Sweet Tidings

Two things I love - yummy cupcakes and a beautiful stand on which to showcase them, so you can imagine how thrilled I was with the June Cupcake Sprinkle Surprise release containing this sweet little stamp!  The image was stamped on white paper with black ink and colored with Koh-I-Nor pencils to create luscious chocolate cupcakes with butter-cream icing, all displayed on a delicate pink cake stand with white scalloped edging. This section was adhered to a strip of Fennel paper from the Garden Journal paper collection. The base card is the aptly named "Sherbet".  There's so many "flavors" on this card I think I've gained 10 pounds just writing about it!

Supplies include:

Stamps: Tiers of Cupcakes (C1370); You Are So Sweet (1374)

Papers: Fennel 12x12 paper; white Neenah; sherbet note card

Inks/Pencils: Memento Tuxedo Black ink; Koh-I-Nor wood-less pencils

Embellishments: Miscellaneous pink swiss dot 1/2 inch sheer ribbon

Paper Junkie

While I love Memory Box stamps, I'm an even bigger paper junkie!  The paper coordinates beautifully with the stamps, but certainly stands alone with no embellishment necessary.  I love that some of the patterns are small, but others are big and dramatic, inviting bigger uses.  I'll be hitting the road this summer with a series of workshops (although my plans are nothing like the Herculean trip Dave is making).  This book I fondly call the "Big Bad Book" because it's big and .....  It's a two-step stitching process, and the 2nd step is a double-needle stitch.  Some bookbinding experience is definitely a plus for this class which I'll be teaching at Prairie Art Stamps in Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, July 24.  (I'll also be teaching a book in the afternoon that is more suited to beginners.  It's called the Piano Hinge and features the Memory Box Soiree collection of papers.)  Visit their web site for more details. 

 

 

My next stop is the Inkspot in Kirkwood, Mo (suburban St. Louis).  On Wednesday, July 28, I'll be teaching two different card classes featuring stamps and papers from the big What's in the Box release.  My last class of the day is the French Stitch book.  This book again features 12x12 paper on the covers and Soiree papers on the inside.  Yum!  This class is suitable for folks with little to no bookbinding experience, so if you're in the St. Louis area, please join us!  Details are available on the Inkspot web site. 

 

Golden Summer Days

Love the flowers in the summer time. The long golden summery days with a slight haze in the air. I was really inspired to use my stamps to re-create a piece of the summer on this card.

Recipe:

1. Die cut watercolor paper using the Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels 8. (Cut back of card with white cardstock)
2. Using a foam brush and water, wet the brush with water and drag across Ranger Distress Ink - Wild Honey. Paint watercolor paper background. Repeat until covered in gold tones.
3. Before the paper can dry, ink up F1356 Dill Print with the same ink and stamp onto background.
4. Repeat with same process with the Dill Print and D1360 Budding Branch.
5. To mute the flowers even more use the foam brush with a little water and paint across stamped images. This will soften the stamped flowers.  (After the images are dry if you want more definition for your flowers you can accent with a brown watercolor pencil to give a little depth)
6. Let dry.
7. Sponge around the edges using Memento Rich Cocoa and a dauber.
8. Stamp B1354 Happiest Birthday using Versafine Vintage Sepia Pigment ink.
9. Stamp birds (B1349 Very Best) using Ranger Distress Inks Wild Honey.
10. Accent flowers with Ranger Stickles (Yellow) and Memory Box Pearls (24 Karat).
11. Tie brown twine and button across bottom of card.

I hope your day is filled with sunshine and beautiful flowers!

Suzz

 

Sweet Cupcake Surprise

I was flipping through the Jubilee paper pad thinking how gorgeous all the papers were when I came up with the idea for this card.  I wanted to showcase as much of the paper as possible.  I was thinking that the bird was flying by the cherry tree and plucked a cherry to add to the top of the cupcake.  So there's a little surprise with this card.  If you flip open the cupcake piece, here's what you'll see:

The cherry has been dropped onto the cupcake by the bird.

Here are the ingredients for this Cupcake Surprise:

Eggshell notecard, Jubilee 6x6 paper, C1372 Cherry Cupcake, C1367 Berry Bird, B1374 Sweet Cupcake, Memory Box pearls, watercolor paper, white cardstock, paper punches

The Berry Bird was stamped onto watercolor paper and also the Jubilee patterned paper card front layer.  The watercolor paper stamped bird was colored with watercolors and twinkling H2o's.  The bird was cut out and placed over the stamped bird on the patterned paper.  I punched through the card front layer to make a place for the surprise cupcake.  The cupcake was stamped twice on watercolor paper and colored in the same way as the bird.  I stamped the cupcake again onto white cardstock, that I folded and punched through the folded piece with the square punch.  The cupcakes were paper pieced with the patterned paper and colored cupcakes that were stamped onto the watercolor paper.  The piece that had been punched from the patterned paper cardfront layer was placed on top of the folded cardstock cupcake piece, so that the paper looked seamless on the front.  I punched a border and added it to the bottom of the patterned paper.  I stamped the sentiment from Sweet Cupcake onto white cardstock and inked the edges with Aqua dye ink.  I added a foam pop dot to make a latch to conceal the cherry cupcake.  I added a little glitz with the pearls.  Whew, I think typing this was more complicated than actually making the card.  Hope it is understandable.  I think I'll go have a bowl of cherries.  Have a Sunday and may all your surprises be sweet!

