Nothing's Better Than....

 Hello my friends! Well, did you stay up to midnight to see 2021 arrive and wish a huge farewell to 2020? I wish you all a very Happy New Year. I am very hopeful that 2021 will be an improvement to 2020.

So today's card is actually one that I made for myself. I'm not going to mail it to myself but it was made especially for me. Last year I made a resolution to not eat any chocolate for one year. If you know me, you know that I LOVE chocolate so this was going to be a big challenge. I didn't know if I was going to make it but I did it!! No chocolate since December 31st, 2019. Today's card is a celebration that I got through the year (and what a year it was!) and now I can eat some chocolate. I received chocolates for my birthday and Christmas this year so I look forward to tying in to them.

I used the Nothing's Better Than Bundle to make this card. This bundle was created by the incredibly talented Connie Stewart. She designed this set after reaching a million dollars in sales. That is a perk from Stampin' Up!. When you reach a million dollars in sales, you get to work with the design team and create a stamp. This is a really fun bundle. You can check it out on page 91 in the annual catalogue. If you like chocolate, coffee, cookies or cocktails you will love this set.

I started with a Rococo Rose card base. On top of this I added a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I added a piece of DSP from the In Good Taste DSP pack. 

I stamped the sentiments using Early Espresso ink on a strip of Whisper White cardstock. I cut them apart  using my paper snips. I matted these pieces onto coordinating sized pieces of Early Espresso cardstock. I cut out the word "chocolate" using a die from the bundle. I used the foam adhesive sheets with a piece of Early Espresso cardstock attached to it. This makes the entire word a dimensional.

I used Early Espresso ink to stamp the chocolates. I used it full strength to stamp the outlines and to stamp the filled in portion of the chocolates, I stamped off once.  I tried to make my chocolates look like dark chocolate. Dark chocolate is my favourite. I also enjoy milk chocolate but I am not so fond of white chocolate. I used the coordinating die to cut out the chocolates. 

I added the words and the chocolates to the card front using dimensionals. I placed them in a fun order of words, chocolates, words, chocolates, etc. Just so that you would not mistake the fact that I will be eating chocolates today. 

What I used for today's card:

Rococo Rose Cardstock

Early Espresso Cardstock

Whisper White Cardstock (no longer available)

Nothing's Better Than Bundle

In Good Taste Designer Series Paper

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed my card that I made for myself. As you read this I am either enjoying some chocolate or I have already eaten so much chocolate that I have a belly ache. I hope I don't over do it but I make no promises.....

Stay healthy and keep creating!

Terry

Curvy Dies Meets Oh so Ombre DSP

 Hello my friends! I hope everyone has had a fabulous Christmas. Ours was very quiet, very unlike our usual Christmas day. Usually both of my daughters and their hubbies are here along with my grandchildren and any other friends that would like to join us. After the gifts have been opened we play games all day while dinner cooks. It is total chaos but I love it. I look forward to that again, hopefully next year. 

For today's card, I mixed some old and some new things. I wanted to use the new Curvy Dies again (from the Quite Curvy Bundle) and decided to use the new Oh So Ombre DSP that is available as a free item in the new Sale-a-bration catalogue as of January 5th.. 

I started with the Granny Apple Green Oh So Ombre DSP and used the Curvy Dies to create the wonderful swirl on the front of this card. Underneath the Granny Apple Green DSP I used a piece of Rococo Rose Oh So Ombre DSP with the ombre going the opposite way of the green DSP. I matted this on a piece of Basic Black cardstock and then added it onto a Thick Whisper White card base.

I used some of the Rococo Rose Oh So Ombre DSP and stamped the flower image from the Floral Essence stamp set using Rococo Rose ink. I stamped the image twice and punched it out using the Perennial Flower Punch. I layered two together to make it look more like a flower. I stamped the center using So Saffron ink on Whisper White cardstock. I fussy cut this out and added it to the center of the flower. I added the flower to the card front using dimensionals.

