Coming Home to a Happy New Year!

 2021!! It's a brand new year, and one that so many of us hope and pray will be so much better than the last one. So from my home to yours, I wish you a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

All supplies available from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Coming Home (#153500)

Card stock: Whisper White Thick (#140272)

Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black (#132708)

Accessories: Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine (#149653)

Home Together Dies (#153515)

Trimming the Town Designer Series Paper (#153491)

Tasteful Labels Dies (#152886)

Stampin' Blends Combo Packs: Real Red (#154899)

                                                    Old Olive (#154892)

                                                       Soft Suede (#154906)

Snowflake Sequins (#150443)

Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Kathryn

P.S. If you need anything from the August-December 2020 Mini Catalog, Monday, January 4th is the last day! Go to https://www.stampinup.com and place your order. (I would appreciate it if you listed me (Kathryn Whittaker) as your demonstrator too.) And the new January-June 2021 Mini Catalog goes live on January 5th, 2021, so stay posted for some fun new samples from that catalog! If you want a catalog, and don't already have a demonstrator, please let me know and I can get one to you.

Thanks!

Forever Fern Friendship Card

Hi everyone!

How are you all doing? I'm just dropping by quickly to give you an up-close look at my Forever Fern Friendship card. It uses a couple of items from the Forever Fern suite that's in the current Stampin' Up! 2020-2021 catalog. The greeting is from the Forever Fern stamp set, and the patterned paper is from the Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper. (It is gorgeous!) I've used one of the new 2020-2022 In-Colors, Just Jade, for the card base, along with some Shaded Spruce, Pear Pizzazz, and of course some Whisper White card stock for stamping on. That Trim is from the spool called Braided Linen Trim, and I added just a trio of the frosted epoxy droplets from the Frosted and Clear Epoxy Droplets embellishments. 

Take a look:

All supplies used are available from Stampin Up : Stamp sets: Forever Fern (#152559) Ink colors: Shaded Spruce (#147088) Cardstock: Just Jade (#153079) Shaded Spruce (#146981) Pear Pizzazz (#131201) Whisper White (#100730) Accessories: Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper (#152492) 2" Circle Punch (#133782) 2-1/4" Circle Punch (#143720) Braided Linen Trim (#147808) Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets (#147801) Stampin' Dimensionals (#104430)

Take a close-up look at the focal point:

Some exciting news is that I started a YouTube channel that goes along with my blog here. If you would like to see my very first video that goes along with this card, feel free to check it out. 

My channel is named "Kathryn Whittaker - Stampin' with Kathryn". (A really creative name, I know, but hopefully it will make it easy to find.) If you could, go to YouTube and check it out (or just click on the link below). I would be really appreciative. You could even leave me a comment or subscribe, but please be kind. It is just my first time.

https://youtu.be/BfNIdmAufDQ

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my card today. I really appreciate it when you come to visit me! 

Thanks for stopping by,

Kathryn

An In-Color Friendship Card

I have been taking an online class this month that has been focusing on the Stampin' Up! bundle "Forever Fern" (Item #154094). We have been using the stamp set "Forever Fern" and the die set "Forever Flourishing". When you purchase the two of them together, as a "bundle" you save 10%! Such a great bargain.

Anyway, after watching one of the tutorials the other night, I made the following card:

All supplies available from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Forever Fern (Item #152559)

Ink Pads: Just Jade (Item #153115)

Bumblebee (Item #153116)

Magenta Madness (Item #153117)

Versamark (Item #102283)

Card stock: Whisper White Thick (Item #140272)

Cinnamon Cider (Item #153078)

Misty Moonlight (Item #153081)

Whisper White (Item #100730)

Accessories: Forever Flourishing Dies (Item #152714)

Stitched Shapes Dies (Item #152323)

Forever Greenery Designer Series Paper (Item #152492)

White Stampin' Emboss Powder (Item #109132)

Heat Tool (Item #129053)

Linen Thread (Item #104199)

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals (Item #144108)

It's such a pretty card. But I can't take all the credit for it. I was inspired by Jenn Frost, and The Crafty Carrot Collective group. Next month (August 2020) they will be offering their program for free! And the Stampin' Up! bundle that they will be working with is the "Beautiful World" bundle. If you feel so inspired, go check it out (craftycarrotcollective.blogspot.com). 

