Constantly Stamping

A Fond Farewell to the 2016-2016 Annual Catalog

May 31, 2016 is the final day to order many of the items in the 2015-2016 Annual Catalog and the Spring Mini Catalog. With that in mind, I thought I had better share this card before it is too late to order the Gold Foil Fancy Designer Vellum (#133363). Everything else will be available in the new annual catalog.

This was the prototype for the card I shared a few days ago in this post. I really couldn't decide if I was going to show this on my blog, but I thought "why not", so here it is.  I love how the vellum layers give this card the subtle look of gingham.

The flowers on this card were water colored on Stampin' Up! watercolor paper with Peekaboo Peach and Tangerine Tango ink refills and then I fussy cut them out by hand. I die cut the leaves from the Botanical Builder Framelits from Old Olive and Always Artichoke cardstock.

Don't let this beautiful vellum get away. Head over to my on-line store and buy some today, before it is too late.

 

 

Global Design Project #GDP038 Sketch Challenge

We have another sketch challenge this week over at the Global Design Project challenge blog. 

Obviously I strayed a bit from the original sketch and used the basic concept of having a focal image on the right. The flower wasn't tall enough to get the look I wanted, so I created a horizontal card instead. You know what I always say...sketches are a great starting point for your creativity, but it is up to you to make it your own personal masterpiece.

The flower is from the You've Got This stamp set. I stamped it with Basic Black Archival Ink on Shimmery White cardstock, then I watercolored it with Melon Mambo and Old Olive ink refills. The background is also watercolored with Tempting Turquoise ink, but I also went back in and sponged more of the same color around the edges. I also stamped the flourish from the Timeless Textures stamp set. I also used the same flourish stamp to stamp a pattern on the Whisper White card base. Finally, I sponged Early Espresso ink on all the edges before assembling the card.

A few clear sequins (from Darice) give just enough bling to complete the card.

We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

 

Fancy Friday Blog Hop...Never Enough Thanks

Welcome back to our Fancy Friday Blog Hop. I had to skip last month, so it is really great to be back working with all of these amazing Stampin' Up! demonstrators. If you are following along, you should have just arrived from visiting the lovely and talented Krista Frattin. Our challenge this month was to make one or more thank you cards and then actually send them out.

I decided to make two cards featuring some returning product as well as some soon to be available new product. Both cards are essentially the same, with just a few minor differences.

This is the first card I made, so let's start with it. I adore the new Pop of Pink Specialty Designer Series Paper that will be coming out on June 1st, so I just had to start with it and build my card from there. I stamped the sentiment from the new Layering Love set on Whisper White cardstock and then die cut it with the Lots of Labels Framelits. I created a frame with gold foil cardstock. 

Next, I stamped the two flowers from the You've Got This stamp set on Shimmery White cardstock and water colored them using Melon Mambo ink. It is the same flower, but I cut away some of the petals to create two different sizes. I borrowed the leaves from the Remarkable You stamp set. I also stamped them on Shimmery White cardstock and water colored them with the beautiful new Emerald Evny In--Color ink. To make life easier, I cut out the leaves individually instead of trying to keeping them attached to the stem.)

For the second card I heat embossed the sentiment on Basic Black cardstock and shifted the sentiment to the side. I really love the way both of these cards turned out, but this one is may favorite.

We are supposed to tell to whom we are sending our card(s). I am not sure about the first one, but this one is for a friend of mine from church, Gail. She is so appreciative of my card making and I really think that she will love it.

I am pleased to say that you will able to purchase all of the ingredients for this card beginning on June 1st.

I hope you like today's project. I can't wait to see what the other Fancy Friday team members have created. Now be sure to hop on over to visit the incredibly talented Joyce Fowler.

 

 

 

Global Design Project #GDP037 Color Challenge

We have a color challenge this week over at the Global Design Project challenge blog. I love this color combo because it is very gender neutral. Some of our design team have made some awesome masculine cards, while others (like me) went with flowers.

Recently I have been featuring a ton of intricate watercolor cards on my blog, so this week I thought I would show you that I can make clean and simple cards as well...just in case there was any doubt...LOL! As a matter of fact, I have two cards for you today, so be sure to scroll all the way down for a bonus card.

