A Blog Called Wanda

My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #335 - Pineapple Paradise!

Today I'm sharing my final card as the guest designer over at the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge for the month of May! I always love to join the wonderful gang over at MFT! CLICK HERE to go to the sketch challenge page. So...what is the Wednesday Sketch Challenge? Each week MFT shows us a new layout to jump start our creativity. This week is challenge #335. You can create cards, scrapbook layouts, home decor, treat containers, mixed media, etc. using this week's sketch! Be sure to link your project at the MFT blog for a chance to win a My Favorite Things Gift Voucher worth $50.00!! I hope you will make a card and join the fun with me this week! I truly love seeing what everyone else makes! There were a lot of entries last week which is awesome.

Tomorrow is JUNE!!! Gosh where is the year going?? I am in full mode for Summer crafting. I am obsessed with anything tropical! Pineapples, flowers, big monstera leaves, tropical birds...It's all so great and colorful. I am a tiki fan and love all things that are vintage Hawaii or sort of campy/tiki. It's my favorite. This past weekend we bought some really pretty outdoor dishes with pineapples and flamingos on them. Can't wait to eat outside now! LOL.  

Today, for my final guest designer card, I'm using a favorite set from My Favorite Things called Polynesian Paradise! IT'S SOOOOOO CUTE! And, I paired it with one of my ALL TIME favorite stamps (EVER) which is the awesome giant pineapple background stamp - which makes tiny pineapples all over! EEEK! LOVE. So here's my card.... ALOHA! 

And here's the sketch for this week! Often, when I am having a hard time coming up with a card idea, I will look up the MFT sketches and see if something strikes my fancy. It almost always does help start my creativity flowing! Just pick a sketch, and pick out a favorite stamp set - and create!! Also, another trick? Turn the sketch sideways for a different layout! Shake it up a bit to make it yours! Be inspired and have fun creating! 

My card started with a crisp white A2 card base. I had a tropical color palette in my mind, so I stamped the pineapple background stamp in lime green ink that matched the green cardstock used on the top of the card. Next I layered pink and white for my top focal piece, as you see in the sketch. I die cut a flag stax for my sentiment and set it aside. 

 

The fun part of this project was coloring all the flowers, the pineapples and that cutie patootie toucan! I stamped everything in the MFT Black Hybrid Ink which is a dream to work with. I colored everything with my Copic Markers (Colors listed in supplies below) I die cut everything out and started to see how I wanted to place everything for balance. I used two of the plumeria sprays and then cut out one more flower for the center. 

 

Hot pink and lime green? Yes please! 

 

It's hard to see in the photos, but the flowers, the pineapples and parts of the toucan all have clear glitter Wink Of Stella for some shimmer and shine. It shows up really nicely in person! I added tiny bits of white gel pen accents on some of the pieces too. 

 

Everything was attached to the card using foam tape for dimension and interest. This card says "Welcome Summer" to all of us! 

Be sure to pop over to the MFT Sketch Challenge Blog and enter your own card! Check out all the inspiration from everyone else, too! If you make a card, you have the amazing opportunity to win a $50 gift certificate to the MFT STORE!!! Woot! Click the graphic below for all the deets. Have a wonderful day! Thanks to everyone at MFT for inviting me to be a guest this month. I had a blast. XOXO

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY'S CARD!

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My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #334 - You are My Sunshine!

Today I'm sharing my third card as the guest designer over at the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge for the month of May! I always love to join the wonderful gang over at MFT! CLICK HERE to go to the sketch challenge page. So...what is the Wednesday Sketch Challenge? Each week MFT shows us a new layout to jump start our creativity. This week is challenge #334. You can create cards, scrapbook layouts, home decor, treat containers, mixed media, etc. using this week's sketch! Be sure to link your project at the MFT blog for a chance to win a My Favorite Things Gift Voucher worth $50.00!! I hope you will make a card and join the fun with me this week...and the rest of the month! This month has five Wednesdays, so I still get to do one more! So excited to be part of things this month. I'll be sad when it's over! 

Today I'm featuring the adorable newest addition to the Pure Innocence line of stamps from MFT - Beach Day! She's a little cutie in her bikini ready for a lovely day by the sea. I gave her a fab palm tree for shade, and a fun cloud background! She is colored with Copic Markers. 

