Butterfly Wishes Shaker Card

How To Make A Paper Hoarder Share Her Stampin’ Up Stash

Hello Friends!

I’m blessed with a cute little 7-year-old granddaughter, named Kambria, who loves, loves, loves to craft with Grammy.  She definitely got my genes when it comes to pretty paper, ink, rubberstamps, and lots of embellishments!  She and I can pass an entire day away in my craft room NO PROBLEM!

In fact, this little cutie began scrapbooking with me when she was 3-years-old.  I’ve been a “scrapper” since my children were babes and she loved looking through my albums when she would come to see us.  I didn’t work Fridays, and so before she was of school age, she would come hang out with Grammy & Papa every Friday while Mom and Dad worked.

Noting that she could spend hours looking through scrapbooks and looking through all of my pretty paper piece by piece by piece; and drawer upon drawer upon drawer of “embellishments”, I introduced her to papercrafting at a very young age.  It wasn’t long before she was asking, “Can I scrapbook with you, Grammy?”

Though everything is digital these days, I still have a lot of my pictures made into prints (someday I’ll get around to scrapbooking all of them…) and so I’d let her look through the envelopes of pictures and pick out several that she wanted to scrapbook.

As a paper lover (hoarder), it was very difficult for me to let her have free pick of my paper stash, ribbon, gems, etc.   But, with some guidance and eventual reorganization of my supplies, i.e. you can use anything in this cupboard, this tote, this box, this drawer…I did learn to share!

A darling little grandchild can make any paper-hoarding grandma share her stash!!! 

 

Here are just a few of her scrapbooking beginnings.  Washi tape and glitter glue were big on these first pages!

As time has gone by and my focus turned more to card making, hers has likewise shifted that direction.  Now the second she hits the front door, the first words out of her beautiful little mouth are, “Hi Grammy!  Can we make cards today?”

And that leads me to the here and now!   She spent the day with us a few days back, and I was putting together a shaker card.  As a girl after my own heart, who loves a little “bling”, the sequins in my shaker card were quite “swoon-worthy” to my little princess, and she wanted to make one too.

Butterfly Wishes Shaker Card Butterfly Wishes Shaker Card

Soooo, of course we did!

She decided hers would be for her friend, and her friend likes cats…”I mean, like REALLY likes cats, Grammy!”

Without blinking an eye, I knew in that moment, I had to bring out “the good stuff”.  Yep, current Stampin’ Up catalog stuff.  If Kambria wanted to make a shaker card with cats, by golly, she was going to have the best cats I had!!!

And just like that, I handed over my “Playful Pets” suite of products.  So much for “This is your paper, stamps, ink, embellishments to play with!”  At age 7, with four years of paper-crafting experience behind her, I guess she’s earned the right to graduate to “the good stuff”.  She’s had a good teacher after all!  Of course, letting go is never easy, so we’re testing the waters carefully with a paper-hoarding Grammy’s ever-watchful eye as to exactly WHAT & HOW MUCH she’s using! LOL!

She wanted to make her shaker card in the same layout that I’d used, so that was easy.

She then proceeded to tell me exactly what she wanted in terms of cardstock, DSP, sequins, and she wanted her window to read “BFF”… “with hearts, Grammy”.  This little girl was suddenly in charge of the craft room and completely in her element!  With a little help on measurements and guidance on how to put it all together, 7-year-old Miss Kambria made her first shaker card for her “BFF who likes cats…I mean, REALLY likes cats!”

Oh how I love days with my grandkids; and finding something that we enjoy doing together IS PRICELESS!  I have many fond memories of crafting with my grandma…it just runs in the family I guess!  Kambria will look back at her early-years scrapbook and smile someday, remembering the time spent crafting with Grammy.

And that, my friends, is how you make a paper-hoarder share her stash!

                                              

 

My card features the stamp set Butterfly Wishes; Artistry Blooms DSP; Square Vellum Doilies; Playful Alphabet Dies; Whale Of A Time Sequins.

Butterfly Wishes Shaker Card

Kambria’s card features Playful Pets DSP & Dies, Playful Alphabet Dies; Be Mine Stitched Dies; Playful Pets Trim Combo Pack; Poppy Parade Sequins.

A list of the products with links to my online store are noted below.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Until next time, I hope you get INKY!

Janet

Product List

Pets Dies

$23.00
Stampin Up Press On thank you card

Sometimes We Just Have To Press On

Hello Friends!

In deliberating what direction I wanted this post to go, I pulled out the Stampin’ Up! Press On stamp set.

This is a perfect set for the coffee lover in your life, but it also contains some really good encouragement sentiments to remind us that sometimes we just have to press on.  I think all of us can look back at this year, 2020, and apply that “press on” attitude!

I needed a thank you card, however, and so used the “A cup of thanks” sentiment from the Stampin’ Up! Press On stamp set.  I really like how the In Good Taste DSP can be used to simulate a kitchen counter with tile backsplash, and chose to use this effect for my card.  Don’t forget that this designer series paper, as well as the Heartwarming Hugs DSP that I used for the coffee cups, is all on sale, 15% off, until the end of this month.  Stock up while you can!

I don’t know if you noticed, but I tried to make the kitchen counter as authentic as possible – complete with coffee cup ring, spilled coffee beans, and coffee grounds!  Now, if only we all had an Alice (Brady Bunch) to tidy up after us, right?

Stampin Up Press On thank you card

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp set:

  • Stampin’ Up! Press On stamp set

Paper:

  • In Good Taste DSP (Designer Series Paper) – 5 1/8″ x 3 7/8″
  • Heartwarming Hugs DSP – scraps of 3 different patterns for cups
  • Early Espresso CS (cardstock) – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ – fold in half at 4 1/4″
  • Real Red CS – 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″ (cut 2)
  • Whisper White CS – 5 1/4″ x 4″ (cut 2) + scraps for sentiment tag and coffee lids
  • Sahara Sand CS – scrap for 3 cup-wraps

Ink:

  • Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
  • SU (Stampin’ Up) Real Red Ink

Accessories/Embellishments:

  • Soft Suede Combo Stampin’ Blends
  • Wrapped In Texture Embossing Folder
  • Crystal Effects
  • Brown Glitter
  • Stampin’ Chalk Marker
  • Dimensionals