Well, thanks for stopping by. I always appreciate it when you do. And I hope to see you again soon,

Kathryn

Positive Thoughts Silhouette Card - #TGIFC273

I have felt inspired by the TGIF Challenge Blog lately. This week it was to create a project with a fun silhouette effect on it. I looked through my stamp sets, looking for an image that would make a good silhouette. I found a beautiful fern image in the "Positive Thoughts" stamp set that I thought would do quite nicely. Take a look:

All supplies available from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Positive Thoughts (Item #151490)

Ink Pads and Refills: Night of Navy Ink Refill(Item #103033)

Gorgeous Grape Ink Refill(Item #147164)

Versamark Ink Pad(Item #102283)

Stazon Jet Black Ink Pad (Item #101406)

Cardstock: Gorgeous Grape (Item #146987)

Night of Navy (Item #100867)

Pretty Peacock (Item #150880)

Basic Black (Item #121045)

Accessories: Water color paper (What I used is retired, but Stampin' Up! has some "Fluid 100" watercolor paper -Item # 149612, that would be just right!) 

Die-cutting and Embossing Machine (Coming soon!)

Greenery Embossing Folder (Item #152716)

Nature's Thoughts Dies ((Item #153586)

White Stamp and Emboss Powder (Item #109132)

Heat Tool (Item #129053)

Water Painters (Item #151298)

Rhinestone Basic Jewels (Item #144220)

Stampin' Dimensionals (Item #104430)

On the watercolor paper, I used the Night of Navy Ink Refill on one end and the Gorgeous Grape Ink Refill on the other end, and brought them together in the center to blend the colors together. I also used the Stazon Jet Black Ink to stamp the fern to give it the silhouette effect. I was trying to make a sunrise-sort of background for it. I also used white embossing powder and a heat tool to stamp and emboss my greeting, and then hand-cut around it and mounted it on my card using Stampin' Dimensionals. 

I hope you like my card, and are inspired to create your own silhouette-effect card. Maybe you could even participate in the challenge (#tgifc273).

Hope you are having a wonderful day, and keep on stamping!

Kathryn

Tasteful Touches Hello Card - #tgifc271

It has been a while since I participated in a challenge blog, so I thought I would give it a shot this past weekend. Over on the TGIF Challenges Blog, their challenge this week is a color challenge. Here is my card that I made to go along with it:

All supplies available from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Tasteful Touches (Item #152562)

Inks: Flirty Flamingo (Item #141397)

Mango Melody (Item #147093)

Granny Apple Green (Item #147095)

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink (Item #132708)

Cardstock: Whisper White Thick (for card base) (Item #140272)

Whisper White (Item #100730)

Flirty Flamingo (Item #141416)

Accessories: Tasteful Labels Dies (Item #152886)

Watercolor Pencils (Item #141709)

Water Painters (Item #151298)

Paper Snips (Item #103579)

Rhinestone Basic Jewels (Item #144220)

Stampin' Dimensionals Self-adhesive Foam Mounts (Item #104430)

A fun technique I used on this card is using up your paper strip scraps to create the background. Using a tone-on-tone color scheme (or using the same color strips as your card base) gives this card a classy-looking background, don't you think? And the strips don't all have to be the same width. The widths that I used were anywhere from 1/4" to almost a whole inch wide, with most of them being about 5/8" wide. Then I just trimmed the edges to be the same as the card. Very easy.

Like I told you at the beginning of this blog post, I wanted to participate in the TGIF Challenge Blog Color Challenge (#tgifc271). The color challenge was to use the following colors:

Go check out their blog (tgifchallenges.blogspot.com). They have lots of great challenges, and it is fun to play along!

If you have any questions about my card, or you would like to place a Stampin' Up! order with, please feel free to contact me, and I will do my best to help you out!

Thanks for stopping by,

Kathryn

Paper Pumpkin Alternate Cards for April 2020 Kit

I love the April 2020 Paper Pumpkin kit! So many cute elements to play with, and so many cute cards to make! Here are three more cards that I designed that I want to share with you!

Most of the supplies I used to make these cards were from the April 2020 kit called "No Matter the Weather". The greetings and images in this kit were so inspired for what is going on in the world today. I used the "Corrugated 3D Embossing Folder" on the Daffodil Delight piece of card stock behind the focal point image. I love how it brings out the daffodils that are inside the cute rain boots. And that little bunny die-cut is so cute.