And here's the sketch for this week! Often, when I am having a hard time coming up with a card idea, I will look up the MFT sketches and see if something strikes my fancy. It almost always does help start my creativity flowing! Just pick a sketch, and pick out a favorite stamp set - and create!! Also, another trick? Turn the sketch sideways for a different layout! Shake it up a bit to make it yours! In this case for this week I used a wave border die for the bottom part of the sketch! Be inspired and have fun creating! 

 

I started with a crisp white A2 card base and created my main layer using white and deep aqua paper. This was my foundation. Before attaching that part of the card to the base, I stamped my sentiment in rich black. So cute - that sentiment! This new palm tree die is part of a really cool set that has a beach, this tree, shells, and a sunshine!! You need this!! LOL. I made my palm tree trunk from kraft paper and edged it with a bit of Distress Ink. The leaves are two different colors of green cardstock, also edged with Distress Ink. I added Doodlebug Sprinkles for coconuts! EEK. 

 

The cloud background was created with the new MFT Cloud Stencil, which is awesome! I made the clouds a bit darker shade of blue - using Broken China Distress Ink. Love this look. I colored the girl image using bright and bold Copic Marker colors. I really wanted this card to be tropical! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a fun project this was to make! And it's perfect as we head into Summer and Memorial Day Weekend! I say - let's jump in the pool and soak up some rays! Have a wonderful day my friends. See you soon! XOXO

 

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More Papertrey May Release: Year of Psalms May!

Happy Saturday! Yes, it's me again!!! My final post of the week! I think I'm gonna go have a drink now! LOL. It's been super fun all week sharing cards from lots of my favorite companies and interacting here with all of you. THANK YOU for making it a great week for me!! You guys are the very best. Thanks for the awesome comments and for the blog love. I feel it. I totally do. I hope you have a great weekend!

This is my final post introducing and featuring the new May 2017 release from Papertrey Ink. Today's feature is the latest edition in the Year of Psalms Collection. This is a gorgeous stamp and as usual I love the font combinations. I kept the card focused on the sentiment by framing it with the beautiful Ivy and Bloom Die. The words are heat embossed in gold onto a sheet of vellum and then overlayed on a white card base. Classic stamping. A few sequins were added at the end to give just a little pop of color on that pretty rich green. 

 

Heat embossing on vellum can be kind of tricky! The vellum is basically plastic, so it can melt from the heat of the heat tool. When you emboss on vellum make sure to pre-heat your heat tool and then use it in quick strokes, or passes over the powder. As soon as it starts melting move the heat tool! I glued the vellum piece to the card base by using clear glue underneath the words so you can't see it. 

 

 

 

 

That's it for the week! Let's see what trouble I can cook up for next week! XOXO

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More Papertrey Ink May Release: Sun and Moon

Hellooooooo! Welcome back to the home stretch of this crazy and fun week of posts!! Happy Friday! I am still enjoying sharing new projects from the May Papertrey Ink release! Today I'm featuring Sun and Moon stamp set and matching dies! This is a gorgeous celestial stamp set with detailed and delicate details, and pretty wrap around sentiments. The inspiration from the other designers, quite frankly, blew me away! Be sure to head over to the Official Papertrey Ink blog to see more about this set. 

I really thought of the big sun stamp as a flower mandala. That's what my mind saw first! And I love teal, green and purple together, so I created a soft and flowy and artsy look for this stamp set. I started with a pretty purple card base and layered it with soft gray. My white layer has black paint splatters on it for that artistic flair. The matching dies make cutting out everything an absolute dream. 

 

Isn't it so pretty how the words wrap around the circle. This is so innovative!! And you can use this sentiment with any circular image - not just the ones in this set! 

 

The detail in this stamp makes me happy!! So pretty. 

Thanks for stopping by today!! Hope you've had an awesome week. Cheers to the weekend! See you soon! XOXO
 

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Papertrey Ink Throwback Thursday! Rainbow Stripes Dies!

