Hi Friends!
Whew, It has been a very LONG time since I last posted here on the Crafty Pickle blog! Some of you might have been wondering where I went off to? Am I still crafting? Am I still BREATHING? LOL well, I assure you I am in fact breathing, however, I haven’t been crafting near as much as I would like but all for a really good reason! I have been busy preparing to launch a brand new company…
I colored her with some aqua copics, I thought it was fitting with it being Trinity Stamps Signature color! I used BG10, BG11, BG23, and a little bit of BG49 in the darkest shadows. Coloring this image was a breeze! Davina, the artist behind this particular stamp has made it very easy to color, She has drawn all of the folds and pleats for you. It made this very enjoyable to color! I can’t wait for the 30 day coloring challenge (which starts tomorrow! YAY!) so I can color the rest of the Trinity Stamp’s new release!
After I colored Lady Liberty and cut her out using the matching Die… I created a background scene by cutting some cityscape dies I had on hand and I used distress oxide inks plus a stencil to do some fun fireworks in the background. After coloring the background of where the fireworks were going to be, I laid down the stencil and used some Bo Bunny glitter paste. I love how sparkly everything is!
Once the background was dry, I added some rhinestones as well as some stars and other confetti from the Trinity Stamps Lady Liberty confetti mix. I love all the cute tiny stars, especially the 4 point ones!
To finish it all up I stamped the Missing You sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed in white. Everything was accented by a little silver glitter paper. I think it tied it all in nicely, don’t you?
To celebrate the Trinity Stamps grand opening, we are having a fantastic blog hop packed with amazing talent & inspiration. So please hop along with us to be inspired! If you began with my blog today you can start at the beginning HERE! Otherwise, head on over to the blog of the very Talented Thi Lam!
Be sure to visit each blog & leave a comment to be entered to win!!! We are giving away a $50 gift card to the Trinity Stamps store, a $20 gift card to Therm-o-web, $25 Ellen Hutson Gift Card, $25 Simon Says Stamp Gift Card, 2 ink pad bundles from Imagine Crafts, and a $25 gift card to WOW Embossing. There are plenty of chances to win one of these fantastic prizes. Thank you so much to all the Sponsors!! The winners will be posted on our blog on June 5th.
Thank you so much for stopping by to see our fantastic release & inspiring blog hop. Be sure to visit the store to pick up the items on your wishlist!
Thank you so much for stopping by. I really hope you love our new company and new release as much as I do. I look forward to seeing what all of you create with Trinity Stamps!
Affiliate Links used in this post where available at NO cost to you! Thanks for your support!
I love what Illustrated Faith has brought to Christian Creatives, and I have grown deeper in knowledge and in my faith since beginning to create in and outside of my bible. I believe that Faith based art and papercraft is more than just for the pages of my bible , so when I saw that Shanna Noel (that incredibly inspiring and kind-hearted woman) was kicking off a 30 day happy mail challenge, I got very excited and knew I had to participate. I also think this challenge can be different for everyone….. you can customize it to fit YOU. That being said I will share what I have in mind for the challenge (as I see it) and how I will be approaching it!The basic idea is that you send some old-fashioned snail mail to a different person every day for 30 days. That’s it in a nutshell. This doesn’t have to be super time-consuming or cost more than a postage stamp and paper. Email is quick and convenient and pretty much the norm when communicating with our family and friends. So when you actually receive a letter or card in the mail, it just FEELS special. Can you remember the last time you received a letter or card or gift in the mail? Did it bring you joy? I am betting it did. Who wouldn’t want to be apart of something fulfilling and FUN like that! We definitely need more Joy, more Kindness, and more encouraging and lifting each other up.
To make things easy on yourself, you might want to gather a few things and keep them organized by your desk or a designated spot. The supplies you will want to pull together will really depend on how elaborate or simple you want your happy mail to be (BOTH are good!). I am going to list a few basic things and optional things that I am setting aside for myself, maybe that will help you figure out what you want to pull together.
I encourage you to use whatever you have on hand and try to think of new ways to use the supplies you already own. I am linking my favorite things that are tried and true and that I really do love, but again, you do not need to spend anything to make this challenge work for you! Another option is to get together with friends and share supplies! Any excuse for crafting and fellowship sounds great to me!
Paper Trimmer: THIS one is my favorite and is by Tonic. I also really love THIS one by Fiskars.
Scoreboard: (only if you already have one, a trimmer can do the job just fine if you don’t) I am using THIS mini one which is by Martha Stewart. There is a number of them on the market though.
Bone Folder: I recommend THIS teflon bone folder, It’s a little pricey but it will last you forever and it will be the only one you ever use! The reason for the teflon is that when you use it to crease your paper you will not get that shiny streak on your cardstock that other bone folders leave behind.
