Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. Today I am sharing a card that I call Dragonfly Garden: The Magic of Mist. Truth be told there was a reason this stamp set had not seen ink for almost a year! I didn’t love it, largely because of the patterned paper that was included in the suite. It didn’t appeal to me, so this bundle sat on the shelf. Today it has been transformed and I like a lot more!! Simply by adding a little mist, these stamps were softened and transformed into a work of art that I love. Let’s take a look.
Dragonfly Dreams
For this card I used two very important products: the stamparatus and shimmery white cardstock. Without those two things you will have limited success. I Inked up the floral image with retiring In Colour Stampin’ Write Markers: Just Jade, Misty Moonlight, Bumblebee, Cinnamon Cider and Magenta Madness. Before stamping I would lightly mist or spritz the inked stamp. Be sure to wipe off with your shammy in between inking up again and stamping multiple times.
I did end up using the grass stamp from Wildflower Path to fill in the bottom of my scene. Did you notice that I used all the retiring In Colours? This was a happy coincidence but also a timely reminder to check your supplies in these colours. Make sure you have enough cardstock and ink refills and of course the markers!
Video Tutorial
I love watching a video to see how a card is made, it is much easier than reading a written description. Be sure to click on the left hand corner of the video that says “watch on YouTube”.
No Blog on Monday!
Since I will not be blogging on Monday as it is March Break and the littles will have moved in with me, I am going to make this an extra long blog post. I want to share some similar cards also using Wildflower Path. For these cards I did not use “the magic of mist” but I did use my stamparatus!! I used grid paper to create a heart mask. My exclusive video tutorial for these cards is on my Prime Time group. This is a very affordable private group that you are welcome to join! It’s only $10 a month, the price of a fancy drink and a treat. You also get a free monthly 16 project pdf tutorial that is worth $20 so you are getting double the value and then some for your investment. I must be crazy!! Click here to join.
Heart Mask Collage Stamping
For my flowers I used the following markers: highland heather, daffodil delight, polished pink and gorgeous grape. The leaves and stems were stamped in pear pizzazz. The question is, do we like it better plain or with a sentiment?
Here you can see the card with two different sentiments. The long skinny one is from Waves of the Ocean. The die from the other card is also from Waves of the Ocean bundle.
Here you can see the gorgeous detail in this closeup of the heart collage card.
A Little Addicted!
I think I may be a little addicted to this technique. A special thanks to Gez Carpenter for sharing this on the Demonstrator Planning Place on Facebook. You can find her blog here.
I made this last card using a very beloved stamp, Free as a Bird. What do you think? This time I used Pool Party and Balmy Blue Blends to colour the birds.
Thank you!
That’s it for today, it should give you lots of ideas for inspiration. I hope you have a super day and don’t forget to get the great deal on the mini die cutting machine! I used it last night to do some embossing and it was such a pleasure to work with. (just a heads up the natural tones Blends are backordered until April 4- bummer!)
Hello stampers and happy Wednesday to you. Creating with Waves of the Ocean gives a feeling of peace. That is definitely something we need more of these days. Blue and yellow are the colours for the Ukraine and both of these colours are found in my card today. I made this card on Tuesday for my weekly Parcels in the Post tutorial.
This card was NOT my original idea. I totally cased it from the talented Australian demonstrator Linda Dalke who is also a fellow design team member for the International Create With Us Team. You can find Linda’s blog post here to see her gorgeous work.
Waves of the Ocean
What is your favourite part of creating? I love what happens when you play with colours and I really get into the feeling that a card evokes. Each card is different. Some are cheerful and bubbly. Other times it is really serene. This one takes me to beautiful beaches that I have been too as well as the deck of a cruise ship. The beautiful blues of the Caribbean, or the azure of the Aegean Sea by Greece. Sometimes my cards take me back to my childhood.
‘Nuff said. Let’s take a look at this great card. I was going to take a picture of all three of the cards that I made, but I gave one away spontaneously to my postwoman. She was heavily laden with mail and I thought, I’ll bet she feels unappreciated!
After looking at these cards I realize that I did indeed give my favourite card away. It is the one that I made in my video, so that is good news. That means you can check it out and see it for yourself. In that card I perfected the blending brushes for the sky and I remembered to sponge the so saffron on the water BEFORE adding the blue, so there is no hint of green. It’s the little details!!
