Saturday, May 31, 2014

Fatherhood

As I was putting away all the incredible stamps from Lawn Fawn's new release, I came to the realization that my stamps are just not getting enough use. I love every stamp I've bought, even those that were bought for a specific situation/card. I've taken them all out of their packaging and put them in stamp storage pockets, but quite a few of them still have that pristine "never been used" look. I still delight in looking at them and thinking about what kind of card to make, but I really want to make sure I'm using them too. After all, I bought them to do something fun and creative and not to just have them sit in a pocket.

So, I've decided to make a little challenge for myself and do a Stamp Trio Challenge. I will take a specific stamp set and create 3 cards with it, and I'll try to push myself to make very different cards (ex. masculine, feminine and general, or different themes/sentiments).

For the first Stamp Trio Challenge, I'm going to be using Lawn Fawn's Hello Baby stamp set and coordinating dies.

So, my first card is a masculine card intended for a new dad. I rarely venture into the greeting card aisle anymore, but I still remember never really seeing a card that was meant just for a dad. There were quite a lot of mom and baby, or general baby cards, but not many dad cards - unless they were also meant for Father's Day. I think it's nice to have a baby card for a new dad, and that was my inspiration for this card.

I started by cutting a piece of Simon Says Stamp's Mint heavyweight card stock in half, so it measured 4 1/4 x 11". I scored it in half, making it into the base of a standard A2 card (5 1/2 x4 1/4). I set it aside to worn on the front panel.

I grabbed a scrap of white cardstock and cut it to measure a quarter inch less than the card base (4 x 5 1/4). I adhered two pieces of patterned paper, then adhered the panel to the front of the card. Using my BigShot, I die-cut a medium circle and a label out of white cardstock.

I created a mini-scene in the circle by stamping background pieces from the Hello Baby set and coloring around them with Copics. I then stamped out the frog prince from Hello Baby and the frog and crown from Lawn Fawn's Critters Ever After on a separate piece of card stock. I love how proud and happy the frog from Critters Ever After looks, and his slightly larger size makes him the perfect "dad". After coloring the frogs, I used my BigShot and coordinating dies to cut them out. I adhered them to the scene with foam squares.

For the sentiment, I used Milo's ABCs to spell out a custom message. I adhered the circle scene and the sentiment label to the card with foam squares. Lastly, I tied a light-blue ribbon around the front.

Supplies:
Stamp: Lawn Fawn Hello Baby, Lawn Fawn Critters Ever After, Lawn Fawn Milo ABCs
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in black licorice, hot fudge and gumdrop green
Copics: B000, B00, B91, B95, G21, G43, G46, Y35, YR15
Card Stock: Simon Says Stamp 100#lb heavy card stock in Mint, Neenah Solar White 80lbs
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares
Recollections Brights patterned paper
Light Blue Ribbon

Thursday, May 29, 2014

SSS - Love is Everything

Last week, I got my June Simon Says Stamp card kit, but between work and errands, I didn't really get a chance to play with it much.

This month's kit is themed around flowers and love. The stamp set has adorable modern scribbly flowers, as well as leaves, a wreath and a few curly bits you can use for extra decoration. The sentiments are a mix of Kristina Werner's script hand-writing and tiny typed text. The kit also comes with some wood veneer embellishments, washi tape and enamel dots.

For my card, I wanted to go really simple and use as few non-kit products as possible.

I started by cutting a piece of cardstock from the kit in half, and then scoring it in the middle to create my base. I then cut a piece of flowery patterned paper from the kit to 4x5 1/4 inches and adhered it to the base.

I cut a  strip of polka dot patternet paper and trimmed it to create a banner shape. I adhered it to the left corner of the card. Next, I added a piece of washy tape to the bottom of the panel.

I punched a piece of vanilla card-stock with my EK Success paper punch and stamped a sentiment from the kit stamp set. Using my foam blending tool, I lightly brushed the edges of the sentiment panel with tea dye distress ink. This made the panel pop better against the background, and it tied in the washi tape a bit more.