Hi everyone! At Papertrey Ink, it's Throwback Thursday time! I'll be joining in throughout the year as we feature stamp sets from previous releases! It's a fun way to get new inspiration from stamp sets we already have and love. Or a good way to find new stamps to play with too! Today we are featuring the Rainbow Stripes Die Set! Be sure to click over to the Papertrey Ink Blog for even more inspiration from other design team members! I'm happy to have you here today! I have two posts today! Both are Papertrey Ink so scroll to see the other post. Thank you for hanging in there with me all week as I have so many blog posts! And, thank you for all the nice comments!! 

My brain came up with many, many ideas for using the cool Rainbow Stripes Dies! You can make these stripes in any color, you can put them horizontally or vertically...they work for feminine or masculine cards, and on and on!! I decided to use my favorite PTI cardstock colors and make a super bright and cheery card sure to brighten someone's mailbox! Supplies are listed at the bottom of my post. 

 

I started with an A2 card base in bright white. My stripes were die cut using Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, and Bright Buttercup cardstock. I layered the striped down the center of my card and then had fun embellishing them! I thought a nice big butterfly would look good! I die cut the top layer of the butterfly out of vellum for a soft look. 

 

The sentiment is very striking when it's the only pop of rich true black on the card! I love these Bloomin' sentiment dies!!!

 

 

Thanks for coming by, and happy almost weekend!! take care!!

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More Papertrey Ink May Release: Heart and Sole!

What day is today?? LOL!! Thanks for hanging in there with me yesterday with THREE blog posts!! I hope you found something fun and inspiring along the way! Yes, I'm back again!!! I told you I was busy this week! It's been FUN. So many new stamping toys to play with. Today is another day of inspiration from the brand new May 2017 Papertrey Ink release! And, today's card has a lot of....sole! The new stamp set I'm introducing is called Heart and Soul, and it's perfect for the athletes and hikers in your life. Really innovative and creative stamps with matching dies to create running shoes, work boots, and hiking boots! Papertrey Ink always surprises us with awesome new things. 

My husband is an avid hiker so I knew exactly what kind of card I wanted to make when I saw this stamp set! A card for my love and the person who walks by my side, every step of the way. I used colors found in nature - green brown, kraft....  

 

I started with a nice deep green card base and layered on some leafy patterned paper. Then I added two layers of kraft paper. I stamped on the top layer in brown ink and Antique Linen Distress Ink. I die cut the boot print out with the matching die and layered it onto the card with foam tape. The stamp set has several small stamps that fit into the openings in the boot (and the running shoe in the set). It was fun to mix and match. I used the tiny star stamp to add a few accents. 

 

I finished off the card with some natural twine to add another element to my card. It looks like rope!! 

I hope you will check out this new stamp set - be sure to see it if you have runners in your family. Some of the other designers made some really amazing and colorful running cards out of it. Until we meet again - take care! Thanks for coming by! XOXO 

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY'S PROJECT!

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Hero Arts Summer Catalog Blog Hop!

Hey there my crafty friends! Welcome to my stop on the Hero Arts Summer Catalog Blog Hop! YEAH! The entire catalog of new stamps and dies is now for sale in the Hero Arts Store. I know we've all been waiting! There are soooo many fun, cool, and creative stamps and dies. Surely something for everyone! I was lucky enough again to be able to create with this release early, and some of my cards are in the new catalog. I love that! It makes me super happy. And now, I can finally share my cards with all of you! I have SIX cards to share today! 

Did you arrive here from my lovely and super talented friend Laura Bassen's blog? I hope so! The full blog hop list is at the bottom of my post in case you want to start at the beginning. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the hop and all the inspiration we are so happy to share with you! 

Let's get started! Hero Arts has their awesome destination stamps, and now there are National Park Poetic Prints stamps! These are going to be so great for scrapbooks and travel themed cards. One of my favorite places on earth is Yosemite (about three hours from my home) and so I knew right away I wanted to make a Yosemite card! I used natural colors of green, brown and blue for this outdoorsy feeling project. I also used the Hero Arts Infinity Dies - Postage Stamps - to create my focal point. The green background layer was made by stamping the Yosemite stamp in Versamark Ink several times! I colored the stamped image with Copic Markers, and edged everything with Antique Linen Distress Ink.  

