PCC390 Adventure Bound

Hi All!  Welcome to another Paper Craft Crew sketch challenge.  We were not able to hold our annual Hudson Valley Shoebox Swap this spring, so I hosted a mail-in card swap.  This was my swap, using the retired High Tide suite.

Since this was a mass-production, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out the whale as well as the ship's wheel, using the SVG file from the Hello, Sailor My Digital Studio download.

Here's this week's sketch; hope you'll join us!

Stamps: Hello, Sailor, Remember This, Hello, Sailor MDS download; Paper; Cajun Craze, Pacific Point, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, High Tide DSP, By the Shore DSP; Ink: Pacific Point, Versamark; Accessories: White Embossing Powder, Banner Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, Smooth Sailing Dies, Die-Cutting Machine, e-cutter, Dimensionals.

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Control Freaks Catalog Preview Blog Tour

Welcome... It's time to hop along with the super fabulous Control Freaks group!  We are reviewing all the exciting previews of the upcoming catalog, which is available on June 2.  You've probably arrived here from Julie Davison's blog.  She is just so creative!

To start off, I'm in need for a graduation card or two this month.  I thought it would be fun to morph the cute octopus in the Sea Street set into a graduate.  He is graduating from school... the school of fish!  Ha, get it?  :)

I applied a watercolor wash to the background, followed by the salted background technique for some irregular dimension.  The grad cap was hand-cut using a My Digital Studio download, sized to fit, and the tassel is white baker's twine, dyed with Hello Honey ink.

Stamps: Sea Street, Gorgeous Grunge, Bravo; Paper: Hello Honey, Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper; Ink: Lost Lagoon, Pool Party, Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss, Crumb Cake, Black Sharpie; Accessories: White baker's twine, Silver mini brad, Aquapainter, Sponge.

I was practicing with the new In Colors and watercolor techniques, and I made a card I loved so much, I remade it with the new Work of Art set.

The technique calls for inking up the stamp and then spritzing with water to get it pretty wet.  Stamping on watercolor paper allows the ink to bleed a little and soften the edges.  The word cut-out comes from the Walk in the Park II digital download.

I didn't stop there.  I used the negative image of the word to create a stencil and sponged Versamark through the stencil.  I used the ink & spritz method on this card as well to help blend the colors a bit.

Both cards have ink splatter to round out the messy look.  I even splattered some Gold Encore ink on the first card.  I also colored pearls and rhinestones, respectively, with Blendabilities markers.  This opens a whole new world of color coordination!

Stamps: Work of Art; Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Watercolor paper, Champagne glimmer paper; Ink: Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Tangelo Twist, Blackberry Bliss, Gold Encore, Versamark, Coastal Cabana & Rich Razzleberry Blendabilities markers; Accessories: Pearl jewels, Rhinestone jewels, Gold Sequin trim, Clear embossing powder, Water spritzer, Aquapainter, Owl builder punch, Hearts Collection framelit, Walk in the Park II digital download, e-cutter.

Skip on over to my buddy Mindy's blog to check out the goodies she has made for us. 

MDSM66 MDS Hybrid Shaped Card ~ Perfect Blend

This week is my turn to host the MDS Monday challenge.  My current hybrid card obsession is shaped cards.  There are lots of MDS shapes that can be used as a card base - a canning jar, an owl, a lava lamp, an oval, a hexagon, a pumpkin, a cupcake.  You get the idea.  If you need to brainstorm, start with punch shapes.  You can use stamp images as well.  Even custom punches would work.

Think you need an e-cutter to make a shaped card?  Nope!  Although feel free to use one.

• Design and size your card base in My Digital Studio and print out on card stock.  With this method, make sure to create a mirror image of the card front for the back of the card base, and pay attention where your score line will land.  Then hand-cut your card base.
• Keep in mind to preserve as much of the score line on your card base so your card is robust and doesn't fall apart.  
• My favorite method, to avoid printing on card stock, is to design and size in MDS and print on copy paper.  Print only one of the shaped images, then after scoring the card base, temporarily adhere the copy paper to the card stock and trim the card stock and copy paper simultaneously.  Move the copy paper around before cutting to maximize the retained score line.
• Repeat the process to embellish the card.  Design and print in MDS, followed by hand-cutting, or print or use the copy paper method for adding traditional Designer Series Paper.

