Just because cards

 I have been wanting to use some of my Art Impression Stamps lately and decided that today was the day. I used a new set, It’s one of the watercolor throwbacks that Bonnie brings out. They’re older Stamps from years ago that she Rita’s and they bring them back for four days. It’s one of those get it now while you can or you won’t ever be able to. I almost didn’t get this one, but boy oh boy I sure am glad that I did. It is such a good stamp and so very versatile!! I followed along on Bonnie’s release tutorial and made four fairly similar cards and then I decided hey I want to do my own thing so I did. Here’s what I came up with.  I stamped the bench deleting a few things and then I made a mask and covered it up. I wanted to use a few of my tree stamps so I added them behind the bench. Gives the bench a secluded type of look. Like it’s tucked away just waiting for you to come along, sit down and relax after a long summer day. 😁

Here’s the four that I made following Bonnie’s tutorial. They’re not all exactly the same but then no two watercolors ever are. I made them each just a bit different in the watercoloring and mounting, makes them each look unique.  Do you have a favorite?

Brithday boy

 Attended a birthday party for a great nephew who was turning 5- guess that’s a handful 😁.  His Daddy is very much a John Deere man so therefore so is his son.  

What could I do but use green and yellow for the card- he loved it.

Secret Garden #6

 Dawn Woleslagle-

I believe this was my favorite class, I loved all the added steps Dawn showed us on how to do with the layering stencils We stenciled the background panel adding depth by flicking extra color on the second layer.  The layering flowers were colored with one color each,  done the same way by adding many layers of color in selected areas. She gave so many tips on how to do that, loved it!

Secret Garden #5

 Laura Bassen

This is the second Floral in the stamp set,   stamped in black then we stenciled, a pretty clean and simple one but no less lovely!

Secret Garden #4

 Carissa Wiley

Ink Blending on floral Die cuts and card leaf embossed front panel, layering, lots of dimension on this one also.

Secret Garden #3

 Kelly Taylor

We used the one of the stamp floral designs here. White embossed on watercolor paper.  The whole panel was watercolored with the background kept lighter to make the flowers pop.  We then cut it in half and had 2 panels for 2 cards! That’s always a fun surprise. 

Secret Garden #2

 Jennifer McGuire-

If you have ever watched any of her videos, you’ll know she loves the layering floral dies.  This card uses the dies sponged with ink then we layered a floral stencil over to add a darker tone and design on them. I would never have thought about doing that! The gold leaf is a Die cut that can be added to the embossing folder to give it detail. We also sent the card front panel through the embossing folder to add depth to the card with a with leafy design. Lots of dimension.

Secret Garden Retreat #1

 I did something I never thought I would do!!!  I joined a virtual retreat for the day. 

Secret Garden Virtual Retreat 2024.     

Received a box of supplies- stamps, stencils, embossing folders, Dies to cut out images, Blending tools, ink pads, white card stock,  gold metallic card stock, glitter card stock , and an apron.  Oh my so many goodies!!

  Yesterday May 4th they had 6 different instructors walking us through how to use the supplies.  It amazes me how all were so different and showed so many different techniques and tips on how to improve the end results. I’m going to post the cards on the next 6 days. 

Jaycee Gaspar instructor

This was a gate fold card,  embossed the front panel then cut the middle of the arch out.  The inside is a top folding card that were stenciled, I used some of my left over leaves for the inside.

Layers of Beauty 😊

 Okay I like this bundle!!😁  it is new and will be available to purchase in May 1st— oh that’s today😀.  If you’d be interested in knowing how you can get it just contact me. Either leave a message below or email me at vmilyard@yaloo.com 

 I’ve been using it in different ways here’s a card using the stencils only, no stamping or die cutting. I saw a similar one in Pinterest and knew my sister in law would like the pink flowers so I sorta case’d it.  ( mine isn’t exactly the same)

This one I stamped on the new basic beige card stock with basic beige ink pad also new.  The colors are like the previous post but I cut this one out and added an embossed floral background. Switched the layering so the card base is one of the new 2024-2026 in colors peach pie. 

