Growing in Unity - Tuesday

Since I featured an {itty bitty} stamp yesterday, let's keep the theme going!   After all, that's what one lucky commenter will win at the end of the week.  Comment every day this week for more chances to win!

This is another clean & simple card, featuring the On the Bright Side {itty bitty} stamp:

I stamped the lamp and sentiment onto a cream panel with Rich Cocoa dye ink by Memento and edged the panel with my go-to Chestnut Roan chalk ink from ClearSnap.  I added a little copper-colored paper clip and tied that with a small bit of ribbon from May Arts.  The lamp panel is layered atop a cute plaid rectangle (that was also edged with the chalk ink) and then both panels are mounted onto a dark chocolate card.

I have a real 'thing' for plaid papers.  I can't get enough of them!!

Thanks for stopping by!   Happy Stamping!

 

Ice Cream Challenge - Week 27

#27

Challenge:   Ice Cream

July 9 - 15, 2013

It's Tuesday, and that means it's time for a brand new Cuttin and Stampin weekly challenge!

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month.  We thought we'd celebrate these frosty treats with a challenge.  So go ahead and create something with ice cream, and share it with us!  We're looking for ice cream cones, banana splits, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes... show us your best!   (This post is making me crave something sweet!)
  

My card features the "Mac" line from Bazzill Basics patterned paper and matching border sticker.  The stamps are from the Paper Smooches Sugar Rush stamp set.  I absolutely love paper-pieced projects made with this ice cream cone.  I've seen so many cute ice cream "flavors" made with it!

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?  I ♥ ice cream, so it's a tough decision.  I tried a Red Velvet Cake ice cream recently and it was great.  For an absolute fave?  I have to go with Mint Oreo.  Yum!

When my sister and I were young (single-digits) growing up in Fort Lauderdale, we used to get ice cream at this little shop on the beach.   I remember her always getting the bubble gum ice cream.  No doubt, her tastes have gotten more sophisticated since then.  I'll have to call and ask her what she likes now.


Please make sure your creation post has a link back to Cuttin' and Stampin'. 

Thanks for playing along!  We will be announcing the winners on July 19, 2013.

You can link your project HERE.

Happy Stamping!  

Happy Fall!

It's September, but the Boise area is still hot -- today's high is in the 90's.  Tomorrow things are supposed to cool down, which means beautiful Autumn leaves are just around the corner.  I kept cool indoors yesterday making cards in the company of good friends.   The cards each represent different seasons.  Since fall is on its way, let's start there.

This is a CAS (clean-and-simple) card.  These stamps are from Unity Stamp Company.  The string is a rustic brown burlap string from May Arts.  The technique was easy!  I just inked the leaves with the gold ink all over, then overlaid the brown ink on top before stamping it on the paper.

Next up is Christmas!   This is a collage made with authentic vintage Christmas-themed postage stamps.   The "Par Avion", triangle post, and Roma postmark stamps are from Oxford Impressions' Travel Journal set.  The other reindeer and other postmark-style stamps are from Darkroom Door's Christmas Reindeer set.  There's not much of it visible, but the holly & berries patterned paper is from Echo Park.

 

And lastly, a Springtime card.  The butterfly and plants stamps are from Unity Stamp Company,   the sentiment is from Hero Arts, and the patterned office-style paper is from Memory Box.

Hope you enjoyed this STAMPtember post!   I have more stamping planned in the near future, along with a trip out-of-state.   Who knows?   Maybe I'll find some fun new stamping stores to visit!

Happy Stamping!

Velvet Flowers & Copic Topics

So much to talk about today! Let's start with a card that looks as springy as I feel. The temperature is nice, tulips are blooming, and little buds on the trees are making it feel like Spring is here.


This Chick-a-doo line from SEI is so cute... one of my very favorites ever. The pretty blues and greens are wonderful together, and they really pop when combined with the slightly darker green Bazzill. Y-U-M!

Supply List:
Paper: Lime Crush Cardstock (Bazzill Smoothies); French Blue, Cypress, and Mint velvet papers (SEI); Chick-a-doo patterned paper (SEI)
Accessories: A2 Card Die & Various Flower Dies (Creative Cuts & More); Glitter Brads & Gemstone Brads (Making Memories); Buttons (Autumn Leaves); Silk Ribbon (May Arts); Rub-On (Deja Views)

And onto Copic Topics. Copic doesn't rhyme with topic. It sounds more like taupe than top. Cope-ic. It'll take more practice for me, but I'm trying to consistently say it like Marianne and other other Copic folks pronounce it.

