The Card Concept

Hello Friends!  It is finally here- the first challenge at The Card Concept!
If you have not heard of this challenge, let me share a bit about it.  There are 12 designers, representing 6 different crafting styles-Clean and Simple, Clean and Graphic, Clean and Layered, Free Style Collage, Classy/Elegant, and Shabby and Vintage.  I am representing the Classy/Elegant Style.

You can participate in the challenge, choosing one of the 6 styles represented to design your card in.  This is a wonderful way to explore styles and learn just what it is that makes a style work.
Flourishes are one of those elements that speaks 'elegant'.  This stamp image is full of flourishes!  Layers are another common element of the elegant style, and I personally love fussy cutting and use this often.
This is how I created layers.  I lightly stamped the Off the Grid stamp in Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla cs.  I sponged a bit of pink ink over the grid image.Next, I stamped the Baroque image in Early Espresso, directly on the vanilla cs.  I stamped it a second time on vanilla cs and fussy cut a large portion of the image out,  This was adhered directly over the initial image.  I stamped the image a third time on Crumb Cake cs in Versamark ink and heat embossed the center area with Early Espresso embossing powder.  The central image is fussy cut out and adhered to the second image, using dimensionals.
The final layer is from adding the butterfly.  The reason I chose to do the baroque flourish image in brown was to have a lot of contrast with the pink butterfly, so that the butterfly popped.
The background panel (Crumb Cake cs) has texture from dry embossing.  Scalloped edges, pearl bling, die cut leaves and a seam binding bow finish off the card. 
Please hop on over to the challenge blog and check out the other gorgeous creations from the Design Team.  Pick your style and create! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!
Have a blessed week,

Lee Ann  :)

Supplies Used (all Stampin' Up)
Stamps- Off the Grid, Beautifully Baroque, Papillon Potpourri
Paper- Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso and retired dsp
Ink- Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Blushing Bride, Versamark
Other- Apothecary Framelits, Large Scalloped Edgelit, Butterfly punch, pearls, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Early Espresso Embossing Powder, Little Leaves Sizzlit, Tiny Tag Punch, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Dazzling Details, Copic markers (not SU)

The Crew in March

Good Morning and Happy Friday to You!

Can you believe we have already completed the month of February??  Here it is, March 1st, and that means a new SU Creative Crew gallery and challenges at SCS.  So without further ado, here are the challenges and cards I have made for them-

DSP/Color Focus: Fan Fair dsp and island indigo

 For this card, the flowers were stamped twice in Island Indigo and fussy cut; then fussy cut flowers from one the the stamped images were layered on top of the other image and adhered with dimensionals to give them depth.  The pink scalloped oval frame is also adhered with dimensionals.

 The butterfly was stamped in Craft Black and heat embossed with clear ep.  It was colored with Island Indigo and So Saffron reinkers and aquapainter.  Once dry, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint was stippled onto the So Saffron areas of the butterfly, which of course, you cannot see in the photo. 

 Catalog Focus: Check out the Fan Fair Product Suite in the IBC, pp.106-117. Romance us with Elements of Style or Everything Eleanor. Take us away with Postage Due or Papillon Potpourri. Intrigue us with Daydream Medallions or Nature's Price.

 The butterflies were stamped in Island Indigo on Very Vanilla; the larger was punched out and the smaller, fussy cut.  Champagne Mist Shimmer paint was stippled onto the butterflies.  Dazzling Diamonds was piped along a few of the butterfly lines. 
Holiday Focus-
Use a wonderful quote as a focal point in your project. (You may use any quote that SU! has ever produced, even retired, but you must let us know the year of the stamp and the stampset name.)

This card is 5.5 x 5.5 inches square.  The Gumball Green Polka Dot embossed panel is 5.25 x5.25 inches.  The Whisper White panel is 4.75" x 4.75" and stamped in Poppy Parade with the flourish from Elements of Style.  The So Saffron panel is 3.75" x 3.75", die cut in the center with a Window Framelit and the scored around the edges at 1/8".  The Island Indigo panel needs to be small enough that it is not visible behind the So Saffron panel and is die cut with a smaller Window Framelit.  The Indigo and Saffron panels are adhered together.  The sentiment is stamped in Stazon Black on Whisper White and the flourish from Elements of Style is inked up in So Saffron, stamped off once and then stamped over the sentiment.  This panel is adhered to the Poppy Parade stamped panel and the Window Framelit panels are popped up on dimensionals and adhered around the sentiment.  

Three sets of Little Leaves are die cut in Gumball Green; flowers are punched from the Itty Bitty Punch pack punch in Poppy Parade.