I stamped the leaves from the Painted Poppies stamp set and Granny Apple Green ink on the Granny Apple Green Oh So Ombre DSP. I used the dies from the Painted Labels Dies set to cut out the leaves. I attached them under the flower.

I stamped the sentiment from the Many Mates set using Tuxedo Black Memento ink on a scrap of Whisper White cardstock. I used the Hippo & Friends Dies set to cut out the sentiment. I popped it up on the card front using dimensionals. 

What I used for today's card:

Basic Black Cardstock

Whisper White Thick Cardstock (no longer available)

Whisper White Cardstock (no longer available)

Oh So Ombre DSP (available Jan 5th 2021)

Painted Poppies Stamp Set

Painted Labels Dies

Floral Essence Stamp Set

Perennial Flower Punch

Quite Curvy Bundle

Hippo & Friends Dies

Many Mates Stamp Set

Rococo Rose Classic Stampin' Pad

Granny Apple Green Classic Stampin' Pad

So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed today's card. I had lots of fun making this card. I really enjoy using a mixture of different stamps and dies. It's a challenge to use stamps and dies in other ways than their original intention. I have been spending quite a bit of time in my craft room over the holiday season. Since we are not able to have company over, there is lots of time to play in the craft room. I wish you all a Happy New Year! Let's hope that 2021 is better than 2020!

Stay healthy and keep creating!

Terry

Playful Pets DSP

 Hello my friends and Merry Christmas to you! I hope Santa was good to you. I debated about whether I should do a post today but I figured I might as well. Today's card was made for a gal in my stamp group. When she would come to the house for classes, it was a little stressful for Bailey (my cat). This gal is allergic to cats as well so Bailey had to be locked in the bedroom or downstairs. I don't think she quite understood why I would have a cat if I was allergic. Well this gal adopted a cat during Covid and is absolutely thrilled with her. The joy that this little cat is bringing to her is amazing.

I got the idea for this card from something I saw on Pinterest. I knew that I wanted to use all five of these images of cats so in order for them all to fit on a card, I had to do a slim line card. I haven't seen the new kitty so I don't know which cat represents her the best which is why I chose to use them all. I used the smallest circle from the Stitched Shapes framelits to cut out the cats from the Playful Pets DSP. I matted them on a Real Red scalloped circle from the Layering Circles Dies. 

I attached all of the cats in a row on to a piece of Smoky Slate cardstock using dimensionals. I tied a piece of Real Red Sheer ribbon around the this cardstock and tied it into a bow. I stamped the sentiment from A Grand Kid using Real Red ink onto a scrap of Whisper White cardstock. I cut it out using a die from the Stitched Rectangle Dies. I attached it using dimensionals.

I used a Whisper White thick card base that measures 8.5 X 7 inches. I scored it at 3.5 to give a card size of 8.5 X 3.5. I attached the Smoky Slate piece to the card base using dimensionals. Unfortunately the Whisper White thick cardstock is no longer available to order. Stampin' Up! is not able to get any of the Whisper White products made at the company they were getting them from. They are going to be making another white cardstock available but it is not yet available.

What I used for today's card:

Playful Pets Designer Series Paper

Whisper White Thick Cardstock (no longer available)

Whisper White Cardstock

Real Red Cardstock

Smoky Slate Cardstock

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

Stitched Rectangle Dies

Layering Circles Dies

Real Red Sheer Ribbon

A Grand Kid Stamp Set

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed this card. I had a lot of fun making it. Also, I hope you are all having a great Christmas. It is a very different time this year and we all need to do what we can to stay safe.

Stay healthy and keep creating!

Terry

Feels Like Frost

 Hello my friends! Well, I did it! I made a card that was not summer or beach related. It was not easy but I managed to do it. Actually, it was pretty easy. I used the Feels Like Frost DSP and this incredible DSP made it so easy to create a card that I made two. I used a design that was originally created by Rachel Tessman. I changed it up so that it would fit into a regular A2 sized envelope and added a couple of different layers that she hadn't done. 

