Rose Bouquet by Anne Thompson

I have wanted to try the technique I used for today's card for the longest time, but I've been waiting for a really big floral stamp from Memory Box.  And Rose Bouquet is it!  It's about 5"x7"!

I started by stamping the Rose Bouquet on two pieces of 5"x7" off-white cardstock using VersaClair Nocturne (black) ink.  Here's a photo of the stamp from the ROSE BOUQUET CLEAR STAMP SET CL5241.

(It's in the center of an old Fiskars Stamp Press, one that's missing it's orange spongey feet.  That's the biggest acrylic "block" I have.)

I cut a 3.25" square from the center of one of the stamped images, then got out a bunch of Distress Inks and a waterbrush and started painting it.  I just picked up color from the inkpad directly onto the brush and then applied it to the paper being careful to not use too much water.  (I cleaned the brush between colors by painting the rest of the ink on the bristles onto scrap paper.)

I then attached this square to a piece of black cardstock and trimmed that to a narrow border around the image. 

I placed this on top of the other uncolored image and lined it up as best I could.

I trimmed this larger piece to 5"X3.75" and added it to black cardstock that was 5.25"X4".  I then adhered that to a turquoise notecard.  This card could be oriented as a top-fold card as in the first photo or as a side-fold card as in this photo below.

 And because I couldn't do just one, I made another!  This time I left the first stamped image whole and painted most of it.

I then trimmed it down to a smaller square, touched up any areas that needed more paint, mounted it on black cardstock, and added that to another uncolored image.  I then trimmed the larger assembled piece down, mounted it on black cardstock, and added that to a green notecard.

side-fold orientation

top-fold orientation

And just one more...

I'm sure there are other techniques to achieve the same look.  It was really fun looking through blank notecards with the painted pieces in hand to find coordinating notecards.  I've also raided my scrap boxes and 6"x6" paper pads for pretty papers in coordinating colors for the inside panels.  

One could also stamp and paint other images from this stamp set on the inside of the notecard and the envelope and/or add one of the sweet sentiments!

I'm going to get a lot of use from this stamp set!  And it has coordinating dies, too!!!

Happy Crafting!

 

Bright Mbossed Brilliant Sunflower and Bold Friendly Greetings by Jean Okimoto

Send a note of appreciation with a brightly-embossed Brilliant Sunflower - and a thank you from the Bold Friendly Greetings Clear Stamp Set.  Hello - Jean Okimoto here with a sunny design in just three  colors on a fresh Lemon Grass Notecard.  It's probably the first time I've made a card with just three colors - that's all you'll need with these great dies and stamps! 

Cut watercolor paper with the 3-¼"  Circle Basics die.  Pressure-emboss it with the Brilliant Sunflower using the plates and embossing mat required for your machine.  A portion of the outer edge will be cut off - but it'll be completely covered by the black diecut.

Cut a stencil from a Post-It with the solid flower from the die set.  Sponge VersaMark onto the embossed flower through the stencil.  Don't remove the stencil.  It'll  keep stray specks of powder away from the adjacent areas.  Heat-emboss it with the new Imagine Yellow Mboss, remove the stencil when it's cooled to room temperature.  

That little semi-circle on the top edge of the Mboss packet is a little section I snipped from the back edge above the zip-seal to make it easier to re-open the packet.  It's visible through the front layer of the translucent packet.  Not a major breakthrough in packaging, but it makes life easier!

Cut Brilliant Sunflower from black cardstock.  Daub VersaMark over the center of the flower with a cotton swab.  Sprinkle it with Mboss, firmly tap off the excess powder, then heat-emboss it.  

Diecut two black leaves.

Attach the black diecuts to the embossed sunflower and the background.

Prep black cardstock with the embossing powder tool.  Stamp the dotted strip and greeting from the Bold Friendly Greetings Clear Stamp Set with VersaMark and emboss them with more Yellow Mboss. Tear the  strip ends to resemble washi tape.  Yellow is just one of 38 powders in the new Mboss Collection.  They come in sturdy store-and-pour resealable pouches.

Attach the diecuts to a Lemon Grass Notecard.  Add the greeting (with foam dots) and yellow gem stickers.

Celebrate summer's arrival with flowers - our Garden Bouquet Collection is literally a bouquet of beautiful designs for any occasion!

If you're in the Seattle area this weekend - join us for two classes at Impress on June 22nd.  It's another SEATTLE STYLE class at 10:30 - featuring favorite locally-designed stamps and dies.  Then it's OUTSIDE THE BOX at 1:30 - make variations of cards I've shared here on Outside the Box.   A ton of diecuts, some stamps, great papers and a lot of techniques in both classes!

