Wishing You An Amazing Birthday...

I've been trying to experiment with different color combinations recently, especially since I have the new Rainbow stencil. Here I used 6 colors that I think go well together.

On a stitched rectangle of white cardstock I stamped the design in 6 different ink colors. I added the sentiment, stamped in black ink at the bottom. The star is die-cut 3 times in white cardstock and topped with another die-cut of gold foil paper. The star turned out so good when I looked at it again I thought it was a store bought embellishment!

I placed the panel on a piece of fun foam and adhered it to a Hawaiian Shores cardstock card base.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Script Swirls: Birthday, Ombre Sentiments: Birthday
• Paper:  PTI Hawaiian Shores, White Stampers Select; Gold Foil
• Ink:  PTI Pure Poppy, Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold, New Leaf, Hawaiian Shores; Versamagic Purple Hydrangea; Memento Tuxedo Black
• Dies:  PTI Clipsters; Lil Inker Designs Stitched Mats: Rectangles
• Other:  Fun Foam
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Birthday...

It's been a long time since I used my Oopsie Daisy stamp set and pulled it out to make this simple card.

On white cardstock, I stamped the flowers in black and filled the flowers centers with Spring Rain and Sweet Plum inks. I've been in the mood to use purple and blue together!

The stems and leaves are stamped in Spring Moss ink. The sentiment is also stamped in black ink.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Oopsie Daisy, Keep It Simple: Birthday
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Spring Rain, Spring Moss; Memento Sweet Plum, Tuxedo Black
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Have Faith In Your Dreams...

Well, I couldn't wait to use the new Sunshine & Rainbows Make It Market Mini Kit - I'm not really a rainbow type person but was hooked after seeing the Design Team work their magic!

On white cardstock I stenciled the rainbow in Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold, Green Parakeet and Hawaiian Shores inks. Betsy again has made another kit so much fun to use!

I die-cut the stitched clouds and popped them up on foam tape. The sentiment (from my new favorite stamp set!) is stamped in black ink. I added a few raindrops to complete the card.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Sunshine & Rainbows MIM Mini Kit, Colorful Words
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Berry Sorbet, Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold, Green Parakeet, Hawaiian Shores, Soft Stone; Versafine Onyx Black
• Dies:  PTI Sunshine & Rainbows MIM Mini Kit
• Other:  Foam Tape
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Masked Backgrounds (MIM #250)...

Laurie is the host for this week's Make It Monday #250: Masked Backgrounds where she shows us how to mask backgrounds with the use of tape. I've done this in the past and really like the look of it, so why don't I use it more? This was a good reminder for this technique.

On white cardstock, I placed masking tape 1/2" around the card. Next, I blended my current favorite ink color trio - Hawaiian Shores, Harvest Gold and Green Parakeet onto the cardstock. I can't stop using this combo! I love it when you pull off the tape and see that beautiful, white border!

Note is die-cut twice, once in Hawaiian Shores and once in True Black cardstock. I overlapped them slightly to give a shadow look. I adhered it to the card and stamped the rest of the sentiment in black ink.

My final step was adding a few water splotches by flicking water on the card with a paintbrush and blotting them with a paper towel. I just wanted to make an easy, simple card for this challenge.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Don't Forget To Write
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select, Hawaiian Shores, True Black
• Ink:  PTI Hawaiian Shores, Harvest Gold, Green Parakeet; Versafine Onyx Black
• Dies:  PTI Don't Forget To Write
• Other:  Water; Paintbrush; Masking Tape
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Get Well Soon...

I'm so enjoying the Splits sets that PTI is releasing each month - get well soon was April's release.

On linen paper, I stenciled the background lines in Aqua Mist ink. I die-cut and stamped the "split" in black ink, adding just the sun in Harvest Gold ink. I die-cut it two more times and stacked them together. Once it was adhered, I added the birds stamped in black ink.

I placed the panel on a layer of True Black cardstock and onto an Aqua Mist cardstock card base.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Splits: Get Well Soon
• Paper:  PTI Aqua Mist, True Black, Fresh Snow Linen
• Ink:  PTI Aqua Mist, Harvest Gold; Memento Tuxedo Black
• Dies:  PTI Splits: Get Well Soon
• Other:  PTI Modern Backgrounds Stencil
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Papertrey May 2016 Blog Hop Challenge...

Another month gone by and it's the 25th and time for PTI's Blog Hop. This month's challenge didn't require too much thinking for me - as soon as I saw the Popsicles I knew I was going to pull out my Summer Sweetness stamp set. That made me happy because I haven't used it for quite some time!

