Monthly Archives: July 2007

This card design is for Juliehrr‘s DTGD Challenge today! I just love Julie’s clean style, one layer cards and acetate windows so I had to give this challenge a try! 🙂

Window of Treats

For this design, it definitely looks better in person! I just couldn’t get a pic I was satisfied with this time…oh well! Anyways…my one layer of cardstock is a piece of Shimmery White and it looks so elegant in person. The front panel is stamped with simply a little sentiment from Flourished Words on the bottom right hand corner. I then cut a nice oval shape from the center of my cardstock.

For my acetate window, I stamped the Tier of Treats stamp by Stampendous onto a sheet of acetate. I carefully colored it in with some Sakura Gelly Roll Glaze pens and allowed it to dry. Then I adhered the acetate sheet to the inside of the card and stitched around the window with my sewing machine. It needed a little touch of embellishment on the front so I adhered a little scrap of dotted celery ribbon. To add some interest to the interior of the design and to peek through the window to the front…I stamped one of my favorite background stamps, Dots and Daisies, with Pretty in Pink ink. So fun! I’ve got to try this again! 🙂

Fall Back on Black is one of today’s last DTGD challenges. I couldn’t resist pairing up the fall back on black challenge with this “back to school” design featuring My Favorite Things stamps. This is a new release for MFT and will be released tomorrow. HUH? Why do I have it already? 🙂 I’m very excited that Kim has asked me to be part of the My Favorite Things design team! How cool is that?

Now we’re not quite ready for back to school here. Don’t even want to think about it actually! I’m really enjoying the summer home with my kids…..well, most days! 😉 Here in Canada, school does not start until after Labour Day…the first Monday in September.

Back to School

For this design I started off with a black cardstock 5.5″ square base. I wanted to try having a little more fun with my Daisy D’s swatch patterned paper. I just love its double-sided patterns and darling pinked edges. 🙂 This time I cdecided to fold back the top right corner to show off the other side of the design. And just to enable you 🙂 Jacksonbelle has a new shipment of brand-new Daisy D just arrived today!

For the main panel, I stamped the blackboard onto the whisper white cardstock. To make it easy to add the teacher in front of the blackboard, I stamped her onto another piece of whisper white and then cut her out after watercoloring her. To go with the school/notebook look, I used my SU spiral punch to punch along the left side edge. The sentiment was stamped in versamark and then embossed with White embossing powder.

You really can’t see it in the pic, but the Ruby Red layer is stamped in the same ink with the tiny little apple stamp. I added a little paper clip embellishment to further enhance the school look and tied a little scrap of dotted black organdy to the top.

Have a fabulous day!

Supply List:

Cardstock: Black, Ruby Red, Whisper White – SU

Patterned Paper: Daisy D’s

Stamps: Back to Class – My FAvorite Things

Ink: Black, ruby red, soft sky, wild wasabi, close to cocoa – SU, Versamark – Tsukineko

Other: staple, paper clip, ribbon, aquapainter & Button & Spiral punch- SU , cord, white embossing powder – Stampendous

Well, the challenge itself isn’t getting me distressed…I love it! The challenge IS to USE distressing techniques. 🙂 When I saw that Michele was doing a distressing challenge for one of today’s DTGD challenges, I just had to make a card. I LOVE distressing! Now for this design, I kept it pretty light on the distressing. I didn’t want it to overwhelm of the vintage baby look…but it is there! Distressed edges and lots of light sponging. 🙂 If you want to play along, check out today’s challenges here!

Vintage Baby Girl

I was so excited to get this Stampendous stamp last Friday from Anna Wight. (Actually I just checked her store and she is all out but if you e-mail her, she will order it in.)  I just LOVE it! I’m hoping that lots of people will be having lots of little girls so that I can keep using it. It is soooo sweet! I couldn’t wait to pair it up with this darling Daisy d’s swatch paper. i just love the pre-pinked edges and designed the card to play up on this feature.

