Nichol Spohr LLC

Stampin' Fun Friday (the weekend edition) + GIVEAWAY winner!

Hey stampers!

I didn't quite make it to post yesterday. Or Thursday for that matter. 

It has been a really long week.

The big kids and grandpa (my dad) picked sweet corn that he planted for them and then sold it. We did that twice this week. Two early mornings of picking corn and then a quick shower to wash the dirt and sweat off and then on to selling it. They are having a good time, though, and are enjoying the income. :)

The AC is out on the upstairs (top floor) of our home. The repairman is on his third trip here this week. :( Luckily the main floor/basement are okay as it runs on a different unit but my office is upstairs. And I like air conditioning. A lot. It was simply too darn hot to come up here last night after a long day.

Wednesday morning Chad and I had to make the extremely difficult decision to put our little thirteen year old Bichon Frise to sleep. Our first baby. Our first pet together. We got him when we had been married not quite a year. He had started throwing up his food (food he loved, btw, because he was on a specialty diet for some other health problems and it was soft and he would seriously wolf it down as fast as he could). The throwing up wasn't too much of a concern until it turned into NOT eating or drinking at all. We took him in and after blood work they determined his kidneys and liver were failing and they didn't think he would survive the surgery. His red blood cell count was super low and after a year of taking him in almost monthly with some sort of ailment they advised us that it might be time. Chad and I were with him as he passed and I can honestly say I don't ever want to do that again. Ever. I will wait outside. I thought I would handle it better than I did because he has been such a pain for the last year and a half but I was wrong. I was cleaning out the pantry yesterday and came across a few leftover cans of dog food and I cried some more. That little dog is going to be missed.

So now that I've caught you up on my week (and reasons why I am justifying my lame blogging), I have some cards to share!

Two for today both utilizing My Favorite Things Pure Innocence stamps.

I also incorporated the Hero Arts Hello Flags into one of the cards and my favorite Hero Arts Clouds backgrounds into both. You know me and the clouds. I sort of love 'em. ;)

 

I started by stamping the Hero Arts Modern Lines Design Block stamp on a Hero Arts Grass Folded Card using Tim Holtz Peeled Paint Distress Ink. I added a bit of ink to the edges of the card with the Ink Blending tool as well. I like the way that softens the background a bit.

Next, I stamped the same background stamp on a scrap of Hero Arts Daffodil Layering Paper using Tim Holtz Wild Honey Distress Ink. I inked the edges on this, too. I like to be consistent. ;)

I punched a border using the Martha Stewart Loopy Edger Punch and cut a really thin strip from a scrap of Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy cardstock. I layered everything together and adhered it to the card base.

Next, I used the Spellbinders die and some Neenah Solar White cardstock to die cut and emboss the label. I meant to share a video of the die cutting and embossing but it's just too darn hot in here. I promise I will share that next week. 

I stamped the MFT Pure Innocence stamp on the die cut label using the Memento Tuxedo Black ink. It's a recommended ink for Copic Marker coloring. I stamped the greeting as well. Then I stamped the image again on a sticky note and cut it out to create a mask for my design. I stamped the Cloud Background stamp over the image then removed the mask to reveal a perfectly white area in which to color. I love coloring. Have I mentioned that? ;)
 

I also stamped the Hero Arts Hello Flags on a scrap of Neenah cardstock. Then I colored the images in with Copic Markers. I used these pictured below:

 

The stamped and colored label was attached with foam adhesive. I also love foam adhesive. I don't know what I ever did without it.

I cut the flags out and used more foam adhesive to attach some jute string to the flags and to also give them a bit of dimension. I tied some string though a couple of Papertrey Ink buttons, tied them in bows and adhered the buttons with a foam adhesive dot too. Foam adhesive dots = good.

That little blue dot by the boy's leg: that happened when I took the cap off my blue marker. I could have started over but I didn't want to. It's not all that big and I was almost done coloring so the little blue dot stayed. Oh well.   

