Running With Scissors…

Today Flourishes introduces Spring Ephemerals.  We welcome these ethereal beauties into our gardens each year as the warming earth and longer days coax their fresh green sprouts above the ground.  What a show they put on in color and form!  The blooms of Spring seem all the more magical for the grayness of the days that precede them.

Flourishes’ Spring Ephemerals are silhouette stamps.  The bleeding hearts in my card to the left are something I look forward to with great anticipation every year.  I’ve placed them in the garden at dawn by stamping in black on a brayered background.  The other foliage in my stamped panel is forget-me-not.  It looks exactly like forget-me-not, but if you use your imagination it can serve as a nondescript garden foliage or even as leafy tree branches.

I took some liberties with the checkered lily in this card.  I colored the leaves with a marker and stamped on my white panel.  The blooms were colored with a pink marker and stamped on a patterned sheet from my BasicGrey Sultry 6×6 paper pad.  All the papers used on this card are Sultry, one of my new favorites.  I cut the blooms out and glued them in place.  Although my blooms sport polka dots which look great with the yummy chocolate May Arts ribbon, there is the suggestion of checks and I was surprised by how much they actually resemble checkered lilies.

Other details:  The papers on the first card are glossy white and Old Olive textured cardstock.  Its sentiment is from Flourishes’ Many Sentiments.

The second card is on a Purely Pomegranate base and the sentiment is from Flourishes’ Siberian Iris set.

Flourishes would also like to take this opportunity to thank the designers who’ve been doing their stamps and other products justice for the past six months.  We’ve been inspired by the works of Tracy Durcan, Dee Jackson, Janine Tinklenberg, Lisa Sommerville, Kelly Sampson, Natasha Trupp and our guest designers, Sharon Harnist and Lisa Silver.  I’ve been so honored to work with these ladies!

We usher in a new team today and I know you’re going to be delighted with the samples they have to share with you!  Please welcome Linda Duke, Julie Koerber, Susan Roberts and Faith Hofrichter.  I’m still here, too, along with Sharon Johnson, the newest Flourish/design team coordinator/Jill of all trades.  We have some great times to look forward to!

And while I’m on the subject of great times…I’ll have something pretty great to share with you tomorrow, June 2nd.  Yes, it’s sweet…sweet like candy…a really BIG piece of candy.  In fact, it’s a whole box of candy.  I’ll see you here tomorrow, okay?  Have a great day!

I made this card for someone special, as you might have guessed from the sentiment.  I love shaped cards…well…even a rectangle is a shape but I mean something other than the standard rectangular card.  I was hoping it might be just a little bit more special if it was other than a rectangle.

I cut my oval shapes with my Creative Memories oval cutting system.  This started out with a vertical orientation but not only would it not stand on its own, it looked suspiciously like an egg!  Not exactly what I had in mind…  So I tried cutting a little off the bottom so it would have a straight edge on which to stand — then it looked even more like an egg!  Alas!  Well, gee, at least I know what I’ll be doing for Easter next year…  I did find, however, that it would stand once I turned it on its side.

More trial and error:  If the spine isn’t centered exactly the card will sit lopsided.  I thought I was home free when I re-engineered that.  Well…as the magnolia blossoms were added their teensy little bit of weight would tilt the card to one side or the other.  Finally, though, with a little here and a little there I managed to balance both the weight and the design.  The finished card is almost exactly standard A2 size — just a tiny bit narrower.

The pretty magnolia blossoms are from Flourishes’ Lilac set and the sentiment is from Many Sentiments.  I gave the magnolias a blush of pink chalk, then one quick spray with matte sealer.  They were very easy to cut out and fun to arrange.  The embossed background was lightly sponged with pink.  An absence of glitter or embossing kept the overall appearance very soft.  The small scalloped oval, by the way, was made with a giga-punch.

I hope she likes it!  Have a wonderful day!