There are a few KEY things I took away from the training class in Eugene. They include:

* These markers are modular. You can purchase new tips, more ink... even empty markers. Customize them as you wish.

* Most versatile marker of all? The colorless blender marker. You can use it to make textures in a field of color (bricks, spatters, dots, cobblestones). It can help 'erase' mistakes. It can make colored-in jeans look faded.

* Grab a bottle of the colorless blender solution. You'll be refilling your marker. You can also put some in a spray bottle to play with.

* When coloring, don't hold back with the ink. It should soak through the paper. The back should look evenly soaked. Be sure to protect your table surface by coloring on top of other scrap paper or a glass mat or other barrier.

* Play and go crazy. Try things you wouldn't normally do. Seriously. Touch the red marker to the tip of the yellow marker. The red ink won't hurt the yellow marker. Mash hard on the brush tip of the marker. It won't fray. And even if the brush does break, no biggie! The marker isn't ruined... you just take out the old tip and slide in a new one.

* Need a different color? Buy an empty marker and mix up your own custom color. Get a very pale blue by mixing blue ink with blending solution.

* Re-inkers can be used just like alcohol inks. In fact, they ARE alcohol inks.

* These inks can color just about anything. Laurie, my tablemate in class was using the airbrush system to color blush on the cheeks of felt birds. The crew of a currently-running Broadway show in NYC uses them to color the microphones so they hide in the actor's hair.

* The type of alcohol used in the Copic markers is like ethanol. Know what else is made of a similar type of alcohol? Hand sanitizer gel! They're great as disinfectants... but even better as a craft medium! (OK, isn't everything better as a craft medium?) So keep a pump of hand gel on your crafting desk. It works like a charm for clean-up. I even found a purse-sized spray gel which will probably never make its way into my purse.

More key tips and thoughts to come.

Happy Stamping!

A Fun New Adventure

There was some productive stamping and painting time today. I stamped a flat die-cut white cardstock and a separate white sheet of CS with a gray StazOn ink, since I felt that black would have been too bold. Then for painting, several colors of Twinkling H2Os were tested on the white sheet. Garnet was just the right choice: bold enough to stand up to the gray but not over the top. Assembly was easy after the paint was dry... that killer red tacky tape is REALLY sticky. Just what was needed.

You'll be seeing a lot more die-cut projects around here because I've accepted the invitation to join the Design Team for Creative Cuts & More. So fasten your seatbelt and get ready for the specialty-cut cards, fun boxes, and all the other great products Terry offers there. And in addition to standard papers, she offers her die cuts in chipboard, acetate, polyshrink, foam, felt, and beautiful metallics. And if you want something else cut, like a specific patterned cardstock, send it to her and she'll cut it for you! The DT is comprised of many very talented members (including my best pal, Lila), and I can't wait to work with them and get to know them better.

Supply List:
Stamps: Serenity (Verve Visual)
Paper: White Cardstock (Creative Cuts & More)
Ink:Stone Gray StazOn (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Garnet Twinkling H2Os (LuminArte); Short Puff Box Die & Killer Red Tacky Tape (Creative Cuts & More); black ribbon (May Arts)

Happy Stamping!

Fancy Floral Candle

It took some time to get things back to normal Saturday after I scrambled around the house Friday night for the moustache layout. In the mayhem Friday night, several sheets of patterned paper were run over by my chair wheels and a bag of cherry tomatoes ended up all over the floor. I'm messy even on a good day, but this was off the charts! (Sorry, honey!)


After I got the whole thing cleaned up and finished dinner, I decided to get some of my toys out into the dining room again (because my craft room is... you guessed it... too messy!) for some crafting therapy. I got this pretty light blue candle earlier in the week and I thought a pretty floral wrapper would fit the bill nicely.

The band around the candle is two layers of Homespun Collection paper from Memory Box and a nice thick blue grosgrain ribbon from May Arts. The flower was crafted from the same patterned papers and the Fancy Florals set from Verve Visual. The first two flower layers were stamped on the BACK and cut out. The back layer is stamped on the front with Bisque chalk ink from Clearsnap. A ribbon-tied button finished it off. I tried a number of different angles for the flower, and this one seemed to flatter it best. Hope you all like it, too!

Supply List:
- Stamps: Fancy Florals (Verve Visual)
- Ink: Bisque chalk ink (Clearsnap)
- Paper: Homespun Collection (Memory Box)
- Accessories: Ribbon (May Arts); Button (unknown)

Happy Stamping!