Archive for the 'Stampin' Up! projects' Category

Sep 26 2008

The Card That Defied Making

Published by leslierich under Cards, Stampin' Up! projects

Finally…I finished the card that didn’t want to be made.  We went toe to toe in a couple of lengthy matches but in the end I wrestled it down and pinned it.

UpsyDaisy BlueBD Sept08

In a previous post I mentioned I’d made a frightfully dull version of this card.  In fact, this is the fourth version of the main image.  I just couldn’t get happy with it!  There was nothing to be done but start over from scratch.  Still, when I finished this I thought it doesn’t look much like a celebration.  But then, there are raucous celebrations and quiet celebrations and I guess you can see which kind this would be.  It was almost too quiet, though, so I added the Artful Collage Prima to perk it up a bit.  It’s still very restrained but soft rather than dull, I think (I hope).  Anyway, it’s in the mail now so I hope she likes it.

There’s not much of anything to explain about how I did this card, which makes it all the more puzzling as to why I had such a difficult time with it.  Some things must remain a mystery.  The card recipe is listed below.  Have a wonderful day!

  • Stamps:  Upsy Daisy (Stampin’ Up!)
  • Paper:  Soft Sky, Whisper White textured and plain, Wild Wasabi, retired SU! designer paper
  • Ink:  Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi
  • Accessories:  SU! Ribbon, eyelets, Prima, Rain Dot (in flower center), mat pack and paper piercier, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

24 responses so far

Aug 25 2008

Coloring Today: Soft Chalks

Hello, friends!  This will be the last of the weekly coloring tutorials.  We’ve covered:

  • Twinkling H20’s
  • Watercoloring With Inks
  • Three Step Poppin’ Pastels
  • Sponged Watercolor Background
  • Pencil Over Ink
  • Watercoloring With Markers

All of these tutorials can be found here in the Coloring Today category.  There are certainly other methods of laying down color, some of which fall more in the technique category rather than actual coloring, and I’d like to share a few of those with you from time to time.  Rest assured they won’t require any contraptions or contortions to accomplish and the necessary supplies can be found in most stampers’ arsenals.

I haven’t ventured into Copic territory yet and Heaven knows there’s plenty of information available along those lines.  I’ve experimented with Prismacolor pencils and odorless mineral spirits but every meager bit of knowledge I have about that came from Kirsten’s excellent tutorial here.

Today we’ll be using one of my favorite coloring mediums, soft chalks.

Embrace Chalks Aug08

Chalks are one of the easiest methods I know for shading images.  One color brushes over the other smoothly with a soft, feathered edge.  There’s no worry about smearing or dissolving inks.  You can highlight an area by rubbing it with your finger.  Errors can be erased.  They’re nearly failsafe.

There are 51 colors at my fingertips in this Stampin’ Pastels case from Stampin’ Up!  I used just two colors and one double-sided sponge make up applicator to color my flowers.

Soft Chalks Supplies

Begin by stamping three flowers in Chocolate Chip ink on scraps of Whisper White cardstock:

Soft Chalks Stamp

Apply Cameo Coral chalk to the flower petals.  Use a light touch and short strokes.  You can also use a patting motion to apply the chalk.  There’s no need to rub or scrub — it will just wear out your sponge and rough up your paper.  We’re going for a soft, hazy look.  Imagine pink cirrus clouds.

Soft Chalks Coral

Apply Ruby Red for shading.  Concentrate some color in the flower center then pull some color outward — point the tip of your applicator at the flower’s center, then use light short strokes to brush the color toward yourself.  You’re pulling rather than pushing the color.  Imagine yourself brushing a speck of dust from a delicate surface.  Brush and lift at the end of the stroke.  Exact placement of color isn’t necessary — just bring some out from the center and brush along a few of the petal edges.  Don’t worry about obscuring the inner lines.  They’ll emerge refreshed once the spray sealer is applied.

You can use your finger to rub away color to create somewhat of a highlight in the broad area of the petal.  This would be a soft and subtle effect.  You can also use the eraser to remove color more distinctly.  I used it to remove some color from those petal edges that appear to be turned up.

Soft Chalks Ruby

Once the coloring is completed to your satisfaction, spray with a matte sealer.  Follow the directions on the can, applying three coats for best appearance.  It dries very quickly.  I always hold the image with tweezers and step outside to spray.

