Ombre Stenciling - A Stamping Pleasure!

Do you enjoy stamping & card making, but find yourself wishing for an quick idea with a bit of visual impact?   That has become one of the definitions of 'me'.  Not a CAS stamper by nature, but circumstances have compelled me to keep giving CAS a decent trial.  LOL

The stencil, stamp, and dies used for today's card have been waiting for a chance to play here since various times last year.  It all started with a couple of online challenges! 

The fun 'Jiggle Squares' stencil is from A Colorful Life Designs,  It's 6" x 9", so sizing your project is very flexible. Spritz the back of your stencil with Pixie spray for perfect hold while you're applying inks.  I used Life Changing Brushes to blend 4 different inks for the ombre look.  Yep!  The same brushes were used to ink the die cut sentiment.  Exact products will be listed beneath this post.  

A couple of years ago I borrowed a Papertrey Ink die set from my daughter ... and liked it so much I decided to buy a set of my own.  When I did that, I also found a coordinating stamp set so it was a great "score" in my opinion.   Easy placement accomplished with my Mini Misti.

  
I'm entering my ombre creation in the Addicted to CAS #177 Ombre challenge this week.  It actually set the style for my card as soon as I read it!

It's also shared in the Splitcoaststampers FS678 (featured stamper) challenge, and the SCS CAS571 (Simply Die Cuts) challenge.  Wow .... more than 1 challenge at a time is definitely a rare event for me! 

Hope you've found some imspiration today!   

Inky (((huggss))), 

Products used:

STAMPS:  'Counting My Blessings' (Papertrey Ink)

INKS:  VersaFine Clair Shady Lane, Gina K's Jelly Bean Green & Key Lime, Distress Oxide Shabby Shutters, VersaFine Onyx

PAPERS:  Gina K's Jelly Bean Green & Key Lime, Neenah Solar Classic White

ACCESSORIES:  'Jiggle Squares' stencil (A Colorful Life Designs), Mini Misti (My Sweet Petunia), Papertrey Counting my Blessings' dies, 'Life Changing Brushes' by Picket Fence Studios, foam tape

Daydreaming in Ink ...

What do you do when the same, same, same feels tired, tired, tired?  In the words of a beloved G'son who shall remain anonymous, he would quickly state, "I'm bored!"  (As heard in periodic school's-out phone calls.)  😉     

It's a sunny day here, but also pretty humid.  Maybe that's what led to my tropical thoughts ... ...

I know ... Spring is just arriving this week, and here I am with more of a Summery creation.  Oh well ... I could definitely adore being in a tropical locale!  Having lived in the plains my entire life, with only precious little visits to oceans, sand, and plentiful vegetation ... my daydreams often tend to include salt water breezes, waves, florals, and exotic pretties of all sorts. 

~All it took to create a watery cover for the flamingo was an Aqua Pen, a bit of water, and ink smooshed into the lid of my Dapper Denim ink pad.  Literally use a sweeping motion with the brush on the portion of the the watercolor paper where the flamingo will stand.  

~Seems that I've slipped back to my natural layers + popped up dimension with this one.  Stamp off a cluster of foliage before adding the cut versions of the splendid tropical leaves.  I didn't want to add another layered element, so my Misti enabled a perfect placement of the 'Thanks' from the 'Weather Together' stamp set.  All other stamps are from 'Pop of Paradise'.  Both sets are from the current annual SU catalog.  

Psssst!  Just twelve (12) days remain in Sale-A-Bration 2017!  I'll be sending one of these cards to everyone who places their order with my March Host Code QZ7R3NTD before March 31!  

Click & Shop  - even in your PJ's!

Inky (((hugs))),

Is Elvis in the House?

Don't you love it when there are new goodies in your stampin' zone?   
Today's project combines of one of the new items from the Occasions catalog plus a couple of  sentiment stamps from one of the free Sale-A-Bration items.

Lots of new goodies on this one, beginning with the wonderful Botanical Builder Framelits Dies.  Confession:  I can hardly stop reaching for this jam-packed die set!  There's a beautiful stamp set to coordinate with the dies (Botanical Blooms - page 27 Occ.), and it's all offered as a bundle for 15% savings as well.  

But today, I've simply used 3 of the dies to create the blossom.  Ta-dah!  Such easy dimension due to the special flower die I've used from the set.   Here's a closer look:

I did add a little circle punched from Gold Glimmer Paper for the flower center ... lots of irresistible sparkle.  See?  This is the reason you've been saving all those little left-over glimmer paper pieces!  Perhaps we're related?  ... 

