Wishing You a Wonderful Birthday

I went a bit wild with textures on this one (as usual 😄). I just love all the movement that textures add, both visual and tactile. I want to make cards people want to touch as well as look at. Paper is a fun thing to work with!

 

I used the Hero Arts set Woodland Creatures which had a cute smiling mushroom and a sweet little ladybug. The mushroom was more of a "he" until I gave it some luxuriant lashes and some glittery lips.💃 After coloring Miss Mushroom, I added Stickles Fruit Punch glitter gel to the circles on her cap, let it dry, and then added clear dimensional medium, and let it dry. I also added the dimensional medium to the 2 ladybugs to pop them out. See the second one climbing up the side of the upper circle? 

I used a black Copic marker (110) to ink the edges of the ladybugs after cutting them out, although I avoided the foot area. I sponged a bit of More Mustard ink and some Vintage Photo ink around the main image area. I stamped the word saying on the designer paper before running it through the Cuttlebug with the embossing folder. That is all. Take care. 🐞

Recipe:

Stamps: Hero Arts Woodland Creatures, The Angel Company "Wishing You a Wonderful Birthday"

CS: White, Basic Grey Recess, Basic Grey Archaic, Black

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Up! More Mustard, Tim Holtz Distress Inks Vintage Photo

Copics: R22, R24, R29, YR23, W3, 110 

Other: Park Lane Paperie Woodgrain embossing folder, Cuttlebug Argyle embossing folder, Nestabilities Large Pinking Circle, Standard Large Circle and Standard Small Circle, Black Pigma Micron 005 (for eyelashes), Stickles Fruit Punch glitter gel, Inkssentials Glossy Accents clear dimensional medium, Gold organza ribbon, foam tape, hole punch tool

Yukon Masculine Birthday Card

Well, hey! Haven't been doing much stamping until recently, so let me share with you a card I made.

This birthday card is for my grandson who turned 21 last month. He's a quiet, gentle young man, and this noble elk makes me think of him. 

The elk is from the SU! Yukon set, and was chosen as my focal point. 

I wanted to keep to a forest/wilderness theme, so I used the Cuttlebug Forest Branches embossing folder on the grey-green outside panels. But before embossing them, I rubbed them (direct-to-paper) with my SU! True Thyme and SU! Close To Cocoa ink pads to give them more visual texture. Then I stamped the wilderness image from the same set in black ink on the bottom of each panel. The grey-green cardstock is one I've had for a long time. I'm not sure of the color's actual name or its maker. But it fit well with the look I was going for.

I used the gatefold cut to create a center-opening style. It's my favorite card style. To hold the card closed, I used a little bronze lever, held in place by a bronze mini-brad. It was very challenging to work with, so I'm not sure I'll do that again. I used one of the Nestabilities Pinking Circle dies on black cardstock to frame the center design and added foam tape under the white circle to give more dimension. 

I double-stamped the elk image on white cardstock. I cut one out with a circle die and the other one using craft scissors and a detail knife. Then I colored everything with Copics. Cutting out those antlers was a challenge! No die cuts to make it easier! After cutting it out, I lined the edges with a black Copic. Then I adhered it over the other elk image with foam tape to add even more dimension. 

On the inside I carried the forest theme further by using the Taylored Expressions Birch Tree Cutting Plate die, cutting it in half to use as inner side panels. I used the same grey-green cardstock, inked up with True Thyme and Close to Cocoa to texturize it. After the ink dried, I ran the tree pieces through a Xyron 510 sticker maker to apply adhesive to the backs. It was a bit messy because of all the nooks and crannies of the image, but it was fairly easy to clean up with a rubber cement eraser afterwards.

I used a 1/2" circle punch and a corner punch to get the corners and middles of everything a bit fancy. Another of my favorite things to do on my cards.

I used a tree stamp from SU! Lovely As a Tree and the numbers were from SU! Letterpress Numbers. The birthday stamp was from Fiskars Make a Wish Quotes. Everything was stamped in black ink using a Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to align everything properly.

So there you have it. Thanks for coming by for a look! 