The first row of Popsicles in the inspiration photo is what I based my card on. I inked up my stamps, spritzed them with a bit of water and stamped them on Bristol paper. I was going to use watercolor paper but decided to go with a smoother texture. The Popsicles are stamped in Limeade Ice, Aqua Mist and Hawaiian Shores ink, with the sticks in Kraft ink.

The splatters were made with the same inks mixed with a bit of water and flicked onto the card with a paint brush. I just received the new Colorful Words stamp set and thought it was perfect to use on the card as it looks very similar to the font in the picture. I stamped the sentiment in a grey ink and decided against coloring it in.

Instead of centering the panel, I placed it to the left and bottom of a Limeade Ice cardstock card base.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Summer Sweetness, Colorful Words
• Paper:  PTI Limeade Ice; Strathmore Bristol
• Ink:  PTI Limeade Ice, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Kraft; Amuse Seattle
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Father's Day...

I recently donated a big box of handmade cards to Send A Smile 4 Kids (SAS4K), an organization that collects handmade cards that are distributed to children while they are inpatient at Children’s Hospitals. I make a lot of cards and being able to donate some of them to such a worthy cause as SAS4K feels wonderful!! Recently they were asking for Father's Day cards so I made several of this one to send them.

I die-cut the three ties in patterned paper and adhered them on foam tape on white cardstock. I scored three lines at the bottom and stamped the sentiment above the top line. The panel is adhered to a New Leaf cardstock card base. To finish things, I added a bit of jute tied around the spine.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Keep It Simple: Father
• Paper:  PTI New Leaf, White Stampers Select; DCWV The Countdown Stack
• Ink:  PTI Enchanted Evening
• Dies:  PTI Tie
• Other:  Jute
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Hugs...

I wish I could take credit for the design/idea on this card, but that goes to the very talented and creative Laura Bassen. She made a card similar to this and I wanted to see if I could re-create it.

I started with a piece of white cardstock and rubbed Hawaiian Shores, Green Parakeet and Harvest Gold ink on it. This is my new favorite color trio! Next, I added a piece of fun foam to the back of the cardstock with tape. I placed Journal Card #8 on top and ran it through the Cuttlebug.

The circles were still in the negative after die-cutting it and I put glue on the back of each one and laid it on a white cardstock card base. I removed the negative and the circles were all lined up nice and neat!

Hugs is die-cut three times in black cardstock and stacked together. I think this is such a clever idea - thanks Laura! 

Card Details:

• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select, True Black
• Ink:  PTI Hawaiian Shores, Green Parakeet, Harvest Gold
• Dies:  PTI Journal Card #8; Simon Says Stamp Painted Hugs
• Other:  Fun Foam
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Birthday Wishes...

Gold is still very trendy and adds a bit of elegance to a card, don't you think?

For this card, I die-cut "birthday" in True Black cardstock and used the negative, laying the gold inside the cut portion. I don't know why I did this, it would have been just as easy to place the word on top of the black! lol Although it gives it a different look.

The flowers and leaves were die-cut in white and stamped with Sweet Blush, Berry Sorbet, Aqua Mist and Spring Moss inks. A few of the flowers are on foam tape for dimension.

Wishes is stamped in Berry Sorbet ink on a Building Blocks die-cut. I added a little bit of glitter to some of the flowers to finish things off.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI One Big Happy, Keep It Simple: Anniversary
• Paper:  PTI True Black, White Stampers Select, Luxe Gold Adhesive 
• Ink:  PTI Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush, Aqua Mist, Spring Moss
• Dies:  PTI One Big Happy, Birthday Trio, Building Blocks
• Other:  Glitter; Foam Tape
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Make It With Money (MIM #249)...

Lexi shows us how to use money on cards and other things in this week's Make It Monday #249: Make It With Money. It's always fun to give money in a different way than just handing over cash or a check. I had a few ideas in mind when I started my card and decided to go with origami after I found an easy video (Origami Star Tutorial) on how to make a star. This wasn't too hard to make, especially after seeing other more complicated designs.

The star is made with five one dollar bills, folding five star points and connecting them together. But, a word of caution - working with money is dirty, and my fingers were almost black from folding the bills. Yuck - maybe next time I should wear gloves!

On white cardstock, I stamped the Star Scribbles in Versamark ink, sprinkled them with gold embossing powder and heat set them. I placed the panel on a Royal Velvet cardstock card base - purple and gold are always a good combination! I die-cut a circle in white cardstock, stamped the sentiment and also embossed it in gold. It looked plain sitting on the star so I added the scalloped circle behind it.

Because this star is large (4.25") and so dimensional, I plan to put it in a PTI clear box (the one the stamps come in) so the card is an odd size. 

