Living the Good Life

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Get well soon card

I made this card for someone who's recovering from surgery. I hope the colours aren't too gloomy, but pussywillows are grey and green and brown. Those lovely colours of early spring....

The inspiration for this card came from a card of similar design on display at my LSS, and was made by the owner. This one isn't nearly as nice as that one, but I'm still happy with it. I did colour it in a similar fashion to the way she did, and I went "out-of-the-box" as she did as well. And I copied her "spattering" effect (but again, not nearly as nicely). This card is different in that I used patterned paper for a backdrop, and some twill tape for accent. I also used a bit of a different colour palette.

For this card, I stamped the image (Sunshine Designs)repeatedly on watercolour paper with a waterproof ink. I coloured the pussywillows with Tombow markers and used a wet toothbrush and pigment ink for the spatter effect. Some of the buds are highlighted with stickles. It doesn't show in the picture, but I used a Mellow Moss card base for this, which continues the shades-of-green theme. Too bad I didn't have this done in time for St. Patrick's Day - it could have been my green card.

I would still like to make a card like the one at my LSS - it's just stunning. But, for now, I'm pleased with this one. I just love pussywillows. To me they are a sign of spring and I have always loved their silvery soft beauty.

Thanks for looking! Now I need to get this in the mail! I'm off to stamp an envelope for it and then I need to figure out what to do with the little lamb roast I bought today. It was on sale 50% off in a post-Easter clearance at the grocery store. I think I'll hope there are instructions on the package for cooking, and I'll stuff garlic slivers in it all over the place and give it a Dijon mustard/rosemary rub. Some nice roast potatoes and a turnip-and-apple dish on the side and my family will think it's Sunday dinner! Or they would if I ever made roast lamb on Sundays.... I think I'll also check the jam cupboard to see if there's any of my rosemary cider jelly left. That would be perfect with the lamb. I sure hope so!

Supplies: Stamp: Sunshine Designs - The Stamp Barn; Ink: Palette black noir; Paper: watercolour, always artichoke, patterned paper from the Periphery line - Basic Grey; Other: stickles, Tombow markers, Periphery ribbon - Basic Grey, Basic Gray taffeta ribbon - Stampin' Up, edge distresser - Stampin' Up.

Joan and Amy tagged me! I don't know that many other bloggers yet, so if you'd like to play along, consider yourself tagged. ETA I just found out I was also tagged by my great upline (a few levels up) Josee. Fun!

Here are the rules:

The rules of the game:
• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.


OK, here goes

1. I have been to all the provinces in Canada except Prince Edward Island and I've been to one of the territories (NWT).
2. I'm left-handed.
3. I know the alphabet in sign language.
4. I love to read my favourite books over and over.
5. The first car I owned was a red Honda Civic (hatchback). I still have it.
6. I don't really like musicals, except for The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. And Mamma Mia, which I *loved*.
7. I've been hiking on the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies (just on the trails in the backcountry- I didn't go all the way to the top!).

Easter Egg Jumbo Card

I made this card a bit before Easter, but couldn't quite bring myself to send it off. Am I bad or what!!! I tell myself that it's because I want to show the people in the class I'm teaching on Friday another example of the technique, but that's not really the whole truth.

Time to get to the card, which is all about the background. I started with chalk inks in two colours, and added the leafy swirl in several colours of pigment ink. I heat set it and added the Easter Eggs, coloured them with markers, and clear embossed over all the eggs. I then added a third colour of chalk ink over top and removed the clear embossing powder and stamped the sentiment stamp and embossed it in black. For the focal image, I heat embossed the same egg in black and coloured it with Tombow markers on watercolour. It's mounted on a square panel stamped with "Easter Blessings). I finished the whole card off with some framing lines and acrylic paint dots.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies: Stamps: Easter Egg - The Artful Stamper, "Play laugh, etc." - A Muse, swirl - Heather's Stamping Haven, Easter Blessings - Magenta; Ink: colorbox fluid chalk (cadmium yellow, jade, lime pastel), pigment ink; Paper: watercolour, PTI white, basic black, so saffron; Other: espresso Adirondack acrylic paint - Ranger, Tombow markers, stylus and foam tip, clear and black embossing powder.

