I’m always so happy when it is Wednesday. Because Wednesdays are Freshly Made Sketches day! Jen Mitchell is our hostess this week and she has such a fun sketch for us. The team has shown all kinds of clever ways to use it so I know you’ll find it great to try!
When Cindy Schuster created her adorable card for last week’s Artisan hop, I knew I wanted to use the technique with the fringed tissue. Everything on this card but the stamp is from the Celebrations Add-On Kit from the Occasions Catalog. Yes, it is intended to be an add on for the banners but I just needed to made it into a card! I’m so in love with these prints and colors! The papers are double sided so the Smoky Slate you see on the card is the back side of the Calypso Coral polka dots. For the tissue, I cut it to length (there is a sticky strip already attached) and the filled my spritzer (in the kit) with regular old rubbing alcohol and Calypso Coral reinker. Spritzed, let it dry a bit and then spritzed again. Once the paper had dried (really, let it dry…I started too early), use the Fringe Scissors to cut the tissue. It curls up like this on its own because of the coloring. Cool! The sentiment is from Simply Celebrate and fits perfectly on this tag piece. I “destuck” the tag a bit by putting it on my jeans a few times and then used Dimensionals to pop it up. I like the kit so much that I used it for another card today. It will be a bit before I can post that one though. *smile*
While I completely love all the kits that Stampin’ Up has been creating when they are used as advertised, I really love that they can be used in different ways. It makes them even more of a deal! And I love a deal! Ok…time for you to check out the fabulousness from the design team. There is so much to love!
Thanks so much for stopping in today. If you missed it, please check out my post about Pinterest from last week. Links to the Freshly Made Sketches Team page and other info too! See you again soon!
Click HERE to purchase wonderful Stampin’ Up products.
The Artisan Design Team’s March box of products is all about spring! While spring still seems to be elusive, it is here in my stamp room. Hopefully it will be in my yard soon too!! This is the last project with our April box and I have really loved this box! If you have come over from amazing Jeanna, welcome to the next stop. If you are starting here, just continue around using the next buttons until you get back to me.
I needed a gift box for a hostess recently and I though the Spiral Flower Die would be perfect (again). Ok…I really am smitten with this die! So many different looks for your flowers! This time I used a Tag a Bag Gift Box as the base. I wrapped around a piece of Burlap Ribbon (I just love this ribbon) and then added on some Victoria’s Crochet Trim. Pretty together, don’t you think? Then I pulled out my Canvas Creations for the flower. I cut out two of them to create this one. Here is a close up:
I sponged them (see below) pretty quickly and then rolled the two together and hot glued them together. Then I took another small piece of Burlap Ribbon (about 1-1/2″) and cut it in half down the middle. This leaves you with two halves held together by the stitching. Set one aside for another flower (make two of these while you are at it because you WILL find a use for them). On the other, snip along the non-stitched side with the Fringe Scissors then roll up and glue in the center of your flower. I used the leaf framelit from Secret Garden Framelits on some Core’dinations Early Espresso and sanded it to get the distressed look. Hot glue all of these onto you box and fill.
Here is a picture of my sponging. I told you it was fast! I didn’t really take the time to make it neat since you just don’t see the sponge dauber marks when it gets rolled up. I put the lighter one in front, staggered just a little, when rolling. Using your Bone Folder to add a little curl first is helpful, just like when you are rolling paper.
I hope you have enjoyed our projects this month. The team has created some truly beautiful things. I just ooh and aah each week! Back in the morning with the latest from Freshly Made Sketches.
Okay, off to go visit the awesome Mercedes Weber. I can’t wait for you to see what she has created! Make sure you hop around the whole loop to take a look at beautiful creations by the whole team…you’ll be happy you did!
Click HERE to purchase any of these wonderful Stampin’ Up products.
