SQSC15 Silver, White,Vellum Christmas

Didn’t have very high hopes for this week’s sketch… I was busy prepping for a couple craft shows and really had very little time to create.  BUT… I did make a commitment and knew last week that I’d better “get it done”…

Gazing at the sketch, I looked at my scrap pile… and there it was… a couple pretty vellum card stock rosettes ‘leftover’ from one of my Super Saturday tutorial projects.  Perfect!!

Here’s this week’s Stampin’ Queens Sketch Challenge:LOL… you can probably guess what I did with the rosettes!  Here’s today’s SQSC15 Challenge card:The Whisper White Card Stock background was embossed with the Northern Flurry Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and my Big Shot Die Cutting Machine.  LOL.. I love my Big Shot, and use it every day!  My electronic die cutting machine doesn’t get a lot of face time, you know what I mean?  I simply don’t have the patience to wait for it to cut single or multiple designs!Isn’t that antique brad perfect??  Who says you can’t mix gold and silver?  LOL… my DD used to be a real stickler on that one, but a year of study in Europe and she’s finally over that ‘rule’.LOVE the silver glimmer paper, don’t you?  Doesn’t this look like Christmas… or the first winter snowstorm?  Do you have visions of a glistening blanket of snow, peaceful, clean and quiet? Most of the time, I use “Merry Christmas” as my card sentiment… especially after that large discount store “happy holidays” debacle a couple years ago… wasn’t that wally world?

This card just felt like a solemn Christmas Snow… and Peace On Earth embossed with Pewter onto vellum card stock seemed quite appropriate.  Agree?Other little touches and ‘elements’ which make this card sparkle… a pretty Whisper White Organza Double Loop Bow tied on my fingers and attached with mini glue dots, chunky silver glass glitter, Silver Glimmer Paper and Brushed Silver Card Stock…. put it all together and what do you get?

Today is the last day of the Online Extravaganza at my Online Stampin’ Up! Store… If you haven’t taken advantage of all the wonderfully discounted exclusive products, better do so soon… time is running out!

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a new project with a lot of bling too…  I’m really excited to share it with you, and think you will love it too.

Hope you’ll stop back by to say hi!

Hugs and a peaceful Christmas Season to all of you!

Sharon

Technorati Tags: bling,silver glimmer paper,vellum card stock,antique brad,big shot die-cutting,northern flurry textured embossing folder,rhinestones,whisper white,peace on earth,pewter stampin emboss powder,embossing

A Happy Hello to Nancy Walters UDI 63

This week I just happened to check my Facebook account… and read a story posted by one of my friends about Nancy Walters.  Nancy recently lost both her parents, and even though she is 60 years old, has the mental ability of a 12 year old.  It nearly broke my heart when I read that Nancy told my friend  “I thought everyone forgot about me”.   My friend asked all her stamping friends to shower Nancy with some cards… so, of course I just had to respond!

Looking at my stamp shelf, I tried to think of the perfect card to make for Nancy, or any 12 year old child, and something that may bring cheer to her day.  The “Make a Monster” stamp set perfectly fit the bill!

This week’s UDI Color Challenge featured bright fall colors, which I though would also make really cool and happy monsters too!

Of course, this card was going to a 12 year old GIRL… so I wanted the monsters to appear more girly too!  Adding some hair, eyelashes, etc.  And I added a little fun twist too these little monsters cast a purple shadow!

LOL.. modified the middle monster to make her look like she was rollerblading… ant the one on the right, well I gave her fancy footwear too.  I wish I had added nail polish and earrings before I popped it in the mail… maybe next time!

Hope you’ll play along with the UDI Color Challenge Design Team this week… here’s the inspiration photo…

Simply use the colors Pumpkin Pie, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz and Whisper White in your UDI63 color challenge creation… then pop over to the Utah Divas International Blog  to link up the URL of your creation… you know the drill!

See you tomorrow with another fun challenge from the Stampin’ Queens!

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: make a monster,challenge,utah divas international,chocolate chip,cas,clean and simple,cards for kids,pear pizzazz,stamp set,more mustard,pumpkin pie,whisper white,wisteria wonder

More Arrangements, Reviving A Lost Art

Yesterday I promised to share some more stamped candy arrangements… and I will do that today, but first I wanted to share something a bit different.

