Sketch Saturdays

Welcome back to another segment for my posts I'm calling Sketch Saturdays. This is my second one, and I'm really enjoying doing this. It's opening my creative mind…

This week, I'm featuring a sketch I created myself for a One Sheet Wonder series I'm working on (more on that in the coming weeks). It's a simple sketch, but check out what I did with it!

Well, I did a few things with it, actually. First, I flipped it. Next, I created four designs with it, from the very simple (for someone with very limited supplies, for example), to the more elaborate, using tools that one may not have access to.

I wanted to showcase that a simple sketch, doesn't always have to be so simple… and that you can create with just using the very basic of tools. The first card only uses a paper trimmer and a marker to ink the stamp. There's not much more to the second one, but just switching to a couple of basic punches and you've got a different look!

The third looks a little more in-depth, but it really isn't. You might think that I used some fancy tools, maybe a punch, but all I used were paper-piercing tools! I pierced the holes first in my triangular piece and then cut a small border free-hand following the shape of the pierced holes. The heart is also done the same way.

Lastly, the fourth uses the Big Shot and the Floral Frames Framelits, as well as the the Modern Mosaic TIEF. I heat embossed the sentiment, scattered some pearls and added an In-Color Dahlia.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

RECIPE:
Paper: 2012-2014 In Color Card Stock, Very Vanilla, Basic Grey, Birthday Basics DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Basic Grey, Raspberry Ripple
Stamps: Petite Pairs
Tools: Big Shot, Modern Mosaic TIEF, Floral Frames Framelits, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Artisan Label Punch, Paper-Piercing Mat, Paper-Piercing Tool, Paper-Piercing Essentials Pack, Heat Tool
Accessories: Pearls, In-Color Dahlia

Pierced Ornaments

Today I have another Christmas card I created. The only stamp I used on this card is for the sentiment. The rest is paper pierced. Check it out:

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Early Espresso
Stamps: More Merry Messages
Tools: Big Shot, Stripes TIEF, Paper Piercing
Accessories: Jewels, Stitched Satin Ribbon

I used the ornament Paper Piercing Template to pierce my ornaments of choice. Once that was done, I used my Stampin' Write Markers to "connect the dots"... this gives the look of stitching. I fooled around a bit with my Blender Pen and moved some the ink around to give the ornaments some colour.

I added some ribbon to the top of each ornament and A LOT of bling with some jewels.

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

The Easter Bunny is Coming...

... and he stopped in at Sunday Stamps! This is the first Easter card I created this year. I can't believe Easter is just around the corner!

Paper: Crumb Cake, Pink Pirouette, Rose Red
Ink: Rose Red, StazOn
Stamps: Everybunny
Tools: Big Shot, Fancy Fan TIEF, Scallop Circle Punch, Oval Framelits,
Blender Pen, Watercolour Crayons (Brights), Paper Piercing Mat Pack & Tool
Accessories: Two-tone Ribbon
Kit: Pop-up Posies Designer Kit
Techniques: Watercolouring, Paper Piercing

Instead of using the banners in Joan's sketch this week, I opted to pleat some ribbon instead. I also figured out that the Oval Framelits work wonderfully with the Pop-up Posies labels. I was happy about that!

For the bunny, I whipped out my Watercolour Crayons (haven't used those in a while!) and forgot how easy they were to use. I added some subtle colour and then inked the edges for some pop!

Now check out what the rest of the Design Team has created for you and then play along with us this week! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

It's a Tri-Colour Challenge at Sunday Stamps!

Happy Sunday! This week we've got a fun colour combo for you - Early Espresso, More Mustard & Marina Mist. Feel free to substitute similar colours if you don't have the Stampin' Up! ones. Here's my card:

Paper: Watercolour Paper, Naturals Ivory, Early Espresso
Ink: Marina Mist, More Mustard, Early Espresso, StazOn
Stamps: Serene Silhouettes
Tools: Big Shot, Ovals Framelits, Paper Piercing Template
Accessories: Linen Thread, Naturals Designer Button
Techniques: Watercolouring, Paper Piercing, Distressing

I started with a piece of watercolour paper. I used my clear blocks (A, B, & C) to watercolour my background. I took each block, coloured on it with my Stampin' Write Marker (make sure the block is clean!), spritzed with water and stamped on my paper. If needed, I used my Aqua Painter to blend in a bit more. Once all was stamped and blended, I set it aside to dry. It didn't take long, but you can also use your heat tool to speed things up.

I cut out an oval shape with the NEW Oval Framelits found in the Spring Catalogue and stamped my image from Serene Silhouettes with StazOn ink. I glued the oval on an angle on my card base. On the "scrap" piece, I used one of my Paper Piercing Templates (this one from the Spring Catty) and pierced around my oval. I then threaded Linen Thread through every other hole and finished off with a Naturals Designer Button at the top.

I distressed the edges of my watercolour paper a bit for an added effect and I love, love, LOVE how this card came out. Way better than what I had pictured in my mind.

Hope this card inspires you to play along with us. Please check out what the rest of the Design Team has created for you & play along this week over at Sunday Stamps!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Pierced Butterflies

I created this card a while ago and am finally now going to show it to you. :) I love randomly stamping images on a card to create lots of interest and I thought "what if I use my Paper Piercing Pack to create that type of look?" Here are the results:

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP
Ink: Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit
Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Wacky Wishes (Hostess)
Tools: Butterfly Punch, Paper Piercing Pack
Technique: Paper Piercing

I'm quite happy with the way this card turned out. I love all the piercing templates Stampin' Up! has introduced to the market since last year. I own all of them! It's great to have another element to add to cards that coordinate so perfectly with other products. What's better than a stamp set that coordinates with a punch, that coordinates with a piercing template?!

After randomly piercing my butterfly patterns across my Whisper White card stock, I stamped & punched out my butterflies and popped them up with Dimensionals. I added strips of Sycamore Street DSP for some added colour and stamped my sentiment slightly off center because my one butterfly hangs low. I think it works!

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

For the Mashup

It's been a loooooong time since I've played along with any online challenges. The Friday Mashup is one that I've enjoyed and I decided to play along this week...

Paper: Tangerine Tango, Whisper White, Sycamore Street DSP (SAB Sneak Peek)
Ink: Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Island Indigo, Summer Starfruit
Stamps: Simply Soft (Retired Hostess), Perfect Punches, En Francais
Tools: Big Shot, Honeycomb TIEF, Labels Framelits, XL Oval
Accessories: Summer Starfruit Stitched Satin Ribbon

This card was inspired by one I saw on Pinterest by Kristin Moore. I went a little overboard on the patterns maybe, but I think it works. The challenge this week is to use at least three of the suggested colours (Early Espresso, Summer Starfruit, Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, Sahara Sand) &/or to use patterns. I mashed it up by doing both.

I had a lot of fun making this card and I hope you like it!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

It's A Scrap Yard Series - Post #1

I don't know about you, but I felt like I was living in a scrap yard. I kept just about every scrap of paper and ribbon that I produced thinking that one day I would use it again. The reality is that if it's not organized and at least a good size, what's the point in keeping it?! Why should I keep a punched scallop circle in Gumball Green? Reality is... it would probably be lost in my current scrap pile and if I ever needed one, I'd just simply punch another.

My point is that with the new year, I've finally come around to organizing my gigantic pile of scraps!

Here are a few rules I set for myself:

1. Get rid of all the tiny pieces - anything shorter than 5-1/2" or too small for a large punch out was not worthwhile in my book.
   
2. Cut every piece of scrap into straight edges - get rid of all those tiny punch outs I was hoarding!
   
3. Separate the neutrals - I decided to keep small pieces of Whisper White & Very Vanilla because I use them a lot for stamped sentiments.
   
4. Patterns and colours - same rules apply as above, but if I came across DSP or colours that were retired and decided I probably wouldn't use them again or didn't have more of it lying around, they went "bye bye".

After sorting through with these rules in mind, I bagged all my scraps according to colour and put them back in my bin. Now it's easier to find the colour and size I need. If it's not in the bag, I know not to look any further!

Since I spent half a day organizing my "scrap yard", I decided to do a mini series of posts with cards I created from just using my scraps. Surely there are others out there like me, right?! :)

Here's the first card in the series:

Paper: Very Vanilla, Lucky Limeade, DSP: Elegant Soiree (retired),
Everyday Enchantment (retired), 11-12 In Color Stack, Fan Fair, Neutrals Stack
Ink: Lucky Limeade
Stamps: Delightful Dozen
Tools: Paper Piercing Pack
Techniques: Paper Piercing

I know it's my own card, but I'm in love with it. Frankly, if it weren't for my scrap pile, I would've never thought to use five different DSP's together on one card! Funny how they all work nicely together though, eh?!

Tune in again tomorrow for another "scrap yard" card... and why not give this a try yourself. You may be surprised as to what you can create from your scraps!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Pretty Butterflies

I love butterflies... they're just so free and whimsical. I gravitated to them once again for this week's challenge over at Sunday Stamps. Melissa has a great sketch for us this week and I hope you'll play along with us!