Now the 'Thank You' .... clean, easy-to-read font ... a nice size to partner with something that requires a bit of space, such as my blossom.  It's from the free Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Perfect Pairings.  It's partner for the 'pairing' is the 'Kindly' stamp I've used inside the card.  These are 2 separate stamps ... I just stamped them close together for the inside.  The 'Misti' positioning tool made this process just as easy as can be.  

Read the card aloud ... It sort of brings Elvis Presley to mind, doesn't it?  Okay ... So it doesn't say,  "Very much" ... but it's pretty close!   ;)

Thank you kindly for having stopped by today!  If you have questions, please feel welcome to contact me.  It's my hope and my privilege to be your Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  

Inky (((hugs))),

Hearts, Hugs, & Kisses -- No Glitz!

Today's valentine features texture without glitz ... 
You know I love the glitz ... but of course, we all have many people in our lives who do not subscribe to glitter.   (Reminds me of the saying, "Can't live with'em, can't live without'em!)  LOL

One of the cool new things Stampin' Up! offers is cardstock packages that contain specific color combinations designed to perfectly coordinate with various designer series collections of 12" X 12"s.  This card features the Love Blossoms Cardstock Pack (140549) from page 17 of the Occasions catalog - 8 sheets each of Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, + Rose Red.  

I adore the size of the Little Letters Thinlits.  Not only are they fun for personalization, but they're also fun for short words or acronyms, etc.  For added dimension, I stacked 3 of each X and O die cuts, adhered them together with eency dots of Multipurpose Glue, and aligned them vertically, leaving a perpendicular space for the "Be Mine" greeting.  Notice that banner die?  OMGosh ... That die is in the Large Numbers Framelits, but has matching stamps in the Number of Years stamp set and also in the Bloomin' Love stamp set!  I used the coordinating banner stamp from Bloomin' Love for this greeting. 

How did I get the greetings to be so deeply inked?  I re-stamped them ... using my beloved Misti!  Iliana has just won the paper crafting "Hot Product" award at Winter CHA in Anaheim, CA ... and I couldn't be more tickled for her giant success with this remarkable positioning tool.  Congratulations, Iliana!

Okay ... now I'm off now to start studio tidy 'n prep, etc. for Saturday's Valentine class.  This class has already filled, so I'm happily adding a second round during the week next week.  If you're in the area and you'd like to come, pop an email over to me to RSVP by/before Sunday, please!

Inky (((hugs))),

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Confession and a Calypso Thanks!

Confession:  I love being back in the stampin' zone after the Christmas holidays.  Time for new focus on stamping themes, time to relax from the holiday hustle, bustle, buying, wrapping, and cooking.  Time for a new year and renewed "everything" it seems!  Apparently a lot of stampers and scrappers agree, as the turnout for the first stamp show of 2016 here in the North Texas area was very popular on Saturday's opening.  We love to "get out there", see new products, enjoy make 'n takes, chat and share (((hugs))) with friends from nearby areas and nearby states!  Happy 2016, my stampy friends!

Here's the first new card I've created since unpacking from the show:

Outside it's gray on so many days, that I simply need to create with color!  Calypso Coral is actually the first coral color that I've purchased over and over.  It's a happy color, without being overly orangey, and is nicely related to its pink cousins .... just my opinion {JMO}, of course!

The 'Thank You" stamp is from the Rose Wonder stamp set ... while the blossom and foliage is all cut with the new Botanical Builder Framelits dies from the Occasions catalog, page 26.  The complete supplies list will be shared below.

The newest Weekly Deals are now showing over in the right-side column here at Texas Rubber 'n Ink ... so be to take advantage of this week's newest offerings.  Even these sale items and Clearance Rack items count toward a free SAB item with each $50 purchase during Sale-A-Bration!

Please let me know if I can be of help in any way ...  I'm just an email away!

Inky (((hugs))),

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

When Creating Seems Difficult

It's good to be back!  I hope each of you had beautiful memories and times shared with loved ones over the celebration days of Christmas!   

Today I'm sharing a non-celebratory card.  It's actually my first creation featuring the upcoming Rose Wonder stamp set and coordinating Rose Garden Thinlits dies. 

I had just received this beautiful stamp set and coordinating dies when the need arose for sympathy cards.  

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I hoped to keep the entire creation clean and subtle.  The same rose outline die was used to create a subtle indentation on the inside by using a rubber embossing mat beneath the die instead of placing the die and card stock directly upon the cutting plate.  

I adore using the Misti placement tool for exact placement of stamps, especially in precise situations such as I needed on this card, both front and inside.  

Here's to a sweet last week of 2015 to you!  May your creative endeavors be fruitful!  Please contact me at any time for your paper crafting needs or questions.  I truly enjoy being your Stampin' Up! demonstrator and hopefully a creative inspiration for you as well.

Inky (((hugs))),

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog