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Freshly Made Sketches #32

April 25, 2012 Jentimko 14 Comments

I am just so excited to show you the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches this week!! I loved it the minute I saw it!! The lovely Linda Callahan of Stampin’ Seasons created this one. Brilliant, isn’t she??!! When you see what the design team has made this week you will want to run to your stamp area and create!

I think I have had a color breakthrough and I attribute it all to the Summer Smooches DSP. I have said before that I have never been in love with Rich Razzleberry but I’m afraid this new print has changed my thinking! Just look at it and you can see why! I just love the oval embossing of the Designer Frames Folder on an oval shape and I thought it would be great with this layout. So I turned to a trusty old friend, the flower from Friends Never Fade. I like how it escaped the frame a bit too! After putting the image and the DSP panel together I thought that buttons would be the perfect finish and they are great for this sketch. They come from the Brights Collection of buttons (Razzleberry and Pumpkin Pie). The measurements on my base are 4 1/4″ square which allows me to mail it in the normal SU envelope with no extra postage. Just a reminder that this stamp set is on the SU Retiring Stamps List. So while Friends Never Fade, this stamp will be gone at the end of May. Also, take a look at the SU Retiring Accessories List that just came out today. The Ovals Die used here and many other items are on it. These are only available while supplies last so make sure you move fast!

Now click right over (yes, right now) to the Freshly Made Sketches site and take a look at the design teams’ work. Glad I don’t have to choose a favorite!!

I will be back on Friday with another card made with this set from my Vintage Card Class. Thanks so much for stopping in today. Have a great day!

Stamp: Friends Never Fade; Paper: Summer Smooches DSP, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White; Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie; Accessories: Big Shot, Ovals Die, Designer Frames EF, Brights Buttons, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Smooches for my Hostess Club

April 20, 2012 Jentimko 7 Comments

My Hostess Club is the most fantastic group! We met yesterday and had so much fun (as always!). They seem to have endless patience with me as I “make” them tie bows and have been so supportive with my transition back to flying. Like many things with the crafting world, I’m sure I get back more from them than I could possible give!

Well, back next week with some more projects from the club. Thanks for stopping in today. See you again soon!

Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Precious Butterflies; Paper: Summer Smooches DSP, Daffodil Delight, Basic Black, Whisper White; Ink: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Basic Black; Accessories: Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Neutrals Buttons, Thread, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

I wanted to try and new fold, the Joy Fold, and I knew that the Summer Smooches DSP and the Bright Blossoms stamp would be perfect for it! I’m not sure why I have never used this fold before because it is really easy and such a wow. I used this tutorial. The Basic Black background pieces use the measurements given in the tutorial for DSP with a small exception. It seems that there was an error on the measurements needed for the inner and outer panels on the small section. My Basic Black layers are 2 3/4″ x 3 3/4″ (since the inner card folded becomes 3″ x 4″). As an experiment I wanted to see if a bow would hold the card closed and it does. The trick is to put a Dimensional under the outer loop and a piece of Sticky Strip under the knot. That keeps it from pulling up. The inner loop has no adhesive so that you can tuck the inner section under it. The bow is a double “potato masher bow” with a button tied onto it.

Here are some more pictures of the card in various stages of being opened. This designer paper really makes it easy to make a cute card! The club loved this one and you can count on seeing more of this fold from me!

Freshly Made Sketches #31

April 18, 2012 Jentimko 22 Comments

Take a look at the next sketch from Freshly Made Sketches! This one is brought to us by the wonderful Rita Wright of Rita’s Creations. This is one of those that can be used as-is or flipped. Either is sure to be fantastic!

For mine, I kept the sketch horizontal but used a rectangle. You see, back when I got to go visit my friend Cindy Elam she showed me her techniques for watercoloring. I have to say that she is an actual artist. She draws the most beautiful things and has such talent. Of course it makes sense that her coloring would bring that artistry! She showed me how she colors this truck and gives it the nuances of light and shadow. While I’d love to take credit, all I did was mimic her work. Look at this card to see how she colored it. The truck is stamped in Soft Suede and then colored with more Soft Suede. I added some Cajun Craze for the apples and Night of Navy for the sky. Most of the work is done with a Blender Pen. I did use my Aqua Painter for a little extra blending of the sky. Rita’s sketch was the perfect showcase for this panel and I’m happy I finally found the right home for it.