Fresh and fun thank you card

Here's a card I made a while ago but didn't want to post until it had been given to the intended recipient. I gave it to a hostess who had a class for her friends. It was a fun card to make since I (a) love colouring in, (b) love the colour scheme, (c) love glitter and (d) love the new rub-ons.

I coloured the images in with an aquapainter and blender pen and ink from my inkpad lids. The dragonfly's wings are coated with the green fine cosmo glitter. I made a matching nugget box to go with it, with the same image (cut down) on top and made from Blue Bayou designer print paper. I enhanced the nuggets with Avery labels and a stamp - memory fails me about which one, but probably the butterfly from Priceless or a flower.

All supplies Stampin' Up!: Stamp: A Little Bit of Happiness, Friendship Blooms (SAB); Ink: Basic Gray, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou, So Saffron; Paper: Whisper White, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky; Other: Wild Wasabi double-stitched ribbon, SAB rub-ons.

Birthday card for class

Well, I meant to do a lovely green card yesterday in honour of St. Patrick's Day but with one thing and another I didn't get to it. I did make green eggs for lunch for my girls though and remembered to send DD1 to school with a green shirt on. Aside from these festivities, I was busy finishing up my card designs for a class I'm doing on Saturday. I've got them finished now, and this is one of them. (There are three: a birthday, thank you and all-purpose.)

I wanted to show the ladies how to use the wheel and handle on one of the cards since the current special is "Free Wheeling", where if you buy one of the selected stamp sets, you get the coordinating wheel free. The wheel shown here isn't one of the free choices, but it will show them how quick and easy the wheels are to use.

I used the Petals wheel and Tempting Turquoise ink to make the background and added a layer of Old Olive and Taken With Teal. The focal image is stamped on Whisper White and I inked the stamp using my Rose Red and Old Olive markers. I stamped "happy" on top in turquoise, and "birthday" on top of that in Purely Pomegranate. I finished off the card with some accents: magenta fine cosmo glitter on the round part of the flower, and some pomegranate ribbon. (The stitched ribbon is shown here, but my ladies will use the polka dot ribbon from the super-yummy Sherbet Ribbon Originals. Both look nice, but I want to use my Sherbet ribbon before it dies of old age and neglect.) I'll give the ladies the opportunity to stamp the nice birthday sentiment from Full of Life (Occasions Mini) on the inside. It says, "May every part of your birthday have happy in it!". I don't often stamp on the inside of cards, but this set is going to change all that I think!

That's it for this card - so quick and easy! I like that colour combination, but then I like anything with Purely Pomegranate on it. Thanks for looking.

PS. I fixed the recipe amounts from my last post - I had forgotten to put the units in for some of the items. Oops! I'll be giving a year's free subscription to my blog to the person who noticed ;-) (This is a joke - all blog subscriptions are free - you just click on the link in the sidebar and follow the instructions and you'll get an email whenever I post something.)

All supplies Stampin' Up!: Stamps: Polka Dots and Paisley, Petals Jumbo Wheel, Everyday Flexible Phrases; Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Purely Pomegranate; Paper: Whisper White, Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Taken with Teal; Other: Purely Pomegranate Double-Stitched Ribbon, Cosmo Fine Glitter, Glue Pen, Old Olive and Rose Red markers.

