Freshly Made Sketches

I'm getting in just under the wire for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge. I watched a video recently from a live chat by Gina K Designs which demonstrated this fun technique using large stamps and cover plate dies (tutorial can be seen HERE).

I cut two panels that were 3 3/4" by 5". I placed them in my MISTI and stamped them both with the Slimline Poinsettias stamp from Colorado Craft Company using Versafine Clair Nocturne pigment ink.

I then took the Cover Plate: Herringbone die (Papertrey Ink) and die cut one of the stamped panels. I then cut two more plain white layers with the same cover plate so I could stack 3 of them together to give dimension. I them adhered the herringbone stack to the one stamped panel and it gives such a WOW factor! I layered two skinny postage frame die cuts in black and added a simple gold embossed sentiment.

STAMPS: Slimline Poinsettias (Colorado Craft Company); Merry Berry Wreath (Papertrey Ink).

INK: Versafine Clair Nocturne; Versamark.

PAPER: White, True Black (PTI).

DIES: Cover Plate: Herringbone, Border Bling: Skinny Postage (PTI)

OTHER: Gold embossing powder.

 

That's it for this Monday. Hope your week is starting off well!  ~Wanda

Garden Fresh Fall Version

 

I wanted to make a fall version using the new Garden Fresh stencil collection from Papertrey Ink (see yesterday's blog post for my summer version). Due to a manufacturing delay, the DT wasn't able to get the stencils in time for the release date. But...they are here now and so fun to create with! The sign has a matching die so you can "pop it up" on your card.

The arched greenery at the top was a stencil that was part of the June 2023 Surprise Box and it's a favorite of mine! I added a pumpkin and some apples from the Fall Farmers Market stamp/die set released last year. My brain must be fried from the heat because I totally forgot to color blend the bottom of the scene to "ground" it. As Homer Simpson would say..."DOH"!!

STAMPS: Fall Farmers Market (Papertrey Ink).

INK: Orange Zest, Terracotta Tile, Pure Poppy, Simply Chartreuse, Ripe Avocado, Honey Nut, Cocoa Bean, Fine Linen, Classic Kraft, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal, Spring Rain, Enchanted Evening, Dark Chocolate, Spring Moss dye inks (PTI); Fossilized Amber distress ink.

PAPER: White, Bitty Big: Simply Chartreuse (PTI); Bristol Smooth Surface.

DIES: Garden Fresh (wood sign), Fall Farmers Market (PTI).

 

Thanks for stopping by!  Stay cool!  ~Wanda

Garden Fresh

 

Good Saturday everyone! I received the Garden Fresh stencil collection yesterday that was to be part of the July release at Papertrey Ink (manufacturing issues caused a delay!). I love being able to create a scene using just stencils!

The clouds and grass were stencils from the June 2023 Surprise Box at Papertrey Ink. I used a variety of PTI dye inks plus some distress inks.

STAMPS: Garden Blessings (Papertrey Ink).

INKS: Simply Chartreuse, Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores, Tropical Teal, Ocean Tides, Pure Poppy, Spring Rain dye inks (PTI); Mowed Lawn, Fossilized Amber, Picked Raspberry, Lost Shadow, Hickory Smoke distress inks; Versafine Clair Nocturne pigment ink.

PAPER: Bristol Smooth Surface; White, Bitty Big: Pure Poppy (PTI).

DIES: Garden Fresh (PTI).

 

Tomorrow I'll have a fall version of this stencil set.  Have a great weekend and happy stamping!  ~Wanda

Inspired By

 

It's going to be a really hot day here in VA so staying indoors in the AC is my plan of action! I decided to play along with the Inspired By challenge which has a berry photo for inspiration. I was definitely inspired by the blueberries and went with a favorite 4 step stencil from Papertrey Ink called Berry Branches. 

I stamped the sentiment with Versafine Clair Nocturne pigment ink onto heavy weight vellum paper then embossed with clear embossing powder. I cut two skinny postage frames, adhered them together, then popped it up with small foam dots.

I wanted more than just blueberries in my garden, so added some Gerbera daisies. I cut down two of the leaves to make them smaller than what came with the die set.

STAMPS: Garden Blessings (Papertrey Ink).

INK: Versafine Clair Nocturne; Honey Nut, Lemon Tart, Bright Buttercup, Blueberry Sky, Enchanted Evening, Spring Moss, Simply Chartreuse, New Leaf dye inks (Papertrey Ink).

PAPER: Bristol Smooth Surface; Vellum; White (PTI).

DIES: Border Bling: Skinny Postage, Into the Blooms: Gerbera Daisies (Papertrey Ink); Stitched Rectangle STAX Die-Namics (My Favorite Things).