A few months ago, one of my neighbors shared an incomplete project her mother once worked on many, many years ago.  She knew that I had done a lot of beadwork, and asked if I’d be interested in finishing it for her.  LOL.. I had NEVER seen anything like what she revealed tucked inside that old biscuit tin, but was definitely intrigued.

There were a lot of plastic iridescent beads in the tin, but certainly not enough to finish the project   There were some gold sequins, tiny metallic beads and ribbon trim too.  I could tell that the partially completed antique acorn tea strainer/ornament would be a challenge, and that her mother must have had a lot of patience and very small fingers!

LOL… well, agreeing to finish before Thanksgiving, I took the precious tin back home.  But my schedule was very busy… and the beads were no where to be found… so I thought I’d wait until closer to the holidays when these types of beads are more commonly located.  Time went by, I forgot about the tin… and then suddenly realized it was November and that I had a promise to fulfill. 

I quickly realized that the enclosed instructions were totally useless, as her mother apparently made up her own pattern…And that I was approximately 170 beads short… Yikes!  Here’s the finished Antique Acorn Tea Strainer Ornament.

Delivered, as promised before Thanksgiving, the shiny crystal Acorn Tea Strainer Ornament is now hanging in a place of honor in the foyer of her home.The beads were all sewn to the tea ball… so working in a tiny space was a bit of a challenge!  I wish I could find another acorn tea strainer locally, I think I’d actually make another one!More retired stamps… my goal was to not spend too much time coloring, more time assembling and producing.Again, each stamped image also has a piece of chocolate attached to it’s back.

I decided to use some retired card stock too… hope they sell!

There’s just two more days of the Online Extravaganza Sale at my Online Stampin’ Up Store!  Still some very good deals to be had too… be sure to check it out!

See you tomorrow, I look forward to reading your comments.

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: retired stamp set,online extravaganza,stampin up store,floral arrangements,chocolate,antique acorn tea strainer,ornament

Craft Fair Items–Stamped Arrangements

I’d like to thank everyone for so many lovely comments on yesterday’s Super Saturday Tutorial with a card and tips for Stampers and Demonstrators… a lot of times, I’m so busy stamping that I assume everyone has found out all that stuff by themselves.  Last week, when someone mentioned being a new Demonstrator, I thought it might be a little repetitive, but helpful to add them to my tutorial.  Glad you liked them!

Just a few more Craft Fairs to do before Christmas, two of them are this week!!  So, I’m busily creating new items to share with my blogger friends, and to sell at the craft shows too! 

These stamped and floral arrangements were created mostly from dollar store stuff… and inspired by fellow crafty Demonstrator Jessica Woitas who shared her lovely arrangements on Stampin’ Connection – A demo-only site!  Unfortunately, it appears that Jessica doesn’t have a blog so I can’t share a link to her lovely work.

These floral arrangements also have candy attached… wouldn’t they make a lovely Christmas gift for a neighbor, co-worker, teacher or secretary?

This is one of the first arrangements I made… inspired by the Angels on the coffee mug, I decided to use a very old, and very retired stamp set from my stampin’ collection called “Festive Friends”.

They’re like little folk art Angels…. and of course some stars were added too.  I actually made 5 of these coffee mug candy/floral arrangements today, they took more time than I had anticipated, LOL.

THIS arrangement is my favorite one… it’s larger than the others I made, and has more chocolate too.  I’ve always been very partial to blue and silver wrapping papers at Christmas… and of course, Silver Glimmer Paper Snowflakes found a home on this arrangement as well!

A variety of current and retired snowflake stamp sets were included in this arrangement, and a little silver bling from both the dollar store, and craft store too.  It was kind of interesting breaking apart one bunch of silver floral décor that I bought at the craft store… I actually got 18 different accent pieces from one little bunch of bling!  Bet you’re wondering… “Sharon… where’s the chocolate?”

LOL… that’s the beauty of the bouquet… behind each stamped image, there’s a piece of chocolate too… now, isn’t that fun?