Shaped cards are super fun, so I hope you give this a try!

Here's a video of how to create a shaped card from My Digital Studio, as it was happening.  :)

And in case you are interested, here's an example of how to make a shaped card using Silhouette Studio.

Stamps: Perfect Blend MDS download, Non-SU Starbucks stamp; Paper: Gumball Green, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Epic Day DSP; Ink: Gumball Green; Accessories: Linen thread, Dimensionals.

Stampin' Addicts Retiring Blog Hop

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts official good-bye party, the Retiring Blog Hop! Have you scoured through the retiring lists? I recommend you mark up your catalog with all the retiring sets, and by all means, grab those talking to you before they are gone! If you have been following the blog hop in order, you have just come from Mary's blog featuring the Off the Grid. Weren't her projects adorable?

Today I'm featuring a Sizzix Big Shot die, Peekaboo Frames.  This die is the starting point of lots of fun, interactive cards and projects.  Who doesn't want to open a door to see what is behind it?

I thought the circle peekaboo frame looks like a porthole.  Perfect time to play with the Hello, Sailor set from the Occasions catalog.

Stamps: Hello, Sailor, Woodgrain BG (retiring), Hardwood BG, Hello, Sailor MDS download; Paper: Marina Mist, Cajun Craze, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Smoky Slate, Very Vanilla, High Tide DSP; Ink: So Saffron, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Basic Gray; Accessories: Window Sheet, Natural Chevron ribbon, Gold baker's twine, Silver Mini brads, Gold embossing powder, Sponges, Circles Collection framelits, Peekaboo Frame die, Tasteful Trim die (retiring), Big Shot, Dimensionals.

I again pulled out the e-cutter and designed my own bee hive-shaped card for an interactive themed card.  Very fun!

I love the images from the Crazy, Mixed-Up Love set, which is also retiring.  The playful, cartoon images go perfectly with an interactive card.

Stamps: Crazy, Mixed-Up Love (retiring); Paper: So Saffron, Crushed Curry, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Afternoon Tea DSP; Ink: Black Stazon, So Saffron marker; Accessories: Crushed Curry chevron ribbon, Linen thread, Dazzling Diamonds, Owl builder punch, Peekaboo Frames die, Big Shot, e-cutter, Dimensionals.

So the double frame looks like a barn door, doesn't it?  I could make a farm card, but I thought, "You know what, wouldn't these make a cute interactive book for a preschooler?"  My daughter is no longer a preschooler, but she will love it just the same.  :)

I built the page in a spiral notebook I had made in the past.  You could go crazy and make a whole interactive book for a little one (hint, hint, Tanya).

I used the print and cut feature for the animals from the Storytime Ensemble download.  They are sooo cute!  I could just go to town with them.  And the fringe scissors are so fun to use.  I also used them to create the hay bales in the loft that the rooster is perching on.

Stamps: Barnyard Buddies MDS download, Storytime Ensemble MDS download; Paper: So Saffron, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Whisper White; Ink: Soft Sky, Marina Mist; Accessories: Linen thread, Cupcake builder punch, Fringed Scissors, Simply Scored Board, Sponges, Square Lattice EF (retiring), Peekaboo Frames die, Big Shot, e-cutter.

I hit four out of five die-cuts on this die... not bad!  Make sure you check out the next stop to see what Betty at Kitty Stamp put together using Road to Happiness. Her projects are always amazing.

 

FM157 Minnie Ears!

OMG... this is totes adorbs!  Cindy is bringing us a fancy fold Friday Mashup challenge with polka dots.

Photo Source 

Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project with "Polka Dots".
2. Create a project with a "Fun Fold".
3. or Mash it Up! and create a "Fun Fold project with some Polka Dots"!