New stamps! (and a fab recipe too)

I got some new rubber this week and have been waiting for a chance to play with it. I got this stamp set from my LSS (Heather's Stamping Haven) and I've been waiting for it for a while. The owner told me she had these stamps in progress and I thought they were a wonderful idea. This butterfly is one of several different stamps, and the outline is stamped separately from the insides, of which there are a bunch of choices. The butterfly has different seasonal inserts, and each is cuter than the last. I *love* these new stamps and it was hard to choose just one. Somehow I think I'll be back for more ;-) BTW, Heather does mail-order if this stamp makes it to your must-have list. Just give her a call and mention that Karen sent you :-)

I stamped the butterfly with black Palette ink on watercolour paper and used Tombow markers to colour it, blending with a wet paintbrush. I accented the antennae with my sakura glitter pen and coated the butterfly with crystal effects so it almost looks like enamel. The scan didn't do the colours justice. The purples are more purpley and pinks are pinkier on the butterfly in real life. I trimmed the corners with my tag corner punch (mostly because I stamped too close to a cut-off bit on my watercolour paper and I would have had to trim too closely to get rid of the lopped corner.)

It's mounted on some tempting turquoise and white paper, and mounted on a background of three different papers. At the top is soft sky, stamped with the pussywillow stamp in a pale blue chalk ink. Next is a piece of glossy paper treated with alcohol inks and at the bottom is some magenta lava paper (also from Heather's) stamped with the sentiment in Versafine ink. I heat set that with the iron several times because the lava paper is coated and the versafine wouldn't dry. A dye ink might have been a better choice. A few finishing touches with Stream acrylic paint and this card was done.

Supplies: Stamps: Butterfly - Heather's Stamping Haven, Pussywillow and sentiment: Sunshine Designs - The Stamp Barn; Ink: Palette black noir, Versafine deep lagoon, Versamagic chalk aspen blue; Paper: watercolour, tempting turquoise, soft sky, white, glossy, magenta lava paper; Other: alcohol inks in wild plum and stream - Ranger, Stream acrylic paint - Ranger, SU tag corner punch, SU Crystal Effects, Sakura glitter pen

Yummy Recipe Follows:

Now if you're only here for the stamping, then you're done! If you want a great recipe idea, keep reading. I found this recipe in my big Harrowsmith cookbook, which is comprised of recipes from readers. This recipe is called Lemon Maple Chicken and it was wonderful and so, so easy.

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix together 1/2 cup maple syrup (you must use the real thing), 1/2 cup Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest (I used the zest and juice from the half-lemon we had around and this worked fine), 1 tsp cinnamon. Place 4 chicken legs in a casserole dish (I used about 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs because that's what we had) and pour sauce over top. Bake for 30 minutes then baste chicken with sauce and bake for another 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

This was delicious and everyone liked it. It would be good with couscous or rice because there was a nice bit of sauce, but we had it with baked potatoes because the oven was on and I like to bake more than one thing if I have it on. The potatoes baked in the same amount of time but I did use potato nails. Smallish potatoes would bake in the 50 minutes without nails I would imagine. You'd also have time to do a quick apple crisp after the chicken goes in and it would be cooked in time for dessert. (Efficient oven usage should always include dessert!)

We also had veggies sauteed with butter and garlic. These weren't as big a hit with The Smalls, despite the fact that I included Nature's Cutest Vegetable (baby bok choy). I love suppers like these that use up what I've got in the pantry/crisper and are tasty to boot. Yum yum! Last night's curried haddock was also based on a recipe from this cookbook (but adapted to use up some languishing cauliflower). It was delicious too and DH even made supper while I was out stamping. He's a keeper :-)

Dinosaur Birthday Card

My 5-year-old was invited to a classmate's birthday party this weekend and the invitation featured a dinosaur scene. I like to make cards for these occasions. (It bolsters the argument that there's a reason for all these purchases. I think I'm way past the point of being able to argue that it saves us money, but at least if I make cards then I'm not buying cards too!)

In keeping with the dinosaur theme, I used my new dinosaur set, ostensibly bought for my daughter to play with, but to be honest, I'm having a lot of fun with this set too, even though it's outside of my stamping comfort zone.