Cards and envelopes: (unless you are making your own of both) You can pick these up anywhere but THESE envelopes are my current favorite , and some of them have a slight shimmer. I also like THESE that are made of vellum. As far as card bases, I prefer to use this heavy weight cardstock HERE and cut and fold my own. This pack of 25 will make 50 A-2 size card bases. They also sell it in 250 count reams HERE. I find they are more sturdy and I like top fold cards better.
Envelope template or tool: (if you are making your own envelopes) HERE is the one that I use and love!
Adhesive: (wet, dry, or both, whatever your preference is) My prefered Wet Adhesive Currently is THIS ONE by Nuvo and for dry adhesives I am liking THIS one by Tombow since my old favorite has been discontinued. For a very strong dry adhesive I love THIS tape, and it comes in lots of different widths. It is great for applying glitter and foil to as well.
Black ink pad: (and other colors if you wish) My favorite is THIS black ink pad for crisp lines which is also waterproof when dry. For copic coloring or any alcohol based ink I like using THIS particular Hero Arts ink pad. For colored ink I really love the distress inks and especially the Distress Oxide ink pads. There is a great deal HERE If you are looking for them.
Die cuts: (Ephemera, Die cut packs, Digital cut apart, Die cuts you cut from your Cricut or Silhouette) I love the die cut packs from Illustrated Faith and Bella Blvd., Doodlebug is another company I buy ephemera or die cuts from often.
Some people are choosing to swap addresses with their online friends and do the 30 day challenge that way, some are randomly sending out happy mail to various people they know, Some are sending cards to friends and family. You don’t have to know who you are sending to for the whole challenge, Like Shanna said, you could decide that day who you’re sending to or you can make a list one week at a time if that works better for you. The HOW you approach thischallenge is whatever works for YOU, and the great thing is, you can figure that out as you go along the 30 days, or you can plan it all out now. That being said I will go ahead and share my ideas and plans for my 30 Days of sending HAPPY MAIL!
Every day I will be sending out some kind of Happy mail to someone. (basic idea, right? right! but read on!)
Some days it will be a handmade card that I have already made, or will make that will be going to friends, family, or even people like my mailman, or the grocery store clerk that always seems to remember my name, Maybe even my favorite barista at Starbucks (who does not get enough credit for making my coffee PERFECT every time!) I really like the idea of surprising people who go about doing their jobs but don’t just do their job, they do it with a smile, detail, pride, and kindness… that should be acknowledged more I think, Even if it’s just a card saying, Hey! I think you are AWESOME!
I might also sent some postcards. Like THESE postcards from the Illustrated Faith Collection. You can even embellish those premade postcards or you can make your own postcards! See my post HERE where I show ideas for making your own postcards. How nice to make the people who handle your card along its journey, smile as it travels to its destination. If you’re sending a traditional card, you can decorate your envelope as well. It may even encourage some one that sees your happy mail to send some happy mail of their own!
I love giving little unexpected gifts so some of my happy mail will include some DIY gifts that are fun to make and fun to send to some unsuspecting friends or family! Care packages are always a great surprise and can really make someone’s day.
A few cards of mine will make their way to some people I do not know personally, but who I am aware are struggling with something, They need to know they are loved and are being prayed for.
And maybe along the way there will be mini cards left on a windshield, in with a bill that has to be paid, or handed to a mom who looks like she’s had a rough day, a simple card with a note of encouragement. I definitely think little acts of Card Kindness can be apart of this challenge, Not everything has to have a stamp on it. You may also consider writing your message on a removable paper inside the card with another note that encourages the recipient to write their own message inside and send to someone they want to encourage! Simon Says Stamp actually sells THIS post-it style pad just for that reason! Look for a post coming soon that has directions on how to create your own!
At the end of the month I want to know that I made 30+ people smile, feel special, be encouraged, and know THEY MATTER enough that I will take the time to create and send them (or hand deliver) a paper hug!
I do plan on documenting my Happy Mail Month on my blog as well as social media. Sometime during the month I might just do a video as well. Make sure to subscribe to my blog for updates or follow me on Instagram ( @taniesa ) where I will update as well!
SO How about you? Want to jump into the challenge with me? You don’t need anything fancy, Just use what you got, grab some stamps if you need to, and send some love for 30 days (and if you can only commit to a week, then that is ok, make it your 7 days of happy mail challenge!) I think that in the end, the person it will benefit the most, is really those of us doing the sending!
The fun starts Tomorrow , July 1st and wraps up on the 30th (but if you want to be the overachiever and go to the 31st, then you go, girl! I will cheer you on and may even do that extra day with you!)
