Jan 10, 2018 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
Welcome to the Pals January 2018 Blog Hop. Our theme this month is “From the Heart” featuring heartfelt projects like Valentine’s Day, Thinking of You, Get Well and Sympathy. Whether you’re just starting the hop, or have come from a previous Pal’s blog, you’ll find the line-up toward the end of my post to help you move along.
Did someone say, “From the Heart?” Well, I found the perfect sentiment in the Petal Palette stamp set, which happens to say, “From the Heart.” So that decision was made!
I love Valentines Day, and the cards that go with it, so you know I’ll be making a bunch of them. I think this may end up being one of my favorites that I’m sharing with you today.
Welcome to the Pals January Blog Hop-From the Heart
Some Valentines are delivered in person with a hug or a kiss, but many are delivered through the mail, so I thought it would be fun to stamp the top layer of this project (Thick Whisper White cardstock) with the Post Script background stamp. The light Sahara Sand Ink keeps it subtle.
I cut a peek-a-boo hole with a heart die from the Lots To Love Box die set, and framed it with heat embossed Gold Powder using a stamp from the Sure Do Love You stamp set. This garland is simply gorgeous, especially in this shiny gold.
I paired this with a heart we’ve grown to love from the Sunshine Wishes set, die cut using Gold Foil.
My favorite little bird from Petal Palette wanted to be heat embossed with Gold Powder, matching the sentiment, so I obliged. She’s quite proud of her golden feathers, and likes her perch atop the Bunch of Banners die cut sentiment. I like how this die makes it so easy to frame the words. Before gluing down the sentiment, I added the fabulous Organza Ribbon, my favorite!
The finishing touch of sparkle was added by die cutting two little branches (Lovely Laurel Thinlits) from Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper.
The Blushing Bride Designer Series Paper layered on the Crumb Cake card base is from last year’s Falling in Love. I admit to hording this paper, because I LOVE it, and I know I’m not the only one. I applied Adhesive Strips to the Post Script art piece to raise it on top of the Designer Series Paper.
Thank you so much for hopping with the Stampin’ Pretty Pals today. Please take a minute to mark your calendar for our next hop on February 14, 2018. Now hop along using the Blog Hop Line-up below. Don’t forget to leave us a comment. We really like that.
- Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
- Becky Retzer at Just in Thyme Crafts
- Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
- Jennifer Michalski at Stamping Serenity
- Karen Hallam at Karen’s Stampin’ Habit!
- Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin’
- Rae Harper-Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
- Tricia Chuba at ButterDish Designs
- Jeanie Stark at Just Stampin’
- Julie DiMatteo at The Paper Pixie
- Rosanne Mulhern at Heartfelt Stamping
- Pamela Sadler at Stampin’ Pink Rose
- Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
- Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
- Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
- Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin’ Hoot!
- Kim Jolley at Stampin’ Artfully
- Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
- Amy Hoptay at Craft Carnivore
- Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
- Su Mohr at Aromas and Art
- Sara Hicks Stuart at Sentiments by Sara
- Kat Chancellor at Stamp ART Connection
- Lori Pinto at LollyPop Paper and Ink
- Lisa Milligan at Stampin’ Made Simple
Jan 9, 2018 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
The bees wanted to get in on the action for this Punny Valentine. I love bees, because I love honey, and the new Sale-A-Bration paper has the perfect sheet of honeycomb.
Punny Valentine Bee Mine
I cut the standard size (5 1/4 X 4) Designer Series Paper with my Stampin’ Trimmer. The DSP is named Bubbles and Fizz, because it coordinates with the Bubbles Over Bundle in the Occasions Catalog. The hexagon shape is for the bottle labels, but it looks like honeycomb to me!
Placing the Large Letters Framelits Dies on the trimmed piece of honeycomb, I cut “B-E-E.” Removing them from the DSP, I triple layered them on Basic Black cardstock. This gives them a hint of an outline that makes them stand out, when glued back in place.
This is a wonderful, realistic looking bee, my favorite thing in the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set. I stamped the bee in Basic Black ink on Daffodil Delight cardstock, and used its own die for cutting. The bees were popped up with just one Mini Dimensional.
Do you think bees talk to each other? I believe they do. How else could they form such perfect honeycomb?
I found “mine” to complete the pun in the Bloomin’ Love stamp set.
The Paper Players challenge is what put this punny idea in my head this morning. So, thank you, designers. It was fun!
Jan 8, 2018 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
Today’s Party Pandas project came together with some intention along with an accident.
Party Panda Wants To Hang Out
I began with the color challenge at TGIF: Island Indigo, Night of Navy and Fresh Fig.
I stamped our cute, Party Panda in Night of Navy. The branch from the Seasonal Layers Die Set is in Island Indigo, matching the card base.
The words are from the Labeler Alphabet stamp set in Fresh Fig. Sometimes, it’s nice to come up with your own words, and these letters make it easy. Instead of using glue to adhere the letters, I used mini-dimensionals. They fit so perfectly, I couldn’t resist.
The accident happened with the Whisper White layer. I was using our new Simple Stripes Embossing Folder, and I rolled it through the Big Shot with too much pressure. It would have been fine, if I had glued it down right away. But, I was playing with it, and it started tearing apart. I ended up using the rough edged stripes in a topsy-turvy manner. I think I like it.
