Princess Birthday

Pretty Pink Posh - Trick or Treating Friends

In my post a couple of days ago, I mentioned how versatile this trick-or-treating stamp set would be for cards other than Halloween. So, I decided to use one of girls and color her as a lovely and sweet princess.

I also pulled out an embossing folder to create a textured background for my focal panel. I don't use my embossing folders very often, but I think they can add a lot of interest to a card -- especially when I want that tone-on-tone look.

Thanks for reading!
~Elle~

Halloween Friends

Pretty Pink Posh - Trick or Treat Friends

For today's card, I thought I'd use a fun little set I got last year, but never inked up. I really like how versatile this set is - for both Halloween cards and other occasions.

I used my go-to Halloween colors -- purple, green and black/grey. I also sprinkled a whole bunch of fun sequins across the page.

Thanks for taking a look!
~Elle~

Paper Smooches - Welcome Autumn

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is Anything Goes, so I took that as an opportunity to make a fun autumn card. I've been meaning to use the fun Paper Smooches Autumn Groves stamp set for ages now, but I kept getting distracted. With this card, I'm also trying out a new coloring medium - colored pencils.

I started by cutting a piece of white cardstock to measure 3 3/4 by 5 1/4". I used chocolate brown ink to stamp the scarecrow, pumpkin, two apples and the leaves, along with stitched trails. I then used my new Prismacolor pencils to color in the image. I only got a small set of pencils, so I used a combination of colors to add depth to the image. I tried not to blend the colors in completely, leaving a bit of pencil texture.

After everything was colored in, I masked off the images and grabbed a paintbrush and a couple of distress markers. Using Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade, I created a bunch of splatter dots on the right side of the card. Once the splatter was dry, I stamped the Welcome Autumn sentiment from Autumn Groves in brown ink.

For embellishments, I turned to my Pretty Pink Posh stash. I started by tying some brown ruffle ribbon around the top of the panel. I love this ribbon, and I've been coveting it since I got it, but I think it fits perfectly with the card. I used a simple knot and trimmed the ends.

Then I added some sequins! I used Pretty Pink Posh's Tangerine (in 6mm), Marigold (in 6mm) and Mossy Green (in 4mm) along with Ranger Studio Multi-Matte glue.

I found some fun plaid paper in Webster's Pages Happy Camper paper pad. I used Mama Elephant's Femme Frames to cut a scalloped panel out. For the card base, I cut a sheet of brick red cardstock in half, and scored it for a standard A2 card. I adhered the patterned paper at the bottom, then adhered the main panel. 

Supplies:
Paper Smooches Autumn Groves stamp set
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Chocolate Brown
Prismacolor Pencils
Neenah Solar White 80lbs cardstock
My Favorite Things Heavyweight cardstock in Brick Red
Webster's Pages Happy Camper 6x6 patterned paper
Mama Elephant Femme Frames dies
Distress Markers in Vintage Photo and Spiced Marmalade
Pretty Pink Posh brown ruffle ribbon
Pretty Pink Posh sequins in Tangerine (6mm), Marigold (6mm) and Mossy Green (6mm)
Ranger Studio Multi-Matte glue
Tombow Dot Runner Adhesive (pink)

Blog Hop: Warm Wishes Coffee

This card is my second entry to Pretty Pink Posh's Cutting Edge blog hop.

For this card, I decided to use the Hot Concoctions set by Paper Smooches, as well as a few fun dies. I stamped the coffee cup twice onto some Copic marker paper, and colored them in with my Copics. I also stamped out a couple of hearts and colored them in as well. I carefully cut them out and set them aside while I worked on the rest of the card.

The first step was to make a watercolor background. I wanted it to look a bit like the paper was coffee-stained. So, I used the Brushed Corduroy distress marker to create a warm brown-toned wash on some watercolor paper. While it was still wet, I made some splatters with a brush, using Gathered Twigs distress marker for color. This created soft and diffused texture you see in the upper left of the panel. I wanted to make sure there were some detailed drops, as well. I waited for the background to dry, then I splattered some more drops of Gathered Twigs. Then I set it aside to dry completely.

It was time to have fun with dies! I started by grabbing My Favorite Things' Blueprints 13, Mama Elephant's Femme Frames and Pretty Pink Posh's newest Stitched Duo II dies. The awesome thing about all 3 of these dies is that they each make a stitched rectangle of a different size, and they nest together just perfectly!

I cut the biggest panel with Blueprints 13 out of brown cardstock. For the medium panel, I used Femme Frames and a piece of patterned paper. Lastly, I cut a panel from the watercolor background with the rectangle from the Stitched Duo II dies.

Before assembling the card, I adhered the two coffee cups and hearts with Tombow Mono-Multi glue. I also drew in a couple teeny hearts under the red heart. I stamped some curly steam as well as the sentiment in brown ink. Then, I put the card together. I used a combination of my standard dot adhesive and foam tape.

Once all the layers were ready, I adhered it to a white standard top-folding A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2").

