Nuts About You Shadow Box Card

So I'm totally in love with the new hostess set, Nuts About You.  I almost never get hostess sets anymore, but this one was way too adorable to pass up.  I love the cute animals, the funky tree, and all the fun ways you can use the stamps together. 

Tips & Tricks

• I've posted about shadow box cards before, (here and here), so check out those posts for directions and to see some other example of this easy-peasy card.

• It's kind of hard to tell in a picture, but I cut the tree out by hand and then popped it up a bit using Stampin' Dimensionals.  It adds more interest when the image isn't flat on the card...you'll have to trust me on this one, since you don't have the card in your hand!

• The grass in front was made with my handy-dandy fringe scissors, and layered on the front piece of the card.  I highly recommend using sticky strip for this part.  It just makes life so much easier than snail or glue would, although both of those option would work.

• I think my favorite part of this card is the little "you & me" in a heart that looks like it's carved on the tree.  I'm pretty good at eye-balling things to line them up, but even I had trouble with this one.  It's most definitely a job for the Stamp-a-ma-jig!

Supplies
Stamps:  Nuts About You
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Smokely Slate, Basic Gray, Early Espresso, and Cherry Cobbler
Paper:  Naturals White, Crumb Cake, and Garden Green card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Collection Framelits, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Fringe Scissors, Sponge, Stamp-a-ma-jig, and Paper Snips

Sweet Stuff Sunflowers

Have you taken notice of the Sweet Stuff stamp set that's new in the Annual Catalog?  It's the cutest set...perfect for kids, and especially little girls.  Since there are only girls in our family (on both sides!), this definitely caught my eye.  The little flowers are absolutely adorable, but there are lots of other fun images, like a cupcake, ballerina, and an ice cream cone.  If this set hasn't been on your radar, get out your catalog and check it out on page 87!

Tips & Tricks

• This set is perfect to use with the new Blendabilities markers.  I chose to watercolor this card, but since this set consists of line art images, Blendabilities are a great way to color them in.

• Want an easy way to make grass?  While you can do this with Paper Snips, it's a even easier when you use the new Fringe Scissors.  I didn't get these when they came out in the Occasions Catalog this spring, so I'm so glad they are still available in the Annual Catalog.  Just a few snips gave me this grass...you've got to love a tool that makes an easy job even easier!

• I love the stamps in the new Chalk Lines set...they are perfect for making a simple and understated background, like you see here.  The stripes give this card just a touch of texture for the card base.

Supplies
Stamps:  Sweet Stuff, Chalk Lines
Ink:  VersaMark, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, and Crumb Cake 
Paper:  Crushed Curry, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Whisper White card stock
Accessories:  Heat Tool, Early Espresso Embossing Powder, Aqua Painter, Linen Thread, Fringe Scissors, buttons

Fun Frames Flower Patch Card

Happy Friday!  Today I have a simple card to show you that uses the Flower Patch stamp set.  I love the layering possibilities with this set, and the coordinating Framelits that make it so easy.  I'm also loving the new Fun Frames Embossing Folders.  The birthday sentiment from Flower Patch fits so nicely in the center of this frame.  I've gotten rather used to cutting things out with Framelits, so when I have to cut something by hand, I tend to avoid it.  But it really wasn't that hard to cut out this frame, because the outside edge is embossed, giving the perfect guideline for cutting.  And I love the look of the cut out frame.

Supplies
Stamps:  Flower Patch
Ink:  Calypso Coral, Cantaloupe Crisp, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, So Saffron
Paper:  Whisper White and Crumb Cake card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Flower Fair Framelits, Fun Frames Embossing Folders, So Saffron ribbon (retired)

Blendabilities Butterflies

Have you tried the new Blendabilities yet?  It was quite out of character for me to get these markers as soon as they were released, but I'm so glad I did!  They are so much fun to color with.  The color goes on so smoothly, and it really is a piece of cake to get the colors to blend without that tell-tale line that our regular markers would leave.  Don't get me wrong, I still love those, but Blendabilities serve a different purpose, and I love having options when it comes to coloring!