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Star Scribbles, Sketched Shapes
• Paper:  PTI Royal Velvet, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  Versamark
• Dies:  PTI Sketched Shapes; Scalloped Circle Nestabilities
• Other:  Zing Embossing Powder; Dollar Bills
• Size:  4.75" x 6.5"

Hang In There...

I've been in the mood to make CAS cards and to use some of my older, neglected stamps. This is from Square Prints, a set I rarely use.

On white cardstock, I stamped the squares in a random pattern using Green Parakeet, Orange Zest and Hawaiian Shores inks. The sentiment is stamped in black ink.

I placed the panel on a Green Parakeet cardstock card base, adding a strip of black cardstock at the bottom.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Square Prints, Keep It Simple: Encouragement
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select, Green Parakeet, True Black
• Ink:  PTI Green Parakeet, Hawaiian Shores, Orange Zest; Versafine Onyx Black
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Thank You...

Fun Stampers Journey is a new stamp company to me. My friend had a catalog party and I bought a few stamps sets and sequins (like I need more sequins! lol). I don't know why, but all of the sudden I really like the cactus stamps I'm seeing now!

On white cardstock I stamped the cactus and colored it with Copic markers. I stamped the sentiment and the line in black ink. I placed the panel on a Terracotta Tile cardstock card base. Just a quick and simple card!

I'm starting to use Versafine Onyx black as my "go to" black ink now, thanks to my blog friend Susi who recommended it. The difference in this ink and Memento ink is like night and day, don't you think? I stamped the two inks side by side and here's the comparison (Versafine on the left, Memento on the right):

Card Details:

• Stamps:  Fun Stampers Journey Stuck On You; PTI Southwestern Style
• Paper:  PTI Terracotta Tile, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
• Copics:  E8, E19, G24, G82
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Birthday...

This is the card I originally made for last week's MIM #247. I only made one card and then read that Nichole wanted us to make a "card set". 

On white cardstock, I stamped the flowers and leaves in black ink, using a mask to overlap the flowers and leaves.  With a waterbrush, I applied Berry Sorbet and Pure Poppy inks to the flowers and Spring Moss and Simply Chartreuse inks to the leaves. The flower centers are Harvest Gold ink. With a dauber, I applied additional ink around the flowers and leaves to soften them up a bit.

I stamped the sentiment in black ink and flicked splatters of Spring Moss ink over the image. I placed the panel on True Black cardstock and onto a Berry Sorbet cardstock card base. I tied sheer, white ribbon around the top. 

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI In Bloom, Think Big Favorites #24
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select, True Black, Berry Sorbet
• Ink:  PTI Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy, Spring Moss, Simply Chartreuse, Harvest Gold; Versafine Onyx Black
• Other:  Ribbon; Waterbrush
• Size:  5.0" x 7.0"

You're On My Mind...

Fresh Floral Wrap Ups is a set I don't think I'll ever get tired of!

For the card base, I started with a piece of white cardstock and added a layer of pattern paper - this is an old paper pack from PTI called Green Boutique.

Next, I die-cut the wrap in Spring Moss cardstock and the flowers in white cardstock. Using the Misti, I stamped the wrap in black ink, the flowers in Hawaiian Shores ink and leaves in Spring Moss ink. I added a little glitter to the flowers and stamped the sentiment in black ink.

The bouquet is on foam tape adhered to a stitched white rectangle. I placed the panel on fun foam for additional dimension.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Fresh Floral Wrap Ups, Words Of Comfort
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select, Spring Moss, Green Boutique
• Ink:  PTI Hawaiian Shores, Spring Moss; Memento Tuxedo Black
• Dies:  PTI Fresh Floral Wraps Ups; Lil Inker Designs Stitched Mats: Rectangles
• Other:  Foam Tape; Fun Foam; Glitter
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Ink Blending Through Die Cut Masks (MIM #248)...

Lizzie is hosting this week's Make It Monday #248: Ink Blending Through Die Cut Masks. You can make your own die-cut using any die and then color it in with an ink blending tool. Simple enough to do and what I like best is that it gives you another way to use your dies!

I picked Shaker Shapes: Balloon for my die-cut. I placed the negative on a piece of white cardstock, and using an ink blending tool, rubbed Aqua Mist ink over the die-cut. To give it some shade variations, I also rubbed Hawaiian Shores and Tropical Teal inks on it as well. The balloon string is stamped in black ink.

The banner is die-cut in white cardstock with a Bountiful Banner die. I stamped the sentiment in black ink and placed the banner on fun foam for full support. The panel is adhered to a Tropical Teal cardstock card base. A couple clusters of clear sequins completes the card.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Keep It Simple: Birthday, Balloon Bash
• Paper:  PTI Tropical Teal, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal; Memento Tuxedo Black
• Dies:  PTI Shaker Shapes: Balloon, Bountiful Banners
• Other:  Pretty Pink Posh Sequins; Fun Foam
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Mother's Day...