Well, I was drawing a complete blank.  I love polka dots, yet rarely use them.  They say party to me, bright colors, or a sunny day.  I just couldn't come up with a fun fold, combined with polka dots, that was floating my boat.  The perils of crafting by emotion, I guess.  What else could I think of that uses bold, bright polka dots?  Summer dresses... or... Minnie Mouse!

Ok, a shaped card isn't quite a fancy fold, but we'll just skip past that part.  ;)  I created a card base and mouse ears card front in My Digital Studio with circle and half circle punches.  The bow comes from the That's a Wrap download.  All items were traced and cut on the e-cutter.  Wouldn't this be the perfect card for a Minnie fan?

Paper: Basic Black, Polka Dot Parade DSP; Accessories: My Digital Studio punches, That's a Wrap MDS download, e-cutter.

The Stamp Review Crew: Six-Sided Sampler

Welcome to another Stamp Crew Review Blog Hop!  We share our take on a selected stamp set every first and third Monday.  Today will investigate the versatility of the fun stamp set Six-Sided Sampler, which coordinates with the hexagon punch.  These hops result in such a variety of ideas; don't you love them?

If you are hopping around in a circle, you have just come from Dawn's blog.  Dawn has such a fun paper crafting style!   To get myself warmed up with Six-Sided Sampler, I started with a clean & simple card for Easter.

I cut the egg shapes on my e-cutter using the egg punch from the Everything Easter download.  I then stamped the patterns from the hexagon stamps to create fun and colorful decorated eggs using last week's Friday Mashup color combination.  This card was a great excuse to pull out my Fringe Scissors again.

It is a little late to begin Easter cards, although maybe there is some of you out there?  You can try this technique of stamping patterns on any e-cut/die-cut/punched shape you can imagine, as you will see in the next card as well.

Stamps: Six-Sided Sampler, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper: Pool Party, Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Whisper White; Ink: Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, Soft Suede; Accessories: Everything Easter MDS download, Fringe Scissors, Cupcake builder punch, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Square Collection framelits, Big Shot, e-cutter, Dimensionals.

I love making shaped cards, so I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for a hexagon card.

Using the Hexagon punch from My Digital Studio and an e-cutter, I designed and cut the Early Espresso card base and Crushed Curry card front.  I ran the card front and stamped Six-Sided Sampler images through the Hexagon Hive thinlit to create the hive die-cuts.  The sentiment came from the Six-Sided Sampler download with a small offset around the word for ease of cutting.

Stamps: Six-Sided Sampler, Field Flowers, Six-Sided Sampler MDS download, Flores Suaves MDS download; Paper: Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla; Ink: Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Crisp Cantaloupe, Calypso Coral, Sahara Sand; Accessories: Hexagon punch MDS download, Aquapainter, Hexagon Hive thinlit, Big Shot.

Make sure you check out the next stop to see what creative and fun goodies Kerry at Peonies and Paper Chains put together with the set.

ETA: You may experience some inconsistent ability to get to some of the links. TypePad is having issues and some of our blogger's posts will be available for a short time, then "crash" again. We are very sorry for the inconvenience.  Please visit the Stamp Review Crew landing page to continue on.

 

FM156 Sketchy Ombre

Ombre or hombre?  How do you pronounce "ombre"?  There was a discussion thread on this topic on Splitcoaststampers recently, which was quite amusing.  This week's Friday Mashup challenge is using the ombre technique.

Sketch by: Lynda

Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project using the "Sketch".
2. Create a project with the "Ombre' Background Technique".
3. Or Mash it up and create a project an "Ombre' Background & The Sketch"

• The stamp image comes from the 2012 Stampin' Up! Convention stamp set I Am..., and I used the Chalkboard technique to create the main panel.
• I was going for a black & yellow color scheme, and used a Chocolate Chip frame to simulate woodgrain.  I also added coordinating, subtle woodgrain texture to the background.
• To satisfy the ombre requirement, I brayered a background panel with three different yellows. 
• I grabbed some script from the Walk in the Park II download, added a 0.2" offset, and cut it out with an e-cutter.  

