Meadow Flower Bouquet Thanks--#tgifc322

It's another Designer Take Over Challenge this week at TGIF Challenges.  The designer this time around is the very talented Andrea Tracy-Tucker, who you can find on her blog, One Stampin' Mother Tucker.  Her theme challenge is (of course!) Farmhouse Chic.  

Let me be honest here. The only thing I know about Farmhouse Chic is shiplap--and that only because I watched a lot of Fixer Upper episodes.   Andrea and other TGIF Challenges designers used shiplap backgrounds and gingham. So, I followed suit:

My shiplap background was created using strips of a wood grain pattern in the In Good Taste designer series paper pack (#152494).  I gave my shiplap a whitewash finish by dragging my Whisper White Craft ink pad (#147277) across the paper before I cut it into strips.  I layered the strips over an Early Espresso card base leaving a small piece of the card base showing between the strips.

I chose to place a bouquet of wildflowers on my shiplap.  The flower image from the Quiet Meadow stamp set (#155082) was stamped in Soft Suede on Basic White card stock, colored with So Saffron and Old Olive Stampin' Blends combos and fussy cut using Paper Snips and an Exacto knife. The leaf stalks were die cut out of Old Olive and Pear Pizzazz card stock using the coordinating Meadows dies (#155852, bundles with the stamp set at 10% off, #155847).  A bow of Bumblebee 1/4" gingham ribbon (#153658) ties the bouquet together.  

The greeting is from the Biggest Wish stamp set (#155052).  It was stamped in Mossy Meadow ink on Basic White card stock and fussy cut.

Be sure and check out the designer and challenger entries in this week's TGIF Challenge found here.

Have a happy Independence Day weekend!

--Sara Nell

 

 

Peek-a-Boo Birthday Chick--#tgifc321

Our technique challenge this week at TGIF Challenges is to create a Peek-a-Boo window.  I've done framed window type cards, but I don't remember ever having done a peek-a-boo feature, where you open the card to a whole scene of which the peek-a-boo feature is a part.  So, I had a little fun with this challenge.  

First, I had to figure out a good peek-a-boo image. Easy.  The big dancing chicken in the Hey, Birthday Chick stamp set is the perfect character for peeking out a card window.  Next, I had to decide how I was going to construct my card to create a scene behind the peek-a-boo window.  I decided to layer a 5-3/8" x 4-1/8"  top fold card over a standard 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" left-hand side fold card--a card on top of a card.  Then I just started creating, smiling and laughing the whole time.  The Hey, Chick and Hey, Birthday Chick bundles affect me like that.

Both card bases are Balmy Blue card stock.  The front of the top-fold card was embossed with the Bark 3D embossing folder (#155431) and the window die cut using a Layering Circles die (#151770).  The greeting is from the Hey, Chick stamp set (#143331, retiring on June 30 along with the coordinating Chick dies, #158199 and bundled at 10% off, #158627).  It was stamped in Soft Suede on Basic White card stock.  The sign was die cut with one of the Chick dies out of Crumb Cake card stock.  Linen Thread (#104199) was tied around the sign post and the sign was positioned on the card front to look like the chick was holding it out the window with one wing.

When you open the top card, you find a trio of chicks celebrating.  The background is Basic White card stock lightly colored with Balmy  Blue and Crumb Cake using a Blending Brush (#153611).  All of the stamped images are from the Hey, Birthday Chick stamp set (#154464) and were stamped in Soft Suede ink onto Basic White card stock, then colored with Stampin' Blends:  Cinnamon Cider, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Polished Pink, and Balmy Blue.  The die cuts (including the chicken scratches in the ground) were all made with the Birthday Chick dies (#158200).  The stamp set and dies are available in a bundle (#158631) at 10% off only until June 30, after which they will be available separately in the Annual Catalog.  

The inside of the bottom card images from Hey, Birthday chick are also stamped in Soft Suede and colored with Stampin' Blends (including Soft Suede for the chocolate icing).  

Check out more Peek-a-Boo windows over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Hope I've made you smile today!