On this card I used the little bunny stamp that comes in this kit. I love bunnies that have the markings that look like a Siamese kitty, so I thought I would try my hand at coloring the cute little bunny like that using my Stampin' Blends markers. I especially like how the scalloped stitched rectangle looks like you're looking through a window into a brighter day ahead. I think we are all looking forward to those days again, right?!

Now I must admit that I was highly inspired by Rachel Tessman's card of a similar design. I hope she doesn't mind that I used her design for this card. It was so beautiful, but simple. Thank you Rachel, for your inspiration! Also the greeting and the little "sprinkles" behind the pretty posies are from the stamp set "Perfectly Framed". And the Shaded Spruce Rhinestones are from the "Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels". (I sure do love those rhinestones. So glad that they will be carrying over into the new catalog in June!)

Thank you for stopping by and looking at my card designs. I hope you like them as much I enjoyed making them. 

Kathryn

Hello Friend!

I was telling you recently about the beautiful designer series paper that Stampin' Up! has available currently. Now, I know that the paper on these cards is no longer available as it was one of the offerings during Sale-A-Bration, but you could always choose some of the other paper collections  that are in one of the current catalogs and still come up with something that is equally amazing.

Here are my cards that I wanted to share with you today:

All supplies available from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Seriously the Best (Item #151712)

Card stock: Highland Heather (Item #146986)

Blackberry Bliss (Item #133675)

Balmy Blue (Item #146982)

Ink pad: Versamark Pad (Item #102283)

Accessories: Lily Impressions Designer Series Paper (retired)

White Stampin' Emboss Powder (Item #109132)

Heat Tool (Item #129053)

Scalloped Lace Trim (Item #149593)

Linen Thread (Item #104199)

Stampin' Dimensionals (Item #104430)

Paper Snips (Item #103579)

As you can see, I used white embossing powder on the greeting, and then I fussy-cut (or hand-cut) the greeting out using my Paper Snips, leaving about a 1/16" border around it.  (Paper Snips are my super sharp, micro tip scissors that are available from Stampin' Up!, in case you didn't know.) I also used some retired sequins that coordinate with the paper, but you could use any sort of sequins or rhinestones that you have.

As you can see, on the sheet of paper that I used, it has many colors that coordinate with it. It is such beautiful paper, and it made some gorgeous cards in a snap! I made a whole set of these cute cards and then I delivered them to special friends in my area, just to let them know we were thinking of them at this tough time. My husband even used some of them to give to some families that he visits. (He liked the darker colored parts of the DSP, and I used the lighter shades of purple.)

I know that right now might be hard to get to the craft store, but I just want to let you know that Stampin' Up! is still shipping orders directly to your home. And if you need to order some paper crafting supplies, just contact me and I can help you get your order placed and coming right to your home! Just leave me a comment and I can get right back to you in a timely manner. I will even send you a handmade thank you card in appreciation for your order! I hope to be able to help you soon!

Thanks for stopping by,

Kathryn

Blueberry Birds!

I have been so busy lately that I haven't posted here lately. Shame on me!!! (It isn't that hard. Really.)

So here is a cute little simple card that I put together to share with you. Take a look:

All supplies used are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Free as a Bird (Item #149468)

Inks: Blueberry Bushel (Item #147138),

Soft Suede (Item #147115),

Petal Pink (Item #147108),

Old Olive (Item #147090)

Cardstock: Blueberry Bushel (Item #146968),

Whisper White (Item #100730)

Accessories: In Color 6X6 Designer Series Paper (Item #149618),

Aqua Painter (Item #103954),

Champagne Rhinestone Basic Jewels (Item #151193)

Stampin' Dimensionale (Item #104430)

Just some simple watercoloring used on the little birdies on the twig. And a little background stamping on the blue cardstock. Very simple, but very cute I think.

Thanks for stopping by to look!

Kathryn

A Wild Rose Wish

Recently, a friend of mine had a serious allergic reaction to something and she wound up at the emergency room several times as her body tried to shake off the effects of it. I decided to make her a get well card and send it to her. I know that a card doesn't do anything to help her get well, but it does a wonderful job of letting someone know you are thinking of them, and sending well wishes their way.