Supplies:
Paper Smooches Hot Concoctions
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
My Favorite Things Blueprints 13 dies
Mama Elephant Femme Frames dies
Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Duo II dies
Stampin' Up Classic Inkpad in Baked Brown Sugar
Stampin' Up Cardstock in Baked Brown Sugar
Neenah Solar White 110#lbs Cardstock (base)
Stampin' Up Retro Fresh Designer Paper
Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Paper
Copics (E81, E42, E35, E37, E29, G12, G24, YG63)
Distress Markers in Brushed Corduroy and Gathered Twigs
Tombow Mono-Multi Liquid glue
Tombow Dot Adhesive (pink)
3M Double-Sided Foam Tape (permanent)

Ahoy! (blog hop)

Since I'm a big fan of Pretty Pink Posh, I really wanted to take part in the fun new blog hop -- which is all about dies!

And, here's my card:

I started by creating my card base from Kraft cardstock - a standard A2 card base which measures 4 1/4 by 5 1/2".

I decided on a nautical card, so I grabbed Sweet Stamp Shop's Ahoy! stamp set and stamped the boat in black ink onto some Copic marker paper. I colored it in with my Copics and carefully cut around it, leaving a small white border. I stamped the sentiment onto a piece of white cardstock in navy ink, and also cut it out.

Then came the time to have fun with dies! I created a base panel from white cardstock, using Mama Elephant Femme Frames dies. I also cut a plain white circle using my Sizzix Circles framelits. I then grabbed a couple of papers from Carta Bella's Ahoy There! paper pad. I cut the red paper with a die from My Favorite Things' Blueprints 13, and a wave paper circle from the Sizzix circles framelits.

I adhered the base panel and the red piece straight to the card base. I also adhered the white circle and the wave circle with dot adhesive, then added it to the card with foam tape. I used foam tape to adhere the boat and the sentiment.

The last touch was a few Pretty Pink Posh sequins - in cobalt and aquamarine.

Supplies:
Sweet Stamp Shop Ahoy! stamp
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Stampin' Up Night of Navy classic inkpad
Neenah Desert Storm Environmental Cardstock in 100#lbs
Neenah Solar White Cardstock in 80#lbs
Copic Mini Marker Pad in 70#lbs
Copics (C4, C6, C8, E23, E25, E27, E29, R08, R46, B00, 0)
Carta Bella Ahoy There! 6x6 patterned paper
My Favorite Things Blueprints 13 dies
Mama Elephant Femme Frames dies
Sizzix Framelits Circles
Tombow Dot Adhesive (pink)
3M Scotch Foam Tape
Ranger Studio Multi-Medium glue
Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, cupped, 6mm in Cobalt and Aquamarine

Sunflower Bouquet

Today's card uses a gorgeous stamp from Taylored Expressions - Sunflower Bouquet. I love sunflowers. They are one of my favorite flowers, and I find myself drawn to any stamp set that features sunflowers. So, when I saw this gorgeous bouquet in a mason jar, I just had to grab it.

I started by stamping the flowers onto some Copic marker paper with My Favorite Things hybrid ink. I colored them in using my Copics. I wanted the card to be cheery, so I used bright colors. I also used a white gel pen to add in a few highlights and extra details. After the image was colored in, I carefully cut around it with my scissors, leaving a small white border.

Using a frame die from Mama Elephant's Type It die set, I cut a piece of vellum into a scalloped rectangle. I adhered the flowers to the rectangle with foam squares.

For the base, I cut a sheet of Avery Elle's Fog cardstock and scored it in half to create a top-folding A2 card (4 1/4 by 5 1/2"). This cardstock is a warm gray with a slight yellow undertone, so it's perfect for the warm tones in the rest of the card.

For the background patterned paper, I used Studio Calico's Printshop! 6x6 paper pad. I cut it to be slightly smaller than the card base - 4 by 5 1/4", and adhered it straight onto the cardstock. Then, I adhered the flower panel with foam squares.

As a last touch, I scattered some sequins from Pretty Pink Posh's Summer sequins mix. The colors matched just perfectly!

Supplies:
Taylored Expressions Sunflower Bouquet stamp
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in black licorice
Mama Elephant Type It die set
Copic Mini Marker pad 70lbs
Copics: Y15, Y35, YR14, E23, E37, E47, YG13, YG17, Y11, R81, RV66, B00, B41, B91, B24
Bazzill 40lbs Vellum
Avery Elle Heavyweight cardstock in Fog
Studio Calico Printshop! 6x6 paper pad
Pretty Pink Posh Summer Sequins mix
Uniball Signo broad white gel pen
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D foam squares
Ranger Multi-Medium matte

ME- Protected

This is the third and final card in my Stamp Trio challenge, using Mama Elephant's In My Heart stamp. This time, I wanted to play with texture and dies. I had already stamped, colored and die-cut the boy and the girl while I was making the second card, so they were ready to use.

I started by preparing my card base. I cut a sheet of Simon Says Stamp Lemon cardstock in half, and scored it for a top-folding A2 card. Using the Cuttlebug Seeing Spots embossing folder, I added a large polka dot texture to the front.

