Swirly Bird with Watercoloring

Hi Stampers,

Last week I showed you a technique using ink and an acrylic block to make beautiful watercolor backgrounds.  Today I have another quick share of a card that uses the same technique with just 2 colors, Pool Party & Island Indigo.

The sailboat was stamped with the Swirly Bird stamp set in Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight & Calypso Coral.  The clouds were made with Embossing Paste and the Pattern Party Masks!

I brushed the "water" with Clear Wink of Stella for sparkle.

This is a good illustration of how different your backgrounds can look by varying the amount of water you spritz on the acrylic block.  I used the one in the center for this card.

Here's the inside of the card.  I used the cloud masks again with white craft ink and a sponge dauber.  The "waves" are sponged on using one of the dies in the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits as a stencil.

Thanks for stopping by today!  To read more about this watercolor background technique, visit my August 22 blog post.

Product List

Swirly Bird Photopolymer Stamp Set

[141749]

Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies

[141497]

Sunshine Sayings Clear-Mount Stamp Set

[141594]

Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies

[145372]

Layering Circle Framelits Dies

[141705]

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[122924]

Island Indigo 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[122923]

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[100730]

Watercolor Paper

[122959]

Clear Block E

[118484]

Embossing Paste

[141979]

Palette Knives

[142808]

Pattern Party Decorative Masks

[144103]

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad

[126982]

Island Indigo Classic Stampin' Pad

[126986]

Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad

[126944]

Calypso Coral Classic Stampin' Pad

[126983]

Versamark Pad

[102283]

White Stampin' Emboss Powder

[109132]

Heat Tool

[129053]

Sponge Daubers

[133773]

Glitter Enamel Dots

[144200]

Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush

[141897]

Don't forget about the fabulous offer for new Paper Pumpkin subscribers - get your first month for $9.98 when you subscribe before September 10!  Use Promo Code HALFOFF0917.

Happy stamping,

Pat

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Hi, Stampers!

Today I thought I would share with you the cards we made at my classes this week.  These are oldies but goodies!

Swirly Bird in Dapper Denim, Mint Macaron, Peekaboo Peach & Watermelon Wonder

Wetlands in Pool Party & Crumb Cake - an all-time favorite!

A little wine never hurts the creative process...

Me with friends Cindy & Linda

"If you have enjoyed this class, you should consider a Paper Pumpkin subscription!"

Such a creative group of ladies - everyone made this card their own!

So much fun, hope to see everyone again next time!

Happy stamping,

Pat

  

Congrats on your new Home Tweet Home

Hi Stampers,

Buying a first home is a milestone in life and a definite cause for celebration!  This week a lovely young couple that I know moved into their very own first home and I made this card for them.

Aren't those little birds sweet?  I started with a piece of Whisper White and sponged on a few clouds using a stencil I cut by hand and some Soft Sky on a Stampin' sponge. The branch, birds and flowers are from Swirly Bird.  The leaves are from a different stamp set called Love & Affection. Colors are Emerald Envy, Dapper Denim, Peekaboo Peach and Daffodil Delight.  "Congrats to You" comes from Tin of Cards.

Here's how I made the birdhouse - I think you're gonna like this!

I started by stamping a piece of Dapper Denim cardstock with Dapper Denim ink and the Hardwood background stamp.  Then I cut a strip 1 1/2" wide to fit into the middle slot of the Triple Banner Punch.  

This is how the back of the punch would normally appear when you slip the cardstock in it -

But, if you take the leading edge of the cardstock and pull it out of the punch like this-

You get a birdhouse as tall as you like!

The roofline is just as simple.  In this case, I cut a 2" wide strip of Crumb Cake cardstock and punched it with the Triple Banner Punch as you normally would.  Then without ever removing it from the punch, simply slide it forward and punch again: 

You end up with a roof that fits perfectly on your birdhouse.  The bottom of the birdhouse is another piece of Crumb Cake cardstock cut 2" x about 1/8" on your paper trimmer.  I stamped a simple design on both pieces from the Tin of Cards stamp set for a little extra interest.  I turned the birdhouse, roof & bottom over and used Tear & Tape adhesive to attach the 3 pieces together on the back.  The last step is to punch a small hole in the center and adhere a piece of Basic Black cardstock behind it. When you are ready to adhere the birdhouse simply take the backing off of the adhesive and mount it on your card front.  An enamel heart shape in Peekaboo Peach is the finishing touch.