Ink: Crumb Cake; Paper: Core’dinations Early Espresso; Accessories: Tag a Bag Gift Box, Big Shot, Secret Garden Framelits, Burlap Ribbon, Victoria Crochet Trim, Canvas Creations, Sponge Daubers, Fringe Scissors, Hot Glue
So I thought it would be fun to do a series of posts on the subject “Did you know?”. I hope you think it is a good idea too. For today’s post I don’t have a card, exactly, to share with you. I actually have a whole lot of cards (and other things) to share instead. Pinterest. Are you a pinner? Do you love it for inspiration? Or recipes? Ok…I’m digressing. Pinterest seems to do that to me.
I wanted to make sure that you are aware of all the ways I personally use Pinterest to share my projects. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to go back through someone’s blog to find a specific project and a Pinterest page can really shorten the search! Did you know that I have a Pinterest page where I pin all of my projects? I do! Just click on the blog header below to check it out!
All you have to do is scroll through to see what I have made since I started pinning. When you click on the picture, it will take you directly back to the post for more details.
Now…did you know that the 2013 Artisan Design Team has a Pinterest page? Oh yes we do! After our Artisan Wednesday Wow posts go up, we each pin our projects there. Again, an easy way to see all that we do and then link directly back to the posts for details. Want to see?? Click on the ticket below (this is also linked in my side bar).
When the Artisan team did all of our Leadership projects, we decided that it would be good to have a specific place to pin them. So….we created a new page. Click on the pennant to see.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I left out my favorite challenge site Freshly Made Sketches. The design team posts their projects and we also link in the sketches. Because the sketches are linked back to the challenge post itself, it is a great way to find lots of inspiration FAST!
I hope this doesn’t feel like too much shameless self-promotion, lol. Really I just love sharing with you all and I know that it is easy to get behind on reading blogs. I hope that this makes it easier for you to find my creations and those of the amazing stampers I’m privileged to stamp with on the Artisan Team and the FMS team.
Let me know if you found this helpful. I’d love to hear your feedback! If you have any questions that you’d like answered in a future “Did you know?”, be sure to drop me a note.
So…I didn’t get as much stamping time as I had hoped yesterday. But maybe just a little more today. I have some more fun things coming up in April so trying to get those ready for you! So glad you stopped in today. I appreciate you sharing part of your day with me! Have a great weekend!
Do you love a go-to sketch? Yep, me too. The sweet and talented Rita Wright has given us one of those this week at Freshly Made Sketches. There are so many ways to interpret this one….you’ll see that from the design team. That is when you know you have a great sketch!
I thought I would go in an unexpected direction for this card and not put DSP in the bottom half of the focal panel. Instead I colored the background and used vellum as the crossing panel. Hard to believe I missed the chance to tie on a big bow, isn’t it?!! Believe me I tried. Just didn’t work with the watercoloring. This stamp is from the Occasions set Blessed Easter. I actually cut apart the words from the image when mounting it so that I could use each separately. This allowed me to ink up the flowers using Stazon Black and watercolor. I used my Aquapainter along with Soft Sky, Pool Party, Old Olive and Crumb Cake inks for the background. For the flowers I used the Blender Pen and Daffodil Delight, Primrose Petals and Old Olive. The sentiment is from Watercolor Wonder and it is stamped onto the White Vellum. A black button tied with thread was my final solution to finish the sketch.
As always, the team has created a cool variety of cards and you will love them! Don’t forget to tell Rita how much you love this one and join us in the gallery!
This week seems to be flying by already. If you missed my previous post with my spring baskets, make sure you check them out. I think they might be one of my favorite things I’ve ever made. Hoping to be back on Friday if I get some extra stamping time. Until then, so glad you dropped by. See you soon!
Click HERE to purchase wonderful Stampin’ Up products.
The Artisan Design Team’s March box of products is all about spring! As I type this, there are 8 inches of snow that just fell so I’m even more excited for you to see all that we have for you this week. Some of you may have already seen the projects since they are from Stampin’ Up’s Facebook Showcase posted last Friday. If you have come over from amazing Jeanna, welcome to the next stop. If you are starting here, just continue around using the next buttons until you get back to me.
