Hello stampers. How ironic and sadly profound that I chose to feature Winds of Change today. Last night I got a phone call that made me very sad. My dear father’s lungs are shot and there is nothing the doctors can do for him any more. Granted, he is 92 and still living in his own home with my dear mother and they are as much in love as they were 61 years ago but you are really never ready to let them go are you? Of course I don’t know how long he still has but I have decided to go there this evening for a few days and just let everything go. Time with him is more important than anything.
When I first saw this stamp set in the new catalog I was thrilled with it because it perfectly captures my new situation, in love with someone from “the old country” a place with many cherished memories and a long family history. The sayings in this set are as beautiful as the images.
I love windmills and tulips and bikes and I love the font of this set, so all of that makes this a big winner for me! It makes me so happy to create with this art. Let’s take a look at my card.
I used Real Red, Daffodil Delight and Highland Heather Blends to colour the tulips with Old Olive on the leaves and Soft Seafoam in the background. You can’t see it in the picture but I used Wink of Stella which is an amazing glitter brush, on the red tulips on the side. Instant wow factor! The windmill was coloured with Soft Suede and Smoky Slate. The sky was coloured with a glycerin sponging technique and balmy blue. Here is a video I did a while ago showing how that amazing technique works.
Here is the inside of the card, nothing fancy, and also on computer paper so that the recipient can easily remove it and regift the card. I only coloured the flowers and the basket on the bike. For the flowers I just randomly stippled with the fine point of the Blends. No need to get finicky!
We never know what the future holds and that is probably a very good thing. What we do know is that love is indeed the most important thing. Without love we have nothing. Today I wish you much love. Thanks so much for stopping by. My paper is supposed to arrive today and I hope to get it chopped up and packaged for the paper share as well as a shipping estimate for those who are not local but would love to have a piece of every 12×12 patterned paper in the new catalog. Ribbon is being ordered today for the ribbon shares. Can’t wait to share with you!! As always, if you want to order anything and you live in Canada, just click on the images below and you will be taken to my online store. Gratification is only a click away! Live in the States? Click on the shop with Julie icon in the sidebar.
Before I forget, thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on my last two blog posts. Winner of the stamp set is Lena. Congratulations Lena, please send me your full name and address so I can send it to you. I hope you all realize that you are such an important part of my life and my business. Every comment you leave, every card you pin contributes to my success and allowing me to continue doing what I do. Owning your own business, especially in the crafting world can be a daunting task. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to be successful. Making pretty cards and doing fun videos is not enough to guarantee success, so hats off to you for every little thing you do to help! We all need a tribe. I’m so happy you are my tribe.
Hello stampers. Are you ready for another Rococo Rose card? This one also uses the faux chalkboard technique but it was done on sahara sand cardstock for an entirely different look. I love the technique, the colours and the stamp set. Before I show you the card I have a question for you. Do you know what Rococo means? I didn’t so I looked it up. Rather than type out the entire definition, click here and you will also be more knowledgeable!
Here you can see a closeup of how lovely the faux chalkboard technique is.
I did some simple stamping in the inside of the card as well. For my insides I just use computer paper and I adhere it only on the top so that people can easily remove it and regift the card. This way the card is the gift that keeps on giving!
Finally here you can see the two cards side by side to see how different they look on different backgrounds. Same technique with one done on Rococo Rose cardstock and the other on Sahara Sand. I had a hard time deciding which one I liked better! Woven Heirlooms is a lovely vintage stamp set that works perfectly on these cards.
I am working on both a ribbon share with all the new ribbons in the catalog as well as a paper share. The paper share will be $66 for 162 sheets of 6 x 6 paper. If you need it shipped that will be an additional charge. I hope to have that figure tomorrow for you! Ribbon shares include all the new ribbon in the catalog, you will get 30 yards for $39 and again I have to figure out the shipping. I hope to have that all ready complete with a PayPal button. I am moving into the technological age a little bit more!! I also hope to have a tutorial ready for these cards as well but I am also prepping for an Art Show this weekend so time is in short supply.
Thanks so much for stopping by! I promised you that I would choose someone who commented on yesterday’s post and they would be getting a surprise in the mail. I thought it might generate some more interest is I showed you what the prize was, so you get another chance if you comment today! The prize is a lovely Paper Pumpkin stamp set.
That’s all for today but be sure to check back tomorrow for the ribbon shares, the paper shares and the story of my cross border buddy partnership with Julie Gilson! If you follow me but live in the States, you can now click on the shop with Julie button. How wonderful is that?
Hello stampers. Have you ever noticed when you go shopping that you see Stampin’Up! colours? That is no happy accident. Stampin’Up! prides itself on being on trend, especially with the “in colours”. I am going to take some time during the next week to introduce you to the new incolours. Today we will be taking a peek at Rococo Rose. My team is doing an event next week Friday featuring the new incolours and this card is my contribution. I also incorporated our new shimmer white embossing powder which it totally amazing! I love how heavy the powder is but still with a fine consistency. It embosses beautifully and is a great mix between white and shimmer. The shimmer part actually looks like silver.
I combined Merry Merlot with Rococo Rose as the sponging in the middle of the flowers turned out such a lovely deep shade. I used the faux chalkboard technique and then sponged rococo rose in the centres of the flowers. Here is a closeup look.
