May 2017 Papertrey Create Along With Us

Hello there!  It's time for the Papertrey Ink Create Along With Us Monthly Feature. The idea is to be inspired by one of the projects we've seen during the May 2017 Release Announcement activities. The release is now available in the Papertrey Store.  I was inspired to create a card based on Nichole's project seen here on the left. This is created with a new Stamp and Die Set called "Especially You" that's been designed by Nichole as well.   The flower in this set is quite large as you can see and it reminds me very much of one that Nichole designed previously call Botanical Blocks II. That one is a smaller scale, but I've used it quite a lot so it will be nice to have a similar look in a larger size.

Besides the floral images, there are also a number of greetings and sentiments included in the set.

For my card, I used similar colors to Nichole's with some pinks and greens.  I also added a touch of pale blue for the "Sky".  I started by heat embossing the Botanical Block onto Watercolor Paper and heat setting it with Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder. I water colored the bloom using a Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker in Light Pink but for the leaves, I used a May Green Marker without any added water. For the sky, I used Light Blue and mixed it with a bit of water.

The Postage Stamp style frame is cut from Gold Foiled Cardstock. You can see a bit of the gold in the reflection but it looks black or dark brown in the photo.

I also made a second card painted in the same way but with some colored cardstock which I don't do very often.  I like the clean look of White on White but I wanted something that was a bit of a different look to send to a friend who loves color!

The bloom looks a little bit washed out with my lights but it isn't in real life.  I used the Noted Scalloped A2 Vertical Dies to create the Lovely Lady card base and the New Leaf  Mat. This card making journey seems to be ever-changing for me. There's always new techniques, mediums, products etc. for me to try.  Heat Embossing with Watercolor remains my favorites.  Thanks so much for stopping by today. Be sure to go over to Nichole Heady's Blog to see all of the products that were released yesterday.

Countdown to the Holidays - TBT

Today's blog post is another card for the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which is having a Throw Back theme.  I threw all the way back to 2013 for this challenge which was "Countdown to the Holidays".

Every year, my husband's family gathers for a family Christmas Dinner.  We book a lodge for this event on the weekend before Christmas and everyone near and far does their best to be there on Sunday for the dinner.  With six children in the family and their spouses we have a small crowd.  With our kids and their kids?  Well, we're numbering in the higher double digits. Each of the siblings and their spouses takes turns hosting and this year is my husband's and my turn. By now many of us have grandchildren that are getting older and in fact, our oldest grandson got married last month.  This means we have the potential to become great-grandparents in the not too distant future.  This both delights and scares me!  I love being a Mimi, though, so whatever happens, it will be okay.

While I have been scrap booking for nearly two decades, I only started making cards this year and not even at the beginning of the year either.  I think I got pretty serious about it in May and it's been a constant learning process and whirlwind ever since.  But since I've started card making, I decided I would create handmade cards for all of my Brothers & Sisters-In-Law this year and I am not one to procrastinate.  Our gathering is less than 8 weeks away.  I want all of the cards to be similar in appearance, using the same design elements and embellishments.  So to that end I started this project today.



I love snowflakes!  They are like diamonds, with no two ever exactly the same. Each one is unique and beautiful and I marvel at the way they look. They shine and shimmer in the light.  I wanted to capture as many of those characteristics as I could in my card.  I also wanted an evening or night sky so the snowflakes would catch in the light and shine in unexpected ways.

I started with a 4.25 x 5.5 inch Simon Says Stamp 120# White Card Stock.  I like to use this heavier card stock when I plan to do some ink blending as I'm not as likely to catch the blending tool on the edge and bend it up.  I used a SU! stamp set called "Snowflake Soiree" and laid them out on my 4 x 6 acrylic block leaving room at the bottom third of the panel for my Sentiment Die Cut.  I like the Inkadinkado Blocks with the side grips for my fingers.

I've searched online everywhere today, but I have been unable to locate where this die came from.  I thought it came from Papertrey, Ink. but they don't have this die.  There are two others in the set of three including "Love" and "Joy".  If anyone knows, please tell me!  ETA:  It did come from Papertrey, Ink but is no longer available!