SUPPLIES

Paper: Grass Folded Cards by Hero Arts; Daffodil Layering Papers by Hero Arts; Neenah Solar White Cardstock; Pure Poppy Perfect Match Cardstock by Papertrey Ink

Stamps: Hello Flags Wood Block Stamp by Hero Arts; Pure Innocence Tree Swing Clear Stamp MFT; Hero Arts Design Block Clouds Background Stamp; Modern Lines Wood Mounted Stamp by Hero Arts

Inks: Hero Arts Shadow Ink Soft Pool; Tuxedo Black Memento Dy Ink Pad; Tim Holtz Peeled Paint Distress Ink; Tim Holtz Wild Honey Distress Ink; Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress Ink; COPIC Sketch Markers (E000 Pale Fruit Pink, E00 Skin White, E01 Pink Flamingo, E21 Baby Skin Pink, E31 Brick Beige, E35 Chamois, E47 Dark Brown, Y000 Pale Lemon, Y02 Canary Yellow, YR65 Atoll, YR68 Orange, YG13 Chartreuse, YG17 Grass Green, R24 Prawn, R29 Lipstick Red, B000 Pale Porcelain Blue, B02 Robin's Egg Blue, B24 Sky, B29 Ultramarine, 0 Colorless Blender

Embellishments: Pure Poppy & Lemon Tart Buttons by Papertrey Ink; Jute String by Papertrey Ink

Tools: Sizzix Big Shot Machine; Sizzix Big Shot Silicone Rubber Pad; Sizzix Big Shot Impressions Pad; Spellbinders Nestabilities Large Labels Dies; Loops Edger Punch by Martha Stewart; Ranger Inkssentials Ink Applicator; Ranger Inkssentials Non Stick Craft Sheet; Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz; Fiskars Stamp Press

I created this next card with almost all the same colors of the first card. I mean, all this stuff was already out, markers were still strewn across my table...why not? :)

I knew I wanted to incorporate some polka dots somewhere to play along with this week's Simon Says Stamp challenge. Check it out HERE. But other than that, I just grabbed stuff lying on my table and played. :)

I started by trimming the Daffodil notecard to 4 1/4" square. I used the Hero Arts Cling Dots background stamp and Wild Honey Distress Ink to stamp the background. I used the Ink Blending tool to distress the edges a bit.

I stamped the MFT Pure Innocence girl stamp on Neenah Solar White cardstock, punched her out with a 3" circle punch and die cut a scallop circle using the Big Shot and Sizzix steel rule die. Easy peasy.

 

I stamped the greeting on the piece of card I originally cut off. 

*Note* The greeting really looks like this:

 

I stamped it twice, to make it appear as one long line and then just trimmed the excess for a thin strip to adhere along the bottom of my card.
 
 

After I stamped my image and punched the circle, I stamped her again on a sticky note, cut it out and used it as a mask to stamp the Cloud background over it. Just like the first card. That cloud stamp...I love it so....

Time for a little Copic Marker coloring again. I used the colors below:

 

I finished the card by adhering the scallop circle with foam adhesive and threading jute string through Papertrey Ink buttons and adhering them randomly as shown. I even adhered a couple with foam adhesive for dimension.
 

SUPPLIES

Paper: Daffodil Folded Cards by Hero Arts; Neenah Solar White Cardstock; Hawaiian Shores Perfect Match Cardstock by Papertrey Ink

Stamps: Pure Innocence Fairy Girl Clear Stamp MFT; Hero Arts Design Block Clouds Background Stamp; Cling Dots Unmounted Cling Stamp by Hero Arts

Inks: Hero Arts Shadow Ink Soft Pool; Tuxedo Black Memento Dy Ink Pad; Tim Holtz Wild Honey Distress Ink; COPIC Sketch Markers (E000 Pale Fruit Pink, E00 Skin White, E01 Pink Flamingo, E31 Brick Beige, E35 Chamois, E47 Dark Brown, E49 Dark Bark, Y000 Pale Lemon, Y35 Maize, YG13 Chartreuse, YG17 Grass Green, B000 Pale Porcelain Blue, B02 Robin's Egg Blue, B05 Process Blue, R29 Lipstick Red, R30 Pale Yellowish Pink, C00 Cool Gray No. 00, 0 Colorless Blender); COPIC Glitter Pen (Llipstick, Lemon & Clear)

Embellishments: Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores & Summer Sunrise Buttons by Papertrey Ink, Jute String by Papertrey Ink

Tools: Ranger Inkssentials Ink Applicator; Ranger Inkssentials Non Stick Craft Sheet; Sizzix Big Shot Machine; Circles Scallop #2 Die by Sizzix; Fiskars Stamp Press

HOW ABOUT THE SKETCHBOOK 2 CLASS WINNER?!!!!!

The randomly selected winner of Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook 2 class is:

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:8Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Ayana Posadas!!!! Congratulations Ayana!

Thanks to all of you for playing. I promise more giveaways coming soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Another FREE Download Share (for digital die cutters)

Kerri Bradford amazes me.

