Sunday, July 16, 2017

Peaceful Tides

When life is getting me down and stress is wearing me thin, my escape for a re-set and rejuvenation is found near water. :-) For some reason it relaxes my soul taking in God's beautiful creations around me...and the sound of the surf is a melody speaking peace and comfort to me.
How about you? Where's your best re-set found?

'So Many Shells' is a beautiful stamp set and I felt the need for soft, peaceful colors in the development of this card. Love the sentiments that were chosen to accompany this set!
All the shells are two-step stamping, which adds depth to the images, and allows you to play with many color options. I know you'll thoroughly enjoy this set!

For the background, I color-washed it using the Aqua Painters and then embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder over the top. You could just as easily emboss the sentiment with clear embossing powder on the white paper first and then color wash over it. :-) I didn't know where my design was going at first, so I waited to place the sentiment. Yes, I used Whisper White card stock instead of watercolor paper.....it does draw up a bit when it dries, but you can flatten back out or even use a quick iron to the backside. :-) Next time I'll try the thicker Whisper White card stock for my watercoloring. :-) I'll let you know how it goes!

Have fun with it! 

~Happy Stamping!




So Many Shells #143695

Seaside embossing folder #141481

Powder Pink finely woven ribbon #144134

Basic pearls #144219

Dazzling Diamonds #133751

Aqua Painters #103954







Sunday, July 9, 2017

Coffee & Friends!

There's no question that Coffee and Friends make the perfect blend!
Coffee goes perfectly with everything, in my opinion!
Morning, noon and night. :-)

As you can imagine, this coffee addict was VERY excited about this coffee set from Stamp'in Up! 
Loving everything about it! The stamps, the die cuts, the matching paper and embellishments!
Now I just need more time in my days so I can create more with it. :-)

Can't wait to see what you all do with this set......just have fun with it and don't feel like you have to stay with the colors in the set! Use pinks, oranges, etc! 

~Happy Stamping!






Coffee Break Photopolymer Bundle #145331

Coffee Cafe stamp set #143677

Corrugated Elements #144158

Layered Leaves embossing folder #143704


Coffee Break Designer Series Paper #144155


Saturday, June 24, 2017

Dragonfly Dreams!

Peach is not my favorite color.....ok, to be honest, its one of my least favorite colors....so I had to force myself to use the new Peekaboo Peach in a card design. lol. Well.....I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as painful as I thought it might be and I find I don't mind this shade too much. :-)

The dragonfly from the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set was the perfect option for blending Peekaboo Peach and Fresh Fig into the wings! Top that with a little of the Wink of Stella glitter brush to add some sheen to the wings (hard to see in the pic) and you have a fun card!

Hope this inspires you to reach for your least favorite colors and give them another try! :-)

~Happy Stamping!




Butterfly Basics stamp set #138816


Dragonfly Dreams photopolymer stamp set #142924


Just Add Text stamp set #143934






Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Greatest Dad!

Who loves the Wood Grain Designer Series Paper pack?! I do!! It has almost every shade of wood you can find! I just received mine and had to dig into it immediately....and of course come up with a B'day card for my kids to give to their Dad. This month marks his 46th B'day....and he's just as wonderful as the day I married him!

Happy Birthday to my amazing husband!!

I used some recently old and some new in this card.....even if you don't have all the stamp sets used here, I hope this will give you some ideas on how to incorporate the wood grain DSP into your card layouts. Have fun with it! (I used white embossing powder for the "You're the Best' saying which came from the recently retired set Urban District, the star embellishments came from the retired Urban Underground and the word "dad" came from the Family Reunion stamp set.)

     ~Happy Stamping!




Brick Wall embossing folder #138288



Stitched Shapes Framelits #145372


Timeless Textures stamp set #140517

Wood Textures DSP pack #144177



Thursday, June 1, 2017

Hugs!

What do you think of the new catalog?!
How about those new In Colors?!
(I think they are gorgeous!!)
It's going to be a fun year!!

Here's my first card made with some of the new colors!
Lemon Lime Twist and Powder Pink inspired me here.....and I really like the new Lovely Words Thinlets die cuts! Love the multi uses the design allows for.....framed or not. :-)

What ideas are rolling around in your head?!

Happy Stamping!




Butterfly Basics stamp set #138816




Just Add Text stamp set #143934 


2017-2019 In Color Stampin' Pads #141818

Lemon Lime Twist Finely Woven Ribbon #144135


Lovely Words Thinlets #143733







NEW 2017-2018 CATALOG!!

IT'S HERE!! :-)
The NEW Stampin'Up! catalog is ready for you to peruse and salivate over all the wonderful goodies it holds inside! :-)
It is full of great stamps, die cuts, NEW ink colors and fun DSP! 
But don't take my word for it.......go check it out HERE!


Have fun shopping!

Sunday, May 28, 2017

Father's Day!

What a great day to tell our Dads and our children's Granddads just how wonderful and important they are to us! Sometimes I think they get forgotten in the daily rush of our lives and so many are not given the credit they deserve for what they do and sacrifice for their families. It's easy to overlook those strong, silent ones. 
Hope you find a great way to tell those amazing men in your lives how much they mean to you and to remind them just how special they are!

Crushed Curry, Basic Black, Very Vanilla and Smoky Slate were my color choices for this Father's Day card. I used some retiring DSP and stamp sets from the Occasions catalog. LOVE them!
Hurry to order yours before they are gone!! You only have a few days left!!

Hope you are already planning your card and day with those special men in your life!

Happy Stamping!





#143077  Nailed It stamp set







Thursday, May 25, 2017

Love Without Limits!

This is one stamp set that I fervently wish Stampin'Up! was not retiring just yet. :-(
I adore the three-step stamping aspects of this set! This is a forever stamp set for my collection that I'm sure I'll go back to over and over again.....so don't be surprised if I sneak it back into some of my designs! :-) It's called "Picture Perfect" and that couldn't be a more appropriate title for this set! :-)

If you are even the least bit interested in this set....you better hurry and get it before its gone June 1st!! 

Happy Stamping!








Picture Perfect stamp set #140520



Sunday, May 21, 2017

Bloom'in Birthdays!

Flower stamp sets have never really been my thing, but there have been such beautifully designed ones in this past catalog, that I couldn't resist the urge to buy them!! And.....I actually use them....a lot! :-)

One of my favorites has been "Birthday Blooms" in the annual catalog. I'm so happy that it will be returning to the new catalog! You can color it in any color and it looks gorgeous! This one I colored using the Aqua Painter.....very easy! The cutting part was the hardest in making this card. lol.
The white flower image in background was stamped with Whisper White ink.

What goes better with flowers, then a bee, right?! There's a super cute one in the new set named "Dragonfly Dreams" found in the past Occasions catalog. Another fun set you'll adore and see again in the new 2017 SU catalog! Whoo hoo!!

So, have a great time 'painting' your own flower whatever color you choose! It will look fabulous and you'll make someone happy with your handmade card or framed art made with this set! :-)

~Happy Stamping!





Birthday Blooms stamp set #140658 (clear mount)


Dragonfly Dreams stamp set #142924 (photopolymer)