colorwhimsy

New Paper!

This is my first card using the new Enchanted 6" x 6" paper pack.  I love it!  Of course, I feel as though I say that about every new Memory Box paper pack.  :)

The stamping on this card is from one collage stamp.  Isn't it pretty?  I went through several ideas in my head about coloring the butterfly and then decided on paper piecing the wings with some of the Enchanted paper.  To make the card, I stamped the Inspire Butterfly Collage (G1352) twice onto to two patterns from the Enchanted paper pack using black Versafine ink.  I cut out the yellow wings and then glued them onto the green background.  I then layered everything onto Licorice cardstock, more patterned paper, and a Meadow notecard.

Can you see the glitter on the wings?  Here is a close up:

To make the wings sparkle, I added a thin layer of Distress Rock Candy Stickles.  A couple of things to keep in mind when you use Distress Stickles:

1.  A thin layer works best (your finger works well to apply the Stickles)

2.  Unlike other Stickles, you can actually dry the glitter glue with a heat gun, which will cut down on your drying time.

Butterfly Bookmark

Still need some gifts for Christmas?  Why not make some bookmarks.  It is a great way to use up some of your scrap papers and embellishments.  They are inexpensive, and you can customize them to suit the recipients.

For my bookmark, I used some of the new Gossamer paper as the base and cut circles from the same paper line as accents.  I then added some petal soiree paper for shimmer and stamped the Periwinkle butterfly (B1181) onto more of the petal paper with black Memories ink.  I stamped the butterflies onto my bookmark using the same black ink and then cut out the pink butterfly wings to piece onto my bookmark.  I will do anything to avoid cutting out antennae!  I then added some petal pink jewels for extra bling.  Here is a close up of the bookmark:

To keep my bookmark nice, I placed in into a bookmark sleeve by Sunday International.

Have a great day!

Using Up Scraps

I was going though my paper tonight and found out that I have a whole bunch of scraps from the Memory Box Twilight paper pack.  The nice thing about paper collections is that you can take the tiny pieces you have and piece them together to create a decorative background.  Because they are from the same pack, you know they will coordinate well with each other.

To make this card, I stamped the Shady Window D1274 onto white cardstock with black Memento ink and colored the window and pumpkin with Copic markers.  I used the Warm Gray #7 for the window sill because I wanted it to appear dark, but I often find the Copic black marker to be TOO dark.  Does that make sense?  Plus, the Warm Gray has a hint of brown that worked well with the Twilight papers.  To make the window pane, I colored it with Y00 and then colored over the center part with the Copic blender pen to fade the yellow a little.  The pumpkin was colored with Y38 Honey.  To finish the window, I stamped the image onto a scrap of Twilight paper and paper-pieced the curtain onto the window.  I popped the window up onto the card with foam tape and then stamped Halloween Greetings (B1140) onto a cantaloupe notecard.

Back to Bright

Sorry for the gap in posts.  I went away for a few days, but now I am back!

After posting a black Christmas card, I thought it might be a good idea to post something bright for a change.  Needing inspiration, I broke out my pack of Glitterati papers with all of its bright green and blue papers.

To make this card, I stamped the Twizzle Tree (E1284) onto Eggshell cardstock using brown Memento ink.  I stamped it a second time onto some green patterned paper from the Glitterati pack and cut out the circles. I paper-pieced the circles onto my original eggshell paper and layered the circle onto a larger scalloped circle.  To finish the card, I added a Thank You saying (B1055) as well as a bunch of berry pearls and layered all the pieces onto a Key Lime notecard.

Red/Green Snowman

I hadn't had a chance to play with the Snowman Friends clear set (cl144) yet, and my first instinct was to pair it with the new Dewfrost paper.  After all, the Dewfrost collections features frosted blue papers and has a snowy feel to it.  However, I thought it might be fun to try the snowman with the reds, greens, and golds of the Spiceberry pack. 

To make the card, I stamped the snowman onto white cardstock using black Memento ink and shaded him with my Copic W1 marker.  Usually anytime I shade snow or water, I use a Cool Gray marker because it has just a hint of blue to it that looks great with water and ice.  However, I noticed that the card as a whole had a rustic feel to it with not a hint of blue in sight.  I hoped that the Warm Gray marker with its hint of brown would match better with the papers and not look like dirty snow.  Yikes!

Here is a close-up of the snowman before shading:

Here is my snowman after shading:

You can see that adding just a touch of gray really helped add some dimension to the snowman.

To finish the card, I paper pieced the snowman's scarf and mittens and added a hat that I had stamped onto red paper using black ink.  I added many more layers of the Spiceberry paper behind the snowman, added some 24K pearls, and then layered everything onto a Cherry Soiree notecard.  It is hard to tell from the picture, but I also added a bit of Stickles to my snow.  I think the close-up shows it a bit better:

 

Birdie Notecard

It may be July and hot as heck, but I have been playing with the 6" x 6" Brandywine paper pack which has an autumnal feel to me.  Aren't the colors gorgeous? 