 

Next up is a card I made using the ADORABLE new Narwhal stamps!! These guys are so cute and cheerful. I love the sentiment and I had loads of fun creating this card using circles as my main design element. Lots of aqua and lots of glitter too! I colored the narwhals with Copic Markers. 

 

Put on your sunglasses for this next card! I channeled Lisa Frank (and the 80's) to make this fun and crazy card! The sentiment is a large wood block stamp and I'm going to use that one a lot! I stamped the small stamps in bright fun colors and added Diamond Stickles for pops of shine!

 

Is it safe to go in the water??? This shark stamp set totally reminded me of Jaws! EEEK! This is a good card for your husband or son - totally fun and trendy. I used Copic Markers to color the sharks and a clean and simple graphic layout on a square card. CHOMP!

 

One of my favorite memories of a long ago trip to Hawaii was seeing the beautiful sea turtles (Honu) up close on the beaches in Kona. They are such peaceful creatures. Something about them almost seems like magic. This new Sea Turtle layering stamp set was right up my alley. I stamped the turtles in various shades of green and then added some kelp and a few starfish to the scene. Everything is mounted onto a kraft card base to mimic the sand. 

 

Lastly is the crazy bird! What a fun stamp set - this layering Parrot!! I made him super bright and colorful and created a background of pretty green leaves for him. I LOVE the sentiment for this stamp set!! From one crazy bird to another. Yup!!

PRIZE ALERT! PRIZE ALERT! PRIZE ALERT! Hero Arts is giving away three $25 shopping sprees, drawn from comments left across all blogs in the hop. Please comment by Wednesday, May 24th at 11:59pm PT and we'll announce the winner the following week on the Hero Arts Blog! GOOD LUCK! Have fun Hopping!

Next stop on the hop today is one of my favorite crafters - May Park!

CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW TO SEE THE NEW CATALOG ONLINE!

 

FULL BLOG HOP LIST! ENJOY!

The Hero Arts Blog

Jennifer McGuire

Laura Bassen

Wanda Guess

May Park

Amy Tsuruta

Cheiron Brandon

Yana Smakula

Lydia Fiedler

Jessica Frost-Ballas

Jenn Shurkus

Clare Prezzia

Tracie Pond

Michelle Short

Heather Ruwe

Ilina Crouse

Libby Hickson

 

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My Favorite Things Sketch Challenge #333 - All about Yellow!

Today I'm sharing my third card as the guest designer over at the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge for the month of May! I always love to join the wonderful gang over at MFT! CLICK HERE to go to the sketch challenge page. So...what is the Wednesday Sketch Challenge? Each week MFT shows us a new layout to jump start our creativity. This week is challenge #333. You can create cards, scrapbook layouts, home decor, treat containers, mixed media, etc. using this week's sketch! Be sure to link your project at the MFT blog for a chance at the weekly My Favorite Things Gift Voucher worth $15. Use whatever supplies you'd like in your interpretation of the sketch but remember, if you use MFT supplies, you can win up to $20! I hope you will make a card and join the fun with me this week...and the rest of the month! This month has five Wednesdays, so I still get to do two more! Yippeeee! 

For today's card for the MFT Sketch, I'm using the brand new Flower Shaker Dies! Instead of making a shaker, I used the dies to make a giant sunflower as the focal point of my card. And, I used bright shiny yellow! I love yellow in Spring and Summer crafting! This would be pretty in any color combo though. The sketch this week has a cool diagonal stripes configuration which I know I'll use again. Let's get to it! 

And here's the sketch for this week! Often, when I am having a hard time coming up with a card idea, I will look up the MFT sketches and see if something strikes my fancy. It almost always does help start my creativity flowing! Just pick a sketch, and pick out a favorite stamp set - and create!! Also, another trick? Turn the sketch sideways for a different layout! Shake it up a bit to make it yours! 

I started my card with a crisp white A2 card base. Then I built my diagonal stripes out of kraft, yellow, and gingham papers. I wanted a really nice crisp and pretty edge so I used the stitched rectangles die to cut out the color layer. It looks so nice! Then I used the same colors to die cut a gorgeous giant flower to match! 

 

I kept the color palette super clean. Just yellow, white and kraft...and one pop of dark brown for the flower accent. I stamped the sentiment onto a stitched banner and attached it across the flower. The flower center has white gel pen dots for emphasis. 