 

Stay cool everyone!   ~Wanda

Color Throwdown #753

 

It's Wednesday and that means a new Color Throwdown challenge is happening! Broni is hosting and has a favorite mix of colors: pink, yellow, aqua and lime. It was perfect to tuck a group of wildflowers into a "tuck it" die and then I popped it with foam over a base that was color blended and covered with the Border Bling: Lotty Dotty die cut panel.

STAMPS: Wildflower Fields, Tuck It Sentiments (Papertrey Ink).

INK: Green Parakeet, Bright Buttercup, Hibiscus Burst, Hawaiian Shores dye inks by Papertrey Ink; Sparkling Rose, Lemon Whip, Marigold, Fresh Pear, Grassy Knoll, Olive dye inks by Pinkfresh Studio.

PAPER: Bristol Smooth Surface.

DIES: Wildflower Fields, Tuck It Sentiments, Border Bling: Lotty Dotty, Love to Layer: Rectangles (Papertrey Ink). 

 

And it's a wrap for today! Hope you will be able to join us in the challenge!  ~Wanda

The Paper Players

***Just a friendly reminder that today is release day at Papertrey Ink where the new goodies will be available to buy at 10 pm ET! Also, PTI is having an Instagram hop at 2:00 where designers will be featuring the new products! Commenters will be eligible to win a gift card to the PTI store.

Good Tuesday morning! I have a quick card today using a leftover monstera die leaf from another project (you'll see more of that in another week). I love this large leaf and thought it would be a fun element to sub for the circle in Joanne's great sketch for the current Paper Players Challenge.

I smooshed Bundled Sage and Rustic Wilderness distress inks onto Bristol Smooth Surface (my newest fave combo of green inks!) then cut the leaf.

The patterned paper is from an old 6x6" patterned pack - Tropical Escape - from Stampin' Up that I've been hoarding. 

STAMPS: Tuck It: Sentiments (Papertrey Ink).

INK: Rustic Wilderness, Bundled Sage distress (Ranger).

PAPER: Tropical Escape 6x6" patterned paper by Stampin' Up; White (PTI); Bristol Smooth Surface.

DIES: Large Leaves Monstera (The Greetery); Simple Strips (Taylored Expressions); A2 Layers (Waffle Flower).

 

Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting! Stay cool everyone! This week it's to get into the upper 90's in VA!  ~Wanda

PTI July Release Reveal Day 4

Have you enjoyed the new reveals so far? They will be available to buy on Tuesday, July 25, at 10pm ET. Popular items sell out quickly so get your shopping lists ready! Today, we are introducing you to Balloon Bouquet dies + Birthday Wishes Background stamp.

I don't make slimline cards very often, but this balloon bouquet was perfect for that, plus I got to try out the fabulous cloud and grass stencil that was part of the June 2023 Surprise Box.

To create the balloons, I used two

shades of distress ink for each of the 5 colors. I smooshed the ink onto 5 small panels of watercolor paper until I got some variation in shades. Then I die cut all the balloon shapes in each panel.

 

 

Nothing screams "celebration" like sequins or some other form of bling! Pop up the balloon bouquet to give it some dimension and to draw the eye to the main center of attraction.

STAMPS: Birthday Your Way, Just Sentiments: Everyday.
INK: Tumbled Glass, Mowed Lawn distress inks (used to stencil background); Twisted Citron, Salvaged Patina, Peacock Feathers, Shaded Lilac, Wilted Violet, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Kitsch Flamingo, Picked Raspberry distress inks (used on balloons).
PAPER: Hawaiian Shores, Hibiscus Burst, White; Bitty Big: Green Parakeet; Bristol Smooth Surface.
DIES: Balloon Bouquet, Birthday Your Way.
OTHER: Sequins, Cloud/grass stencil from June Surprise Box kit, White embossing powder, Sentiment Suite Basics banner die, Nordic Slimline die.

After seeing a recent video tutorial by Jennifer McGuire on creating
"bridge" cards, I knew I wanted to use this die to try the technique. I cut some Soft Stone paper sized   10 3/4" x 6" then scored at 1 1/4", 2 1/4", 3 1/4" on each end. Fold in an accordion fashion as shown in photo. Line the middle portion with patterned paper if desired.

This photo of the back is rather dark, but it gives you an idea of how to add what I call a "kick stand" so it helps it stand up for displaying the card and it gives you a spot to sign it. The balloon bouquet fits so perfectly into the Tuck It stamp/die set that was previously released (I really love the versatility of the Tuck It concept!). This card also showcases the new layering die set called Love to Layer: Alluring Brackets. I used only the two larger sizes of the trio of dies.

