Lovely & Sweet Smile--#tgifc463

TGIF Challenges ha a great sketch challenge this week and as soon as I saw it, this card came into my head.  This usually never happens, I get an idea and then never know where it will lead me.  

The focal point on the card is the almond tree branch from the Lovely & Sweet stamp set (#162617).  It was stamped in Pebbled Path and colored with the following Stampin' Blends Combos:  Granny Apple Green, Moody Mauve, Bubble Bath, Gray Granite, Soft Sea Foam, and Pebbled Path.  The banner was stamped with a collage of images from the Notes of Nature stamp set (162630), all in Gray Granite.  The greeting is from Notes of Nature and was stamped in Pebbled Path.  Images from this stamp set were also stamped in first and second generations of Granny Apple Green on the Granny Apple Green card base, placed to peak out behind the Moody Mauve layer.  That layer was dry embossed with the stripes folder from the Stripes & Splatters 3D embossing folder set (#157980).

Other products used on this card:  Lovely & Sweet Dies (#162626), Nested Essentials Dies (#161597), 2023-2025 In Color Dots (#161620), and Parakeet Party metallic woven ribbon (#159196).

Here is the inspiration sketch from the TGIF Challenges team:

Have a great weekend!

--Sara Nell

Seaside Hello--#tgifc433

Back with another TGIF Challenges sketch challenge this week.  I'm still in Summer mode (the HEAT!), so I pulled out my Seaside Bay stamp set (#160436) and coordinating Seaside Bay dies (#160444) to create my card:

The background is an Azure Afternoon pattern from the Bright & Beautiful designer series paper pack (#161449) layered on a piece of Azure Afternoon card stock.  It reminds me of the ocean rolling toward the beach.  I created the sandy beach using layers of Crumb Cake and Pebbled Path designer series paper using the the edge die from the die set.  Then, I splattered it using a Pebbled Path Stampin' Write Marker and the  Wink of Stella glitter brush (#141897).  I used both to splatter the ocean a bit, too.  It's a windy day and sand and water are spraying into the air.  The little sand piper (stamped in Gray Granite and glittered up) has found her lunch, which was stamped and colored with Moody Mauve, Boho Blue and Crumb Cake Blends and also glittered up.   The beach grasses were die cut using Old Olive and Gray Granite card stock.  

The greeting is from the Gorgeously Made stamp set (#161193).  It was stamped in Pebbled Path on Crumb Cake.  A flag was created with the Banners Pick a Punch (#153608).

Hope you have a great week!

--Sara Nell

 

Bluebird Thank You Note--#tgifc355

Welcome to my blog today!  I have a little thank you note card to share with you. It is based on the TGIF Challenges sketch challenge this week:

This note card features the Friendly Hello Bundle (#159990) from the January-February 2022 Sale-a-Bration Brochure.  The bundle includes the Friendly Hello stamp set and coordinating designer series paper.  It is FREE with a minimum $100 purchase.

The size of the bird and floral branch image fits really well on a Basic White note card(#159232), especially with this sketch challenge.  It also fits in with my need for a bunch of thank you notes!  The "thank you" is from the Nature's Harvest stamp set (#156495, a carry over from the last mini catalog).  It was stamped on Basic White card stock using Tuxedo Black Memento Ink, then fussy cut.

The bluebird image was also stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink on Basic White card stock.  It was colored with Pool Party, Pale Papaya, Granny Apple Green and Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends combo markers, then fussy cut.  The card stock was shaded behind the bird image using a Blending Brush (#153611) and Pool Party ink. The splatters were added with a Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker.  This stamped piece was layered over a piece of Pool Party card stock and then on the note card base.  

A piece of Pale Papaya patterned paper from the Friendly Hello designer series paper pack was added to the front of the card as well as the flap on the envelope.

See more projects using this sketch over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Have a great week!

--Sara Nell 

 

 

Friendly Thank You--#tgifc351

Our challenge from TGIF Challenges this week is a sketch challenge. I've pretty much followed it with my card, just adding some embellishments on top of the basic sketch.  I've used the Friendly Hello stamp set and designer series paper bundle (#159990) for this project.  This bundle is a FREE Sale-a-Bration product choice with a $100.00 purchase. 

Four different patterns from the paper pack were used on this card.   The large floral image from the stamp set was stamped in Shaded Spruce onto the Fresh Freesia pattern.  The greeting was also stamped in Shaded Spruce using an image from the Nature's Harvest stamp set (#156495),  a hold over from the 2021 July to December Mini Catalog.  Both of these stamped images were fussy cut, then adhered to the patterned strips background.  

The Basic White layered background piece was embossed using the Hive 3D embossing folder (#157955).  It was splattered with the Shaded Spruce Stampin' Write Marker (from the Regals Assortment, #147155).  The Granny Apple Green leaves were die cut using a Forever Flourishing die (#152714).  Additional embellishments include a bow of Fresh Freesia open weave ribbon (#155615) cut in half along its length, and three 2021-2023 In Color Jewels (#155571) in Evening Evergreen. 

This sketch lends itself to a lot of interpretations, so check the projects using it over at the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Have a great Weekend!

--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