  

The  humming bird is stamped in So Saffron on Naturals White cs and then fussy cut. To color the bird, you first saturate the cut image in water, folding/squeezing it like a sponge so that it absorbs as much water as possible.  Once soaked, uncrinkle/unfold paper and drop drops on reinker ink onto wet paper and watch ink spread!  To get a ruby colored throat on my hummingbird, I used a paint brush to dab Poppy Parade reinker ink on the spot.  Once inked as desired, put bird in a coffee filter and dry carefully with a heat gun.  Once completely dry, press stamped image onto Versamark pad and then sprinkle with clear ep.  Repeat this process multiple times until desired thickness reached.  To give the bird a golden edge, drag the edges across the Versamark pad and then drag through gold ep; heat. 

That's it for today's Creative Crew projects; hope you can join us!  Have a blessed day!

Lee Ann :)

Products used- All Stampin' Up
Card 1-
Stamps-Elements of Style, Pretty Petites
Paper-Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Fanfair dsp
Ink-Island Indigo, Baja Breeze, Basic Gray
Other-Oval Framelits, Little Leaves die, Petite Curly Label punch, Heart charm(retired), dimensionals, Faceted Vintage button, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, blender pen, Polka Dot ef

Card 2-
Stamps-Swallowtail
Paper-Island Indigo, So Saffron, Basic Black, Whisper White, Natural Composition Specialty dsp
Ink-Versamark, Island Indigo reinker, So Saffron reinker, Black Craft
Other-clear ep, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, paint brush to stipple on Shimmer Paint

Card 3-
Stamps-Easter Blessings, Papillion Potpourri
Paper-Early Espresso, Natural CompositionSpecialty dsp, Very Vanilla
Ink- Versamark, Island Indigo
Other-Pool Party ep, pearls, Butterfly Punch, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Baja Breeze Seam Binding, Island Indigo ribbon, Dazzling Details, Paint brush to stipple on Shimmer Paint

Card 4-
Stamps-Trust God, Elements of Style
Paper-Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Naturals White
Ink-Poppy Parade, So Saffron, Stazon Black, Gumball Green, Island Indigo, Versamark
Other-Clear ep, gold ep, Window Framelits, Simple Scored, Dimensionals, Little Leaves die, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, pearls, white ribbon, Polka Dot ef

Easter Sunrise

Hello Everybody!
It is a snowy/sleeting/icy day here and a day of enjoying the wintery scene from the inside!  I got some stamp time in this afternoon and wanted to make some Easter cards.  I love the new single Stampin' Up Easter Blessings sentiment stamp, but was having a hard time coming up with anything I liked.  Then I took my inspiration from Bridget Findlay's card, which can be seen on SCS's Facebook page.  I just love how this turned out-

I masked a strip across the upper portion of my card and sponged on Regal Rose, Calypso Coral and Daffodil Delight.  Once that was complete, I scored lines along both edges of the sponged area.  Then I embossed the lower portion of the card.  I stamped a butterfly and colored it using a blender pen and Regal Rose and Calypso Coral inks.  I added a little bit of Dazzling Details to the butterfly's wings.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a blessed day!

Lee Ann:)

Products Used-all Stampin' Up
Stamps-Easter Blessings single stamp, Papillion Potpourri
Paper-Whisper White, Calypso Coral
Ink-Stazon Black, Regal Rose, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight
Other-Polka Dot ef, Simply Scored, Butterfly punch, Dazzling Details

Mod Dots and Butterflies

Hello and Happy Saturday, All! 

It is a sunny but cold day here in St Louis-good for staying inside!  The chores are calling me, but I found some time to stamp and create a card for the week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.  It has been a while since I have played the blog challenges, so it took some getting "back into the swing of things"! 
Here is this week's sketch-

And here is my take on the sketch-

I went with a bright and bold design to cheer up a friend who has been home bound due to illness.  I started with one of my favorite designer papers from the Patio Party pack, then punched 1/2 " circles using Pool Party, Razzleberry, Island Indigo and River Rock cs.  I adhered the circles to the white circles on the dp using dimensionals.  I stamped the butterflies and fussy cut them out. 
The dotted panel is mounted on Whisper White and a Razzleberry cs border was added.  The sentiment was stamped using the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and a square punch was used to create the banner. 
Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Lee Ann  :)

Supplies used (all Stampin' Up)-

Stamps- Papillon Potpourri, Curly Cute
Paper-Whisper White, Razzleberry, Island Indigo, Pool Party, River Rock, Patio Party dsp
Ink- Stazon Black,  Razzleberry, Island Indigo
1/2" circle punch, square punch, pearls, Finishing Touches Edgelits; black sharpie to color pearls