Well, got to go put my feet up for the evening… I always stamp and craft standing up, it seems to give me more leverage for stamped images, and the two large pub tables in my stamping studio are the perfect height for that!

Hope you’ll stop back by tomorrow… got some more arrangements to share if you’d like to take a peek. 

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: Super Saturday Tutorial,Tips for Stampers,floral arrangements,craft fair,stamping studio,candy treats,Christmas and Holiday,home decor,Jessica Woitas,Craft Show,Stampin Connection

Tutorial Request: Gift Card Pocket Card

Some of you were wondering how I made the gift card pocket for the inside of Thursday’s Creative-Sketches Candy Cane Card… You asked for it… so here it is… with all the cutting, measurements, step by step directions AND timely Tips for Stampers and Demonstrators too!

Supply List

Creative Elements Stamp Set	Bright Hopes Stamp Set
Simply Scored Board	Basic Jewel Rhinestones
Big Shot Machine	Bone Folder
Timeless Trim Die	Sponge Dauber
Modern Label Punch	Riding Hood Red Classic Ink
Ribbon Scissors	5/8” Real Red Satin Ribbon
Paper Snips	Very Vanilla Card Stock
Stampin’ Dimensionals	Riding Hood Red Card Stock
Snail Adhesive	Champagne Shimmer Paint
Multipurpose Adhesive	Rubbing Alcohol – 70%  or +
Art Quality Spritzer	Recipe:  Shimmer Mist

Card Stock (CS), Designer Series Paper (DSP), and Ribbon Cutting Instructions

Card Base

• Very Vanilla CS 5-1/2” x 8-1/2” and  scored at 4-1/4”

Front of card

• Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty Striped DSP 3.5” x 5”
• Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty Polka Dotted DSP 3/4” x 5-1/8”
• Riding Hood Red CS
• 3-3/8” x 5-1/8”
• 2” x 3-3/4”
• Very Vanilla CS 1-3/4” x 3-1/2” and scraps to stamp and fussy cut Creative Elements Stamped images.
• Red 5/8” Satin Ribbon 4-1/2”

Inside of card

• Riding Hood Red CS 3-3/4” x 2-1/2”
• Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty DSP 2-1/4” x 2-3/4” scored at 1/4” along two long sides, and one short side
• Very Vanilla CS scrap to stamp and punch the “Merry Christmas” greeting with the Designer Label Punch
• Red 5/8” Satin Ribbon 5-3/4”

Create the front of the card…

1. Use bone folder to crease scored line of Very Vanilla Card CS base, and then use a sponge dauber and Riding Hood Red Classic Ink to sponge along all edges of the Very Vanilla card base.
2. Stamp the inside sentiment for your card… high and to the left to leave room for ribbon and gift card pocket. 

   Tip for Stampers AND Demonstrators: If the stamped image doesn’t come out exactly like you want it to, fold the card so that it is now on the FRONT, open up the card and try again… the DSP you are attaching to the front of the card in future steps will completely cover the messy stamping!

3. Now, close your card and stamp the “treat yourself” sentiment onto the lower left corner of the card stock… get it as low as you can to leave room for your scallop border trim.
4. Use sponge dauber and Riding Hood Red Classic Ink to sponge the edges of the 3-1/2” x 5” Striped Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty DSP, and then attach it with SNAIL adhesive to the 3-3/8” x 5-1/8” piece of Riding Hood Red Card Stock.
5. Cut scallop trim for bottom edge using the Big Shot Die Cutting Machine and Timeless Trim Die.  Sponge along all edges with Riding Hood Red Classic Ink and Sponge Dauber.
6. Run a line of SNAIL adhesive along one long edge of the layered card stock from step one, and attach the scallop trim so that at least 1/4” of the DSP is hidden behind the Riding Hood Red CS.
7. Stamp flourish images from Creative Elements onto 1-3/4” x 3-1/2” Very Vanilla Card Stock.  You will need to stamp the image 2 or 3 times to fill the card stock without overlapping.  Use sponge dauber and Riding Hood Red Classic Ink to sponge along the edges.
8. Add SNAIL adhesive to the back of the stamped Very Vanilla Card Stock piece, and attach to the 2” x 3-3/4” Riding Hood Red CS.  Add SNAIL adhesive to the back of the assembled piece, and attach to the front of the striped DSP leaving approximately 1/2” from the left edge of the DSP and 1/8” from the bottom of the striped DSP.
9. Fold Red Satin Ribbon in half length-wise and use ribbon scissors to cut a dovetail into the end of the ribbon using Ribbon Scissors.  When doing this, you should always begin your cut approximately 3/8” to 1/2” inch from the end, starting at the fold and cutting towards the end of the ribbon.
10. Run adhesive along the back of the ribbon, and attach to the card, wrapping it around to the back of the card stock and also allowing it to extend abut a 1/4” beyond the edge of the scalloped trim.
11. Add adhesive to the back of the ribbon clad paper, and then attach it to your card front, centering so that your ‘treat yourself’ sentiment is fully visible.
12. Stamp two large blossoms and one long flourish label using Riding Hood Red Classic Ink onto scraps of Very Vanilla CS.  Fussy cut along the edges of one of the flowers, and the label then sponge all edges with inked dauber.  Attach the two pieces together using Stampin’ Dimensionals., attach to card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals too.

