  And . . . your purchase will earn you a FREE Sale-a-Bration product if you order before the end of February 2021!

VALENTINE CREATIONS

Who would have thought that Darling Donkeys would be my stamp set of choice for Valentine cards this year?  

He was looking so sweet, so I paired him with Blushing Bride cardstock and designer paper filled with tiny hearts and puffy enamel hearts.  I apologize for not remembering the DSP collection, but I'm fairly certain the enamel hearts are from a past Paper Pumpkin kit.  I made quite a stack of these cards and had them all ready for mailing when my friend, Laura, reminded me that I had the silver heart charms that I had planned to use.  Sooooooo . . . I ended up tying them onto the twine bow, and I'm glad I did because they were a perfect addition.  Shortly after I mailed my cards, my husband was diagnosed with leukemia (middle of last week), and I'm sure that has something to do with my difficulty remembering all of the product details.

While going through some drawers and cabinets in my stamp room recently, I found a pack of heart-shaped baking tins (with lids) that I had forgotten to use after purchasing last year, I think.  My plan was to bake brownies in them, and this is how they ended up:

I believe the heart-shaped doilies were purchased at the same time that I bought the tins and, as you can see, I had trouble deciding which color to use.  

The brownies baked beautifully in the tins, and I shared with my parents and sister over the weekend.

"SWEET STRAWBERRY" THANK YOU

 

Looking for a sweet stamp set?  Sweet Strawberry is probably the one for you.  Besides the fact that I love strawberries, this stamp set is quite enjoyable.  I love that it has a variety of sentiments, and the buildable images are so fun to use!  I do wish the Berry Delightful designer paper could be purchased because it's just so perfect.  I earned it (along with the Berry Blessings stamp set) as a free Sale-a-Bration selection on a recent order, and I find myself wanting to use it sparingly.  I haven't worked with the Berry Blessings set yet, but it will probably make me want more of the designer paper.  Ha!

If you've visited my blog through the years, you already know that I love square cards.  This one is 4.25" square, and I was so pleased with how it turned out.  For a small card, I think it's full of interesting components.  Stampin' Up! products featured on this card include:

Stamp Set:  Sweet Strawberry

Cardstock:  Real Red, Whisper White, Soft Sea Foam

Ink:  Real Red, Granny Apple Green, Sahara Sand, So Saffron, Soft Sea Foam

Punches:  2" Circle, 1-3/4" Circle, Strawberry Builder

Accessories:  Basic Rhinestone Jewels, Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack, Stampin' Dimensionals

The card has been mailed, so I'm not exactly sure about the circle punches that I used--they may have been 2" and 2-1/4"--and I didn't list the ribbon with the other accessories since it is retired Flax ribbon.  I keep current (and favorite) ribbons, twine, and trims in a drawer, which makes it a little too easy to reach for retired ones now and then.  😉

Don't miss out on the Sweet Strawberry bundle because it one that it very easy and fun to use!

ANOTHER "TWISTED HEART" QUILT (WALL-HANGING)

Since my first Twisted Heart wall-hanging didn't show the heart shape very well--and because I really enjoyed the process of making it--I decided to make another one.  For this one, I used a smaller pattern and, when all of the blocks were sewn together and the borders had been added, the project looked like this:

Normally, after having a quilt top such as the one above, it would be ready for a backing, batting, and quilting to make it a complete project.  But . . . with a twister quilt, the above project needs to be cut up in a twisted fashion (block by block) and sewn back together.  For this process, I again used this Twist n Stitch Ruler and this rotary cutter to cut new blocks from the quilt top, arranged them in the same order as the original top (pictured above), and sewed them together.  A backing and batting were added, and following is what the wall-hanging looked like when I finished hand-quilting it:

I was ecstatic to see that the heart shape was very easy to see!  

In case you're interested in the fabric:  Moda Fabrics - Apricot & Ash by Corey Yoder plus a few pieces of muslin.

I kept the quilting simple by stitching near each seam, mainly because I really didn't know another way to quilt it.  My sweet grandmother, who would be so happy to see that I have finally taken a liking to sewing/quilting, would most likely say that I quilted it to death.  She would actually be correct.

