You’re the coolest! {Streamside Studios}

Hi, crafty friends. There’s an IG hop today to celebrate the launch of the Streamside Studios website. Shawne’s been selling her photopolymer and digi stamps on Etsy for a while now, but now she has her own website (she has embellishments, just sayin’), and we’re celebrating with an instagram hop.

I’ve made a cool card (pun intended) with the Ice Cream Critters stamp set. I chose three of the popsicles in the stamp set and colored them with my Copics before fussy cutting them, leaving a thin white border.

Using the Watercolor Wash Free Form stencil from My Favorite Things along with Icy Water and Frayed Leaf inks from Altenew, I did some very soft ink blending to create a little bit of interest to my background. I then ran the panel through my printer to add the sentiment, chopped off a little on each side of the panel and mounted it onto a top fold card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink.

I put foam tape on the back of each of my popsicles and adhered them above the sentiment.

I finished off the card with pearls, crystals and dew drops from the Fresh Mint mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.

Soft color palette for this one.

Happy holidays {Lili of the Valley}

Hi, crafty friends. I have another card to share with you today using the Snowmen stamp set from Lili of the Valley. I love this set so much and I’m sure this won’t be my last time using it.

The design of these snowmen peeking out from behind something offers so many possibilities for fun card designs. For my previous card using one of these, I created a tri fold card with the snowman peeking out behind one of the flaps. This time, I have a snowman sticking out above the top of the card.

I colored my snowman with Copics, cut away everything below the line in the image and adhered him to the top of a quarter sheet of Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink, before cutting around him.

I adhered my panel to a top fold white note card I created from Stamper’s Select White and cut off the bottom of the card, so that it’s 5 1/2″ tall including the snowman.

I glued on white snowflakes all across the front. I used the Snowflake Confetti Fancy die from Hero Arts and die CR1335 from Marianne Design to create the snowflakes. I like the white on white look. This adds a tiny bit of dimension and interest to the background.

I then used the Big Happy Holidays die from Mama Elephant to die cut five times from Blue Yonder cardstock from My Favorite Things, before stacking them and adhering my chunky die cut in the center of the card.

I stamped and white heat embossed Let’s be jolly! onto a strip of Enchanted Evening cardstock from Papertrey Ink. The sentiment is from the Christmas Greetings stamp set from Lili of the Valley. I added a couple of extra cardstock strips behind it for dimension and adhered it on top of the big die cut, before finishing off with some pearls from the Snowdrop mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.

Small image, but as usual, I went overboard when coloring the snow, so there are quite a few Copics used anyway.

Merry Christmas {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. I have another Christmas card to share, this time featuring Little Elf Kippa from Mo Manning. I love her elf images.

I was planning on coloring this in green with a soft pink. I knew which greens I wanted use, but referred to my Copic color chart for the pink. My color chart is old and Copics fade with time, so the soft pink on my color chart wasn’t as soft in real life once I started coloring. I should color in a new chart, but I LOVE the hot pink with the green, so it all worked out.

This stamp is what you see on the right. The tip of her hat goes a little further to the right, but I wanted a more dynamic design with her coming in from the edge, so I chopped it off. I copied one of the baubles in her hands and put it on the left of the panel before printing, I thought it added a little bit of extra interest.

Isn’t she cute carrying those baubles? I love that they’re so big she has to use her forehead to balance them, because her arms just aren’t long enough to carry them on their own.

I knew I wanted to use this Scripty merry die from Mama Elephant. I tried a pink one and a green one and the green just worked better. I didn’t have any green cardstock that matched my coloring, so I used the colors I’d used on the image to create a piece of green cardstock I could die cut from, which I adhered on top of four white ones that I also die cut. I used the same technique for the base and created an ombré effect going from dark at the base to lighter at the top.

Using the Scripty Xmas stamp set from Mama Elephant, I stamped the word Christmas. The sentiment actually says merry Christmas, but I wanted to use the die cut merry, so I masked off the stamp version and stamped using Picked Raspberry Distress Ink, then stamped again using Worn Lipstick Distress Ink. I didn’t have a pink in that matched my coloring, but these two created the perfect blend.

I mounted my panel onto the card front using foam tape, adhered the stacked merry die cut to nestle in perfectly with the stamped part of the sentiment and finished off with sequins and confetti from the Starry Night mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.

I love the dimension from the popped up panel and the stacked merry, as well as the ombre effect on the base and the die cut. The addition of the pink bauble on the ground gives the card a little bit of balance, not everything is happening on the right hand side of the card.

Simple, but fun color palette for this one.