Spring is the time for baskets, don’t you think? Something about them just makes me happy. I thought it would be fun to show you this variety of little baskets made for my sons’ teachers. They are all made basically the same way but with slight variations. To start, get some little peat pots (you know, the ones for starting seeds). They are readily available right now at home stores. There are different shapes and sizes and they are super inexpensive. Get a few while you are there. You will want to make more! I took each of the three pots and painted them with Gesso. This is an acrylic surface prep and I think you could use acrylic paint instead if that is what you have. Paint it on haphazardly. You don’t want total coverage. Set it aside to dry.
While you are waiting, take some floral wire and cut enough for a handle (be generous, you can trim extra later). In the middle, wrap the wire around a pencil to get the curves and then fold each side down to create the handle. With your Piercing Tool, poke a hole where you want the handle to attach. Made sure it isn’t too close to the edge since the pot is really soft. Bend the end of the handle to a 90 degree angle and put through the hole then bend it the rest of the way up to attach it completely. I used needle nosed pliers for this. Do the same for the other side taking care not to pull too hard on the already attached side. I spritzed Daffodil Delight Seam Binding with water then crumpled and let dry. I created the bow first and then wrapped around another piece of Seam Binding and attached at the front using hot glue. Then the bow was attached using hot glue. Yes…the bow is an illusion. It looks tied on but it isn’t. Most of my bows work this way since it is so much easier to tie the bow separately! I filled a 4″x6″ Cellophane Bag with candy treats and tied with more Seam Binding. Then I added filler and the bag and placed a flower on the side (details below).
For the blue basket, just a couple of changes. First, I sponged a little Old Olive ink over the Gesso to give a mossy look. Use a light hand! The ribbon is Soft Sky Seam Binding but otherwise the same technique.
I got a little more ambitious for the third basket. I tore a piece of Modern Medley DSP and attached it to the pot using Mod Podge. Once dry, I put on some more Gesso to tone the paper down a bit. I chose to leave off the handle and instead added a button to the bow before attaching. Very Vanilla Seam Binding was the ribbon of choice for this one.
Ok…the flowers. These were really fun to do and pretty simple once you get the technique down. The Spiral Flower Die is your best buddy on this! Choose your DSP (I chose Watercolor Wonder for the first two and Kaleidescope for the third). Cut out two of the spirals flowers. Spritz them with water, crumple them, re-straighten them and then roll them up at the same time to give a fuller flower. Using your Silicone Craft Sheet as a base, add a dollop of hot glue to the bottom and secure them together.
Using your Piercing Tool, poke a small hole through the center of the flower. Take a piece of floral wire and bend the top down and “smoosh” it together to create a closed hook (kind of like a shepherd’s hook). Push the other end of the floral wire through the hole you made and pull until the hook creates your center.
Then using floral tape, wrap around from the base down about 1/2″ inch to create the flower’s sepal. This also keeps the flower from slipping back down the stem. Place the stem into the basket, trimming to the right length as needed with wire cutters.
I am pretty sure it takes almost as much time to write this as it did to make it. Really, it isn’t hard and the results are so worth it. These would be lovely as a spring party decoration or as favors for a spring shower. I hope like these as much as I do. I think this might be one of my favorite projects I have ever made!
Okay, off to go visit the awesome Mercedes Weber. I can’t wait for you to see what she has created! Make sure you hop around the whole loop to take a look at beautiful creations by the whole team…you’ll be happy you did!
Click HERE to purchase any of these wonderful Stampin’ Up products.
Ink: Old Olive; Paper: Watercolor Wonder DSP, Kaleidescope DSP, Modern Medley DSP; Accessories: Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Soft Sky Seam Binding, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Big Shot, Spiral Flower Die, 4″x6″ Cellophane Bags, Rose Red Button, Silicone Craft Sheet, Peat Pots, Floral Wire, Floral Tape, Gesso, Mod Podge, Hot Glue
I held a workshop this week and thought it would be fun to show you the cards we made. Recently, fellow Artisan Design Team Member Mercedes Weber showed a series of stepped up cards and I thought it was a great idea to show at a workshop. So I created a series of cards using Watercolor Wonder to demonstrate the versatility of the set.