Here is the card:

All supplies are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:

Stamp sets: To A Wild Rose (# 149452)

Well Said (#148796)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (#132708)

Crushed Curry (#147087)

Mossy Meadow (#147111)

Merry Merlot (#147112)

Early Espresso (#147114

Card stock: Crumb Cake (#120953)

Whisper White (#100730)

Mossy Meadow (#133676)

Basic Black (#121045)

Accessories: Well Written Dies (#148534)

Triple Banner Punch (#138292)

Mossy Meadow Linen Thread from the Magnolia Lane Ribbon combo Pack (#149485)

Aqua Painter (#103954)

Dimensional (#104430)

I colored the rose images and the leaves using the two-step stamping stamps and then used an aqua brush to pull color from the fresh ink into the rest of the images, giving them a softer bit of color.

I hope it helped to cheer her up on her road to recovery!

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to "see" you again soon!

Kathryn

P.S. If you live in the United States and would like to order any of the items that I used, go here (and pretty please put me as your demonstrator. I would greatly appreciate it!) :

https://www.stampinup.com/ecweb/default.aspx

Thanks again!

Life is so Much Better!

Recently I finally broke out my "Petal Palette" stamp set. I know, I know. It seems like everyone has this stamp set and had stamped the living daylights out of it. And I have loved all the things that I have seen. But it seems that when there is a really popular stamp set and I own it also, I just have a harder time coming up with things to make using it. But I have finally put ink to rubber and made a card. And I must say that I love how it turned out!

Take a look:

 All supplies used are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp Set: Petal Palette

Inks: Blushing Bride, Night of Navy, Emerald Envy (oops, this one is now retired), 

StaZon Jet Black Ink, Daffodil Delight

Card Stock: Blushing Bride, Night of Navy, Whisper White

Accessories: Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Blender Pens, 

Watercolor Pencils (Melon Mambo only), Whisper White & Silver Baker's Twine, 

Dimensionals

On the rose images I used a blender pen with the Blushing Bride ink. I then used the Melon Mambo Watercolor Pencil on the inner edge of the rose images. It gives the roses depth and shadow. You can see it better on the close-up image, I think. Aren't they pretty!!

I hope you know how much better life is with YOU in it! I appreciate you stopping by to visit my little blog, and I hope you come back again soon!

Thanks,

Kathryn

Hey There, Happy Camper!

I have several friends who are big on camping. I understand how they feel, but my husband and my kids are not big on spending time in the great outdoors. My husband grew up in the big city, and he was never one for "roughing it". I guess my boys get it from their dad. LOL! Anyway, I plan on giving this card to one of my camping friends. Her birthday is the end of the month, and I think she will get a kick out of it!

Over on the TGIF Challenges blog this week, they had a sketch to help inspire creativity. Here is my card, but I did not get it completely done in time to join in the fun. Oh well...maybe next time. Anyway, here is my card:

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Glamper Greetings

Card stock: Dapper Denim, Tranquil Tide, Real Red, Whisper White

Ink pads: Archival Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Lemon-Lime Twist, Tranquil Tide, Smoky Slate, Crushed Curry, Whisper White

Accessories: Color Theory Designer Series Paper Pack, Stampin' Blends Alcohol Marker (Cherry Cobbler Light), Aqua Painter, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

Here is the challenge graphic, but you will not find my card over there:

Thank you for visiting today! I hope you come back soon.

Kathryn

P.S. I added the curtains in by hand, with a Stampin' Write marker.

Hello Birthday Blooms - #tgifc158

What a beautiful morning! So happy to be here with all of you today!

I had some time to craft on Saturday, and so I decided to see if there was a blog challenge that I might want to participate in...and there was! Over on TGIF Challenges blog, they are celebrating their 3rd "blog"-iversary (blog anniversary, if your not familiar with that term), and it is a wonderful color challenge. I have participated in several of their challenges over the past three years, so I thought I would have a go at it this time.

Here is my card for challenge #tgifc158 :

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp sets: Birthday Blooms, Hello Friend

Inks: Archival Basic Black, Berry Burst, Lemon-Lime Twist, Versamark

Card stocks: Whisper White Thick, Basic Black

Accessories: Aqua Painter, Stampin' Emboss Powder (White), Heat Tool, Linen Thread, 

Wink of Stella (Clear), Dimensionals

Did you notice the flower image and the greeting is cut out? That is not from a die. I had to fussy cut them with my paper snips. I usually use my Big Shot to cut out images, but not everything has a die to go with it. That's okay though. I don't mind fussy cutting sometimes, if I've got the time.

I used my Aqua Painter to watercolor the floral image. I love to watercolor! I also heat embossed the "hello" greeting, and used clear Wink of Stella on the little center pistils of the flower for a touch of bling!