I stamped the scene on white paper and layered it with some patterned paper scraps from another project. I knew I'd be using that paper so I coordinated the colours as best I could. The paper has a ribbon pattern on it, so I used another scrap, cut just to have a ribbon showing and used it as a ribbon horizontally across the card. The birthday sentiment is punched out and mounted on a designer label punch. I couldn't quite bring myself to use a new frame in that shape from the Occasions mini hardware kit. I know I'm supposed to be using, not hoarding, but this card is for a 5-year-old so I am granting myself special dispensation.

Back to the card. I felt it needed something else that was blue to make the visual triangle and colouring my little knock-off-dew-drops with chalk ink didn't work. (This is the first time I've wished I had Copic markers, but I suspect if I'd had coloured Sharpies they would have worked too. Or I could have used the blue ones I had, and lived with the fact that they were slightly the wrong shade.) As it turned out, I was able to get the look without the Copics and without having to deal with a card with mismatched shades of blue. I just used my 1/4" hole punch to make a circle from the blue paper and layered it under the k-o-d-d! I felt rather pleased with myself, if I may say so.

Anyway, that's the card. I got my daughter to write the message inside and together we used this stamp set to stamp wrapping paper for the present (a dinosaur floor puzzle). I let my daughter make the paper and she made lovely patterns of pteranodons and stegosauruses and apatosauruses all over the place. All the T-rexes had a pteranodon flying nearby to eat and she coloured in some shrubs here and there for the plant-eaters to eat. It was quite a scene. And she got quite experimental mixing colours on the stamps for some really fabulous dinosaurs. She loves the rock 'n' roll technique with those solid stamps and she has her own inkpads so I don't mind if the colours get mixed up a bit. I'd rather she learned how much fun it is to make something than how stressful it is to keep your inkpads looking brand new.

Well, must dash and get that girl to her birthday party!

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Back now from my trip to the party and the adventure of backing down a long driveway through high snowbanks with an audience. I hate reversing and I hate it even more when people are watching. Let's just say that it's a good thing snowbanks are soft. Hope those kids have a good time! They looked like they were all from the same class and a good bunch of kids so it should be a good party. Now I'm off to get my class supplies packed up, have some lunch, get dolled up and head into town for an afternoon of stamping :-)

Thanks for stopping by.

Supplies: Stamps: Prehistoric Pals, Circle of Friendship (Stampin' Up); Ink: Aspen Blue chalk ink (Versamagic), Groovy Guava, Certainly Celery, So Saffron; Paper: Certainly Celery, Blue Bayou, PTI white, Dream Street Papers - Forget-me-not Rachel's Ribbons; Other: ticket corner punch, designer label punch, 1" circle punch, knock-off-dew-drops, 1/4" circle punch.

Two-minute card - truly!

Just as there are times when you want to spend a few hours learning a technique and creating a fabulous card, there are also times when you want a really quick card. This is one of those times. I needed a bunch of little thank you notes to pop in the order bags from a recent workshop and this fit the bill. These actually fit last week's limited supply challenge too! (That challenge was to make a card smaller than 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 using quick tools and paper scraps.)

This is a 3x3 note, with a scrap of Almost Amethyst designer prints paper. The main image is several layers: 1" circle stamped in Wild Wasabi, a 1 1/4" circle punched from a wasabi scrap, a 1 3/8" circle punched from an amethyst scrap and a scalloped circle punched from a celery scrap. A few zips of the snail later and this card is assembled. If only sorting and packing orders was as quick! I've made a few variations on this them, with different colours depending on the scrap pile. To pick the colours I just find a scrap of designer paper and use the colours that are in that - that makes it super easy and it all coordinates. For this one I went with the classic combination of purple and green.

Now I'm off to prep for tomorrow's class. If any of you are interested, I'm teaching two cards using the emboss-resist technique at Heather's Stamping Haven. If you'd like to join us, give the store a call and see if there's any room. Last I heard there were a couple of spots left.

