Happy Watercolor - Distressed and Pure Gold

I love orchids!!! Grew up around them, taking care of them and just simply appreciating their beauty.  Until I started playing with the Happy Watercolor stamp set, I didn't realize that one of the flower image is an orchid - could be an oncidium or even a dendrubium.  I love it!!

I used crumb cake, basic black, summer starfruit and very vanilla card stock.    I used blender pens to color the flowers with raspberry ripple ink and the stems with gumball green ink.  The background was stamped with baked brown sugar ink while the flowers were masked.  I added white dots to the center of the flowers using white permanent marker.

When I finished the first card, I wanted to make a "clean" version using the same focal point and pretty much the same layout.  I heat embossed the flowers using gold embossing powder.  Added the gold washi tapes and gold baker's twine.  I punched the bitty butterfly from champagne glimmer paper.  So nice how all the gold tied together without being gaudy!!!

and a close up .......

I actually embossed two pieces of card stock in case I mess up.  Since I didn't mess up, I had another embossed image to play with.   I "colored" the flowers with a gold Sharpie!  I found the gold and silver sharpie a couple years ago at Target.  I cut the piece to make a banner/flag.  I brayered real red  over the entire banner.  More gold washi tapes and gold baker's twine on this card as well.  The whole thing reminds of the red chinese envelopes!

Thank you for stopping by today.  All the supplies I used are from Stampin'Up except for the sharpie.  You can find all the Stampin;Up supplies HERE.

Cheers!!!

irene

Best Friend Card

I'm a sucker for funny, sarcastic sentiments.  This one fits the bill perfectly!  When I first saw this stamp, one particular friend came to mind.  Don't get me wrong, she's not the violent type or anything but I imagined her skipping next to me and laughing.

I wanted to try a technique, painter's tape technique,  that everyone is doing lately.  You basically use a painter's tape to apply ink on your paper.  On this card, I used three 6" long painter's tape or masking tape as some people calls it.  One for each of the colors I used - raspberry ripple, gumball green and summer starfruit.  The smaller sentiment is from the Six Sided Sampler stamp set by Stampin'Up and the best friend stamp is by Riley and Company.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Coming soon - Holiday Cards.

Cheers!


irene

Backyard Basics meets Off the Grid

Here's the last card made with the Backyard Basics stamp set.  After all that distressing I'm so ready for bright and cheery.

The base card is whisper white.  I stamped the Off the Grid stamp using black Staz On.  The focal point was stamped with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I recently got a tiny brayer and it's the perfect size for this panel.  I brayered tempting turquoise, pumpkin pie and gumball green inks across the embossed image.  Matted the panel in black and added the bermuda bay ribbon.  Love that ribbon.  And the card is done!

I did not add a sentiment so I can use it for any occasion.   You can easily make a stack of these cards in no time.  Change the image and try a different color combination.

Thanks for stopping by today........... until the next post.

Cheers!!!

irene

Backyard Basics - Happy Birthday

Here's another card using Backyard Basics stamp set and the coordinating Framelit dies.  I wanted my layout to include a frame to highlight the die cut flowers.  I have to say that I was quite pleased  that I was able to execute the concept floating in my head!

I started with crumb cake card stock for the base card.  I made the die cut flower the same way as my previous post HERE.  I chose island indigo and chocolate chip card stocks for the main panel and frame.  The flowers really pop against these two colors.  The sentiment was stamped with versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  It's from the Simply Sketched stamp set.  Finally, I added the white candy dots.

Really love how this turned out.  Looks plain and simple in the photo but much more striking in real life.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Come back and check out the next post - using a different frame concept!

Cheers!!!

irene

Backyard Basics - A Million Thanks

Today's card features a new stamp set called Backyard Basics and it's available with matching Framelit Dies.  I also used the new Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder.

My base card is whisper white card stock.  The dry embossed panel is pistachio pudding.  I took a piece of white cardstock and stamped the flowers with versamark ink and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder.  I used strawberry slush and pear pizzazz markers to color the leaves and flowers.  Then I die cut the image with the matching die from the Backyard Basics Framelit Dies.

The sentiment is from the stamp set called Million & One.  I stamped the sentiment using smoky slate ink on a white card stock, die cut from the Labels Collection Framelits.  I tied the natural twine around the front panel to finish the card.

There you have it, a clean and simple card.  You can make a stack of these cards in no time.  Stay tuned for more cards using the Backyard Basic bundle.

Thanks for stopping by.......... until the next post.

Cheers!!!

irene

Secret Garden Mother's Day Card

Hello!  I can't wait to share my latest card with you.  You often hear me say 'this is quick and easy', well, today's card is nowhere near easy.  I saw this technique on Pinterest and don't really know what it's called.  Basically, it starts with heat embossing your line image in white embossing powder on a crumb cake card stock, then you color the image with white pigment ink using aqua painter.  Wait for the pigment ink to dry or use a heat gun to dry the image completely before applying color with a blender pen.

I took it a step further on my card and masked the images to achieve the crisp layered look.  The colors I used were, from top to bottom, primrose petals, raspberry ripple, calypso coral and wisteria wonder.  The leaves were heat embossed with wild wasabi embossing powder.  The base card is very vanilla and the mat is cherry cobbler.  Very striking in real life!