I decided to put a flower in the upper left corner of the card. I used Hemptique natural hemp cord twine to create some loops, then adhered the wood veneer from the card kit.

As a last touch, I added a medium-sized enamel dot from the kit to the front of the flower and a couple small enamel dots to the washi tape.

Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp June 2014 card kit You Are My Favorite
MFT Hybrid Ink in black licorice
Bazzill Vanilla Canvas Card Stock
EK Success Real Estate Sign Paper Punch
Ranger Distress Inkpad in Tea Dye
Ranger Foam Blending Tool
Hemptique Natural hemp cord twine
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Lawn Fawn - Relax

Tomorrow is the very last day of school for my daughter, and I wanted to make a quick summer card for her teacher.

I started with Lawn Fawn's Life is Good stamp set. This is a brand new set and it's full of completely adorable images that have to do with the beach. It seemed like the perfect theme for the summer vacation card. I also wanted to create a smaller card, so I chose the Sunflower notecard- which measures 3 1/2 by 4 7/8.

First, I cut a center panel to measure 3 1/4 by 4 5/8. I created a simple scene with two palm trees, a hammock and some sand. I knew I wanted to distress the background, so I stamped a second set of palm trees and hammock on a separate piece of card stock. I used Copics to quickly color them in.

For the background, I used distress inkpads and the blending tool to add color and depth. After masking off the sky, I used Wild Honey distress inkpad and my blending tool to add a golden color to the sand at the bottom of the panel. Then, I masked the sand and got to work on the sky.

I knew I wanted to do a sunset-like sky, so I started with lightly adding some yellow and I softened it with pink. I then moved to blue, and lastly to purple.

After adhering the palm trees and the hammock with foam dots, I stamped a simple "relax" sentiment in black ink. Since the distress colors and Copics were pretty bright already, I decided not to add any other embellishments.

Supplies:
Stamp: Lawn Fawn Life Is Good
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Base: Lawn Fawn Sunflower notecard
Distress Ink: Ranger Distress Ink in Wild Honey, Spun Sugar, Broken China, Peacock Feathers, and Dusty Concord
Copics: E23, E37, YG00, YG07, G46, R81, R95, V17
Scrapbook Adhesives foam squares

Monday, May 26, 2014

SOG - Relax

This simple summer-y card started with Some Odd Girl's Beach Mae stamp. After stamping her in black ink, I colored her in with my Copics. I chose to go fairly simple in color, and went with pinks and a golden straw hat. My favorite part is the blue sunglasses, and I wanted to add a touch of that blue color elsewhere on the card.

For the background panel, I started by adhering a piece of yellow paper to a black cardstock. I then added a center panel of ombre teal circles. I added an aquamarine ribbon to the left side of the panel and adhered Mae to the middle with foam squares.

Lastly, I stamped a sentiment and added a skinny bookmark banner to the top. A couple of buttons and the card was done!

Supplies:
Stamp: Some Odd Girl Beach Mae
Ink: MFT Hybrid ink in black licorice
Cardstock: Neenah Desert Storm 100lbs (base), Bazzill Licorice Twist (black)
Paper: Studio Calico Snippets 6x6
Copics: Skin (E00, E11, E13, E15, R20), Bathing Suit/Hat (R22, R24, R46, E52, Y21, E23), Hair (Y21, Y35, E23, E35, E57), Shoes (R22, E35, E29), Glasses (BG01, BG07)
Ribbon
Buttons

Sunday, May 25, 2014

PS- Congrats

This week is another designer drafts sketch challenge on SPARKS, and the sketch inspired me to make a graduation card. I've only ever made one graduation card and it was very feminine and specific for the recipient. So, I wanted to challenge myself to make a more general card.