Recipe:

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Yukon, Stampin' Up! Lovely As a Tree, Stampin' Up! Letterpress Numbers, Fiskars Make a Wish Quotes

CS: Black, grey green (unknown source), White

Inks: Stampin' Up! True Thyme (2007), Stampin' Up! Close to Cocoa, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black

Copics: 110, E33, E35, YG93, YG95, YG97

Other: Taylored Expressions Birch Tree Cutting Plate, Nestabilities Standard Circle Small, Nestabilities Large Pinking Circles, Cuttlebug Forest Branches embossing folder, Xyron 510 sticker maker w/permanent adhesive, rubber cement eraser, Stamp-a-Ma-Jig, Corner punch, 1/2" circle punch, 1/16" hole punch, foam tape, bronze mini-brad, bronze mini lever, craft scissors, Fiskars Fingertip Precision Detail Knife

Pure Innocence Hugs and Kisses

Hello, and Happy Wednesday! This little card has lots of holes in it, wouldn't you say? What is it with me and holes? I guess it's just something fun you can do to paper, and I love the zen-ishness of doing it the old-fashioned way, with a piercing tool.

My sewing machine was a bit wonky while I stitched around the edges, but I like the way it turned out. Kind of funky! It was a decorative stitch that maybe wasn't the best choice, but I still think it works, at least for me. The unevenness adds a bit of whimsy.

I used my piercing tool and an Ornare paper piercing template in the corners. Like I said, I love putting holes in paper! 😊 They frame things so nicely.

I used so many Copic markers to mimic the designer papers when coloring the hat and dress. And I'm sorry for not keeping track of which colors I used. I need to be better about that.

Since I love patterns so much, I added black circles with white dots all over the dress to make it more interesting. I wanted it to be loose and free, not too regimented. 

 
I put a tiny gem on the shoe buckle area to mimic a big button. And by using the white gel pen under some of the ink on the shoes, it makes them look like suede.

This card makes me so happy. Don't you love it when you feel that way about something you make? Thanks for coming by and feel free to comment before you leave! I love comments!

Stamps: Pure Innocence 02 digital stamp, Stampin' Up! All Year Cheer I sentiment

CS: White, Teresa Collins Fabrications designer papers

Inks: Computer ink for printout, Copics for coloring, Micron 03 for circles on dress, white gel pen for dots in circles, egg shells, and highlights on hat, and on shoes under Copic ink

Other: Nestabilies Classic Oval Large and Classic Oval Scallops Large dies, large oval punch, small oval punch, Ornare decorative corners piercing template, punching tool, sewing machine, olive-colored gem for shoe, foam tape, cream organdy ribbon

Silly Whale Birthday

Hello! Another sea-themed card. This time I'm using my old Stampin' Up! Silly Sealife set. The card sketch I'm using is Mojo Monday 560. 

I chose two papers from the Basic Grey Archaic collection because they are "wavy" like the sea. And one of them has a "bubbly" look that made me think of being under water. The one behind the sentiment wasn't "wavy" or "bubbly", but I liked how it went with the other two. 

I thought the Stampin' Up! Cheery Chat birthday greeting would go very well with the whole look on the front, and I used the matching birthday saying inside. I love the whimsy of the font.

I used the Nestabilities Labels Three die to frame the sentiment, but I'm not sure it was the best choice. Maybe a tad too wide for the look? I dunno.

And, of course, I gave in to using my Tiny Bubbles embossing folder because this card has a water theme...and...bubbles.

My happy little whale is spouting glittery water. 

It's probably hard to see, but I used the D'Vine Swirls embossing folder to create "waves" on the lower bubbly-looking paper. 

And here's the inside. Aren't those sea creatures adorable? This is such a versatile stamp set, I tell ya!

Close-up of the inside.

So, yet another sea card. I think that's my last one for awhile though. Hope you're having a good week! Take care and thanks for coming by!

Stamps: SU Silly Sealife, SU Cheery Chat

CS: Black, Ivory, SU Chocolate Chip, Basic Grey Archaic designer paper

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black

Copic Markers for whale: B0000, B00, B21, BG11, E11, E13, E15

Other: Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles and D'Vine Swirls embossing folders, Nestabilities Standard Circle Large and Labels Three dies, hole punching tool, foam tape, large brown eyelets, Frosted Lace Stickles glitter gel

Father's Day Card for My Hubby

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

My hubby is a wonderful dad and husband. He has raised 5 children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and that is the theme of this card: Thanking him for encouraging our children in the right direction, avoiding the wrong directions (and they are many), and encouraging the right path that pleases God. And I used CTMH's set Road Signs to do it.

