Jan 17, 2015 | Cards, Sympathy, Uncategorized |
It is never a joy when one must deal with the loss of a loved one and recently, I had to prepare two sympathy cards. I wanted cards that could be quickly prepared and opted to use the same design for both cards. When going through my stamp collection to find an appropriate stamp, I settled upon the Stampin’ Up! Butterfly Basics set and Butterflies Thinlits Die from the new Occasions Catalog. Personally, I like to think of butterflies as a symbol that a loved one is near so I was drawn to the set. Subtle colors were used but Dazzling Details and three small pearls were added to the butterfly to add a bit of shimmer and shine. The Dazzling Details is very subtle and isn’t as evident in the photograph as it is when viewing in person but it adds a finishing touch with the proper amount of shimmer. A second layer of the butterfly was cut from vellum card stock to add more dimension and the sentiment, from Love & Sympathy stamp set, was embossed with gold.
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| Sympathy card using Stampin’ Up! Butterfly Basics Stamp and Butterflies Thinlits Die | |
Project Materials:
Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.
Remember to check out the Sale-a-Bration brochure…order $50 in product (shipping & handling not included) and receive your choice of a free product!
Thanks for stopping by…and remember, email me: margkni@gmail.com if you have any questions!
Jan 7, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Happy New Year! It’s been a few months since my last post…the later half of 2014 was extremely busy so blogging had to take a hiatus. In addition to preparing a variety of crafts for an Artisan Market in November, there was a trip to Alaska, family and friends visiting and an engagement celebration for my youngest son (he became engaged in August so stay tuned to see lots of wedding projects!). Toss in the holidays and there just didn’t seem to be enough hours to get everything done…sure I’m not alone feeling that time flies! The good news is that I am back and eager to share projects with you.
In my last post, I noted that I was experimenting with the alcohol ink Stampin’ Blendabilities Markers. They are a lot of fun to use and if you enjoyed coloring as a child, you’ll love these markers. The markers come in an assortment pack of three markers (light, medium & dark) that allows for custom shading…I think the colors are stunning! Below are the first two cards that were made as I played with the markers.
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Stampin’ Up! Blended Bloom colored using
Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive Stampin’ Blendabilities Marker Assortments |
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| Stampin’ Up! Blended Blooms colored with Cherry Cobbler and Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Blendabilities Markers |
Drum roll! The new Occasions Catalog from Stampin’ Up! was released today and it’s full of a wonderful variety of products. It is probably my favorite Occasions Catalog in recent years…the new stamp bundles and new project kits are fabulous. I am working on a project using some new product so it’ll be posted soon. Check it out the new catalog below…
Other excitement today is the start of Sale-a-Bration! It’s a great time to earn free product…who doesn’t love free?! You receive one product from the Sale-a-Bration brochure for each $50 you spend (before tax & shipping). Be sure to check it out…
If you interested in purchasing any Stampin’ Up! products and selecting your free products,
I’d be happy to assist.
Thanks for stopping by…and remember, email me:
margkni@gmail.com if you have any questions!
Aug 1, 2014 | Uncategorized |
In this post, I am sharing the Father’s Day card that was made for my dad. When trying to decide which type of card to make, I decided to employ a watercolor technique using the 2014-2016 In Color inks from Stampin’ Up! along with one of my favorite Stampin’ Up! stamp sets, Lovely as a Tree. The sentiments and tags were taken from a Paper Pumpkin kit. The watercolor technique employed using a Clear-Mount Block and “stamping” desired ink colors onto the blocks. After the ink colors are applied directly to the clear-mount block, spray lightly with water and press ink side down onto watercolor paper to transfer the inks to the paper.
Watercolor was such fun that I decided the July card class would focus on Watercolor Techniques. The clear-mount block method described above was used, as was a second technique of applying ink to a clear-mount block. This method employed using Stampin’ Markers to color sections of the clear-mount block, lightly spraying the ink on the block with water and pressing ink side down onto the watercolor paper. Both of the block/ink watercolor methods create unique designs (no two are alike!) and they provide beautiful bases for stamping your desired image.
In addition to the block stamping watercolor method, we also used aqua painters and classic stamping pads to color stamped images on watercolor paper. The last two photos shared employed this coloring technique.