For this card, I used a variety of patterns from the same pack to paper-piece my bird (Little Birdie clear set CL133), create a frame, and make a couple of backgrounds for the bird.  There ended up being a lot of parts to the card, but it was a surprisingly quick and easy card to make! 

I think it is about time for another quick giveaway.  The question for today is, "What season are you currently stamping?"  Are you making beach/summer cards?  Fall cards?  Are you ahead of the game and starting cards for the holidays?  Leave a comment on this post with you answer by Wednesday night (11:59 PST) and a random winner will be selected to win the Brandywine 6" x 6" pack of paper.

As for me,  I just received the "What's in the Box" new release images, and I am so excited to start stamping fall and winter cards.  I know you are going to LOVE the new release.  Look for it soon!

It's a Party!

I needed to make a birthday card for a friend, and what better stamps to use than the Memory Box party animals?  Okay, technically they are called Birthday Penguin (C845), Cupcake Bear (C984), and Party Panda (C1224).  I immediately knew that I wanted to pair the party animals with some Glitterati papers for my birthday card.   The Glitterati pack is filled with bright and bold colors that definitely say, "party!"

To make this card, I stamped my animals onto white paper and colored them with an assortment of colored pencils and shaded them with a gray Copic marker (C1).  I stamped them again onto some Glitterati paper and paper pieced elements such as the hats, balloon, and present.  I then layered the animals onto more Glitterati strips of paper and added my saying (It's a party B865) with black VersaFine ink.  To finish the card, I added red rhinestones to the tops of the hats and clear rhinestones to the sparklers to catch the light.

Time for Another Contest!

Before we get to the next contest, I would like to share a card using the new Woodland Springtime release.  Dave said that the boxes of new stamps have left Memory Box headquarters, so be on the lookout at your local stamp stores! 

For today's card, I combined a little paper piecing with some watercoloring.  The background paper and tree leaves feature paper from the Poppyfinch collection, and the tree trunk is from the Butterfield collection.  I love the new Eclipse Tree (C1249) because I can see it used in different ways.  It could be a bare tree with a sun or moon behind it, or it could be a tree trunk with a circular leafy area.  Because I wanted to make a spring tree, I decided to go with the leafy tree option.  The background behind the tree is a simple wash of blue and green watercolor paints.  I then layered some decorative paper on top of the tree to color the branches and leaves.  Here is a close up of the paper piecing:

 

To finish the card, I stamped the Dotty Ring (C1252) multiple times with brown ink, added some punched brown circles, added some punched butterflies, and accented bits and pieces with pistachio green rhinestones. 

And now for the contest!  Do you love Memory Box papers as much as I do?  Here is your chance to show what you can do with them.  If you would like to win a pack of the new 6" x 6" Poppyfinch paper, please submit a card to [email protected]   with the subject line of "Laura Contest 2" highlighting your favorite Memory Box papers.  The theme can be anything that inspires you.  Of course, throwing in a Memory Box stamp or two couldn't hurt!  To enter the contest, submit a jpg file of your card to the address above by Thursday, March 5th at 10pm EST.  I really look forward to seeing what you create!

Happy Day

I love the new Memory Box pandas.  They just make me smile! 

For today's card, I stamped the Garden Panda (C1219) onto white cardstock using black Versafine ink and again onto some blue papers from the new Butterfield 6" x 6" collection.  I cut out my panda from the white cardstock and then paper-pieced his outfit from the blue patterned paper.  I colored the flowers with Prismacolor pencils and then layered the panda onto some gorgeous patterned paper with sun rays and hills.  Using detailed patterned paper is a great way to make a quick and easy card because the paper itself does most of the work!  I then stamped my saying (Oh Happy Day B1216) onto white cardstock with black ink and layered it onto the same blue paper as the overalls and hat.  To finish the card, I placed everything onto a layer of Blueberry cardstock and a Meadow notecard.

Cup of Tea

Pocket cards are a great way to turn a card into a gift as well a simple greeting.  I chose to make a Valentine with my teabag, but the design could just as easily be adapted into a "feel better soon" card.

To make the card, I paper-pieced the cozy chair (D1184) using patterned paper from the brand new 6" x 6" Brandywine collection.  I just love the rich burgundy, orange, and gold hues of the Brandywine papers. They are the perfect colors to make a warm tea card!  The pocket itself is more Brandywine paper layered onto Peapod cardstock and attached to a Crimson notecard. To finish the card, I stamped the cup of tea saying (B1176) onto a small piece of cream paper and tied it to the teabag with some green waxed linen thread.