Layers of Beauty

 Fun, fun, fun! Another new stamp set bundle, this one is called layers of beauty bundle. It has a stamp set, dyes, and decorative masks to sponge in the flowers. Well…. I have lots of flower stamps, but this one is so pretty I guess you could say I just couldn’t pass it up. The Stamps can be used alone since it’s an outline stamp with your choice of coloring  or it can be used with the decorative masks Like I have done on this card. I also used a new color, Stampin Up brought in a color called basic beige to their main lineup. I stamped it in basic beige on basic beige then used the five masks to color it in. The first three masks color in the flowers and then there are two for the leaves. It is actually pretty easy to line up. I used a new in color called  peach pie. The colors of the flowers I used are peach pie and pumpkin pie. I did a very light sponging peach pie on the first mask a little bit darker on the second mask and then on the third mask I use the pumpkin pie. On the leaves I used old olive light on the fourth mask and then darker on the detailed fifth mask . I actually saw card done like this with these colors I think it was by Patty Stamps. I really liked the color she used so I decided to do something similar. In the stamping world that is called case’ing a card.  Copy,And,Share,Everything. I usually do mine with a twist, changing it to make it “mine” in a small way.  Thanks for looking😊

New stamps!!😁

 Isn’t it fun to get new stamps and try them out!! This is a stamp set bundle from the new Stampin Up 2024-25 catalog. Demonstrators get the opportunity to order a few chosen sets in April before the catalog goes live in May.  I’m sure if you are on Pinterest you’ve probably seen cards made with it, Country Flowers, it’s part of a new suite Collection. 

Birthday boy card

 We have a grandson who’s birthday is April 1st.  Since we’re celebrating on Sunday evening I decided I’d better get a card made for him today. 😁

Since I’m hand delivering it I didn’t  worry about the size, this die does lay flat for mailing though.      I thought it ended up rather cute!

  I used many different supplies—-Lawn Fawn pop up die and add ons,   Stampin Up Hey Chick stamps  and coordinating dies from multiple chicken related sets, Creekbank Creations Farm stamp set and a silhouette die. 

New family members!

 2 new greats were born since the first of the month and I finally got cards made.   Sadie Mae joined our niece Rebecca’s family and Eric “Jase” joined a niece Camela’s family. So happy for these two families, I pray they will raise these 2 precious children to love God. 

Homemade DSP

 Have you ever made your own DSP paper? I have a few times, there’s a YouTube channel called Artful Stamping with Ruth that I enjoy watching from time to time.  She is a master at homemade backgrounds, she had an artistic eye for putting together many different types of backgrounds, you should check it out. 

This was made with the brayer, Soft Sea Foam, Lemon Lolly, and Pool Party inks, and the Easter Lilly stamp set from the mini catalog all Stampin Up products. I watched her make one then pulled out my supplies and made my own, I thought it turned out really nice. I need to do this more often. These 4 cards were made with that background😊.  I was playing around with the Easter set and die, trying to be different, what do you think? 

I should have taken a picture of the 8.5x11 piece I made before cutting it up.  Maybe you’ll be able to see it. 

Watercoloring Altenew designs

 I have been somewhat working on sorting and labeling my non Stampin Up stamps. I have a small container that holds my Altenew and Pinkfresh stamps and stencils.  In the process I came across these beautiful florals that I hadn’t used in a long time.  I believe these are from the stamp set called Pen Sketched.  I have spooked at many cards made with the flowers embossed with gold and wanted to try that.  I was also playing around with a Jennifer McGuire technique for faux letterpress and foils.  I made a few card front panels. I  don’t own any kind of a foiling machine and she showed this as a substitute.  

I inked up the cutting side of my dies with versa fine pad 

ran them through the bigshot so they did not cut just left the impression in the card stock (different sandwich than when cutting)

Added gold embossing powder and the heat set it.  

I’m not sure you can see it real well in the pictures but it is like a Letter pressed look. The embossing doesn’t set on top of the card stock it is “sunk” pressed into it. 

Valentine quick card

 Valentine’s Day is right around the corner- are you ready???

Here you go and it even shows two sides of your designer series paper. 1. Cut your base piece of  card stock at 5.5 x 8.5    2. Now cut your 8.5 side down to 6 inches  (optional save what you cut off for embossing front left edge decorative piece).  3. Cut your Designer Series Paper (DSP) I did the piece at 6” then a piece that was 3” wide,  cut it down to 5.5 and used the 1/2” strip on the inside. (If you don’t want to do that just cut your DSP at 5.5 x 3)     4. Adhere the DSP to the front flap lining up the right side with the card back edge.     5. Front left decoration -Cut your extra white strip to 5.25 x1 emboss than adhere.  Decorate front and inside as desired. I made the  back inside layers 5 x 3.5, 4.75x3.25 then added the 1/2” DSP strip.                                                                   (I saw this card fold on a Susan Campfield video)

I’d love to see your take on this card, you could get 8 cards from one DSP piece of paper with NO waste!! 😄.   They would make a lovely little gift for a family member or friend! 

Retired Stamp Sets

 How often do you get out your old retired Stamp sets? Do you keep them or do you get rid of them when the Stampin Up catalog is over? I keep many of mine especially the ones that I really really like. That is the case with some of the sets that I used today.  