• Stamps:  Lilac, Many Sentiments — both from Flourishes
• Paper:  Pretty in Pink, River Rock, Whisper White
• Ink:  Close to Cocoa, Pretty in Pink, River Rock
• Accessories:  Ribbon, Creative Memories oval cutting system, Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder, scallop punch, soft chalks for coloring, spray matte sealer, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Marvin had his very first bath recently.  He’s gotten old and doesn’t clean himself up much anymore.  This behavior isn’t necessarily inherent in an aging cat, but Marvin has become arthritic and all the contortions necessary for a good cleaning are painful for him.  We were prepared for a fight but, actually, I think he rather enjoyed the lavish spa treatment and all the love and sweet talk that went along with it.

The towel drying afterwards was his favorite part of the experience.  Whenever he comes in the house wet and bedraggled (doesn’t seem to bother him at all–he’s such a boy!) he gets the towel treatment.  We think he goes out and soaks up some rain just so he can get the towel.  He doesn’t look too upset in this photo, does he?  Can you see his smile?

Later, I remembered this Gary Patterson stamp I’ve had for a long time.  I’ve used it a few times for masculine cards and for thanks-for-taking-care-of-me-while-my-people-were-out-of-town cards.  This is pretty much what Marvin looked like the rest of the evening after his bath.  He seemed very content.  Making this card was fun for a change, switching gears from my usual style.  I wouldn’t want to get stuck in a rut.

I watercolored the image with Stampin’ Up! inks on 90# hot press watercolor paper.  The background is two pieces from my scrap drawer – a retired wheel called Bold Blooms.  Most of it is covered up but better here than in my scrap drawer.  The background cardstock edges are sponged with matching inks and the sentiment is embossed.  I did a Google search for Gary Patterson stamps and it seems there aren’t many in circulation anymore.  Too bad.  They were some of the cutest, most comical cat images.  I did find this particular stamp here, at Addicted to Rubber Stamps, which is where I got mine many years ago. 

Here’s Marvin in one of his favorite spots for napping:

Thanks for visiting with me and Marvin today!  I hope your week gets off to a good start and stays that way.  Take care!

• Stamps:  Cat Nap by Stamps Happen, Bold Blooms jumbo wheel, Riveting and Sheltering Tree (tiny flower in sentiment) – all retired Stampin’ Up!
• Paper:  More Mustard, Handsome Hunter, Mellow Moss, Whisper White, So Saffron, 90# hot press watercolor
• Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, More Mustard, Handsome Hunter, Versamark, Regal Rose, various for watercoloring
• Accessories:  Offray ribbon, flower brad, 1 1/4″ circle punch, 1/2″ circle punch, green embossing powder, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello!  I hope you’re all having a nice holiday weekend.  It’s been a stay-at-home for me but I’m enjoying every precious minute of it.  We were expecting rain so you can imagine our surprise and delight with two beautiful days so far.  I can’t help but be outside when it’s like this so I haven’t done much stamping.  What I do have to share is a card I made the other day with my Stampin’ Up! Artfully Asian set.

This, essentially, is a layout on top of a layout.  Do you find yourself sitting frustrated at your stamping table sometimes, trying to come up with an original layout?  How many more original layouts can there possibly be?  In fact, I CASE’d my own layout.  I used this card as a guide.  The only change I made was to split the first background layer into two parts and place a band across the seam.  That, alone, would be a layout and one I’ve used many times, such as in this card.  The first CASE I showed you is simply this card with the layout turned upside down.

It’s a fun way to stretch your layout possibilities and exercise your imagination:   Find two layouts and combine them in some manner to make one new layout.  Or flip a layout upside down.  Or make a mirror image.  Or do all at once and really mix things up.  Keep it as simple or as complex as you like.  Many of you probably do this all the time.  If not, I hope this is a helpful idea the next time you hit a wall.