To make the main part of this design, I used 5.5 ” square card base of Very Vanilla and sponged the edges with Close to Cocoa ink. I folded over the top 1/4 of the paper to show the reverse side and break up the design without cutting off the very cute pinked top edge. The edges were then stitched around with my sewing machine and I lightly distressed the pinked edge by running my finger along to pull up some of the edge. I then stamped Authentic from my SU Stamp of Authenticity Set at the top right corner.

For the main image, I stamped it on a scrap of Very Vanilla cardstock and watercolored the dress with my aquapainter and ink in the lids of my inkpads. To get depth while watercoloring, I usually start with a light color wash of the area and then add in darker details after that has dried a little but not all the way so it will still blend in a little. My favorite part of the dress is the little pearl buttons. I just love these little pearl stickers from Ellen Hutson! After sponging and distressing the edges of the image panel, I matted it with So Saffron and a piece of the Swatch Daisy D paper. I then added more stitching for definition and to add to the vintage look. If you like the look of stitching but are unsure of how to do it, check out my Sewing Tutorial that I wrote a few months ago for tips. 🙂

For the sentiment, I used my new Flourished Words stamp set. I just love these sentiments! I punched it out with my SU oval punch and then framed with with some Hodgepodge Hardware that had been distressed by sanding the metal finish. My final touch was a sponged yellow Prima flower, I believe from the Baby Girl Collection, which I pinned with a safety pin and then adhered to the design.

I love this card. I’m keeping it in a very safe place as my husband’s brother and wife have a special little bundle on the way. If it is a girl, she’ll be getting this card. 🙂

Supply List:

Cardstock: So Saffron, Very Vanilla – SU

Patterned Paper: Daisy D’s

Stamps: Baby Dress – Stampendous, Flourished Words – Flourishes,

I have a card sample to share with you from one of today’s Dare to Get Dirty Challenges. 🙂 JanTink’s challenge today is “Beyond the Pale”…making a pale card. No dark colors…just pale pastels and very light neutrals. I couldn’t use my Close to Cocoa or Chocolate Chip! LOL But seriously…I love the look. It is one I’ve done in the past and really should use more often.

Are you playing along with the Dare to Get Dirty Challenges? Another EIGHT cool challenges today! If you’d like to play along, make sure you check out…. DTGD Sunday challenges! 🙂

Pale Dahlia

So we’re back with another Dahlia design! 🙂 I guess I really should have chosen a different set for my sample but…. Well, I tell you the truth. I made this design first. Was very delinquent in getting yesterdays done in time. Went back to get it done, I tried using different sets but….this one just kept calling my name. I gave in…as you can tell. 😉 And so, you get the same set on two different samples two days in a row. I’m hoping you won’t care. 🙂 It is one of my favorite sets and I just love both the cards and how different both technique are. 🙂

For this design, I stamped the dahlia onto a piece of very vanilla cardstock with Versamark and applied Blush and Pretty in Pink Stampin Pastels on the image for a soft look. Using my Itty Bitty backgrounds stamp, I randomly stamped a texture over top with River Rock. The edges of all the layers were also sponged with this soft neutral and on the image layer, I added some extra distressing around the edges.

Quick Tip: With a soft, pale card…add lots of texture for interest and to help define the layout and layers.

On the middle layer, I stamped my new favorite background stamp Tres Chic with Versamark and chalked it as well. Before adhering the layers together, I pulled out my mat pack and pieced every third hole around the image. i then used Linen thread to sew around it to add more texture and interst. I love soft pretty look combined with the texture of the thread. The sentiment comes from a retired SU shell set A Beautiful Day and is stamped across the image with River Rock.

To finish up, I added some pretty embellishments. A corsage pin attaches the pale pink dotted organdy ribbon to the design. The Prima flower is from the Cherry Blossom collection and is attached with a beautiful pearl brad from K & Company.