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

  1. Stamp the coffee to-go cup image on three different colors of the Heartwarming Hugs DSP, then using snips, fussy cut them out.
  2. Stamp the top “lid portion” of the same stamp on Whisper White CS x 3, and then fussy cut the lids out.
  3. Adhere lids to DSP cup images.
  4. Stamp the mid-portion of the same cup stamp onto a scrap of Sahara Sand CS and fussy cut the center-section cup-wraps out.
  5. Place the three Sahara Sand pieces into the Wrapped in Texture embossing folder and run through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.
  6. Adhere the textured cup-wraps to center of DSP cups.
  7. Set the 3 cups aside while we work on the card base background.
  8. Apply one of the Real Red mats to the Early Espresso card base front.
  9. Take the In Good Taste panel that you cut for the card (Stacked stone/tile on front & gray on back) and cut 1 3/8″ from the long edge.
  10. Adhere the larger piece with tile side up, to the top of one of the Whisper White mats, leaving a thin white border.
  11. Randomly stamp some coffee beans (from Press On stamp set) on the gray side of the 1 3/8″ piece of DSP, in black ink, allowing some to go off the edge of the paper.  Color coffee beans with Soft Suede Blends.  I colored the whole bean in the light Soft Suede, and then simply highlighted the middle line of the bean with the dark Soft Suede marker.
  12. Squeeze a little dot of liquid glue to the tip of your finger and smudge it onto the gray DSP (countertop).  Sprinkle a little bit of brown glitter (from my stash) “coffee grounds” over the glue and let dry.
  13. Adhere the stamped gray DSP below the tile piece and butting edges up.
  14. Place dimensionals to the back of the three (3) coffee cups and apply to image panel equally spaced over the gray DSP (countertop).
  15. To create the coffee ring around the bottom of the first cup, I drew a thin line of clear Crystal Effects (from my stash) around the bottom of the cup and let it dry.  I then used the Dark Soft Suede Stampin’ Blends marker, small tip, to draw over the Crystal Effects, giving it some color.  I then used the Light Soft Suede Stampin’ Blends to somewhat fill in the ring.
  16. Stampin Up coffee ring close up
  17. The “A cup of thanks” sentiment was stamped in black ink onto Whisper White CS and then I used my paper trimmer to cut the rectangle tag.
  18. I had a narrow strip of Real Red CS which I trimmed to length and applied to the center back of the sentiment tag.  The whole thing was then adhered with liquid glue to the card front.
  19. Stamp the heart image from “Press On” in Real Red above the first cup, and use a white chalk marker to hand draw some “steam” lines.
  20. Adhere the entire image panel to the red mat on card base.
  21. Stampin Up Press On thank you card
  22. For the inside of the card, I used a 1″ strip of the same gray DSP (1″ x 3 7/8″), and again stamped some coffee beans randomly across it.  I colored the beans the same as I did above, and added the heart in Real Red to the center.
  23. Stamp the inside sentiment in black ink to the Whisper White panel, and adhere the stamped 1″ gray strip to the bottom, leaving equal borders.
  24. Adhere the Real Red mat to the inside of the Early Espresso card base, followed by the white stamped sentiment panel.

DONE!

Whether a coffee lover or not, I think this card will brighten someone’s day.  So, let’s keep on Pressing On!  2020 will soon be over and I hope you’ll all join me in praying for a calmer, “less memorable” 2021!!!

If I can assist you in anything Stampin’ Up, or “crafty” simply reach out to me via the Contact tab above!  I’d love to hear from you, even just a simple hello to let me know you’re all still pressin’ on!

SU has a new promotion coming SOON.  This promotion, Curvy Celebrations, includes early-release products from the January–June 2021 Mini Catalog in addition to exclusive Christmas products. It includes a 10% discount when purchased all together with the Quite Curvy Variety Bundle item number.

Some of the items in this variety bundle are only available during the pre-release order period!  I got mine today and will be sharing it with you in the next couple days, as the bundle will be orderable by YOU, my customers, on November 3.  The promotion-exclusive items will only be available in the bundle between November 3 – January 4, so take a look at at the bundle and decide if you’ve “gotta have it”, as you’ll get more with the bundle during the promotion than after the new catalog comes out (the promotion-exclusive items will go away).

I’ll have more on that for you in my next post!

Thank you for taking some time today to check out what’s happening at Bright Acres Creations!  Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with questions, suggestions, or a simple “hello”!  If I can assist you in placing an order, please just let me know.  I’ve included the Stampin’ Up products used for today’s card below, and each one links back to that product in my online store.

Just as a reminder, both packs of DSP used today are now on SALE, 15% off, though the sale prices aren’t reflected below.  If you click on the link and go to my online store, it will be listed at the correct sale price there.

Keep on pressing on my friends!

Janet

Product List

Paper Snips

$10.00
Main image of card front, Clean & Simple Christmas Card

Clean & Simple – Only 10 Minutes To Christmas Shine

Hello Friends!

Today I have a card for you that’s clean and simple, shimmers and shines, and only takes about 10 minutes to put together.

I started with the dimensional tree cut from Very Vanilla cardstock with the “In The Woods Dies”.   I then painted the tree gold with shimmer paint, only to realize that Stampin’ Up no longer sells the gold shimmer paint.  However, it dawned on me that the shimmer paint, with it’s brush strokes, actually looked a lot like the Brushed Metallic gold cardstock.  So, if you don’t have gold shimmer paint, the Brushed Metallic Cardstock is a very good alternative.  That’s actually what I used for the scalloped mat behind the sentiment and they match quite nicely!  I used Toile Tidings DSP which I love for its classic Christmas appeal in Real Red and Garden Green – just FYI – it’s ON SALE NOW! (SEE BELOW)

I was afraid the sentiment may get lost on the DSP (Designer Series Paper) design, so I used my Stamparatus to first stamp the sentiment in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, and then wiped the black ink from the stamp without removing the stamp from the Stamparatus.  I then simply inked the stamp in Versamark, stamped over the first black image, sprinkled clear embossing powder over the Versamark and heat set it.  This gave me a nice, glossy, dark, slightly raised, and definitely more prominent sentiment on the patterned DSP.

In this same manner, you can have any color of embossed image.  Just stamp your image in whatever color of ink you wish and stamp over it in Versamark, then use clear embossing powder.  Of course, a stamp positioning tool, such as the Stamparatus, is a MUST for this type of stamping!  There are other stamp positioning tools on the market, but the Stamparatus beats it’s competitors hands down!

In the designing stages of the Stamparatus, Stampin’ Up gathered a handful of demonstrators as collaborators to act as a “think tank” in order to make it the best possible tool out there for it’s intended purpose.  I’m proud to tell you, my sister, Krista Thomas, of RegalStamping.com, was part of that design team.  They did a fantastic job in the design, if I do say so myself!  But, don’t take my word for it – give it a try!  I know you’ll love it!