These little birdhouses are fun and easy to make using the Triple Banner Punch because the pieces fit perfectly together.  I want to try another card like this with multiple birdhouses in different heights and widths.  Maybe these ones will be on posts in the ground with flowers growing up around them!

Thanks for looking!
Pat

Swirly Bird for a Dear Friend

Hi Stampers,

I have one more Swirly Bird card to share today:

The swirls are three of the newest In-Colors, Peekaboo Peach, Sweet Sugarplum & Flirty Flamingo. They play well together, don't you think?  The card is matted on Smoky Slate, and the "grungy" dots are also Smoky Slate.  The small stamped swirls are Daffodil Delight, and the leaves are stamped in Pear Pizzazz with a Wild Wasabi vein running through them.  The sentiment is from Birthday Blooms.  The pearls emphasize the definite feminine feel of this card for a dear friend.

Thanks for stopping by.  If you have enjoyed seeing the projects made with the Swirly Bird Bundle and would like to purchase it, click here.

Happy stamping,
Pat

Stampin' Clouds & Kites

Hi Stampers,

Here's another card we made at my last class using Swirly Bird.  Everyone had fun sponging clouds - it's so satisfying!

The kites are so much fun to stamp and cute on their own merits, but they really pop on the cloud background.  Check out my May 31 blog post to see how we made the clouds.  The colors on this card are Peekaboo Peach, Dapper Denim & Daffodil Delight.  The sentiment is from Suite Sayings (#140712).

Enjoy!
Pat

Swirly Bird Celebration

Hi Stampers,

I am in the zone with Swirly Bird, lol!!!  Here's a card we made in class last week that was a favorite. I really like this color combo - Peekaboo Peach, Sweet Sugarplum & Soft Sky.

The base of the card is Peekaboo Peach.  The cute swirls on the right side are stamped randomly in Peekaboo Peach.  Love that tone-on-tone look.  The front of the card is Whisper White.  I die-cut the wavy edge with the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits (#141497 or #142353 if you bundle it with Swirly Bird).  The dot pattern along the wavy edge is Soft Sky and the small flowers are stamped in So Saffron.  Three small rhinestones and Wink of Stella on the die-cut swirls give the card it's oomph! Not that Swirly Bird needs more oomph, but more sparkle never hurts!!:)







Here's how the card looks before you add the die-cuts:

Here's another variation using the same colors, just arranged a little differently:

I hope you're inspired to create your own Swirly Bird masterpiece!  Email me your photos, I'd love to see what you come up with.

Thanks for stopping by,

Pat

Swirls & Stripes - Oh, my!

Hi Stampers,

Hope you had a great weekend!  We had our monthly class at my house last week and a good time was had by all!  It was an all-Swirly Bird class and I want to share with you some of the cards from my display board.  This is one of my favorites:

Love, love, love the combination of Smoky Slate, Basic Gray and Sweet Sugarplum.  So elegant! The stripes are from the Neutrals Designer Series paper stack (#138435).  The banner is stamped using the Thoughtful Banners Bundle (#142330) & Rich Razzleberry ink. The bundle includes the Duet Banner Punch and a whopping 53 piece stamp set!  The other colors are So Saffron, Flirty Flamingo, Pear Pizzazz and Wild Wasabi.  Pearls (#119247) and loops of Silver Metallic Thread (#138402) are the perfect finishing accents.

Thanks for stopping by!
Pat

Baby Swirly Bird

Hi Stampers,

My obsession with the new Swirly Bird stamps continues!  A lovely young lady that I met in Florida last winter had a baby boy this week and I wanted to send her a special card.  So of course, I wanted to use Swirly Bird.  I'm seriously amazed at how versatile this stamp set is!  Here is my card:

Swirly Bird Bundle #142353

Isn't that little bird watching her eggs just precious?