The girl is ultra talented. And extremely generous.

She is giving away super fun, super cool, super versatile die cut files on her blog.

Last week she shared THIS one.  

I even already used it on a layout for the 2peas Garden that should go up soon. :) Eager much?

How about a sneak-y peek-y?

Today she shared another freebie download file HERE:

Girlfriend does the most fabulous titles. 

Can you believe... I even scrapped this one today?

I did.

For another 2peas Garden layout to go live soon. 

ETA: sneak peek of this design. Die cut BIG. :)

So check out her blog. 

Download her free designs. Leave her a comment telling her "thank you". :)

And be creative.

Don't forget the best part: these will work with any digital die cutting machine that can read/open a GSD/SVG/JPG (and this newest one even works in PNG for you digi-scrappers!). 

Have fun!

You're Crazy Cool (Whiff of Joy card using FREE download)

I am finally getting around to sharing my card created with the Whiff of Joy FREE download: Spider Henry.

I created this for one of the boys in the Cards for Kids Drive. I sort of wish this was an actual stamp. I would so buy it. ;)

I stamped the background with White Memories Ink on Smokey Shadow Papertrey Ink cardstock using the Hero Arts Village Design Block stamp. I wanted it to look like little Spidey was swinging through the town. :)

 

I opened the downloaded Spider Henry in PS and resized him to 3" tall, then printed him on Neenah Solar White Cardstock. I colored Henry in with the following COPIC Sketch Markers:

 

Once colored, I used a 3" circle punch to punch out the design. I carefully masked off Henry and added color using Wild Honey Tim Holtz Distress Ink applied with the Ink Blending Tool.

 

The word bubbles were all stamped with the Crazy Cool Stampin' Up Set. The greetings are SU (same set) and October Afternoon (sets listed below).

I adhered some of the word bubbles and the Spidey circle to my card with foam adhesive.

I finished the inside of the card with a sticker sheet inside and a message for the recipient.

Easy peasy!

SUPPLIES

Paper: Smokey Shadow Perfect Match Cardstock by Papertrey Ink; Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: A Village Wood Block Stamp by Hero Arts; Farm Fresh Clear Stamp Set by October Afternoon ("hello"); Night Light Clear Stamp Set by October Afternoon ("look!")

Inks: White Memories Dye Ink Pad; Wild Honey Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Black Memories Dye Ink Pad; COPIC Sketch Markers (R00 Pinkish White; R05 Salmon Red; R20 Blush; R27 Cadmium Red; E51 Milky White; E53 Raw Silk; E55 Light Carmel; B05 Process Blue; C00 Cool Gray No. 00; C1 Cool Gray No. 1; C5 Cool Gray No. 5); Copic Spica Glitter Pen Clear

Tools: Ranger Inkssentials Ink Applicator Tool; Ranger Inkssentials Non Stick 15x18 Craft Sheet; Tim Holtz Kushgrip Snip w/Non-Stick Blades; Fiskars Premium Cut Line Paper Trimmer

Thanks for stopping by!

What I'm Using This Week | July 26-30 + a GIVEAWAY

Sketchbook 2 Class by Kelly Purkey & the Studio Calico DT: No, it's not a product but it's something that I signed up for because I have been kicking myself for not taking the first Sketchbook class.! And this one has all new sketches and layouts. It's $25 for the 4 week online class. 

Check out what Kelly's class description:

Sketchbook 2 is a four week class filled with fresh sketches, easy instructions, beautiful examples, and lots of fun.  From August 2nd to August 27th a PDF will be delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday so you can work at your own pace.  By the end of the class, you'll have a complete sketchbook of 12 original sketches, 36 layouts, and an additional 36 sketches based on those creative pages. All the examples are brand new layouts, exclusive to this class... you won't see them anywhere else!The best part is that you will be receiving an example layout from me for each of the sketches, along with two example layouts from a member of the incredible Studio Calico design team.  They are the most talented team out there... you won't be disappointed!

Check out Kelly's blog for information and the Paypal payment link.

GIVEAWAY TIME

The ever-so-awesome Kelly is allowing me to give away a spot in her upcoming class! To enter, just leave me a comment on this blog post telling me something that YOU are using in your crafting this week. You have until July 29th, 2010 12:00 p.m. CST to enter. I will announce the winner in the July 30th Stampin' Fun Friday Blog post. Good luck!!!