I started with picking out a fun star patterned paper from Fancy Pants Memories Captured. I die-cut it with Paper Smooches Borders I die. I also die-cut a circle from plain white cardstock. While I had my Bigshot out, I also die-cut congratulations from Paper Smooches Congratulations die.

For the background, I cut a piece of light-gray cardstock to 4x5.25 and adhered it to my card base. I adhered the white circle, then layered the star panel over it. I cut a strip of stripped yellow paper and adhered it to the star panel.

I cut apart the Congratulations letters and shortened it to say "Congrats". I glued it to the circle with a glue pen. As a last touch, I stamped a few solid stars.

Voila! Simple grad card is done.




Supplies:
Base: Simon Says Stamp White Woodgrain card stock
Paper: Bazzill Taffy card stock (panel), Fancy Pants Memories Captured 6x6, Lawn Fawn Let's Polka 6x6
Dies: Paper Smooches Borders I, Paper Smooches Congratulations, Sizzix Circles
Stamp: Paper Smooches Space Cadet
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in black licorice
Tombow Mono Glue Pen

Thursday, May 22, 2014

MFT- Super Birthday

This weekend is a very busy weekend! Busy times at work aside, we've also got a couple of birthday parties going on - which means at least 2 cards to be made!

This card is going to one of my daughter's classmates, and the superhero girl from MFT You're Super stamp set seemed just perfect for the occasion.

I started by stamping the girl on a piece of cardstock, then colored her in with my Copics. After creating the standard A2 base, I cut a piece of light purple cardstock to 4x5.25". I then cut another panel from white cardstock, measuring 3.75x5".

I layered a piece of Doodlebug's Sugar Shoppe patterned paper at an angle and adhered it to the white panel. I added a purple ribbon and bow. Then I adhered the superhero girl with foam squares.

After adhering the panels together, I scattered a few pink and purple sequins around the card.

I wrote a simple birthday sentiment inside the card, and voila! The card is done. :)

Supplies:
Stamp: My Favorite Things (Birdie Brown) You're Super
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in black licorice
Cardstock: Avery Elle Sugar Plum (base), Simon Says Stamp Lavender (light purple), Neenah Solar White 80lbs (white)
Paper: Doodlebug Sugar Shoppe 6x6
Purple Ribbon
Sequins: Avery Elle Sugar Blend, Pretty Pink Posh Amethyst cupped 6mm
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares
Ranger Studio Multi-medium matte
Uniball Signo White Gel Pen
Copics: Hair (E35, E57, R59), Skin (E00, E11, E13, E15, R20) Outfit (B91, B95, B99, V12, V04, V17, R81, R85, B000, B01)

Sunday, May 18, 2014

PS- Kitchen Thanks

One of the things I remember most vividly about my childhood kitchen is that my mom had a teapot that was bright red with white polka dots. She would use it to warm up milk for hot cocoa or boil water for Chamomile tea we had every Sunday for breakfast. We lost that red teapot in one of our many moves, but it still remains one of those iconic images of my childhood.

I fell in love with Paper Smooches' Kitschy Kitchen stamp set as soon as it was announced. There are many adorable pieces to the set and I just had to have it. And the free TAM stamp Recipe for Success that came with my order was a perfect companion.

For this card, I kept things really simple. I didn't want any embellishments or complicated techniques, so I focused on keeping the card clean and clear.

I started by grabbing a piece of patterned paper from Carta Bella's Homemade With Love paper pack. This paper pack has the retro kitchen feel and it fits amazingly with the Kitschy Kitchen stamp set. I cut the paper to 4x5.25 and adhered it to the base. I die-cut a piece of white cardstock and added it to the middle of the card.

I stamped a few of the kitchen elements and colored them in using my Copics. I layered them onto the two opposite edges of the sentiment panel.

Lastly, I stamped the sentiment in the middle.

Since the theme for this week's SPARKS challenge is anything goes, I'm entering this card into the challenge.