While I had my Bigshot out, I cut out the rest of the panels I would be using. I used the stitched rectangle from Mama Elephant's Femme Frames die to cut a rectangle from Simon Says Stamp's Sea Glass cardstock. I cut a piece of white cardstock with Pretty Pink Posh's Stitched Duo I die, as well as the same shape out of Doodlebug vellum. Then, I used the stitched scallop border from Pretty Pink Posh's Stitched Borders I die to cut the vellum piece.

I layered the vellum to the bottom of the white cardstock and adhered it together with a bit of glue. I tied a piece of yellow twine from Pretty Pink Posh's Summer embellishment kit around the bottom of the panel. I attached the boy and the girl from Mama Elephant's In My Heart set to the panel with foam squares.

I then adhered the panels to the card. As a last touch, I added a few flower sequins from the summer embellishment kit near the sentiment.

Supplies:
Stamp: Mama Elephant In My Heart
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in Black licorice, Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black (sentiment)
Dies: Mama Elephant Femme Frames, Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Duo I, Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Borders I
Cuttlebug A2 Embossing Folder Seeing Spots
Cardstock: Simon Says Stamp Heavy Cardstock in Lemon and Sea Glass, Neenah Solar White 110lbs
Doodlebug Sprinkles vellum in Coral
Copics
Pretty Pink Posh Summer Embellishment Kit

ME- Thinking of You

This is the second card in my stamp trio challenge, using Mama Elephant's In My Heart stamp.

First, I quickly created a base for the card by cutting a sheet of Surf Blue cardstock in half. I scored it, making it into a standard A2 card.

I started by grabbing a sheet of Tim Holtz distress watercolor paper, which measures 4 1/4 by 5 1/2". Using distress inks and some water, I created a dreamy watercolor background. I had some warping from the water, so I decided to mat the background onto some cardstock.

I cut the panel down to measure 3 3/4 by 5", then adhered it to a piece of dark grey cardstock that measured 4 by 5 1/4". I adhered the entire panel to the base.

I placed the girl onto the background with some foam squares, and quickly sketched in a shadow underneath her.

For the sentiment panel, I started by sketching out a puffy cloud on a piece of white cardstock and cutting it out with my scissors. I stamped the sentiment in the middle, then adhered it to the card with foam squares. As a bit of a whimsical touch, I added some stitch lines just inside the border with a gel pen. I also drew in some round thought-bubble circles with a white gel pen directly on the watercolor panel.

Lastly, I adhered some Pretty Pink Posh gold and silver sequins to the top of the card. I think they kind of look like stars, and they sure shimmer and shine!

Supplies:
Stamp: Mama Elephant In My Heart
Ink: MFT Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice, Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black and Vermillion, Ranger Distress Inkpads in Tea Dye, Broken China, Salty Ocean and Chipped Sapphire
Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor paper
Cardstock: Simon Says Stamp heavyweight cardstock in Surf Blue and Slate
Copics (E00, E11, E13, R20, R32, B00, Y11, Y35, E35, E37)
Pretty Pink Posh 4mm cupped sequins in Metallic Silver and Metallic Gold
Sakura Souffle gel pens (teal)
Uniball Signo broad white gel pen

Birthday cake Ava

Confession time! My favorite color is brown... When I say it out loud, it sounds a bit boring. I mean, it's not a bright or exotic color like turquoise or amethyst. And it doesn't really inspire exciting traits. It's dependable, solid, subdued. But it's still my very favorite color. It's a neutral that's not as harsh as black, and it has a warmth you don't get with gray. It goes with - and this is my favorite part - anything! Any other color you can think of looks great when matched with brown.

So, when I saw Stamping Bella's Uptown Girl Ava Loves to Celebrate stamp, I knew I wanted to use brown. And aquamarine - which, when paired with brown, really pops!

I started by stamping Ava with MFT Hybrid ink in Black Licorice on some Copic marker paper. I colored her in with Copic markers, and added a few highlights with a white gel pen. I trimmed it into a small rectangle.

For the base, I cut a piece of 8 1/2 x 11" Neenah Desert Storm cardstock in half to create a standard top-folding A2 card (4 1/4 x 5 1/2") card.

I cut two panels of paper from Simple Stories Sn@p Color Vibe paper pad, making sure they were 1/4" and 1/2" smaller than the card base. I layered them together, and adhered the stamp panel to the left side. I also stamped a Happy Birthday sentiment on the inside of the card, as there was no room to put it on the card front.

As a last touch, I scattered a few 4mm aquamarine sequins from Pretty Pink Posh to the right side of the card. This tied in the colors and shaped together just perfectly.

Supplies:
Stamping Bella Uptown Girl Ava Loves to Celebrate
MFT Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Copic Marker Paper 70lb
Neenah Desert Storm 100lb cardstock
Simple Stories Sn@p Color Vibe 6x6
Pretty Pink Posh 4mm sequins in Aquamarine
Copics: 0 (colorless blender), B00, BG01, BG07, C2, C4, E00, E11, E13, E15, E33, E37, E47, G14, R20, R32, R81, Y21, Y35, YR14
Sakura Gellyroll white gel pen
Ranger Studio Multi-matte

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