I was in the mood to make my own patterned background and decided to use the little flowers from Color Pop Butterflies.

On white cardstock, I stenciled the flower clusters in Hibiscus Burst/Raspberry Fizz inks. Next, I added additional flowers in Summer Sunrise/Orange Zest and Aqua Mist/Tropical Teal inks. The leaves are stenciled in Spring Moss/Simply Chartreuse inks. I really need to start using another green combination! I thought these colors looked nice and Spring like!

For the sentiment, I panicked a bit because I realized I didn't get the Keep It Simple: Mother stamp set! What??? So I had to scramble to find a mother's day stamp and saw there was one in the Fillable Frames #4 set. I die-cut the frame three times in Aqua Mist cardstock and stacked them together, stamping the edge in Tropical Teal ink. The sentiment is stamped in black ink.

I added a pre-made butterfly from the kit on foam tape and adhered the panel to an Aqua Mist cardstock card base. For embellishment, I wrapped pink twine around the spine.

 Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Color Pop Butterflies, Color Pop Florals, Fillable Frames #4
• Paper:  PTI Aqua Mist, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Hibiscus Burst, Raspberry Fizz, Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Aqua Mist, Tropical Teal, Spring Moss, Simply Chartreuse; Versafine Onyx Black
• Dies:  Fillable Frames #4, Color Pop Butterflies
• Other:  Twine; Foam Tape
• Size:  5.0" x 7.0"

Watercolored Card Sets: MIM #247...

Melissa is the host for this week's Make It Monday #247: Watercolored Card Sets. She shows us how to sponge ink on a design and apply water to give it a watercolor effect. I originally made one card for this but then saw Nichole mentions to make a watercolor card set. So it was back to the drawing board for me.

I pulled out my Year Of Flowers: Violets stamp set again for this challenge. On watercolor paper, I stamped two overlapping violets and leaves created with masking. I started to rub the ink on the violets but wasn't having much luck getting good blending coverage and ended up applying the ink with a waterbrush. 

The violets were done in two ink shades: Lemon Tart/Orange Zest, Aqua Mist/Hawaiian Shores and Berry Sorbet/Pure Poppy with the flower centers in Harvest Gold. The leaves were done in Spring Moss and Simply Chartreuse inks. I rubbed a little bit of ink with a dauber around the images which helped soften them up a bit.

I did a little splattering with Spring Moss ink and added a strip of striped paper at the top. I stamped the sentiment and adhered the panels to a coordinating cardstock card base. I wasn't too happy with the way these looked until I put them all together. Now they look "okay" to me and look much better in person than in the photos. 

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Year Of Flowers: Violets, Think Big Favorites #3 & #5, Birthday Bash Sentiments
• Paper:  PTI Lemon Tart, Aqua Mist, Berry Sorbet, Orange Zest Stripes, Hawaiian Shores Stripes, Spring Moss Stripes; Tim Holtz Watercolor
• Ink:  PTI Lemon Tart, Orange Zest, Harvest Gold, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Berry Sorbet, Pure Poppy, Spring Moss; Versafine Onyx Black
• Other:  Waterbrush
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Thinking Of You...

And another quick card for today. It's been a while since I used the Brushed Off stamp set.

I used the widest brushstroke stamp from the set and stamped it in Lemon Tart and Berry Sorbet inks.

The sentiment is also stamped in Berry Sorbet ink. I added Buttercream twine around the spine and a few enamel dots. Last step was rounding the corners to finish the card.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Brushed Off, Take Three Spring
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Lemon Tart, Berry Sorbet
• Tools:  Corner Rounder
• Other:  Twine; Enamel Dots
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Birthday Wishes...

I really haven't played too much with the Color Pop Butterflies set, but here's another quick card using a pink and grey color combination.

Using the stencils from the set, on white cardstock I stenciled the large butterflies in Lovely Lady and Hibiscus Burst inks. The smaller butterflies are stenciled in Soft Stone and Seattle Grey inks. The butterfly bodies are done with Smokey Shadow ink and the flowers in Hibiscus Burst and Smokey Shadow inks. 

I stamped the sentiment on a Hibiscus Burst die-cut and popped it up with fun foam.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Color Pop Butterflies, Painted Petals
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select, Hibiscus Burst
• Ink:  PTI Hibiscus Burst, Lovely Lady, Soft Stone, Smokey Shadow; Amuse Seattle
• Dies:  PTI Sketched Shapes
• Tools:  PTI Color Pop Butterflies Stencils
• Other:  Fun Foam
• Size:  4.25" x 5.5"