Thanks for visiting - enjoy your weekend - 

Supplies

 

94257 Brilliant Sunflower craft die

CL5234 Typewriter Holiday Elements clear stamp set

Lemongrass A2 notecards

30087 Circle Basics Set

A Simple Summer Card by Anne Thompson

Do you ever go to make a card with one idea in mind and the card becomes something else?  That's what happened to me on this  simple summer card.  This isn't at all where I thought I was headed, but I like where I ended up.

I started with the piece of decorative paper.  This has been in my 12x12 stack for years--a Memory Box paper from many years ago.  The next step was to search through blank notecards for ones in coordinating colors.  I found some Juniper ones in my December box that I thought went well with the trees.  I cut the printed paper into three pieces each 4 x 5.25, one for the front of the notecard and two for the inside panels, and attached the pieces using a tape runner. 

The next step was to audition die cut images for the front of the card.  I tried several different birds and butterflies.  I felt like whatever I chose needed to be anchored with something more.  The dies I finally chose were SOARING SWALLOW 99995, GRASS STITCHED CIRCLE FRAME 99924, and one of the smaller circles from WRAPPED CIRCLES 30114.  

I sacrificed another Juniper notecard and die cut the Grass Stitched Circle Frame and the Soaring Swallow from it.  I used a scrap off off-white for the Wrapped Circle which I glued under the grass.

For more dimension I added a foam dot behind the bird.  When I set the finished image on the card I thought that ought to be raised as well so I added more foam dots behind the circle.

When I am ready to send out this card to celebrate the summer solstice later this month I plan to stamp a sentiment directly on the printed paper or glue on some die cut words from more of the Juniper cardstock. 

A suggestion:  Choose a pretty paper and a coordinating card and see where you end up!

Happy summer!

Happy Crafting!

A Trio of Poppies by Melissa Rusk

Happy Sunday friends! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. Today I have a card to share using the Layered Poppy die, let's get started!

I cut out the Layered Poppy in white paper three times and glued them all together. To make my square background I made my own stencil with the Square Basics set and used my ink blending brush to fill them in with a teal ink.

So fun and something I know I will try again! I kept to a teal and white color scheme on this card and glued my stenciled piece of paper to a teal card and then added some darker teal strips of paper to clean up the edges of the white paper.

I finished the card off with three little clear gems in the bottom corner. So fun and easy too.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today!

 

Supplies

 

94251 Layered Poppy craft die

30088 Square Basics Set

Just a Little Note with Scribble Roses and the Rose Bouquet by Jean Okimoto

Sending a little note is thoughtful - and creative - with the Rose Bouquet Clear Stamp Set and the Scribble Roses.  Happy weekend - Jean Okimoto here with a flowery felt design featuring our Garden Bouquet Collection.  

Stamp the bouquet on pale gray cardstock with Morning Mist VersaFine Clair.  Dry the ink.   Trim the stamped image with the coordinating Rose Bouquet die.  Cut another Rose Bouquet from the same cardstock and attach it behind the stamped diecut for dimension.

Trim the left side of the double layer with the 4-¼" x 5-½" Rectangle Basics die.  Attach it to a side-folded pale gray A-2 card.

Cut Scribble Roses Outline from dark gray cardstock.

Attach adhesive label paper - or a sticker sheet - to light pink, bright pink and light peach wool-blend felt.  Cut the Scribble Roses Background.  Assemble the roses and add them to the card.  The paper backing stabilizes the felt and keeps adhesives from soaking through. 

Stamp the greeting - also from the Rose Bouquet Clear Stamp Set - on light pink cardstock with Morning Mist.  Dry the ink, then trim the greeting with the smallest Rectangle Basics die.  Attach it with foam dots.

Add orange gem stickers.

Hope you like flowery cards - and felt diecuts too!  There are so many ways to combine the beautiful florals from the Garden Bouquet Collection - it's versatile, timeless - and my new favorite!  

Thanks for visiting - have a fun weekend and I'll see you again next week...

Supplies

 

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

94271 Scribble Roses Background craft die

94270 Scribble Roses Outline craft die

CL5241-D Rose Bouquet clear stamp and die set

Layered Tulip, Layered Poppy, Layered Rose and Jotted Greetings by Jean Okimoto

Add a fresh look to simple notecards with the Layered Poppy, Layered Rose and Layered Tulip - then pair them with Jotted Cheers, Jotted Awesome and Jotted Thanks.  Mix and match these great new floral designs with a combo of pressure-embossed and diecut greetings and be ready for any occasion.  Hello, Jean Okimoto here with a trio of designs for you today.