I enjoy watercoloring with my stamps. I pulled out the Mountain Air and the Snow Front Stampin Up sets and decided to do some scenic cards.   I used watercolor paper, lots of water, lots of different colors of ink, my aqua painters, lots of drying in between the layers and here they are. 

Maybe it’s time to pull out one of your old Stamp sets that you loved. If there’s a stamp said that we really love and wanted to keep then that means we should be using it. Sometimes we get so caught up in what is new that we forget about the old. So my challenge is - pull it out and use it. 😊

Softly Sophisticated

 This is my first play time with this lovely stamp set and embossing folder bundle from the SAB catalog. I thought it turned out quite lovely.  I used a new to me Fun fold card design, I like how the DSP is displayed on the back section but the front 2 sections I used for stamping.  Not sure you can see it real well in the picture but I embossed the thin piece of plastic from the stamp set. When I put my stamps in their case and then added the heavier piece of plastic onto the front of them I thought to myself hey couldn’t I emboss this little thin piece of plastic, so I did using the new embossing folder that came with the stamp set. 😊 I put it over the sentiment piece, taped onto the backside. It wanted to “bow out” quite badly andI didn’t  want tape to be showing through.  Anyone know if there is an adhesive that won’t show through clear plastic🤨).  On the back of this piece I put dimensionals in the middle and some tape on the outside edge to adhere  it. That made the plastic flatter to the stamping. I also embossed  2 panels to go behind the 2 thin sections of the card base to add some pretty texture. It doesn’t stand out since it’s white on white but adds just the right amount of “bang”… hmmm wonder what embossing the DSP would have looked like maybe I’ll try that next time.
Thanks for stopping by, happy stamping😊

CASED cards

 Pinterest is a wonderful place to go for ideas using stamp sets.  I’ve been wanting to use the Notes of Nature Stampin Up set from the 2024 mini catalog.  Found two cards to sorta “case” 😊. I don’t usually make a card exactly like I see it, probably because I don’t have all that I’d need to use so I just use what I have and do my own thing.  

                            

Thinking about spring

 My craft room doesn’t have a lot of heat in it, just whatever trickles in. So last night I wanted to do something and decided that it was easy to move my Art Impressions watercolor Stamps into a warmer room. I have them all on a wheeled cart and I can pull it where I want it. Thinking and ready for spring! Especially since it’s cold here in Ohio, I know I should be thankful for each season🥴. OK I’ll blame it on Bonnie - Creator of the Art Impression Stamps. She’s bringing out spring time Stamps!😁.  

     

Enduring Beauy meets shimmer pasteThis is what I came up with do you like it?

 My next card class we will be using the enduring beauty stencils. I have been doing a lot of looking on Pinterest and around to see what everyone has been doing with it. After I got everything ready for this card class I had a thought. No one had done anything with the shimmer paste and the stencils, at least I haven’t seen anything with it. So I went to work!😁. This is what I came up with do you like it?  (If I didn’t already have everything cut and ready to go I might have changed and had everyone do this one. Well I can show it to them and they can re-create.) 😁

As with any card with shimmer paste on it it’s hard to see. But there is quite a bit of texture on this card. I added petal pink Re-inker to the paste. Added it to the first layer of the stencil and then because I didn’t want to have to wait I used the heat gun to dry it. Added more color to the paste that was left. I put the second layer of the flower on and added that paste. It didn’t show up very well I’m not sure if it was because my color wasn’t dark enough(I wanted a subtle look not bold) but I didn’t like it so I  decided that I would just go ahead and spread it around with layer one again and try stamping on it after it was dry. Of course I did dry it and then stamped with bubble bath not sure you can see it real well but it is there and it’s very soft and pretty, wanting a soft center I used Smoky Slate.  The leaves are with two tones of green. I think I used Lemon Lime Twist and Granny Apple Green. I put my flower panel on Smokey Slate and then popped it up on a 4x5.25 piece of  Bubble Bath which I  dry embossed with the new Softly Sophisticated 3-D embossing folder from the SAB catalog. The card base is a top folding 4.25x11 piece of basic white.

First 2024

Happy New Year , a little late😊.  Well this is the first card I got done this year. We’ve had sickness in our home so I haven’t really felt like Stamping much, Since about the fifth. Hopefully I can finish up some of the others that I started and actually turn them into cards. This was just something that I thought was fun. Tried out a new for I received and I’m always in need a children cards. 

The new Stampin’ Up Mini catalog and SAB catalogs are now up and available to order out of.  So many beautiful cards made with the stamps,dies and this catalog has a floral stamp set with a set of layering stencils to add color easily, then use the die to cut it out. I haven’t received mine yet, anxiously awaiting.  If you need anything and I can help you out, send me a message below.    Have a great day!