    TIPS for Stampers AND Demonstrators: Working with Stampin’ Dimensionals can be fun but sometimes frustrating too! To remove the paper covering an individual dimensional, simply insert your fingernail straight down into the center of the dimensional… the edges will curl and pop up, and you’ll easily be able to peel them back to remove them. Although you don’t need a lot of nail to remove a dimensional, if it’s just not working for you, use the long side of a pointy piercing tool and press it into the center of the dimensional.  Tweezers will work in a similar manner too! OK… so the paper came off, but there’s so much static, it’s sticking to you?  Simply place a small plastic lid with a wet paper towel next to your work surface… when you remove a protective paper, put it on the paper towel.  The paper is automatically attracted to the water and releases from your finger!  This tip works great for Sticky Tape, Red Line Tape, and the protective strips on cello bags as well.

13. Cut out the center of remaining bloom, and ink edges with dauber, attach to center of first bloom with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

    TIPS for Stampers AND Demonstrators: When we were school children, we were often told to cut on the line… but don’t do this when you are fussy cutting an image… Leave a little bit of the paper visible especially if you plan to dauber along the edges.  Alternatively, instead of cutting ON the line, cut just OUTSIDE the line… you’ll be much more pleased with the end result!

14. Add Basic Jewel Rhinestones to the front of your card… I put one on every tiny circle image on the Creative Elements flourish image, one in the center of the popped bloom, one at each end of the label image, and three along the ribbon. 

    TIPS for Stampers AND Demonstrators: If your rhinestones are attached with a strip of glue, cut between them before attempting to remove them. Use the tips of your SNIPS to kind of dig beneath them, lifting from the glue upwards. To space the rhinestones perfectly along ribbon there are two tricks you can use… either mark the positioning with a mat pack and pencil/pen OR you can use the sheet the rhinestones were plucked from… line up the sheet next to the ribbon and use the rings on the sheet as your guide for placement.

15. Now, mix up a batch of Champagne Shimmer Mist and spray the entire front of your card… ribbon and all!  Don’t oversaturate it though… over-wetting may result in runny inked images and warped paper!

NOW… finish the inside, and make the gift card pocket!

1. Use bone folder to crease along scored lines of Striped DSP.
2. Cut on the scored line, just TO the intersecting scored line to remove the corner ‘excess’.
3. Fold along scored lines towards the back to form a pocket and place a thin line or dots of Multipurpose Adhesive onto the scored flaps.  Center onto Riding Hood Red CS and attach.

   TIPS for Stampers AND Demonstrators: Placing a gift card into the pocket to hold the shape while gluing will ensure that you don’t make the pocket too small. If you don’t have a used or new gift card, using a credit or bank card will accomplish the same thing.