Whiff of Joy FREE Digi Stamp: Who doesn't love FREE?!!! And how cute is this little guy? I mentioned him in last Thursday's blog post because I thought he would make adorable Cards for Kids (especially for little guys).  Sometimes I find it hard to find boy-ish images that I love but this one really knocks my socks off. So cool!

Hero Arts Hello Flags Wood Block Stamp: Flags/Pennants/Banners are all the rage and this darling little stamp from Hero Arts is adorable.

 
Lawn Fawn Stamps: I just received Critters in the 'Burbs and Critters in the Sea. The designs of the stamps are darling and the owner, Kelly Marie, is a gem. Lawn Fawn will be hosting a Cards for Kids Blog Hop on August 18th. If you'd like to participate, check out Kelly Marie's blog post HERE. Want to know just how awesome she is? Even if you don't have any Lawn Fawn stamps you can still play along with the Blog Hop! AWESOME!

Life is Good Collection by Echo Park Paper Co.: They really kind of rocks my world. If you know me, you know I love patterned paper. This company does patterned paper GOOD. I bought it all.

Fiskars Premium Cut Line Paper Trimmer: I have literally tried dozens of paper trimmers and Fiskars has outdone themselves with this one. Perfect for card makers with the measurements of most popular card sizes shown right on the grid BUT the arm swings out and makes it perfect for scrapbookers too (which I am both). Perfectly straight cuts every time. So incredibly happy with this paper trimmer!

     
 

Hero Arts Folded Cards: These are my favorite cards to use for cardmaking. Smooth. Fabulous colors. And dare I mention that the coordinating layering papers and envelopes are available as well? Perfection.

 
 
NEW Tim Holtz Alterations Dies: These are available for PREORDER HERE. My favorites are Tag & Bookplates Movers & Shapers and Mini Ornamental Movers & Shapers Die. I just love Tim's attention to detail. Read Heidi's (Simon Says Stamp) Blog Post HERE for information on the dies. :)
 

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Memo Pins: These little guys are perfect for attaching a greeting to cards. I used one in last Friday's blog post HERE. 

And here is another card that just went up in 2peas gallery today showcasing the a Memo Pin in use:

(c) Two Peas in a Bucket  

(c) Two Peas in a Bucket  

SUPPLIES

Paper: Grace Love & Cherish Collection Paper by Imaginisce; Smokey Shadow Perfect Match Cardstock by Papertrey Ink 

Stamps: Floating Garden Remountable Rubber Cling Stamp by Hero Arts; All Occasion Messages Clear Stamps by Hero Arts

Inks: Essential Glue Pad by Tsukineko; Black Memories Ink Pad; Swan Flocking Powder by Martha Stewart; Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Ink

Embellishments: Toss the Bouquet Rub-on Icons Love & Cherish Collection by Imaginisce; Tim Holtz Idea-ology Memo Pins; Flutter Plastic Flowers by Making Memories; Neutrals Mixed Accents by Hero Arts; Ribbon

Tools: Ink Blending Tool by Ranger; Photo Labels Paper Punch by EK Success

Thanks for stopping by!

Stampin' Fun Friday (creating backgrounds from a single stamp)

I love background stamps. 

Love them.

However, there isn't always a background stamp (or I may not have the particular one I need) on hand when I go to stamp a project. 

The solution: create your own background from a single stamp. In this case, a single small heart stamp (from American Crafts).

Here's the card I created primarily using the American Crafts clear stamp set I shared on Monday's Blog Post. All stamps are AC. :) 

I used Memories White Ink to stamp the heart on the kraft cardstock and create my backaground. I started by stamping a heart in the center and working my way out. That way I was less likely to stamp crooked.

Next, I took Close To My Heart Crysal Blue Ink and stamped the small repeating flower border on Neenah Solar White Cardstock. Then I trimmed the piece to 4 1/4" x 1 1/2".

I sewed a red ricrac trim and a white scalloped lace trim to the small border using my sewing machine. Sewing the trims on with my sewing machine really secures them and I don't have to worry about them shifting or coming loose in the mail or otherwise. ;)

For the greeting I stamped the small label using Memories Black Ink and cut it out. Then I stamped the round label twice: once with Crystal Blue Ink and once with black ink. I punched the center portion out of the one stamped with black ink using a 1" circle punch and the entire blue stamped label with a 1 1/2" circle punch. Then I used some foam adhesive to put the whole thing together. I stuck the greeting in a Tim  Holtz Memo Pin and attached it to my card.

Buttons and some jute string complete the card. 