Here is the challenge graphic from the TGIF Challenges blog:

I hope you enjoy my blog challenge card, and please go check out their website: tgifchallenges.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by to visit, and I hope to see you again soon,

Kathryn

A Magical Day is One of a Kind

I have been wanting to make a card using the unicorn from the "Magical Day" set ever since I bought it. I happen to know some young people who love unicorns, and pegasus (or is it "pegasi"?), and I wanted to make something with them in mind. Plus, I got to do a little coloring on it. (I love to color!)

This is one of my favorite kinds of folds to use. It is called a Z-fold card. You fold it in half, just like you would a regular card, and then the front half you fold in half again, back on itself. If you look at it from the bottom cut end, it looks like a Z, but with a long foot on the bottom. Take a look:

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Magical Day

Card stock: Pink Pirouette, Daffodil Delight, Lemon-Lime Twist, Whisper White

Inks: Archival Basic Black, Versamark

Accessories: Myths and Magic Specialty Designer Series Paper,

Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Magical Mates Framelits, Petal Pair Textured Impressions Embossing Folder,

Stampin' Write Markers: Berry Burst, Pink Pirouette, Daffodil Delight, Lemon-Lime Twist, 

Pool Party,

Iridescent Sequin Assortment, Fine-Tip Glue Pen, Stampin' Emboss Powder (White), Heat Gun, Wink of Stella (Clear), Dimensionals

I hope you all remember that YOU are one of a kind, and that I wouldn't be doing this little blog without all of you. I appreciate all of you so much, and hope you continue to visit me here. Have a wonderful day!

Thanks for stopping by,

Kathryn

You Are So Beautiful To Me (Just Add Text)

Being an adult is hard sometimes, when there are things you want to do other than be responsible. I mean, I would rather stay home and stamp instead of going to work all day. Do you feel that way too sometimes?

But I can still stamp and make things. It just takes me longer to get things finished. And if I am trying to participate in a blog challenge, well, it just doesn't alway happen on time. This is the case with this card. I finished it, but not in time to participate. But still, I got it done, and here it is!!

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Just Add Text

Inks: Archival Basic Black

Card stock: Whisper White Thick, Pool Party, Blushing Bride, Vellum Card stock 

Accessories: Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Layering Ovals Framelits Dies, Leaf Punch, Springtime Foils Specialty DSP (retired), 3/8" Metallic-edge Ribbon: Silver, 

Stampin' Write Markers: Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Pool Party, Daffodil Delight,

Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Dimensionals

I was wanting to participate in the card challenge over on tgif challenges last week, but I just didn't get a chance to get my card done in time. I am going to try again this week...because, face it, something is better than nothing. Right?!

The challenge was to make a card with the theme of "Random Acts of Kindness", and I thought that this card was perfect for that. I mean, who wouldn't want to be told they are beautiful! And I think I have some people in mind to give these cards to. (I made 4 of them, so I can be scattering kindness all over the place!)

I hope you are all having a wonderful day, and thanks for stopping by!

Kathryn

Lovely Inside and Out Sweet Sugarplum

"Lovely Inside and Out". This is such a fun stamp set to create background papers with! This stamp makes me think of those dried straw flowers you see at the craft stores. But they are much better because these ones don't make a mess on the floor! LOL!

I was inspired by a color combination that I saw on TGIFChallenges blog (tgifchallenges.blogspot.com) way back at the beginning of February. I created this card to participate in the challenge but never quite got it finished on time. It has been sitting on my desk for several weeks, so I decided that I could still share it with you even though I did not join in the challenge.

Take a look:

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Lovely Inside & Out

Cardstock: Sweet Sugarplum, Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Basic Black

Inks: Sweet Sugarplum, Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette, Basic Black

Accessories: Big Shot, Lovely Words Thinlits Dies, Layered Leaves Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Classic Label Punch, Glitter Enamel Dots, Dimensionals 

Hope you all have a "Lovely" day, and thanks for stopping by,

Kathryn

Remarkable You Sweater Weather #TGIFC130

Sweater weather! That is what we have been having here lately. Dark mornings on the way to work. Frost on the grass in the morning. Leaves turning all shades of red and orange and yellow. It is beautiful, but, I must admit, I am not a fan of the cold weather. But it does encourage me to stay inside and craft more!

