Taking flight with Challenge 421

HELLO!!! I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this sketch and theme and then I was at a family members house with some of my Art Impressions stamps and remembered I had this new stamp set, it fits the theme.  I changed the sketch up just a bit by layering a bit differently since my focal point was a rectangle shape.  I enjoyed making this, I need to use my Art Impressions stamps more!!!
Thanks for stopping by and have fun coming up with a card for this oldie but goody sketch from the past.

TSOT 419 - Embossing and Stamparatus tips!!

My life has been so busy lately that I've not had time to think let alone stamp!  BUT sometimes one just has to take a few moments for relaxation and that is me when stamping.  I squeezed this card in on Sat. when I finally got home for a few hours. I made time for it even though there were a "million" other things I could /should have been doing.
 Our theme is embossing, did you know there’s a couple of ways to emboss?  Dry embossing and wet embossing, I’ve done both on this card. After I stamped the background, I dry embossed and de-bossed the background where the leaves are. By that I mean I ran the card through both ways, I  first de-bossed , made the images sink in and then I embossed regular and had the leaf image pop up from the card. Not sure you can see that in the picture. The frame is embossed also, I made 2 cut them and then pieced the brown one that I cut down over the green one. The brown one I colored the detail on the die with my marker and then put it through the big shot.
      The wet embossing is on the flowers and the sentiment. I used the same ink on both but the sentiment is on vellum and may be why it is lighter. Using the stamparatus made this sooo easy! I had The flowers cut already on my desk left over from a card class where we did this technique.
 Template stamping and re-stamping.
1. Cut all your shapes out of your desired card stock. Make extra so you can test out your stamp placement. (step 4)
2. Take a scrap piece of card stock and cut your shape out of the center of it. You don’t want this piece too small I did most of mine out of a quarter piece of card stock. This piece can also be reused many times. This is your template piece
3. Place your template piece in your stamparatus.
4.  Lay your stamp over the cut out shape in the stamparatus. Pick it up with acrylic plate.
     Place one of your cut shapes into the template. It’s like a puzzle piece😊
     Ink up your stamp and stamp. If your not pleased with the placement move stamp and try again.
*** When you have it aligned to your satisfaction you can stamp as many pieces as you have cut. Really makes for a quick stamping of  pieces and no worries that it will not be lined up to your satisfaction.   Just thought I’d mention this is also a lot easier than Stampin and then cutting your shape with the big shot. I don’t know how many times I did that and the die would move and it would ruin what I had stamped.
Always remember that the stamparatus is a super, wonderful, fabulous tool for re-stamping!!! If you don’t get your design stamped good the first time or if you want to emboss with a color that you don’t have in embossing powder for, then the stamparatus is the tool for the job. Re-stamping is a breeze as long as you don’t move anything.  Just ink the Stamp again and it will stamp over the image exactly!!  You can do this as many times as you want to get the color as rich as you want.
   If you want to emboss with a color  that you don’t have embossing powder for. Just leave everything where it is in your stamparatus,  clean off your stamp, and using your embossing pad ink up your stamp and Stamp over your image that you still have in your template. I did this a couple times so I was sure that my embossing pad was inking  up the Image well . Then I took out and covered with clear embossing powder and viola I had early espresso embossed flowers. I did the same thing with the sentiment on the vellum, just be sure when you heat set your vellum that you don’t hold it too long in one place or it could warp it.
    Thanks for stopping by and letting me ramble about all of that, maybe you knew all of it but maybe you didn’t and now you have something new to try. Below is the suggested sketch for this challenge #419 guess I didn't really follow it, but that's okay we just want you to stamp and give you suggestions to help jump start your creativity!  don't forget to check out all the other designers lovely creations!!

A favorite vacation - TSOT #417

When I saw the theme for our challenge at Try Stamping on Tuesday I decided I wanted to try my hand at doing a card with the sand dunes. One of our favorite spots to go when our children were growing up, we had four boys, was the Sand Dunes in Colorado. Seems like there was never an end to them. You would get to the top of what you thought was the tallest one and see more spread out before your eyes! I know I didn't capture it as well as a photo but I've never claimed to be an artist, just trying to be creative with my stamps.  I asked one of the boys what the card reminded him of relating to vacations and he said the Sand Dunes, maybe I didn't do a terrible job of depicting them?  The pictures below my card was from  a few years ago but I couldn’t resist. One of those boys is a Daddy three times over and another one will be getting married in Sept.  Out youngest two still live at home and we love having them even though they are 25 and 27.
 Thanks for stopping bye why don’t you give it a try.  What was one of your favorite vacations with your family or by yourself show is on a card you make for this fun challenge.

THEME- Vacation

Christmas in July for TSOT!#416

I thought it was fun to do a Christmas card in July. When it’s hot and humid outside using  a set that  makes you think of cold weather is wonderful. That’s what I did on this one thanks for coming by!

TSOT challenge 415 Melt!!!

Yea another Try Stampin' on Tuesday challenge - we've a combo again.  Sketch, Inspiration or both

 When I think of the word melt I think of all the summers that we have baled hay and let me tell you, you melt when you’re on the wagon stacking or driving in the heat and sun.  We make small bales they are stacked about 5 layers high.   I chose not to follow the sketch and just use the inspiration word.  Thanks for stopping - how do you think I did with the inspiration? Have you ever experienced this kind of melting?  Don't forget to check out all the other designers.

TSOT 414 summer fun

 When I saw the theme of summer fun, and knew I need some cards for a couple little boys. This stamp set jumped into my mind even though it’s an old one-- it just said please use me again!! I’ve always liked this set for young children since it definitely goes with summer and what child doesn't like summer. I dissected my stamp by taking it off the block and putting it in my stamparatus that way I could color my bicycle many different colors and stamp it over and over again and it lined up exactly!!!! That's just one of the many things I love, Love, LOVE about the stamparatus!!  If you don't know what it is and would like more information on it just leave me a question in the comments below and a way to get back with you and I'd be more than happy to share my LOVE with you on the fabulous "power" tool in the stamping world.  I stamped the sunglasses all over the white piece to make my own background paper.  When riding a bicycle in the summer one needs sun glasses on right?😉  thanks for stopping.

                                           

Optional Theme: Summer Fun

TSOT 413 Nature

I spent the day with a dear friend and we stamped this is what I came up with I hope you like it. I turned the image so I would have more room for the leaves and my branch and the bird. I made the branch myself the leaves and The bird are from the new Free as a bird stamp set from Stampin Up and I cut it out after I colored it.  The Lacey piece on the right hand side came from the new die called - stitched lace dies from Stampin Up it’s a lovely die and the pieces come out really easy. Guess that’s about it have a great day.

Optional Theme: Favorites in Nature