4. Now, attach the Riding Hood Red gift card assembly inside your card to the right of the hand stamped sentiment.
5. Your 5/8” satin ribbon was intentionally cut a little longer than needed…. bet you were wondering about that Run SNAIL adhesive along the back of the ribbon.. all the way to the ends.  You may have to run the SNAIL 2-3 times to cover the entire ribbon.
6. Attach the ribbon to the lower portion of the card, so the bottom edge of the ribbon is approximately 3/4” from the bottom edge of the card… ALLOW the ribbon to go OVER the gift card pocket (with the gift card still in place) and to extend OFF your card.
7. Use Ribbon Scissors to trim, butting the lower blade of the scissors to the card stock, and cut.  If the ribbon was properly covered with adhesive, and your cut was clean, there will be NO fraying.  

   TIPS for Stampers AND Demonstrators: If your scissors are not sharp it will be difficult to get a clean cut along the edge of the card stock. Alternatively, you can line up your card in your Table Top Paper Cutter so that the edge of the card aligns with the edge of the cutter, and adhesive side of the ribbon extensions facing up. Clean the blade of your tabletop paper cutter afterwards by running a rubber eraser along the sides, and cutting edge of the blade to remove any adhesive residue.

8. Stamp “Merry Christmas” sentiment from the Bright Hopes Stamp Set onto remaining scrap of Very Vanilla CS, punch out using the Modern Label Punch and ink the edges using the inked sponge dauber.

   TIPS for Stampers AND Demonstrators: An inked sponge dauber holds an incredible amount of ink.  Once it has been completely inked, you can use it many times before re-inking the sponge! If you want a heavily sponged edge along your card stock, place the card stock onto a piece of newsprint or grid paper and ink flat from off the edge towards the card. If you prefer a more delicately sponged edge, hold the card in one hand, put the head of the sponge dauber against the card stock, and run it straight down the edge as if you were using a marker.

You’re done!

Whew… that was a long one!

I hope you enjoyed today’s tutorial and Tips for Stampers too.  See you tomorrow with a new project… I’m off to my stamping studio now!

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: stampers,stamping studio,riding hood red,card stock,holly berry bouquet specialty,designer series paper pack,SNAIL,Tabletop Paper Cutter,shimmer mist,champagne shimmer paint,gift card holder

Layered Background And A Pretty CAS Card

This is one of the cards made this week to say thank you to those who placed orders in my online stampin’ Up Store.  LOL, I woke up one morning, with a vision of layering background stamps and images… and then off to my stamping studio I went to create a pretty background!

Today I’m showing the images of my card in reverse… so you can see how it came together too… The background was first stamped with the En Francais stamp set using River Rock Classic Ink.

Next, the same piece of Very Vanilla Card Stock was stamped with the Netted background using Crumb Cake Classic Ink, followed by the random floral images from the Creative Elements Stamp Set and Calypso Coral Classic Ink.

The next step was to add sponged Calypso Coral Classic Ink to the edges of the card stock.The same process was repeated onto a scrap of very vanilla Card Stock… only this time before stamping the floral image, it was inked, stamped OFF, and then stamped onto the card stock scrap.

The sentiment “Just Thank You” is an often overlooked stamp found on page 20 of the Idea Book And Catalog, it’s just $6.95 and fits perfectly inside the Designer Label Punch!What a shock… went to my ribbon tray, and there wasn’t any Calypso Coral ribbon to be found!!  SO… it was time to make some handmade hand-dyed ribbon.  Both sides of Whisper White Taffeta ribbon with Calypso Coral Ink, and let it dry before creating a pretty double loop bow and attaching it to ribbon strung along the side of the card.A narrow border of Early Espresso Card Stock frames the background…. and a couple pearls were added just for fun.

I hope you enjoyed today’s CAS multi stamped background… and I want to extend a warm thank you to those who placed online orders this week too!

Of course the extravaganza is still going on through November 30th… so you have a few more days to take advantage of all the fabulous sale items.  Stop by my Online Stampin’ Up! Store to make your selections today, and have your exclusive supplies delivered to your door… it’s really that simple!

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing a new exclusive project here on Created By You, I hope you’ll stop back by and take a moment to say hi!