Prep the cardstock to save time - tape turquoise, yellow-green and peach cardstock to green cardstock and cut the blossoms, leaves and stems all at once.  

Color the stamen with a black Sharpie and attach it between the layers of the poppy.   The flowers are designed to have the smaller accent sections layered over the main piece.  I just reversed that and glued the smaller sections behind the main sections.  

Cut white cardstock with the 3-½"  4-¾" Rectangle Basics die.  

Pressure-emboss the backgrounds of the Jotted Awesome, Cheers and Thanks greetings near the lower right corner of the rectangle using the plates and mats required for your machine.  I embossed the backgrounds instead of cutting them from contrasting colors to add just a bit of dimension.  It's also easier to attach the delicate script greetings to the embossed backgrounds - everything just falls into place.  

Attach the diecuts to a side-folded white A-2 card.  Add matching gem stickers - or clear gems custom-colored with a Sharpie.

Big thanks to everyone from last weekend's SUMMER SPLASH class at Impress!  Special thanks to Jenny for her sweet and savory popcorn assortment in those sweet spring bowls!  Hope you liked to bright summer designs and origami fish on our cards.   Thanks too - Erin and Lynne - for helping everyone shop and fill those baskets.  

No classes for me this weekend -see everyone again at the SEATTLE STYLE and OUTSIDE THE BOX classes at Impress on June 22nd.

Thanks for visiting...see you here again on Saturday!

Supplies

 

94253 Layered Tulip craft die

94251 Layered Poppy craft die

94252 Layered Rose craft die

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

94011 Thanks Jotted Script craft die

94075 Cheers Jotted Script craft die

94015 Awesome Jotted Script craft die

A Set of Three Button Cards Using Various Circle Dies by Anne Thompson

Button, button, who's got the button?  I've got lots of them and chose several for today's set of three cards!

I used circle-shaped dies from my collection to make "flowers" for these cards with button centers.

• BRIGHT RAYS 04117
• STITCHED SCALLOPED CIRCLES 30047
• WRAPPED CIRCLES 30114

I chose Jack O' Lantern notecards, a leaf-print paper from my 12x12 stash, and Mango Distressed Dots paper which I backed with Scor-Tape sheets before die-cutting.

For this first card, I carefully peeled each of the sections from the die and placed them onto the leafy paper.  I threaded the stems from two leaves through the holes in the button and curled those stems.  I used Glue Dots to secure the silk leaves and the pottery button to the circle, covering the hole in the middle and a gap between two of the Bright Rays sections.

I really wanted to used the leafy branch for a card, so I chose two of the Scalloped Circles to fit with it for this card.  Here I photographed it as a top-fold card but actually made it as a side-fold card (see the first photo above).  Guess it could be either! I used sticky-backed buttons that were already threaded for the circle centers.

Three Wrapped Circles hold velvet leaves and vintage buttons on this card.  I used paper stamens through the button holes to add a pop of color to the centers.  

These were quick and easy cards.  Using the various circular die cut shapes helped to showcase the round buttons.  Another idea for this month's challenge!

Happy Crafting!

Wrapped Circles, Soaring Swallow, Blooming Floral Circle Frame, and a Birdhouse Button Combine for This Month's Challenge by Anne Thompson

The big challenge for me today was to choose which button to feature on my card!  I have boxes and tins and jars and bowls of buttons--vintage ones in browns and whites, pottery ones in bright colors, plain pastels, fancy florals, geometrics, birds, animals--so many buttons!  I finally settled on a birdhouse button for this card:

The colors in the button--red, white, black--determined the color story for this card.  I chose the BLOOMING FLORAL CIRCLE FRAME 94218 because the curvy stem reminded me of tree branches that might support a birdhouse.  I cut that from heavy white cardstock.  Of course there had to be a bird--the SOARING SWALLOW 99995--cut from black cardstock.  I added two circles from the set of WRAPPED CIRCLES 30114, a red one to place behind the Blooming Floral Circle Frame and a small white one to anchor the birdhouse button in the center of the frame.  