As a special bonus I am going to do a random giveaway to one of my readers that participates in the Illustrated Faith 30 day Happy Mail Challenge too! A bundle of new paper crafting items that will be useful no matter what type of papercrafter you are….a Scrapbooker, Bible / Art Journaler, Cardmaker, Planner girl, or any other artistic papercrafter, There will be things in this bundle anyone would be able to use and enjoy! There was no way to photograph EVERYTHING but there will be stamps and dies, washi tape, stickers, ink, embossing powder, embossing folder, roller stamp, sequins, and so much more stuffed into a large padded envelope! This giveaway is open to anyone (Yes even international!)
If you are participating in the challenge and you want to be entered to win my giveaway, Link up one of your cards between July 1 and July 31st using the blue Link up button below and on August 1 I will randomly draw someone to win! *Edited to note that you may link up as many times/projects as you would like during the challenge duration! I hope that it will add even more inspiration to others participating in the project.*
Stay tuned for more ideas for this happy mail challenge as well as what I am doing for my 30 days of Happy Mail!
Until then! Have a fantastic weekend!!!
*All supplies mentioned are linked within the blog post are in BOLD font. To enter TheCraftyPickle Happy Mail giveaway click the blue button below and link up one of your cards that is for the 30 Day Happy Mail Challenge hosted by Illustrated Faith.
How to add your project to the link-up : Click the blue button with the frog below. Add the URL link to where your project is located (blog, Instagram, Flickr, other) add the required info and enter! You should see the photo of your project below. I created a Flickr group for those of you that don’t have a blog or don’t want to blog but you do want to upload your projects and share. You can find that group HERE! If you have any problems or questions please leave a comment in this post or email me at Taniesa@thecraftypickle.com.
Thank you so much for visiting my blog on todays 1st Celebration Blog hop for KatScrappiness.com. Today is so exciting! Not only will you be inspired by the designers projects along this hop, there is a lot of fantastic prizes to be won! You should have arrived here from the Kat Scrappiness blog where it all starts! If you happen to get lost along the hop you can find the full link-up list at the end of this post or on Katscrappinessblog.com.
For my project I wanted to create a missing you card with Lola the Giraffe. and I wanted a chance to use the interactive stamp set so I decided to do a double slider. Here is a picture of the card closed.
and here is one with it completely open.
There are many variations on how to make a double slider card, I watched a bunch of videos and took bits and pieces of advice from various sources. To see the basic construction of the double slider click HERE to watch a video. The video shows a version that is similar to how I put this one together. The differences with the one I made were that I did not fold one long piece of cardstock, Instead I layered die cut panels and a card base together with foam tape, this allowed for the 4″ square card. I cut the squares with the Kat Scrappiness Double stitched square dies. The largest was for the main card panel and the second largest was for the two panels that slide out. After I cut the stitched square pieces, I blended on some distress oxide ink in Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber , Broken China, and Faded Jeans. I layered the two dies together and cut a frame for the top panel out of Neenah desert storm cardstock, and then blended on a little Vintage Photo Distress oxide ink as well.
I stamped the Giraffe head and half the body on watercolor paper and did the same with his lower half using versafine onyx black ink (Favorite ink for using on watercolor paper). Then I freehand drew a long neck off each piece. I watercolored the giraffe with a combo of Zig Clean Color real brush markers and Vintage Photo distress ink (re-inker). I cut a tree trunk out of scrap watercolor paper and did the same watercolor process but this time darker.
I took some dark green cardstock and cut the Kat Scrappiness Christmas Tree die several times. I applied some Peeled paint Distress Oxide ink on the green cut out pieces and pieced together a tree that looked more like one you would see on Safari rather than Christmas pine. I misted the pieces lightly with water and blotted right away. Here is a photo when I was piecing the tree together. It’s a nice way to stretch a christmas die and use it year-round.
I cut a small hill from the Lawn Fawn stitched Hillside borders for underneath the giraffe and a sentiment banner and sign. The “It’s been sooo long” sentiment is from the same Giraffe stamp set and the “I am missing you” is from the Lawn Fawn Loads of love stamp set. Once everything was painted, fussy cut, and glued down I assembled the card.I cut the smallest of the scalloped tags from the die set and glued that to the back of the top slide out panel. I freehand cut a tag and stamped “pull here” and an arrow pointing up both from the interactive card instructions stamp set. I glued that to the tag to make a good handle to pull the slider.
To finish things off I added on some sequins from the Lucky Charm and Spring Leaves sequins mixes. I also added eyelashes to the giraffe and darkened the eyes with a glaze gel pen. I think it came out pretty cute. I love this interactive design. I plan on making more cards following the same design because it was so much fun. Pre making the card base is fairly easy and with it being square you can use it vertically like I have here or horizontally like the video I linked. below is a clip of the card in action!