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: handmade card,hand-dyed,ribbon,calypso coral,river rock,crumb cake,very vanilla,creative elements,stampin up store,stamp set,stamping studio,online extravaganza,event,shop online,my online stampin up store

Creative Elements Red and Vanilla CS58H

Today’s Creative-Sketches card is a lot more fun than last weeks!  With only two colors, Red and Vanilla, there’s still a lot going on.  While making this card, I totally forgot it was supposed to have a Holiday theme… but I think I made up for that on the interior… you’ll see!

Little Basic Rhinestone sparkle accents were placed in different spots all over today’s challenge card… kind of an unexpected pop of ‘bling’.Anywhere the stamped image had a little circle, a rhinestone jewel was added just for fun.

Slightly larger rhinestones were also added to the dove tail ribbon..And of course on the stamped design behind the flower.  Although I experimented with adding another rhinestone to the cut and popped flower layers, it really didn’t seem to do much for the flower itself.A small gift pocket was created for the inside of the card, and then a bit of ribbon and punched sentiment were added too.  The designer series paper is from the Holly Berry Bouquet DSP pack which can be found in the Holiday Mini Catalog… love the glitter stripes, and polka dot patterns, don’t you?

Here’s the sketch for today’s Creative-Sketches Design Team challenge… why not play along?  You know the drill!

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: holly berry bouquet specialty,designer series paper,rhinestone jewels,creative elements,stampin up store,online shopping,design team,creative-sketches design team,bling,gift card pocket

Always Thankful Masculine Birthday Card

Cards for Guys… we all need them, we all want them, and it seems that you never have one on hand, right?  Today’s Stampin’ Queens Sketch Challenge features the fall wheelbarrow image from the Always Thankful Holiday Mini Catalog stamp set… LOL, and no ribbon… really!I mention ribbon for two reasons… First, I have a stamping friend who HATES ribbon… we all have a good laugh when she wins a door prize drawing and it’s ribbon!  The second reason:  there was a ribbon embellishment on today’s sketch challenge, and I totally forgot to add it to my card!The focal image (wheelbarrow) was stamped onto Shimmery White Paper using Basic Gray Classic Ink and then colored with an Aqua Painter and markers.  The Shimmery White paper gave the image a little bit of sparkle.

The “Happy Birthday” sentiment is from the Cute and Curly stamp set.  After stamping the image, it was layered onto Marina Mist card stock and then the “v” was cut from the left edge using a 1” square punch.  The sentiment banner was curled using a stylus.  Stampin’ Dimensionals hold the flatter, lower curves of the banner in place and also attached it to the card.A bashful blue shadow affect was added t the wheel barrow image using an Aqua Painter… got a little carried away around the wheel… yuck!  I always struggle with painting or coloring wheels… do you?  Well, I totally forgot the ribbon, but did add an embellishment, does that count?  The Real Red cardstock was embossed with the Hounds tooth Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  I think that folder is great for masculine cards… right up there with the Square Lattice folder when it comes to cards for guys!Here’s the sketch for today’s Stampin’ Queens Sketch Challenge, hope you’ll play along with the design team this week!  Visit the Stampin’ Queens challenge blog to view samples from other team members, and add your URL to the linky too… you know the drill!

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: cards for guys,masculine card,always thankful,stampin queens,sketch challenge,shimmery white card stock,marina mist,brads,ribbon,aqua painter

Stamping With Misted Water UDI62

Welcome to the latest edition of the Utah Divas International color challenge, UDI62!  Today I’m sharing a background technique that is new to me… which I stumbled upon this weekend… Stamping with Misted Water!

I know you’ve got questions… LOL, I’ll explain how it was done, and also provide a link to a video tutorial and the blog where I discovered the technique too.

Stamping with water can be a bit tricky…. the stamp needs to be wet, but not TOO wet!  This background was created using French Foliage, and Netted stamps.  Of course, I added my own twist and embossed a Medallion stamp onto the So Saffron Card Stock before approaching the technique.

Added a few ‘little extras’ on this card too… gathered crumb cake seam binding was created by pulling a couple thread in the center of the seam binding while it was still on the roll.  After I had a length suitable for my card, the gathered seam binding was taped to the back of the Very Vanilla layer at both ends, then snipped from the roll.