Video Tutorial
Here is my video tutorial. I am on a relentless pursuit of growing my YouTube following and I truly hope that you will also help me out. Click the red subscribe button on the bottom right corner of my video and if you feel like I deserve it you can also give me a thumbs up. For the video below, click on the box on the left side that says “watch on YouTube”. Yay!! Thank you so much.
Never A Dull Moment
I am writing this blog post at 8pm because I got an SOS call from my son late this afternoon. He, his wife and their daughter all have a nasty flu bug. They say they haven’t been this sick to their stomachs since childhood! So I am on “oma duty” for the littlest one. We had lots of snuggles since he was not happy to be alone at oma’s house. So happy that I am here to be able to help since that is not always the case!
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, so I did go outside for a walk in a nearby conservation area. I met a lovely old gentleman who personally showed me where the male great horned owl was roosting in the upper branches keeping an eye on his mate who was sitting on their eggs. Apparently great horned owls mate for life. Be still my heart!
Deal on the Mini Die Cutting Machine
Did you know that there is 20% off our adorable mini die cutting machine? This little gem is great for taking along when you are crafting away from home. There is also a great selection of stamp and die bundles on sale. See the images below. I really do hope that if you are Canadian and you follow my work that you will shop with me! I appreciate you very much.
Please note that the above images are just screenshots, so you cannot click on them and be taken to my online store. Those links are below for your convenience. Just click on the images in the product list and you will end up in my online store, it really is so wonderfully simple.
Thanks!
Thanks for joining me today. I am grateful to be a part of such a wonderful, creative community. Have a super day!
Hello stampers and happy Monday to you. This morning I did a very fun Stack and Shuffle technique video. I’ll share the video a little later. What a great way to not only use your pretty patterned paper, but also to create a stack of cards without getting bored. Let’s take a look!
Stack and Shuffle
Now it is a very good thing that is not normal shuffling, because I am a terrible card shuffler. This is quite easy and straightforward. However, if you watch to the end of the video you will see that it CAN go wrong if you try and do it too quickly. No worries, I got it solved after the video ended and I was no longer in a rush.
Here is the graphic that you need for the measurements.
Friendly Hello Stack & Shuffle Cards
Here is a shot of all the Friendly Hello stack and shuffle cards.
In The Moment Stack and Shuffle Cards
I thought I would try this technique with the In The Moment paper as well. Turned out quite nicely I think!
Look how fun they look all together in a little stack!
Individual Cards
Here are some closeups of the individual cards, they look so nice!
I forgot to show you the inside of the cards, that is where you use the 3/4″ strip that you cut off from the 4″ by 6″ piece. Simple but effective. Take the party to the inside!
Video Tutorial
Here is the video tutorial that I did this morning. Please watch it on YouTube as that will really be of benefit to me. If you leave a comment there and share my video, then you have a chance to win a gorgeous Stampin’Up! floral logo mousepad.
Thanks!
That’s it for today, thanks so much for joining me today and thanks in advance for your comments and for sharing my video. I would love to see what you make with this technique. Have a super day.
Hello stampers and happy Friday to you. This Stack and Shuffle Cards post was supposed to be for Monday, but I couldn’t wait until then to share it. This is such a fun way to use your patterned paper and make a bunch of fun cards all in one go. Would you like to make these cards along with me?
Stack and Shuffle Cards
I am planning to make these cards during my Cheer Corner video which I do every Monday at 10am EST. Not only can you create along with me, you can also nominate someone that I should send one of these cards to. This is what you will need to have handy to play along.
Paper trimmer.
Four card bases that will coordinate with your patterned paper. I am using 8 1/2″ by 5 1/2″ scored at 4 1/4″.
Four pieces of patterned paper 4″ by 6″.
Four pieces of white or vanilla for the inside of your cards 4″ by 5 1/4″. You can also use computer paper.
I will be using the Friendly Hello bundle from Saleabration. Big thanks to Debbie Henderson for this awesome idea. Please check out her blog and her cards here.
If at First You Don’t Succeed…
Take a close look at the cards below. Do you see the one on the bottom left? That was the first card I made using this technique and I had eyed it wrong. I was told to leave a 1/4″ margin, but really you only need 1/8″ so that one is a little wonky, but it will still be sent out. It’s the love that counts!! After the first mistake the rest turned out beautifully even when I mixed up the patterns by accident!
I also used Tailor Made Tags dies, memento black ink and pool party ink. The cards were finished off with fresh freesia ribbon. My sentiment comes from Flowing Flowers. isn’t it amazing how many different products you end up using for your cards? That is not necessary of course, but the more you have, the more you use!! I remember the days when I had only one stamp set and two ink pads and I had a lot of fun with them.