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp Sets Used:

  • For Unto Us

Metal Dies:

  • In The Woods
  • Layering Circles

Paper:

  • Toile Tidings Designer Series Paper (red stripes – 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″) (green stripes 5 3/8″ x 3/4″) ( green scene 3″ x 3″ to crop circle from)
  • Brushed Metallic Cardstock (tree 3 1/2″ x 2 1/4″ piece) & (scalloped circle 3 1/4″ x 3 1/4″)
  • Very Vanilla Cardstock (card base) 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ – fold in half at 4 1/4″
  • For card inside: Very Vanilla- 4 3/4″ x 3 7/8″; Red Striped Toile Tidings DSP 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″; Green Striped Toile Tidings DSP 5 3/8″ x 1/2″

Ink:

  • Memento Tuxedo Black
  • Versamark

Accessories:

  • Clear Embossing Powder & Heat Tool
  • Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack (Gold cord)
  • Wonderful Gems
  • STAMPARATUS

Putting It Together:

  1. Adhere the green striped Toile Tidings DSP to the bottom of the red striped Toile Tidings Mat, leaving about 1/4″ of the red showing at the bottom.
  2. Crop the tree from Brushed Metallic CS using the In The Woods Dies.
  3. Crop the scalloped circle using the largest of the scalloped circle dies in Layering Circles Dies, from Brushed Metallic CS.
  4. Crop the circle for the sentiment using the second largest “plain” circle die from Layering Circles Dies, from the green “scene” Toile Tidings DSP.
  5. Place the cropped circle in the Stamparatus (make sure “scene” is upright and straight).
  6. Lay the sentiment stamp in the center of the circle and close the “lid” to pick up the stamp.
  7. Ink stamp with Tuxedo Black ink and close “lid” to stamp.
  8. Open Stamparatus and use rag or shammy to wipe black ink from stamp.
  9. Re-ink the stamp with Versamark and close “lid” to stamp over the previous black ink.
  10. Remove circle from Stamparatus and sprinkle clear embossing powder over stamped image, tapping off extra embossing powder.
  11. Heat set using Heat Tool.
  12. Adhere stamped circle to scalloped brushed metallic mat.
  13. Adhere that to the right-top side of the red-striped mat.
  14. Wrap a piece of gold cord across the front of the mat toward the bottom edge of the green striped piece, and adhere ends of cord to back using tape.
  15. Tie a small bow using gold cord and adhere to front using a mini glue dot.
  16. Adhere the tree to left side of card front and lift the “boughs” to create dimension.
  17. Use a red “Wonderful Gem” to top the tree.
  18. View of the card from the side
  19. For the inside, adhere red-striped DSP to inside card base.
  20. Stamp sentiments from For Unto Us in Red Red to Very Vanilla panel.
  21. Adhere green-striped DSP to bottom edge of Very Vanilla panel.
  22. Adhere Very Vanilla sentiment panel to red-striped DSP.
  23. DONE!

Full view of the card front

Just a quick reminder that Stampin’ Up has a selection of DSP (Designer Series Paper) ON SALE NOW!  Through the month of October only, some DSP is marked down 15%!  I’ll put a link to all those that are on sale down below, along with the products that I used today.

I want to thank you again for spending a little bit of your day here with me!

I hope you’re settling happily into autumn weather, and anticipating the holiday season which will be upon us before we know it!

Until next time,

I hope you get INKY today!

Janet

 

These are the Designer Series Papers that are on sale right now!  Unfortunately, my link-list below doesn’t reflect the sale prices, however, if you click on the link for each one, it will take you to my online store and the sale price will be reflected there.  All of the sets below are currently on sale for $9.78, with the exception of the In Good Taste DSP which is on sale for $17.85 (it’s a larger pack).

Product List


Products used in today’s project:

Product List

Stamparatus

$49.00
Create a vintage background for an otherwise simple Christmas card.

A Little Vintage-Style Background

Hello Friends!

Today was one of those days I felt like getting extra-INKY!  The Tin-Tile 3D embossing folder has that vintage look to it and with a little bit of embossing powder (ok, a lot of embossing powder), I was able to create a visually stunning, extra-textured, vintage-style background for the pretty little Christmas tree cropped with the In The Woods Dies.

With the Tin-Tile and distressing, I felt like this could easily fit right into a 1930s style home, just like the one my grandparents lived in when I was a little girl.  This card took me back to an old-fashioned Christmas with a white flocked tree in the middle of the living room, my parents and grandparents visiting while us kids played with our new Christmas toys as Christmas dinner cooked in the oven.  That memory is fabricated somewhat, as my family never had a flocked Christmas tree, but our neighbors always did and I remember thinking it was so pretty!

As we get closer and closer to the holiday season, I can’t help but reflect on days gone by when life was simpler and the highlight of Christmas was getting to spend it with my grandparents, who lived 16 hours away by car, a ham in the oven and a few presents under the tree.

As I look at the weather forecast and see cooler temperatures coming soon, I’m beginning to get excited for the holiday season.  I’m looking forward to crafting, baking, decorating, and spending time with friends and family!  I’m anxious to pull out the winter sweaters, cozy up on the couch with a good book and hot beverage!

Things are starting to die back in our yard and my fall cleanup will begin in short order.

With the days getting shorter, I’m looking forward to pots of stew, chili or soups simmering on the stove making the house smell wonderful all day; and dinner before 9:00pm (which is our summertime routine, as there’re things to be done while it’s still light outside!)

How I love the changing of the seasons!

I’ve begun my holiday preparation already… making lists and “loose” schedules so that I can fit in everything that I want to squeeze in without last minute stressors!

Today’s card took me back to Christmases past.  I love the “vintage” feel of this card, and I hope you too are able to recall some good memories from Christmases past.

LET’S GET INKY!

Create a vintage background for an otherwise simple Christmas card.

Materials:

Stamp Sets Used:

  • Wrapped In Christmas

Metal Dies Used:

  • In The Woods Dies
  • Layering Ovals Dies
  • Layering Circles Dies

Paper:

  • Shaded Spruce – card base – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ – fold in half at 4 1/4″.
  • Very Vanilla – mat 1 – 5 3/8″ x  4 1/8″
  • Watercolor paper – image panel – 5 1/4″ x 4″
  • Tis The Season DSP – scraps for tree skirt and scalloped circle mat behind sentiment.
  • Very Vanilla scraps for Christmas tree and sentiment tag.
  • Cherry Cobbler CS – card inside mat 1 – 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″
  • Very Vanilla CS – card inside sentiment panel – 5 1/4″ x 4″

Ink:

  • Versamark
  • Shaded Spruce
  • Cherry Cobbler
  • Early Espresso

Accessories:

  • Gold Embossing Powder
  • Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder
  • Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint
  • Textured Ribbon (retired)
  • Gold Glitter Star – leftover from Summer Nights Paper Pumpkin Kit (July, 2020)

Putting It Together!