Supplies:
Stamps: Paper Smooches Kitschy Kitchen, Paper Smooches Recipe for Success (sentiment)
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Base: MFT Primitive Cream Card Stock
Paper: Carta Bella Homemade With Love, Bazzill Marshmallow (sentiment panel)
Die: Spellbinders Nestabilities Dies Labels 18
Copics: Teapot (R08, R46, R59), Bowl (R46, R59, G67, B000, B91), Toaster (W2, W4, W6), Rolling Pin (E11, E23, E35)
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Vintage Octopus

I have a soft spot for vintage things, especially if they're Victorian vintage. As a result, I find myself drawn to vintage things and buying many vintage-inspired crafting supplies. And yet, I don't think I've ever made a vintage card. Maybe I felt intimidated, or maybe I just needed to find the right inspiration.

But taking another look at the gentlemanly Mr. Octopus inspired me to try vintage. And this card was made.

I started by stamping the octopus in brown ink and coloring him with my Copics. I grabbed a piece of brown card-stock cut to 4x5.25" and used it as a panel for all the other elements. I cut a piece of striped paper to 3.45x5" and adhered it to the brown cardstock. I layered another piece of paper at an angle.

For the sentiment, I cut out a frame from one of the papers and matted it to the same brown cardstock as the pannel. I stamped a simple sentiment from Simon Says Stamp's Perfect Love stamp set. I also cut out a few feathers from the same paper as the middle panel.To make the feathers more visible, I used Vintage Photo distress ink around some of the edges.

I layered the feathers onto the sentiment panel, then added a paper flower. A last touch was a few pearls, scattered to pull in the pearls on the paper flower.

Supplies:
Stamps: Some Odd Girl - Mr. Octopus, Simon Says Stamp - Perfect Love
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in Hot Fudge (octopus) and Black Licorice (Sentiment), Ranger Distress Ink in Vintage Photo
Base: MFT Primitive Cream card stock
Paper: Bazzill Chocolate Canvas card stock, Prima Cartographer 6x6, Prima The Stationer's Desk 6x6
Simon Says Stamp Feathers Craft Die 
Copics: E11, E92, E23, E35, E57, E59, E79
Prima Flowers Cartographer - Sightseer paper flowers
Melissa Frances Cream Pearls

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Mr. Octopus

The second I saw Some Odd Girl's Mr. Octopus stamp, I knew I just had to have it. It is completely adorable and funny, plus a great practice for all kinds of awesome textures, Copic blending and color combinations.

I started by stamping the Octopus in My Favorite Thing's hybrid ink in licorice black. I colored it in using my Copics. I went for a mint/teal color with just the slightest bit of pink. After cutting the octopus out, I set him aside to work on the background.

I cut a 4x5.25" panel from Echo park paper. I found a scrap of polkadot paper and adhered it to the front. Then, I adhered a piece of scalloped ribbon. I stamped a sentiment from the stamp set in black ink. Then, I rounded the corners of the panel and of the card base.

After adhering the panel to the card base, I added a few 4mm gold sequins. And voila! Simple card, but fun to create.

Supplies:
Stamp: Some Odd Girl Mr. Octopus
Ink: MFT Hybrid ink in licorice black
Base: Simon Says Stamp #100lbs card stock in Fog
Paper: Carta Bella Summer Lovin' 6x6 
Copics: Octopus (BG11, BG32, BG18, B000, BG01, B45, R22, R34, W2), Hat/cane (Y21, YR15, W4, W6, W8)
Stampin' up scalloped ribbon in chocolate chip
Pretty Pink Posh Metallic Gold Sequins in 4mm
Ranger Studio multi-medium matte
Uniball Signo Broad white gel pen

Sunday, May 11, 2014

PS- Thanks Teacher

As the school year is slowly coming to a close, I find myself with the need to make quite a few thank you cards for teachers. I'd actually bought several stamp sets throughout the year so I could have a nice variety of cards to send out, and it's time to pull them out and get creative!

