Feb 18 2008
Stamping Happened
If I didn’t do another single thing this past weekend, I was determined to use my new Hearts & Roses set from Kitchen Sink Stamps. And truly, I didn’t do another single thing stamping-wise. We had beautiful weather, though, and I spent some time in the garden. It’s funny how 51 degrees will feel so chilly in the summer yet so warm on a winter day.
I’ve used several sympathy cards in the last couple of weeks so I decided to replenish my supply by at least one card. This sentiment is part of the set — it’s two words which I mounted on one block. The rose and leaves are done in three steps. I stamped each layer in Versamark and applied chalks (Stampin’ Pastels) one layer at a time. For the roses I used Bashful Blue, applying more chalk to the areas I wanted to shade more deeply. I touched them here and there with Lavender Lace, as well. The darkest shading around the image is done with Perfect Plum with touches of blue and Celery shading the rest of the background. I sponged around the edges of the main image panel with Bashful Blue ink and when the panel was finished I sprayed it with a matte sealer.
I used one of the leaf stamps to stamp all over the Lavender Lace panel in Craft White. I did a lot of overlapping of the leaves and I love the soft, gossamer effect. In fact, I always love Craft White (white pigment ink) stamped on any color when I want a soft, delicate look. It can bring about quite a transformation. Gee, I might try it on Yo Yo Yellow or Glorious Green. Funny how some colors are almost universally disliked… I softened the edges of all the layers with Craft White, too, by brushing the pad directly onto the paper. There are celery and orchid narrow organdy ribbons tied onto the wide blue organdy which I then heated with my heat tool just until they curled.
I hope I’ll be posting more cards this week. If only you could see how many images I have colored and ready to be made into cards… I can sit and color them on my breaks at work but I seem to be put off by the prospect of the mess I make in my room during the process of putting a card together — it winds up looking like something exploded in there. I’ll bet you can relate to that, can’t you? Until we meet again…have a wonderful week!
Stamps: Hearts & Roses (Kitchen Sink Stamps)
Paper: Old Olive, Lavender Lace, Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery textured cardstock, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark, Craft White, Bashful Blue, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Ribbon, brads, Stampin’ Pastels, spray matte sealer, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape
Gorgeous sympathy card! Deb
Just divine ! I love the colours and the shades…brilliant card ! Thank you for sharing it.
This is so lovely! Your technique is awesome! TFS!
Awwwwwwwwwwwwww,,,,,, I can barely imagine a more beautiful sympathy card, Leslie!! It tells me of softness, of beauty, of wonderful memories … and even a wee peek into your other passion …. but only because I know that. *wink*
Thank you, Leslie!
~Tex
Thanks for the explanation. What a beautifully soft card, perfect for a sympathy card. TFS
Lovely card. I’ll have to case it as my sympathy stash is quite low right now, too.
Yep, totally understand about the craft room. We’ve been having wicked winds outside and, after working on Easter cards all day Sunday, my craft room and supply closet look like I opened the window and the wind came in to rearrange everything. But, alas, it was just “hurricane debbie!”
This is soooooo beautiful!
Oh Leslie this is breath taking!! I love the softness. The colors are so soothing. Just gorgeous! You rock my world!!
Dee
Wow, you did a wonderful job! Whoda’ thunk to do pastels with a 4-step stamp set! You put us Kitchen Sink team girls to shame!
This is just wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
OH MY WORD! That’s absolutely GORGEOUS!!! I never would have thought to use chalks with this set! That’s amazing!
This is a very beautiful card! Thanks for sharing.
OMW, this is absolutely stunning! I love the soft blurry look of the flowers. And I thought that background was dp!
Wow! What a beautiful card. I love the background and the rose is fantastic. Thanks for the info. I don`t have that stamp but I look forward to doing a card similar to yours so I guess I am about to case you.
Thanks for sharing your talent.
Retired Heather
Echoing everyone elses comments…this is just beautiful! Love the way the image has kind of a soft focus using the pastesl and the leaves in white….gorgeous!
Absolutely stunning. Love it.
What a vision in blue and purple!!! This is beyond gorgeous, Leslie!!! I love so many things about this - the exquisite poppin pastels coloring, the soft shading around the image, and that wonderful background layer using white craft ink! I so love that effect too. As always, your ribboning adds a splendid finishing touch. I’m so glad you got this set and put it through its paces already. It’s now moved from my wish list to my must-have list. I’m sharing this card with Coleen and Karen immediately. Linda
Oh Leslie this is so gorgeous. I keep looking at this beautiful stamp and as Linda said, it’s going from my wish list to a must have. Thank you for sharing this lovely piece. I haven’t done poppin’ pastels in a a long time, as in a couple of years and your example is making me want to try it again. i love your blue and purples together. What a great look using the leaf stamp and craft white for the background.
Coleen
BEAUTIFUL card!! I love it when stamping happens to you!!
I understand the stamped images not made into cards–and the messy desk syndrome. I am trying to find those sprites that come and clean while I sleep (kind of like the fairy tale *The Elves and the Shoemaker*) no luck yet!
Wow - Leslie! Your card is gorgeous!!! Fantastic idea to use your pastels too…so soft and the added dimension of color…wow!…. as lovely as your own garden!