I found a really cool card design via Pinterest which was very easy to make. I basically made the card to fit into a 6"x6" envelope, and cut it as I would normally. Then I cut it across the front part where I wanted the upper part of the opening to start. Then I took the piece I cut off, lined it up at the bottom, marked where I wanted to cut it, and trimmed it to fit up to where I wanted it to stop. The main image piece will hold the bottom piece to the top piece. 

I stamped all the black images using Memento Tuxedo Black ink with my homemade stamp positioner for clear stamps. It worked so well to ink up those solid images thoroughly. I also used it for the red background on the stop sign, which is not actually red, but clear Versamark ink. 

I had purchased some Park Lane embossing folders at JoAnn's recently (their new line, I think) and thought that the Chevron pattern would go well with the other images on the card since it looked "arrowish". The embossed image was not terribly deeply etched, but that can be a good thing, especially on designer paper which usually tears when using the Cuttlebug folders. The Chevron folder is one of the bigger folders.

I used an image from ye olde Stampin' Up! Seaside Sketches. The dad and son image works so well for Father's Day. I colored it with Copics and popped it out to add some pizazz. And I popped the whole piece out when adhering it to the top and bottom parts of the card.

Inside the card I added mini-brads to line up along the bottom of the open space. As usual, I did not do a great job of lining them up. Who cares? I had planned to put a saying in the empty space, but nothing I had fit. So that should be your #1 decision before making this card design. As it was, I left it blank and stamped Happy Father's Day inside. No biggie.

Well, that is all. Thanks for looking! Take care.

Stamps: CTMH Road Signs, Stampin' Up! Seaside Sketches, Hero Arts C1401 Happy Father's Day

CS: Black, Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy, Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White

Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, various Copic markers

Other: Park Lane Chevron embossing folder, Nestabilities Labels Two, Antique mini-brads, foam tape

To Someone Special

This card was made for my granddaughter who recently had a birthday. I love this image. It's another Pure Innocence digital stamp. It's so sweet, and it's so much fun to color. I seem to be drawn to them lately.

For this one, I went monochrome.....just because. I actually found it quite satisfying to limit myself on colors. I had done a card that way in the past. 

I loved playing with my old Stampin' Up! Botanicals set on the gray designer paper and inside the card. I hadn't pulled it out in a long time. It's a classic that will never age. The images look so beautiful stamped.

On the inside, I went simple. Just a piece of the Basic Grey Granola paper with some paper piercing around the edges. The bee is also from Botanicals. The "Happy Birthday" image is from SU Birthday Greetings. It fits in so well with the Botanicals set, don't you think?

I took this pic so you could see the shine on the wings. Maybe I should've added glitter, too? I dunno.

And I gave her some princessy slippers by adding a gem to each. 

Well, thanks for looking! Take care!

Stamps: Pure Innocence PI049, SU Botanicals, SU Birthday Greetings

CS: Black, Papertrey Ink Stamper's Select White, Basic Grey Granola designer papers

Inks: Copic W1, W3, W5, W7; Memento Tuxedo Black

Other: Nestabilities Curved Rectangles, SU corner punch, SU 1/2" circle punch, clear gems, Inkssentials Glossy Accents (on wings), paper piercer, foam tape

You Are a Rock Star

I made this card for one of my daughters who just turned 22. She gave me the Tim Holtz stamp set Mini Bird Crazy and Other Things for my birthday and I wanted to use it for her card. I bought the matching dies and used them to create the hat and balloon accents. I love this set! It's quirky and fun, just like her. 

I went very old school with this one. Lots of stamping, and no dry embossing. It was fun to stamp so much again. A truly "stamped" card.

Stamps: Purple Onion Designs "Girls Are Weird" large alphas, "Girls Are Weird" small alphas, Tim Holtz Mini Bird Crazy and Other Things, SU Leafy Glade, SU Canvas, SU Filigree

CS: Black, Olive Green, Yellow, White

Inks: Copics, Mementos Tuxedo Black, VersaMark

Other: Star Nestabilities, Standard Circle Large Nestabilities, Tim Holtz Mini Bird Crazy and Other Things dies, circle punch, paper piercer, clear gems, googly eyes, Inkssentials Glossy Accents (for balloon and hat shine, foam tape

Pure Innocence Card

This very simple card is for a friend's birthday, but there is no indication of that on the outside. Unfortunately, I didn't get pics of the inside, but trust me, it says Happy Birthday in there. This design would work for a number of greetings: friendship, missing you, come to my party, etc.

I colored the digital girl image with Copics. I used gems on all the flower centers just to give the card some zing.