 

One of my favorite go-to accents is twine, with a pretty matching enamel dot glued to the center! 

 

 

Thanks for joining me today! Big thanks to the awesome team at MFT for inviting me to stamp with them this month - it's an honor! See you right back here next Wednesday for more MFT inspiration and a new sketch. Take care, until we meet again! XOXO And make sure to enter your own card on the MFT Challenge blog!!! 

 

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More Papertrey Ink May Release: Out of this World Mini Kit!

Hi there friends! Oh Gosh! I have three blog posts today!!! I hope you're hanging in there with me! I don't know whether I'm coming or going!! I am part of an awesome Hero Arts Blog Hop today and it's my third guest designer date for MFT Sketch Challenge, and I'm also here to introduce you to a brand new Mini Kit from Papertrey Ink! YAY! This mini kit is called, appropriately, "Out of this World" and it's full of really fabulous planet and space themed items. It's SO MUCH FUN!! I'm imagining party favors and invitations and cool cards for your scientist friends. So many ideas!! The colors in the kit are wonderful - blues, teals, greens, and orange. LOVE. Yes, this one is cool. CLICK HERE to see everything that comes in the kit. It's a lot!! 

I made a cool card, and because of the preprinted sheets and die cuts, it came together quick and easy. I made my card base out of PTI cardstock, and then layered one of the beautiful space papers onto it. I die cut out the planets, rocket and words...BAM. A card! I used some cool lime green embossing powder from my craft stash to add one more punch of color onto a vellum strip. Lastly I added some rhinestones to look like stars in the sky! I know that my photos don't do the colors justice. These papers really are so rich and pretty. 

 

The kit comes with matching die cuts for everything!!! The planets were die cut and then mounted onto the card with foam squares. Easy peasy. 

 

 

You are OUT OF THIS WORLD! Thank you for coming by today! There is a lot more Papertrey Ink inspiration in the next few days here on my blog and the other design team members' blogs too. See you soon!! XOXO

 

 SUPPLIES FOR TODAY!  

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More Papertrey Ink May Release: Ways to Say Sympathy and Ivy & Bloom!

Hi creative and crafty friends! For the next week I have a ton of cards to share!! It's Papertrey Ink Release Week and I have several cards to show you, made with the new release! The new release went live last night! CLICK HERE to see all the new products! Today I'm featuring a bunch of the new products and some clean and classic style stamping. Please be sure to pop over to the Papertrey Ink Official Blog to see everything from all of the designers this week. Check back often!! Thank you for coming by today.

First up is a bright and vivid birthday shaker card greeting made with the lovely new Ivy & Bloom stamps and Dies! I thought the oval in the center of the leafy frame was perfect for a shaker. I chose a classic color palette of red, white and gold. I started with a white A2 card base and layered Pure Poppy Cardstock with the oval cut out of the center. I put my stamped sentiment onto the white card base and created my shaker card over it. 

 

 

I love this mix of red, gold and white sequins. I combined a couple of different sequin mixes to make a custom one that I liked! (Supplies listed below). I die cut the leafy frame from bright white cardstock. I added a few sequins to the front of the card to tie the design together. 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up is a sympathy card I made using the same Ivy & Bloom Dies along with the new stamp set called Ways to Say Sympathy. I also layered the Herringbone piece from the new Mix and Mat dies to create a window. I kept the color palette quiet in pretty shades of green. I used vellum and pearls as my accents. 

 

This herringbone die is gorgeous! It's the center piece of the Mix and Mat dies released yesterday. 

 

 

Instead of using black paper for my white embossing - I used beautiful Pinefeather green. 

Thank you for coming by and checking out my little part of this giant Papertrey Ink Release! It's going to be a great week! See you back here real soon! XOXO
 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NEW RELEASE!

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Papertrey Ink Release Week! Introducing Quoted - Dream Big!