Soft Chalks Spray

Soft Chalks DoneYou can now cut out your flowers and place them on your card.  I dotted my flowers with Cinnamon Stickles and placed a rhinestone in the center of each.

If you want to color an area such as those little spots you can do so before spraying, either with a marker or by picking up a little chalk with a blender pen and using it like a marker on your image.  A blender pen will harden your chalks so be sure to touch it only to the corner or edge of the block.  A few swipes of the blender pen on scrap paper will remove the chalk and allow you to move on to the next color, if necessary.

For information on shading a background with chalks, please refer to this tutorial.

Embrace Chalks Aug08

I’ve had this Stampin’ Up! Embrace Life set since it first came out and this is the first time I’ve used it.  I’d like to leave it on my table and create with it until I’m satisfied but I don’t know how much time I’ll have for that.  I’ll give it a try, though.  The papers and ribbon are retired from Stampin’ Up!.  They come and go so quickly but there’s always something new to look forward to.  The rinestones are from Flourishes.

I hope you found this information useful.  I’ve been asked about the chalks many times.  As always, practice makes perfect.  Thank you for stopping by.  Enjoy the rest of your day!

40 responses so far

Jul 04 2008

Libby’s Challenge

Published by leslierich under Cards, Stampin' Up! projects

Libby’s Cupcake July08I don’t do challenges very often, but there’s one over at Libby’s blog every Thursday that I think is just the cutest idea.  She calls it From Courtney’s Closet — An Inspiration Challenge.  Courtney is her exceedingly precious baby girl who happens to be a pretty snazzy dresser.  Libby posts a picture of Courtney in one of her darling outfits and the players use that outfit for inspiration.  Doesn’t that sound like fun?  You can see the details of this week’s challenge here.

This is a pretty new challenge on the blog circuit so I’m not surprised if you haven’t heard of it yet.  I’ve been wanting to play since I first learned of it.  I needed to make a birthday card this weekend and this particular person’s card had to be of the fun variety.  Libby’s challenge was the perfect jumping off point!

Courtney’s outfit this week is a polka dot party dress.  You don’t have to twist my arm too much to get me to stamp polka dots.  I used to think they were too frivolous for me, but I’ve long since shed those inhibitions and I’m a polka dot fool these days.  I used plenty of polka dots on this card, from the backgrounds to the ribbons.  One of Libby’s pet names for Courtney is “Cupcake” and she certainly does love her, so those were my points of inspiration:

  • Cupcake
  • Love
  • Polka dots
  • Blue and green — the colors of Courtney’s dress

I sure had fun with this!  If you get a chance and you like challenges, do take a peek at Courtney’s Closet.  The details of the card I made can be found in the recipe, below.  Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you’re all having a great 4th of July weekend!

  • Stamps:  Treat Yourself, Polka Dot and Dotted backgrounds (all from Stampin’ Up!)
  • Paper:  Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery, Barely Banana, Whisper White
  • Ink:  Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Jet Black Stazon.  I used markers for coloring.
  • Accessories:  Wide turquoise Offray ribbon, sheer dot May Arts ribbon from Flourishes, brads, Liquid Applique and black Stickles for frosting, ticket corner punch, 1/2″ and 3/4″ circle punches, Fiskars Cloud paper edgers (scallop scissors), Scotch brand foam mounting tape

23 responses so far

Jun 22 2008

Tulips in a Row

Published by leslierich under Cards, Stampin' Up! projects

This card started out as not a card at all.  Rather, I stamped this row of tulips as a color comparison between these Stampin’ Up! inks and some Adirondacks I just purchased.  When they were all stamped out I thought they were so pretty and I wondered what they’d look like with their blooms switched around.  The next thing you know, I had a card!

Tulip Row June08

This was a very quick card to make, with no fussing around or fancying up of the main image but I have to say I really like it.  The colors are delicate but still fun, it’s not too busy and it just plain makes me feel good.  I haven’t used my Polka Dot background before but I can see now it’s one of those classics I’ll be hanging onto for a good long while.

A card like this doesn’t require much more explanation so I’ll save the rest for the list of ingredients.  By the way, the Adirondack inks turned out to be completely different colors so I was happy I hadn’t duplicated something I already have.  A girl can never have too many colors!  I hope you’re having a wonderful day!