This card design is actually paler in person and so subtle and pretty. I had to darker it up a little so that the details would show on-screen. I hope you enjoy it and hope you’ll take the time to try out the challenge! Happy Sunday!!

OK I know the title sounds a bit odd at the best! LOL But this is what Sherry Cheever named her today’s Dare to Get Dirty Challenge. I was very excited to be asked to create a design sample for it. It is a beautiful technique. Not simple to be sure and so I had to deviate from my simple Saturday post. I’m sure you’ll forgive me. 🙂 I’m so excited about this design and hope you’ll like it too. Now and then you just get a design that you love and this is it!

Vintage Friend

To create this design, I started off the the technique. Hmmmmm what was I going to use. You really need a solid stamp for this challenge and so, I just had to use my new Fabulous Flowers dahlia, yet again. I misted the watercolor paper and then stamped my dahlias onto it. While still damp, I stamped my Tres Chic Background stamp in Close to Cocoa over the flowers. Blot with tissue if it gets too damp. This technique gives you a watercolor or Monet look. After allowing to dry, I sponged the edges with more Close to Cocoa and then covered the whole surface with Versamark ink. This is the “cracked” part of the technique…cracked glass. Layer on clear embossing powder…I like the UTEE (extra think embossing enamel) or Glassy Glaze embossing powder for this. It is thick and coats better so that you need less layers. Whichever powder you use, heat the powder, allow to cool, then covered with Versamark and powder and heat again. Repeat until you get a nice thick glazed surface. Allow to cool well. When cool, crack surface with your fingers until desired look is achieved. If you panel is not cracking well, try cooling it more, or add extra layers of embossing powder…it may be too thin.

Quick tip: To speed up cooling for this technique, place panel in freezer for a few minutes. It will be ready to crack in no time! 🙂

For the rest of the card design, I used a simple layout. The card base is 5.25″ square chocolate chip card base. I layered it with Regal Rose and then a stamped panel of Groovy Guava. I love this color combo! So warm and yummy. For the stamped groovy guava layer, I first stamped it with the swirl from Baroque Motifs and then stamped over that with the Dahlia image in Canvas Palette Hybrid ink. I love how quick this ink dries! I recently wrote an entry on this ink, if you missed it you may want to check it out HERE.

And lastly the embellishments. You know I always love to add a few! 🙂 I decided it would be fun to add the Friend sentiment from Flourishes directly onto the cracked layer. I tried using Stazon but I just had a mess…it wasn’t a good image and it wasn’t stamping well on the UTEE. Yikes! What to do?!!! I pulled out my Technique Tuesday clear stamp cleaner and tried spraying a tiny bit on. Yay!!!! It took it right off! So now we BOTH know… don’t try stamping on cracked glass 😉 and that cleaner works REALLY well, even on Stazon!!!

So I STILL wanted a sheer look with my sentiment/Hodgepodge Hardware idea. I stamped the Friend stamp onto a piece of acetate, this time with great results. You can carefully insert brads through the embossed layer with your paper piercer and then attach the hardware. The Prima Flower/Karen Foster brad combo was attached with a glue dot and then I tied a tiny piece of my new, gorgeous May Arts ribbon to the top of the plate.

Quick note: I’ve been having trouble with my e-mail for a few days! If you’ve e-mailed me and I haven’t responded…I’m sorry! We are working on it and hope to get things working and caught up soon! We’re taking a break though with the family & I’m off to the beach again today! YAY! Hope you all have a fabulous sunny summer Saturday! 🙂

Supply List:

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, WAtercolor paper, Groovy Guava, Regal Rose – SU

Stamps: Fabulous Flowers, Tres Chic, Baroque Motifs – Stampin Up, Flourished Words – Flourishes

Ink: Black Stazon – Tsukineko, Close to Cocoa, Groovy Guava, Regal Rose – SU, Canvas Palette Hybrid – Stewart Superior

Other: Hodgepodge Hardware – SU, ribbon – May Arts, Prima flower – prima, acetate, thumbtack brad – Karen Foster Design