I hope you have been inspired by my double slider card. In order for your chance to win one of the brand new stamp sets, or one of the three GRAND prizes, you must comment on all the designers blogs and the Kat Scrappiness blog. That is 10 chances to win! Winners will announced at 12 noon pst on 6/25/17, you have until 12:00 midnight pst Saturday 6/24/17 to enter!
If you are reading this post between 6/19 and 6/25 2017 Kat is having a 15% sale. She already has lower prices on most of her items so this is like getting 20% to 35% off retail! Stock up on your favorites HERE. Remember to use code SUMMERVACAY at checkout.
Next person in the hop is the ever so talented, Maria! Hop on over and see what’s next! Thank you for participating in the very first blog hop for KatScrappiness.com. Below you will find the blog hop line up as well as a list of products I used today.
It has been a very busy few months! Because I haven’t been able to post as much as I like, I am bringing you not one but THREE cards today! These three cards have been inspired by the Ellen Hutson Pin-Sights Challenge in the CLASSroom blog this month. I would love to know which is your favorite! Leave me a message in the comments with your thoughts! OH! Also, make sure you see the message at the bottom regarding a HUGE two day sale going on at Ellen Hutson!
(Affiliate links listed below where available at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog!)
These beautiful delicious shades of Strawberry, Orange, and Lemon just scream SUMMER and inspired me to play with my Copic markers, Daniel Smith watercolor paints, and of course my Essentials by Ellen stamps and dies. Laurel did an AMAZING job of putting this month’s inspiration board together. I find when I am stuck in a creative rut, using a mood board and/or a sketch really gets me kick started and my creativity tends to flow from there.
My first card share is one you may have seen over in the Ellen Hutson Classroom if you came over from the Ellen Hutson CLASSroom blog (If you have never visited me before, Welcome!) I was inspired by the bright yellow pop of the lemons in the table floral arrangement. The lemons gave me the idea to use the Essentials by Ellen “Stay Golden” stamp set and matching dies. I loved the sentiment “when life hands you pineapples…” “make Pina Coladas” and when I thought about the whole Life handing you pineapples it made me think of actual hands coming up from the bottom of the card holding up pineapples. I reached for the Avery Elle Hats Off stamp set which ended up being the perfect stamp set to work with the pineapples.
I thought the sentiment looked best in a circle shape so I stamped it on a lighter painted scrap of watercolor paper and heat embossed that sentiment with WOW extra fine clear embossing powder. I gave the flowers different levels of dimension by gluing some down against the paper directly and others are on one layer or two layers of foam tape.
I stamped and colored the hands border stamp from the Avery Elle Hats off stamp set with my copic markers. I stamped or drew on some accents that reminded me of hawaiian print shirts. Some patterns I accented with my white signo gel pen. I added a little foam tape behind the hands and the pineapples to make it look more like these hands were actually holding a big pineapple. I took a little Black Soot Distress ink on a ink blending sponge and lightly brushed the edges of the panel to give a vingnet look.
I think this is a great encouragement card to give to a friend who has had a bad day.
The next card was inspired by the beautiful florals in the photo as well as the gorgeous “Bed of Flowers” Essentials by Ellen die. I had several pieces of watercolor paper that I was practicing watercolor washes with. Not wanting them to go to waste I thought I would cut them up with this beautiful die and piece them back together on a piece of cardstock that I covered with Be Creative tape.
I used the darker die cut negative pieces more to the center of each flowers and going lighter as you got to the edge of the flowers. I put green watercolor negative die pieces in between all the roses.
The background got a light wash of blue by using Daniel Smith manganese blue hue. I set the florals aside to dry and I painted another piece of watercolor paper with the colors on my palette. Once that was dry I cut it using the largest Lawn Fawn fancy scallop rectangle die. You might notice that you can’t really see a shine of embossing powder on my card. Once the florals were dry my piece was warped quite a bit so I took a piece of copy paper and folded it in half. I placed my card in the middle and down on top of a microfiber cloth. On a no steam setting I ironed the paper protected card until it was flat and quickly removed the paper. The scrap paper absorbed all of the embossing powder leaving me with a one layer card that kept those white lines that I stamped with.
I cut down my floral piece, matted it on gold mirror cardstock and foam mounted that piece on top of the scalloped watercolor panel. That was adhered to a heavy card base.