Thanks for visiting! Panda was happy to hang out with you!
Jan 6, 2018 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
Do you think this little girl wrote “Happy Valentine’s Day” (Sealed with Love stamp set) on the chalk board? Or, did her teacher? I know one thing for sure; she has a secret crush on a cute, freckle faced boy in her classroom.
I’m in Valentine making mode, and I thought of the heart in the Lovely Words die set with its matching embossing folder (page 103 in annual catalog). I didn’t want to say “lovely,” which is across the middle of the heart, so I snipped it out, leaving space for what would turn into a chalkboard.
After embossing, I let the Fab Friday color challenge be my guide.
For some crazy reason I can’t remember, I thought of finally using Sponge Brayers that had been sitting in a drawer. I experimented a bit, and then alternated the Emerald Envy, Lemon Lime Twist and Berry Burst in a rainbow effect.
Valentine Love With Sponge Brayer Technique
I like the way it looks, but I’m going to have to ask someone the best way to clean the sponges. Please click to leave a COMMENT HERE.
if you have the answer.
A Basic Black card base looked nice with the colors, and also provided a chalkboard for writing with Craft Whisper White Ink. I wasn’t having much success with this ink, until I purchased the re-inker. The consistency is thick, and I think it had dried up. After adding the fresh ink, it worked perfectly.
Standing in front of the chalkboard is my favorite, little, backward girl from the Birthday Delivery stamp set. She was stamped in Basic Black ink, and cut with her die from the Birthday Friends set. She is holding a heart from the Sure Do Love You stamp set, “Be Mine,” stamped in Berry Burst ink.
The last decision was to add three small flowers from Best Birds. The Sponge Brayers still had ink on them, so “waste not, want not.”
Ahhhh, to be young at heart! Hope I brought back some pleasant memories.
Jan 4, 2018 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
After the holiday break, it’s nice to see Tic Tac Toe and CAS(E) this sketch challenges back in action. They are a wonderful source of inspiration. I look forward to seeing the designer’s samples, and then coming up with new ideas of my own.
For today’s project, I combined the two challenges, and used three new SALE-A-BRATION stamp sets.
Beautiful Peacock Says You Are Simply Amazing
I began with a Thick Whisper White card base, checking off the “white” box of Tic Tac Toe. I used the Garden Trellis folder to emboss the bottom portion of the card, and designed the rest of the space above the embossing to be somewhat like the sketch.
I’m not sure why, but Beautiful Peacock wanted to participate in this challenge. I stamped her body in Tranquil Tide, and her feathers in Lemon Lime Twist. For her tail feathers, I added Berry Burst, and colored the polymer stamp with Stampin’ Writes before stamping the image. Those two, cute little flowers above the peacock are in the Beautiful Peacock stamp set. Do you see them in the sketch?
With all of this stamping, I could check off the “Stamping” box in Tic Tac Toe.
The Beautiful Peacock was looking pretty amazing, so I decided to use the word “amazing” from the Sale-A-Bration, Celebrate You Thinlits Dies. For extra “amazingness” I die cut the word from Glimmer Paper, which is on page 37 of the Occasions Catalog, in case you missed it. Some people (Brian King) think it’s a bit messy, but what’s a little misplaced sparkle among friends?
I didn’t think the card was complete without adding three more words, which I found in the third Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Amazing You. I stamped the word “you” in Tranquil Tide ink, and “are simply” in Berry Burst ink, punching it out, and popping it up.
I forgot to take a photo of the inside, but I stamped, “happiest of birthdays to you,” from the Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set.
The final detail was adding four, clear Epoxy Shapes to the peacock, which look great in person. You can find them on page 33 of the new Occasions catalog.
Welcome back Tic Tac Toe and CAS(E) this sketch designers!
Jan 3, 2018 | Gallery, Hand-Crafted Cards |
The Hearts and Stars Elements on page 196 of the annual catalog were calling my name. The etched wood hearts are perfect on a Valentines Day card, don’t you agree?
Wooden Hearts Valentine Card
I began by opening the pack of Hearts and Stars, and choosing three hearts for this project. I wanted to match the golden oak color to my large heart, and found a piece of Wood Textures DSP that would be just right.
I die cut the heart, and triple layered it for thickness, turning it into “real” wood, as I’ve done on previous projects. This is the second time I’ve used the Beautiful Peacock tail feathers to decorate the heart. Garden Green ink this time, and it still makes me happy!
Remembering there was a Garden Green sheet of Coffee Break Designer Series Paper with little hearts, I found it, and layered it on a piece of Wood Textures DSP. This was layered on a Thick Whisper White card base, strong enough to hold all of the wooden hearts.
I stamped the sentiment, “Sending Love” (retired last year) in Garden Green on Whisper White. The white brings out the little white hearts in the background DSP, and ties in with the card base. I used the Layering Oval dies for cutting, and the scalloped layer is from the same Wood Textures DSP.
The final decision before gluing it down was to add the pretty strip of white, cut with a die from the Petals & More die set.
This one makes my heart sing. I can’t wait to send it to someone.
Bring on Sale-A-Bration! I’m excited to place my first order in 2017, and earn more FREE stamp sets. I’d love for you to join my team, and be a part of my creative adventure. Just click on the shop button to get started!
