Bright Blossoms & Gingham Checks

No, the gingham check background is not Designer Series Paper! It is Whisper White cardstock that was embossed and inked using the Stripes Embosssing folder and a brayer. I have inked embossing folders using my brayer in the past and the finished product looked okay, but I was never that impressed ;-). I tried the Letterpress plates and I was not at all impressed. However, using ink, a brayer and the Stripes Embossing Folder to achieve the gingham checked look is a different story. I have always liked gingham check fabric and being a scrapbooker, I purchase my share of gingham check scrapbook paper in various colors, too. Dawn, a talented Stampin' Up demo, shared a video demonstrating this technique and I knew I had to try it. I grabbed my Tangerine Tango ink and marker and the new Bright Blossoms stamp set and quickly made this card. I do not think that inking an embossing folder was ever demonstrated in any class, but I assure you that there will be a card or two made using this technique in a future class. Hope you have a great day!

Summer Smooches Sneak Peek!

During the month of April, Stampin'Up is offering customers the opportunity to purchase sneak peek products from the new catalog prior to the catalog release date of June 1st. I have posted a few projects made using products from the Summer Smooch collection and will be posting others in future posts. You can see/shop for the products included in this promotion by clicking on the following link: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/stampintimesomewhere/promotions and click on Summer Smooches picture for details. Have a great day!

Up In The Air Get Well

My friend, Regina, is feeling a bit under the weather these days so I made this card especially for her. The branch with the birdhouse is one of the images from the hostess set "Up In the Air" in the current Occasions Mini catalog. I inked the image using SU Markers and then colored in all of the negative space once it was stamped. The little bird is not part of the stamp. He is from the bird bath image in the retired Touch of Kindness set. I think that the image needs a little bird and this one is so cute. He looks like he is part of the image rather than an add-on. The Baja Breeze pleated ribbon (also in the Occasions Mini) finishes the card nicely. Get better, Regina!

Teabag Favor & My Digital Studio

As you know, I am always looking for new and cute ideas that I can use for myself, classes and workshops. Today I was on the SU demonstrators' website when I came across this very cute double teabag holder that Marian Garcia posted. Marian had cased this from another demonstrator, Brenda. While Marian and Brenda used ribbon and stamped the images on circles, I thought "Lipton Teabag"~~you know, the teabag with the paper tab stapled to a white string. So down to my scraproom I go, following the measurements for cutting, scoring and folding the Designers Series Paper, but I have no teacup stamps nor do I have any tea sentiments. I improvised and stamped "T4U", but that just didn't do it for me. Now I needed the Tiny Teacup stamp which I did not own. And this is where the SU digital software came in handy. I went online to my SU store, purchased the digital version of the Tiny Teacup and downloaded it to My Digital Studio (already on my computer). I made two favors using different DSP papers, so I needed two tags. I put the teacup on white cardstock and added a sentiment from another stamp set already part of MDS. I chose colors to match the DSP of each favor, printed them and then punched each using the small tag punch. I layered that on a coordinating cardstock tag punched using the large tag punch. And here is where I am so proud of myself: not only did I use the MDS successfully, but I stapled white baker's twine to the tags and I have knockoff "Lipton" teabag tags~~lol!!! I will admit that up until now, MDS was something I just didn't want to bother with, but this was so easy, you just might see other little projects I create with the help of My Digital Studio software. :)