Here is the closed version of the two cards:

And here are the cards opened so that you can see the full panel of the beautiful DSP: 

I started with a 5.5 X 8.5 card base and scored it at 1.5 and 4.25. I then folded it into a Z-fold. I used Night of Navy for one card and Rococo Rose for the other card. I chose these colours as they coordinated well with the DSP I used. For both cards, I added layers of Whisper White cardstock. I put these cards together a little backwards from the way I normally would. I started with the larger piece of Whisper White that went on the inside. I applied this piece so that the left edge was right up against the fold but made sure that the card would close properly. Next I added the middle piece, taking care to line up the top and bottom edges with the inside piece and making sure it was not too close to the fold line so I was still able to close the card. The final piece of Whisper White went on the front panel. I added the adhesive to the panel and then attached the cardstock. I made sure that it lined up perfectly to cover  the inside piece. 

The DSP was trimmed down from the original 6 X 6 to 5.25 X 6. The pieces of DSP were cut in order so that when the card is opened the picture on the panels will be in complete. I added the DSP pieces to their corresponding cardstock making sure to line up the top and bottom edges.

I stamped the sentiment from Good Morning Magnolia in either Night of Navy or Rococo Rose ink on Whisper White cardstock and cut it out using a die from Tasteful Labels Dies. This was added to the card front using dimensionals. I also cut some leaves from Whisper White cardstock using the Christmas Cardinals Dies. I added these to the card front so they were peeking out from the Z panel. 

What I used for today's cards:

Feels Like Frost DSP

Night of Navy Cardstock

Rococo Rose Cardstock

Whisper White Cardstock

Good Morning Magnolia Stamp

Tasteful Labels Dies

Christmas Cardinal Dies

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed these cards. This is a great way to showcase our beautiful DSP while keeping the picture in it's entirety. Are you all ready for Christmas? I can't believe it is only three more sleeps! This will be a very different year for everyone but I hope you all stay safe, healthy and have a very Merry Christmas! 

Stay healthy and keep creating!

Terry

Seaside View

Hello my friends! Well apparently I am still drawn to the beach, summer themes for my cards lately. I will try to work on something else for next week. Maybe. We'll see what I am drawn to when I head down to my craft room to create. I can't believe it is only a week until Christmas. I hope you are all staying well during this crazy time. It is going to be a very different season for everyone this year. We usually have the big family dinner with all of the kids, grandkids and any friends that would like to join in. This year it will just be Doug and me. It will be very quiet but safe. 

Today's card uses the Seaside View stamp set. I wanted to do some watercolouring so this stamp felt like the one to use. I started by stamping the image onto a piece of Fluid 100 watercolour paper using Jet Black Staz On ink. This is another example of my opposites attract rule for stamping. I wanted to watercolour so I knew I had to use a solvent based ink so that my image would not smear. Once I had my image stamped, I used our new water painters to watercolour all of the parts. I love these new water painters. There are three different sizes of brushes in the package - a very large brush that is perfect for doing large backgrounds or larger images, a medium one and a small one that is perfect for small images. The small one made the straw, the lime and the legs on the table so much easier to do. The colours I used are Sahara Sand, Smoky Slate, Balmy Blue, Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Soft Suede and Soft Sea Foam.

Once I had my image watercoloured, I attached it to a piece of Whisper White cardstock that I had cut a circle out of using the Layering Circles Dies. I then cut a larger circle (the next size up) out of a piece of Seaside Spray cardstock. I layered this on top of the Whisper White cardstock. I tied some baker's twine around this and tied it into a bow. The baker's twine is from the Flowers for Every Season Ribbon combo pack. The colour is technically Misty Moonlight and Whisper White with a layer of silver in there. It seemed perfect for this card.

