Happy Watercolour for JAI #204

I love trying out new colour combinations and one is sure to find a unique one while surfing around in the blogging world.  This week was no different.  Just Add Ink has a really unique and fun colour combination for this week's challenge:



You've got to try it to love it.  There are a lot of different ways to interpret this and I encourage you to head over to the Just Add Ink blog to see what the design team and other entrants have come up with.  I decided to ink up one of the new stamp sets from Stampin' Up's 2-14 Occasions catalogue, "Happy Watercolour" for this card.

I love the look that comes out from the "smudgy" stamp.  It looks so much like one has taken a watercolour brush and done a test of colour on the page.  I stamped these "smudges" in Pistachio Pudding and Crumb Cake.  I stamped the dots and sentiment in gold (although it's hard to see here).

I tried one card with gold foil card stock as the vertical strip but personally prefer the burlap.  You can decide for yourself though : )

In any case, it's a really fun colour combination to use and I'm certainly going to tuck it away for further use.

Here is a list of the supplies I used:

Stamp Sets:  Happy Watercolour (Occasions 2014)

Ink and Card stock:  Pistachio Pudding, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Gold

Other:  Burlap ribbon, linen thread, Perfect Polka Dots TIEF.

Happy Stamping!

Blowing Bubbles

I was doing my Saturday morning blog surf and came across a technique that I'd never seen before.  My friend, Leena at A La Cards designs for The Technique Twist Challenge.  This morning she showcased this week's technique, "bubble backgrounds".  After reading her description I just HAD to try it and my husband off to the dollar store to get me some acrylic paint!

Simply combine some white acrylic paint with any colour of Stampin' Up ink using a re-inker, add a little dish soap and some water and you're all set to begin blowing bubbles.  I combined my paint and ink in an empty accessories container (e.g. brads or buttons, etc.) because I didn't want to use a lot and I need something fairly shallow.  I held my Whisper White card stock over top of the container while I blew bubbles using a drinking straw and as they popped they coloured the paper.  So cool!

"Bubbles" using Island Indigo and Real Red

Then I turned to one of my favourite sketch challenge blogs, Try Stampin' On Tuesday, for some sketch inspiration:

Try Stampin' On Tuesday Sketch #151

I really like how the banners alternate and wanted to capture that with my "Bubble Background"

I LOVE the look that the "bubbles" have on the paper.  I used Stampin' Up's Island Indigo and Real Red to tint my acrylic paint.  It created a lovely, soft background for my "Language of Love" stamps.

I deliberately did not put a specific sentiment on the card.  I thought it could be used for Valentine's Day, a wedding, a baby's arrival, a birthday or just about anything really.  I wanted to leave it open-ended so that when the right occasion comes along I can use it.

Here is a list of all the supplies you'll need to make this card:

Stamps:  Language of Love (item # 133077 CM or #133074 WM, Occasions Catalogue)

Ink:  Island Indigo, Real Red, Pink Pirouette, Pool Party

Paper: Whisper White, Pink Pirouette

Other:  Decorative Dots TIEF (item #133520, Sale-a-bration item), Hearts Framelits (item # 125599), white acrylic paint, dish soap, drinking straws.

Happy Stamping!

New Year, New Stamps!

Happy (belated) New Year everyone!  Now that the craziness (and illness) of the holiday season is over and my desk is clean again it's time to break out the new stamps.  YAY!!!!!!   Before Christmas I ordered a whole bunch of new stamps from Stampin' Up's annual catalogue and the new "Occasions Catalogue".  There's nothing quite like putting 10+ stamp sets together at one time!

I had a moment of quiet this afternoon during which I was able to sit down and focus for a bit on stamping.   I feel a little bit adrift without an anchor at this time of year in terms of crafting.  I find making Christmas cards so all-consuming that when faced with a blank slate I'm really at a loss.  To get my brain back into crafting mode I took a look through the most recent issue of "Stampin' Success" (our demonstrator magazine) and found inspiration with the "Happy Congratulations" stamp set.  It is a new set out of the Occasions Catalogue and is super simple to use to make a pretty little card.

Simple stamp with a black ink.  I used Basic Black and then used the lower setting on my embossing tool to dry the ink.  Then I stamped the individual lanterns using Bermuda Bay, Crisp Cantaloupe and Crushed Curry inks.  I've been itching to use my Banners Framelits and wasn't disappointed (yes, perfect banners in one easy step!).

Finally, here's a shot of my stamping space....any bets on how long it will stay like this?  Those that really know me know it won't be long....lol : )

Happy Stamping!