Bold Thanks--#tgifc431

For the TGIF Challenges inspiration challenge this week, I picked out the colors, the stripes and the bold greeting from the inspiration piece to create this bold thanks card:

The stripes are 1/4" inch strips from Azure Afternoon, Berry Burst and Daffodil Delight card stock arranged on the Basic White card stock with 1/4" spacing.  The Berry Burst Branch was die cut using a die from the new Gorgeously Made dies (#161202).  The "Thanks" was stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento ink twice, then VersaMark ink and then heat embossed with Clear Stampin' Emboss powder to get a really bold look.  (You have to use a Stamparatus to get easy placement for the two layers of black and one of VersaMark.)  The greeting is from the Biggest Wish stamp set (#155052.

A Basic White thick card base, layer of Basic Black, and three black Classic Matte Dots (#158146) complete the card.

Have a great week!

--Sara Nell

Hello, Fall!--#tgifc327

Our bonus TGIF Challenges challenge from the fifth Friday of July is "Banners".  Since I am really tired of this hot, hot weather here, I thought I would be a little optimistic and welcome Fall with my banner:

I started my rustic looking card with the tree bark pattern from the Beauty of the Earth designer series paper pack (#155841).  It was embossed with the new Timber 3D embossing folder (#156406) then adhered over the entire card base front.  The banner flags were die cut using a Tasteful Labels die (#152886) and another patterned paper from the Beauty of the Earth paper pack.  The flags were strung together with Linen Thread (#104199) and adhered to the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.  

The letters were die cut out of Early Espresso card stock using the Playful Alphabet dies (#152706).  The leaves were die cut out of Bumblebee, Mossy Meadow, Cajun Craze and Cinnamon Cider card stock using two small dies from the new Intricate Leaves dies (#153565).  "Hello" was stamped in Bumblebee ink on Basic White card stock and fussy cut. The "hello" image is from the Biggest Wish stamp set (#155052).  Three new Brushed Metallic dots (#156506) complete the card.

Find more wonderful banner projects over at the TGIF Challenges blog here.

Hope you enjoy a cooler August!

--Sara Nell

Flowers for Your Birthday--#tgifc316

This week's TGIF Challenges sketch challenge gave me an excuse to play with some new Stampin' Up! products.  These were at the top of my new Annual Catalog wish list:  Soft Pastels Assortment (#154585) and Plenty of Patterns Decorative Masks (#155553).  

One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten from artists in various mediums is not to be afraid of experimenting and using up supplies.  Nothing is wasted when you are learning how products work and you will make happy discoveries that inform your work.  So my first step was to play: to see how the pastels worked with different coloring tools and mediums and with the masks.  It was a fun morning and I learned what would give me the best outcome for my project idea:

I love how this card came out and especially love the happy Poppy Parade and Granny Apple Green color combo!  

To start my card, I watercolored on a light layer of Balmy Blue ink for the background and then let it dry completely.  I ended up using Embossing Paste (#141979) with the mask because it was easier to get the pastel color evenly on the flowers.  I filled the entire piece of Shimmery White card stock with the flowers on the mask and then colored every other row to create the stripes in my background.  I used Shimmery White card stock because it can stand up to moisture better than Basic White.

To use the pastels, I shaved a bit of the color from the stick onto a clear block, using the mini spatula on the Take Your Pick tool (#144107).  Then I used a barely moist water painter (##151298) to slightly dampen the pastel grains and and paint the flowers (being sure to wipe the painter off regularly while painting).  I kept the mask on the card stock while I was coloring to help keep the images well defined.  (It made clean up a bit harder, but I thought it was worth it!).

The greeting is from the new Biggest Wish stamp set (#155052).  It was stamped on Basic White card stock and die cut using a Stitched Rectangles die (#151820).  This was layered over a scalloped frame die cut using a die from the new Scalloped Contours die set (#155560).  A piece of Faux Linen ribbon (from Flowers for Every Season ribbon combo pack, #153620) colored with the Poppy Parade Light Stampin' Blends (Combo pack, #154958) completes the card.

Head over to the TGIF Challenges Blog to get lots of inspiration for using this sketch:

Have a great time playing with your new products today!

--Sara Nell