For this card, I went with Paper Smooches' Smarty Pants set. I love how the professor in that set looks, so I stamped him and colored him in with my Copic markers. Then, I layered a few book stacks together and stamped an apple on top. I chose different bright colors for the books and red for the apple.

After I carefully cut the stamped pieces out, I got to work on the background. I pulled out the Simple Stories Smarty Pants 6x6 paper pad and took out a few of the fun patterns. First, I adhered a piece of green paper to the base. Then I created the center panel by adhering the white lined paper to the orange at an angle, and cut off the excess.

I adhered the professor and the book stacks and added a simple white rectangle at the top with the greeting. As a last touch, I added a couple of red enamel dots. And voila! Simple teacher card. :)

Paper Smooches is currently holding a guest designer search, so I'll be entering this card. I don't think I can really compare to the amazing talent that's out there, but it'll be nice to get a tiny bit more exposure and maybe meet another crafty friend or two. :)

Supplies:
Stamp: Paper Smooches Smarty Pants
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in Licorice Black
Base: Neenah Desert Storm 80lbs
Paper: Simple Stories Smarty Pants 6x6
Copics: Professor (E00, E11, E13, E15, B000, W2, B91, B95, G21, E15, E18), Books (Y15, G21, BG01, YR15, B05, R55, YG67, R29, E35, W2), Apple (R08, R46, R89, G67)

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Make A Wish

I recently got some gorgeous sequins from Pretty Pink Posh, and I wanted to make a simple card that puts emphasis on sequins.

This is actually the second card I made with this general idea. The first was much more elaborate, using watercolors and a lot of stamping, and I ended up not liking it. I wanted the dandelions to be the focus of the card, and they just felt like an afterthought the first time around.

So, I started by cutting a piece of patterned paper with a subtle texture (it's actually written "a wonderful day" again and again in soft blue). I matted it to a piece of black cardstock for contrast and adhered it to my base.

I drew the dandelion stalks with pen and glued Winter Snow Mix sequins to the end using my Ranger Studio multi-medium. This glue is great because it dries clear and it's not at all shiny like glossy accents. If you're like me, occasionally you'll end up having to slide the sequin around a bit. With glossy accents, you get a shiny spot on the card that is a pain to photograph. So, a strong glue that dries clear and matte is fantastic.

I stamped the sentiment using the Monogram Alpha stamp set from the Sweet Stamp Shop. I love the quirkiness of the letters in this stamp set and it perfectly matches the hand-drawn lines in the dandelions.

Lastly, I made a small bookmark tag for the top of the sentiment and added a wood veneer heart.

Supplies:
Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh Winter Snow Mix
Stamp: Sweet Stamp Shop Monogram Alpha
Ink: Memento Luxe in Nautical Blue
Ranger Studio Multi-Medium Matte
Base: Simon Says Stamp 100#lb in Fog
Paper: Bazzill Black Licorice, Webster's Pages Party Time! 6x6, Bazzill Rock Candy (bookmark tag)
Studio Calico Hearts & Arrows wood veneer

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

SSS- Mother's Day

For this card, I decided to play with contrast and rich colors, while at the same time keeping the card bright.

I started by stamping a few roses and leaves from the Simon Says Stamp Best Mom Ever stamp. After coloring them with my Copics, I carefully cut them out and set them aside to work on my panel.

I wanted to create something elegant, but feminine at the same time. So, I cut a piece of black cardstock to 4x5.25" and a piece of subtle patterned paper to 3.75x5". I adhered them together, leaving a black border around the panel. This would tie in to the back outline on the flowers, as well as the black sentiment.

I layered the colored flowers and leaves onto the panel. I used Tombow Mono liquid glue for the flat pieces and foam squares to make some of the flowers pop off the page. Since this card is going in the mail, I kept the dimension subtle and small. There are only

I tied a light pink ribbon at the bottom of the flowers to create a subtle border.