The mid-level card for the set is the one we actually made at the workshop. I just love that little watercolor “smudge” behind the flower. It makes it so that you really don’t have to color the flower further. I used the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch and the corner rounder from the Envelope Punch Board to create the tag. I inked the watercolor stamp with Soft Sky then stamped it off to make it even softer. The flower is stamped in Basic Gray. The sentiment comes from the hostess set Express Yourself and is stamped onto a 1/2″ strip of Whisper White. I cut the banner ends using the Sale-a-bration Banner Punch (just slip in one end and then the other). I tied on some Soft Sky Seam Binding with Linen Thread to top the tag. All popped up on Dimensionals with a little more corner rounding and finished with some Basic Pearls.
Then I went about creating the really stepped up version. I had fun with this one! I stamped an additional flower and colored it using Soft Sky and So Saffron Ink and my Blender Pen. I touched on a little Pool Party on the lines to add more dimension to the coloring. I cut it out and put it up on a Dimensional for some extra wow. The Soft Sky panel was embossed with the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder. Then I distressed all the layers with my Stampin’ Distress Tool. I distressed the Seam Binding too and tied a bow out of the Linen Thread. The card isn’t really harder but it takes more time and more tools.
And that is really what the series of cards was intended to show (you can see the most basic version in the background above). When stampers come to classes, we demos like to pull out the stops — well, at least I do. But you can take the same card and either simplify or take it up a notch depending on how long you have to stamp and how many products you have available. All of these cards will be equally appreciated by the recipient and that is what REALLY matters!
I hope you like these as much as my workshop stampers did. I also used the stepped up version for a swap at the event last weekend.
Another week has flown by and I hope yours has been good. I just keep thinking that spring is right around the corner and that makes me smile! Soccer tournament this weekend (the early harbinger of spring, right?) and maybe some more flying. Thanks so much for stopping in today. I’ll see you next week!
Click HERE to purchase wonderful Stampin’ Up products.
Another Wednesday already?? Well, it really is one of my favorite days of the week! I am lucky enough to be the hostess for this week’s sketch and I hope that you like this one. I have a confession to make. I was struggling and playing with sketches (none of which I liked) when I went searching for inspiration. Do you do that?? It didn’t take me long to find it because it was in a swap I did at last year’s Stampin’ Up Convention. We did a swap with all of the Artisan Design Team Finalists (yes….that was an incredible swap) and Concept Artist Melody Hyde joined in. Melody works at the SU Home Office creating the inspiration for catalogs, Stampin’ Success (the demo magazine) and SU Corporate Blog posts. (Julie shows a picture of Melody’s design here – it was used for a Founder’s Circle project)
I thought that the vertical Word Bubble Framelit and coordinating stamp from Just Sayin’ would perfect for the sketch. Combining them with the bright and happy Kaleidescope DSP give this a fun and modern feel. Rounding the corners is an easy way to add character to your card with no actual work. It is particularly easy when you used the Envelope Punch Board’s rounder punch. I cut the Strawberry Slush print to the same size as the front of a Whisper White Note Card then used the corner rounder to round all the corners on both. Not surprisingly, the rounder matches the corners on the Word Bubble Framelit. LOVE that! I did the same to the Bermuda Bay print then started popping everything up on Dimensionals. The stamp uses Stazon Black Ink. A few buttons tied with Baker’s Twine (from the Tag a Bag Accessory Kit) and I’m done. Admittedly, you have to find someone with the right sense of humor about birthdays for this one, but it just makes me chuckle. Perfect for “significant” birthdays especially.
The team has done some wonderful work with this one and you are going to love what they created. Hope you enjoy playing along too!