To make this card, I laid my 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of Soft Sky cardstock on top of my Whisper White card base.  Then I die-cut the largest swirl from a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock and placed it where I wanted it on the Soft Sky piece.  I traced around the inside of the swirl with a pencil and cut that space out, revealing the card base beneath.  Without moving the Soft Sky piece, I traced the same shape onto the card base.  Now I could see exactly where to stamp my bird's nest.  The brown on the nest is Crumb Cake; the bird is Dapper Denim & the eggs are Soft Sky, brushed with clear Wink of Stella (#141897).  I lightly sponged the area above the nest with Soft Sky.

The next step was to stamp swirls randomly on the Soft Sky cardstock with Soft Sky ink.  I love this method of creating a tone-on-tone background.  I had some Soft Sky washi tape that I wanted to use on the card, so I attached a strip of it along the edge of the card base then trimmed 1/4" off the right side of the Soft Sky piece so that it would show.

"Peekaboo to someone new" is from Suite Sayings (#140712).  I stamped it on a banner & trimmed it with another banner cut from Dapper Denim cardstock, a cut doily, and some of the beautiful new ruched ribbon in Dapper Denim (#141424).  The tiny enamel hearts (#141410) are the perfect matching accent.

I hope you like this card.  To celebrate my first year as a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I'm sending a 3-pack of my handmade original cards to new customers with any online order!  Use host code DH3HKDV4 at checkout.  Who knows, this may be one of the cards you receive!

Thanks for stopping by,
Pat

Swirly Bird - Go Fly a Kite!

Hello Stampers,

The day I've been waiting for is here - the brand-new catalog is now available.  My wish list is long...how about yours?  I hope you'll find some inspiration with me!

I've been playing with my new Swirly Bird (141749) stamps again!  There are just so many possibilities with this set that I'll be showing you in the weeks to come.  Yesterday I was obsessed with stamping kites!

These kites are so much fun to stamp, I just might make one in every color of the rainbow! Such a sweet little card, I think that anyone would love seeing this in their mailbox.  My sentiment comes from Suite Sayings (140712 clear) and the striking black and white striped designer paper is from the Neutrals Collection Designer Paper Stack (138435).

Have a lovely day!
Pat

Swirly Bird - I think I'm in love!

Hello Stampers,

It's the last day of May and that means today is the last chance to purchase any retiring Stampin' Up products you've been longing for!  If there have been any bundles on your Wish List that you haven't purchased yet, you should know that even if the stamp set and die-cuts are carrying over to the new catalogue, they won't be available at a 15% discount any longer!  Just sayin'...

Here's the link to view the retiring list one last time...

Enough of that...here is the first card I've made using my shiny new stamps...ta-da!

I've been playing with the Swirly Bird bundle I got with my catalog pre-order and I think I'm in love!  I have so many ideas swirling through my head for this stamp set, no wonder it's called Swirly Bird!

The blues on my card are the brand-new Dapper Denim and the good old Soft Sky.  I really like those two together.  The waves are made from one of the die-cuts included in the bundle.  I wanted to capture the way sunlight sparkles on the waves on a bright day on Lake Erie, so I used the "dotty" stamp from the set to stamp in Versamark, then I used Heat & Stick powder with Dazzling Diamonds glitter.  The sweet little sailboat is actually 4 separate stamps and fussy-cut, which is much easier than it sounds!  The colors on it are Dapper Denim, Daffodil Delight (stamped off once on the solid sail) and Calypso Coral.  I stamped the swirly sun 3 times, using Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, and Peekaboo Peach.  Each image was stamped off once.  The center of the sun is stamped in Daffodil Delight, full strength.  The sentiment I've used here is from another new stamp set called Love & Affection.

Are you curious how I made the clouds in the sky?  It's done simply by sponging Soft Sky ink around the edge of a cloud shape cut from thick Whisper White cardstock. I cut my cloud shape out freehand, but the Tree Builder Punch cloud shape would work great, also.

 I'm going to add a Happy Birthday sentiment to the inside of this card and give it to my husband for his birthday next week...shhhhh...

This year's new In-Colors are Dapper Denim, Emerald Envy, Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach and Sweet Sugarplum. Starting tomorrow, you can order them or anything else that strikes your fancy from the new catalog!  If you need a catalog, please leave me a message and I will get you one.

Thanks for stopping by,
Pat