As for my one flowered branch:  I colored it with markers, put Crystal Effects on the buds and Stardust Stickles on the flowers — much more effective in real life.  I shaded around the branch with Old Olive Stampin’ Pastels (soft chalks) and sponged the edges of the panel with Pale Plum ink.  When I was putting the layout with all the papers and panels together I was thinking what a lot of to do it was for this one little branch, but that’s part of the fun of stamping — the paper crafting.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your weekend.  I know we all have loved ones who’ve passed yet occupy our thoughts much of the time.  Today we’re reminded, not only of the folks we knew and loved, but of others who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.  We honor them with respect today.  Thank you.

• Stamps:  Artfully Asian, Warm Words
• Paper:  Certainly Celery, Pale Plum, Very Vanilla, retired SU! double sided designer paper
• Ink:  Basic Brown, Pale Plum, markers for coloring
• Accessories:  SU! ribbon and hardware, ticket corner punch, Stampin’ Pastels, Stardust Stickles, Crystal Effects, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Hello, again!  I used new-to-me stamps on my card today.  Are you familiar with Inque Boutique?  I first saw this line of stamps in a Paper Crafts ad and fell in love with them.  A brief internet search wasn’t very fruitful as I could only find Easter images.  They were absolutely gorgeous but I wasn’t looking for Easter stamps at the time.

Then one day I followed a link and wound up here where I found a very nice selection of the type of images I was looking for.  Well…I have enough to keep me happy for a while…  This set is called Birdies.

I stamped this frame image in Vintage Photo Ranger Distress ink and cut it out.  A Blush Blossom and pink tint was added to the flowers with markers.  The bird is part of the image and was brown, but I colored over it with a Bashful Blue marker and shaded with Brocade Blue.  It looks black in the photo but it truly is blue in real life.  I used my Inkssentials white opaque pen to add the suggestion of an eye.

Once the coloring was done I pressed the image into my Versamark pad and embossed with Stampin’ Up!’s Glassy Glaze, an ultra-thick embossing powder.  I repeated that two more times for extra gloss, rather like a resin coating.  In fact, it wound up looking like a resin sticker that you’d probably pay too much for and then be hesitant to use…well…you know how that goes…  Finally, I glued the frame to the designer paper panel with Crystal Effects and stamped the sentiment, which is also part of the set, through the frame.

These Inque Boutique stamps are something called See D’s.  I’d heard of See D’s before and just figured they were clear stamps.  I was wrong about that — they’re rubber — and they’re a very interesting concept.  They’re unmounted rubber with no cushion, just the cling back so they’ll stick to your acrylic block.  The image is on the back of the stamp so you can see through the block where you’re placing it.  You use them like clear stamps, with a cushion under your stamping surface.  Gosh, they’ve been around for a long time and I’m just now learning what they’re all about.  You’ve probably known about them forever!

I’ll be using more of my Inque Boutique stamps in the near future.  This card wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I started out, but things just happened…  There are a few more details listed below.  See you again soon!

• Stamps:  Birdies by Inque Boutique
• Paper:  Really Rust smooth and textured– each layer edged with Close to Cocoa ink to define it, My Mind’s Eye and Keeping Memories Alive designer paper
• Ink:  Ranger Distress — Vintage Photo, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Versamark, markers for coloring
• Accessories:  Offray ribbon, brads, Glassy Glaze ultra thick embossing powder, Crystal effects, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Today I removed my Just Rite Monogram Stamper from the box and figured out how I could put it to use.  You see, I was a little concerned because I don’t have any of the Spellbinders dies for cutting those perfect circles.  My Creative Memories circle cutter is a little challenging when it comes to perfect placement around an image, particularly a circular image like this.  I tried several times many different ways to make it work before I gave up.  Maybe I just see crooked, I don’t know…  What I do see is some Spellbinders in my future…  In the end, I decided to do this:

What I used here is the Curlz set and the Small Letters set.  They’re both carried by Flourishes but I just looked, and I don’t see the small letters there now.  My guess is they’re sold out at the moment.  They could be back in stock by the time you’re reading this, though.  The Curlz set comes with the curly letters in two sizes, three circular borders, and a wooden mount.  I wanted a birthday card so I chose “HB” for “Happy Birthday”.