 

Video Tutorial:

SUPPLIES

Paper: Kraft Cardstock, Neenah Solar White Cardstock

Stamps: Always Letterbox Small Acrylic Stamp Set by American Crafts (flower border stamp); Thanks Letterbox Small Acrylic Stamp Set by American Crafts (heart & circle label); Enjoy Letterbox Large Acrylic Stamp Set by American Crafts (label)

Inks: Crystal Blue Ink by Close To My Heart; Memories White Dye Ink Pad; Memories Black Dye Ink Pad

Embellishments: Ribbon & Trim (MM); Jute String (Papertrey Ink); Spring Rain Buttons by Papertrey Ink; Brights Designer Buttons by Stampin' Up; Brad (MM); Memo Pin by Tim Holtz

Tools: Corner Chomper Crop-a-dile; Sewing machine; Tim Holtz Kushgrip Scissors Snip w/Non Stick Blades; Fiskars Stamp Press; 1 Inch Circle Medium Punch by EK Success; 1.5 Inch Paper Shapers Circle Punch by EK Success

How 'bout another example of this technique?

This card was used in Monday's Blog Post's sneak peek:

I used the fleur de lis from THIS American Crafts Stamp Set to create the background. It gives the card such a nice classic feel. I also stamped the butterflies, greeting (same as the first card) and a small border on the yellow paper (I overlayed vellum over it to soften the look a bit).

 

SUPPLIES

Paper: Tropicals 12x12 AC Cardstock Pack by American Crafts

Stamps: Thanks Letterbox Small Acrylic Stamp Set by American Crafts (circle label and small border); Enjoy Letterbox Large Acrylic Stamp Set by American Crafts (butterfly, label & fleur de lis)

Inks: Memories Black Dye Ink Pad; Crushed Curry Ink by Stampin' Up; Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass Distress Ink

Embellishments: Ribbon Trim by American Crafts

Tools: Corner Chomper Crop-a-dile; Sewing machine; Tim Holtz Kushgrip Scissors Snip w/Non Stick Blades; Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz; Fiskars Stamp Press; 1 Inch Circle Medium Punch by EK Success; 1.5 Inch Paper Shapers Circle Punch by EK Success

Thanks for stopping by!

Sending Smiles and Spread Sunshine Cards (Cards for Kids)

Over the last few days I've created a couple of cards that will work for both a boy or a girl, but I am thinking these will both be for boys. Because, at least for me, it is easier to create girl-ish or floral cards. And when I look at my collection I see that I purchase the more "girly" themed stamps and product. So here is my take on using the Silly Scape and Village Design Block stamps I shared on my blog post Monday HERE.

First up is Spread Sunshine, a primary colored card utilizing the Silly Scape Hero Arts Stamp. I stamped the city scene on Neenah white cardstock and colored in the building with Copic Markers. No fancy shading going on here. Just bright, fun color. I love that Copics don't always have to be used for blending.

I masked off parts of the silly scape to stamp clouds and the sunshine (both from Hero Arts Clear Stamp Sets). I lightly shaded the clouds with Copic Marker BG000 Pale Aqua and then colored over that with the 0 Colorless Blender. The blender smoothed the color out and spread it out a bit, making the shading appear softer. (Remember the blender pen doesn't really blend anything. It can be kryptonite if you try to blend with it. ha!) See THIS blog post for info on Copics.

 

The background of the card and also the kraft cardstock were stamped with Versamark and embossed with AC embossing powders (my fav's). I think the embossing adds a bit of interest to an otherwise fairly flat card.

SUPPLIES

Paper: Azure Folded Cards by Hero Arts; Kraft Cardstock; Neenah Solar White Cardstock (25 sheet pkg) OR Ream

Stamps: Silly Scape Wood Block Stamp by Hero Arts; Kiss From the Sun Clear Design Stamp Set by Hero Arts (sun used behind building); Siimple Things Clear Design Stamp Set (cloud used behind cloud and building); Anytime Messages Clear Design Stamp by Hero Arts; Graphic Background Wood Block Stamp by Hero Arts; Raindrop Background Design Block Stamp by Hero Arts

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko; Versamark Ink by Tsukineko; Zing! White Opaque Embossing Powder by American Crafts; Zing! Mustard Opaque Embossing Powder by American Crafts; COPIC Sketch Markers (R46 Strong Red, G07 Nile Green, Y17 Golden Yellow, YR68 Orange, B24 Sky, BG000 Pale Aqua, 0 Colorless Blender)

Embellsihments: Ribbon (MM); Button (Stampin' Up); String

Tools: Corner Chomper Crop-a-dile

Next up is Sending Sunshine Across the Miles, a card that combines the Hero Arts background stamp and Papertrey Ink's Up, Up and Away stamps:

I stamped the background with Daisy White Ink from CTMH. While the ink was drying (it is really wet and sticky) I die cut and stamped the hot air balloons (Papertrey Ink) using Stampin' Up inks. I die cut the clouds from Papertrey Ink felt and created the scene of the balloons flying high above the "village" with some foam adhesive.

