Ramblin' Stamper

Monday, August 20, 2018

Dusting Off My Rose Garden Thinlits

As a general rule, I don't share projects on my blog that use retired products. Mainly because who wants to get excited about a card only to find out that the materials to create it aren't available?

But this time I'm breaking my own rule, because I was so pleased with how this turned out that I want to share it with you. Also, a great many crafters already own Rose Wonder and the matching thinlits - hopefully if you're reading this, you're one of them!

Whenever I need to craft a Sympathy card, this is the first set I reach for.

I had several watercolored backgrounds left over from a previous project that I wanted to find a use for and this was perfect. This card takes a little time to complete, but the results are oh, so worth it!

Begin by die-cutting a rose from a piece of 4" x 5-1/4" Very Vanilla cardstock (1). Remove the center (save) and on the back, apply liquid glue around the edges of the die-cut. Use Snail tape runner along the edges of the cardstock where there is enough room (2). Adhere the entire piece to the front of your card, using any color cardstock that complements your watercoloring (3).

Position the die-cut on your (previously) watercolored cardstock and cut it (1). Use the Stampin' Up Die Brush to remove the inside pieces from the rose (2 & 3). You may have a few pieces that stay inside the die-cut but you can easily remove them later.

Adhere the outline of the rose that you first cut from the Very Vanilla cardstock. I use a spray adhesive for this step - 3M makes a good one. Starting with the largest sections, apply liquid glue as shown here (1). Start adding the watercolored pieces, working your way around the outside (larger pieces) first toward the center. Use your silicone mat to press the pieces firmly in place as you go-if any glue squeezes out it will go on the mat instead of your fingers (3). You can easily clean it off the mat after it dries.

Continue working around the rose until all the pieces have been glued in place. I had another piece of watercolor in greens that I used to fill in the leaves. The outline of the watercolored rose can be used to make another card! Here are just some of the cards that I put together:

Tools that are essential for this project - click on the links to purchase

Watercolor Paper

[122959]

Stampin' Spritzer

[126185]

Aqua Painters

[103954]

Big Shot Die Brush - New Configuration

[144262]

Silicone Craft Sheet

[127853]

Liquid Multipurpose Glue

[110755]

In addition to these, there are two more tools that I highly recommend for this project. One is Spray Adhesive for paper products, the other is a tool to pick up small pieces. I have a QuickStik that I use, but I can share with you that Stampin' Up has added their own version of it to the Holiday Catalog debuting on September 1. It's called the Take Your Pick multipurpose tool - Woohoo!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Pat

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Blended Seasons Wedding Card

There's a bell in the Blended Seasons stamp set that inspired me to create a wedding card...

This card is simple to make, although it might not seem so at first glance. Silver foil, vellum, pearls and embossing make it oh-so-elegant!

All of the products used here are part of the Blended Seasons Bundle, with the addition of the Petal Pair embossing folder. The stitched window shape is cut using the smallest of the 3 die-cuts in the bundle. You'll want to cut this shape first by running it through the Big Shot then run it through a second time with the Petal Pair embossing folder to create the gorgeous embossing along the bottom edge of the card. The bell is stamped in Versamark on a scrap of Whisper White & embossed with Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder. There's a die-cut for the bell as well as the silver & vellum embellishments - no fussy cutting required!

Here's a closer look at the details...the sentiment was stamped using Stazon black ink. I chose that ink for the dark, crisp impression it gives. I adhered the die-cut & embossed mat to the front of the card with liquid glue before stamping the sentiment. The Stamparatus made it easy to place the sentiment exactly where I wanted it. The leaves are all the same die-cut, 2 cut from silver foil and 2 from vellum. The foil leaves are adhered with liquid glue, and the vellum are adhered with a single glue dot placed on the end of the stem so that the leaves "flutter" on the card. The bell is attached with Mini Dimensionals and 3 pearls are the finishing touch.

The Blended Seasons Bundle is available for a limited time - through August 31, 2018 or while supplies last. Don't miss out!

Click the image beflow to purchase the Bundle or any of the other products used on this card

Monday, August 13, 2018

Color Your Season!

Here's another look at Blended Seasons, the exclusive bundle available from Stampin' Up during the month of August.

There are so many things to love about this card! If I had to pick just one, it would be the sentiment. Or the coloring. Or the stitching or the embossing. I can't choose! Let's talk about all of them...

"You're the friend everyone wishes they had." Such a lovely sentiment to make someone feel special! Everything used on this card is from the Blended Seasons bundle, except the embossing which was done with the Petal Pair embossing folder. The flowers are colored with light & dark Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Blends and the leaves are light & dark Granny Apple Green Blends.

The Petal Pair embossing folder is the perfect complement for this card.

The gift bag was created with the Gift Bag Punch Board using retired designer paper and ribbon. Stampin' Up's designer papers are the perfect weight for making these bags and because this paper is double-sided, it's beautiful inside & out. Here's a video that shows how the Gift Bag Punch Board works:

Here are the steps to create this card, in order:

Card base is made of Thick Whisper White, 8-1/2" x 5-1/2", scored at 4-1/4" on the long side.

Card front is regular weight Whisper White, 4-1/4" x 5-1/2".

1. Die cut the window using the medium sized die from the Stitched Seasons Framelits dies.

2. Emboss the bottom of the card using the Petal Pair embossing folder.

You must die-cut first and emboss second. If you reverse the order, you will flatten your embossing when you run it through the Big Shot a second time to do the cutting! Trust me on this, I've learned the hard way. :)

3. Adhere the card front to the card base with liquid glue, lining up all 4 edges.

4. Use your Stamparatus to place the sentiment exactly where you want it & stamp in Rich Razzleberry.

5. Stamp the floral image on a scrap of Whisper White using Memento Tuxedo Black. Color with Stampin' Blends and fussy-cut the image. Adhere to the card front using liquid glue. Embellish the centers of the flowers - here I used 3 tiny pearls for each blossom.

Did you know?

It's important to choose the right black ink for coloring techniques. Stampin' Blends are alcohol-based and require Memento Tuxedo Black. Other coloring techniques such as Watercolor Pencils or Stampin' Write Markers require Stazon, which will not smear when used with water-based coloring techniques.