See you on Friday with a post showing a fun series of stepped up cards. Until then, I’m so glad you stopped by. See you soon!
Click HERE to purchase wonderful Stampin’ Up products.
Stamp: Just Sayin’; Paper: Kaleidescope DSP, Whisper White, Whisper White Note Cards and Envelopes; Ink: Stazon Black; Accessories: Big Shot, Word Bubbles Framelits, Buttons, Tag a Bag Accessory Kit (for the Baker’s Twine), Dimensionals
The Artisan Design Team’s March box of products is all about spring! I admit it. I have full on spring fever. After last week’s beautiful projects, I can’t even wait to see what everyone has to show you this week. If you have come over from amazing Jeanna, welcome to the next stop. If you are starting here, just continue around using the next buttons until you get back to me.
On Saturday I had the privilege of presenting at the Northern Virginia Stampin’ Up Style Regional Event. This event was coordinated by Rose-Ellen Eastman with the assistance of Michelle Suit (both such amazing stampers!). Over 50 Stampin’ Up demonstrators got together to share ideas and creativity. Such a fun day!! Events like this are another of the many reasons to be a Stampin’ Up demonstrator! When Rose-Ellen asked me to be a presenter I have to admit that I got really nervous. What to make? I immediately decided that I wanted it to be a “makable wow”. Meaning that it would have wow features but still had to be easy enough for new stampers to make. While the product list is a little longer for this than I originally intended, the card is definitely one that can be made by any level of stamper.
Spring to me says soft colors and a soft look to cards. Naturally Subtles colors and vellum came to mind. I cut my base from Whisper White. Then I cut a panel of Whisper White and one of White Vellum to exactly the same size. They are 3-3/4″ x 5″. I cut another panel out of White Vellum to 2″ x 4-3/4″ then set that one aside for a bit. Using a left over scrap of White Vellum, I stamped the flower from Petite Petals five times using Versamark ink and then heat embossed with Whisper White Stampin’ Emboss Powder. I pulled the 2″ wide panel back out and scored, using the Simply Scored Scoring Tool, at 1/2″ and 4-1/4″. Then I stamped the sentiment from Regarding Dahlias in Versamark ink and embossed with Whisper White Embossing Powder. Now for the fun part! Using my sponge dauber and Pool Party ink, I started applying ink to the back side of the flowers to create a pop of color. I used the #1 setting on my Stampin’ Heat Tool (it is the low setting) to set the ink. Since vellum is basically plastic, the ink just doesn’t absorb into it. The heat allows the ink to dry faster so you can proceed on with the card without waiting (because I have no patience!). Take the sponge dauber and apply ink to the back of the 2″ panel too. Because it doesn’t dry quickly, you have time to apply the ink in a way that makes you happy. You are going for a soft, watercolor-y look so don’t worry about really even application. Use the heat tool on that panel too to help the ink dry when you are ready.
You have all the parts now, just how to put it together? Concealing the adhesive is always the hardest part of using vellum for me. I used quite a few Glue Dots for this one, all selectively placed. Cut five pieces of Whisper White Baker’s Twine about 5″. Attach the top of the twine to the vellum using Glue Dots (place the Glue Dots where you want the flowers to go). Once you have all the stem tops on, punch out the flowers you stamped with the Petite Petals Punch and attach them on to the same Glue Dots you put down. After they are all attached place three Glue Dots behind the vellum panel (on the back side of three flowers) and attach the vellum layer to the Whisper White layer of the same size. Run your adhesive on the bottom of the back side of the Whisper White panel and secure the other ends of the stems behind the layer. Now for the horizontal layer. You scored the edges to help you wrap that panel around to the back of the design layer. Using more Glue Dots, attach the panel securing from behind. Take that whole panel and attach to the card base using Dimensionals. Top off the flowers with Basic Pearls and you are done! So soft and pretty, don’t you think?! And no adhesive in sight!