This is what the block looks like with all the letters mounted on it, except — oops — I photographed it upside down.  You have to keep in mind when you’re mounting the letters on the block, you’re actually working right to left, so don’t let this picture fool you.  If you stand on your head for a minute you’ll see a more accurate image.  Sorry!  I don’t have time for a redo!  Bad blogger!  But you can see how the letters fit into the grooves.  The HB is made with the larger letters in the set.  I trimmed the rubber a little so they’d both fit.

The Small Letters set comes with all manner of punctuation.  The little starry looking accents in the outer circle are asterisks.  I colored the outer circle with markers and then stamped it on my white paper – purposely at a jaunty angle because I knew I could never get it straight.  If I were to simply stamp one of the pretty circular borders, the straightness wouldn’t be an issue.  I then cleaned my stamp on my stamp scrubber — gently, so the little letters wouldn’t pop out — and inked it up again, the whole stamp, in Chocolate Chip.  With my 1 1/4″ circle punch I was able to isolate just the HB and pop it up, straight, on foam mounting tape.  I traced over the HB with Cinnamon Stickles.

Okay, now I see all kinds of possibilities and I can’t wait to try them out!  The white is 2 1/8″ square and the finished card is 5 1/4″ square.  The ribbons and the BasicGrey Two Scoops designer paper are from Flourishes, too.  Oh…I also used my Inkssentials white opaque pen to dot the yellow scalloped border and tie in with the dotted ribbon and white eyelets.  Ingredients are summed up below.

That’s all for now!  I hope I shared some useful information.  Enjoy your day!

• Stamps:  Monogram Stamper Curlz kit and Small Letters
• Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Barely Banana, Whisper White, BasicGrey Two Scoops designer paper
• Ink:  Chocolate Chip, markers, Inkssential white opaque pen
• Accessories:  May Arts ribbon, 1 1/4″ circle punch, eyelets, Fiskars scallop scissors, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

Today I decided to use my Artfully Asian Stampin’ Up! set which has never seen ink.  I’ve been shopping here, there and everywhere, enjoying so much of what the market has to offer I’m afraid I’ve nearly lost sight of how instrumental Stampin’ Up! has been in teaching me to love this craft.  Were it not for Stampin’ Up! and Splitcoaststampers I’m sure I wouldn’t be sitting here composing a blog post today.  My goodness, so many things have happened since that first Stampin’ Up! party.

All that said about Stampin’ Up! and Splitcoaststampers, I wouldn’t have gotten even that far if a coworker hadn’t come along to show me a project she made at a hostess club party.  Well…I’d seen some Stampin’ Up! projects before but this…this was something special!  You may have guessed by now I was at the very next party.  But, can you imagine who the demonstrator was?  How could I be so lucky as to be introduced to Stampin’ Up! by our very own *Cambria*?  There was simply no turning back…

So, I’m feeling a little sentimental today… and I want to say “thank you” to more folks than I can possibly mention.  Please include yourselves in that great big, universal thank you because you’re the reason I keep coming back here.  I may have never met you or heard your voice…but…we’re connected because you’re reading this right now…and you’re reading this because we have something in common — stamping.  It’s pretty awesome, really!

So…about the card:  I would have thought my first card with this set would be with that pretty blossom branch (apple? cherry?).  So why, then, did I make this card instead?  Well…I saw a pretty little willow tree with pink and green leaves when I was out flower shopping the other day.  I was coveting it for my garden but I don’t have room for another tree (sad face).  Nevertheless, it inspired my card and for that I’m happy.  As the sentiment says, each day provides its own gifts.

It’s a simple card but, of course, I had to color all those leaves.  I did that with SU! markers.  I thought it was interesting that when I brushed Celery over Pretty in Pink it came out sort of a Kraft color.  Even more interesting that I’d already decided to mount the colored panel on a Kraft card base…hmmmmm…serendipity!