I used a Misty Moonlight card base with a piece of Basic Black cardstock mat on top of it. I added my card front on top of the Basic Black using dimensionals. I stamped my sentiment onto a scrap of Whisper White cardstock using Jet Black Staz On ink. I cut it out using a die from the All Dressed Up Dies set. I added this to the card using dimensionals.

What I used for today's card:

Seaside View Stamp Set

Layering Circle Dies

All Dressed Up Dies

Flowers for Every Season Ribbon Combo

Water Painters

Jet Black Staz On

Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad

Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad

Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad

Granny Apple Green Stampin' Pad

Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad

Soft Sea Foam Classic Stampin' Pad

Smoky Slate Classic Stampin' Pad

Misty Moonlight Cardstock

Basic Black Cardstock

Whisper White Cardstock

Seaside Spray Cardstock

Fluid 100 Watercolour Paper

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed today's card. I really enjoyed doing the watercolouring on this one. I haven't done this for quite a while so it was good to get back to it. I feel that this image was perfect for watercolouring. And it was a beach scene so that always makes me happy! 

Stay safe and keep creating!

Terry

Whale Done Re-make

 Hello my friends! I think I am clearly missing summer weather. Today's card is all about the ocean. It is a remake of a card I made years ago. The original card was made after our trip to Maui and we were swimming with the turtles. I found this card while I was sorting through cards to donate to a senior's assisted living home. I decided to remake it using the Whale Done stamp set.

This first picture is the remake.

The second picture is the original card. 

I started by making a watercolour wash on a piece of Fluid 100 Watercolour cardstock. I used my water painter to add Misty Moonlight and Just Jade ink to the cardstock. After that was completely dry, I stamped the seaweed using Just Jade ink and the coral using Soft Suede ink. Then I stamped the jelly fish using Versamark ink, added white embossing powder and heated it to melt.

I matted this on a piece of  Pool Party and then a piece of Gray Granite. I added two pieces of Pool Party that were cut into banners on the upper left corner. This was on the original card so I added it on this one as well.

I added this to a Just Jade card base using dimensionals. Before I attached it, I stamped the bubbles image randomly all over front using Gray Granite ink.

On a separate piece of Watercolour cardstock I stamped the turtle image using Jet Black Staz On ink. This is something I do not recommend because this is a photopolymer stamp set and it is not a good idea to use Staz On on photopolymer stamps. Something in the Staz On ink makes your photopolymer stamps get sticky. I cleaned my stamp immediately after using so it is okay but I wouldn't make a habit of doing this. I used my water painter and Soft Suede and Just Jade ink to colour the turtle. Once it was dry, I cut it out and added it to my card front using dimensionals.

I stamped the sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings using Jet Black Staz On ink on a strip of Whisper White cardstock. I used my paper snips to cut a banner into both edges of this piece. I used dimensionals to attach it to the card front.

What I used for today's card:

Whale Done Photopolymer Stamp Set

Itty Bitty Greetings Stamp Set

Just Jade Cardstock

Gray Granite Cardstock

Pool Party Cardstock

Fluid 100 Watercolour Paper

Whisper White Cardstock

Just Jade Classic Stampin' Pad

Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad

Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad

Misty Moonlight Classic Stampin' Pad

Jet Black Staz On Pad

Versamark

White Stampin' Emboss Powder

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed today's card. It was fun to remake this card. The stamp set I used on the original as well as the cardstock and inks have all retired so it was a challenge to recreate it. I think I did a pretty good job though. What do you think?

Stay well and keep creating!

Terry

Dragonfly Garden

 Hello my friends! So it has been very foggy and dreary here in Kelowna this week. We had snow the other day but it melted right away. We are supposed to be getting a big snowfall this weekend and it is supposed to be cold. We usually get a lot of cloudy weather in the winter but I am already done with it. That is why I needed to make today's card. I needed some cheeriness. I used some brand new items that are from the January to June catalogue which will be available January 5th, 2021. That is one of the many perks of being a demonstrator - we get to order things from the new catalogue a month before the catalogue goes live.