Thanks for stopping by.

All supplies Stampin' Up: Stamp: Circle of Friendship; Ink: Wild Wasabi; Paper: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst, Almost Amethyst designer series prints; Other: punches: scallop, 1", 1 1/4", 1 3/8" circles.

Three cute chicks!

Hope this blog title doesn't get me kicked off blogger, but maybe it will boost my google ratings.... Anyway, I picked up this cute chick stamp at my LSS today when I was in to pick up this month's kit. I thought I'd dip into the amazing paper from the kit for the card today too since today's Ways to Use It challenge is to make a card base with patterned paper.

I stamped the chick on one of the sheets of patterned paper and cut out three little birds. Then I stamped again on plain white paper and pieced the birds. I embellished them a little with my glaze pen and new glitter marker. (This is a record use of new stuff - within hours of purchase! I usually let things age a bit before I try them out.)

The bird panel is mounted on chocolate chip, more patterned paper, more chocolate chip, and finally the patterned paper card base. The two embellishments are a rhinestone crown on one of the birds. This gives a bit of sparkle and conveniently disguises the place where my glue oozed out and I tried to wash it off with watered down future floor wax (grabbed the wrong aquapainter....guess it needs a bit more washing out....). That birdie was meant to be important I guess. It also gave me the idea for the sentiment, to mean that there might be lots of cute chicks in the world, but the recipient will be a very special one. The sentiment is stamped in sepia VersaMagic on Soft Sky and punched out with the round tab punch. I tried unsuccessfully to add ribbon to this card. I can never find a good place to put ribbon. Note to self: must make effort to notice how all those fabulous ribbon-users out there do theirs. Maybe my April resolution (???) will be to use ribbon on all my cards. This kind of resolution promises to be way more fun that resolving to exercise every day or go to bed earlier.

Back to the card. Because the paper is double-sided, I have another white panel on the inside, with another pieced bird. I'll be able to write my message on plain paper this way.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies: Stamp: Imaginisce - chick; Paper: Sassafrass Lass - Starry Night collection, Chocolate Chip, Papertrey Ink white, Soft Sky; Ink: Palette black Noir - Stewart Superior, Sepia Brown - VersaMagic - Tsukineko; Other: round tab punch - Stampin' Up, rhinestone crown - Heidi Swapp, Sakura glaze pen, American Arts glitter marker

Diorama Birthday Card

It's my niece's 5th birthday soon so I needed a card. I wanted this to be extra-special, not just because such a special girl, but because 5 is such a milestone birthday. How did 5 years fly by so quickly?!? It seems like just yesterday that I was meeting her for the first time. The world is a better place with her in it.

Anyway, before I get too soppy, I'll introduce this card. I made a diorama card, following this tutorial on splitcoast by Diana Gibbs. It's a really easy one to make. It also folds down flat to fit inside the SU small open-end envelope. My one note of caution from a mistake I made the first time I tried this type of card is to make sure you line up the outside edge of your punch, not the inside of the punch shape when it tells you to line things up. I went astray with that instruction the first time I made this kind of card.

I went with some nice soft colours for this one: Almost Amethyst, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink. The stamping is all done with Basic Gray so it's not as harsh as black would be. Thank you SU for bringing us a waterproof gray!!!

The bear is stamped on So Saffron and coloured with Close to Cocoa inkpad juice and an aquapainter. The other colouring is all done with markers, which is the way to do it when you're colouring on coloured cardstock. The balloon, hat and popped-up present are stamped on whisper white and cut out after I coloured them. I added some sparkly accents with my Sakura glitter pen and the silver cord is tied around the bear's paw. Speaking of the bear, I cut him up so I could re-pose him in a sitting position. (The original stamp has the bear walking.) I simply cut along the join of his leg and re-assembled him sitting down. He is a very dear bear and I just love this set (Favorite Teddybear) and all its bits and pieces. All the stamps on this project (balloon, bear, hat, present, confetti, birthday wish) are from that set!