And more gems were used to decorate another area because it just needed something. I'm happy with the ribbon choices pared with the scalloped paper.

Well, thanks for looking! Have a good day!

Image: Heather Ellis Pure Innocence 004 (digital image)

CS: White, DCWV The Citrus Matstack designer papers

Other: Copic markers, Martha Stewart Double Scallop punch, yellow gems, red gems, turquoise ribbon, red dot ribbon

Happy Birthday Cupcake

Hello! Hope you're having a good week!

I made this card for one of my Susan Branch friends who has a birthday this month. Since winter is such a colorless part of the year, I was wanting to do something with some serious COLOR. So I reached into my designer papers and found a lovely pink and orange number that spoke to me. 

I also found some orange gingham ribbon that made me happy. And cupcakes are perfect for a birthday card, don't you think? So I used one from Inkadinkado's Birthday Cupcake set.

I "frosted" the cupcake with Copics and added Stickles glitter glue to highlight. I love Stickles!

The inside is not very fancy, but I did some paper piercing and corner treatments to spiff it up. The inside sentiment is from SU! Birthday Greetings. It says, "Sorry I'm late -- hope your birthday was great!" I was late getting this out, so that saying fits perfectly.

Well, that's it, Thanks for coming by!

Recipe:

Stamps: Inkadinkado Birthday Cupcakes, SU! Simple Sayings II, SU! Birthday Greetings, SU! Canvas

Inks: Versafine Onyx Black, VersaMark, Copics

Cardstock: Pocket Full of Posies designer paper by DCWV, White from Papertrey Ink, hot pink from ???

Other: Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles and Floral Screen embossing folders, SU Ticket Corner Punch, Ornare Decorative Corners piercing template, piercing tool, sponge mat, Stickles (various colors), orange gingham ribbon

Winter Friend Card

Hello to anyone who might wander over here to my stamping place! I hope you enjoy your visit! I am back in the swing of things after a 3-year hiatus and am enjoying myself immensely. Stamping is a very satisfying, albeit expensive, hobby, and I love it.

I made a bunch of these cards for some online friends in lieu of Christmas cards, as I got a very late start on my Christmas cards last year and didn't have time for 10 more cards. So I made these January/Winter cards instead. Do you like my little pom-pom trim? It looks like little hanging snowballs!

I was looking through my Pure Innocence digital stamps and thought this cutie would be perfect for a Winter card. So I printed out 11 copies of her (one as a sampler) on good white cardstock and got busy coloring them. I did the backgrounds with Copic markers BG10, BG11, BG13, and BG18 until I ran out of ink for the BG10 and BG11 and had to find substitutes. Like I mentioned in a previous post, I had to use another brand of markers and found them wanting. But they did fill in for my Copics until I could get some refill ink.

I used R29, some YGs (yellow-greens), some Es and Rs for her face, Some Es for her hair, and the W7 plus a reddish brown for her boots (although the pic doesn't show it right).

I wanted to depict swirling snow, so I used the D'Vine Swirls embossing folder and a swirls stamp from the retired SU! set I Like Your Style. I stamped in SU! Real Red ink (do they still sell that color? I feel so ancient asking that!).

I used a Uni-ball Signo white gel pen on all the white areas. And I did a little stitching around the edge. What made the card pop for me were the red gems. They really added a lot.

Inside, I just made a simple design using the I Like Your Style stamp I used on the outside and 2 stamps from the SU set Amazing to Zany (probably also retired).

I made another card yesterday and will be sharing that one soon. Thanks for coming by! Please let me know that you stopped by! I love visitors! Happy Weekend!

Stamps: Pure Innocence 008 digital stamp, SU! Amazing to Zany, SU! I Like Your Style

CS: White

Inks: SU! Real Red, Copics

Other: Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls embossing folder, turquoise stitching, red gems, pom pom trim, foam tape, Uniball white gel pen for white highlights

Don't Waste Your Money on Artist's Loft Markers

I'm working on a bunch of cards for some online friends. I was using Copic BG11 on the background of the sample I created, but I started to run out of ink. My order for the refill was possibly a week or two from delivery and I needed something now.

While in Michael's this past Sunday, I had hoped to find that they carried the Copic marker line so I could buy a fresh BG11. But instead they had this look-alike alcohol-based (like Copics) line of markers called Artist's Loft. They had a color that would match closely enough to the one I needed, so I bought it and the next darker color since I wasn't sure which one would work best.