Thank you for sharing you technique of stamping the craft white to make you own design paper too! 
Leslie,
This card is amazing! It is so soft and serene looking and perfect for a sympathy card. I will definitely be trying a card similiar to yours because it is truly breath taking! What more can I say…BEAUTIFUL!
Pinky
Oooooh, how lovely! Perfect colors for a sympathy card and it has such an ethereal quality about it. I just love it!!!!
Boy, can I ever relate to the mess after putting together a card. I did one yesterday and today I can’t find my desk, lol. For me, it seems to be all the tools, inks, cut pieces from all the cardstock, paper, ribbon and embellishments that are being *auditioned* - what a disaster!
Gorgeous!!
Somebody should warn Kitchen Sink Stamps that there’s going to be a run on this rose set because of this gorgeous card! I love your technique with the pastels. It gives such a nice soft look. I have a bunch of images waiting to be made into cards, too. Sometimes I think I like just stamping and coloring more than I like card-making!
Those roses have the most amazing look. I see you did it with chalks. Thanks for explaining. It’s really beautiful. And I’m so jealous you got to work in your garden. I can’t wait. But today’s forcast is 25. Ten with the wind chill.
Oh, this is so gorgeous!!! The roses are so soft and pretty!!
Truly one of the most beautiful sympathy cards I have ever seen. Your very soft colors and Stampin’ Pastels technique were perfect for the beautiful stamp set. I love the gorgeous main image, sentiment, colors, heated ribbon, BG panels…….gosh, just everything. TFS your incredible talents
Leslie this is nothing short of exquisite. This rose with the versamark and chalking is just.. well.. breath-taking!!
This is just excuisite Leslie! I think that you’ve inspired me to dig out some of my chalks this week. I just love the soft shading that you achieved. I never knew that you could use chalks with a 2-step or 3-step stamp.
I can so relate with the messy desk syndrom. I semi-tackled my stamp area yesterday, so now instead of a 6×6 area in which I can stamp, I now have a 12×12 area (at least its a little progress).
Linda
Beautiful! I actually thought this used “Roses in Winter”; love the white leaves, ribbon and brads. TFS
Wow! Such a beautiful card!!!
so pretty!
Leslie this is absolutely gorgeous - the things you can do with chalks just blow me away! That’s such a beautiful rose image too - sure wish I had it for the cards I’m making this week. I love the colors you used on this - not necessarily your typical rose colors but sooo soft and pretty. Can you pleeeeaaassseeee take a trip to Austin and visit me and give me some coloring lessons???
Stunning!
This is just breath taking.. oh my..
BEAUTIFUL!! This card looks like a painting!! Very, Very, Beautiful!!!
wow! your card makes me want to kick mysef because I got rid of my pastels!
Oh my goodness, this is just stunning! I may have to pull out my terrific tulips and see if I can get something close to this effect with that.
You inspire me every day!!! Thank you!
Oh My!! Leslie this is just stunningly beautiful! So soft and whispery. I envy your creativity…I am always surprised and amazed by the beauty of your cards.
Thanks for sharing
Oh My your chalking is just amazing, and the bg stamping is lovely, love the how to’s on curling the ribbon, such a soft and soothing card!
Oh my gosh, Leslie. Every time I visit your blog my mouth falls open. (Lol. I mean that as a compliment.) This is unbelievable. Wow! Those roses! And the ribbon! Just stunning!
This is so stunning!! You sure know how to work those chalks, Leslie!! I LOVE this!!
Wow! I’ve got to get my chalks out!!!
Love what you did with this set!
A truly beautiful card, Leslie! I love the pastel roses, shading and the white leaves on the lavender layer! Gorgeous ribbon treatment, too!
All I can say is WOW! This is truely a piece of art!
WOWSERS! I gotta say that I have not seen anything this gorgeous in a while!! This card needs framed, Leslie. Its stunning!
I’ve been drooling over this set, and now I want it even more after seeing it with the pastels, fantastic!
So soft, so gorgeous, so magical….it’s that Leslie-chalk-magic again…noone works chalks like you…amazing!
Oh my gosh, this is beautiful! Those Kitchen Sink stamps are so real looking, and your background stamping is so delicious!
LeAnne
Oh my, Leslie! This is absolutely stunning, beautiful, gorgeous. So soft and delicate. Love the white leaves stamped on the c/s. What a great look - I’ll have to remember that one. And your rose is just wonderful. Pastels, huh? WOW!!
This card just totally takes my breath away — and I may have commented before — not sure — but it is worhty of two - 100 x 2!!! Your rose is out of this world — soft and gorgeous — that is one amazing stamp and I am surely loving it!!! I just love your soft colors, your distressed organdy, the texture — truly breath-taking!!! Lovely, lovely work — classic leslierich!!!
Really a breathtakingly beautiful card! Love how you made the background…really does soften the color. Your roses are beautiful enough to be framed!
I love, love, love Roses in Winter. But I am just WOWed with this gorgeous image .. the blending of the colors is wonderful! The layout is just perfect. What a pleasure!
~Bev
I’m speechless. THUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Leslie, this is just incredibly gorgeous! I have this set and have yet to use it. Wow, I can’t believe how beautiful the pastels are!