Oh, and if you are not in the mood for Subtles? How about a Brights version instead? I made one in Rich Razzleberry to show as well! (You can click on it to see it larger) Now can you see a whole pack of these made in pretty spring colors? Yep…me too! It is on my list to finish up!
I’ll be back tomorrow with the latest from Freshly Made Sketches and then later in the week with a set of cards I am using for a workshop this week. More pretty spring things to show!
Okay, off to go visit the awesome Mercedes Weber. I can’t wait for you to see what she has created! Make sure you hop around the whole loop to take a look at beautiful creations by the whole team…you’ll be happy you did!
Click HERE to purchase any of these wonderful Stampin’ Up products.
Stamps: Petite Petals, Regarding Dahlias; Ink: Pool Party, Rich Razzleberry, Versamark; Paper: Whisper White, White Vellum Card Stock; Accessories: Stampin’ Heat Tool, Whisper White Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Sponge Daubers, Petite Petals Punch, Basic Pearls, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Whisper White Baker’s Twine
So when I saw Banner Blast and the cute matching punch, I knew they had to come to my stamp room right away! I was so happy when I got them to create projects for Leadership.
I thought it would be fun to combine the prints in the stamp with the prints in the Gingham Garden DSP (from the main catalog). They seem like a natural combination don’t they? I stamped in the colors from the DSP — Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo and Melon Mambo – and punched out some DSP with the punch too. I lined them all up and put a little Melon Mambo strip on time wrapped with Baker’s Twine. This is perfect for a quick and easy note or thank you!
I have been making stuff all week so a bit short on the post. Looking forward to presenting tomorrow at the Northern Virginia Regional Styled Event hosted by the lovely Rose-Ellen Eastman. I’ll be sharing that card with you next week! Hope your weekend is wonderful. Thanks for stopping in today!
The rest of the team is showing their Leadership Display Board projects as well so make sure you take a look!
Now just look at what Amy O’Neill has created for us at Freshly Made Sketches this week!! These fun off kilter panels add so much personality and will give lots of room for creativity.
I am continuing on with my spring theme. Because I am done with winter. Two more days of lost school for my boys this week and another disruption to the family mojo. Even the boys are ready for a full week of school…and that is saying something. *smile* There is nothing like fun colors and happy prints to brighten the mood a bit so I pulled out the Fresh Prints Paper Pack and started playing. Aren’t these great? Because they are slightly larger than card size, the pieces were easy to use for this layout too. I simply positioned them how I wanted, glued the two prints together, then put little pencil tick marks where I wanted to cut. I chose another of the prints for this flower from the Fun Flowers Die. I popped out two, one in the print and one in Real Red, and then another little flower using the new Petite Flower Punch. The Stitched Grosgrain in Real Red was an easy go-to for the crossing piece of the sketch. I topped off the flower with a Vintage Faceted Button and some Cherry Cobbler Baker’s Twine (it coordinates perfectly). The sentiment is from Gifts of Kindness.
Well, the boys are going back to school today (with a delay) and hopefully, hopefully we’ll get back to a real routine soon. They certainly have had fun sledding this year and even I have to admit it is really pretty when it first falls. But the vortex is now welcome to stay in the polar areas!
I am also really excited for this weekend. The lovely Rose-Ellen Eastman has put together an event for area demonstrators. We will share ideas and inspiration. I will be presenting a technique card that you will get to see next week. Wish me luck…I’m a little nervous but I know I’ll be surrounded by lots of lovely stampers!
Hoping to be back Friday with another project from Leadership. Until then, so glad you stopped in. If you are needing a little more spring, make sure you take a look at my Artisan card in the previous post!
Click HERE to purchase wonderful Stampin’ Up products.
Stamp: Gifts of Kindness; Paper: Fresh Prints Paper Pack, Whisper White; Ink: Real Red; Accessories: Big Shot, Fun Flowers Die, Real Red Stitched Grosgrain, Vintage Faceted Button, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Crystal Effects (as glue)
Primary Sidebar
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