  1. Spritz the watercolor paper with water to moisten.
  2. Place inside the Tin Tile 3D Embossing Folder and run through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine 3 times.
  3. Remove from embossing folder and set aside to dry or use heat tool to dry.
  4. Once dry, smear the Versamark ink pad over (direct pad to paper technique) over top of embossed watercolor paper.
  5. Sprinkle gold embossing powder over entire panel and tap off excess.  Use a coffee filter, or piece of paper underneath to catch the excess, then return unused powder to container.
  6. Use heat tool to set the embossing powder.
  7. Use a sponge to dab Shaded Spruce ink over the gold embossing, letting it be heavier in some areas and lighter in others to achieve a distressed look.
  8. Add to the distressed look by sponging Early Espresso ink around the edges of the panel, and randomly swiping some Early Espresso ink over areas of the Shaded Spruce ink.
  9. Use a tissue and lightly wipe the green and brown ink off of the embossed gold.  Don’t rub too hard, however, or the embossing will peel off.
  10. Wrap a piece of ribbon slightly higher than the halfway mark on the embossed panel horizontally, adhering ends to the back.  Tie a small bow and attach to front of ribbon using glue dot.
  11. Use a scrap of Very Vanilla CS and crop the tree using the “In The Woods Dies”.
  12. Lightly paint Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint over the entire tree to give it a gorgeous sparkle. Once the shimmer paint is dry, lightly lift the die-cut “boughs” in the tree to give it dimension.
  13. Use a scalloped oval die to crop out the “tree skirt” from the Tis The Season DSP.
  14. Stamp the sentiment from Wrapped in Christmas in Cherry Cobbler Ink onto Very Vanilla scrap.
  15. Crop the sentiment out with Layered Circles Die.
  16. Crop a scalloped circle from the same Tis The Season DSP to go under the sentiment.
  17. Adhere all elements to the image panel noting placement in picture.
  18. Adhere image panel to Very Vanilla mat and adhere stack to card front.
  19. Create a vintage background for an otherwise simple Christmas card.
  20. For the inside of the card, stamp the sentiment in Cherry Cobbler ink on Very Vanilla panel.  Use Shaded Spruce ink for the filigree above and below the sentiment.
  21. Adhere the sentiment panel to Cherry Cobbler mat and apply to card inside.

DONE!

Don’t forget that Stampin’ Up DSP is on sale throughout this month!  Stock up NOW!!!!

Thank you for making your way to my blog today, and spending a little time here.  If you have questions, requests, or just want to say hi, please either leave a comment below, or use the “Contact” tab above!  I love hearing from you and I’m always happy to reply!  If you have questions about Stampin’ Up products, or if you need help ordering, I’m just a click away!

The products used to create today’s card are listed below, each with a link to my online store.  Your orders are always very much appreciated!

I hope you get INKY today!

Janet
Product List

Alcohol inks for original backgrounds

Happy Fall Y’All

Hello Friends!

It’s OFFICIALLY FALL!!!!  While I’m not a pumpkin spice addict, I do look forward to some pumpkin spice here and there, burning candles, cooler temperatures, and RAIN!!!

I cleaned out my pantry a few days ago and noticed that I have… ah-hmmm multiple cans of pumpkin puree.  I’m never in charge of pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving, that would be my sister.  I’m in charge of chocolate peanut butter, coconut cream, apple, blueberry – the other pies.

However, pumpkin just goes with Fall and Thanksgiving, and apparently I feel the need to stock up on canned pumpkin every fall when it’s on sale…judging from my overstocked pantry!  Sooooo… my kitchen will be smelling of pumpkin spice soon as I try to use up my multiple cans of pumpkin!

Speaking of SALES… don’t forget that TODAY is Stampin’ Up’s one and only sale of the year!   You can  simply log into my online store and click on “Stamp Sale” to bring up all the stamp sets that are marked down 15%.  The sale ends, for those on the west coast (pacific time), at 10:59 PM tonight (9/23/20).

But, back to Fall…I can hardly wait to put on some mellow tunes, light my pumpkin spice candles, and get to baking!  Yep… I’ve been waiting for Fall to arrive for the last several weeks!  I’m excited to pack away my summer clothes and bring out the sweaters and jeans!  I’ve already dug out my camouflage hunting gear and have been getting up early, going out hiking the hills with Dean.  He archery hunts, and is generally successful each year in harvesting a big bull elk!  Have I mentioned, I LOVE FALL?!!

This truly is the season of thanks, so it seemed only appropriate to start the season with some thank you cards!  I opened my craft-room closet today and BOOM!  Right in front of my face were all of my alcohol inks that I haven’t played with in years.  Mine are all of the Ranger Tim Holtz variety which can be bought in any of the big-box craft stores or online.  I’d forgotten how much I love working with these inks!  I’ve not done a lot of it and I’m certainly not proficient in creating masterpieces with them, but creating colorful backgrounds is so much fun, watching the colors flow and merge with other colors, adding a little alcohol blending solution and metallic mixatives.  You can see the end result as the background on my featured card today.

Alcohol inks need to be used on nonporous materials; I used Yupo paper for today’s card.  If you’re not familiar with it, Yupo paper is actually more of a plastic sheeting than “paper”.

I then used a piece of window sheet the same size as my Yupo paper background, and stamped the large sunflower from Celebrate Sunflowers in black Staz-On ink.

The window sheet was then attached to the Yupo background using some silver brads I had in my craft stash.  Glue dots could be used also, and then covered with gems, enamel dots, or ?  Just something to cover the glue dots as they would show through the window sheet.

I used “Well Written” dies to cut the word “thanks” from a silver foil sheet and adhered to the front of the window sheet.

Finally, I used some retired Stampin’ Up Striped Metallic Ribbon applied to the left side of the card and three small pieces tied to it.

This is actually a simple card to make, and so much fun using the alcohol inks!  No two alcohol ink creations are going to look the same, which is what makes it so much fun!  The possibilities are endless.

MATERIALS USED:

Stamp Sets:

  • Celebrate Sunflowers
  • Ornate Thanks (inside sentiment)

Paper:

  • Basic Black CS for card base – 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″, folded in half at 4 1/4″.
  • Cajun Craze CS for Mat 1 – 5 1/4″ x 4″ (cut 2 of these – 1 for card front and 1 for inside)
  • Basic Black CS for Mat 2 – 5 1/8″ x 3 7/8″
  • Yupo Paper (available online or big-box craft stores) 5″ x 3 3/4″
  • Window Sheet – 5″ x 3 3/4″
  • Silver Foil Sheet (scrap)

Ink:

  • Black Staz-On (this doesn’t wash off your stamp, you need Staz-On Cleaner to remove ink)
  • Ranger Alcohol Inks (available online or big-box craft stores).  I used Sunset Orange, Sunshine Yellow, Lettuce, Cranberry, Silver Mixative, Alcohol Blending Solution.