 What made this particular card challenging is combining masking and heat embossing techniques.  Below is my crude attempt to illustrate the step by step process.  Create masks for all the flowers using post it notes.  Start by stamping the large flower in the center with Versamark.  Masked that first image.  Next, stamp the primrose and the wisteria flowers and cover with their respective masks.  Then, stamp the calypso flower and cover with mask as well.  Lastly, stamp another large flower at the bottom using Versamark.  Carefully take off all the masks and pour white embossing powder all over the flowers.  Set with a heat gun.  Then, mask all the flowers again and stamp the leaves with Versamark ink.  Be careful when heat embossing the leaves and make sure to move the heat gun around so you don't burn the flowers that were heat embossed earlier.  The last image on the collage below is your "starting point".  You can now color your flowers the way I mentioned on the first paragraph.

If you have any questions or need clarification, leave me a comment, I'll be more than happy to help you.

Now that's a labor of love!  I sure hope my Mom would like it!!

My next project will showcase some of the new Stampin'Up products that will be available for purchase on May 30th.  Stay tuned.....

Cheers!!!

Secret Garden - Mother Day's Day Card

For me, yellow flowers signal warm weather ahead.  Spring is here and right around the corner is summer.  That's what I had in mind when I made today's card, yellow flowers that evoke warm feelings.  It's simple and easy, especially with all the tools available nowadays.

I started with a white card stock for my base card.  The panel is also in white but sponged with daffodil delight ink around the edges.  I stamped several flowers in daffodil delight ink using the Secret Garden stamp set.  Then I brushed Crystal Effects on the surface of the flowers.  I die cut the flowers and leaves with the coordinating Secret Garden Framelits.   I colored clear rhinestones with brown permanent markers and placed them on the center of the flowers.  I had the flowers and leaves cascade from the top left corner of the panel.

I stamped the sentiment in gumball green ink and punched a piece of scrap cherry cobbler card stock using the bitty butterfly punch.  I added pearls to the punched butterfly.  And as a last step, I mounted the panel on the front of the card with dimensionals. 

That's my second Mother's Day card and it won't be the last!  Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you enjoy my "springy" card.

Cheers!!!

irene

Secret Garden - Congratulations

I hope you're not sick of Print Poetry Designer Paper Stack and Top Note die cuts yet.  I promise this is the last one.  I just really love the patterns in that stack.  The frame on this patterned paper fits the Top Note die perfectly, I had to use them together!

My card base is river rock card stock, so sad this color is retiring at the end of May.  It's one of my favorite Stampin'Up color, although I must admit I haven't use it much lately.  I wrapped the midnight muse 3/8 stitched satin ribbon around the front of the card.  I stamped the sentiment in raspberry ripple and added the three pearls to the die cut frame.  I sponged crumb cake ink all around the frame and mounted it on the center of the card..

I stamped four flowers from the Secret Garden stamp set in Versamark ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  Then I die cut the stamped images with the matching framelits.  I colored the two large flowers with raspberry ripple ink.  I used a blender pen to apply the color as shown above.  I fussy cut the colored center of the second flower and mounted it on the center of the other large flower.

I colored the center of the two smaller flowers and carefully fussy cut them.  When I finished cutting, I arranged all the flowers on the frame.  I made sure the cut areas of the vanilla flowers were tucked under the big flower and I mounted the colored and cut portion back in the center with dimensionals.  Just want to add that all the flowers were stamped on vanilla card stock not white.

That's my card for today.  Thank you for stopping by.  Next post will feature another Mother's Day card.  Until then............

Cheers!!!


irene

More Swallowtail Cards

I really like this image but I promise to put it away after these cards.

The first card is again in my favorite color combination - blue and green!  The swallowtail was stamped in black pigment ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I colored the image with sponge using Island Indigo and Lucky Limeade inks.

The card base is Lucky Limeade.  I embossed the Island Indigo cardstock with the Swirly embossing folder, my very first embossing folder by Cuttlebug.  The sentiment was stamped in white pigment ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder then punched with the Petite Curly Label punch from Stampin'Up.  Love how this turned out.  The ribbon is 1/4" satin in Island Indigo.

The colors I used on this card are Raspberry Ripple and Summer Starfruit.  The image was also stamped in black pigment ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I used a blender pen to apply color to the image.  The ribbon is 3/8" stitched satin ribbon in Summer Starfruit.  The sentiment was stamped in black pigment ink.

Okay, that's all the swallowtail cards for now.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Cheers!!!

irene



All supplies used were from Stampin'Up except the embossing folder.

Ornaments Keepsakes

I just had to include these cards featuring the Ornament Keepsakes in this series.  I won this bundle of stamp sets and coordinating dies from a raffle held at one of our stamping group meetings.

All the ornaments were heat embossed with white embossing powder on cherry cobbler card stocks.   I wanted to use the same elements and create three distinctly different cards.

The first card came together pretty quickly until I got to the sentiment.  I tried different placements and punches but ultimately decided to add another ornament with the "merry" adhered in the middle.

The next card layout came to me the first time I saw this particular stamp.   Somehow it reminded me of those sparkly bead "curtains" from the sixties.  I thought the embossed double lines added just the right touch of texture.  This is my favorite out of the three cards.

With the last card, I tried to create a non-holiday card using holiday elements.  I made a "flower" with the ornaments and used a vague sentiment.

Here's the side view.

Thanks for stopping by.  Until next time .............. Cheers!!!

All supplies used were from Stampin' Up