Back from Vacation!

Yes, I'm back! Did you miss me? After being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for over 10 years, I felt I needed to take some time away from stamping this summer to get some long-overdue projects done in preparation for our youngest son's high school graduation next June. Although I'm still doing in-home workshops, my stamp club is on hiatus for a year while I concentrate on my home and family for a while.

I did manage to carve out some time for stamping, though, and am sharing a card made for a coworker's summer birthday. This card features the first stamp set that went on my wish list when I saw the new catalog...Serene Silhouettes.

Recipe
Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse, Whisper White
Ink: Midnight Muse, Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Paper Doily Sizzlits L, Bitty Banners Framelits, Big Shot, Stampin' Sponge wedges, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals

Since my coworker has a camper near a lake in the summer, I knew she would appreciate this sponged sunset on the lake scene. I first masked off the top portion of the card to sponge the blue, then masked off the bottom portion to sponge in the sun and sky. Then I stamped the tree image along the sides, and along the bottom of the card stamped just the top portion of the trees to give the look of bushes. I think it turned out to be a very relaxing summer scene. What do you think?

Hope you're enjoying this beautiful Minnesota fall weather...I certainly am! Until next time, sweet dreams!

Bee-utiful Nature

Have I mentioned yet how much I love this year's Occasions Mini Catalog? When I saw the Nature Walk set, I just knew that it could be used to create some beautiful cards! This one uses the woodland flower and bee images, and was copied (with some variations) from a lovely card by Cindy Beech, who paired this set with the Elegant Soiree Designer Series paper on page 175 of the Idea Book & Catalog. After stamping the flower image, I sponged the background using Baja Breeze and then added some more texture using the Baja Breeze marker in the Color Spritzer Tool. In real life the background almost looks like a cloudy sky, which we've experienced a lot around here lately! The bee was stamped with Early Espresso and colored carefully with a So Saffron marker, then I trimmed around it with the paper snips and popped it up to add some dimension.

Doesn't the bee look like it's really hanging in the air? In this close-up shot, I hope you can see some of the sponging and spritzing detail in the background. The delicate flowers, colored with the Baja Breeze marker, are actually a soft bluish gray, although they look really gray in this shot.

Recipe

Stamps: Nature Walk

Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede & Baja Breeze cardstock, Elegant Soiree Designer Series paper

Ink: Crumb Cake & Baja Breeze markers, Early Espresso & Baja Breeze stamp pads

Accessories: Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon, Chantilly Crochet Trim, Basic Pearls, Stampin' Dimensionals, Color Spritzer Tool, paper snips

Valentine Defined Sunset Birds

I just had to post one more card using the Valentine Defined stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog! This one uses both the flamingos and flower images. I stamped both images using Basic Black, and then using the masking technique and sponges, created the "sunset from the edge of the lake" landscape. The unique card design was "borrowed" from a beautiful Christmas card created by fellow SU demonstrator Val Wiig. The base card is cut 6-1/2" x 5-1/2" and folded in half, with the rest of the layers extending over the fold on the top.

Recipe
Stamps: Valentine Defined
Paper: Elegant Eggplant, Melon Mambo, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Baja Breeze, Melon Mambo and Elegant Eggplant stamp pads
Accessories: Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Top Note die cut, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, stamping sponge wedges