Embellishments:

  • Silver brads (retired)
  • Striped Metallic Ribbon (retired)

 

Don’t forget about today’s sale!  There are so many fun stamp sets on sale, 15% off!  The stamp sets are all from the ’20-’21 Annual Catalog, which will be “the main catalog” until June of next year, so the stamp sets will still be available after today, but will NOT be on sale again!!!!

So, go to my online store and place your order NOW to get in on today’s lower prices!!!!

Until next time,

Janet

Product List

Poinsettia Place - not just red anymore

Poinsettia Petals – They Don’t Have To Be Red

Hello Friends!

It’s raining outside which means – the smoke is clearing!  I’ve been praying hard for rain, as I know so many others have as well.  I’ve not heard official reports as yet, but I’m guessing the showers we’ve been getting since last night have really knocked the heat out of the fires we’ve been experiencing.  A very welcome change for all of our amazing firefighters!  Hopefully the thousands of displaced families will be able to go back home soon.

I met some lovely pups at the animal shelter this week, many of whom are there due to their owners having to evacuate and unable to have their pets with them.  The pups were all so eager to get out of their cages and soak up some affection, which I was happy to provide.  Hopefully they and their families will be reunited soon.  I can only imagine what’s going through the minds of those fur babies.  It was obvious that some of them are quite accustomed to being lap dogs and are missing their people badly, as I’m sure their people are missing them too.  I’m looking forward to returning to the shelter next week and hopefully finding that some, if not all, of the evacuees have gone home.  I enjoyed my time at the shelter and have committed to volunteering there at least one day a week.

At any rate, the rain has me back in my craft room and I chose to play with the Poinsettia Petals products once again.

I’m a country gal and my jeans are nearly always dirty by the end of the day.  I frequently have to scrub the dirt from under my fingernails as well.  I find myself frequently trying to “grunge up” my cards just a little bit for a more rustic look; today was no different.

I cut my mat layers and when I laid them out, everything just looked too “clean”.  I generally turn to my ink pads and sponges to ink up the edges, but this time I decided I wanted a little imperfect “gilded” edge to my DSP.  I tried my gold gilding marker, but it wouldn’t apply evenly and didn’t look as I had imagined.

So, I found some metallic paint (I think I got it on Amazon some time ago), and a flat brush and sort of smeared that around the edges of my DSP.  I intentionally applied it thin so I could see the DSP underneath, and rounded the inside corners a bit.

The paint has just enough metallic shimmer to it to highlight the gold foil paper without being “matchy-matchy”.  I think it adds that little bit of rustic-ness that I was looking for!

I chose to use So Saffron Stampin’ Blends (dark and light) to color the poinsettia petals which were stamped in Early Espresso.

Has anyone else noticed that poinsettias come in just about every color of the rainbow the last few years?  As such, one could make the poinsettia any color, as they’re certainly not limited to red, pink and white any longer!

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp Sets Used:

  • Poinsettia Petals
  • For Unto Us

Metal Dies:

  • Poinsettia Dies
  • Beautiful Boughs

Punch:

  • Label Me Lovely

Embossing Folder:

  • Scripty 3D

Paper:

  • Whisper White CS (card base) – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ – fold in half at 4 1/4″
  • Poinsettia Place DSP – Mat 1 (Brown pinecones) 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″    Mat 2 (poinsettias) 5 3/8″ x 3 3/4″
  • Gold Foil Paper – 3″ x 2 1/2″
  • Garden Green CS

Ink:

  • Early Espresso

Accessories:

  • Gold Glitter Enamel Dots
  • Gold Cord
  • DecoArt Metallic Venetian Gold Paint (available on Amazon)

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

  1. Apply metallic paint to edges of DSP and let dry.
  2. Run gold foil paper piece through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss machine in Scripty 3D embossing folder.
  3. Stamp one each of all three poinsettia petals stamps in Early Espresso.
  4. Use So Saffron Stampin’ Blends Combo to color petals.
  5. Crop petals out using Poinsettia Dies and adhere together using liquid glue or mini glue dots in the center of each.
  6. Apply Gold Glitter Enamel Dots to center of poinsettia.  Using the Take-Your-Pick tool to apply these small dots is the easiest method (personal opinion!)
  7. Crop fir boughs from Garden Green CS using Beautiful Boughs Dies.
  8. Stamp the sentiment from For Unto Us on Whisper White scrap and use Label Me Lovely Punch to cut out.
  9. Adhere paint-edged mat 2, to brown pinecone mat 1.
  10. Adhere sentiment label to gold foil embossed piece, and adhere that to mat stack about 1/2″ from top and centered.
  11. Adhere the end of a 6″ piece of gold cord to back of mat stack approximately 1/4″ from left edge, wrap over the front and adhere other end to back as well.
  12. Tie a small bow with a piece of gold cord and use a mini glue dot to stick it to the cord on the front of the card approximately at the bottom edge of the gold foil piece.
  13. Adhere fir boughs and place poinsettia in the center.

DONE!

A country-rustic, not-red poinsettia for Christmas!

I hope I’ve inspired you to get a little inky today.

It’s time for me to go feed my horses and get a little country-grungy cleaning their stalls!

Until next time,

Janet

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Beautiful Autumn For A Beautiful Day

Hello Friends,

I got back into my craft room today after really struggling with motivation the last few days.  The fires and hardship suffered by so many in our local communities has really been burdening my heart;  the need to help and yet unsure where I can be of use.  Everywhere one turns these days it seems there’s gloom and doom, violence and fear, left versus right, etc., etc., etc.   I’m generally a quiet personality type and it’s easy for me to slip into the background where I’m more comfortable, rather than getting out there and facing challenges head-on.  However, I can only hide for so long before I feel the Holy Spirit nudging me to put on my full armor and GET OUT THERE!  I’ve been a prayer warrior for sure over the last many months, but I’m feeling the push to get out and put my feet and hands to work!  There are many needs out there currently, and while I don’t have the resources to fund large donations, I certainly know how to work and am willing to do so.

It was recently brought to my attention that our local animal shelter has taken in many pets from families who’ve been displaced due to the fires, and as well, they have taken in animals from another county shelter which had to evacuate.  They’re calling for volunteers to help at the shelter with their extra load of animals, so this is where I will start.  I have a very soft spot for animals, so this will be a good fit and I’ve promised myself (and Dean) I won’t fall in love with all of them and want to bring them all home… a real danger if you know me at all!!! LOL!!!  Helping the animal shelter seems like a small donation of time and energy, but we’ll see where God leads me from there!