***There is also a HUGE 15% off everything sale going on at Ellen Hutson Today and tomorrow, June 15-16 2017! Use code SUMMERFUN to stock up on the amazing products I shared with you today and more! I am off to get some new items that has been on my wish list!***
If you are interested in any of the products that I used in my projects today I have listed them below as well as linked them within the post. You may also click HERE for multiple online sources of some items. I tried to make it as easy as possible if you are wanting to find something that I used.
I am excited to be participating in the Coffee Lovers Blog hop for the first time! Today I am creating a project on behalf of KatScrappiness.com. I was inspired by the Seattle stamp set that was designed by Kelly Purkey for Hero arts as well as a Seattle Starbucks gift card.
I have always been a coffee addict but when I moved to the Seattle area about a year and a half ago I REALLY came to love coffee any time of the day! I thought it would be fun to create a coffee gift card holder but I didn’t want to JUST give a gift card, So I created another little special gift using my Seattle stamp set.
For the inside of the matchbox I added some green sequins, real Starbucks coffee beans, some iridescent cellophane wrap, and a cute pair of coffee cup earrings I made using beads, stamps, and shrink plastic! I haven’t played with shrink plastic since I was a kid and I have to tell you, this was so fun and I am sure I will be making more stamped jewelry in the future!
How about a little blog candy? Simply subscribe to my blog, and follow me on Instagram HERE. Once you have done that please comment below and let me know your following as well as your favorite Coffee or Tea (I am also a Davids Tea fan!). One lucky winner will get a Starbucks gift card (a Seattle Exclusive card) two versafine ink cubes in Onyx black and Olympia Green, two bags of sequins in a sparkly Starbucks Green shade and a semi-transparent white, some sticky back gems, a new clear sparkle brush marker, and an awesome big Thanks stamp with a matching die set! I am ever so thankful for my followers!
Supplies that I have used in my project today are listed below. Affiliate links are used where available, at no cost to you. Thanks!!
I might have gone on a bit of a crafting spree lately, I was having so much fun with the new releases from both companies (and some of their older releases as well) and, well, tis the season for crafting!
The first project I have for you today is a fun card using Chibitronics lights! This card features the Merry and Bright stamp set from Honey Bee Stamps as well as the Essentials by Ellen Fat Pants stamp and dies (ornaments), Poinsettia and pine dies(Pine branch), Mistletoe and Holly stamp set(pine branch), Merry and bright stamp set (lightbulb), and the Bokeh dots stamp set for the background. (All products linked at the end of the post)
Here is the card with the lights off:
and the card with the lights on (you just remove the little paper that says “pull” and they turn on)
Using the Chibitronics was a lot easier than I had expected and it was so much fun making a card that lit up!
Next I have a couple of DIY Gifts that would be great for your holiday gift giving.
These were both SO simple and so quick to make. For the wine basket I purchased the decorative basket from Michael’s craft store for under $5. I heat embossed the Essentials by Ellen Fat Pants sentiment from the Fat Pants stamp set and tied the tag around the top of the basket with some red twine. Popped in a bottle of wine with some tissue and now its all set for a quick holiday gift.
Know someone with a sweet tooth? Try filling a mason jar with candy like I did with my snowman jar here. I just took a piece of cardstock and did some simple ink blending around some snowy hills. I stamped some snowflakes from the Honey Bee Stamps Flakey Friends stamp set. From the same stamp set I stamped out the snowman and die cut him with the coordinating dies. For the tag I heat embossed the sentiment from the Essentials by Ellen Holly Jolly stamp set and tied the tag around the jar with some Doodlebug twine. I think this would make a great gift for a teacher or coworker.
Next up is a fun way to present a coffee gift card. This cute little bear is from the Essentials by Ellen All inside stamp set (and matching die). I gave him a big cup of coffee from the Oh Frappe set and popped him on an action wobbler so he bounces inside the MFT decorative circle cut out. I stamped the background with the same stamp set and the sentiment is a combination from this stamp set and the new Honey Bee Stamps Sending You sentiments.
Here is the outside and the inside of the card:
For the inside, I stamped the”just for you” and hearts from the Sending you stamp set and heat embossed with WOW rich pale gold embossing powder. I cut the largest heart from the Essentials by Ellen Folk heart die set and put a bit of temporary adhesive on the gift card and stuck it to the stamped heart. I Glued that to the back of the card and with adhesive on either ends of the strip I laid that over the gift card. I think these are great to have on hand, especially around the holidays for quick gifts!
Another great thing to have on hand is some gift bags. I Love the WRMK Gift bag punch board and I thought that the Essentials by Ellen leaping deer die would make the perfect window for a gift bag.