I stamped the greeting from Simon Says Stamp's Mother's Day stamp set at the bottom of the card. It came out a bit too thin and delicate, so I went over it with a think black marker.

I adhered the panel to the front of the base, and as a last step, scattered a few pearls around the roses and added a few white dots to the flowers with my gel pen.

Supplies:
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Best Mom Ever, Simon Says Stamp Mother's Day
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in Licorice Black
Base: Bazzill Marshmallow
Paper: Bazzill Black Licorice (black panel), Glitz Design Hello Friend 6x6 
Copics: Roses (R22x R35, R29, R89), Leaves (YG95, YG97)
Pink Ribbon
Melissa Frances Pearls
Tombow Mono Multi Liquid Glue
Scrapbook Adhesive Foam Squares
Memento Tuxedo Black Marker
Uniball Signo White Gel Pen

Friday, May 2, 2014

Mama Elephant - Hello

After making so many masculine cards, I wanted to do something sweet and pretty. So, I pulled out my Mama Elephant Up And Away stamp, as well as the brand new Mama Elephant "Hello" die.

I started by die-cutting the hello sentiment twice: once in black, and once in teal. I knew I wanted to make it look like the bunny is really floating, so I also die-cut some clouds out of white cardstock and thick vellum. I prepared the background by cutting a 3.75x5 rectangle from patterned paper.

After stamping and coloring in the balloons tops and the bunny, I cut them out carefully. I stamped the balloons again on the panel and adhered the colored tops with foam squares. I positioned and adhered the bunny, then drew in the curly balloon ends with a pen.

I added in the clouds, offsetting them a little so they looked more layered. I used the same off-set technique to adhere the sentiment. I started with the black, then I glued in the teal on top, slightly to the upper right, so the black barely peeks through. This gave the sentiment a lot more dimension.

As a last touch, I added some sequins.

Supplies:
Stamp: Mama Elephant Up and Away
Dies: Mama Elephant Scripted Hello Die, Lawn Fawn Blue Skies (clouds)
Base: Bazzill Marshmallow
Paper: American Crafts Dear Lizzy Polkadot Party 6x6
Copics: Balloons (R20, R81, R85, V12, V04, V06, B00, BG01, BG07), Bunny (B00, R20, R22, R35)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Bazzill Vellum 40lb, Simon Says Stamp 100#lb cardstock in Audrey Blue, Bazzill Black Licorice
Avery Elle sequins in Carribean Blend

Thursday, May 1, 2014

SSS- May 2014 Card Kit - Date?

This month's kit from Simon Says Stamp is all about boys. It's got a fantastic stamp set, as well as a stencil, the new Ranger mini-blending tool and some distress ink.

Right after I got the set, I just had to make a quick and easy card to illustrate an idea that's been bouncing in my brain since the card kit reveal. Gaming night = awesome date night, so I wanted to make a cute card that asks the recipient for a date.

I started by cutting out a panel from the striped paper in the kit, and another panel out of white cardstock. I used the blending tool and the ink from the kit on the edges of the white paper. Then, I took out the stencil and smooshed some Hero Arts Tide Pool ink to create stars that are the same tone as the distress ink.

I stamped the controller twice in MFT's Hybrid ink, then colored them in with my copics. I carefully cut them out and attached them to the white panel with foam squares. I then drew in the loopy wire heart with a black marker.

For the sentiment, I chose to go with a custom sentiment - using Lawn Fawn's Milo's ABCs stamp set.

I adhered the striped paper at an angle, then added the white panel with foam squares. As a last touch, I added a hand-drawn white border around the card.

Supplies:
Simon Says Stamp Card Kit May 2014
Lawn Fawn's Milo's ABCs
Copics (W2, W4, W6 W8, G21, R22, R46, BV04)
Memento Tuxedo Black marker 
MFT Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Tide Pool
Uniball Signo White Gel Pen
Scrapbook Adhesives Foam Squares