Thanks for looking! I hope this card prompts you to try a diorama. They're fun to make.

Supplies all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted: Stamps: Favorite Teddybear; Ink: Basic Gray, Close to Cocoa; Paper: Whisper White, So Saffron, Almost Amethyst, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery; Other: SU markers, aquapainter, silver cord, Sakura Glitter pen (non SU).

Bible Verse Challenge - March 2008

I came across this challenge on splitcoast to make an aide memoire for Bible verses each month. I have a ringed photo frame from Ikea that I've been meaning to use so this seemed like the perfect way to use it. I'll add a new 5x7" page each month and when I'm done, I'll have a beautiful inspiration piece to go on my desk. I plan to add pictures to the back of each page so it will be a photo album on one side and scripture verses on the other. This is my page for March (I need to catch up on January and February).

The Bible Verse Challenge also coincided with this week's Ways to Use It challenge, which was to use a computer-generated element in the project.

For this page, I printed the verse on vellum in dark blue and layered it over two pieces of patterned paper from the Periphery line (Basic Grey), one of which I scalloped with the corner rounder. I also inked the edges of my scalloped piece with some light blue chalk ink. I added some flowers to coordinate and put the whole thing on a piece of patterned paper (Barefoot "Birthday" Floral/Turquoise from MME's Bohemia). The flowers are Primas and from the Pretties kit, tinted artichoke with my inkpad. I I stamped From the Garden in Prussian Blue chalk ink on the background for some interest and texture. I'm pleased with the result and am looking forward to catching up on Jan and Feb for this challenge.

Supplies: Stamps: From the Garden - Stampin' Up; Paper: Bohemia - MME, Periphery - BasicGrey; Ink: Prussian Blue colorbox fluid chalk ink; Other: Pretties kit flower (dyed always artichoke with inkpad), Prima flower, always artichoke brads, 5/16" corner rounder - Stampin' Up, 1/4" circle punch.

Apothecary bottles

I like this card a lot (is that too immodest???). I love the soothing image and the serene colours. I like that I dipped into my pad of Periphery (BasicGrey) and its coordinating ribbon (thank you Santa!). I like that I got to use my stylus with foam tip to make that watery looking backdrop*. I like that I got to spend some time happily absorbed in doing nothing but painting with my twinklings. This was a card made with no particular purpose in mind, only enjoyment. I'm not sure what I'll use it for, but it's nice to have some blank cards in the stash to use when I don't have time to make a card.

Thanks for looking!

*To make the blue background, I inked up the foam tip and buffed the paper in a circular motion, starting with the lightest blue and working my way up to the darkest, leaving some white space and trying to avoid lines from the foam tip. A light touch works best for colour application and blending.

Supplies: Stamp: Stampington & Co.; Ink: black stazon, chalk (colorbox - Prussian blue, Versamagic Aegean blue, aspen mist, night sky); Paper: watercolour, always artichoke, Periphery - BasicGrey, Papertrey Ink white; Other: Periphery ribbon, Stampin' Up eyelets, Colorbox stylus and foam tip, Twinkling H20's and aquapainter.

Easter Blessings and Alcohol Inks

Woohoo! New toys!!! I got this Easter stamp way back when because one time (years ago) I didn't realize that all the Easter stamps would be sold way before Easter. I had gone to my LSS to get one and she shook her head sadly and said they had all sold shortly after Christmas. I stored away that little nugget and this year when I saw this adorable filigree egg, I snapped it up, I think it was September.

Card details - short version. The eggs were stamped on pre-made background paper and embossed in black and silver, trimmed and mounted on the background papers. The sentiment is heat embossed too. So pretty!

Card details - long version.