To create the greeting border, I stamped a sunshine and the greeting (Papertrey Ink) and punched a border from a scrap of patterned paper to place behind it. I finished the border with some Jute String and a clear button.

SUPPLIES

Paper: Azure Folded Cards by Hero Arts; Kraft Cardstock; Neenah Solar White Cardstock (25 sheet pkg) OR Ream; American Crafts Junior Collection Patterned Paper; Papetrey Ink Vintage Cream Felt

Stamps: A Village Wood Block Stamp by Hero Arts; Papertrey Ink Up, Up & Away Stamp Set; Papertrey Ink Up, Up & Away Sentiements Stamps

Inks: White Daisy Ink by CTMH (for Village stamped background); Soft Suede, Pacific Point, Riding Hood Red & Crushed Curry Stampin' Up Inks

Embellishments: Clear Button (CTMH); Jute String by Papertrey Ink

Tools: Stampin' Up Scallop Border Punch; Papertrey Ink Up, Up & Away & Clouds 1 &2 Dies to Match; Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine

A Bit of Enabling

First, I found THIS free download from Whiff of Joy: 

Wouldn't this little guy be perfect for a boy card for Cards for Kids? Or for a little guy's birthday card? 

I adore this. 

I found it late last night. 

Downloaded it. 

Printed it out and colored it in. 

Card will be shared soon. I just love this little guy. :)

Next, if you are missing Kerri Bradford's fabulous die cut designs (like I have!), check out the treat she has for us die cutters! (and it's FREE!)

 You can download the die cut file HERE.

And, great GREAT news: it works for both the Silhouette and the Cricut (or any digital die cutter that you can use a GSD file with!).

Time to take a dip in the pool.

Have a great day!

I love you Fairy Much (a Whiff of Joy card)

I am in love with Whiff of Joy stamps. I adore that you can mix and match different elements to make your own scenes with the stamps, like I did on the card below. The fairy, the mushroom and the grass scene are all separate stamps. With a little masking I was able to quickly and easily create this darling scene and even stamp the Hero Arts Cloud background stamp over the image using masking again so that it appears the clouds are behind her.

These images are so super fun to color with Copic Markers. 

I made sure to stamp the cloud background through the fairy's wings (see video below) because I wanted her wings to be transparent. I added color on top with Copic Sketch and Glitter Markers but you can still see a hint of the clouds through her wings.

Even the greeting is from Whiff of Joy. I carefully inked and stamped it in a narrow row to better fit my card design than how it originally comes in the set.

 
How to mask, layer and stamp image:

SUPPLIES

Paper:  Aqua Mist & Dark Chocolate Cardstock by Papertrey Ink; Neenah Solar White Cardstock (25 sheet pkg) or Ream

Stamps: Whiff of Joy UM Rubber Stamp Musing Melinda Thinking; Whiff of Joy UM Rubber Stamps Accessories & Sentiments Collection; Whiff of Joy UM Rubber Stamp Large Mushroom; Hero Arts Clouds Design Block Stamp; Hero Arts Designer Woodgrain Stamp HERE or HERE

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black Dye Ink by Tsukineko; Tumbled Glass Distress Ink by Tim Holtz HERE or HERE; Frayed Burlap Distress Ink by Tim Holtz HERE or HERE; Hero Arts Shadow Ink Pad Soft Pool; Versamark Ink Pad; Zing! White Opaque Embossing Powder by American Crafts; COPIC Sketch Markers(shown in photo above); COPIC Glitter Pens in Clear, Gold, Turquoise & Silver

Embellishments: Aqua Mist Satin Ribbon by Papertrey Ink; Aqua Mist Button by Papertrey Ink; Jute String by Papertrey Ink; Foliage Mixed Accents by Hero Arts

Tools: Ink Blending Tool by Ranger; Corner Chomper Crop-a-dil; Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz; Tack N Peel by Tsukineko

Thanks for stopping by!