The design team has created a lovely variety of cards with the sketch and you are sure to love them. I hope you will be able to join us on this one!

I hope to be back on Friday with a card I’ll be making tomorrow with my stamp club. It is loaded with Summer Smooches! Thanks for stopping in. See you again soon!

Stamp: Countryside; Paper: Watercolor, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Naturals Ivory; Ink: Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Night of Navy; Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Quilted Espresso Ribbon (ret), Antique Brads, Blender Pen, Aqua Painter

SUO Challenges #43

April 17, 2012 Jentimko 9 Comments

This week at SUO Challenges we are celebrating the “Last Spring Fling”!! Ok, spring is really just beginning in some places but much of our focus is on the amazing Occasions Mini that is only current until the end of April. There are so many fantastic products from this one so there is a lot to celebrate. Of course, anything with a spring theme is very welcome and I look forward to seeing what you create!

You may have noticed that I really love the Bordering on Romance stamp set. LOVE it! It has quickly become one of those go-to sets when I want a pretty card. The different sized flowers work on so many cards. For this one I joined the stamp with the lovely Twitterpated DSP. Something about the Basic Gray with the pretty Subtles colors really works for me right now! I stamped the image with Basic Gray ink and colored using my Blender Pen with Rose Red, Baja Breeze and Wild Wasabi ink. This set is so quick to color…another reason to love it! I chose a Rose Red button and topped it with one of the large pearls from the mini and finished the bottom of the image panel with the Eyelet Border Punch. I have to say that I am part of the cheering section hoping this set makes the new catalog. Not too long to wait now….but you might want to grab one of these just in case!

The Paper Players have a watercoloring challenge this week. Wow, what pretty example from the design team. I am entering this into their challenge (the card isn’t completely CAS but the watercoloring here is so quick and fun!).

The sketch comes from a relatively new sketch challenge called Retro Sketches. I played along last week but missed the deadline with this card. Fortunately, I was a bit more timely this week. I thought the split background panel was particularly cool and I like the added texture it gives.

I am really looking forward to seeing what you create for our Last Spring Fling! As always, the design team has created stunning examples. Make sure you jump over and check them out!

Thanks so much for dropping in today. I’ll be back tomorrow with another Freshly Made Sketches card. Have a great day!

Stamps: Bordering on Romance, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Twitterpated DSP, Basic Gray, Whisper White; Ink: Basic Gray, Rose Red, Baja Breeze, Wild Wasabi; Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch, Large Pearls, Basic Pearls, Blender Pen, Basic Gray Taffeta (retired), Subtles Button, Dimensionals

Vintage Style

April 15, 2012 Jentimko 12 Comments

Have you seen the sketch challenge Try Stampin’ on Tuesday yet? It has been a while since I could join them but I needed a layout for my Vintage Class and this seemed perfect! Make sure you check them out because they have some fun layouts!

I love the vintage look but it isn’t something that comes naturally to me. Thankfully Stampin’ Up has some beautiful images that lend themselves to this style. Elements of Style is definitely one of them!! I stamped the image in Soft Suede and colored in the image with my Blender Pen. Now Soft Suede is not a water-resistant ink but that works in your favor for this. I simply pulled some of the color for the leaves. The flowers are colored with Pink Pirouette and Pretty in Pink. Again, some of the Soft Suede pulls in but that adds to the sepia tones I wanted. I embossed the back panel with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder and brayered on some Crumb Cake ink. All the edges were distressed and then sponged with Soft Suede except the image panel which was sponged with Crumb Cake. I made a little rosette out of Very Vanilla Seam Binding. Love these pretty things! Then I needed to deviate a bit from the sketch. The circle just didn’t work for me on the right for some reason.

I’m back on reserve (on call) today and for the next couple of days so not sure how much stamping will get done. I do have a card ready for the SUO Challenge on Tuesday and you are going to LOVE the challenge!

Finally, the much anticipated Retirement List is here!!! Oh, it is big and some old favorites are leaving. If you are like me, some of them have been on your “must-have” list for a while. They are only available until the end of May so make sure you get them before they are gone! I am happy to help you with any of them or just click on the airplane logo in the upper right corner for my online store.