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| Watercolor using Clear-Mount Block and 2014-2016 In Color Collection (Stampin’ Up!) Image is from Stampin’ Up! Lovely As A Tree Stamp Set |
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| Watercolor using Stampin’ Up! 2014-2016 In Color Collection and images from Stampin’ Up! Bloom with Hope and Sassy Salutations |
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| Watercolor with aqua painters: image Stampin’ Up! Vivid Vases |
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| Watercolor with aqua painters: images Stampin’ Up! Lovely as a Tree and Four You | | | |
Be sure to give the Watercolor techniques a try…you’ll have fun creating different looks!
I’ve been experimenting with the new Blendabilities from Stampin’ Up! and will be sharing the projects in my next post…so check back soon or better yet, sign up and receive notice of the post!
Thanks for stopping by…and remember, email me: margkni@gmail.com if you have any questions!
Jun 30, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Woohoo! I am finally getting back on track and sharing some recent projects. It’s hard to believe that I allowed 2 1/2 months to pass without posting anything but it’s been a very busy time. In May, we went on a cruise to the Greek Isles and spent a few extra days visiting Venice so most of the month was busy either with preparations or with the trip itself. (p.s. the trip was fabulous!!!) June also has been busy with summer commitments, and yesterday, my grandson returned home after spending 10 days with us. Fortunately, I am back on track and July is slated to be at a more normal pace!
Not all projects were put on hold though…Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and the June card class occurred so those projects are ready to share!
Today the cards being shared used the popular “Card in a Box” method…the first is the Mother’s Day card and the remaining are samples from the June card class.
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| Card in a Box “Mother’s Day” using Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper, Card Stock, Stamps, Inks, Framelits & Punches |
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| Card in a Box using Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper, Card Stock, Stamps and Punches |
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| Card in a Box (fits 6″ x 9″ envelope) using Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper, Card Stock, Stamps, Punches & Framelits | | |
Some of the products used have been discontinued but Stampin’ Up! has released some beautiful Designer Series Paper and new stamps which can be substituted. Be sure to check out the new catalog!
My next post will include the Father’s Day Card that was sent to my dad
and samples for the July class…featuring cards using a variety of Watercolor Methods.
Thanks for stopping by…and remember, email me:
margkni@gmail.com if you have any questions!
Apr 18, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Today I am sharing the Easter card and treat holders made in this month’s class. The card is a variation on the gate style card and was made using the Scalloped Tag Topper Punch from Stampin’ Up!. Specific instructions for making this style of card are numerous on You Tube and after viewing several of the videos, I was able to develop the method that I felt would work best.
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| Scalloped Tag Topper Punch Card |
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| Scalloped Tag Topper Punch Card Interior | | | |
Materials
The class enjoyed making the card but the various treat holders made were the highlight. Below are photos of the four different treat holders that were made. The treat box instructions can be found at
www.stampingwithamore.com – Angela specializes in boxes!
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| Peeps Box |
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| Easter Egg |
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| Treat Boxes |
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| Scalloped Tag Punch Treat Holder |
Check in next week and I’ll provide more details on the treat holders.
Have a Happy Easter!
Apr 15, 2014 | Uncategorized |
It’s another rainy day, golf was canceled and I’m using the opportunity to update my neglected blog! The forecast is for possible freezing temperatures tonight…the dogwoods and azaleas are blooming…please can Spring temperatures return permanently!? Looking on the positive side…perhaps the rain will put an end to the pine pollen that covers everything outdoors with a yellow hue.
Now onto the real focus of this post – a masculine birthday card. Last month, my dad celebrated his birthday and below is the card sent to him. I saw a similar card online and loved the simple look. The sandpipers from Stampin’ Up! Wetlands stamp set were stamped onto watercolor paper using StazOn Jet Black Ink. Aqua painters were used to “color” the background with the Pool Party and Crumb Cake Stampin’ Pad inks. The Stampin’ Distress Tool was used to rough up the edges of the watercolor paper and since “bling” was not appropriate, linen thread was wrapped and tied to add another dimension to the card. Soft Sky card stock was texture embossed with the Decorative Dots TIEF (it was free during SAB, keep fingers crossed that it will be in new catalog!). Dimensionals were used to attach each layer to the Baked Brown Sugar card stock base.
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| Masculine Birthday Card using Stampin’ Up! Wetlands Stamp Set | | |
Tomorrow I will be posting the Easter treat holders and card that were made in the monthly card class so be sure to check back for that post.
Enjoy your day!