Thank You

I had a hard time taking a picture of this card....it really looks pretty in person!

I stamped the feather in Versamark ink on white cardstock, sprinkled it with white Zing embossing powder and melted it with my heat tool.  With a dauber, I rubbed turquoise ink over and around the feather for an emboss-resist look.

I layered the panel on black cardstock onto a Tropical Teal cardstock card base.  The sentiment is stamped  in black ink and I added white twine to the base of the feather.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Feather Finery, Communique Curves Sentiments
• Paper:  PTI Tropical Teal, White Stampers Select, True Black
• Ink:  Versamark; VersaMagic Turquoise Gem; Memento Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Rectangle Mat Die
• Other:  Zing; Twine; Heat Tool
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Birthday Wishes

I hope I never tire of watercolor because there are so many things I want to try yet!

I was playing around with Stampin' Up watercolor crayons (Handsome Hunter, Orchid Opulence, Taken With Teal), brushing a variety of colors on a piece of watercolor paper.  When it was finished and dried, the watercolor pattern reminded me of the sky, and I knew I wanted to use hot air balloons, which would also mean pulling out my Up, Up & Away set I haven't used for a while. 

I die-cut the three different balloons and stamped them with blue and purple inks.  I stamped the baskets in black ink and placed the balloons on thin foam tape for dimension.  The sentiment is stamped in blue ink on a banner die-cut.  The image is on a white cardstock card base.

I just bought a bunch of sequins at Joanns, and these iridescent ones seemed to be a good fit for the card.  I am so happy with the way this turned out - it's so pretty and soft looking.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Up, Up & Away
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select; Watercolor 140#
• Ink:  Memento Teal Zeal, Tuxedo Black; Brilliance Pearlescent Purple, Pearlescent Sky Blue
• Tools:  PTI Up, Up & Away Dies, Sketched Shapes Die
• Other:  Stampin' Up Watercolor Crayons; Sequins; Foam Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Thank You So Very Much

I keep trying to play with things I haven't used for a while and pulled out my Mat Stack 1 stamp set and die.   It's been a long time since I used these!

I used Spring Moss cardstock for the card base and added the hexagon die-cut on top, made from my Hexagon Cover Plate.  Next, I die-cut a Mat Stack 1 in white cardstock and stamped the design on it with Spring Moss ink.  I added the circle of Spring Moss cardstock to the middle and stamped it with the sentiment from Framed Out #1.  

I tied Chalk White seam binding around the bottom in a bow to complete the card.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Mat Stack 1 Collection, Framed Out #1
• Paper:  PTI Spring Moss, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Spring Moss; Memento Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  PTI Cover Plate: Hexagon Die, Mat Stack 1 Die; Standard Circle Nestability
• Other:  Seam Binding
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

With Sympathy

I've used this stamp set several times for sympathy cards - it's a perfect set for this type of card.

I started with a Blueberry Sky cardstock card base.  I die-cut the stitched rectangle using Vintage Cream cardstock.  The trees and sentiment are stamped in Versamark ink and sprinkled with Copper Zing embossing powder.  Using my heat tool, I embossed the Zing - it's too hard to see in the picture but they are a very pretty, shiny copper color.

To finish the card I tied Copper Shimmer twine around the spine.  Everything is copper coordinated! lol

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Botanical Silhouettes; Stampin' Up Lovely As A Tree
• Paper:  PTI Blueberry Sky, Vintage Cream
• Ink:  Versamark
• Tools:  Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mats: Rectangles
• Other:  Zing Embossing Powder; Heat Tool; Twine
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Summertime Fun

I have another new favorite stamp set - Summer Sweetness!  It has 3 different types of popsicles and a variety of sentiments for all types of occasions!

I stamped the popsicles in four different ink colors - Rosebud, Tangelo, Harvest Gold and Pear Tart.  These colors just reminded me of all the delicious flavors that popsicles come in!  I stamped the popsicle sticks and added some "drips", because there's nothing more refreshing than a cold treat on a hot day! 

The sentiment, which is the new June monthly stamp, is stamped in black ink directly on top of the popsicles.  On a separate piece of paper, I stamped "that" in Rosebud ink, cut it out and placed it on a piece of thin foam tape on top of the star-burst to add additional color.  I got this idea from the PTI Design Team who did this same thing on a couple of the cards they made. 

To finish the card, I rounded just the bottom right hand corner and added coarse glitter to the popsicles to make them look icy.  Love, love, love this set!!!

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Summer Sweetness, Birthday Classics: June
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Harvest Gold; Memento Rosebud, Tangelo, Pear Tart, Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  Corner Rounder
• Other:  Foam Tape; Coarse Glitter
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

It's May - Time To Celebrate Your Birthday

I'm sneaking this one in under the wire - May is almost over.  Seems like it went by fast!

I used Bristol paper this time.  Bristol is good if you just want to do a light watercolor wash, not something that will be heavily wet.  I wet the paper with a light water wash and used Crayola watercolor paints, mixing a pink color and an orange color.  I just randomly brushed the colors on the paper until I liked the look of it.

After the paint dried, I stamped the sentiment in black ink.  I adhered the image onto a Hibiscus Burst cardstock card base, placing the image over to the right to leave a nice edge on the left and bottom.  I added a few gold sequins to make it a bit more festive.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Birthday Classics: May
• Paper:  PTI Hibiscus Burst; Bristol Smooth 100 lb.
• Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
• Other:  Crayola Watercolor Paint; Sequins
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Papertrey May Blog Hop Challenge

This month's PTI Blog Hop challenge is to use aqua and melon colors.  These are two colors I wouldn't think of putting together, but I'll be using them more often because I really like them!