I assembled the circle elements, using a glue pen to adhere the Blooming Floral Circle Frame to the red cardstock large circle.  I threaded some heavy black twine through the buttonholes on the birdhouse, tied a double knot, trimmed the twine, and used Glue Dots to stick it to the small white cardstock circle.  I used a tape runner to secure that piece in the center of the frame.  I selected a large pop-dot for the back of the swallow so that it would be at the same height as the button.

When I set this completed piece on the front of a Licorice black notecard I felt something was missing, so I tucked a crisp white doily under the red circle and used a tape runner to secure both to the card front.  I then added the tiny black bow at the bottom as a finishing touch.   Without consciously thinking about it, I worked in threes--three pieces of black (bird, twine, bow), three white (frame, circle, doily), and three red with the circle and the red-roofed birdhouse sporting its little red heart!

Another all-occasion card for my stash!  And the first of many that will feature buttons I've been hoarding!!!

Sort through buttons you have and see what you can add to a card, scrapbook page, home decor piece, gift tag, or whatever you can think of and submit a photo for this month's Cute as a Button Challenge! 

Happy Crafting!

 

Lightly Layered - Sketch Flower Spray and Sketch Blooms by Jean Okimoto

Sketch Blooms add layers of dimension to an embossed Sketch Flower Spray background on a card designed to brighten someone's day.   A greeting from the Rose Garden Clear Stamps Set and gem stickers complete this thoughtful greeting.  Hello, Jean Okimoto here with some just-in-time inspiration for May's Embossing Extravaganza Challenge.  

Enjoy the versatility of the delicate Sketch Flower Spray by pressure-embossing it instead of diecutting it to add a subtle background for the crisp white blossoms.

Cut green cardstock with the 4-¾" x 3-½" Rectangle Basics die.  Pressure emboss it with Sketch Flower Spray using the plates and embossing mat recommended by your machine's manufacturer.  Cut the flowers from white cardstock.

Cut Sketch Blooms from white cardstock - save both the outline and the solid offcut. 

Create multi-layered flowers with the white diecuts.

Stamp the greeting from the Rose Bouquet Clear Stamps Set on light green cardstock with Shady Lane VersaFine Clair.  Trim it with the ¾" x 2" Rectangle Basics die.

Attach the diecuts to a green side-folded card.  Add yellow and green gem stickers.

Happy thoughts and big thanks to everyone from Monday's SEATTLE STYLE class at Impress!  We're so lucky to have so many great papercrafting companies right here in Washington - and it's always fun to combine their products.  Memory Box, Poppystamps and Birch Press Designs look great together and allow us to get more from our stashes of their genuine,  American-made products.  Special thanks too - Shari and Karen - for helping everyone fill their baskets.

Thanks for visiting!

 

Supplies

 

94250 Sketch Blooms craft die

94248 Sketch Flower Spray craft die

CL5241 Rose Bouquet clear stamp set

30086 Rectangle Basics Set

Cool Baby Wipe Technique by Trina Pham

Happy Sunday everyone!  As I mentioned in my last post, I learned and played with different techniques at my retreat.  One very cool (and easy) technique was a baby wipe technique involving distress oxide inks (DOx) and photo paper.  There’s a video tutorial for it by Kia HERE.  Here’s my CAS card.

Started by ink smooshing Lucky Clover, Mowed Lawn and Peacock Feathers DOx inks one at a time onto a piece of photo paper.  Let the ink dry in between each color.  This resulted in a cloudy chalky look.  Now comes the cool part.  Take a baby wipe and buff away at the surface to reveal the bright glossy background.  I wiped away only the bottom half of the panel in the photo below to show the difference.

I’ve heard some trying this technique with glossy paper, so I thought I would do a comparison.  I used the same DOx colors for both and as you can see, my glossy paper turned out very different.   I was advised that certain photo papers do not work either, so it could very well be my brand of glossy paper.  

To complete my card, the Scribble Leafy Branch Background was die cut from the panel and from a scrap of white glitter paper to be inlaid.  The inlaid panel was adhered behind a window cutout made with the the Rectangle Basics set on a Bristol piece.  Stamped the sentiment from Big and Little Words stamp set with Archival black ink, then mounted with fun foam to a white top folding card base  to finish.

Now I couldn’t let that positive leafy cutout go to waste, so I made a CAS birthday card... possibly for a male?

 

Two more leafy branches were die cut from Bristol cardstock and the sentiment was white heat embossed on black for this second one.

This was another fun technique that I think you should give a try.  Having the correct paper is key.  And that’s it from me.  Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful week.  

 

Supplies

 

94275 Scribble Leafy Branch Background craft die

CL5242 Big and Little Words lear stamp set