The stamp set I used is called Dragonfly Garden and it comes with a coordinating punch that punches out a large and a small dragonfly at the same time. There are two different styles of the large dragonfly in the stamp set. There is also some coordinating DSP that has dragonflies on some of the pages that coordinate with the punch.

When I got this set I knew I wanted to do this technique. I haven't done this technique since my last in person class with my stamp group way back in March before we got locked down. I knew it would look great with this set. I used the watercolour pencils and scribbled a patch of colour in three different colours on vellum. I started with some Crushed Curry in the center, then scribbled some Calypso Coral on the right and left side of the Crushed Curry. Then I scribbled some Rich Razzleberry on the right and left side of the Calypso Coral. I then used my blender pen to blend the colours. I started with the lightest colour and then went to the darkest. It is good to make sure there is no distinct severe line between the colours. Once the colours were blended, I punched out the dragonfly using the new punch. I repeated this procedure so I could have two dragonflies. I stamped the dragonfly image from the set onto a piece of Whisper White cardstock twice using Blackberry Bliss ink. I punched these out and set them aside to dry.

I stamped the flower image onto a larger piece of Whisper White cardstock using Blackberry Bliss ink. Then I cut it out using one of the dies from the Ornate Layers Dies set and matted this onto a piece of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. I wrapped some Blackberry Bliss striped ribbon around this and tied it into a knot. This ribbon is from the new catalogue as well.

I used a Blackberry Bliss card base and on top of this I layered a piece of DSP from the Dandy Garden DSP package. This is also a brand new item from the new catalogue. I love the little dandelions in Bumble Bee! Who would have guessed that yellow and purple would go so well together but they look great. I added the flower image piece to the card front using dimensionals.

I stamped my sentiment using Blackberry Bliss ink onto a scrap of Whisper White cardstock and cut it out using one of the dies from the Hippo & Friends Dies set. I added this to the card using a dimensional on the right side and a dot of adhesive on the left side.

I used Tombo multipurpose adhesive to attach the vellum dragonflies to the stamped cardstock dragonflies. I put a small dot of adhesive on the body of the vellum dragonfly and used a sponge to spread it very thinly along the body only. I adhered the two dragonflies together at the body so the vellum wings will curl up a little and look like it is flying. I then attached them to my card front using dimensionals on one and Tombo on the other one.

What I used for today's card:

Ornate Layers Dies

Hippo & Friends Dies

Blackberry Bliss Cardstock

Whisper White Cardstock

Vellum Cardstock

Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad

Watercolour Pencils

Watercolour Pencils Assortment 2

Blender Pen

Dragonfly Garden Bundle (available January 5, 2021)

Dragonfly Garden DSP (available January 5, 2021)

Blackberry Bliss Striped ribbon (available January 5, 2021)

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed today's card and it brought you some cheer during this gray weather season. This bundle is so much fun and the coordinating DSP is gorgeous. I'm sure it will be on a few wishlists when the new catalogue is available for ordering. Give this vellum technique a try. It is really pretty and can be used in so many different ways.

Stay well and keep creating!

Terry

Snow Front

Hello my friends! I just had to make one more Christmas card. I had an idea in my head and wanted to try out our new Blending Brushes that will be in the upcoming new January to June catalogue. I had seen these brushes on other sites but hadn't tried them out until now. They are AMAZING! If you like to sponge or blend your ink colours you have to get these when they are available January 5th. They blend so well and so easily it is unbelievable. I was concerned about having to have one brush per colour but you really only need one per colour group ie blues, reds, greens, etc. The colour doesn't cross over from earlier usage. If you really want to clean them I have heard you can wash them with mild soap and rinse well. You will want to leave them overnight to thoroughly dry.