--Sara Nell

 

Artistically Inked Birthday--#tgifc320

For this week's TGIF Challenges sketch, I used the Expressions in Ink suite of products.  I love how easy the stamp set and dies are to use for creating beautiful cards. Initially, I was going to use just the three flowers as the panels on my card, but the gold frames in the Expressions in Ink Ephemera Pack (#155465) just added that little something, something:

The background on the card is a piece of Pale Papaya patterned paper from the 2021-2023 In Color designer series paper pack (#155641).  The flowers and leaves were stamped and die cut using the Artistically Inked Bundle [#155456, includes the Artistically Inked stamp set (#154542) and Artistic Dies (#155371) at 10% off].  Ink pad colors used:  Polished Pink, Fresh Freesia, Pale Papaya, Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen and Misty Moonlight.

To adhere the gold frames, I placed a glue dot on each side of the largest frame to keep the frames in place as I arranged the floral elements.  The glue dots and Stampin' Dimensionals adhering these elements are also helping to hold the frames in place.

The greeting was stamped in Soft Succulent and die cut using a Stitched Rectangles die (#151820).  The width was narrowed by putting the piece through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine twice.   A few sequins from the ephemera pack and a bow of Soft Succulent open weave ribbon (#155780) complete the card.

Lots of inspiration for your projects can be found over at the TGF Challenges Blog here.

Have a wonderful Father's Day weekend!

--Sara Nell

 

 

To a Wonderful Man--#tgifc319

It's color challenge week over at TGIF Challenges with the color combo of Basic Gray, Night of Navy and White.  The colors are a great combo for a masculine card, so I made a Father's Day card using the retiring Soar Confidently stamp set (#154531): 

On my focal piece, I created a cloud-filled sky as my background.  I used a cloud outline shaped mask (I cut my own out of Basic White card stock), a Blending Brush (#153611), and Night of Navy ink. After lightly filling the brush with ink from the ink pad, I brushed most of it off on scrap paper before blending the color over my mask and onto the Basic White card stock.  I used the mask three times, placing it randomly over the card stock.

The balloon was stamped using the Stamparatus, first in Basic Gray and then in VersaMark.  I colored the stripes on the balloon using the Night of Navy soft pastel stick (Soft Pastels Assortment,#154585) and a small dry brush.  TIP:  To use the pastel stick with a dry brush, just shave a bit off the end of the stick onto a clear block with the mini spatula on the Take Your Pick Tool (#144107).   The pastel powder will stick to the VersaMark ink when you brush it on.

The focal piece was layered over a piece of Night of Navy card stock embossed with the Bark 3D embossing folder (#155431) and then layered on the Basic White thick card base.

The greeting was stamped in Versamark on Night of Navy card stock then embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder (Basics pack, #155554).  It was die cut using a Stitched Rectangle die (#151820) and run through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (#149653) a second time to shorten the length of the die cut.

Be inspired by wonderful projects created with this color combination over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Have a wonderful day!

--Sara Nell

Creation Station June Hop--In Colors Floral Frenzy

 

Welcome to the June Creation Station Blog Hop!  Whether you've just arrived from Australian designer Vicki Boucher's blog or you are starting here, I'm glad you are visiting today.  The theme this month is "In Colors Floral Frenzy Mash Up".  We are only using colors from the two current In Color collections plus white and we are creating floral projects for you to enjoy.  Be sure to click on the Next link at the end of each blog post, so you can see all of the talented designers' projects this month.  This is going to be a fun hop!

For the floral frenzy part of my projects, I chose to use the Meadow dies (#155852) and the coordinating Quite Meadow stamp set (#155082; bundled with the dies at 10% off, #155847).  I used the die images three ways: as silhouettes, watercolored, and paper-pieced.  For the In Colors Mash-Up part, I used at least one color from each of the two current In Color collections on each project. 