LOL… tried embossing the Perfectly Penned “get well” greeting using Very Vanilla Craft Ink… but it really didn’t show well enough against the Garden Green background… so opted to stamp in Soft Suede, punch out and attach to the card instead.

The colors for today’s Utah Divas International Color Challenge were Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, So Saffron, Garden Green and Very Vanilla… we’d love to have you play along this week too.  Simply create a project using the colors shown above, upload into an online gallery, blog, or forum and then visit the Utah Divas International Design Team Site to upload the URL of your creation!

Want to see more samples of this technique?  I’ll take that as a Yes!

This is an excellent example of TOO MUCH WATER!!!  The leaf images from French Foliage bled all over the place!  It does nicely showcase the Netted background stamp though!  This one was done on Very Vanilla Card Stock.

Another sample, done on Crumb Cake Card Stock… it was ok, but not as dramatic as I had hoped.

Now you want to know how the technique was done, correct?

Basically…. if you’re going to emboss an image (my twist on the technique)… that must be done first.

Next, ink the entire card stock piece… cover everything up.. even the embossing.  In the video, you’ll see a sponge used… I just cut out the middle man, and used the stamp pad direct to paper (DTP)… seemed like a better option!

After choosing the stamps you want to use, generously mist them with WATER… good ‘ole H2O!  I found that if the stamps were too dry, the image did not bleed well enough onto the background, too wet… and all you have is a glop of something.

So… mist your chosen stamp well, pat off the excess with your hand, and stamp DTP.  Leave it in place for 10-20 seconds, and then remove the stamp. 

LOL, it’s really THAT easy!

Here’s the link to the short and sweet video I promised:  Vicky Papaioannou

Have a great day, and hope you’ll leave a sweet comment too!  See you tomorrow with a new Stampin’ Queens Sketch Challenge… OK?

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: very vanilla,so saffron,medallion,french foliage,water stamping,mist,vicky papaioannou,utah divas,design team,garden green,challenge

Two Quick Christmas Cards for Seniors

Welcome back for a whole new week of cards and stamping ideas here at Created By You!  Today I’m sharing two quick cards we made last week at the local Cards for Seniors sessions here in sunny Jacksonville, Florida!  I hope you’re taking advantage of the sale going on at my Online Stampin’ Up Store  today… there are some really good deals!!!  This first card holds a small ornament from the Stocking Accents Originals Die which was featured on page 24 of the Holiday Mini Catalog.  The Stocking Accents Die can created die cuts of 6 different shapes… a holly leaf, berry, tree, light bulb, candy cane and of course the bulb shown on the card above.We customized the die cut with a 5/8” strip of snowflake embossed card stock, and then added four large rhinestones to the ornament before adding ornament hangar and a narrow taffeta ribbon bow.The fancy, curly ornament hangar was attached with a Crystal Brad to pretty Holly Berry Bouquet Specialty Designer Series Paper which had been layered onto real red card stock.  Then the ornament was attached to the card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.  Wouldn’t this simple Christmas Card make a fabulous Workshop Wow?We always make two cards in the senior stamping classes… and this second card was a lot of fun too.  Of course, because of the layout of the card, they also had design options which allowed them a card more customized to their stamping preferences…. each of the old olive and riding hood red card stock layers were sized 1/4” larger than the very vanilla stamped focal image… so I also showed them how they could layer the card with perfect alignment, or even turn the design so that the card stood 5.5” tall vs. 4.25”.We also curled each of the card stock corners using round nosed jewelry pliers and then rolled gently with our fingers… it’s a fabulous way to get even the most stubborn card stock to curl!The Christmas Collage stamped focal image was also sponged lightly using a sponge dauber and old olive classic ink before attaching a bow to the assembled layers.

The photo above shows how crooked my card base background had been embossed… LOL, I left it that way intentionally, but embossed all theirs correctly.  It gave me an opportunity to share one of my mistakes with the Seniors as well… we all had a good laugh about it too!

I look forward to reading your comments.

Hope you will stop back by tomorrow for a new card or project share!

Hugs,

Sharon

Technorati Tags: online stampin up store,holly berry bouquet specialty,designer series paper,stocking accents die,real red,old olive,very vanilla,card stock,ornament card,Christmas Card,Christmas Collage