I stamped all of my front panels and heat embossed them using Simon Says Stamp Silver Fine Detail Embossing Powder.  Using Rich Razzleberry and Pacific Point Ink with a Mini Ink Blending Tool, I inked up each front panel. The color begins fairly soft but the more blending you do, the deeper the color becomes.  Next I sprayed each panel with some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Pearl.  While that was still slightly damp, I took a pinch of Iridescent Sparkle Embossing Powder and kind of sprinkled it over the front panel leaving a touch of sparkle on there in much the same manner that you would a season a dish you were cooking.  To speed up drying time and to set the tiny bit of iridescent powder I heat set it again.  After that, I die cut the panel using the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles in the largest size and cut my sentiment from DCWV Silver Foiled Paper then attached it to my card front using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  I attached that to my white A2 card base using my Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive.

Occasionally I will create a very fussy card with lots of layers and some distressing but overall I prefer a clean and simple design that enhances the elegance of a card.



I hope you enjoyed today's project.  I'll return soon with another one but meanwhile, please feel free to leave me a comment.  I promise, I read every one of them.

ETA:  I got a comment on this post several days after the original letting me know that these dies are still available at Papertrey Ink under the category "One Liners". The three of them are $14.00 which is a great price for such beautiful and intricate dies.

Dream a Little Dream

For today's card, I took one of the many images that I have recently colored using Tim Holtz Distress Markers and finished with my Wink of Stella Clear Shimmer Brush Pen.  This image is from Clearly Besotted's Beautiful Friend Stamp Set and has a coordinating die.  After stamping my image on Canson XL 140# Watercolor Card Stock, I heat set it using Simon Says Stamp Ultra Fine Gold Detail Embossing Powder.  I colored the image with Abandoned Coral, Mowed Lawn and Gathered Twigs.  These are super simple to take a few to color when you are on the go. You can literally throw three markers, a few embossed images and a water brush in to a stamp pocket and toss it in your purse.  The stamp pocket helps to keep everything nice and clean.  I buy the Simon Says Stamp brand of Stamp Pockets because the thickness feels identical to the Avery Elle Pockets but I get twice as many for only one dollar more.

I had previously cut a few of these Impression Obsession Butterflies in a peachy-coral color with some vellum top layers so I grabbed one out of my container that I keep spare parts in. I always cut the antennae off of the solid butterfly image and just keep them on the vellum layer so it doesn't look like my butterfly has 4 antennae.  I use a marker to make them black.  I attached the layers as I usually do by putting Ranger Multi Medium Matte down just the center of the butterfly's body to attach the vellum layer.  Using my fingernail or my bone folder, I gently curve the tips of the wings on both layers so that they are pointing slightly downward.  I use a foam square cut in half lengthwise under the butterfly's bottom layer to attach it to my background panel and then a smaller piece of foam adhesive under the tip of each wing.  The rear of the butterfly I attach directly to the card base using Ranger Multi Medium Matte or you could also use a glue dot.  This card panel is cut with my largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Die in Cameo Coral, which is another discontinued SU! color. 

I took 3 foam squares and cut each of them in quarters to use in attaching the floral image to the background panel.  You always need to put a little of the foam adhesive in the center of whatever image you are attaching so it doesn't "cave in" at the center.

Next I cut three of the "Dream" die cuts and stacked them up so I would have a nice, dimensional word.  This die cut came in a set of three words from Little Yellow Bicycle at Hobby Lobby but the only place I've seen it since I got mine is Amazon.  The bottom two layers are just scraps of watercolor card stock and the top one is from some scrap pieces of watercolor paper that I had painted.  I try to always look at and utilize my scraps.  If something is a nice color or special in some way, I try to find die cuts that I can use with it.  I sort my scraps by color families from time to time when the pile near my Cuttlebug starts getting too big.



I cut a thin strip of Gold Glitter Cardstock and started assembling my card.  For the word "Dream", I put a tissue underneath it and added a layer of Wink of Stella and then Ranger Glossy Accents on top, setting it aside to dry for about an hour.  When I came back, it was ready to attach to my card.  Using Ranger Multi Medium Matte, I adhered it and held it down for a few minutes so it would not come loose.  I could have set some acrylic blocks on it, but my hands were free for a few minutes Ü.  I love the simple but elegant touch that just a narrow strip of glitter card stock makes on a card.  This is a tip that I picked up from Jennifer McGuire and I find it works often when you need just a touch of something more on your card.  I considered sequins, but I like this option better for this card at least.  

Wonderful Watercolor II

I made another card today for the Wonderful Watercolor Challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog.  Since I just went into a ton of detail yesterday, I am going to try to keep it simple today.