New Layouts (CK Tips & Tricks: Tools & Techniques 2010)

It seems like forever since I shared any new scrapbook layouts. I have been on a bit of a card kick here of late. I am thrilled to share a couple of new layouts created for Creating Keepsakes that feature ideas for using spray & specialty inks. 

Creating Keepsakes (Club CK) has a new special issue hitting the newstands today: Tips & Tricks: Tools & Techniques. It is a super fun issue with loads for great ideas and inspiration. 

Information on this issue, plus info. on how to subscribe can be found here.

I played with Maya Mists on the following 2-page layout. Love. Silver Plated Metallic Mist and Turquoise Metallic Mist are my favorites. :)

(c) Club CK Tips & Tricks 2010

I added both the Maya Mists listed to the Silhouette die cut borders. I used the Silver Metallic first, then the Turquoise. I used just the turquoise to the cream paper florals by MM to make custom colored flower accents to perfectly match my layout. I used the Silver Metallic on just the edges of the background paper on both sides of the layout for a subtle sheen and edge definition. I also used the Silver Metallic on the title.

SUPPLIES

Paper: Farmyard Farm Fresh Paper by October Afternoon (I used the "B" side to this paper. Aqua with lime dots); Peek-a-Boo Ducks in a Row Paper by October Afternoon (I used the "B" side to this paper too. Turquoise plaid.); South Forty Farm Fresh Paper by October Afternoon (Another "B" side. Brown floral.); Chicken Coop Farm Fresh Paper by October Afternoon ("B" side text paper.); Kraft Cardstock

Stickers & Rub-ons: Farm Fresh Border Rub-ons by October Afternoon; Farm Fresh Label Stickers by October Afternoon; MM Sticker ("seriously")

Embellishments: Florals (MM); Pins (Heidi Grace & MM); Buttons; Foilage Mixed Accents by Hero Arts; Teeny Tiny Brads (CTMH); Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Paper Clips; Ribbon; Notebook Page by MM

Inks: Turquoise Maya Mist by Maya Road; Silver Plated Mist by Maya Road

Tools: Silhouette Die Cutting Machine & Shapes (scallop borders, title); Corner Chomper Crop-a-dile; MM Notch Tool

Next I played with the Smooch Inks by Clearsnap. These fun pearlized accent inks are great to stamp with, to add color to canvas or plastic with and more. Just be sure to give the ink sufficient time to dry. They are extremely slow drying.

(c) Club CK Tips & Tricks 2010

I die cut the butterflies from Ranger Sticky Back Canvas using the Sizzix Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, then I painted each with Smooch inks. I let them dry overnight before handling. I painted the Gold Lame Smooch ink on the back of the clear plastic word and also let it dry overnight before handling. Finally I painted the ink directly onto the American Crafts & Hero Arts clear stamps and used it to stamp my images directly on paper.

SUPPLIES

Paper: Acorn Nutmeg Cardstock Paper by Cosmo Cricket; Autumn Nutmeg Cardstock Paper by Cosmo Cricket; Maple Nutmeg Cardstock Paper by Cosmo Cricket; Kraft Cardstock; Ledger Paper (MM); 12x12 Sticky Back Canvas by Ranger

Stamps: Enjoy Letterbox Large Acrylic Stamps by American Crafts; Blue Skies Glee Large Clear Acrylic Stamps by American Crafts; Anytime Messages Clear Design Stamp Set by Hero Arts

Ink: Smooch Carrot Pearlized Accent Ink by Clearsnap; Smooch Sassy Pink Pearlized Accent Ink by Clearsnap; Smooch Gold Lame Pearlized Accent Ink by Clearsnap; Smooch Kiwi Pearlized Accent Ink by Clearsnap; Smooch Sundance Pearlized Accent Ink by Clearsnap

Embellishments: Clear Plastic Word (CK KOTM); Journaling Sheet (LYB)

Tools: Sizzix Die Cutting Machine; Beautiful Wings Stampin' Up Embosslits Die; Tiny Attacher by Tim Holtz

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday. It's my wedding anniversary today so I'm off to watch a movie with my wonderful husband of 14 years! More tomorrow...

What I'm Using This Week | July 19-23

Thanks Letterbox Small Acrylic Stamps by American Crafts: Beautiful, classic designs. I love everything American Crafts. Been playing with their stuff a lot lately. In fact, I create two brand new layouts and a stamped card over the weekend and both feature AC. I'll be sharing the full samples soon. :)

*sneak peek*

 

   

Dear Lizzy Fabric Paper for American Crafts: I have had several of these for awhile now and hadn't used them until now. Love. I adore die cutting. With these fabric papers you get the great fabric die cut look with the stability of a paper. They have adhesive backing that makes them a dream to die cut and adhere to projects!