I sponged some Soft Sky on my two panels and some Craft white (white pigment ink) on the edges of the card base.  The layered Prima flowers are dotted in their centers with Crystal Stickles — just a little touch of sparkle for a very soft, subdued card.

I’ve made another card with this set, too, but I’ll be sharing that later.  I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend.  I got all my flowers planted and some other garden chores done, as well.  Happy Spring!  I’ll see you again soon!

• Stamps:  Artfully Asian
• Paper:  Kraft, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla
• Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon, Soft Sky, Craft White, markers for coloring
• Accessories:  Kraft taffeta ribbon, Prima flowers, Crystal Stickles, Pretty in Pink eyelets, ticket corner punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

It’s the time of year again when I spend my days in the garden whenever possible.  Today was one of those glorious good-for-the-soul-days.  Temperatures stayed in the mid-70’s with only the slightest breeze — perfect for spreading compost, planting flowers and just general puttering around enjoying myself.

I do like to share the garden photos because it’s very much a part me but I’m feeling rather hard pressed to show you anything different from last year.  Yes, the garden is always changing, not only with each new month, but plants come and go, get rearranged, nibbled away by the deer or broken down to nothing by wrestling racoons.  The basic structure, however, remains the same.  Still, I never tire of it.

This particular spot has always been a favorite of mine no matter what the month.  I’ll hurry along past it to the garden shed, but when I turn to head back up the stairs it gives me pause every time.  So this is what it was all about — all that digging out of sod, mixing dirt, hauling rocks, setting bricks, planting flowers.  The moment I turn I’m a little overcome by the tranquility I’ve made of my world.  I must have had a real need for this to have gone to such lengths.  I am a quiet person in a very noisy world.

Just for fun I thought I’d share a “before” picture of this very spot.  When we were house shopping 18 years ago we did a drive by of this property after seeing it in a real estate catalog.  We could see but a glimpse where the driveway parted the hedge but that, for me, was the beauty of it.  The neighborhood was quiet and tidy, the house was the right price.  I had to see more.  As it turned out, the house was extremely ordinary — sturdy, but with some design shortcomings.  Too bad…my head was turned by the possibilities of the landscape.

This photo was taken from the upper level, looking along the edge of the slope, whereas the first picture, the “after” photo, was taken from the lower level.  There was a garden shed, sans garden, at the foot of the slope.  To approach it you risked tumbling into the blackberry thicket that edged the hillside.  If you tumbled through the thicket you’d land in a gully on the other side.

We replaced the garden shed and dug out and terraced the hillside, turning our slippery slope into a garden vision.  The blackberries with their wicked thorns are gone, replaced with a flower bed that borders the path to the garden shed.  Tons (and I mean that literally) of sod were removed from all over the property as flower beds were added.  The sod was used to fill part of the gully and expand our usable ground space.

This green oasis is much more to my liking than the parched and patchy lawn that preceded it and my husband, the lawn guy, is happy to have less work on his hands.  It’s more work for me, but then, there’s no place I’d rather be and no pursuit at which I’m happier.

For the folks who’d like to know what the flowers are in the first photo:

The blue is Ajuga, or Carpet Bugle.  This variety has burgundy foliage, blooms in Spring and again in August.  Very easy care.  Takes some foot traffic.  I have it mingling with Creeping Jenny which will bloom with yellow flowers later in the summer.

The white is Allium, or Wild Onion.  Grows like a weed, very invasive, spreading both from bulb and seed.  It will keep you busy trying to maintain control.  It’s beautiful but I’m rather sorry I ever planted it and when I’m asked to share starts I refuse.  I wouldn’t wish it on my friends.

The deep pink is an evergreen azalea just coming into bloom.

And this is a Periwinkle bloom.  It’s not growing in the immediate area of the first photo but I thought it was so cute peeking out from between the rocks.   There were surprises and little delights everywhere I turned today.