Nature's Birthday

I don't know about you, but I often find it challenging to create masculine cards. There are only so many fish and car stamps out there which are often the standard for male cards.  I found that many of the new images in the Garden Journal collection inspired me and it was actually quite easy to design this card for my husband's birthday.  I love these images in earth tone colors against the pistachio shimmer card. I stamped Fern Print (C1357), Budding Branch (D1360), Spring Branch (D1363) and finally Soaring Bird (C1366) onto the Memory Box textured cream cardstock. The inks I used were: Adirondack Oregano, Memories Soft Sand, Brilliance Chocolate and Brilliance Black Lightening.  I added a layer of torn pattern paper from the Frond 6x6 paper pack and finished the card with two copper brads in the top corners. 

Enjoy the weekend.

More Cupcake Deliciousness

Here is another card for you using the super cute and versatile Cupcake Sprinkle Surprise Collection.  What I LOVE about these stamps the most is the blank cupcake tops like on the stamp featured on this card, the Cupcake and Candle (D1368).  The options for what you can "frost" your cupcake with are endless!  You could use stickles, liquid applique, ultrafine glitter, flowersoft, flock or even patterned paper like I used here. 

^{_{To whip this card up on your own you need the following ingredients.}}

• Lavender A2 notecard
• Evening cut to 5 x  3 3/4
• Lagoon paper from the soiree collection cut to 3 1/2 x 2 3/4
• smooth white cardstock cut to 3 1/2 x 2
• Cupcake and Candle (D1368)
• Happy Birthday Candle (C137)
• Staz On Jet Black for stamping onto the Lagoon
• Memento Tuxedo Black
• Golden Rod Stickles to embellish flame on candle
• Mint and White Pearl stickers

If you are in love with this collection you won't want to miss my next classes featuring these stamps!!! I am teaching It's a Cupcake Kind of Celebration at Colorful Creations on Cape Cod, MA on Tuesday July 13th from 6-8pm as well as a second offering on Tuesday, July 20th from 10am-12pm.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope you find time to bask in the glorious sunshine and perhaps get your craft on :)

Happy Crafting!

Shades of Blue & Green

I had so much fun pulling out a few scraps of my beautiful flowerbud and gelato paper and stamping on them and creating this simple grid card.

Recipe:

1. Cut card base from white cardstock 5 1/2" x 11".
2. Cut 2 strips of Gelato paper 1 5/8" x 6".
3. Cut 2 strips of flowerbud paper 1 5/8" x 4".
4. Stamp poppies (Poppy Collage G1364) using Versafine Deep Lagoon on both pieces of Gelato paper.
5. Stamp butterflies (Happiest Birthday B1354)  randomly on background of Gelato paper using Versafine Deep Lagoon.
6. Stamp flourish (Cappa Flourish B1264) as butterfly trail using Versafine Deep Lagoon.
7. Stamp 1 strip of flowerbud with leafy branch using Versafine Spanish Moss.
8. Stamp bird (Very Best B1359) on flowerbud with leafy branches using Versafine Spanish Moss.
9. Stamp birds in the Trees (D1365) using Spanish Moss onto Flowerbud paper.
10. Stamp two butterflies(Dotty Butterfly C1355) on flowerbud paper.
11. Cut squares 1 5/8" x 1 5/8" from stamped strips.
12. Create pattern.
13. Accent with lace, gems, pearls and twine.

Hope you are having a lovely week!

Suzz

Key Lime Cupcake

Chef Penguin (C890) becomes a pastry chef here - and bakes a key lime cupcake for a birthday celebration.  We didn't forget the candle here - we just wanted the sprinkles to stand out. There's a perfect ink for the cupcake - VersaColor Lime - and we used our Key Lime Notecard and Cardstock too.  Wouldn't it be nice if all of life's choices were as easy??

I used some of the Frond 6x6 Set prints here too - for the background and his outfit.  It's about that time again, when I want to use up every last bit of my current papers to make room for the new releases. Beautiful holiday designs and frightful Halloween prints are part of  the two new 6x6 Sets  included in the secret What's in the Box Holiday Collection that starts shipping at the end of June.  Be sure your favorite Retailer has ordered the entire release - great fall, Halloween and holiday stamps, 6x6 and 12x12 prints - and a few extra-secret items too.

On the topic of new release...be sure to check out the brand-new Poppystamps Asian Collection designed by Dave.  The images are a contemporary interpretation of traditional Asian designs and characters.  I've just started adding card ideas to Poppystamps Ideas Gallery. There's are also Asian Elements classes scheduled at Impress  - on July 5th at Tukwila, 18th at University Village and the 31st at Bellevue Square. Then, on Labor Day, we'll be making a chipboard book of 10 designs in the Asian Journey class at Tukwila.  

Read more..

 

Cupcake Sprinkle Surprise Card

 

Just got these awesome stamps!  The brown flap is attached to the back of the cream card base and case is attached to the blossom scalloped card for a fancy touch.

    

Cupcake Delight

I have so many June birthday cards to make and images like this cupcake tier(C1370) from the new release "Cupcake, Sprinkle, Surprise" are perfect.  I enjoyed coloring the tray with my Uniball silver gel pen and using my Metallic Gelly Roll Glitter pens for the frosting. This piece is layered onto Aquamarine shimmer paper and then popped up with foam tape onto a piece of the Wisteria notecard which is also my base card.  My background matte is a pattern paper from the 6x6 Frond pack. I added detail to the left edge with a Fiskars border punch. Thin organdy ribbon from a muse is the perfect embellishment with just a hint of shimmer. I used it to attach my sentiment- you are so sweet (B1374) which I stamped with Wisteria chalk ink from Colorbox.

Check with stores in your area that carry Memory box stamps so you can pick up some of these really great new images later this month.