Hello creative and crafty friends! Today is day FOUR of the wonderful May 2017 Release Week Festivities for Papertrey Ink! Yahoooo! And, happy Saturday! I hope you have a glorious weekend planned full of fun in the sun! It was a gorgeous week here in Sacramento and we have been planting flowers like crazy and eating lots of yummy strawberries and fresh asparagus. Spring is in FULL swing and it's lovely. The new release from PTI this month has some really cool and unique items. On trend and so fun to create with. There is a new Make it Market Kit coming soon and this new release has a Mini Kit that is "out of this world!" CLICK HERE to go to the Official PTI Blog to read all about everything going on this week and into next week as the design team rolls out all the new goodies. All the new products will be available for purchase in the PTI Store on Monday May 15th at 10pm EST. 

Today I'm introducing the new stamp set called Quoted: Dream Big! I created three different cards to show you how versatile this stamp set it. It's a small set, but it packs a big design punch. All of the individual lines of the quote are separate stamps so it's very easy to stamp in different colors and/or separate out the words. You'll see! Let's get started! Thanks for coming by today.

First up is a very colorful way to use the Quoted Dream Big stamp set. I started with a card base in Smoky Shadow Cardstock and white heat embossed the moon and stars and the top and bottom lines of the quote. (The moon and stars are from another new stamp set coming soon! It's called Out of this World) Then I white heat embossed the rest of the lines of the quote onto my favorite shades of PTI cardstock and attached them with foam tape.  

 

White heat embossing always looks so crisp and fancy. I love it!! And I really love it on this Raspberry Fizz Cardstock. I added matching enamel dots from my stash. (I have enough enamel dots to last me the next 500 years!)

 

 

 

 

 

Anything you dream can come true!!! This would be an awesome graduation card!! You could even personalize it in the school colors of the grad. 

 

For this next card I used the same stamp set and created a vintage looking card. I used the AMAZING new Mix and Mat Herringbone Die set (with the cool photo corners) as the frame for the quote. Here I stamped in shades of brown, aqua and light green for a softer effect.  

 

 

The frame is attached to the card using foam tape. The card base is made from Ocean Tides Cardstock.

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly is a SUPER clean and simple and graphic card using just a few bits of the stamp set. I really love how Nichole designed this set to easily mix and match and use the different pieces. I looooove Hawaiian Shores paper!! The stamps were inked in Aqua Mist Ink and rich black ink. Easy and quick card to make!

 

 

 

 

I am so happy you popped by to see my little part of release week! Everyone has been busy as little bees in our hives creating inspiration for you. We have so much to share from now through the 20th. Be sure to come back by often in the next week. I have SO MUCH going on!!! I think I have seven blog posts scheduled! EEK. Time to get back to work. Thank you for your support! Have an awesome day. XOXO

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My Favorite Things - Sketch Challenge #332! Seaside Seagulls!

Hi everyone! Today I'm sharing my second card as the guest designer over at the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge for the month of May! I always love to join the wonderful gang over at MFT! CLICK HERE to go to the sketch challenge page. So...what is the Wednesday Sketch Challenge? Each week MFT shows us a new layout to jump start our creativity. This week is challenge #332. You can create cards, scrapbook layouts, home decor, treat containers, mixed media, etc. using this week's sketch! Be sure to link your project HERE at the MFT blog for a chance at the weekly My Favorite Things Gift Voucher worth $15. Use whatever supplies you'd like in your interpretation of the sketch but remember, if you use MFT supplies, you can win up to $20! I hope you will make a card and join the fun with me this week...and the rest of the month!

For today's card I'm using the super cute and silly new stamp set called Seaside Seagulls! It's adorable! And I looooove the sentiments that come with this set of happy birds! I decided to make a nautical themed card using red, white, blue and kraft. Always a good color combination.  

And here's the sketch for this week! Often, when I am having a hard time coming up with a card idea, I will look up the MFT sketches and see if something strikes my fancy. It almost always does help start my creativity flowing! Just pick a sketch, and pick out a favorite stamp set - and create!! Also, another trick? Turn the sketch sideways for a different layout! Shake it up a bit to make it yours! 

 

I started my card with a crisp white A2 card base and layered the fabulous gingham with kraft paper for my first layer. I wrapped some natural cord around the panel before attaching it to my card using foam squares. Then I stamped, colored and die cut out those adorable seagull friends!! 

 

 

 

For the cloud background on the white oval I used the brand new Cloud Stencil from MFT, a sponge dauber, and some Distress Ink. It's the perfect backdrop for these seagulls!!