  • Stamps:  Garden Whimsey, Small Sayings, Polka Dot Background
  • Papers:  Whisper White, River Rock textured
  • Inks:  River Rock, Pretty in Pink, Apricot Appeal, Groovy Guava, Palette Noir
  • Accessories:  Scotch brand foam mounting tape

30 responses so far

May 25 2008

One Flowered Branch

Published by leslierich under Cards, Stampin' Up! projects

Asian Branch May08Hello!  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

29 responses so far

May 18 2008

Asian Branches

Published by leslierich under Cards, Stampin' Up! projects

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…

Asian Branches 2 May08

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

21 responses so far

Apr 27 2008

Pretty Simple…or Simply Pretty?

Published by leslierich under Cards, Stampin' Up! projects

Brown Vase Apr08When you feel like stamping you have to stamp what you feel.  There’s no sense going against your instincts.  I might ordinarily have fancied these up a lot more but my inclination today was to keep it very clean, white and simple.  It just felt right.

I’ve loved this Stampin’ Up! Vases in Vogue set (retired hostess) since I first laid eyes on it.  I haven’t used it much but that’s the way it goes with my stamps, especially the SU! sets.  I have so many of them I feel like that bird pecking away at a mountain…  I’m going to make an effort, though.  I used the heck out of this set today.  I made four cards and used 11 stamps in the set.  All the cards are essentially the same, just different images, sentiments and colors.  I don’t particularly care for making duplicates but I do enjoy seeing the same card in a delicious confection of colors.

Vases Pink and Blue Apr08

My SU! taffeta ribbons were what decided the colors for me.  I matched up everything else from there, using coordinating textured cardstocks for the card bases, and coloring with markers.

I turned the last card on it’s side.

Vase Gray Apr08

These cards will all go into my little “cards for sale” basket I keep at work.  I have a hard time keeping it stocked so I may use this method for multiples more often.  The remainder of my weekend will be spent in the garden so I’ll be hoping for nice weather.  Thank you for visiting today!

  • Stamps:  Vases in Vogue
  • Paper:  Whisper White; Textured cardstock — Close to Cocoa, Bashful Blue, Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray
  • Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, markers for coloring
  • Accessories:  Taffeta ribbons, Fiskars scallop scissors, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

34 responses so far

Apr 24 2008

Stampin’ Up! Today

Published by leslierich under Cards, Stampin' Up! projects

I sure did intend to have more than one card for this post but things just didn’t work out as planned.  Card #2 turned into a disaster and my stamp room became an even bigger disaster during the process of trying to either salvage something from the wreckage or come up with a new plan.  I decided sleep was more important at this point so here it is — my one card.

Blooming Happiness Apr08

This is a very “Stampin’ Up!” card.  My friend Nancy Littrell came over for a stamping play date last Saturday and brought this Blooming With Love set with her.  I watercolored the image with inks and then tried to match it up with some SU! designer paper.  I was trying to keep it all SU! and this retired Spring Showers paper was the best fit, although it looks a little dated to me because of the paper.  Darn, I really need to step into the 21st century when it comes to SU!  I’ll try harder next time.  I’d like to make an effort to use my gazillion SU! sets more often…

I felt it needed something to brighten it up a little so I looked to the Ways To Use It Challenge and snip, snip, snipped some flowers from the Vases In Vogue set to accent the lower corner.  I do love how nicely many of the SU! sets mix and match.

Well, I must try to get some sleep now.  One more day of work then two days of relative freedom.  Enjoy your weekend!

  • Stamps:  Blooming With Love, Vases in Vogue
  • Paper:  Bravo Burgundy, Brocade Blue, Very Vanilla, watercolor paper, retired Spring Showers designer paper
  • Ink:  Jet Black Stazon, various for watercoloring
  • Accessories:  Retired SU! Bluebird grosgrain ribbon, ticket corner punch, 1 1/4″ circle punch, brads, Scotch brand foam mounting tape

