Thanks a Bunch! - June SOTM Blog Hop

Welcome to another month of Stamp of the Month inspiration!  If you have arrived here from Adeline Brill's blog, or if you are just starting out, you are in the right place. This month we are featuring A Flowering Bunch, a set of 10 stamps suitable for any number of stamping techniques. When you're done checking out my ideas, be sure to hop ahead to Shirley Ross' blog for more.

I have lots of ideas spinning in my head for this stamp set, but as usual not enough time, so I limited myself to two of them for now.

The first card is made by embossing with white on black cardstock. Traditionally, you then color on top of the embossing with colored pencils.  I chose to go a different route and used our alcohol markers. (WARNING: using alcohol markers with this technique can damage the markers - the embossing powder transfers to the marker tips and dries in them, damaging them. So, if you choose to use this technique, you must work quickly and with a very light touch.  If you are unsure at all, just use the more traditional colored pencils.)

The individual flowers are popped up with 3-D foam adhesive, and I used the lightest green in the Blue & Green Epoxy Bubbles package.

For my second card, I used Claire papers.  I stamped the flower garden stamp multiple times on the lattice-look paper using Topiary ink, to create a border.  I then used alcohol markers to color in portions of the flowers.  I stamped the sentiment in Blush ink and matted it on Sunset cardstock.

Here's a list of supplies used on each card, all available from Close To My Heart.

Card 1:

• A Flowering Bunch, stamp of the month
• White card base, A2
• Exclusive Inks stamp pad, White Daisy
• Embossing Powder, White
• Alcohol Markers
• Black & White cardstock
• Green & Blue Epoxy Bubbles

 Card 2:

•  A Flowering Bunch, stamp of the month
• Colonial White card base, A2
• Exclusive Inks stamp pads, Topiary & Blush
• Alcohol Markers
• Claire paper pack
• Silver Shimmer Tape

I hope you enjoyed my cards today! I'd love to hear your comments. Now, let's head over to Shirley Ross' blog and see what ideas she has for us this month.

Last Chance for Dream Pop!

Still haven't taken advantage of May's Dream Pop promotion?  There is VERY little inventory left, so be sure to get your order in before midnight tonight! (If you missed the May 31 cutoff, just email me in the first 5 days of June and I can check and see if there are any remaining.)  Here's one of the cards you can make with the free PDF workshop available for the paper pack:

Mine has a slight variation, because the workshop shows this with the Pinwheel stamp of the month set, but I can't find mine at the moment. (Is that a sign of too much stuff?!)  So, I just cut the larger piece of my pinwheel from a pattern paper instead, and added a sentiment from the Hooray Bouquet stamp set.

Also, just a note: I noticed a small error in the directions for this card.  The smaller pinwheel shape should also be cut at 2 3/4" instead of 2". It's one of the sets on the cartridge that cuts the smaller pieces to fit the main piece at whatever size you select.

If you have any other questions, or prefer not to shop online, be sure to contact me ASAP!

Dream Pop for Pirate Day

I know, you might not associate the bright colors of the Dream Pop paper with pirates.  But I thought it was perfect for these pics of my daughter from Pirate Day at her preschool!

I thought making banners was a fun touch for this layout, reminding me of sails & flags.

I love that either page of this layout could stand on it's own if I want to display one for a while (or if you want to copy, and are a single-page maker).

I love the little phrases I used here - they are ALL from the zip strip on one of the papers in the Dream Pop pack, and they are lots of fun!

Don't forget that Dream Pop goes away May 31 or while supplies last! Be sure to get yours today if you want it - as of this morning there is only 11% of inventory remaining!

Celebrating with Trendy Dream Pop

I am just LOVING the trendy colors and patterns in the Dream Pop paper pack! I am kind of sad that this promotion is coming to an end in a few days.  If you haven't seen these fun papers yet, here's a shot of all of the designs:

The pretty tone on tone cardstock designs at the bottom are FABULOUS - they each have a different glossy design on them.  I added some plain cardstock to use as base pages, and here's one of the layouts I created:

You can use punches or Cricut cuts to make some cute flowers like this:

 

I just used various buttons and  adhesive Sparkles for my flower centers - SO cute!

I used the Cricut Artiste cartridge to make the "9" and my title, and popped the 9 up with 3-D foam tape.