 

 

Thanks for joining me today! Big thanks to the awesome team at MFT for inviting me to stamp with them this month - it's an honor! See you right back here next Wednesday for more MFT inspiration and a new sketch. Take care, until we meet again! XOXO

 

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Reverse Confetti New Release Blog Hop! Live Life in Color!

Hi crafty pals! Happy Monday, and welcome to my stop on the blog hop today! We are celebrating the new release from Reverse Confetti, and also celebrating their four year company birthday! Yeah! Over the years Jen has become a friend to me and I have so enjoyed watching her company grow and I totally enjoy seeing all the beautiful and fun designs that come out. I have a ton of RC in my crafty stash, oh yes!!! The new release for May 2017 is awesome. I love it all!! So excited that I was invited to be part of the festivities today and participate in this fun hop with lots of my favorite crafters. 

I am featuring the Work of Art stamp set today. I always love creative and art themed stamps and dies. The paint tubes in this stamp set are the perfect size and scale for a card and the sentiments are spot on. I chose to ink up a background with the paints using Distress Inks and a sprayer bottle. One of my go-to techniques. I used vivid primary colors for my palette and featured the bright colors against a dark grey background. 

 

 

I used watercolor paper for my background layer and the circle for the sentiment. I inked the stamps using Distress inks and then sprayed them with water from my Tim Holtz Distress Sprayer. That is how I achieved this loose/watercolor effect with the stamping. 

 

I used a water brush and some matching ink to add paint coming from the paint brushes on the circle. I also added bits of grey ink to the handles of the brushes. After I stamped the paint tubes I dried the panel with a heat tool, before adding paint splatters. 

 

 

 

 

All of the new May Release Items are available in the Reverse Confetti Store now! Yippeeee! Enjoy the hop today - I know I can't wait to see everyone else's cards and projects! Have a wonderful week my friends! XOXO

 

BLOG HOP LIST FOR TODAY!

Reverse Confetti Blog

Wanda Guess

Amy Kolling

'Fetti Friend Tricia Barber

Heather Pulvirenti

Lisa Henke

Melissa Phillips

Amy Rohl

Heather Hoffman

Amy Tsuruta

Kathy Schweinfurth

Audrey Tokach

Amy Sheffer

Leigh Penner

Jeanne Jachna

Laurie Schmidlin

Susan Liles

Jennifer McGuire 

 

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My Favorite Things - Wednesday Sketch Challenge #331! Happy Panda!

Hi everyone! I'm happy to finally be able to announce that I will be the guest designer over at the My Favorite Things Wednesday Sketch Challenge for the entire month of May! YAHOOOO! This was planned some time ago and I'm so excited that now I can share some projects with you and join the wonderful gang over at MFT! CLICK HERE to go to the sketch challenge page. So...what is the Wednesday Sketch Challenge? Each week MFT shows us a new layout to jump start our creativity. This week is challenge #331. You can create cards, scrapbook layouts, home decor, treat containers, mixed media, etc. using this week's sketch! Be sure to link your project HERE at the MFT blog for a chance at the weekly My Favorite Things Gift Voucher worth $15. Use whatever supplies you'd like in your interpretation of the sketch but remember, if you use MFT supplies, you can win up to $20! I hope you will make a card and join the fun with me this week...and the rest of the month!

For my card today I'm using the SUPER cute Happy Pandas stamp set and dies from MFT. These guys are totally adorable! I made a general happy greeting card. Could be used for any purpose to make someone smile. Here's my card....

And here's the sketch for this week! Often, when I am having a hard time coming up with a card idea, I will look up the MFT sketches and see if something strikes my fancy. It almost always does help start my creativity flowing! Just pick a sketch, and pick out a favorite stamp set - and create!! Also, another trick? Turn the sketch sideways for a different layout! 

I started my card with an A2 card base made from Kraft paper. I love kraft and red together!! Then I layered the gorgeous gingham paper from MFT in bamboo green to match the bamboo stamping! I stamped and die cut the balloon and panda and colored them with Copic markers. I stamped the bamboo in a pretty green shade. The sentiment is a long sentiment that would not fit in this space, so I just stamped the end of it - bear hug! Perfect! 