I started by using the Layering Circle Dies to cut a small circle from a Post-It Note. I attached it to a piece of Whisper White cardstock where I thought my moon should be. Then I started sponging using the Blending Brushes. You always start with your lightest shade and then move on to your darkest. On this card, I used Balmy Blue, Pacific Point and then Night of Navy. Once I had my sky all sponged in, I removed the Post-It Note and then added a little bit of So Saffron to my moon so it didn't look so starkly white.

Then I stamped the group of trees from the Snow Front stamp set using Shaded Spruce ink. I stamped full strength and then stamped a second and third time so there would be differing shades of ink. I then stamped the cabin using Early Espresso ink. Beside the cabin, I added a couple of single trees using Shaded Spruce ink again.

To make the snow bank look more realistic, I added another piece of Whisper White cardstock to the bottom of the card. Before attaching it, I tore the edge so it would have a rough edge and look more snow bank like. I stamped the sentiment from Itty Bitty Christmas using Jet Black Staz On ink. To make the snow glisten, I covered the entire snow bank in Wink of Stella. That is why I used the Staz On ink rather than my usual Tuxedo Black Memento ink. If I had used that, it could have smeared when I added the Wink of Stella. 

Once this was completely dry, I added this piece to a piece of Basic Black cardstock. I love how matting a picture on Basic Black makes all of the colours pop. I then added this to a Thick Whisper White card base using dimensionals. I am quite pleased with how this card turned out, especially the blending of the colours using the new brushes. They are really incredible!

What I used for today's card:

Snow Front Photopolymer Stamp

Itty Bitty Christmas Stamp

Layering Circle Dies

Whisper White Thick Cardstock

Basic Black Cardstock

Whisper White Cardstock

Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad

Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad

Night of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad

Jet Black Staz On Ink Pad

Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush

Blending Brushes (available Jan 5/2021)

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed today's card. I can't recommend these new Blending Brushes enough. They make blending so easy. I think this will be my last Christmas card of the season but I just had to use this set. Once I get an idea for a card I have to make it whether I need it or not. I do know exactly who will receive this card though. It is for a friend of mine who is very creative and loves to sponge.

Stay safe and keep creating!

Terry

Good Morning Magnolia

 Hello my friends! I had so much fun stamping and colouring the last card I created that I just had to do it again. I wanted to send a "Thinking of You" card to a friend that is going through some stuff right now and thought that this stamp set would be great. I wanted to do some more stamping and colouring and I wanted something girly and happy. I feel like this card checks those boxes.

I started by stamping the large magnolia image from the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set in the lower left corner using Tuxedo Memento Black ink. I then stamped the smaller magnolia in the opposite corner and then stamped the sentiment, both using the same ink. I let this dry for a few minutes and then used my Stampin' Blends to colour in the flowers and leaves. I used Old Olive, Petal Pink and Daffodil Delight. I am quite pleased with how they turned out. The Stampin' Blends are so easy to work with and they blend so well. I am not the best at colouring but using these, it makes it look like I know what I am doing!

It is important to make sure you stamp your image using the Tuxedo Black Memento ink rather than a Staz On black ink. The Stampin' Blends are alcohol based markers and the Memento ink is water based so they work together well. You want to use opposites together. If you were going to watercolour an image, you would want to stamp it in Staz On ink which is solvent based. That way your watercolouring won't smear the stamped image. The way I remember which one to use is the opposites attract rule. I hope this helps you.

I matted my card front onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock and then attached it on to a Petal Pink card base. I also added some Elegant Faceted Gems to my card. They coordinate so well with the Petal Pink!

What I used for today's card:

Good Morning Magnolia Stamp Set

Petal Pink Cardstock

Basic Black Cardstock

Whisper White Cardstock

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

Old Olive Stampin' Blends

Petal Pink Stampin' Blends

Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends

Elegant Faceted Gems

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you enjoyed this card. I was trying for something pretty that would make my friend know that I care. After all, that is why we make and send cards. We want to make sure the recipient knows that we care about them and that we made this especially for them.

Stay healthy and keep creating!

Terry