Oh so merry {Lili of the Valley}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m back today with another Christmas card. I can’t seem to stop, and the Snowmen stamp set from Lili of the Valley too cute to resist.

My original plan was to color in their accessories in a peachy pink color and a dark green combo that I love for my Christmas cards. There’s usually a lot of detail to the Lili of the Valley accessories (stripes and dots), making it easy for images to look messy if you choose too many colors. I tend to opt for a lighter and darker version of the same color, which makes it better for the eyes. Once I’d done the peachy pink, I went in with the lighter of the greens, because I didn’t know how dark I wanted it. When the light green was in place, I realized I really liked the light color with the pink, so I decided not to add too much of the darker greens.

Once the coloring was complete, I used the largest die in the Wonky Stitched Rectangle STAX set from My Favorite Things to turn it into a panel with a fun faux stitch edge. I then used Winter Lake, Icy Water and Polar Bear inks from Altenew to ink blend a soft sky from the top, before sprinkling on Chunky White embossing enamel from Stampendous and melting the granules from the back of the paper with my heat gun.

I adhered the panel to a top fold card base I created from Berry Sorbet cardstock from Papertrey Ink. From Grapefruit cardstock from Condord & 9th, I die cut the oh so merry from The Penguin’s Waddle die set from Mama Elephant. I cut three and ink blended on the bottom using Berry Sorbet ink from Papertrey Ink, before stacking them together for a dimensional look and adhering them to the card. I finished the card with a few Coral Heart droplets from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards.

I realize now that the green mitten probably belongs to the snowman on the far left, which means I should have colored it pink. Oh well, next time. The faux stitching, the snow and the ink blend on the letters add a bit of texture and detail to the card without adding bulk. Of course, I love my dimension, so I layered up the die cuts and added the heart droplets, but this card is still fairly mail friendly, I’d say.

The cardstock from Concord & 9th, which is what I used for my stacked sentiment, is not a very thick cardstock, so it’s great to use if you don’t want too much dimension on your cards. I just really wanted that color, which is why I chose it, but it also die cuts really well.

Last, but not least, my color palette. I still go overboard when I color snow, I have a feeling that won’t ever change.

Happy birthday {Purple Onion Designs}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m here today with a shaker card. A big one, it measures 5 1/2 x 7 1/2″. I wanted to use the surfboard from the Beach accessories stamp set from this year’s spring release from Purple Onion Designs, and I needed the space. I don’t usually make large cards, I tend to opt for a smaller format, but sometimes, it’s nice to have the extra space.

I stamped and colored the surfboard eight times, and fussy cut them all right up against the stamped lines. I put them aside while I worked on the rest of my card.

I used the Big Happy Birthday die from My Favorite Things to die cut into a 5×7″ piece of Soft Stone cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I put acetate behind it and added the counters of the letters back into place on top of the acetate, using the actual letters as placement guides, before doubling up on foam tape on the back of the cardstock for a deep shaker well.

On a piece of X-Press It blending card, I stamped the palm trees from the Slumber stamp from Purple Onion Designs. I used second generation stamping with Memento Espresso Truffle ink for a softer look. I masked the palm trees and ink blended a sunset using Distress inks in the colors Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed and Scattered Straw, before coloring in the palm trees with Copics. I added sequins and gems from the Seashore mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards, before gluing my shaker shut.

I added seven of my surfboards to the bottom of my panel and adhered it all to a top fold card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink.

I couldn’t fit all my surfboards on the front of the card, so I glued the last one to the inside next to a sentiment from the Seaside sentiment set from Purple Onion Designs that I stamped using Picked Raspberry Distress Oxide ink.

Lots of colors for this one.

Happy birthday shaker {Purple Onion Designs}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m back with a super simple card, featuring Mimi from Purple Onion Designs. She was part of this year’s spring release, and she’s just adorable with the umbrella drink in her hand.

I stamped Mimi using Extreme Black ink from My Favorite Things, colored her with Copics and stamped on top using Obsidian ink from Altenew, which is a super crisp pigment ink that doesn’t play well with alcohol markers, but is perfect for stamping at the end after the coloring’s done. I fussy cut her leaving a white trim, and put her to the side while I worked on the rest of the card.

I chose one of the green papers in the Watercolor Wash 6×6″ paper pad from My Favorite Things to cover the front of a landscape oriented top fold A2 card base I created from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I cut down a white piece of cardstock and created texture using the Crystal Distortion embossing folder from Simon Says Stamp, before mounting the panel in the center of the card front using lots of foam tape.

