Banner Blast

I finally had a chance to play with some Sale-a-Bration goodies, and have had so much fun with Banner Blast and the coordinating Banner punch. 

This is a simple layout that you can alter and make a huge variety of cards using.  I've included two variations on this design below, and as you'll see, I've basically just changed the colors and one of the  stamps.  I've intentionally left the bottom two blank, because I'm not quite sure how I'll use them yet.  They are great for Valentine's Day, but also as a just because kind of card.  My daughter has fallen in love with the pink one, so I may just give that to her to tell her I love her.

Tips & Tricks

• Don't be afraid to play with color!  I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again, but it's fun to experiment with different color combinations.  When you find a layout you love, stick with it and mix up the colors!

• Pop those banners up off the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.  They are one of my favorite adhesives because they are quick and easy, give great dimension, and best of all, are very affordable!

Stamps:  Banner Blast, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  Card 1 ~ Crisp Cantaloupe,  Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding; Card 2 ~ Strawberry Slush, Blushing Bride; Card 3 ~ Coastal Cabana, Real Red
Paper:  Card 1 ~ Sahara Sand, Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana, Pistachio Pudding, Whisper White; Card 2 ~ Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride, Strawberry Slush, Naturals White; Card 3 ~ Crumb Cake, Coastal Cabana, Real Red, Naturals White
Accessories:  Whisper White Baker's Twine, Banner Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Want this stamp set and punch so you can make fun cards like this?  Either of these items is FREE with a $50 purchase.  Let me know if you'd like to place an order so you can start having fun with this great set and punch!

Just Sayin'

I've waited a long time to order from the Occasions Catalog, and the Just Sayin'/Word Bubbles Framelits bundle was the first thing on my list.  So I think it's funny that the first card I made only used the words from one stamp, and didn't use the Framelits at all!  Don't worry, I'll be playing with those a lot more this week and will have plenty of cards to show in the next couple of weeks!

I decided to play with the current Fab Friday color challenge this week.  I wasn't in love with the color combination at first, but I figured it was a great way to stretch and try something new.  I'm so glad I did, because I really like these colors together!  In fact, check back on Wednesday for another card using these same colors!  I might be sort of addicted to this combination.

Tips & Tricks

• You might notice that I didn't use a single heart/Valentine stamp on this card.  That's because I don't have any current ones, and my old retired ones just weren't singing out to me.  That's when my Hearts Collection Framelits and Small Heart Punch come in handy!  I used three different stamps, then just punched or cut out the heart shapes.  It's a great way to add texture to cards.  The dots, chevron, and splatter prints all came from different stamp sets, but are really fun together.  And none of them were heart shaped stamps.

• Use a marker and color right on your stamps to either get a multi-colored image or just select a part of an image (like I did here.)  I didn't want the word bubble around the words this time, so I just used my Real Red marker to color the words and stamp on my card.

Supplies

Stamps:  Just Sayin', Oh Hello, Gorgeous Grunge, Banner Blast
Ink:  Real Red and Coastal Cabana
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Real Red, Coastal Cabana, and Whisper White card stock
Accessories:  Big Shot, Hearts Collection Framelits, Chevron Embossing Folder, Small Heart Punch, Whisper White Baker's Twine