This was another very easy to make project. I cut the bag according to the punch board directions and before I adhered anything I die cut the front of the bag with the leaping deer die. I stamped and heat embossed the JOY sentiment from the Honey Bee Stamps Merry and Joy sentiment builder stamp set. I took a piece of vellum and glued it to the inside of the bag, creating a little window. I finished off the bag with some sequins and that ribbon you see was a gift in my last Ellen Hutson order! They are just so sweet!
I made about 20 versions of the card you will see below. Normally I would shy away from making cards that need masking for a mass-produced card but I discovered a great way to make masks last which made the whole project easy peasy! Want to learn more about this tip and how I made this card? Check out the post in the Ellen Hutson Classroom HERE
I also created a fun die cut inlay card with the new Honey Bee Stamps Thanks and giving die set. You can see that card and more on the Honey Bee Stamps blog HERE, but below is a sneak peek!
Whew! That was a lot of projects to share! I am so glad you kept on reading because one lucky reader is going to win a $50 gift certificate to EllenHutson.com! How do you win? Easy Peasy! Leave a comment here, then pop on over to the Ellen Hutson classroom and leave a comment there too and another stop to HoneyBeeStamps.com and leave a comment there and you are entered to win!
Supplies used are found below. (affiliate links provided where available).
To shop the Honey Bee Stamps store, visit this link: HERE
For this card I am using the Bokeh Dots and Thankful stamps by Essentials By Ellen and the Kindness stamps and Kindness dies from Honey Bee Stamps.
I wanted to do a one layer card and keep things pretty simple so I decided to do some masking and embossing. I will never get tired of the impressive results of masking and the elegant touch of some gold embossing powder.
When creating several masks of the same image I like to double up on my masking paper and cut once. I stamped all of my images out on Eclipse masking paper and then adhered that piece on top of another piece of masking paper and then cut out. This saves time and if your cutting masks anyway you could always cut some for the next time!
I started out with some Neenah Desert storm cardstock cut to 5.5″ x 4.25″(I later trimmed this down slightly smaller to show the polka dot pattern) I stamped and embossed the large kindness sentiment and then masked and stamped the various images from the Thankful stamp set and the smaller sentiments from the kindness stamp set. I used versamark ink for the embossed sentiment and I used Versafine Vintage Sepia for the small sentiments and other images. The dark brown ink goes so well with the Desert Storm cardstock and was less harsh of a line than the Versafine Onyx black that I usually use. Finally I stamped the scattered dots from the Essentials by Ellen Bokeh stamp set with some Delicata Golden glitz ink.
After all that I was able to remove my layers of masking paper to reveal the finished stamped design! I love this part! I then colored all of the images in with my Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils. These blend beautifully on this cardstock! The only time that I used my gamsol blending medium was around the Kindness sentiment, to add a shadow. I found that after I colored the images the brown lines became lighter and darker in spots. If I stamped over the images again the ink would not cover evenly because of the oil based pencil. So I took a matching colored pencil and went over all of the brown lines. (see photo below for comparison) This gave the image a cohesive look and evened out the color all the way around.
What a big difference, right? The color I used to match up with the Vintage Sepia colored in was the 9201 Polychromos Burnt Umber. I think that doing this made the images feel like one big stamp instead of several little stamps.
I did find that the Kindness sentiment got a little lost after all was done. To fix this I die cut the Kindness sentiment out using the dies by Honey Bee stamps. The die and the stamp are exactly the same size so I embossed the die with the same pale rich gold embossing powder and then adhered the die cut on top of the stamped image with Ranger Multi Medium Matte. Before I glued the die cut down I did shade with the same burnt umber pencil I was using, around the kindness sentiment… I blended that out lightly with some gamsol and a paper blending stump. I thought this gave just a bit more pop to the card.
I added the card panel to a piece of gold and brown polka dot paper from Echo Park and then glued that to a A-2 card base made from the same Neenah Desert Storm cardstock.
I really enjoyed coloring this card. I need to give my colored pencils some more love. I was pleasantly surprised how bright the colors showed on the kraft colored cardstock.
I started out buying the pencils open stock, However if I had to do it all over again I would have got the full set because it saves in the long run, especially when on sale!
Today I am guest designing over at the Kat Scrappiness blog and shop and I am super excited to share this fun shaker card!
I absolutely love Kat’s exclusive dies. The stitched tree was just perfect to have the Lawn Fawn Frosty Fairies decorate!
To make the shaker I used the two largest double stitched rectangle dies in the set. I just nested them together and used a bit of tape to make sure they stayed in place. I die cut my cardstock frame, the acetate, and the foam as well! Came together super quick!
I used several shades of blue distress ink for my background and colored the cute little fairies with copic markers. Not a lot of shading was needed because they are small. I went over their wings and other details with a glitter pen after I was done coloring.