I then used the Stitched Happy Birthday Rectangle die from Memory Box to die cut once from the green patterned paper I’d already used and 10 or 11 times (I lost count) from white cardstock to create a shaker well. I cut the words out of the white frames, stacked them, added acetate to the back of my layered frame and adhered it in the center of the card. I then filled the shaker well with the Candy mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards. This mix has pearls, little flower shapes, sequins without holes, some hearts and raindrops. I topped it with another piece of acetate, then adhered the patterned paper die cut on top.

By creating the well from so many layers of cardstock, my little embellishment mix has a lot of room to shake around. A few of the pieces in there are quite large, and I didn’t want any of them getting stuck.

I added Mimi to the side of the frame. I put three layers of foam tape behind her for dimension, so she’d be level with the frame. This card has a lot of dimension, it’s almost 1/2″ at its thickest.

Simple color palette for Mimi, she’s pretty quick to color.

Merry wishes {Lili of the Valley}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m still creating holiday cards, I still have no idea how many I’ve made this year, but I do know that this snowmen stamp set from the latest Lili of the Valley release is a must have.

I’ve actually created a tri-fold card this time. There are several images in this stamp set that lend themselves very well to this kind of off the edge design. I colored my snowman with Copics, before adhering him towards the right edge of a half sheet (8 x 5 1/2″) of Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink. I fussy cut to the right of him, leaving a white trim and used a steel ruler and a craft knife on the left to create a vertical edge. Adhering him to the white cardstock did two things: 1 – it added strength, and 2 – it covered up the back of my coloring for a clean look when the card is open.

This is the card closed. I created this by gluing 2 side fold A2 card bases together; the half with the snowman with the fold on the left and the other one with the fold on the right.

I used the Snowflake Confetti fancy die from Hero Arts to die cut from Gina K Masking Magic to create a stencil to ink blend through. I used Iceberg ink from Altenew to create subtle blue snowflakes in the background on the front of the card to the left of the snowman and also on the other flap.

I adhered an 1/8″ gold glitter cardstock strip from Kort & Godt for the snowman to hold on to for a defining edge and used the Stacked Merry die from My Favorite Things to die cut 6 times for a stacked look. 5 layers from white cardstock, the top layer from a piece of X-Press It blending card that I colored to match the green on the snowman. I stacked the six layers and adhered them in the center of the left front panel, stamped and white heat embossed a sub sentiment from the Christmas Greetings stamp set from Lili of the Valley, before adhering it on top of the stem of the Y with a few additional layers of cardstock behind it for dimension and strength.

I embellished with a combination of gold pearls around the sentiment and tiny confetti stars all across the background. Both are from the Vanilla Kiss mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards. I also added a bit of black glaze pen to the eyes of the snowman. It adds a tiny bit of dimension and some shine. Once dry, I went over with a dot of white, using a Gelly Roll 05.

On the inside flap, behind the snowman, I stamped another sentiment from the Christmas Greetings stamp set from Lili of the Valley, this time using Jalapeño Popper ink from My Favorite Things.

Simple color palette for this one. Lots of colors for the snow, though, I can’t seem to help it.

Merry wishes from our home to yours {Mo’s Digital Pencil}

Hi, crafty friends. I’m back with another holiday card. This cold, wet weather we’ve been having this summer is perfect for creative sessions in the craft room, and I gravitate towards holiday cards for some reason. I shared this card over on Mo’s Dream Team blog yesterday, but thought I’d share here, too.

Little Elf Tippi is one of my favorites from Mo. I have lots of favorites from her images, I love her style so much. This one won me over as soon as I saw it, and I’ve made a card with it (this one) previously.

I had to go for my traditional Christmas colors for this one with blue, brown and grey, it’s such a good combo. I made all the lights the same color. I know some people prefer the differently colored lights, but as a Scandinavian minimalist, my color palette for Christmas is very toned down, including my Christmas lights, which are all white.

Once I’d colored my image, I used the largest die in the Stitched Rectangles STAX 2 set from My Favorite Things to create a faux stitch border around my panel. I then took the Plaid builder stencil set from My Favorite Things and ink blended using Blue Yonder ink from My Favorite Things in the top right corner with the stencil with the wide stripes. On top of the stencil with the smaller stripes, I used Light & Fluffy Modeling Paste from The Crafter’s Workshop for a little bit of added dimension and interest to the background.