I’m so glad you could stop by for a little time in the garden.  Tomorrow I’ll be out there again but I’ll have some stamping to share tomorrow night.  Thank you for indulging me today.  Be well and I’ll see you again soon!

Today I’m sharing a card made with Flourishes’ new Lilac set.  I used the small lilac image but the set also includes a larger lilac blossom, as well as magnolias and accessory images.  I simply can never have too many flower stamps.

I watercolored my lilacs on watercolor paper with Twinkling H2o’s, little mini-pots of shimmery color.  This is the first time I’ve made any serious attempt at shading with my H20’s and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome.  In the past I’ve viewed them as a fun medium for straight coloring with a twinkly sparkle as a bonus.  And they are ideal for that.  But I’ve learned they aren’t as limited as I once imagined.

In my card’s photo the delicate shimmer is not evident but when seen in person it adds so much more interest.  I painted the lilac blooms first with a light lavender shade.  Then I simply dabbed on Wild Plum with the tip of my paintbrush.  The result is this two-toned, highlighted look — very easy.

The paper I used is BasicGrey Lily Kate and the sentiment is from Flourished Words.

Do these look delicious?  Oh, the colors!  This is a sampling of some of my little pots of paint.  The colors are irresistable!

With this small lilac photo I’ve attempted to capture some of the shimmer.  I managed to get the light to pick up parts of it but mostly what you see are the tiny metallic flakes that refract the light.  You’ve probably seen H2O’s before and, if not, I know you can imagine…  You can click on the lilac vignette for a larger view.

It’s time for me to sign off now and settle down for the evening.  I’ll be back to visit and share again as soon as possible.  Have a great rest of the week!

Spring is a time of renewal and new life and I guess that’s as good a time as any for Flourishes to release their new Rock a Bye Baby set.  I see such love and sweetness in these gentle vintage images.  I really do like this set.

There are four stamps in the set, all of which are shown here.  They’re perfect for coloring with soft chalks for the delicate shading and moon glow effect.  I kept to colors that felt vintage this time around but I’ll be looking forward to trying my hand at some different looks, as well.  The crescent moon on the tin was cut out and raised on dimensional foam tape.  I haven’t decided yet what might go in the tin.  Any ideas?  I think some baby soaps would be nice, or maybe an assortment of itty bitty socks or booties.

Here’s a little closer look at the card:

I used some starry, sparkly Disney vellum by EK Success to create a night sky for my background.  It’s adhered with double stick tape under the ribbon and behind the main image.  It’s further secured with the ribbon tied through a slot punch opening in the corner.  After I stamped the sentiment I trimmed around it and snipped the ends to make it resemble a stream of ribbon.  The ecru lace added an additional touch of vintage to the design.

Flourishes has released another set today, as well.  It features lilacs and magnolias and you may imagine it’s a set after my own heart.  I’ll be sharing a card from that set tomorrow.

Now, for a little excitement…have you heard Flourishes big news yet?  They’re no longer the three Flourishes ladies many of us have become familiar with:  Jan Marie Caruso, Nancy Kirk and Sharon Doolittle.  They’ve grown to four.  And who might that fourth Flourish be, you wonder?  Well…

Gosh, I think you should take a little trip right here to find out — I wouldn’t want to spoil her surprise!  I’m truly delighted at this news and I know all Four Flourishes are, as well!

You may also want to check Flourishes’ SCS forum Wednesday, the 14th, for another one of their fun contests with a very generous prize.  They’ll be announcing their big news there, too.  It’s BIG!  And I think it means big, wonderful, exciting things in store for all of us stampers, too!

Thank you so much for dropping in on me today.  Have a wonderful rest of the week!

• Stamps:  Rock a Bye Baby
• Paper:  Not Quite Navy, EK Success Disney vellum, More Mustard, So Saffron, Whisper White, SU! Spring Flowers DP (retired)
• Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, More Mustard
• Accessories:  Stampin’ Pastels for coloring, ribbon, lace, ticket corner punch, slot punch, Scotch brand foam mounting tape