"GREENHOUSE GALA" BLOSSOM PETALS

One of my least used punches has been Stampin' Up!'s Blossom Petals, but I put it to use today and really like the result!  All of the petals and leaves that make up the flower were cut with that punch.  The flower petals were sponged with Daffodil Delight and More Mustard ink, embossed (with embossing folders), assembled, and topped off with a Summer Sun corduroy brad (from the Clearance Rack).  Other Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Whisper White and Pear Pizzazz card stock, "Teeny Tiny Wishes" stamp set, Butterfly and Small Oval punches, Sizzix Top Note die, "Greenhouse Gala" designer paper, pearls, and linen thread.

ALL GESSO'D UP FOR "FREESTYLE FRIDAYS"

It's my turn to present the "Freestyle Fridays" project this week, and I think this has been the most challenging one for me so far.  With her project post last week, Julie issued a mission for me to create something using Gesso.  [gulp]  I already had some Gesso on hand, but I had never used it with any stamping projects.  In case you're wondering what Gesso is, it's a primer . . . something used to prepare a surface before painting.  Supposedly, it gives a "tooth" to the surface--something for paint (or ink) to grab onto.  But . . . I also learned that Gesso can be used on card stock to create a hint of texture or, when applied heavily, it can create an actual texture.  It can even be used on thin, glossy magazine pages to make stamping less slippery.  Also, as you can see in the photo of the finished card at the bottom of this post, a thin coat of Gesso will allow the magazine print to peep through a light sponging of ink.  For my project (the one shown at the bottom of this post), I used a piece of Stampin' Up!'s "Newsprint" designer paper, and you can see that some of the text shows through the sponged ink and the embossed/sponged floral image.  Now . . . for my main project, I used the Top Note die to cut a piece of Whisper White card stock and applied Gesso with a brush.  I wanted to create a noticeable texture, so I applied a somewhat heavy coat and let the Gesso dry overnight.  The next day, I inked the butterfly stamp with VersaMark and then clear-embossed the stamped images.  I used torn copy-weight paper to give a shaped edge to the ink colors that I sponged on the card stock on top of the stamped/embossed butterflies.  To tell you the absolute truth, this Gesso'd attempt was actually my SEVENTH one!!!!!  Choosing your colors carefully AND having a sense of what you hope to accomplish are good starting points.  Stampin' Up! products used on these two cards include rhinestone jewels, "Easter Blossoms," "Dreams du Jour," and "Elements of Style" stamp sets, antique brad, Fancy Flower, 1-3/4" Circle, Boho Blossoms, and Scallop Circle punches, Square Lattice embossing folder, and Elegant Eggplant, Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Perfect Plum, and River Rock card stock. 

Pictured to the right are my first six attempts.  The bottom three aren't too bad, but the top three were kind of hideous.  Interesting to note is that I used mostly alcohol inks on the top three samples, but then I realized that my dye inks work on top of the Gesso'd backgrounds just fine.  One more thing that I would like to point out, should you wish to try some Gesso for backgrounds, is that you can mist your inked background with water for an interesting look.  You can also tissue off some of the water or let it run to change the look of your finished background.  As you can see from the sample on the top left, I attempted a gilded Gesso'd background with silver embossing powder, but it's pretty stinkin' difficult to avoid getting the embossing powder where you don't want it.  Still, you might want to try it.




Thin coat of Gesso on "Newsprint" designer paper allows the print to show through after the paper has been sponged with ink.  Don't forget that you can click on the project photo to open a larger one to see detail.

TOP NOTE "HALF-CUT" CARDS

Today I worked on some swaps and created this Top Note half-cut and really like it's "swing" capability.  The technique is the same as using the Movers and Shapers and magnetic dies to create half-cuts, and the same principle applies when using the Top Note--or any die.  Stampin' Up! products used to create these cards include Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, and Wild Wasabi card stock, "Greenhouse Gala" designer paper, "Word Play" stamp set, Crop-a-Dile, and ribbon.

PATRIOTIC BACKGROUNDS

Recently, I saw a project by Michelle Zindorf with a patriotic background (hers, of course, looked better than mine), but I absolutely loved it and wanted to see if I could create one.  The card featuring the truck of apples was my third attempt, but I decided to use the patriotic silhouette image (from the retired "Thankful Thoughts" stamp set) on one of the background attempts that I had pushed to the side.   Stampin' Up! products used to create these cards  include Soft Suede, Night of Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla, and Cherry Cobbler card stock, Night of Navy, Bravo Burgundy, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, White Craft, and Basic Black ink, Stampin' Sponges, jumbo eyelets, "Countryside" and "Starstruck" stamp sets, gold brads, and Crop-a-Dile.