Stamps: I Am...; Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black, Patio Party DSP; Ink: Daffodil Delight, Summer Starfruit, Crushed Curry, Whisper White Craft, Versamark; Accessories: Summer Starfruit twine, Chalk marker, White embossing powder, 2-3/8" Scallop Circle punch, Brayer, Sponge, Woodgrain EF, On Film framelits, Big Shot, e-cutter; MDS Elements: Walk in the Park II.

Happy Birthday, Janneke!

Last week Little Missy had a small play date to celebrate her birthday before enjoying Spring Break this week.  Originally we had planned on going to Hawaii for her birthday, and since that plan was changed, she had asked for a Hawaiian party.  I'll share a couple of the crafty items we included in the party.

The invitations -

Of course I was playing along with Mix-Ability #49, Happy Little Clouds. Janneke did all the stamping and coloring, and I made clouds for her with acrylic paint.

Stamps: Do the Hulu; Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White; Ink: Marina Mist, Basic Black, Soft Sky reinker; Accessories: Sponge, White acrylic paint, Colored pencils.

There were Hawaiian decorations and music, leis, pineapple and coconut drinking cups (with Hawaiian punch), drink umbrellas, and Hawaiian-themed fruit.  We played Pin the Tail on the Pig (in honor of the Hawaiian pig roast).

We also made this Easter bunny craft.

We sent our friends home with thank you bags filled with Hawaiian-themed goodies.

Stamps: Tropical Party MDS download, Oh, Hello MDS download; Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White, Island Oasis II MDS download; Accessories: Daffodil Delight taffeta ribbon.

And the thank you cards.  I was advisor, and Janneke did most of the work.

Stamps: Tropical Party, Thanks & Hello; Paper: Whisper White, Island Oasis DSP; Ink: Old Olive, Gumball Green, Early Espresso; Accessories: Colored pencils, Dimensionals.

FM155 You're Sweet Jelly Bean Jar

Avery had a fun challenge for this week's Friday Mashup, with fun Easter colors.

Photo Source 

Here's your Mashup Challenge:

1. Create a project using the Colors " Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder & Wild Wasabi".
2. Create a " Shaped card".
3. Or Mash it up and create a "Shaped Card using the above Colors".

To start the shaped card, I imported the Perfectly Preserved jar shape into my e-cutter, traced, and cut. 

For the My Digital Studio card front design, the jelly bean shape was created by editing a circle punch shape, similar to the process in this post.  I added the crescent-shaped reflection I had on file from this post.  The card front was then exported to the e-cutter for a print-and-cut process.  I ended up hand-cutting the jar lid.  There is also a Window Sheet layer, cut with the e-cutter, on top of the jar to simulate glass.

Stamps: Perfectly Preserved MDS download, You're Cherished; Paper: Whisper White, Window Sheet; Ink: Early Espresso; Accessories: Wisteria Wonder baker's twine, Crystal Effects, Dimensionals.

Stampin' Up! Big Wish

I am so excited to show you a new trick today.  A past Card Concept challenge got me thinking about cake pops.  How fun is this inspiration photo?  The Occasions catalog has the Big Wish stamp set with cake pops, but they are solid rather than line images.  In order to play along with the Mix-Ability challenge #50, Color It Twice, once with alcohol markers and again with colored pencils, I needed line images. 

I was poking around my Silhouette Cameo e-cutter software, and I figured out a way to trace an image from My Digital Studio.  But rather than cut it out, I changed the trace line to a print line so I could print a line image for coloring.  Cool, huh?

Here's what the stamp images look like -

And here's what I did with it -

I used a little bit of marker contraband here, but here's some good news... Stampin' Up's Blendabilities alcohol markers will be in the upcoming 2014-2015 catalog.  I can't wait!  After coloring with markers, I did a bit of shading with colored pencils.  This card uses Splitcoaststampers sketch SC449.