One issue I did have, however, was that I don't have a lot of line art images.  It took some digging through my current stamp sets to find something that I could color.  I adore Papillion Potpourri, so I was more than happy to color in these lovely butterflies.  I like to start with the darker shade and blend to light, but you can choose to go from light to dark.  Check out the video below for more tips on coloring with Blendabilities.

 

Supplies

Stamps:  Papillion Potpourri, Thoughts & Prayers

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, and Rich Razzleberry Blendabilities

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory, and Whisper White Card Stock

Accessories:  Big Shot, Argyle Embossing Folder, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Sponge

Flower Patch

I'm back!  And my little stamping break was just what I needed.  I've had a lot of stressful stuff going on, and it just sucked all the joy out of stamping.  Craziness, I know.  But over the last few days I've been able to sit down and stamp just for the fun of it.  The creativity block disappeared, and it's just fun again.  Exactly like it should be. :)

I am loving the new Flower Patch photopolymer stamp set and the coordinating Flower Fair Framelits.  There are so many options for putting together endless different flowers...it's a really fun set to play with.  And I'm loving the photopolymer stamps.  I never thought I'd be a convert, but I really do like them.  It's so easy to line up the two step stamps when you can see through them!  And I really like the sentiments that come with this set.  Usually there will be a sentiment (or two) in a set that I really don't care for, but all three of the ones that come in this set are keepers.


I'm linking this card up to the Fab Friday challenge.  This week is a color challenge, using two of my favorite In Colors, Strawberry Slush and Coastal Cabana, which looks a little like pool party in my picture, but I promise it's not!

Supplies

Stamps:  Flower Patch, Chalk Lines
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush, Coastal Cabana, and VersaMark
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Strawberry Slush, and Whisper White card stock, Gingham Garden DSP (retired)
Accessories:  Big Shot, Flower Fair Framelits, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Flower Patch

Today I have another simple card that uses brand new stamp sets.  And who doesn't love new stamps?  This one uses two new photopolymer sets.  Wood mount stamps will always be my first love, but I've come around and have really grown to like photopolymer.  It's so easy to line things up, because you can see right through the stamps.  It just makes stamping so easy.

I used the dots from the new Dotty Angles set.  I love this one...it looks like confetti.  It adds a fun touch to this card.  The flower and sentiment come from the Flower Patch set.  There are tons of options in this set, and I'll be showing off some of the other flowers included in it in the next few weeks.  The best part is that there is also a coordinating set of Framelits.  I have to give Stampin' Up! credit...it's a brilliant marketing plan.  I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who is quick to grab those bundles. :)

Supplies

Stamps:  Dotty Angles, Flower Patch
Ink:  Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Garden Green, Always Artichoke, Island Indigo
Paper:  Island Indigo, Whisper White
Accessories:  Big Shot, Flower Fair Framelits, Rich Razzleberry Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Stampin' Dimensionals

Work of Art Shadow Box Card

I know it's been a while since I posted.  I've tried for a long time to post several times a week, and I've found that it's become more and more difficult to blog and give my family the time they need.  So while I have no intention of stopping, I will be blogging less, at least during the summer.

But the good news is that I do have a card to show you today!  This is one we made at stamp club a few weeks ago, and while it looks complicated, it's not.  I love the ease of shadow box cards, and the wow factor that they give.  If you'd like directions on how to make a shadow box card, click here.

This card uses the new set Work of Art.  I LOVE this set.  It's mostly comprised of brushstroke images, which are great for backgrounds.  For this card, I paired it with Gorgeous Grunge, and it's a match made in stamping heaven.  They are perfect together.  I topped the whole thing off with a couple of buttons I made from the Simply Pressed Clay and Molds.  If you haven't tried out clay yet, you really should.  It's so versatile and inexpensive...totally worth your money!

Supplies

Stamps:  Work of Art, Gorgeous Grunge
Ink:  Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Island Indigo
Paper:  Bermuda Bay and Whisper White
Accessories:  Big Shot, Ovals Collection Framelits, Simply Pressed Clay and Molds, Island Indigo Baker's Twine