This is a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card folded at the top.  The Basic White Thick card base is covered completely by the 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" piece of Pale Papaya dotted patterned paper from the Hand-Penned designer series paper collection (#155499).  Five meadow flowers and leaves were die cut out of Misty Moonlight card stock and adhered to the card front with Mono Liquid Glue.  The greeting was stamped in Misty Moonlight ink on Basic White card stock, then die cut with the label die in the Meadow die set.  Misty Moonlight/Silver baker's twine (Flowers for Every Season ribbon combo pack, #153620) was threaded through the label and tied in a bow.  A splattering of Rhinestone Basic Jewels (#144220) completes the card.

The background on this card was created by painting watered down Misty Moonlight and Soft Succulent ink on a Clear Block "E" (#118484), then pressing it down on a 5" x 3-3/4" piece of Fluid 100 watercolor paper (#149612).  Each of the Meadow flower and leave images were die cut out of the same watercolor paper and then watercolored using a Water Painter (#151298) and the following In Color inks:  Soft Succulent, Evening Evergreen, Fresh Freesia, Pale Papaya and Cinnamon Cider.  The greeting was stamped in Evening Evergreen on Soft Succulent card stock.  Three strands of Linen thread (3104199) were threaded through the label and tied in a bow.  The background paper is a Soft Succulent pattern from the 2021-2023 In Color designer series paper assortment (#155641).  It was adhered over a Basic White Thick card base.

The flower on this bookmark was paper-pieced using two die cuts of the same flower--one in Soft Succulent and one in Polished Pink.  The flowers on the  Polished Pink die cut were trimmed off and adhered over the flower shapes on the Soft Succulent piece.  A Bumblebee card stock die cut was added to the center of the flower.  The leaves image also die cut from Bumblebee card stock, was trimmed before adhering it to the bookmark.  "Love" was stamped in Evening Evergreen on Soft Succulent card stock and die cut using the small tag die in the Meadow die set.  

The bookmark is a piece of 2" x 6" an Evening Evergreen pattern from the 2021-2023 designer series paper assortment, layered over a piece of Evening Evergreen card stock.  The top was punched out with the Fancy Tag Topper Punch (#152711).  Bumblebee gingham ribbon (#153658) and Linen Thread were added to the top of the bookmark and Linen Thread to the small "Love" tag.

I loved using these wonderful Meadow dies three different ways for you today.  Now it's time to head over the Dena Rekow's blog to see her In Color Mash-Up. 

To Dena's Blog . . .

Have a great June! 

--Sara Nell

    

  

 

Quiet Meadow Thinking of You--#tgifc318

It is Designer Take-Over Challenge this week at TGIF Challenges.  The fabulous Bree Renwick, also know as the Craftsomnia Momma, has given us the challenge of using Stampin' Blends.  I love my Stampin' Blends and use them a lot.  Sometimes, I use them just to add a touch of color to a stamped image to give it a bit of richness.  This is what I did on my card today:

The focal image was stamped in Evening Evergreen on Crumb Cake card stock, then lightly colored with Pale Papaya (#155519) and Soft Succulent (#155521) Stampin' Blends.  The corners of this piece were rounded using the Detailed Trio Punch (#146320).  The stamped image is from the Quiet Meadow stamp set (#155082), as are all of the stamped images on the card.

The background was stamped on Very Vanilla card stock which was "aged" a bit with Crumb Cake ink applied with a Blending Brush (#153611).  Three typed word images were stamped in Crumb Cake and the splatter image was stamped randomly across the front in Pale Papaya.  This piece was layered over a piece of Evening Evergreen card stock and then two lengths of Linen Twine (#104199) were tied around the layered piece and into a bow to the left of the focal piece which was added with Stampin' Dimensionals. 

The greeting was stamped in Evening Evergreen onto Very Vanilla card stock, then die cut using the label die from the coordinating Meadow dies (#155852; bundled with the stamp set at 10% off, #155847). This piece was also "aged" with Crumb Cake ink and a Blending Brush.  The card base is Crumb Cake.

You are going to find plenty of inspiration for using your Stampin' Blends over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Have a great week!

--Sara Nell