With that decision made and looking forward to starting at the shelter, I was able to settle into my craft room and create this card using largely scraps of cardstock.  The larger leaf is cut from madrone tree bark, as I used in earlier posts.  The instructions of how to rehydrate and preserve the bark are noted in my post from August 30; click here to see this post.  I love the realistic leaf look it lends to the card; it looks like it fell right off the tree.  Actually, I guess it did – just not in leaf form!

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp sets used:

  • Beautiful Autumn (bundle w/punches)

Dies & Punches used:

  • Beautiful Autumn Punch Pack
  • Layering Ovals
  • Gathered Leaves Dies

Embossing Folder:

  • Tasteful Textile 3D

Paper:

  • Very Vanilla CS:  8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ score at 4 1/4″ and fold in half for card base.
  • Very Vanilla CS:  5 1/4″ x 4″
  • Gold Foil Sheet:  Cropped with Layering Ovals Dies

Ink:

  • Tuxedo Black Memento Ink
  • Early Espresso
  • Old Olive
  • Crumb Cake
  • Pumpkin Pie
  • Cajun Craze

Accessories:

  • Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker
  • Gold Cord from Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack
  • Preserved Madrone tree bark
  • Mini Glue Dots

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

  1. Creating the mat.  Using the Very Vanilla CS 5 1/4″ x 4″ piece, sponge ink across panel lengthwise.  Start with Old Olive, using swiping motions back and forth across the bottom 1/4 of the panel.  Then sponge Crumb Cake ink back and forth, letting it lightly blend into the Old Olive ink.  Next is Pumpkin Pie, again, letting it blend slightly into the Crumb Cake ink.  Finally, finish with Cajun Craze, allowing that to slightly blend into the Pumpkin Pie ink.
  2. With ink applied, run panel through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine in the Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder.
  3. Cut panel in half at the 2 5/8″ mark.
  4. Apply inked mat to card base, flipping one panel so that the coloration is opposite the other.
  5. Adhere gold foil oval centered over the center seam.
  6. On scraps of Very Vanilla CS, stamp 2 acorns from Beautiful Autumn in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink.  Fill in the caps with Early Espresso ink, the bottom with Crumb Cake ink.  Punch them out with the acorn punch from Beautiful Autumn Punch Pack.
  7. Stamp 4 oak leaves, and 4 maple leaves on scraps of Very Vanilla.  Fill in the oak leaves with Old Olive ink, and the maple leaves with Cajun Craze ink.  Punch these out with the punches from Beautiful Autumn Punch Pack.
  8. Using Early Espresso ink, stamp the wheat stalks (left and right sides) and small leaves (top and bottom).
  9. Using an Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker, draw the border lines and hash marks in corners.
  10. Stamp sentiment from Beautiful Autumn in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla strip of CS and then cut the words apart using scissors.
  11. Adhere words to gold foil oval.
  12. Adhere the acorns to the left and right sides, centered between the wheat stalks.
  13. Scatter the oak leaves about the four corners, and the maple leaves around the gold oval – adhere all.
  14. Using the embossed leaf die from Gathered Leaves Dies, crop leaf from madrone bark (or Cajun Craze CS) by running through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.
  15. Using Mini Glue Dot, adhere leaf to center top.
  16. Tie a small bow with the gold cord and adhere to top of leaf with Mini Glue Dot.

DONE!

I hope that you’re all doing well out there!  For those of you who are local and dealing with the fires and smoke, please let me know if there’s anything I can do to assist you!

Until next time,

Janet

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Paper Snips

$10.00


 

Whale Done Tri-Fold Peek-A-Boo For A Double-Digit Birthday

Hello Friends!

One of our grandsons is hitting the big double-digit birthday soon, 10-years-old, and I want him to know that he’s “Kind of a BIG deal”!  Whale of a Time was the perfect fit for this occasion!  I chose to use my favorite fancy-fold, the tri-fold peek-a-boo, to highlight his big 10 years!

As I recently used this fancy fold in another post, I will simply refer you back to that post for the video and step-by-step instructions of how to create this card here.

Of course, I used a different array of products to make today’s card, so a listing of those are below but the instructions are otherwise the same.

This past week has been incredibly difficult with so many throughout our state being evacuated from their homes due to the wildfires to the north, south, east and west of us.  So much loss all about us… there are no words.  At this point, our ranch is not in harms way and a friend of ours inquired if we’d be able to accommodate horses for people who’ve had to evacuate.  Thus far we’ve taken in 8 horses.  I pray that those horses and their families, as well as so many others, have homes to return to when all is said and done.

The smoke has been dense, burning the eyes, nose and throat when outside for very long.  I’m sure the hospitals are being inundated with those who have asthma, COPD, and other breathing disorders.  My thoughts and prayers have been significantly directed toward all the firefighters, first responders, and of course, all the people who have lost loved ones, their homes, their pets, and livelihoods.   I thank God above that there are people who are willing to put their lives on the line day in and day out for the safety of the rest of us.  I don’t like the smoke we’re experiencing here and yet, there are those who are rushing into the fires where the smoke and heat are truly horrendous.  To those true heroes, I say Thank You and May God Bless You!

LET’S GET INKY!

Whale Done Trifold Peek-A-Boo

Materials:

Stamp Sets/Bundle Used:

  • Whale Done Bundle
  • Blossoms In Bloom (happy birthday sentiment)

Metal Dies Used:

  • Layering Circles
  • Smooth Sailing (seaweed)
  • Playful Alphabet (10)

Paper:

  • Pretty Peacock (carebase – 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″)
  • Granny Apple Green (Mat 1 inside & out 5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″ – cut 2)
  • Whale Of A Time DSP 5 1/4″ x 4″ – cut 2 (calypso coral for card front & seahorses for card inside)

Ink:

  • Tuxedo Black Memento Ink

Accessories:

  • Whale Punch
  • 2-inch Circle Punch
  • Seabed 3D embossing folder
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

As mentioned above, there is a video of this process in my earlier post here.  Please refer to it; the written instructions are otherwise below.