When I got them home I started playing around with them to see if they were good enough for my project. They seemed to work pretty well. They blended with the Copics just fine. Maybe not quite as well as the Copics themselves, but close. So I proceeded to use them to color in my backgrounds. I did 2 layers of color on 3 of them, but the rest I only put one layer on, intending to do a second.

Before finishing the first coat on the last image the marker ran dry! Artist's Loft does not have refills, so if I want to finish my project, I'll have to buy another marker. Keep in mind that I've only had this marker since Sunday, and it's Wednesday.

Long story short. These markers don't have much ink in them. Also, the nib was starting to wear out already! Dang!

My advice? Spend your hard-earned money on Copics and their refills. Don't waste your money on cheaper knock-offs. You won't really save money at all. Copics and their refills can both be bought inexpensively at Dick Blick Art Supplies.

My First Card(s) in 3 Years - Christmas Cards

Good evening! I realize that this blog has been dormant for a long time and expect it to be pretty lonely here until I reconnect with the stamping community. I am slowly making my way back. A lot has changed in 3 years! I have a lot of catching up to do!

I hope you had a good Christmas. I am still recovering! But I like this part. I love Christmas, but I also love the end of it! I bet our mail carrier feels the same way considering all the online shopping we did!

First of all, it feels GOOD to be stamping again! At first it felt so strange. After 3 years I had forgotten some things. But then I felt myself falling back into it all as I went back and studied some of my old cards for ideas and started implementing them.

As is often the case with me, I didn't start out with making just ONE card. No, I decided that I should start by making all my Christmas cards! Well, it was a goal and I was motivated.

I had originally intended to do all of my Christmas cards in red cardstock, but I realized at one point that my red was going to run out. It's one of my favorite colors and I only had maybe 6 or so sheets left to play with and not enough time to order more. 

I also realized that the red and white twine I had found at Michael's was not going to stretch far enough to do all the cards on both sides. So I only put it on both sides of the first two cards, and on the left side of the rest. I love the look and need to find out where to buy a larger amount!

I really did plan to go simple for my first card(s) in 3 years, but I just kept thinking of things I wanted to do. I wanted to do a gatefold card, and then I wanted to punch the corners and middle. I wanted to paper-pierce the interior panels, I wanted to stamp stuff on the inside as well as the outside. I wanted to have "snow". I wanted to COLOR with Copic markers *love*. It just kept getting more and more elaborate! But I was SO enjoying it!

The biggest job I created for myself was all the paper-piercing. It took me forever to poke all those holes! I found that it would go faster if I drew straight lines in pencil and poked along the lines. I have a Stampin' Up! template that is supposed to be good for that, but it doesn't line up properly when I turn corners. So my lines do the job better, and I erase them away when I'm done.

The stamps are from an old CTMH set called Santa's Helper. I just love it! So much fun to color! It's probably retired by now.

So here's the inside of the first card:

I glittered and "snowed" the inside, too. I'm nuts for snow! 

And man, did I love that ribbon!

See? More holes! I couldn't help myself!

And more glitter and snow!

For the snow I mixed some white embossing powder with some glitter and some Ranger Inkssentials Glossy Accents clear medium. It made a paste that I applied with a pointed tool. A toothpick would work well for this. It dried nice and hard with little loss of glitter. Then I used the clear medium to apply glitter on the elves. I just squirted the medium on the areas I wanted to glitter and sprinkled the glitter over it and tapped off. 

Here's one with white cardstock. I like the fresh, clean look, so running out of the red was not so bad.

I found the green paper at Michael's in the single sheet area. I embossed it with the Swiss Dots embossing folder. The paper was thin, so that was tricky. It wasn't perfect, but I don't care. It was "good enough".

On some of the elves I used a Uniball Signo white gel pen to give them polka dot frocks.

Well, there you have it! My first stamping adventure in 3 years. Thanks for coming by! Take care!

I actually have stamped in the last year!

I'm sorry I've not posted on here in awhile. I've had a very busy year with a lot of changes and upheaval. Right now my stamping stuff is in boxes because our son and his new wife are living in my stamping room while they save up for a house. We offered to give them a good start on their new life together, and I'm happy to put my crafting aside for their happiness.

For now that means no stamping for me. Too much to haul out. That's okay. I'm keeping busy.

But back in September, before all of my stuff went into storage, I was able to make a card for my hubby's birthday. I took pics, but that was about it. So I am finally getting around to posting it. You'll have to forgive me, but I've forgotten a lot of the things I used to make this. I'll list what I can.