This is a transition period for SU demonstrators because most of us have already started clearing out old product and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new catalog period to begin on June 1st. As a member of the Artisan Design Team I have to work at least a month in advance, so it is critical that I don't have anything sitting on my desk that I may accidentally pick up and use on a project. That leaves me with a bit of a dilemma because I don't have much to work with. Thankfully, SU allows us to pre-order some things so I have managed to get my hands on a few sneek peek items. One of my favorite new products (and there are quite a few of them) is this new die set called Swirly Scribbles Thinlits and I think it is going to be a top seller. By the way, you are going to be blown away by the new catalog. I think it is one of the best catalogs ever and it is jam-packed with tons of beautiful new stamp sets and dies.

For this card I used the inlaid die cutting technique for the scribbles. I also embossed the top portion of the card front before I attached it to the card base. The flowers are a returning favorite from the Spring Occasions Catalog called the Botanical Builder Framelits Dies. I also stamped the greeting from a great new stamp set called Love & Affection. Seriously, it doesn't get much easier than this and the results are stunning. But if that isn't simple enough for you, here is another card made with many of the same new products.

For this card I covered the card base with Mint Macaron polka dot designer series paper. (HINT: if you cut your DSP 4" wide, you can get six card fronts from one sheet of 12"x12" designer series paper.) I used the Swirly Scribble Thinlits to cut a fun little wreath and I mounted everything on squares cut with the new Layering Squares Framelits. The greeting is also from the Love & Affection stamp set.

We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

Artisan Design Team Blog Hop...Helping Me Grow Again

Welcome back to another 2015-16 Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team blog hop.  If you are already going through the hop, you should have just arrived here from visiting my good friend, Cindy Schuster. When you leave here you will travel on to visit the very talented Inge Groot. You will be amazed at all the fabulous projects created by the Artisan Design Team so be sure to go all the way through the blog hop!

This is the card that Stampin' Up! will be posting on the Facebook page later in the week. In case you haven't noticed, I adore the Helping Me Grow stamp set. I am happy to say that you will find it the new catalog, so don't be surprised if you see me use it again and again...it is very versatile.

Just like many of my recent cards, I stamped this in Basic Black Archival Ink on Shimmery White cardstock. The ink refills I used to watercolor this card are Elegant Eggplant, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, and Crumb Cake.

I also stamped the greeting and frame from the same set on Shimmery White and die cut it with the frame from the Rose Garden Thinlits. Then I used Crystal Effects to add a glossy finish. I was going for the look similar to one these french enameled tags.

Crystal Effects is retiring, but you achieve a similar look by using a VersaMark pad and adding several layers of clear embossing powder...or you could just skip that step altogether and it will still be a beautiful card. The Deco Label thinlit die (130102) that I used to die cut the black layer is retiring on May 31, so if you want it, you need to order it quickly before it is gone.

The Artisan Design Team will be hopping again in a few weeks, so be sure to check back often. Inge Groot is next on our blog hop so be sure to head on over and check out what she and the the rest of the Artisan Design Team team have in store by clicking on the button below.

 

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR DEMONSTRATOR!

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here. Thanks for looking!

SUPPLIES FOR THIS PROJECT:

Helping Me Grow Stamp Set - 140764

Basic Black Archival Stampin' Pad - 140931

Shimmery White Cardstock - 101910

Basic Black Cardstock - 121045

Elegant Eggplant Cardstock - 105126

1/8" Aqua Painter - 103954

Elegant Eggplant Ink Refill - 105222

Daffodil Delight Ink Refill - 119672

Old Olive Ink Refill - 100531

Crumb Cake Ink Refill - 121029

Rose Garden Thinlits Dies - 140619

Deco Labels Framelits - 130102

1-3/4" Circle Punch - 119850

Linen Thread - 104199

 

 

 

 

 

Global Design Project #GDP036 CASE Challenge

We have another sketch challenge this week over at the Global Design Project challenge blog. This sketch was designed by the amazing Paula Dobson. Paula is a very talented stamper from New Zealand and I encourage you to check out her blog!

When I look at Paula's card I was inspired by the beautiful flowers. I used the masking technique to stamp the daisies from the Helping Me Grow stamp set to create a little garden in the lower left corner. I knew I wanted to watercolor the image, so I stamped with Basic Black Archival Ink on Shimmery White cardstock. I borrowed the greeting from the Birthday Blooms stamp set. I used Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight, and Old Olive ink refills for the flowers and a very watered down Night of Navy for the background. After everything was completely dry, I came back in and sponged Night of Navy ink of the top right portion of the card to add some depth. (NOTE: I wanted the flowers to appear white, so I added some very light shading with the Smoky Slate ink. This helped give some interest and dimension.)