  1.  Fold cardbase in half and set aside.
  2. Adhere the DSP to the Granny Apple Green mats and set aside to dry.
  3. Using the 5 1/2 x 5 inch piece of Pretty Peacock CS, score the 5 1/2 -inch side at 3/4″.  On the non-scored sides of that piece of cardstock, measure to 2 3/4″ and mark lightly with pencil.
  4. Use a paper trimmer to connect the pencil dots, to create the triangular flap.
  5. Use the 2nd largest (plain) circle from Layering Circles Dies, and cut the hole in the center of the “flap”.
  6. Emboss the flap using the Seabed 3D Embossing Folder.
  7. Use the largest scalloped circle die and the 2nd largest plain circle die from Layering Circles Dies to cut the scalloped “ring” from DSP to go around the hole on the front of the card flap.  Adhere this ring to flap front around hole.
  8. Now bring in your card base… THE CREASE WILL BE ON THE RIGHT FOR THIS CARD (it opens backwards).
  9. Crease the flap on your score line and insert the card base with open side into the crease of the flap. (Remember – your card base will be backwards from usual, i.e. open side on left/crease on right).  Make sure the top and bottom of both flap and card base are even.
  10. Punch a circle from a Post-It note using the 2″ circle punch, making sure the adhesive edge of the Post-It note is on the punched circle (so it will stay in place).
  11. Lay the punched circle in the center of the hole on the flap (will be on the front of the card base) to guide where the hole needs to be punched for the “peek-a-boo” hole.
  12. Remove the flap piece and place the card front, with the Post-It Note circle attached, in the 2″ punch with the Post-It Note circle aligned with the punch and punch your hole.
  13. Now when you lay the flap back over the card base, your holes should center up.
  14. Adhere the DSP inside sentiment panel (seahorses) onto the Granny Apple Green mat for the inside panel.  Lay that in the card base with even borders (where it will be glued down, but don’t glue it yet!), close the card and lightly trace the circle onto the white panel with a pencil. (This marks where to adhere your numbers).
  15. Remove the inside panel, adhere the numbers cut with the Playful Alphabet dies and stamp the sentiments. “Hoping all your birthday fishes come true” from Whale Done, and “Happy Birthday” from Blossoms In Bloom.
  16. Now lay the Calypso Coral DSP with Granny Apple Green mat (that you glued earlier) on the card base front.  Hold it in place and carefully open the card keeping the DSP stack in place.  Lay the 2″ circle Post-It Note in the center of the circle again, lift the cardbase off, and punch the hole in the DSP stack.
  17. Adhere the DSP mat to the card front, lining up the holes.  Stamp the “You’re Kind Of A Big Deal” sentiment on the right upper corner of the Calypso Coral DSP card front.
  18. Adhere the inside DSP stamped panel to the card base.
  19. Apply some adhesive to the straight edge of the flap (behind the score line) and apply to the back of the card so that the flap folds over the open edges of the card base.
  20. Use the seaweed die from Smooth Sailing Dies and cut four of those from a piece of the DSP that’s mostly Granny Apple Green.  Adhere those to the card fronts.
  21. Punch the whale from a piece of DSP using the Whale Punch and apply to front of card using dimensionals.

DONE!

Stay safe out there!

Janet

Though I didn’t use the ribbon or sequins from the Whale of a Time Suite, I used everything else.  Therefore, I listed the suite, as well as the bundle, as when ordered either in the suite or bundle, you get a 10% discount versus buying everything separately.

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Country Home With A Little Halloween Magic

Hello Friends!

Since it’s too hot to do much outside today, I’ve spend my day playing in my craft room.  I still have lots of products from the holiday mini catalog that I’ve yet to explore and so today seemed a good day to bring out some of those new toys and “break them in”!

I’ve been wanting to use the Halloween Magic Dies for a non-Halloween card since I got them.  There are two nesting labels included in those dies that are quite elegant-appearing and so I opted to use them today to create a layered opening for a gate-fold card.  All of the die-cuts featured on this card are from the Halloween Magic Dies with exception of the small, Cajun Craze flowers (Small Bloom punch), and the center sentiment label which is also a punch (Timeless Label).  So, let’s do a little Country Home with some Halloween Magic!

I love a little bling, so out came the Wink of Stella to glitter up the Crushed Curry Flowers, Champagne Rhinestones for the flower centers, and Gold Embossing Powder to make the sentiment shine!

LET’S GET INKY!

Materials:

Stamp sets used:

  • Country Home

Metal Dies:

  • Halloween Magic

Paper:

  • Very Vanilla (8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″) – score and fold at 2 1/8″ and 6 3/8″.
  • Very Vanilla – small scrap for sentiment to be punched out with Timeless Label Punch.
  • So Saffron (5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″)
  • Crushed Curry – scraps for 4 flower outline cuts using Halloween Magic Dies.
  • Cajun Craze – scraps for 10 Small Bloom punched flowers.
  • Mossy Meadow – scraps for 10 leaf clusters cut using Halloween Magic Dies.
  • Plaid Tidings DSP – 4″ x 2″ to crop with smaller label die from Halloween Magic Dies.

Ink:

  • Versamark

Accessories:

  • Small Bloom Punch
  • Timeless Label Punch
  • Wink of Stella marker
  • Champagne Rhinestones
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals
  • Gold Embossing Powder
  • Heat tool

PUTTING IT TOGETHER:

  1. Score and Fold the Very Vanilla card base as noted above.
  2. Lay the smaller of the two labels in Halloween Magic Dies in the center of the front, making sure the center of the gatefold is running down the center of the die.  Use some craft tape to hold the die in place on ONE side.
  3. Open the gatefold with the die still taped to one side, and run through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.
  4. Close the gatefolds and keeping the die lined up with the side you just cut, tape the die to the opposite side (uncut side).
  5. Open the gatefold and run through Cut & Emboss Machine again.
  6. When closed now, your opening should line up perfectly on both sides.
  7. Tape the larger label die from Halloween Magic Dies to the center of the So Saffron panel and run through Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.  Save the center label you just cropped out for the inside of the card.
  8. Run the cropped So Saffron panel (with the hole in it) through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine in the Tasteful Texture 3D Embossing Folder.
  9. Cut that embossed panel in half lengthwise at 2 1/16″
  10. Use a metallic gold paint pen (I like the Uchida DecoColor Premium paint pens – available on Amazon) to highlight the openings on both the Very Vanilla and So Saffron edges.
  11. Adhere the So Saffron panels to the Very Vanilla gate-fold fronts.
  12. Crop out 4 of the outline flowers using Halloween Magic Dies from Crushed Curry CS.  Use a Wink of Stella marker to add glitter to them.
  13. Crop out 10 outline leaf clusters using Halloween Magic Dies from Mossy Meadow CS.
  14. Use the Small Bloom Punch to punch out 10 flowers in Cajun Craze and slightly curl petals for dimension.
  15. Arrange the flowers and leaves around the So Saffron “frame” and adhere.
  16. Use the So Saffron label made in step 9 on the inside, centering it under the window made by the gatefold.
  17. Crop a piece of Plaid Tidings DSP with the smaller label die from Halloween Magic Dies.
  18. To get that center in your gatefold window, close the gatefolds and after applying some adhesive, lay it in the middle of your gatefold.  It’s the same size as the opening, so it fits perfectly.
  19. Stamp the sentiment from Country Home on Very Vanilla, in Versamark and sprinkle with gold embossing powder, tapping off the extra.  Set it with heat tool.
  20. Use the Timeless Label Punch to punch out the sentiment.  Apply sentiment label using dimensionals to the center of the Plaid Tidings Label.
  21. Apply Champagne Rhinestones to the center of the flowers.