I adhered my panel to an A2 top fold card base I created from Enchanted Evening cardstock from Papertrey Ink. Using the scripty wishes die from Mama Elephant, I die cut three layers of white and one blue on top for a stacked look and adhered it on top of my stenciled background. I also stamped and white heat embossed a couple of sentiments from the Holiday messages stamp set from Mama Elephant to add to the wishes to make my sentiment complete. I cut them down to strips and added a few layers of cardstock behind each of them for dimension, before finishing off the card with a few sequins from the Starry Night mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards, as well as Glossy Accents for the lightbulbs.

I love the glow and shine from the lightbulbs.

Fairly simple color palette for this one.

Make a wish

Hi, crafty friends. I’m back today with a card I made just for fun. With six different design teams, I don’t have a lot of time to make cards that aren’t design team related, but when the July release dropped from My Favorite Things, I couldn’t resist these sloths. It also didn’t hurt that I was able to take advantage of the MFT birthday sale.

I colored up these two sloths from the Hang Out and Celebrate stamp set. I stamped using Extreme Black ink from My Favorite Things, which is a hybrid ink safe to use with alcohol markers. I colored the sloths with Copics, then re-stamped over the black lines, this time using Obsidian ink from Altenew. This is a pigment ink that is super crisp, but it’s not compatible with Copics, so I need to stamp with an alcohol friendly ink first, do my coloring, then stamp on top with the pigment ink. Once the ink was dry I used the coordinating dies to cut out these cute sloths.

I created an A2 top fold card base from Stamper’s Select White cardstock from Papertrey Ink and decided to do a little ink blending near the top right. Using the Watercolor Circle stencil from My Favorite Things (which was also new in the July release), I ink blended Eastern Sky and Iceberg inks from Altenew to create a soft sky. I eventually realized it needed to be darker for my clouds to show up over top, so I also went in with Ultramarine, which is one shade darker than Eastern Sky. These three blues are all in the same color family from Altenew.

With the circle mask still in place, I added the Tiny Clouds stencil from My Favorite Things on top, and used Fresh Snow hybrid ink from Papertrey Ink to create soft clouds on top of the blue I’d already ink blended.

At the bottom center of the card, I stamped a sentiment from the stamp set with the sloths, this time using Caribbean Sea ink from My Favorite Things. I also stamped “Make a” from the older Birthday Chicks stamp set and adhered die cut letters between my stamping to complete the sentiment. I die cut the word with from the Wish Big Today die that also came out in the July release from My Favorite Things (it was such a good release). I used Sour Apple cardstock, and at the base of the letters I ink blended using Sour Apple ink, and a little bit of Jalapeño Popper ink for extra oomph. I put three additional die cuts behind each letter and adhered them to my card.

Time for the sloths. I die cut three additional layers of cardstock to go behind each of my die cut sloths, and glued them directly to the card base. I cut off a portion of the balloon on the back layers, so I could overlap the colored one with the other sloth. I added a dot of black glaze pen to the eyes of the sloth that’s awake, and Glossy Accents to the balloon for a bit of shine.

To finish off the card I used some sequins from the Waterfall mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards. I packed a lot into this card, and the sentiment wound up taking much more space than I’d sketched out in advance, but I still like it. This is the part where I usually show a graphic of the Copics I used, but I simply can’t locate the post-It I used to write them down.

Koala-ty friend {Rachelle Anne Miller Creative Studios}

Hi, crafty friends. There’s a brand new release out today from Rachelle Anne Miller, and as usual, it’s super adorable. This time, it’s 6 little mini scene creators, and I couldn’t help but choose the koala for my card today (there’s also a duck, bunny, owl, bear and monkey in this release).

I’m usually a pretty slow card maker, but this came together sooo quickly. The card, start to finish, including the coloring, took me just over half an hour. I don’t think I’ve ever created a card this quickly. Yes, it’s simple, but most of my cards are, and they still usually take me way longer than this to create.

I printed the image fairly small on a piece of X-Press It blending card. I wanted it to fit the width of a top fold A2 card. I colored the image and letters with Copics, then used a border die from Lawn Fawn to create a nice detail on the top and bottom. Using a black Glaze pen, I added a little bit of shine and dimension to the eyes, and on the koala I also added white dots with a Gelly Roll 05 pen once the black was dry.

I wanted a soft background and chose this pretty yellow chevron pattern from the Wallpaper Patterns 6×6″ paper pad from My Favorite Things. I let it cover the entire card base and mounted my colored panel near the top of the card using foam tape.

I love dimension on my cards, and for cards that are this simple, it makes a big difference.

I added a few yellow pearls from the Beach Dreams mix from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards for a finishing touch. The end result is a clean and simple card, with just enough detail to make it interesting.

Super simple color palette.