I recently got my first alcohol inks. I used these a while ago in a class and fell in love with their rich, vibrant colours and the beautiful patterns they make. I used Wild Plum, Bottle and Silver on photo paper (misguided thriftiness, stay tuned) and the blending solution to make a sort of polished stone look background. Then I stamped the egg three times with versamark and embossed two with black and one with silver. The silver one got embossed on a paler piece that I'd inked when the felt was starting to lose its colour. So it's just a lighter version of the other two. The misguided thriftiness became apparent when the photo paper started to curl and melt a little under the heat tool. Still, it was salvageable, but I think I'll only use the photo paper when I know I won't be embossing. But I wasn't done with my heat tool yet! I used it to emboss the sentiment and heat up some neat craft foam that I got from my LSS for making texture stamps. After it was heated, I pressed the bristles of my hair brush into it (long side in) to make sort of a grassy look. I used this foam piece to stamp the turquoise background. It's a bit faint. I'll be experimenting more with this foam - it's fun! My aunt generously shared some with me when she was visiting. Wonder if she's tried hers yet??? I trimmed the eggs, stuck them down, added ticket corner punch and black mat, peeled off eggs to add organdy ribbon, stuck them down again, added matching brads and mounted the whole thing on an orchid opulence card base.

Now if you're still reading, you deserve a medal! Hope it was all worth it ;-) It's also why I put in the short version!

Supplies: Stamps: Easter egg - The Artful Stamper, sentiment - Magenta; Ink: versamark; Paper: glossy photo paper, cool caribbean, basic black, orchid opulence; Other: ticket corner punch, light turquoise brads, orchid organdy ribbon, black and silver embossing powder, moldable craft foam and hair brush, alcohol inks (Ranger) in Wild Plum, Bottle and Silver plus blending solution, felt and dabber tool.

Silver Butterflies

I recently picked up a sheet of silver peel-off butterflies from my LSS and wanted to try them out. They are really neat! It's like having silver embossed images, but without needing to do the embossing. There were several different butterflies on the sheet, too, so you get the variety without needing a ton of different stamps (not that that's a bad thing!).

These are easy to use - just peel and stick! I needed to pick out a few small spots with my craft knife where the middles didn't stay behind, but that was easy.

I stuck the butterflies down on some naturals white cardstock and painted them with some twinkling H20's in colours that tied in with the paper I had chosen (some Bazzill textured cardstock and a geometric pattern from BasicGrey's Figgy Pudding collection). I stamped the "cherish" in white pigment ink, but I think it might have looked better embossed in silver. I didn't want to take away too much from the butterflies, so I'm still undecided on that. It's looking better now that the ink has dried a bit darker. And I've finished the card with a few drops of my new favourite colour (Stream) of acrylic Adirondack paints.

Thanks for looking!

Supplies: Stamps: Warm Words set - Stampin' Up!; Ink: Whisper White craft ink; Paper: Naturals White (SU), Bazzill cardstock, Silent Night - Figgy Pudding collection from Basic Grey; Other: Butterfly peel-offs - Mark Richards, twinkling H20's (Buttercup, Sunflower, African Jade, Teal Zircon, Meridian Blue), Adirondack acrylic dimensional paint.

Priceless class card

A new stamping friend of mine asked me to teach a class for her and her friends tomorrow afternoon. This is one of the projects that we'll be doing.

I used this card by scjm1220 on splitcoast as inspiration, changing some details to suit my supplies and requirements.

I wanted a fairly straightforward card for these ladies since they're new stampers. This card has only a few steps: stamping the images in pomegranate and groovy guava (the flourish on the sentiment panel is stamped off once first). I love the colour combination and it's so nice how the ribbon matches too. I like this card! I love browsing the galleries on splitcoast for ideas. There are so many talented and creative stampers out there!

Thanks for looking!

All supplies Stampin' Up unless noted: Stamps: Priceless, Sincere Salutations; Paper: Whisper white, Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate; Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava; Other: Purely Pomegranate double-stitched ribbon, white embroidery floss (White Rose).