The stamps are from Penny Black Critter Party and Stampin' Up! All Year Cheer I. The trees and fence are dies from Taylored Expressions. I popped them out with mounting foam.

I also popped the butterflies out with tiny pieces of mounting foam. Very tricky! I colored with Copics. And I am not the best at making perfect round circles of punched holes, as you can see.

The inside has another die cut from another Taylored Expressions die. My husband gifted me a bunch of them 2 Christmases ago, and I'm ashamed to say that I only just started using them before making this card. They're lovely!

I believe the designer papers are all Basic Grey.

Thanks for looking! I hope to be stamping again by the end of this year. Take care and see you then!

More Sweet Herbs

I'm just finishing up the last of the cards I made for my columbine seed recipients. I'm sorry it's taken me so long, but I hope the wait was worth it. I wanted to give each seed recipient a card, so I started looking through my stash and, as usual, took the long way round about doing things. Instead of picking already-made cards, I decided to make some new ones. I did use one I already had, but the rest are new. I just can't help myself. ;-P

This is one I finished last night. It kind of came together at the last minute and it was a bold move that actually gave me the inspiration. I had colored the Sweet Herbs stamp and was going absolutely nowhere with it when I started sponging Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the edges. Then I messed up and just covered the whole image in Vintage Photo ink! Well, that got me going and I went wild with Vintage Photo sponging all over the card! I hadn't even intended on using it on the Sweet Herbs piece, but once I did I was thrilled with its vintage-y look and then couldn't stop.



What I thought was the coolest thing ever was the aqua blue paper done with Cuttlebug's D'Vine Swirls embossing folder and then sponged with Vintage Photo ink on the raised parts. Bam! Zow! I was happy! Gotta do more of that!

And wouldn't you say I've gotten my money's worth out of that Stampin' Up! Ticket Corner punch? I am addicted to using that thing! Isn't it funny how we keep grabbing the same things for almost every card we make, or am I the only one?

So, I think I need to get back to sponging. I love the look and it unifies the whole card.

Btw, have you seen the movie, Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown with Dame Judi Dench and Billy Connolly?



Wow! Loved that film! It's on Netflix streaming if you have it. Both actors were amazing! I always love Judi Dench in anything she does, but I had no idea Billy Connolly was so good at serious acting. I knew he was a comedian, but that's all.) This is a great story about a man's loyalty to his queen. (As an aside, there is some male nudity in one scene where Billy and his brother are rushing out in the water to swim - just an fyi.)

Thanks for looking, and seed recipients be watching your mail!

Recipe:

Stamps: SU Sweet Herbs, SU Curvy Verses

CS: Black, White, various deco papers

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink

Other: Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls and Floral Screen embossing folders, Martha Stewart Arch Lattice border punch, SU Ticket Corner punch, Nestabilities Labels Four die, sponge dauber, various Copic markers, dimensional stickers, cream organdy ribbon

Sweet Herbs

I got the urge to make a card and Sweet Herbs was calling my name. If there's one stamp I love to color it's the potted herbs stamp from Sweet Herbs.



For this image I used a lot of the Copic Warm Grays to give it a shadowy look. I very lightly used a little Special Black 110 to give the darkest shadows on the pots, then blended it with the darker grays.

For the pots I started with a light warm brown and added an light orangy color over it. Then some more brown, then more orange, then I worked on it with the warm grays. Fun stuff!

For the plants I stayed in the grayer, more muted greens and tried to mimic the natural colors of the flowers.



Inside, I couldn't think of a word stamp to use so I've left it blank for now. You wouldn't believe how much trouble those corners were!

It's not really visible in my pics, but I used the Cuttlebug Polka Dots embossing folder on all the designer papers except the one under the front word phrase.



I might use this stamp again soon because I just need to color some more! Thanks for looking!

Recipe:

Stamps: SU Sweet Herbs

CS: Black, K&Company K-ology Hannah 6"x6" designer paper, White

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, SU Old Olive, Tim Holtz Distress Inks Antique Linen and Vintage Photo, Versafine Onyx Black

Other: Cuttlebug Polka Dots embossing folder; Nestabilities Long Classic Rectangles, Long Scalloped Rectangles, Standard Circle Large, Blossom, and Large Pinking Circle dies; Copic markers, dark yellow gems, beige satin ribbon, foam tape, sponge dauber