Finally, I added a thin strip of Gold Glimmer down the left edge to ground the image and add a little sparkle. I used clear sequins from Darice for just a touch of interest without too much bulk.

We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

 

 

 

Artisan Design Team Blog Hop...Helping Me Grow Too

Welcome back to another 2015-16 Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team blog hop.  We are a group of international demonstrators selected by Stampin' Up! to represent the company on our blogs and on social media.  If you are already going through the hop, you should have just arrived here from visiting my good friend, Cindy Schuster. When you leave here you will travel on to visit the very talented Inge Groot. You will be amazed at all the fabulous projects created by the Artisan Design Team so be sure to go all the way through the blog hop!

I have another card made with the beautiful Helping Me Grow stamp set. I am happy to say that this set will be returning in the new catty because it is definitely one of my favorites...especially this daisy stamp. I did alter this particular stamp by cutting apart the two main flowers to create two separate stamps. It made it much easier to work with. This is a photopolymer set, so if I want to use it the way it was originally intended, it will be very easy to do.

This was originally intended to be a one layer card, but I got a little heavy-handed with the distressing and dulled the flowers, so I covered them with an additional flower layer. I adhered them in the center and allowed the petals to naturally curve away from the card front for a more realistic feel. I also allowed the bottom left flower to hang over the edge of the panel, but I had to offset the panel to the right in order to do so. This is what I call a "happy accident"!

The Artisan Design Team will be hopping again in a few weeks, so be sure to check back often. Inge Groot is next on our blog hop so be sure to head on over and check out what she and the the rest of the Artisan Design Team team have in store by clicking on the button below.

 

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR DEMONSTRATOR!

If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here. Thanks for looking!

 

SUPPLIES FOR THIS PROJECT:

 

Helping Me Grow Photopolymer Stamp Set - 140764

A Nice Cuppa Photopolymer Stamp Set - 140683

Shimmery White Cardstock - 101910

Whisper White Thick Cardstock - 140272

Pretty Petals DSP - 138442

 

Basic Black Cardstock - 121045

 

Basic Black Archival Stampin' Pad - 140931

Early Espresso Stampin' Pad - 126974

 

VersaMark Pad - 102283

 

White Stampin' Emboss Powder - 109132

Heat Tool - 129053

Aqua Painters - 103954

White 1-1/4" Jute Ribbon - 137904

 

So Saffron Ink Refill - 105225

 

Delightful Dijon Ink Refill - 138332

 

Old Olive Ink Refill - 100531

 

Real Red Ink Refill - 103287

 

Cherry Cobbler Ink Refill - 119788

 

Stamping Sponges - 101610

 

 

 

Global Design Project #GDP034 Sketch Challenge

We have another sketch challenge this week over at the Global Design Project challenge blog. This sketch was designed by the amazing Teneale Williams. She has stamping super-powers!

This sketch is a little non-traditional in that it indicates a water colored background as the focus. Of course, you don't have to use it that way, so I decided to start with a focal image and do some layering on top. The result was a little more on-trend than most of my cards, but it was fun to venture outside of my comfort zone by trying out a new look. That is one of the best thing about stamping/paper-crafting...you can do whatever you want without a big commitment. If you don't like it, then no big deal!

I was inspired by this card designed by Kelly Latelova. She created an entire flower with only one leaf stamp, so I decided to give it a try. I wanted to skip masking altogether, so I spaced my "petals" further apart. The end result was an abstract flower-like image but one that didn't over-power the sentiment. I don't know if you can tell how cool that flower is from the photo, but in real life it is awesome.

I used one of the larger leaves in the Garden In Bloom stamp set and stamped it several times in So Saffron ink on Shimmery White cardstock. I wanted the petals to look like they curve up in the center, so I did this with my water coloring technique. First I started with a very light wash of So Saffron but I left some white toward the center of each petal. Then I did a second wash of the same color on both tips. Finally, I added in just a touch of Delightful Dijon to the tips. I love how it almost makes the flower look golden. After everything was dry, I went over each petal with a clear Wink of Stella pen and allowed everything to dry completely before adding the embellishments.

 

I had a lot of fun trying out something new. We would love to have you play along with us this week. Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this fun challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.