Constantly Stamping

GDP319: Global Design Project Theme Challenge

The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner and it's also our theme this week Global Design Project. 

If this card seems a little familiar to you, that is because around this time last year I made a similar tag using the same technique. As a matter of fact, I made the flowers last year and put them away for later use, so this was the perfect opportunity to pull them out and make a card. You can see the tag and read about how I made the flowers here.

I was really glad to see Stampin' Up! bring back this beautiful Heartwarming Hugs Designer Series Paper (#153492).  The traditional Christmas colors make it one of my favorite go-to paper for the holidays.

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the U.S.A. I am so thankful for all of you and the wonderful friends I have made through this amazing craft. May you and your family be blessed with good health, happiness, friendship, peace, and love.

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.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

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

Global Design Project: GDP271 Theme Challenge

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my blog! With Christmas just around the corner, this week's challenge at Global Design Project is Winter/Holiday.

I try not to use thick embellishments on my cards because it makes it difficult to send them through the mail. I knew I would find just the right project to use this flower on, and this challenge is the perfect opportunity. A gift box is a great way to showcase this gorgeous flower without worrying whether it will be destroyed in the mail.

First, let's talk about the box. I made a basic box with the following dimensions. (Bottom: 8" square Basic Black cardstock scored on each side at 2". Top: 6" square of Plaid Tidings DSP (#153527) scored on each side at 1".) This black and white plaid paper gives the project a modern farmhouse feel that is really trendy right now. If you want something more traditional, the reverse side of this dsp is perfect for you. This paper collection has a great variety of colors and has something for just about every season. If you are new to box making or you need a refresher, here is a link to a really good box tutorial by Stampin' Up! Some of the products in the video are retired, but the idea is still the same.

Now let's talk about the flower. I made this poinsettia a few weeks ago while I was working on this tag. I like to make flowers in batches so I have them ready to go. I used Real Red cardstock and die cut two of each flower layer using the Poinsettia Dies (#153522) that are part of the Poinsettia Petals Bundle in the Holiday Mini Catalog. Each petal has Early Espresso ink sponged on the edges with a dauber. I honestly wasn't sure if I liked it at first, but once I added the Shimmery White Embossing Paste (#145645), I knew it was a good choice. In addition, all of the greenery is cut with the same die set.

These gorgeous bells are just the perfect finishing touch. They are cut from Silver Foil Cardstock using the Sounds of the Season Dies (#154043). Everything on this project is timeless and is destined for my permanent craft collection.

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 fabulous challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

If you are in the United States and need a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here and have it sent directly to your home. Thank you for your business!

Global Design Project: GDP270 Sketch Challenge

It is sketch week at Global Design Project. This one is asymmetrical so it is a bit more of a challenge to find the right balance. It is interesting to see all the different styles of cards made by our GDP team. For me, I had several of the elements for my card already on my desk so it was a matter of just finding the right pieces. (Hint: I have an upcoming project using these same products coming to the Stampin' Fancy Friday challenge on December 16th, so be watching for that on Facebook & Instagram.)

At the foundation of this 3"x6" card is the Most Wonderful Time Product Medley (#150705) or you can just use the Refill Kit (#151270) found on page 7 of the Holiday Mini Catalog. I paired it with the Wishes and Wonder Bundle (#155151) of coordinating stamps and dies on page 32 of the Holiday Mini Catalog.

There is a lot of layering going on here. I stamped the greeting in Old Olive ink on Whisper White cardstock and the sleigh is stamped with VersaMark ink on Real Red cardstock and then heat embossed with white embossing powder. I also stamped and embossed the sprig of greenery on Old Olive cardstock. The coordinating dies make cutting all the pieces easy.

The flower is cut with the Poinsettia Dies (#153522) and I added an adhesive-backed Wonderful Gem in clear/gold (#153536) for the flower center.

I love this deer from the North Pole Wonder Dies (#153523) cut from Brushed Metallic Gold Cardstock (#153524).

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.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

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

Global Design Project: GDP269 Color Challenge

This week at the Global Design Project blog we have a color challenge that is perfect for Christmas. You really can't get more traditional than this.

I am fascinated with the look of mixed media but it isn't something I would want to make every day. I follow a few different mixed media artists on youTube, and for the most part, they use products that are pre-made to create their projects. That is great, but I really don't want to purchase a completely different set of items that I may never use, so, for my project, I used the Stampin' Up! products that I already had on hand.

The other thing about mixed media is that it tends to be very 3-dimensional, so using it for cards can create a whole different set of problems. But mixed media on tags and boxes are an entirely different thing. To make my tag for this color challenge I primarily used the products from the Poinsettia Petals Bundle (#144148) along with a few other things.

There is no denying that the focal point of this project is the flowers and they were definitely the most time-consuming, so let's begin there. I die cut several different sizes of flowers and holly leaves from watercolor paper. I sponged Real Red ink on the flower centers and Garden Green and Just Jade ink on the leaves. I put a piece of scrap paper on top of a Stampin' Pierce Mat (#126199) and placed the colored side of the flowers face down. I misted the back of the flowers (and leaves) with water and let it soak in for about a minute. Then I used the rounded cap on the Take Your Pick Tool (#144107) to shape the petals. Next, I turned the flowers over and pushed down the centers. After the flowers were completely dry I assembled them using hot glue.  I used the clear/gold Wonderful Gems (#153536) as flower centers and then used my fingers to rub Shimmery White Embossing Paste (#145645) all over the flowers and leaves. This is really messy but definitely worth the extra step. After I thoroughly washed my hands, I set everything aside to dry while I finished the rest of the tag.