MDS Download: Big Wish; Paper: Early Espresso, Whisper White, Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP; Ink: Basic Black marker, Copic markers; Accessories: Colored pencils, Banner punch, Decorative Dots EF, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimenisonals.

Check out this video to see how I did it -

The Stamp Review Crew: Oh, Hello

Welcome to another Stamp Crew Review Blog Hop!  We share our take on a selected stamp set every first and third Monday.  This time we are hopping along with a versatile stamp set, little bit feminine, little bit masculine, called Oh, Hello. 

If you are hopping around in a circle, you have just come from Mike's blog.  Mike has such a different, refreshing take on sets that is so fun!   I fell in love with Oh, Hello at the Leadership Conference last year, with so many fun samples on display.  I couldn't wait to play with it, and I'm so glad to be able to pick it up again.

Coming up with a new and unique project can be a challenge.  Using trendy techniques, such as stencils and acrylic paint, with older sets can make what's old new again.  Using negative die-cuts is pretty popular right now too.

Using the My Digital Studio download and an e-cutter, I created my own chevron stencil for the background, inked with a mixture of acrylic paint and reinker.  This card uses Retro Sketches #107 and ColourQ #230.

Stamps: Oh, Hello; Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White; Ink: Summer Starfruit, Black Stazon, Coastal Cabana reinker; Accessories: White baker's twine, White acrylic paint, Oh, Hello MDS download, Hearts Collection framelits, Big Shot, Dimensionals.

The sentiments in the set are perfect for party planning, and it's been a while since we had a tea party.  I thought that might be fun.

For the invitation, I used the teacup image from the Tea Shoppe MDS download, and I printed and cut it out the old fashion way.  :)  The sketch came from Retro Sketches #108.

I've been wanting to cut out a pie box using the template from the Unknown Blessings MDS download.  In MDS, I recolored the pie box black (high contrast makes editing easier), imported it into Photoshop so I could select with the magic wand and paint the entire image black, and then imported it into my e-cutter.  After tracing the outline, overlay the matching stamp image of score lines from the download, and it is ready to cut out.  I cut a slightly smaller box for the bottom.  A little fringe flower, made with the Fringe Scissors, in the center of the spiral flower is so fun.

Stamps: Oh, Hello, Positively Chevron BG, Tea Shoppe MDS download, Unknown Blessings MDS download; Paper: Raspberry Ripple, Blushing Bride, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Whisper White; Ink: Blushing Bride, Raspberry Ripple, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Veramark; Accessories: Pearl jewels, Tea Lace paper doilies, Clear embossing powder, Sponges, Fringe scissors, Scallop Edge border punch, Fancy Fan EF, Little Leaves die, Spiral Flower die, Big Shot, Sewing machine, Thread, Dimensionals.

Make sure you check out the next stop to see what my creative friend Betty at Kitty Stamp put together with the set. 

 

The complete hop list:

1. Paula Wright paulastamps.blogspot.com
2. Dawn Tidd   tiddbitsfromdawn.typepad.com
3. Yapha Mason   yaphamason.com
4. Deb Currier  artfeltimpressions.blogspot.com
5. Nancy Smith  iguanastamp.wordpress.com
6. Holly Krautkremer  rubberredneck.typepad.com
7. Rita Wright  ritascreations.blogspot.com
8. Kerry Willard Bray peoniesandpaperchains.com
9. Shana Gaff   stressfreestamping.blogspot.com
10. Lisa Young   addinkandstamp.blogspot.com
11. Cindy Beach stampspaperandink.typepad.com
12. Jill Coleman  jillstamps.com
13. Mike Funke    stampin-style.typepad.com
14. Heidi Baks  runningwscissorsstamper.blogspot.com
15. Betty Traciak kittystamp.blogspot.com
16. Tanya Boser   tinkerin-in-ink.blogspot.com
17. Mary Rindal  maryrindal.com
18. Wendy Weixler   wickedlywonderfulcreations.blogspot.com