Hope you have had a wonderful weekend. See you again on Tuesday!

Stamps: Elements of Style, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla; Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette; Accessories: Big Shot, Square Lattice EF, Brayer, Basic Pearls, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Sticky Sheet

Paper Players 90 and a new sketch

April 13, 2012 Jentimko 22 Comments

I haven’t gotten to play with many challenges lately and really wanted to join The Paper Players this week. Timely because I needed a baby card for a sweet little boy and these colors just beg to be used for that!

I recently found a new sketch challenge that I thought would be great for this, too. Sadly I missed their deadline but the sketch was just what I needed. I’ll try to make the Retro Sketches on time next time!

I wanted this one to be a very clean card and this layout leans towards Clean and Simple (CAS)! I don’t really have many baby stamps and have seen some variations of this boat lately. I knew it would be a great choice! As I went through my designer papers for the sails, I had every intention of following the PP90 challenge for colors. Somehow I had a mental image of them and chose these papers….sadly, not the actual challenge colors. I had already finished the card before I figured it out so I thought I should give credit since they were my inspiration. In any case, I love this card and it was well received by the new parents.

I have some cards from my Vintage Card Class to show you over the next few days. My boys are on spring break so I’m off to run around with them. Hope your week has been great!

Stamp: Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Twitterpated DSP, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White; Ink: Not Quite Navy; Accessories: 1 3/8″ Circle Punch, White Baker’s Twine, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #30

April 11, 2012 Jentimko 23 Comments

Happy middle of the week!! I’m back with another fantastic sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. I was so impressed with all the variations of my sketch last week…wow! This week our layout comes from the amazing Tui Nathan of Stampin’ Time. She is such a talented stamper and her layout is sure to inspire!

I didn’t quite comply with the half-circle element of the sketch but this flower was calling out to be on this card. I just love these tissue paper flowers!! All you do is run a folded up piece of wrapping tissue paper through your Big Shot (in this case with the Fun Flowers Die). I sponged the layers lightly and arranged them until it looked right. An Antique Brad hold all the layers together. This beautiful paper is from the Beau Chateau DSP pack and the prints work so well together. The only stamping on this one is the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes. I am trying to use up some of my DSP since the new catalog from Stampin’ Up is only about a month and a half away. One of my sisters-in-law and her husband just celebrated their 10th anniversary so I made this card for them. Fortunately we saw them in person since cards with elements off the edge are hard to mail.

I have a Vintage Card Class tomorrow so I should have some things to share with you over the next few days. Don’t forget to go check out the inspirational work of the whole design team at Freshly Made Sketches! Thanks for stopping in…see you again soon!

Stamp: Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Beau Chateau DSP, Soft Suede, Whisper White; Ink: Soft Suede, Marina Mist; Accessories: Big Shot, Fun Flowers Die, Antique Brads, Basic Pearls, Wrapping Tissue Paper

Freshly Made Sketches #29

April 4, 2012 Jentimko 15 Comments

Guess what??!! I am the sketch hostess for this week’s Freshly Made Sketches!! When I chose this sketch I had designer papers in mind. I’m hoping it will be a great way to showcase some of your favorites!

I chose to use the Paisley Petals DSP since it has such pretty spring colors. My only debate what which stamp set to use. I decided to go old school and pulled out a retired hostess set called Of the Earth. This set was a favorite but I didn’t use this particular stamp very much…not sure why!! It seemed perfect here. I inked it up with lighter colors and then added darker colors for accents. After doing that, I sponged over the stamp to soften the lines. I always seem to need thank you cards so I chose the sentiment from Day of Gratitude. Such a pretty font!! Finally, I added a little button for some balance to the card.

I hope you like the sketch and I know you will love the cards the design team made with it!! We have two new guest designers for the month of April, Kathy Tanner and Lisa Johansen, and they are amazing!

Not sure if I can post again before the weekend so I want to take the opportunity to wish you a wonderful Passover and Easter weekend. Thanks for stopping by today. See you again soon!