The card base is made from a pale pink card stock cut to 4.25 inches x 11 inches and top folded at 5.5 inches.  The Green is Wild Wasabi cut into the scalloped & stitched panel using the Sunshine Layers Die by WPLUS9.  The background panel was water colored using Abandoned Coral and Worn Lipstick Distress Inks then cut with the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles.

The floral branch is from the same Clearly Besotted Beautiful Friend Stamp Set I used yesterday and then cut with the Beautiful Friend Coordinating Dies.  Using Distress Markers I colored the flower first using Abandoned Coral for the base layer of color.  Next I added in more color with Worn Lipstick marker.  The leaves were all colored with Mowed Lawn Distress Marker.  After coloring the image I applied Wink of Stella in clear on the flowers and leaves. The greeting is made from 4 die cuts stacked and glued on top of each other for added dimension.  The floral branch was adhered to the background panel using Ranger Multi Medium Matte as was the sentiment and the sequins.  The rest of the pieces where adhered with my ATG Gun. 

After I assembled the card, I decided I wanted some sequins for that touch of whimsy.  This card uses Pretty Pink Posh Watermelon 6mm cupped and an 8mm green from the Go Green Collection.

Since I already had the image colored and the background water colored, it took only a little time to assemble everything. 

Have a great day!  Leave any questions or comments below and thanks for stopping by.   

A Little Bit of Watercolor

Whenever I sit down to make a card, I almost always pull "spare parts" from my work surface.  I always have spare parts because not everything that I create in my mind works out in the practical application but I can usually use it in some other way or on a different card eventually.  I have a little dish on my table that I put these things into as well as a stack of backgrounds that didn't come out how I wanted on the original project.  Sometimes I am just experimenting with a new technique a few times to see if I can repeat the process.  I'm actually getting better at that part.

Today's cards are super easy ones.  I embossed the image using Versamark on Canson 140# Watercolor Paper and heat set it with Simon Says Stamp Clear Embossing Powder then water colored it using Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Abandoned Coral, Mowed Lawn & Gathered Twigs.  For the halo effect I used Tumbled Glass.  I'm still in the process of trying to determine how much color I want in my halo and that seems to change from image to image.  I think that's probably as it should be.

Originally I thought I would like using the textured side of the watercolor paper but I am totally devoted to the smooth side by now.

I had a red and coral background from the other day when I was trying out the "smooshing" technique so I cut that as the mat for the water colored image.  Then I attached that to a 4 x 5.25 SU! Cameo Coral stitched rectangle using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  I'm pretty sad because that color hasn't been available for quite a while and when I use up my stash, I won't be able to get any more.  That color has just a bit of pink in it and I love it.

I used a Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle, and the two largest My Favorite Things Stitched Ovals.  I love all of the stitched dies that I have and there are some double stitched dies on my wish list.  The "smile" die came in a set of 3 words made by Little Yellow Bicycle.  I've never seen them again anywhere but they are among my very favorites and they cut like butter.

For the other two cards I made today I wanted kind of a matching set.  The floral images are from the Clearly Besotted Beautiful Friend Stamp Set.  There are Beautiful Friend Coordinating Dies as well.  That is my very favorite thing that has been happening in the paper crafting world.  So many stamp sets these days all have coordinating dies.  In fact, I try to purchase only the ones that have coordinating dies.

Water color is definitely an art form that you can spend as much or as little time as you want on it.  I have a tendency to overwork an image and when I do that, I tend to not like the outcome.  The leaves are okay, but I wish I would have obsessed less on the flowers.  It was a good lesson for me.

I used Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Worn Lipstick, Mowed Lawn, and Gathered Twigs for these.  The pink scalloped and stitched rectangle is another SU! color that is no longer available called Regal Rose.  The gold mats are pieces of foiled cardstock that were cut using my favorite die, the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles set.

Both cards have been mounted to a 4.25 x 5.5 top folding landscaped card.  I actually found this paper at Michaels and it is a heavy weight 100# super smooth card stock.  It was a ream of 250 sheets so I have enough to last for a few more days at least.

I am very late getting this post up and I wrote all but this paragraph last Thursday.  With our Grandson getting married on this past Sunday the 11th, I had too many things to do to get ready for our trip.  It was a beautiful and very touching wedding and we had an awesome trip.

I love reading your comments, so don't be shy!