*sneak peek*

 

 
 
Whiff of Joy UM Rubber Stamps Large Mushroom and Musing Melinda: Absolutely adorable images. I am a bit partial to the fairy images and the darling mice. Perfect for Copic coloring. Love that you can combine the "sitting" images with things like mushrooms, tree stumps, chairs, etc. So stinkin' cute!

 

Sizzix Big Shot Die Cutting Machine: This is my go-to tool for steel rule die cutting. Steel rule dies allow you to cut through fabric, plastic, metal, chipboard and more. This is what I used to cut the Dear Lizzy fabric sheets. 

 

Beautiful Butterflies Stampin' Up Bigz Die: What can I say? I love butterflies. This is hands down my favorite die. And it's the one I used to die cut the Dear Lizzy fabric papers. 
 
 

Tim Holtz Kushgrip Snip W/Non-Stick Blades: The BEST scissors. Hands down. I have several pairs. One for the kitchen, craft room, etc. 

Silly Scape Wood Block Stamp by Hero Arts: Reminds me of one of my favorite places: NYC. And the fun, whimsical look just adds to the cuteness factor. 

I love this one too: A Village Block Stamp by Hero Arts

 

Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mini Paper Clips: My go-to embellishment. Teeny, tiny. Cute. Great for layouts or cards. Three finishes....and did I mention? Cute.

  

Hero Arts Clouds Design Block Stamp: My favoritest (that's a word, right?) background stamp. You may have noticed it shows up in many, many of my projects. Very versatile.

That's it for this week. I look forward to sharing my projects with you over the next few days. :)

 Have a good one!
 

Stampin' Fun Friday (coloring book card)

Happy Friday Stamping Friends!

As an extension of my blog post on Tuesday where I shared the Sarah Kay stamped card and a photo of a coloring book I had when I was a child, I have a coloring book card idea that I made for the Cards For Kids drive. Even though this particular card is for a little girl, it would be super easy to incorporate this same idea for a boy using monster, robot, animal stamps or even printing small words finds, crossword puzzles, etc. to include in a similar card design.

I colored the little girl on the front of the card with the following Copic Markers:

I bound the bottom part of the part with the "coloring pages" with some jute string and embellished it with a button and a small tag stamped with the greeting:

A look at the coloring pages inside the card. I perforated each page so that they can be easily removed from the card:

How To:

SUPPLIES

Paper: Aqua Mist Papertrey Ink Perfect Match Cardstock; Pure Poppy Papertrey Ink Perfect Match Cardstock; Neenah Solar White Cardstock (25 sheet pkg) or Neenah Solar White Cardstock (Ream)

Stamps: Sarah Kay Clear Stamp A Little From Margot by Stampavie; Sarah Kay Clear Stamp A Lollipop for Suzan by Stampavie; Sarah Kay Clear Stamp Fanny's Cuddle by Stampavie; Sarah Kay Clear Stamp Picnic of Daisies by Stampavie; Sarah Kay Clear Stamp Picnic Time by Stampavie; Graphic Background Wood Block Stamp by Hero Arts; Fantastic Flourishes Clear Stamps by Hero Arts; Tiny Tags by Stampin' Up

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko; Tumbled Glass Tim Holtz Distress Ink

COPIC Markers: E000 Pale Fruit Pink; E00 Skin White; E01 Pink Flamingo; E95 Flesh Pink; E04 Lipstick Natural; Y11 Pale Yellow; Y28 Lionet Gold; R22 Light Prawn; R24 Prawn; R46 Strong Red; E53 Raw Silk; E55 Light Carmel; C1 Cool Gray No. 1; C3 Cool Gray No. 3; C7 Cool Gray No. 7; 110 Special Black; 0 Colorless Blender; Copic Clear Spica Glitter Marker

Embellishments: Jute String by Papertrey Ink; Button by Stampin' Up

Tools: Sizzix Big Shot Machine; Sizzix Big Shot Silicone Rubber; Sizzix Big Shot Impressions Pad; Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Oval Large Dies; Spellbinders Nestabilities Classic Oval Large; Bone Folder; Perforation Tool; Fiskars Stamp Press

Wishing everyone a fabulous weekend!