To get some texture on the absolutely fabulous stitched tree I used the small pine spring in the Frosty Fairy friends set and did some second (and third) generation stamping. You can see more on that in this little quick tip video.
I added my favorite white, blue and clear sequins from Kat’s shop in the shaker, I didn’t add a lot because I didn’t want it to take away from the decorated tree.
This card came together in a snap and I just love how it turned out. It is easy enough to mass produce and if you wanted to skip the shaker part it could come together even faster.
Thank you so much for stopping by. I am excited to be guest designing for Kat Scrappiness and I will have more fun projects for you soon! Check out Kat’s store at http://www.katscrappiness.com and for direct links to products used today see the links below.
Good Morning Honey Bees! Welcome to our August release Honey Hop!!!
You should have arrived from Melissa’s blog. If you got lost you can always start at the beginning HERE.
All this week we have been showing you little sneaks of our awesome new stamp sets and dies! TOMORROW our new release goes live and to celebrate we are showing you some beautiful projects, TODAY!!!
What’s a Honey Hop without some sweet prizes, right? This time we not only have one awesome prize pack but TWO!! One winner will win our zen florals pack (Zen florals, Zen Bouquet, and each of their matching die sets) and our second winner will win our Alpha prize pack! (Color me alpha stamp set, sentiment alpha stamp set, and color me alpha die set). All you have to do to win is comment here on the Honey Bee Stamps blog and again at each one of our designer’s blogs by Sunday August 28th. Winner will be announced on Monday August 29th at Noon PST.
So Hop along and get ready to BEE inspired!
During our preview days this week I shared two videos. One for each new Alphabet stamp set that Honey Bee Stamps is releasing this friday. I love them both and I am sure you will too.
Brand new Sentiment Alpha!
And the oh so fun Color-Me-Alpha!
and now I have two cards to share! The first one you may of saw this week on social media….
For this card I used the main floral border in the new Zen Florals stamp set. I also used the Smile stamp set and die as well as the Sweet as honey stamp set.
First I used distress ink to blend a light blue background (Tumbled Glass). Then I water colored the floral images. After the watercolor was dry I went over with a clear Spectrum sparkle pen.
I heat embossed a dot pattern on black cardstock and adhered just below the floral border strip. I also embossed the smile die cut and the sentiment that was made up from the smile stamp set as well as the sweet as honey stamp set. Everything was heat embossed using the WOW rich pale gold embossing powder. I popped the smile die cut up on some black adhesive backed foam.
As an added touch, and something I have been doing a lot lately, is taking a coordinating image from the stamp set that I used for the card and stamping it on top of my custom signature stamp. I love how this just ties the entire card together and makes it just a little more special.
I also really like to stamp the envelope to match too.
For my next card I decided to shake things up…. well, Literally. I made a fun shaker card with Honey bee stamps new Zen Bouquet set, Zen Florals set, new gems embellishment pack, and I also added in the jar from the sweet as honey stamp and die set.
I stamped out the various flowers from both zen sets into an arrangement on scratch paper first. Once I was happy with the layout I traced around the jar from the sweet as honey die set. I cut some masks for each of the florals using Simon Says Stamp masking paper. Then I stamped my arrangement using Simon Says Stamp intense black ink.
After everything was stamped. I took my Tim Holtz craft knife (best craft knife I have ever owned, I love this thing!) and I cut around the inside of the honey jar and around the overlapping florals and leaves. This leaves the window for my shaker card. I took a piece of craft foam slightly smaller than my card panel and I cut out the Honey jar from the foam in the same place as the card panel. This leaves the opening a bit larger so that my panel covers the foam completely.
Then I began coloring. I used 3 to 4 shades per color family of copics to color in my images. I used warm grays at the bottom of the jar to ground the image. Once I was finished coloring I adhered a piece of acetate to the back of the front panel to act as my window.
Now the fun part …. Wait, it’s all fun, ok ANOTHER fun part…. filling the shaker! If you have seen the sneaks, Honey Bee Stamps came out with these cute little clear gemstones to use in your shakers. I needed shaker bits to look a little bluish like water so I pulled out a tip my dear friend and fellow design team member taught me a year or so ago. You can dye your clear plastic embellishments any color you want with alcohol ink! So I thought why not these cute little gems. I took two shades of Ranger alcohol ink and a couple of plastic baggies and put some gems in each. I then put two drops of the ink in the bag and smooshed it around…. after they were coated well I poured them out on a paper towel and let them dry. here is a closer look at them….