Stamps: Of the Earth (hostess, retired), Day of Gratitude; Paper: Paisley Petals DSP, Early Espresso, Whisper White; Ink: Calypso Coral, Tangerine Tango, Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke, Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Early Espresso; Accessories: Neutrals Buttons, White Baker’s Twine

SUOC42 – Congratulations!

April 3, 2012 Jentimko 11 Comments

Over at SUO Challenges this week we are celebrating! Our own Michelle Laycock has been a Stampin’ Up demonstrator for 10 years and we thought it appropriate to make “Congratulations” cards in her honor. These are always fun cards to make, aren’t they??!!

As I told you last week, my boys and I went down to Washington DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival and to visit the wonderful museums. Card first and then I’ll share the inspiration photos. With cherry blossoms on the brain, I had no choice but to pull out a flower set…and what better set than Elements of Style? I wanted the focus to be on the flowers so I thought I’d try using my Labels Collection Embosslits to create a frame. First I cut the center piece out of Watercolor Paper. I stamped the flower and colored it using my Blender Pen with Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz inks. Next, I created an embossed frame on Very Vanilla paper. Getting the Big Shot “sandwich” right was the only difficult part. Here it is:

Multipurpose Platform on Tab 1
Cutting Pad
Silicone Rubber Mat
Very Vanilla Card Stock
Embosslit with the cutting edge turned up (**see note)
Typing paper
Cutting Pad
Shim (for me a piece of thick paper that comes in the DSP packs)

**Note: Make sure the cutting edge is turned up or you could cut into your silicone mat

Every Big Shot is a little different so you may have to play with the “shim” part to get the desired level of embossing.

I added a “Potato Masher” bow (tutorial here) and some of the tiniest of the pearls in the Basic Pearl pack. I love the elegance of this card!!

Now, in truth, almost all the cherry blossoms are already gone. But I went in search of and found some holdouts! The first picture is from a set of trees near the Jefferson Memorial (which you see in the background). These are a later blooming variant. The second picture is from a lone tree along the Tidal Basin that was still blooming. I loved that I could get the Washington Monument in the photo! I tormented my children with many pictures of them with the trees too but will save those for an MDS project.

Well, off to enjoy a beautiful day here in Virginia. I hope that you will join us at SUO Challenges with your happy cards! See you tomorrow!

Stamps: Elements of Style, Silhouette Sentiments (hostess, retired); Paper: Very Vanilla, Watercolor; Ink: Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories: Big Shot, Labels Collection Embosslits, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Blender Pen, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals

Freshly Made Sketches #28

March 28, 2012 Jentimko 20 Comments

I know I am completely biased but I just love the sketches from Freshly Made Sketches every single week. This week Lesley Croghan of Always Playing with Paper has brought us another great one.

I started in a whole different direction on this one using a watercolored panel and some masculine papers. But you know what…the Bright Blossoms and Summer Smooches just kept calling out to me. Sometimes you just have to listen! I have just fallen in love with these little flowers. I love tulips anyways and the fun little prints on these stamps add so much. As soon as I saw the little rectangles on this sketch, I knew that it would involve little bows of some sort (what a surprise!). I used the fork bow method using this tutorial and the awesome Island Indigo Ruffled Ribbon. Because of the weight of the ribbon, I used Sticky Strip instead of Mini Glue Dots to hold them onto the card. With the texture coming from the bows I realized that the stamped panel need some dimension. I stamped a couple more flowers and the vase and the fussy cut them. To add that little extra finish to those, I ran a Stampin’ Write Marker around the edges of the cut out pieces (I find doing this from behind reduces the risk to your cut pieces in case you slip). That lovely sentiment from Precious Butterflies came out again. I just love the happy colors from the Summer Smooches DSP and this print is particularly great! The stamp and the DSP will be available in April so just a couple more days!!

The design team has some fabulous takes on the sketch and I know you will love using it. Can’t wait to see what you dream up!

I’m off to the Cherry Blossom Festival today (even though they are mostly gone) and some fun with my boys. I hope your day is fantastic. See you again soon!!

Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Precious Butterflies (hostess); Paper: Summer Smooches DSP, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Whisper White; Ink: Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo; Accessories: Island Indigo 3/8″ Ruffled Ribbon, Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

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