"THOUGHTS & PRAYERS" INLAID EMBOSSING

Uh oh!  I think I have another favorite--one that ranks right up there with square cards--and it's the Inlaid Embossing technique--and it's on a square card.  Actually, I had not planned to make this a square card but, when I was trying to decide on the color for the card, I just happened to find this Soft Suede card already cut, scored, and ready to go.  I had planned to tie a pretty satin bow around the top of the card, but I must have used all of that ribbon.  :-(  Instead, I found a snippet of Rose Red seam binding lying in the ribbon holder and decided to "ruche" it since it was too short to wrap, knot, or tie in a bow.  How about that?  Twice, during the making of this card, I was able to use some leftover cuts!  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Soft Suede, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, and River Rock card stock, "Thoughts & Prayers" stamp set, Rose Red seam binding, pearls, Sizzix Scallop Square die, Large Oval, Scallop Oval, and Itty Bitty Shapes punches, and Finial Press embossing folder.

"DECOR BLOCK" PROJECT

This project features one of Stampin' Up!'s Decor Blocks (found in the "Definitely Decorative" brochure), and I added a box on top to hold a stack of note paper.  The block is decorated with "Elegant Soiree" designer paper, a Vintage Adornment flower, Early Espresso ribbon, and a fun glass fragment on all four sides.  The 2" round glass shown in the photo is approximately 1/4" thick and would make a great paper weight but, as you can see, it also makes a great embellishment for this block. The sentiment and bird image were stamped on card stock which was adhered with Crystal Effects to the back of the glass, but the floral image was stamped on the front of the glass with Craft ink, clear-embossed, and then dressed up with pearls.

"MAKE-IT-SNAPPY-MONDAY"

For this week's MISM project, I used a really fun and easy technique . . . Inlaid Embossing.  To begin this project, I used the Boho Blossoms and one of the Itty Bitty punches to cut the Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point, and Poppy Parade shapes, which I glued to the black card stock and dry-embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  It's amazing how much more interesting the punched shapes look on the card stock after it's been embossed!  I used an aqua painter and ink to quickly color the stamped image (from the "Morning Cup" stamp set) and then stamped the birthday sentiment (from "Sincere Salutations").  All products used to create this card are from Stampin' Up!  If you'd like a better view of the embossing, just click on the photo to open a larger one.

BLACK MAGIC

I have a "Black Magic" project planned for my class on the 18th, and this is one of the samples that I created to have on display.  I love this technique!!!  Stampin' Up! products used to create this card include Basic Black,Whisper White, Always Artichoke, and Marina Mist card stock, Marina Mist 1/4" ribbon, "Punch Bunch" and "Easter Blossoms" stamp sets, Stampin' Pastels, White Craft ink, 1-3/8" Circle punch, Scallop Circle punch, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, and white gel pen.

JULIE'S "FREESTYLE FRIDAYS" PROJECT

When Julie sent the picture of her "Freestyle Fridays" project to me last night, she didn't give me any technique details so we'll all have to be sure to check her blog!  I really like the shape of the card and the layers, and you can never go wrong with embossing folders!  I think Julie did a beautiful job, so let's all pay a visit to her blog and leave her a little love (a comment)!  Hopefully, she will have a mission posted for me, and I always look forward to those!  If you feel compelled to try the mission she presents, be sure to let either or both of us know--we'd love to see what you make!  Have a stampin' good Friday, a wonderful weekend, and check back with me on Monday for my "Make-It-Snappy-Monday" project!

"PIECE BY PIECE" THANKS

In addition to my Stampin' Up! business, I also sell Scentsy products, and Scentsy's brand new Spring/Summer catalog went into effect today.  With each catalog, they have a Charitable Cause Warmer, and the card shown in this post was inspired by the "Piece by Piece" warmer.  One of my customers was so excited to order this warmer and know that a donation would be made to Autism Speaks (her favorite charity),  so I designed this "thank you" card to include with her order.  Stampin' Up! products used include Baja Breeze and Whisper White card stock, "Tiny Tags" stamp set, jewelry tag punch, Baja Breeze Glass Glitter, Crystal Effects, and Baja Breeze seam binding.