Pictured above is the finished wall-hanging displayed on my design board.  My mother and sister helped (and taught) me how to sew the binding on today, and I was amazed at what a quick process that was.  A couple of months ago, I finished a large quilt for my son and dearly hated hand-sewing the binding all around that quilt!  In the end, it looked really nice . . . but I think the binding on my Twisted Heart wall-hanging looks pretty spiffy, too--and it didn't cause me to say ugly words.  Following is another photo (not great, though) on a dark background that better shows the colors in this project:

The thing about twister quilts is that they have a really interesting appearance with their design seemingly made up of pinwheel shapes, and I think they are really fun to make.  I'm just a tad addicted to them, even though the process involves cutting up the first quilt top after cutting, arranging, and sewing the blocks together.  It seems ridiculously destructive, but it's all worthwhile.  I have another--much larger--twister project ready to start, and there are almost 190 blocks that will be cut with this Tiny Twister Tool.  I'm a bit nervous about it because there are so many blocks AND because they will each be a whopping 2-1/4" square.  It will be a patriotic project, and I do love a patriotic project!  Wish me luck!  

"FRIENDS ARE LIKE SEASHELLS"

 

What a beautiful product bundle Friends are like Seashells is . . . and it's got a few clever tricks, too.  But first . . . just take a moment to enjoy all of the colors, glimmer, dimension, and texture on this card.

Creating this card was the first time I have worked with some of the coordinating products in the Sand & Sea Suite and was amazed to discover so many creative options!  Following are the products featured on my card:

"Friends are like Seashells" Stamp Set

Take a moment to appreciate the sentiments in the stamp set.  

Aren't they great?

"Sand & Sea" Designer Paper

"Seashells" 3D Embossing Folder

"Seaside Seashells" Dies

Notice that big image with shell shapes (try saying that a few times) in the above photo of the dies?  It coordinates with images from the stamp set AND the embossing folder.  How genius is that?!?!  You can die-cut stamped AND embossed images.  On my card, I embossed a piece of white cardstock, cut out the three shells, and then used Sponge Daubers to color them with Blushing Bride, Pool Party, Crumb Cake, and Soft Suede ink.  I then brushed a couple of them with Wink of Stella.  The sand dollar image was stamped with Sahara Sand ink, and I used a Sponge Dauber to lightly ink the edges of the die-cut shape.  The leafy images were stamped with Soft Sea Foam ink onto Soft Sea Foam cardstock and Mossy Meadow ink onto Mossy Meadow cardstock.  But let's talk about the layers with torn edges.

The embossed layer just beneath the die-cut shells was a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock, but I used Stampin' Up!'s new Blending Brushes to apply light strokes of Soft Suede and Pool Party ink to the embossed areas.  Unlike sponges or daubers, when you need/want just a hint of color that won't overtake your project, you NEED the Blending Brushes!  They are fantastic tools, and they absolutely work differently than sponges, daubers, and Sponge Brayers--but with just as much purpose.  FYI . . . in case you're wondering if you'd have to own a Blending Brush for each and every color, the answer is no!  Remember how easy it is to clean Blender Pens and Water Painters by swiping them on a scrap of paper until there's no trace of color?  That's pretty much all you need to do with the Blending Brushes.  I would, however, be mindful to designate the three Blending Brushes to light, medium, and dark colors because touching a wet ink pad could re-activate the ink that remains (stains) the bristles.  I haven't had that issue yet--I'm only mentioning that it might could be possible.  Personally, I have Blending Brushes designated for color groups (yellow, red, green, blue, etc.), and that's working perfectly for me.

The last thing that I want to mention are the Artistry Bloom Sequins on my card.  Can you see how light reflects different colors on them?  I just adore that!  All five sequins on my card are actually the same color, and I am in love with the various colors that they present.  I also love that they come with an adhesive back, so you just have to lift them from the liner and place them where you want them.  

I don't think I clarified that the pink designer paper with the distressed edges is from the Sand & Sea collection, and the wooden pattern on the left edge of the card is from the In Good Taste collection.

What do you think?  Are you in love with this fantastic product suite, too?