A Little More About Amazon
The other day I became an Amazon associate for the simple reason of trying to earn a little extra money by recommending products that I really love. When you use my link it will cost you no extra money, but I will earn a small commission, not only from the product that I recommended to you but from anything that you add to that order! If you have any questions or have some products that you have used in your papercrafting, I would love to hear about them!
I am planning to order this devotional book today, it was recommended to me by my friend Karen. Lent has started where we focus on what Jesus has done for us on the cross. I can use all the help I can get to keep me on track with spending more time with Jesus.
White Gel Pen
Do you remember when Stampin’Up! sold a white gel pen? It was wonderful to add some detail to coloured flowers and I missed it so much when they discontinued it. I found a great one on Amazon that was recommended to me by a fellow stamper. It’s not cheap but it lasts a long time and works very well!
Video Tutorial
Seeing is believing, so check out the video that I made for this technique.
I hope that you will join me on Monday for some very fun stamping with the Stack and Shuffle technique. In the meantime, be sure to check out my YouTube channel and subscribe. I have lots of fun content there if you need inspiration.
Thanks for joining me and have a super weekend. The sun is shining and my heart is happy.
Hello stampers and happy Thursday to you. Today I want to share some photos of me and my favourite man. We had a lovely photo shoot on day before Gerard left for Holland and it was spectacular. These photos were meant for us to get comfortable with our wedding photographer, and she with us. Hilary did an awesome job capturing us just the way we are. The second thing I want to share is some of my favourite products that I use that Stampin’Up! does not produce.
Just Me and My Man
At some point I will do a video sharing our story because it really is quite incredible. I do believe that I have blogged about it quite a while ago, and you can check it out here. Here are a few of my favourite photos from last Saturday. They were taken at Longwoods Conservation Area near Delaware, Ontario. Thanks Hilary Hartwig for these beautiful memories!
A Few of my Favourite Contraband Things
I have always affectionately referred to non-Stampin’Up! products as “contraband”. Yet we all know that you can’t buy all your crafting needs from just one company. My favourite go-to when I can’t find something locally is Amazon. Here are three of my favourite things:
Tombow Removable adhesive. I use this all the time for masking. No more expensive Post-It notes. The small ones are never big enough and the bigger ones are super expensive. This stuff works a dream and it even fits into our old Snail holders!
The next product is Cropper Hopper 12 x 12 paper storage. These beauties are not cheap but they are super durable and will last a lifetime. They protect your paper, keep it all in one place even when you have done the #loveitchopit technique. It’s also great for traveling!
The last thing are these magnetic sheets. I have tried buying adhesive magnetic sheets from the Dollar Store but they keep getting worse in quality and the dies fall right off. Very frustrating indeed. I put the adhesive magnetic sheets in my stamp case so that the dies are stored right with the coordinating stamp set. Our paper trimmer will easily cut these sheets in half so that one sheet will do for two die sets.
I am super pleased that I have figured out how to become an Amazon associate. All that means is that if you use my links (and if enough of you do) then I will get paid a small commission. So many of the people that follow me here on my blog, on Facebook or on YouTube are not Canadians, so they cannot buy Stampin’Up! products from me. At least with this I will be slightly rewarded for my influence!! Thanks so much for your support, you know I appreciate you very much.
My Favourite Business Tool
I almost forgot to share this last thing with you. It is used every day for my videos but I also use if for one other great thing. Perhaps you also video call with your loved ones far away. Sometimes you need to multitask. I like to put this stand in my kitchen when I do a cooking date with Gerard or if I chatting with my sister or my mom. It gives the feeling of being busy together, just like if they were visiting and hanging out around the island in my kitchen.
This tool is called an Arkon Phone Mount. I love it so much that I also have one in Holland. It’s not cheap but it is the best!
Flowering Fields Tutorial Now Available!
Some of you have been asking if I would write a tutorial for my windmill cards using the Flowering Fields suite. I am happy to say that it is now available. There is also a pdf tutorial available from the International Create With Us Tutorial bundle also featuring the Flowering Fields suite. This tutorial also has a lot of cards that use the tulip stamps and dies, so both would make a great addition to your stamping arsenal!
Here is the sneak peek from the Create With Us group. You can purchase either of them by clicking on this link.
More Great Cards Next Week!
I hope to get back to regular blogging again next week but even more importantly, I want to share some great cards with you. Thanks so much for stopping by today, I hope you have a super day.