DONE!

I’m looking forward to cooler weather again; fall will be a welcome change!  My last several projects seem to reflect this by the colors I’ve chosen to use!  Come on cooler temps!!!!

Until next time, my friends,

I HOPE YOU GET INKY!

Janet

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Using Partial Die-Cuts To Create A Scene

Hello Friends,

Today’s card was made in honor of my niece’s birthday.  She loves lighthouses and the Christian symbolism inspired by Psalms 119:105, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”  She’s an amazing photographer and videographer, so when she comes to visit from Texas, a trip to the coast and taking pictures of Oregon’s lighthouses is always on the list!

She had a birthday recently, and so, when it’s time to make her birthday card, what else other than a lighthouse?! Thankfully, Stampin’ Up has given us a couple of nice lighthouse images to work with over the last few years!

I’ve noticed several Christmas cards on Pinterest recently with partial die-cuts and given that “Sailing Home” has a lighthouse image and coordinating dies, I thought I’d give it a go with a lighthouse scene!

LET’S GET INKY!

Lighthouse card with partial die-cut

 

Materials:

Stamp Sets Used:

  • Sailing Home
  • Happiest Of Birthdays
  • Celebrate Sunflowers
  • High Tide

Metal Dies:

  • Smooth Sailing Dies
  • Layering Circles Dies

Paper:

  • Bumblebee – card base (8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″) fold in half for 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ card
  • Basic Black – Mat 1 (5 3/8″ x 4 1/8″) – Cut 2 (one for outside and one for inside)
  • Whisper White – Mat 2 (5 1/4″ x 4″) – Cut 3 (sunset panel outside, image panel w/cutaway outside, and sentiment panel for inside)

Ink:

  • Memento Tuxedo Black
  • SU Sahara Sand (sand)
  • SU Mossy Meadow (grass)
  • SU So Saffron, Bumblebee, Mango Melody, Gorgeous Grape, Blackberry Bliss (sunset)

Accessories:

  • SU Stampin’ Blends:  Light So Saffron, Ivory, Light Crumb Cake, Dark Crumb Cake
  • Gold cord from Wonder Of The Season Ribbon Combo Pack

Putting It Together:

  1.  Stamp the lighthouse image from Sailing Home onto one of the 5 1/4″ x 4″ pieces of Whisper White cardstock, in Memento Black ink.  The lighthouse should be centered horizontally and down from the top edge of the cardstock about 1 1/2″.
  2. Place the metal die from Smooth Sailing Dies around the lighthouse and watch it very closely as you put it through your Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine – stop cranking it through as it reaches the bottom of the lighthouse, and before it begins to cut the “ground” around the bottom of the lighthouse.  Reverse crank it back out of the machine and remove die.
  3. Place the circle from Layering Circles Dies over the lighthouse to where the edges of the circle intersect with the bottom of the lighthouse as shown in the picture below.
  4. Again, watch closely as you put it through your Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine, stopping the forward motion as it meets the base of the lighthouse.  As you can see in the picture, I stopped a little bit early and cut the rest of the way with my snips.
  5. Using the sand and grass stamps from “High Tide”, and Sahara Sand and Mossy Meadow inks respectively, create your beach scene around the base of the lighthouse, extending to the sides and bottom of the panel.
  6. Use the Crumb Cake Combo of Stampin’ Blends to fill in around the sand and grass, creating some shadowing.
  7. Color the lighthouse with the Ivory Stampin’ Blend, and the lighthouse windows with Light So Saffron Stampin’ Blend.
  8. Wrap a small piece of gold cord around left side of panel through circle and tie small bow.
  9. Lay the lighthouse panel on top of another Whisper White  panel the same size (5 1/4″ x 4) and very lightly mark where your circle is with a pencil.
  10. Put the lighthouse panel aside and using a sponge, create the sunset on that second panel.  To do so, start with the lightest color first (So Saffron) and sponge ink in a back-and-forth swiping motion down to the bottom of the penciled circle and a little beyond.   Next use the Bumblebee ink, starting at the bottom of So Saffron, and sponge up about two thirds into the So Saffron allowing the color to lighten as you move up.  Do the same with the Mango Melody, start at the bottom and bring the color up just into the Bumblebee.  Next would be Gorgeous Grape, just up into the Mango Melody, and finish it off with just a little bit of Blackberry Bliss just at the bottom of the circle.
  11. Stamp the flying seagulls from Sailing Home in black ink across the top of the sky.
  12. Apply the black mat 1 to the Bumblebee cardbase front.
  13. Apply the sunset panel on top of the black mat.
  14. Use dimensionals and dimensional strips to pop up the entire image panel; make sure to put some on the back of the lighthouse to keep it popped up.  Center over the sunset panel (the 2 panels are the same size) and tack down.
  15. Stamp the sentiment from Celebrate Sunflowers on a scrap of whisper white and crop ends with Lovely Labels Pick-A-Punch.
  16. Apply with dimensionals to bottom area of card.
  17. Stamp inside sentiment from Happiest Of Birthdays with black ink to 3rd Whisper White panel 5 1/4″ x 4″, apply to 2nd black mat, and adhere to inside of card.

DONE!

Just as a reminder, if you’re interested in becoming a demonstrator in any capacity, be it for the product discount, or to produce an income, Stampin’ Up is having a special promotion through the month of September.  If you sign up this month, not only do you get the usual starter kit but you will also receive the “Get & Go Starter Kit”!  I would absolutely love to welcome you aboard and work with you as much or as little as you wish!  I’m simply not the pushy type!

However, I was a cheerleader back in the day, as well as the high-school cheerleading coach when my girls were in high school.  If you want to be pushed, I’ll be your biggest cheerleader and coach to help you get what you want out of your Stampin’ Up business!  Just ask either of my daughters, or any of my former cheerleaders… this momma can push you ’til you drop if you want me to!  (We placed at the OSAA State Competition every year I coached – but it doesn’t come without effort!)  In fact, our team motto was, “It’s good to have fun, but it’s FUN TO BE GOOD”!

It’s quite simple to sign up, just click on the tab above that says “Join Stampin’ Up” and you’ll be walked through the process.  Or click on the “Contact” tab to ask me any questions or discuss what Stampin’ Up (and I) can do for you.  I’m just a click away!  😉

I hope you’ve found some inspiration here today & I hope you get INKY!

Janet

All of the products I used for today’s card are listed below and each picture is a direct link to my online store.   Simply click and shop!

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