 

For the tag I used a 3" x 5.5" piece of Real Red cardstock and snipped off the top corners at an angle. I used Real Red ink to stamp the poinsettia and holly leaf all over the background. Next, I sponged both colors of green ink onto the white side of a wreath from the Forever Gold Laser-Cut Specialty Paper (#152493) and attached it to the center of the tag. I added a piece of Metallic Mesh Ribbon (#153550) and then used hot glue to add the flowers to the tag. I die cut some sprigs from white glitter paper (retired) and tucked them in behind the flowers. Finally, I used the Joy Dies (#153530) to cut the sentiment using white glitter paper for the word and Just Jade cardstock for the background layer.

Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this great color challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

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

Have a blessed day!

Global Design Project: GDP268 CASE Challenge

This week at Global Design Project we are CASEing this lovely card made by my sweet friend, Charlet Mallett.

I finally got my hands on the Poinsettia Petals Bundle (#155148) and then never had an opportunity to use it...but all that changes here and now because I am in love! For my CASE of Charlet's card, I focused on her basic layout. I switched up the color pallet to a winter classic, Balmy Blue and Silver, then stamped and heat embossed everything on Shimmery White Cardstock. I also substituted some Plush Poinsettia flocked vellum Designer Series Paper (#153486) for the embossed background.

For even more elegance, I used some 1-1/2" Metallic Mesh Ribbon (#153550). This ribbon is so light and airy and adds sparkle without weight. I was very surprised to find this ribbon in the Halloween section (p. 53) of the mini catalog and almost missed it.

Finally, I used clear Rhinestone Basic Jewels (#144220) to add just a bit more sparkle to the flower centers and background.

I hope you like today's project. 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 challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

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

 

Global Design Project: GDP265 Color Challenge

We have a unique color challenge this week at the Global Design Project project blog. I love that we get to choose which color to add to the mix.

For my third color, I chose to use Flirty Flamingo. It is somewhat of a non-traditional combo, and definitely not something I naturally gravitate toward, but I like how it works well together.

I have a bit of a confession to make. Lately, I have been on a bit of a new crafting adventure. I recently purchased a circular knitting machine and I have been busy cranking out winter hats for charity. I have been wanting to make tags for them before I donate them to our Operation Christmas Child boxes at church, so for this week's color challenge, I focused on tags. The hats are many different colors, so I will probably not use these particular tags on all of them (maybe the gray ones), but they will definitely work for some. I just love it when I can use stamping to enhance my other crafting projects.

Since this is primarily a stamping/paper crafting blog, I probably won't share too much about my knitting. My creations are fairly basic at this point and there isn't really anything unique about them. I am sure that there are many of you who have a lifetime of knitting/crocheting experience. I still have much to learn, so I don't feel like I have anything to tell at this point. (But for those of you who want to know, I used Red Heart Super Saver yarn in charcoal and dusty grey knitted on an Addi-express kingsize circular knitting machine.)

Here is a quick look at the products I used for the tags:  Thick Whisper White Ultrasmooth Cardstock, Buffalo Check Background Stamp (#151372/147797), Coastal Cabana, Smoky Slate, and Flirty Flamingo Cardstock and Ink Pads, Silver Glimmer Paper, Warm Hugs Bundle of stamps and dies (#155145), Painted Labels Dies (#151605), Layering Circles Dies (#151770), Stampin' Dimensionals, adhesive, a hole punch, and bakers twine.

Be sure to check out what the other talented designers/players have created for this great color challenge at the Global Design Project Challenge Blog. Also, if you try this new technique, send me a link to the finished project...I would love to see it!

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

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

Have a blessed day!

Global Design Project: GDP219 Theme Challenge

The theme for this week's challenge at Global Design Project is O Christmas Tree.

For our challenge I made vintage-style Christmas tree-shaped ornaments.

I went to the vintage market this weekend here in Nashville, and I was inspired by all the beautiful vintage Christmas decor. To create my own vintage-style ornaments I used the Toile Tidings Suite along with a few other items.

I salvaged a piece of chipboard from the packaging of a Paper Pumpkin kit. The board was 6"x9" so I was able to get three triangles from it. I covered the front and back of each piece with Toile Tidings DSP and heavily distressed the edges with Early Espresso ink.

I die cut several snowflakes using the Seasonal Layers dies and added some Ice Stampin' Glitter. I just love this stuff!

FI used our Jingle Bells (#149598) and used a Dark Soft Suede Stampin' Blends Marker to tone them down. And, of course, I added lots of Linen Thread to each ornament. I just love how these turned out, although it is difficult to capture the true beauty of the glittered snowflakes.

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.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

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

 

Global Design Project: GDP214 Sketch Challenge

We have a great sketch challenge at Global Design Project this week.

I love using sketches because they can make it really easy to design a card...especially when you have great products, like the Brightly Gleaming Suite, to work with. The patterns in the Brightly Gleaming DSP are beautiful. The flip side of these two papers have gorgeous copper foil accents, so it was really a difficult decision to use it this way, but it truly was the best choice.

Did you know that you can stamp with our classic stamp pads and then color the images with Stampin' Blends markers? The ink in the classic pads is water-based and the markers are alcohol-based, so they work well together. The stamped images are from the Christmas Gleaming stamp set. The ornaments have a coordinating punch pack so they are easy to cut. I did, however, fussy cut the holly images.

I have quite the stache of clear rhinestones, so I added some bling to the ornaments. The rhinestones give the perfect touch of elegance without overpowering 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.

I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR STAMPIN' UP! DEMONSTRATOR

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