Greetings From California

For another challenge over at SCS, to represent your state flower.  I hope this qualifies even though the California golden poppies are a very small part of the image.

Originally a California state 34 cent stamp from the Greetings From America commemorative stamp series. The United States Postal Service released this stamp on April 4, 2002. The retro design of this stamp resembles the large letter postcards that were popular with tourists in the 1930's and 1940's.

This 37 cent version is a free online drawing, downloaded and colored with Derwent Inktense pencils and watercolored with an overlay of Smooch added for sparkle. I altered the palm trees to look like fireworks in honor of July 4. Although palm trees are native to California our state tree is the giant Sequoia.

Proud To Be An American

This card and calendar page were made for a Red, White and Blue Patriotic challenge over as SCS.

Stampin' Up papers, inks and stamp set:  Liberty For All

The fireworks are made by stamping a Studio G Dandelion flower stamp in red, gray and blue adding Stickles for sparkle and shine.

My July calendar page was made using the same stamp set Liberty For All, the inks used are Real Red, Night of Navy and Going Gray

July 4th Banner

Independence Day

4th of July Banner  - Happy Independence Day America!

Julie Nutting Prima Doll Stamps

Upcoming Prima Doll Stamp Workshops

I have two upcoming workshops on building your own tags/cards with the Julie Nutting Doll Stamps by Prima.

The first workshop will be Saturday, July 13, 2013 at The Creative Stamp, 1329 Spring Street, Paso Robles, CA from 1-3PM cost is $20 for two tags:

In this class you will be provided with two tags covered in designer papers, two dolls, dresses and headbands already cut out.  You will design and decorate your tags with the many embellishments available with guidance on design principles, symmetry, color coordination, etc.

The second workshop will be held in my studio on Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 2:00 PM.  For this workshop you will need to sign up in advance and choose the colors that you are interested in, again you will be designing your own layout, and adding embellishments to make the tags/cards your personal creations:

Samples:

Fish Card

The Big One

Whew!  This one took a little while but I finalized the layout late last night and this is the finished card.

This one is for my brother-in-law the "fisherman" who is prone to the claim of landing bigger and bigger fish every year.

The inside reads:  The best part about getting older is the fish get BIGGER and BIGGER.  Hope you "REALLY" catch the BIG ONE on your Birthday.

Now to the details;  Last summer I came upon a card made by Melanie Schulenberg over at Pockets of Inspiration found here: http://melanieschulenberg.blogspot.com/2012/06/suspended-trout.html

Melanie has a tutorial and templete for making this fish.  That was the easy part.

In searching for some inspiration I also found a card made with curled paper to resemble waves, so I set out to give it a try and it worked out great.  My card is an easel card so to prop the front of the card up for display, I used my Fiskars grass edge punch and cut the blades a little longer, stuck it down and then curled them forward a bit.

The little fish on the right is from Jolee's.  All sentiments are computer generated.  The real tricky part was the fishing lure and hook.  Using some old jewelry wire I strung three tiny glass beads on the doubled over wire, wrapped the wire around a tiny feather and created a curved hook with one wire and the line with the other which is hot glued under one of the ribbon waves for stability.  The whole thing is suspended and moves freely.

The only stamp set used on this project is Stampin' Up French Foliage for the dots on the fish which were then dabbed with Smooch Glitz "Starlight" also used the Stampin' Up Square Lattice embossing folder on the top parts of the fish.

Independence Day

4th of July

Three more Julie Nutting Doll Stamps - Prima Stamps

Prima - Julie Nutting Doll Stamp - 4th of July

Independence Day

I made this tag in honor of our 237th Independence Day.  I used the "pocket dress" doll designed by Julie Nutting for Prima.  Little Miss Independence was stamped onto Bazzill card stock and cut out.  Her dress was stamped onto two different pieces of Creative Imaginations card stock and pieced together.  Her hair was colored with Derwent Inktense pencils and blender pen.  A dab of chalk was added to her cheeks.  Embellishments are a mixture of old card stock pieces and some K&Co. Americana  border pieces.  Handmade rosette and pinwheel and to top it off a "Fireworks" cocktail pick.

Thanks for looking and have a wonderful celebration of our independence on the 4th of July.

Warm Winter Wishes

I put together this black/white card for the MIX20 "use black to shade a stamped image" challenge over at SCS.   I stamped a snow tree and snowman from Art Impressions on white paper and watercolored with Stampin' Up basic black ink pad, splattered some white acrylic paint mixed with water for a snowy effect, probably can not see it in the photograph, but it is there and turned out quite nice.

Warm winter wishes is from CTMH Captured Moments stamp set. No adornment on this one, plain and simple and nice for a change.

Framed in black on a white card base. 

Wedding Tag

Julie Nutting - Mixed Media Prima Doll Stamp

I love the new mixed media doll stamps by Julie Nutting for Prima.  I made this wedding tag for an upcoming wedding.  

Just a little fussy with bridal vail and paper piecing of her dress, but this turned out awesome.  She is painted with Copic markers and placed on the tag with pop dots.  Seam binding ribbon died and scrunched.  Martha Stewart edge punch and doily.  Tiny pearls by Stampin' Up.  Floral pearl spray by Hirschberg Schultz.  Papers are from Little Yellow Bicycle "Kiss The Bride" collection.  Sentiments are computer generated and edged with Stampin' Up Basic Gray.

