Crushed Curry and Black... a Winning Combo

I love the look of Crushed Curry with Black.  It's just crisp and stunning.  Here's what I did with the combo for this card.

First, I stamped butterflies randomly over the top layer for the card, using VersaMark Ink.  Then, I heat embossed them with black EP.  I heat embossed a few butterflies onto the envelope, as well.
Once the embossed butterflies cooled, I sponged Crushed Curry onto Whisper White CS for the top layer of the card.  I added the same touch to the corner of the envelope.

Then, for an added touch of fun, I spritzed the entire top layer with my Shimmer Mist mixture.  It's always difficult to see it in a photo, but it's beautiful in real life.

I added vellum over a DSP layer for the envelope liner.  I pulled the card together with some taffeta ribbon and then stamped, embossed and cut out 1 more butterfly to attach over the ribbon.

Come on back for my next post and I'll share another Crushed Curry/Basic Black color story.

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world.

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

You Silly Goose ... a Nice Masculine Card in 2 Versions

I love this goose!  It makes a great manly card.  It's from a favorite new set --- Wetlands.  This is the last card from my Friday Night Cards class.  I made 2 cards, actually, to experiment with color stories.  This first one is the one we made at my class.  

The sea oats on the envelope are from this same stamp set.  I used the Aquapainter with ink pads to lightly color the goose and the grasses.  My color story is Island Indigo, Baked Brown Sugar and Soft Suede.  You can see the other cards from our Friday Night Cards class by clicking here.  It will have a couple of links to the earlier cards, as well.  I don't want you to miss anything:)

In my next post, I'll show you the second version.  Be sure to check back to see it.  Also, Christmas is coming --- classes, anyway --- so stay tuned to see what's in store for you.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

A Card with Sea Squares and Our Wonderful Trimmer

Today's post will feature a favorite card and our wonderful new trimmer.

Here's my latest creation I made using the trimmer.

This stamp set (By the Seashore) is one of my very favorites.  I'm so glad it is going to carry over into the new catalog.  This is a monochromatic card, using Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede. 

Here's a closer look:

I used our By the Tide stamp set for the background, still keeping with the monochromatic color story.  The trimmer made it easy to cut and layer the squares.

Our Stampin' Trimmer is an amazing tool and I just love it!

And...
It comes with 2 blades -- one for cutting and one for scoring.  It has an arm that extends out to enable you to cut larger pieces of paper or CS.  The feature that I like the best is that you can see exactly where to cut for 6" pieces without even using the extending arm.  Check here for more details and to watch the video to learn more about the trimmer.

Even better:
You can alternate cutting and scoring without removing either blade.  This saves a lot of time when you're busy creating.

More news:
The new catalog that goes live on May 31 will have a rotary blade you can use with it (available in August 2013) and there will be small scallop and tiny scallop rotary blades as well.  Get the trimmer now and be ready when the new accessories are available.

So now it's time for you to go stamp something.  Go on now.  You know you want to!  Come back and leave a comment and share what you made.  Have a great day!

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

A Fishy Card

Today's card would be a great card for a guy.  It seems like everyone is always looking for a masculine card idea, so here you go.  But... don't be surprised if the ladies like it, too.

I have to say that I love it too, because I just have always liked fish, water, seashell, or ocean themed cards.  I think it's because I love the ocean and I love my guy who likes to fish.  He won't eat them, but he loves to go fishing.  Go figure.

 

 My color story:

• Soft Suede
• Marina Mist
• Very Vanilla

 Inks:

• Soft Suede
• Lucky Limeade

Coloring with the Aqua Painter (on the fish):

• Marina Mist
• Lucky Limeade 

Could there be a better combo for this card?  I'm pretty happy with it.

I did a lot of layering on this card --- with inks, as well as CS.  I stamped the background in various shades of Lucky Limeade (stamping off to lighten) and then went over it with Illuminate Ink, embossing it with clear EP.  I just could not capture all that in a photo.  You need to see it in real life.  The seahorses were stamped in Soft Suede.  The fish were stamped on separate CS, cut out and attached with dimensionals.

If you look very closely, you'll notice that I used the debossed side of the embossed layer.  Why?  I just wanted a different look for this card.  I like how it works together with the focal pieces.

I stamped the inside of the card and added a little bit of decorating in the bottom corner.  Notice that whenever I use a darker color for the card base, I add a lighter color of CS inside, so you can easily write in your card.

I'm off to continue Day 5 of my Work Like a Dog mission.  So far... so good:)

By the way, I noticed that I had reached over 50,000 hits on Wednesday.  Thanks for stopping by and letting me share some of what I love with you.  Be sure to keep coming back because I have lots more to share with you ... for Easter, Spring... and more.  While you're here, before you go, be sure you've signed up as a 'follower' of my blog.  I'd be honored.  Have a great day.

Vintage Christmas... Love the Look

I love the vintage look --- textures, layers, warm neutrals --- yummy!  This card is hands down one of my favorites I've made so far this year for Christmas.

It features Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.  The snowflakes on the top layer are embossed, then sponged over lightly with Soft Suede.  Several snowflakes are highlighted with little pearls.  I sponged around the top layer, too, for added texture.  I used our new Illuminate Ink to stamp the snowflakes on the corner of the Crumb Cake layer.  It's even prettier in real life.  The crochet trim and taffeta ribbon add the finishing touches.

If you're looking for an elegant card to make, for a special someone, try a vintage Christmas card.  Your recipient will love it!  Have a great day and don't forget to vote.