If you want to get this paper pack, be sure to hurry! It's only available until the end of May, and I see that supplies are dwindling rapidly! How to purchase? Just shop on my website; once you've selected $35 of regular price merchandise, you can get this paper pack for only $10.  If your total purchases equal at least $50 (including the Dream Pop paper), you can also get the fun pinwheels Stamp of the Month for only $5. Need some ideas for what to make, or what to buy in addition to the paper pack?  Here's a document with complete instructions and additional supplies lists for making 2 two-page layouts, 3 cards, and a set of treat tubes with the paper. Choose your favorites or make them all!

Thanks for stopping by today! Be sure to stop by again tomorrow for another fun layout using this paper pack.

Thank You!

Today we remember those men and women who died while serving in the US armed forces. Let's also remember to say thank you to those who have served and those who continue to serve.

These 5x7 cards are easy to replicate quickly - take your choice of the vintage version on the left or a more "clean" version on the right.  The main panel is made by cutting cardstock stars in white or cream and adhering them to a blue panel in a regular pattern. Cut off any overhanging bits, then mat on a red panel. I used the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge, as the star shape on that coordinates with the stamp I used.

I used the patterned star stamp from the American Celebration stamp set, and used the rock and roll technique to stamp it with yellow and red inks. I then stamped the sentiment on top in blue ink.  To embellish this card, I used silver Shimmer Tape as ribbon and also cut a star from silver glitter cardstock, which I used as a mat for my stamped star.

For the vintage look card, I did everything the same except used cream cardstock instead of white, and took the added step of ink distressing all of my pieces.  I also eliminated the bling of the glitter and instead colored a length of color-ready seam binding with a marker to match. I wrapped it around the card front and tied a piece of hemp around it to secure the ends.

For both cards, I adhered the large star to the front using foam adhesive tape.  I also stamp inside the cards using coordinating images from the same stamp set.

Now, while we are on the subject of thank you, I wanted to shared a brand new stamp from the unreleased Autumn/Winter Catalog that CTMH has decided to release early.  One hundred percent of profits from sales of this stamp set from May 23 to June 30 will be donated to the American Red Cross to aid tornado victims in Oklahoma. a 2"x2" acrylic block is recommended for this stamp. Cost is $2.95 and is available on my website here.

Supplies used for my cards today are all from CTMH.

Both Cards:

• Cardstock in Pacifica and Cranberry
• Exclusive Inks stamp pads in Sunflower, Cranberry, and Pacifica
• Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge
• American Celebration stamp set
• 3-D Foam Tape

"Clean" Card:

• White Cardstock
• Black & Grey Glitter Paper
• Silver Shimmer Trim

 Vintage Card:

• Colonial White Cardstock
• Sponge Daubers
• Exclusive Inks stamp pad in Champagne
• Color-Ready Seam Binding
• White Hemp

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my cards, and hope you have (or had) a fabulous Memorial Day!

Elegant Cards Made Easy with Graphic 45

Time again for another post for Cutters Creek:

May is a busy month - on top of all the "usual" things, we Mother's Day and graduations to contend with! Which makes it even more important than usual for me to be able to get projects done quickly, and still look like I put plenty of effort into them.  At least I know cards can be a snap with Graphic 45.  My preferred card size is 5x7, and thankfully G45 has some great 4x6 images in many of their collections which are perfect for that size card.  Here's a beautiful (but quick!) card perfect for Mother's Day, a birthday, and more:

I chose an image I loved from the Secret Garden 12x12 paper pad, along with a coordinating print, and decided to use them with a kraft card base.  I cut the print to 4.75" x 6.75", and inked the edges of it and the image panel using Faded Jeans Distress Ink.  I cut a piece of cream cardstock to 4.25" x 6.25", and inked the edges of it and the card base with Antique Linen Distress Ink.

I layered the image on the cream cardstock, and the coordinating print on the card base.  I added some silver Glitter Tape to opposite corners of the matted image, then adhered it to the card front using foam adhesive. Finally, I used several colors of Copic Spicas to add more sparkly details to the image:

 

 

The closeup photos just do not do the actual image justice. I just love how a little sparkle makes these images shine! (No pun intended, lol.)

Cutters Creek supplies used:

• Graphic 45 12x12 paper pad, Secret Garden
• American Crafts Glitter Tape (join a club in the CC Yahoo Group)
• Scotch Pop Up Foam Squares
• Distress Ink in Faded Jeans and Antique Linen
• Copic Spicas
• ATG adhesive refills

Other Supplies: CTMH cardstock in Kraft and Colonial White

I hope today's post has given you some ideas - I'd love to hear what you think!