Of course I need to buy more so I can dye these lil babies in every color of the rainbow!! I added some of these to my shaker window along with some clear sequins and some blue confetti. I covered up the opening in the back with a scrap piece of distress cardstock that I used a bit of ink blending on ( Broken china distress ink ) and that I drew in some stems with a green marker. I placed the shaker panel on a piece of Doodlebug green polka dot patterned paper and attached the completed panel to a top fold A-2 cardbase.
And that pretty much does it for my cards today. Thank you so much for hanging in there with my very long post today. I hope you were inspired.
There is lots more fun to be had. Keep on Honey Hoppin to our awesome Guest Designer’s blog, Deepti Stephens!!
Listed below are the links to the products I have used for these projects as well as postcard projects I have done in the past, and planning on doing. Affiliate links may be used, which means if you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I really appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog.
I know lots of you out there love to make handmade cards. One thing I don’t see too often is handmade postcards. They are super easy to send, and very inexpensive. I had the idea during TheDailyMarker.com’s 30 day coloring challenge to take my daily coloring and put it on a postcard and just send it to make someone smile. Not all my projects made it on a postcard but I did do a few and I really loved the result. Postcards can be something simple as a Hello friend! or a notification to your friends and family that you have moved.
There are some great products for making your own postcards. First product that I LOVE is the Strathmore watercolor postcards. These are preprinted 140 lb cards on watercolor paper making it so easy to color and send your postcard. I got mine at my local craft store with a coupon making them very inexpensive.
Here is a fun stamp from Amy Tangerine. This comes from her Better Together collection.
A side note about the stamp above. This stamp is Acrylic and not Photopolymer. I recommend using a stamp positioner tool or a misti to make sure you get a good impression.
There are also other great stamps out there that you can use to build your own postcard backing.
First up is a simple hello friend postcard made with Mama Elephant brushstroke florals stamps and Sunday Sentiments stamps. I stamped these florals in various shades of distress ink and softened edges with a waterbrush. I also splattered some black ink afterwards. Sentiment was stamped in Simon Says Stamp intense black ink and then I ran the card though a dotted die. This card is a standard A2 card size and not the traditional 4×6 postcard. Postcards can be a range of sizes and does not have to stick to the 4×6 but double-check if you make it larger, that you do not need extra postage.
Next we have another Hello postcard, this time with Honey Bee Stamps “Say What” stamp set as well as their “brush stroke alphabet” stamps. I did some spotlight coloring on this one with copic markers. Using grays for the outside and colors for the center circle. After I was done coloring I adhered my postcard back with multi medium matte. If you want the postcard to look seamless make sure to take some ink around the edges.
Here we have a thank you postcard that I made for my daughter’s Aunt. Small Talk Stamp set by Mama Elephant with alphabet stamps from Illustrated Faith and Studio Calico. Mostly distress ink blending on this one and zig clean color real brush markers to color in “Aunt”. I also went over the letters with a Spectrum Noir clear sparkle pen once dry.
This is a soft thank you postcard using the Not too shabby and kindness stamp sets from Honey Bee Stamps as well as the Kindness die. I die cut the white panel from Bristol cardstock and sandwiched a piece of Simon Says Stamp Audrey Blue cardstock between that panel and the postcard side. I used my Clarity Stencil Brush to apply Peacock Feathers Distress ink around the postcard. After stamping with Simon Says Stamp intense black ink, I colored the images with Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers.
Finally we have a postcard I made for my friends and family announcing our move which is happening this September. This was made with two fabulous stamp sets, “I heart books” and “Moving Sentiments” by Three Room Studio. They were colored using Zig Clean Color real brush markers on Canson bristol cardstock. I printed off custom postcard backs that I created in Photoshop.
Another great idea is to take your premade postcards and stamp outlined sentiments like this “Thank you”. This is a great idea for kids to personalize a thank you note to family and friends when needed.
Because I made a postcard in Photoshop for my projects I thought you might enjoy using it too. Click the link below to download your copy. Print out on your favorite cardstock and cut to 4×6. You can color directly on the back or if you do it separately then adhere together with your favorite adhesive.
Thank you so much for stopping by. I sure hope you got some postcard creating inspiration today. I would love to see what you create! Please leave me a link to your project via your blog, Instagram, Flickr, or other so I can check it out!
Listed below are the links to the products I have used for these projects as well as postcard projects I have done in the past, and planning on doing. Affiliate links may be used, which means if you make a purchase, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. I really appreciate your support toward the costs of running this blog.
Thank you so much for stopping by today! I will be back this Thursday with the Honey Bee Stamps HONEY HOP celebrating the new release! For now, I am back to packing!
Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils (at the time of linking this there is an AWESOME deal at Amazon for the whole set… works out to be less than $1.50 per pencil!)
Taniesa Vlasak | The Crafty Pickle 