Paper: Patio Party DSP, Whisper White, Watercolour Paper
Ink: Midnight Muse, Baja Breeze, Primerose Petals, Summer Starfruit
Stamps: Papillon Potpourri
Tools: Paper Piercing Pack, Mat & Piercer, Boho Blossom Punch, Aqua Painter
Accessories: Button, Whisper White Baker's Twine
Techniques: Watercolouring, Paper Piercing

I'm starting a series tomorrow on my Blog about scraps... and the DSP and watercolour paper I used happened to be in my "scrap" pile. When I saw the tiny butterflies in the Patio Party DSP, I knew I wanted to pair it with the Papillon Potpourri stamp set. I also hadn't used my Aqua Painter in a while, and thought to give that a try also.

I pulled all my colours right from the DSP and after colouring sections on my watercolour paper, I stamped one of the butterfly images, full strength, in each colour. I cut the strip into a banner and then opted to use some Baker's Twine, a flower punch and a button to keep with the softness of the card.

I didn't want to add much more, but thought a few pierced holes in the bottom right corner were in order. :)

Now check out what the rest of the team has done to help inspire you and play along with us. We always look forward to seeing what you create!

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Ribbon Stem Flower

Today's card was inspired by some ribbon weaving I saw online. Thought it would be nice to create a flower stem with it. Have a look:

Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral
Ink: Calypso Coral, More Mustard, So Saffron
Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Petite Pairs
Tools: Big Shot, Apothecary Accents, Paper Piercing Pack, Modern Label, Blossom Punch
Accessories: Ribbon (retired), Brights Button

The base and layer with the Apothecary Accents Framelit is pretty self explanatory. For the flowers, I stamped the flowers from Fabulous Florets in Calypso Coral ink on Whisper White. I then used my Blender Pen with Calypso Coral, More Mustard and So Saffron ink to get the desired look I wanted. To make my flowers larger so that the proportions would look right with the stem and the card, I punched two flowers in Calypso Coral using my Blossom Punch. Placing the punch behind my stamped flower, I started to bend and fold the petals to align better with the image. For the smaller flower, I cut each of the five petals and glued them behind. I think I achieved the look I was going for.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Thanks a Bunch

I have a simple card for you today that uses many new products - both from the main catty and the new Holiday Catalogue that went live August 1st. If you haven't received your copy of the Holiday catty yet, please contact me for a FREE one.

Paper: More Mustard, Lovely Flowers DSP (retired)
Ink: Old Olive, Perfect Plum
Stamps: Friendship Preserves
Tools: Big Shot, Preserves Framelits, Chevron TIEF, Paper Piercing Template, Piercer, Mat

Like I said, this is a simple card, but I think there's a lot of punch because of the Chevron Textured Impression Embossing Folder and the layered stamped image with paper piercing.

After embossing my More Mustard card base and adding the strip of Lovely Flowers (retired) DSP, I stamped a stamp from the Friendship Preserves set twice, once in Old Olive and then again in Perfect Plum. I cut the "thanks a bunch" out from the image and popped it up with Dimensionals on top of the Old Olive piece that I cut using the coordinating Framelits. I love coordinating Framelits!! Before popping the entire thing up again on my card base, I used one of the new Paper Piercing Templates from the Holiday Catalogue and pierced around the top half of the image.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph

Stipples and Blossoms

I just can't express my love enough for the new Stippled Blossoms stamp set from SU! It's so beautiful and two-step stampin' adds so much to a project!

Today I have another challenge card - seems to be my theme this week. I participated in challenge number 101 over at The Paper Players. This week's challenge was a sketch challenge. Here's the sketch:

As I often do with sketches, I turn them every which way until I find an angle that "speaks to me". For this challenge, I opted to create my card by flipping the sketch horizontally. Here's the card I came up with:

I originally wanted to use Crumb Cake, Perfect Plum and Raspberry Ripple... but I just couldn't get the Raspberry Ripple to work. You know how sometimes you get a vision in your head... but then it just doesn't turn out that way on paper?! That's what happened with my original vision - even though it was AMAZING in my head. ha.

Instead, I decided to keep it fairly natural with just the two colour tones. After omitting the Raspberry Ripple, I added the Victoria Crochet Trim - and I think that turned out fabulously. I also added some teeny tiny pearls (those take patience!) and some paper piercing using the new Essentials Paper Piercing Pack. I LOVE those templates!! I embossed the one strip with one of the beautiful folders from the new Delicate Designs Textured Impressions Embossing Folders. I sponged the entire thing in Perfect Plum so that it really pops!

I added my sentiment by stamping one from Petite Pairs and punched it out with the Modern Label punch (such a versatile punch!). I folded it to create a ribbon/banner look to it and added a knotted piece of the Victoria Crochet Trim. I finished off by stamping some more blossoms on the inside.

What do you think?

Until next time, stay crafty!
Steph