I absolutely love the vintage feel of this card. I plan to offer a tutorial on this card in the very near future. Exciting things are happening on this blog! Thanks so much for joining me. I always appreciate your comments. I still need an address from Kathy Ireland who won the last blog candy which is a mini version of the Hugs from Shelli stamp set. Tomorrow I will choose another winner from the comments. Not sure what the prize will be yet, but I know it will make you happy.
If you wish to purchase any of the items used today, just click on the images below and you will be taken to my online store. I always appreciate it if you use the host code, this helps me to consolidate orders and save money by not losing out on host rewards which I use to keep my class costs down. The current host code is always shown on the sidebar of this blog. Have a super day!!
Hello stampers! I’m back from a lovely time away and I appreciate your patience. Balance in life is a good thing and taking complete time away with your loved ones is so important. Wildly Happy is a stamp set that oozes love. While I think the original intent was for baby cards, I have hopefully shown that it can definitely be adapted for all kinds of other occasions. For some reason I wanted to use the stitched nested labels, the new in colours and the coordinating ribbon on these cards. I also played around with different colouring techniques.
For these cards I used the sentiments that come with the Wildly Happy set. I also used three different embossing folders and the new scalloped linen ribbon in terracotta tile, rococo rose and pretty peacock. Three different sizes of stitched nested labels were also used. The following trio of cards use different sentiments from A Wish for Everything and Here’s A Card.
It was also fun to play with different colouring techniques. I used Blends on the elephants and rabbits but I used watercolour pencils and a blender pen on the fox with the baby sentiment and blender pen and ink on the fox with “I made you a card”. You will also notice that there are no traditional bows on these cards. This scalloped linen ribbon does not tie well into bows, it is too stiff. It does tie beautifully in a knot like the one on the elephant card or a simple layered knot like on the rabbit card. It also can be tucked around a card front like on the fox card or layered over a strip of cardstock for added interest.
I did do a little colour coordination with the ribbon and the colour of the stamped sentiments. I really like the new incolours. Today I used Pretty Peacock, Rococo Rose and Terracotta Tile. The fox was the trendiest! He or she got some terracotta tile lowlights around the edges of his face and tail before being blended with pumpkin pie and daffodil delight. In the baby card I used four different colours of pencils: cajun craze, early espresso, pumpkin pie and daffodil delight. It was some serious colour therapy for me.
I hope you like the cards today, we will be making them at coffee and a card tomorrow morning. Today I am organizing the summer Blends Club as well as a paper share. Stay tuned for more details. Thanks so much for stopping by, if you would like to purchase any of the items featured today and you live in Canada, just click on the products below. If you choose to use the host code I would be most thankful. The code is YDZAPF6Y.
Hello stampers! Here is my summer sampler. It has the exact same measurements as the Spring Sampler I posted yesterday. I love the fresh vibrant colours in this one: coastal cabana, bermuda bay, pool party, daffodil delight and a pop of calypso coral all on crisp whisper white background. This one has a lot of texture with embossing folders, popped die cuts and white emboss resist with the lighthouse. I also love the fact that the letters in SUMMER are all different. I totally cased this from fellow demonstrator Cathy Casey whose creation you can see here. I also used her idea for the daffodil delight panel. Here is my work.
I just love playing with different stamp sets and small vistas. Each little rectangle is its own masterpiece. If you have never made a sampler before, you should try it. It’s a lot of fun!! I love the crisp contrast with the heron on the top left corner and the dreamy quality of the lighthouse panel. I embossed it in white and then sponged over it with coastal cabana and then a little touch of calypso coral and daffodil delight to create a sunset look. The stamp sets that I used work very well together: Lilypad Lake, Beautiful You, Colorful Seasons, High Tide and Come Sail Away.
Don’t you just love how I turned the girl in the dress from Beautiful You into a girl in a bikini? I think I did a video on that a long time ago. It wasn’t my original idea but it sure is fun! First you add the belly button, then draw a line to make a bikini top. Then draw on a bikini bottom and give her some legs! I can hardly draw at all and I managed to do this without a problem. Have fun and play, you will be amazed at what can happen.
The measurements for this sampler are almost exactly the same as the Spring Sampler from yesterday’s post, but I will include them here to make life a little easier for you.
Measurements
frame: 8″ by 10″
bottom panels: coastal cabana 3 5/8″ by 2 7/8″ white: 3 3/8″ by 2 5/8″ scrap of crumb cake torn to look like sand
centre panel- : 2 7/8″ by 7 1/2″ whisper white: 2 5/8″ by 7 3/8″ The letters are daffodil delight, coastal cabana, bermuda bay, granny apple green and balmy blue.
top panels: 2 3/8″ by 3 1/4 ( two are coastal cabana, one is daffodil delight) one white and one bermuda bay 2 1/4″ by 3 1/8″
I hope you enjoyed this summer sampler and that you are inspired to create your own.
I will most likely be absent from this blog for the next ten days. Tomorrow I am going to Detroit to meet with a fellow demonstrator. We are hoping to collaborate together as cross border buddies. I will fill you in on all the details when I get back. Even more exciting, Gerard is coming for an 8 day visit for my birthday which is on Saturday. I want to spend every minute with him, so work is going to take a back seat. I know you will understand. That is the beauty of owning your own business and doing what you love. #workhardplayhard #familyfirst I will try to stay on top of emails and orders and I will post on social media a little bit too. Thanks for all your love and support, it means so very much to me. Enjoy your new catalogs, I have left some on my front porch if you need to pick one up.