I wanted to use my new Circle Scribbles dies - I'm so happy PTI came out with these matching dies!  I die-cut the scribbles in Aqua Mist and Melon Berry cardstock and adhered them to a piece of Rustic White cardstock.

For the sentiment, I used Building Blocks dies and die-cut three of them in Rustic White, since I knew I wanted to split the sentiment into three lines.  I stamped each of the words in black ink and placed the blocks on thin foam tape for dimension.  The entire image is on an Aqua Mist cardstock card base.  

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Birthday Classics: June, Be Happy, It's A Celebration
• Paper:  PTI Aqua Mist, Melon Berry, Rustic White
• Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  PTI Circle Scribbles Dies, Building Blocks Dies
• Other:  Foam Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Birthday (CAS #16)

This is another set I love to use - so simple, just scribbled circles.  And I'm happy to say they now have matching scribbled circle dies which I just bought!

I stamped the circles on white cardstock in four different colors:  Hibiscus Burst, Cantaloupe, Aqua Mist and Pear Tart.  I stamped the sentiment in black.  I rounded the corners on the right side and done!  Can't get any simpler than this!

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Circle Scribbles, Keep It Simple: Birthday
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select
• Ink:  PTI Hibiscus Burst, Aqua Mist; Memento Cantaloupe, Pear Tart, Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  Corner Rounder
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Happy Birthday

I really do love this Be Happy stamp set and dies!  At least I'm using it a lot and don't seem to be getting tired of it!!

I started with a white cardstock card base and cut a piece of Kraft cardstock for the middle.  Next, I cut the square in Raspberry Fizz cardstock and placed it toward the top.  I die-cut the butterfly from a few scraps of paper (never throw away scraps!) and placed it on foam tape.  I added the antennae in a scrap of black.

I stamped the sentiment in black ink and added the Hawaiian Shores scalloped border on top of it.  To complete the card, I added the button stack, cut in Raspberry Fizz and Hawaiian Shores felt, tied together with white twine.  I'm so happy with the colors and design of this card!

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Be Happy, Keep It Simple: Birthday
• Paper:  White Stampers Select, Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, True Black, Simple Chartreuse, Kraft, 2008 Bitty Box Basics
• Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  PTI Be Happy Dies; Button Stack Dies; Corner Rounder
• Other:  PTI Raspberry Fizz, Hawaiian Shores Felt; Twine; Foam Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Congratulations On Your New Baby Girl

I found this alphabet paper when I was looking for something else and thought it would make a cute baby card.

I cut the alphabet paper to fit an A2 size card.  Next, I stamped the "congratulations on your new" wording on a piece of white cardstock and cut it slighter larger than the wording.  I added "baby", cutting the letters in light pink cardstock and "girl", stamped in black ink. 

I attached the white cardstock on a piece of darker pink cardstock, cut a light bigger than the white to leave an edge.  I tied Pink twine around it in a bow and layered it onto the alphabet paper.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Wonderful Words:  Baby
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select; Recollections; DCWV
• Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  PTI Block Alpha Lower Dies
• Other:  Twine
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Wishing You Well

I wanted to play around with emboss resist and thought I'd made a get well card with it.

I started with a piece of  white cardstock and stamped the flowers and leaves in Versamark ink.  Next, I sprinkled them with white Zing embossing powder and heat set them with my heat tool.  Using a dauber, I colored the flowers with Rhubarb Stalk ink and the leaves with Pearlescent Beige ink.  Notice I went outside the lines...that was intentional.  I rubbed off the excess ink on the embossing with a tissue.

I cut a 3/4" strip of vellum and stamped the sentiment in brown Stazon.  I wrapped the vellum behind the white cardstock and adhered it with Scor-tape.  I rounded the bottom corners and layered it on a Kraft cardstock card base.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI In Bloom, Think Big Favorites #7
• Paper:  PTI Kraft, White Stampers Select
• Ink:  Memento Rhubarb Stalk; Brilliance Pearlescent Beige; Stazon Timber Brown; Versamark
• Tools:  Corner Rounder
• Other:  White Zing Embossing Powder; Heat Tool; Vellum; Scor-Tape; Dauber
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"

Sending You Belated Birthday Wishes

I wanted to try a new technique I learned from the online "Watercolor For Card Makers" class I took.  What a fabulous class!  I learned so much from the 30+ videos they provided....now I just have to find the time to play around with all the techniques!

This technique used watercolor and stencils.  I didn't have any stencils so I made my own from one of my Cover Plates.  I also bought Crayola Watercolor paints, you know, the ones that are for kids.  I got a tray of 16 different colors for about $3.00 with a 50% coupon at Michael's.  And the paint is pretty nice to use!

To make this design, I used 140 lb. watercolor paper.  I wet the paper with water and added a mix of light blue paint and a little bit of purple paint.  Next, I pressed the die-cut "stencil" made from the Hexagon Cover Plate into the wet watercolor.  I placed a few heavy items on top to help hold the "stencil" down until it dried.  Once dried, I adhered it to a white cardstock card base.

I die-cut the circle in watercolor paper, stamped the sentiment in black and placed it on foam tape.  The card looked like it needed something else so I added the jute.  I really like the way this turned out - the colors are nice and soft.

Card Details:

• Stamps:  PTI Stylish Sentiments:  Birthday
• Paper:  PTI White Stampers Select; 140 lb. Watercolor.
• Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
• Tools:  PTI Hexagon Cover Plate Die; Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Circles
• Other:  Crayola Watercolor Paint; Jute; Foam Tape
• Card Size:  4.25" x 5.5"