27 responses so far

Apr 03 2008

Using Up Scraps

Published by leslierich under Cards, Stampin' Up! projects

Apr08 Scrap CupcakeI don’t have anything very exciting to share today — just a cupcake card made from scraps.  You see, in the course of trying to put my stamp room back together I thought I might transfer my scraps to a bigger drawer.  This is the drawer that holds the left-over or temporarily set-aside stamped or Cuttlebugged pieces and the occasional tiny wayward scrap of designer paper.  Well, I caught myself just in time.  I thought, no, I’m trying to trim, purge, reorganize, maximize my space — anything but expand into new territory.  I could throw the whole thing out or I could throw a few things together…

I haven’t added anything new to my little basket of cards for sale lately and pickin’s are getting mighty slim.  People are starting to ask questions.  Birthday cards are the most in demand, particularly if they’re colorful, fun and sparkly.  I just happened to have this cupcake image all colored and ready to go because…well…in addition to my scrap drawer I have a scrap basket of images in various stages of completion.  So I rummaged around in this rather uninteresting looking scrap drawer until I found a few pieces that would make a suitable background for the cupcake.

Apr08 Scrap DrawerEven the stamped card base was in the drawer.  The ribbon came from one of the ribbon scrap jars.  I added Liquid Applique and pink glitter to the cupcake frosting and colored the flame with a gold Sakura Stardust glitter pen.  In the background are:

  • Dots & Daisies

Canvas

By Definition

Boom Dots Cuttlebug background

Scatter Sunshine wheel

Sentiments from Polka Dots & Paisley

The cupcake is from Treat Yourself.  All the stamps are by Stampin’ Up!, probably all retired, too, although I haven’t double checked.

I see a scrap in there from the very first Stampin’ Up! workshop I ever did.  Hey, Hostess Club girls — remember the birthday shaker card?  There it is on the left — Positively Pink.  Gosh, I really need to purge this drawer!

Apr08 Image BasketI’ll see what I can do with a few more of those scraps and toss out the rest.  Maybe I’ll make use of one or two of these images, as well.  That’s one way of clearing out my stamp room.

Okay, back to work.  I guess I know what I’ll be doing this weekend.  I hope you have exciting plans, too.  I’ll see you again soon.  Take care!

21 responses so far

Mar 09 2008

Heirloom

Mar08 Heirloom

Hello!  Is the weekend really over already?  So soon?  Gosh, I was just getting started!  On to another work week…

I’ve finished up my weekend with a few things to share with you this week.  I was asked to make a card for a baby girl so I thought I’d make two different cards rather opposite in style.  I haven’t made the other one yet.  Who knows…maybe I’ll make more than two because I sure enjoyed making this one.  Vintage feminine is one of my favorite stamping styles.  However, I also made something bright and perky and fun this weekend and I had a great time with it.  Oh, heck, I just love to stamp.  It all makes me feel good!

I used two designer papers I’ve been saving just for this card.  Honestly, when I bought these papers I pictured this card exactly.  I always planned to make it whether I needed it or not.  It just happens that I need it now.  The papers are both My Mind’s Eye – the upper panel is Tres Jolie and the lower border is Signature Life.  The dress is from the very beautiful but retired Stampin’ Up! set, Buggies & Booties.  It’s stamped in Timber Brown Stazon on 90# hot press watercolor paper (very smooth) and watercolored with reinkers.  The dress is a very dilute Regal Rose with Blush Blossom trim.  I mounted it on Blush Blossom textured cardstock.

I usually like to add some sort of sentiment or words to the card front but I didn’t want to detract from the delicate papers and image, so I stamped “baby” in Regal Rose vertically alongside the main image mat — just a faint suggestion.  The rest of the sentiment is inside the card and reads “You are the miracle of all creation” – another retired SU! set called That’s Nice. The two snaps match the Sage Shadow middle panel as well as the little bit of sage in the designer paper.  I smudged them with Timber Brown Stazon for aging.  The ribbon is SU!’s pink taffeta.

I think that about sums it up.  Ingredients are listed in their entirety below.  I have to dash off to other things now.  I hope your week starts off good and gets better as it goes along.  See you again soon!

Stamps:  Buggies & Booties, That’s Nice

Paper:  Close to Cocoa, Sage Shadow, Blush Blossom textured, 90# hot press watercolor, My Mind’s Eye designer paper

Ink:  Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, Regal Rose, Timber Brown Stazon

Accessories:  Ribbon, Making Memories snaps, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

34 responses so far

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