 

I layered two white circles for dimension for my panda bear to sit on! The balloon is attached to the card with foam tape. I used a white gel pen to add a bit of highlight to the balloon and the panda cheeks. 

 

 

 

 

 

Sending you a big bear hug right now!! 

Thanks for joining me today! Big thanks to the awesome team at MFT for inviting me to stamp with them this month - it's an honor! See you right back here next Wednesday for more MFT inspiration and a new sketch. Take care - and happy panda hugs to you! XOXO

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY:

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My Monthly Hero - May 2017 Card Kit Blog Hop! Mermaid Kisses!

Hi friends! Welcome to the Hero Arts "My Monthly Hero" May Card Kit blog hop! I'm so happy to see you today! Happy Monday! I haven't blogged in a few days and it's good to be back, especially with this project! Hope you had a fun, creative weekend! And Happy May! The year is whizzing by, that's for sure! Best wishes for an awesome week ahead! The Hero Arts Kit this month is full of ocean themed products to get us ready to kick off Summer! The Kit features awesome stamps, loads of dies, cool and interesting papers, sequins, and ink pads too! The add-ons give you even more versatility with the mermaid and ocean theme. My card for today was inspired by the pretty sentiment and the beautiful mermaid stamp! So, I built her a little shaker card ocean scene to live in! Thanks for stopping by on my stop of the hop today! 

You may have arrived here from the lovely Jennifer McGuire's blog! If you want to start at the beginning of the hop, CLICK HERE to go to the Hero Arts Blog. Lots and lots of inspiration for you today. I am always so grateful to join these fantastic crafters in this monthly hop. If you're new to my blog -welcome! Have fun!  

I was really inspired by the beautiful papers that come with this month's kit! I decided to layer two of them together to form the background for a shaker card! I think combining the two papers makes it look like under the water! Perfect for this pretty mermaid! I started with a bright blue card base (A2) and then built my shaker from white cardstock and a circle Infinity Die. I stamped the sentiment onto the white panel before assembling everything. I added the sequins inside and then had loads of fun decorating it! 

 

I really love this sentiment - and the cool combination of fonts. I stamped and die cut out the mermaid, the oyster and the starfish. Then I colored them all with Copic Markers (colors listed below in supplies). Then I die cut two of the kelp dies out of green paper. 

 

You can see that I added loooooooooots of bling! I used Diamond Stickles for the mermaid, oyster and starfish...then I added some pearls....then I added more sequins! 

 

 

 

The images were attached to the card using foam tape. I looooove that little oyster! So fun. 

The kit is available NOW! Yippeeeee! Below is a photo of ALL THE STUFF that comes in the main kit. Lovely ocean and mermaid stamps with matching dies, and more! This is a great value for $34.99! The items sold separately retail for $70.00 or more! Hero Arts is VERY generous with their beautiful kits! The other supplies I used are listed below in my links.  

PRIZE ALERT!! Hero Arts is giving away one kit as a prize to one blog reader – selected from the comments across all of the blogs in the hop. Giveaway closes May 7th, at midnight, and the winner will be announced the following week on the Hero Arts Blog. If you've already purchased your kit, and you win, you will be reimbursed! 

 

The kit is available for a limited time only – once it’s gone, it’s gone. Kits begin shipping from Hero Arts on Friday May 5th! These have a habit of selling out fast! So don't wait if you like this one. 

 

Next up on the blog hop is the super talented Jessica Frost-Ballas! The full hop list is at the bottom of my post. Have fun hopping and have a happy, creative day! XOXO When you make something with your new card kit, be sure to use the hashtag #mymonthlyhero on your social media! TO START AT THE BEGINNING OF THE HOP - CLICK HERE!

 

MAIN CARD KIT CONTENTS:

 

 

SUPPLIES FOR TODAY: 

 

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FULL BLOG HOP LIST FOR TODAY!

The Hero Arts Blog

Jennifer McGuire

Wanda Guess

Jessica Frost-Ballas

May Park

Heather Ruwe

Yana Smakula

Amy Tsuruta

Lydia Fiedler

Libby Hickson

Michelle Short

Ilina Crouse

Clare Prezzia