Are you still hanging in there with me? It's a long post today, but this is my last project for today.

I used Versafine Clair Nocturne pigment ink to stamp the background  then embossed with clear powder. That allowed me to "smoosh" several distress ink colors over it.

STAMPS: Birthday Wishes Background, Hooray It's Your Birthday.
INK: Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron, Lucky Clover distress oxide; Hawaiian Shores; Versafine Clair Nocturne.
PAPER: True Black, White; Bristol Smooth Surface.
DIES: Hooray It's Your Birthday.
OTHER: Clear embossing powder.

SUPPLIES

 

Don't forget to join us on Instagram for the release hop tomorrow at 2pm ET. By commenting, you have a chance to win a gift card offered on each of the designers' posts. Happy stamping!  ~Wanda

PTI July Release Reveal Day 3

Welcome back to day #3 of reveals for the July release at Papertrey Ink. Today, we are introducing you to Garden Blessings stamps + Into the Blooms: Poppies dies. This has got to  be one of my all-time favorite flowers from the Into the Blooms series! 

I recently came across this "floating strips" technique on the internet and decided to give it a try. It's a great way to use up those scraps! I cut a piece of acetate into a 3 7/8" square (the sample I saw used a 3" square but I wanted it a bit larger).

You will want to use a liquid glue to adhere the strips to the acetate so you have some wiggle room to get it nice and straight. I used foam mounting tape behind the wider strips to make it pop off the base - making it look like the strips are floating. So fun!

STAMPS: Garden Blessings.
INK:  Variety of distress inks.
PAPER: Miscellaneous papers from scrap bin.
DIES: Into the Blooms: Poppies.
OTHER: Clear acetate; Simple Strips dies. 

My second card uses the poppies again in a simple layout. I tore the edge of the patterned paper on a slant to give it some texture and visual interest.

I smooshed distress oxide inks onto Bristol Smooth Surface paper then splattered with water after ink had dried. I LOVE the sentiments in this Garden Blessings stamp set so much! Unique from any that I've had previously.

STAMPS: Garden Blessings.
INK: Bundled Sage, Rustic Wilderness, Kitsch Flamingo, Spun Sugar, Festive Berries, Worn Lipstick, Abandoned Coral distress oxide inks; Versafine Clair Nocturne.
PAPER: Bristol Smooth Surface; True Black, White; Black + white patterned paper.
DIES: Pierced Feature Frames, Into the Blooms: Poppies. 

 

SUPPLIES

 

That's all for today. Come back tomorrow for the final day of reveals and you'll see more birthday options!   ~Wanda

 

PTI July Release Reveal Day 2

Hello friends! Today is the second day of reveals for the July release at Papertrey Ink and we are introducing you to Hooray It's Your Birthday stamps and dies + Cover Plate: Jumbo Dots die + Psalm Reflections: July stamps and dies.

I had some rainbow strip background remaining from my card yesterday and decided it would be good for a pair of festive balloons!

I placed the jumbo dot panel over some patterned paper, added some bows to the balloons and then repeated the sentiment in a rainbow theme. No stamps or ink used on this one!

PAPER: Surprise 6x6 pad (Bo Bunny); Lemon Tart, White, Hawaiian Shores, Spring Rain, Amethyst Allure, Lilac Grace, New Leaf, Summer Sunrise, Orange Zest, Melon Berry, Raspberry Fizz, Hibiscus Burst.
DIES: Hooray It's Your Birthday, Birthday Celebration Bling, Bows Galore.

I'm a big fan of the Psalm Reflections series and this month's makes reference to "lamp" and "light", so I knew I wanted to also use this vintage lantern stamp/die.

It meant making the card larger (it's 5" x almost 6 1/2"). I embellished with florals from the Into the Blooms: Clover die set.

The soft watercolor background with torn edge die was layered over a fave tin stitch die panel.

STAMPS: Psalm Reflections July, Vintage Lantern.
INK: Bundled Sage, Rustic Wilderness distress; Hibiscus Burst, Summer Sunrise, Lemon Tart, Raspberry Fizz; Versafine Clair Nocturne.
PAPER: Bristol Smooth Surface; Lemon Tart, White.
DIES: Border Bling: Tin Stitch, Vintage Lantern, Into the Blooms: Clover, Love to Layer: Torn Edges.
OTHER: Ribbon, Crystal Stickles.

SUPPLIES

Thanks for stopping by and hope you will be back tomorrow for day #3 of reveals!  ~Wanda