Saturday, January 30, 2021

Always in my heart bundle: Positively and negatively Speaking

From the Always in my Heart Bundle. I won the Stamp set at On Stage so all I had to do was to add the Floral Heart dies, and the rest is history....and the future. I'm not a "Valentine" giver so to speak, but I really think this set has year-round goodness. It works for friendship cards of encouragement, Wedding cards, Sympathy cards, even birthday cards. I wanted to use the Ombre 6x6 paper pack from Sale-a-bration some more....it is quite awesome I have say. I paired the Blackberry Bliss Ombre DSP with a Blushing Bride base, Whisper white, Blackberry Bliss card stock, and Soft Seafoam for the heart. I also used Rich Razzelberry scraps to cut some the flowers from for a little more contrast. Before I took the banner out of the die, I sponged some Rich Razzelberry over the inner portion of the whisper white for yet a little more contrast. It needed a little more something something so I embossed the Ombre layer with the Painted Texture embossing folder. Now, word to the wise, I advise not using liquid glue with or on the Ombre DSP. I did and it made several little discolored places after it dried...that of course is the reason for the added hearts and rhinestones. Lesson learned. 

I used the negative space in the Soft Seafoam (of which is way yonder high on my list of "loves") to embed another heart cutout of Blackberry Bliss with a layer of whisper White underneath. This time I used the adhesive sheets of which worked like a charm! Believe it or not this card has several layers, but works like a flat, simple card to mail....no dimensionals...very unlike me. It need a little more color, so I added the photo corners (retired punch from way back) and the Opal jewels, a fast growing new favorite of mine. To make photo corners without a punch, cut a small rectangle from Stitched so Sweetly dies layered with a smaller inner stitched rectangle die and whack the corners off after you die cut them on the SCAEM, aka the new Big Shot. 

I wish I had the time to do these cards again using all the colors in the Ombre DSP....I may try to take that opportunity soon. You might as well make two cards as make one when you cut out the heart die! Just sayin'! 

 

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Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Paper Pumpkin Alternatives meet Scrappy Strip techniques

 

Don't want to do 8 Paper Pumpkin cards from one card kit and design? Use the products with some of your other goodies in your arsenal to make fun alternative projects. I make it a point to do a few alternatives from my kit every month. I CASE (copy and share everything) a lot of them and every now and then, I'll do something of my own. The point is, "Waste not, want not," and "think outside the box" and also "stretch your supplies" or maybe even " have a brain baby.".....whatever the case may be (no pun intended) , have fun!
This month's Paper Pumpkin kit is so versatile (as they all are)! I don't have much reason to make a lot of "lovey dovey" stuff anymore, but they are fun (and pretty) to spend time on.  I needed a little more color than just the Poppy Parade print and the Petal Pink print so I looked around and found a few left over Calypso Coral strips from last months PP kit . I decided to use just what I had to pull together a couple of PP Alternative projects. This technique is so much fun, and "like a box of (Valentine) chocolates, " you never know what you're going to get. 

I didn't want two cards made the same, so I decided to "whack up" my already finished scrappy strip panel number 2 and make another card, loving referred to as the "scrappy scrappy technique." 
Both of these techniques are of course not my own brain's baby. They come from Kylie and Bruno Bertucci in Australia. Check out their blog and You Tube channel for details and instructions on the "how to" accomplish these techniques. https://www.kyliebertucci.com

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

SUOC # 267 and The new Sweet Strawberry bundle

I am in love with this Designer's Series Paper from the 2021 Sale-a-bration, Berry Delightful! It comes with its own stamp set about Berries, but I wanted to use my new Sweet Strawberry stamp set. So here goes: I chose my DSP, I chose my stamp set, I chose my color way, and I knew I would do the strawberry punched from the new punch that is included in the Strawberry bundle as my focal point .....but the layout escaped me. I hit a brick wall! Let me take a minute to add a side note. I recently had an accident that required stitches, seeing stars,  and a trip to the dentist. I fell UP my back door concrete steps and  the third step came up and kissed me just above my upper lip and below my nose. The brick wall I had encountered with my crafting was likened to that accident. No stitches but I was dizzy just the same. I needed some MOJO big time.....some wintertime MOJO that involved fresh strawberries. Not easy. I grabbed an old winter magazine...a copy of TAKE TEN magazine from the shelf in which I had a couple of cards published back in the winter of 2013.  I turned to the layout challenge for inspiration. AAHHHH....Being a pack rat proved to be beneficial this time! 





The SUOC 267 challenge is to make a card about LOVE. You would think that would be easy for an old gal like me, but the problem is, I am an old gal and remembering what that word actually depicts , was difficult ! My best effort was......chocolate. Now I actually prefer chips, crackers (Cheez-its to be exact), and nuts more so than chocolate, but doing a LOVE card with Cheez-its was even more daunting....so chocolate it is. I wanted stay with the strawberry theme and layout....I mean....after all, the supplies were before me, so why not? I did incorporate some of the items from the January Paper Pumpkin kit (also on my desk), namely one of the card fronts as the DSP layer and the pink enamel hearts as embellishments. 

Thank you for looking; please leave me comment!


 
The Strawberry Card:
Daffodil Delight Card Base -5 1/2 " x 8 1/2", score and folded at 4 1/4"
Whisper White (WW) - 5 3/8 x 4 1/8"
DSP - 5 1/8" x 3 7/8 "

Small Squares:                                                                          Circle focal point:
Daffodil Delight 1 1/4 "                                                             Poppy Parade - Circle dies - 4th smallest           
Whisper White - Stitched Shapes smallest square                                                                   scalloped
DSP 7/8 "                                                                                   WW - 2nd smallest stitched circle
                                                                                                    DSP - 3rd smallest circle
Middle Panel:
WW - 1 1/2" x 3 7/8                                                                 Sentiment: Stitched So Sweetly dies
Green DSP - 1 3/8 " x 3 7/8

Strawberry: Stamped with Poppy Parade, outlined with real Red. I used a yellow gel pen for the indentions, and a coat of Wink of Stella
Stem and leaves: Outline is Garden Green and inside is Granny Apple Green

Chocolate Strawberry Card:
Early Espresso Card Base - 5 1/2 " x 8 1/2", score and folded at 4 1/4"
WW - 5 3/8 " x 4 1/8 "
DSP - 5 1/4"x 4 " 

Chocolate Squares:
Poppy Parade - 1 1/2 "
Blushing Bride - 1 3/8"
Soft Suede - 1 1/4, scored at 1/4" and  1", shaded with Early Espresso ink and blending brushes

Circles and focal point: Same as above . Chocolate on strawberry is freehand cut for the top from Soft Suede, sponged with Early Espresso, then punched with the strawberry punch so the bottom will match the strawberry. It is coated with Crystal Effects (a thick coat), then after drying, colored with dark Soft Suede Blends. 

Middle Panel: 
WW - 1 1/2" x 3 7/8
Blushing Bride- 1 1/2 " x 3 7/8 ", die cut with Floral Heart Border die on each end

Sentiment: 
I used a foam adhesive sheet with a WW scrap. I sponged it Blushing Bride, Soft Suede, and Early Espresso, then die cut the sentiment from the Love You More Than dies.  








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Coffee Scented Cards.....who knew????

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