Thanks for looking, have a great day.

By The Tide

All about adding texture to a card.  Stampin' Up demonstrator Kim Van Diepen made a card like this one showing how to add texture to your project. Kim's card can be found here:  

http://stampinbythesea.com/adding-texture-to-a-card

I did not have the same products used by Kim so I improvised using bleach stamped onto Crumb Cake card stock with a stamp from the French Foliage set, they sort of look like watermarks, to me anyway.  My card is a little dark, but turned out to my liking.

Texture was added using the Chevron embossing folder on a piece of Bazzil card stock that was then sanded, I also used a piece of burlap, an old piece of lace trim, some twine and some gold Liquid Pearls.

Check out Kim's site and add some texture to your next project.

Surf's Up

The weather is beautiful, head for the beach and enjoy the sunshine and warm day.

Someone going to Hawaii, or just going to the coast for some summer R and R.  This quick and easy little note card is great for jotting a note and/or adding a little cash to the pocket on the backside for those needed summer day thirst quenchers.

This card is part of an upcoming workshop, so details will be posted later this month.  Now get out there and enjoy the sunshine.

Watercolors

I've Got The Blues

A sentiment could be added to the front of these cards, or just write a lovely note inside.  Get out your watercolors and play along.  I had so much fun with these images.

The stamp set used here "By The Tide" by Stampin' Up is stamped on Watercolor paper then watercolored, the inside of each card is just as beautiful as the outside.

This fish card was watercolored then I added some Smooch Glitz to his scales for a touch of shine.  Small golden brads hold his picture to Stampin' Up Midnight Muse, Tempting Turquoise andPear Pizzazz card stock run through a Fancy Fan embossing folder.  

I CASED (copy and share everything) this card from Chris Smith, her original can be found here:  http://inkpad.typepad.com/from_my_ink_pad_to_yours/2013/03/textured-color-block-setting-for-a-watercolored-fish.html

I love this little coral colored seahorse.  He is cut out and popped up on pop dots.  I used the color block technique on the background.  A acrylic block is rubbed onto two colors of blue ink pads then spritzed with water and stamped on watercolor paper, each one turns our differently.

Ahh!  Can you say lobster, yum!  I know, not red/orange but Blue, I'm going through a blue watercolor phase.  Background is Pear Pizzazz and Tempting Turquoise, Fancy Fan embossing folder, Canvas ribbon and a decorated brad  all by Stampin' Up.  Seafood anyone?

Father's Day

Father's Day Cards

For Dad the Golfer.  Stampin' Up Garden Green and Bashful Blue.  The grass was cut with a Fiskars edge punch, ball is a circle punch run through the dot embossing folder, club is hand drawn and cut out.

Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip, Whisper White and Bashful Blue.  Stamp set is By the Tide.  Background is made by inking up an acrylic block and kissing it to the paper.

After I finished this one, I didn't care for the bling, darn after all that sewing too!  Stamp set is Stampin' Up retired, Wonderful Woodcuts colored with Copic markers with some yellow Stickles in the lighthouse windows.

Another Stampin' Up Wonderful Woodcuts card.  This time I ran some Very Vanilla paper through the Square Lattice embossing folder for the background.  Two eyelets were added to the top two layers and added some lacing.

Stampin' Up "Sail Away" First stamped on blue striped patterned paper, sails were cut out and applied over stamped image on Crumb Cake card stock.  Teeny Tiny Wishes sentiment was punched out with Fancy Label punch and attached with twine.  This is my favorite card.

Another Sail Away card, image was stamped on Whisper White, then masked with a post-it note cut out.  Acrylic stamp blocks were inked up with Crumb Cake ink and "kissed" to the paper

Mother's Day Card

Quick and easy Mother's Day Cards for a make and take project using scraps of paper.

Other items used for this project:

Crimping tool

Heart punch

Stampin' Up scalloped circle punch, cut in a spiral for flower, Bird Builder punch for leaves and Eyelet Boarder punch

Computer generated sentiment

Hot glue gun (for flower)

Confucius Mini Album

I decided to make a mini-album which contained tags with some of my favorite sayings and where tags, photos and momentos could be inserted into slots.  I found a wonderful folding technique on You Tube by Elsa at Just-A-Few Designs seen here http://justafewdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/10/tutorial-time-12x12-mini-album-page.html?m=1

There is room in this mini album for up to 50 photographs, tags, and journaling.

Items used for this project:

K&Company "Classic K Margo" 12x12 paper pack

Stampin' Up; Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Blushing Bride and some scraps of green card stock.  Nestabilities Spellbinders label die cuts

Stampin' Up Fancy Label punch, 1" circle punch, Scalloped oval and medium oval punches

Stampin' Up Woodgrain embossing folder

Memory Box Woodland Branch die

Ranger Vintage Photo distress ink

Martha Stewart Deco Fan corner punch and Hydrangea flower punch

McGill Paper Blossoms Tool Kit

Liquid Pearls in white and pink

1 1/2" Binder rings

Misc. ribbon pieces