Over on TGIF Challenges blog, the challenge this week is a theme challenge called "Sweater Weather" and it is #TGIFC130. Here is my entry:

 All supplies are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp sets: Remarkable You, Basket of Wishes

Inks: Archival Basic Black, Crushed Curry, Lemon Lime Twist, Pumpkin Pie

Card Stock: Whisper White Thick, Card Stock Vellum, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Big Shot, Cable Knit Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, 

Aqua Brush, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

The leaves on some of the trees around here turn a beautiful shade of gold, and some of them have tinges of pale green and orange, and this was the look I was trying to go for when I watercolored those leaves. They definitely have that Fall/Autumn look to them I think. And if you couldn't tell, this card has a Z-fold on it, with that Cable Knit embossing folder used on the front half-flap.

Here is the Challenge Graphic from over on TGIF Challenges blog:

Thanks so much for visiting my little blog today. I hope you like my card, and I hope you come back soon!

Kathryn

Remarkable You Friendship card

I love to color. Whether it is with colored pencils, watercolors, or blender pens, just put a pen, pencil, or paintbrush in my hand and I am a happy camper! The card that I am showing you today, I used a blender pen and a puddle of ink in my inkpad lids to bring some lovely color to a beautiful Magnolia blossom. The stamp set that it comes from is called "Remarkable You" and it has some wonderful images for coloring. This one I used a kind of sketchy design to color it in, because my blender pen was not the most "moist". (It might be time to get some new ones! LOL!)

Take a look at my card:

All supplies are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp sets: Remarkable You, and Watercolor Wings (greeting)

Ink Pads: Powder Pink, Berry Burst, Early Espresso, Lemon-Lime Twist

Card stock: Powder Pink, Whisper White, Early Espresso

Accessories: Big Shot, Polka Dot Basics Embossing Folder, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Flourish Thinlits Dies, Blender Pens, Classic Label Punch, Dimensionals

A close-up:

Do you like to color? Let me know. Maybe I can do more coloring and watercoloring to show here.

Thanks for stopping by,
Kathryn

A Truly Artistic Color Challenge -- #tgif115

I love to do the challenge blogs. I know I haven't done very much of it lately...because...well, you know...LIFE. Anyway, I was checking out some of my favorite ones, and saw this one over on tgifchallenges.blogspot.com. It was a color challenge this week, using some of Stampin' Up!'s new In-Colors for 2017-2019. The colors are: Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, and Tranquil Tide. I really like how it turned out. Take a look:

All supplies from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise stated:

Stamp sets: Feathery Friends, Just Add Text, and Thoughtful Banners

Cardstock: Whisper White Thick, and Whisper White Regular

Ink pads: Lemon Lime Twist, Berry Burst, Tranquil Tide, Archival Basic Black

Accessories: Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Blender Pens, Berry Burst Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Stampin' Dimensionals, Foam Adhesive Strips

Just a few things about how I made this card. On the background, most of the blocks of color I stamped off once on a piece of scrap paper, so they wouldn't be quite so dark. And I fussy-cut the flower stem embellishment. I know. It would have been nice to have a die that cut it out, but I guess we can't have everything we want. (LOL!) The upper piece of Whisper White card stock is mounted on the Foam Adhesive Strips to give it some extra lift. And the die-cut circle and flower stem are just lifted up on regular Stampin' Dimensionals. I colored the flower stem using the ink pads and a blender pen. I gave a little shading to the leaves and stem with a touch of Tranquil Tide.

How do you like it? I think it turned out really cute! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think, okay?

Anyway, go check out tgifchallenges.blogspot.com and have some fun with their weekly challenges too! (Here is the graphic for this weeks challenge.)

Thanks for visiting,

Kathryn

Too Late to Participate :( (#tgifc114)

I have been trying to get some mojo going, so I thought,"Why not participate in a challenge?"  I have always enjoyed the tgif challenges blog, so I went to work. Lucky me! The challenge this week has been to "case" a member of their design team, Elizabeth Price. I love Elizabeth's work!  So I set to work trying to come up with something "challenge-worthy". 

Here is my card:

All supplies are from Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:

Stamp sets: Bunch of Blossoms, Just Add Text

Card stock: Whisper White Thick, Berry Burst

Inks: Berry Burst, Old Olive, Powder Pink, Archival Basic Black

Accessories: Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Framelits, Blossom Builder Punch, Color Theory Designer Series Paper Stack, Linen Thread, Rhinestone Basic Jewels

So I got ready to download my entry onto this weeks linky, and what do I discover? The challenge has already closed!! Oh, well. I have a pretty card. Actually, I don't have it anymore. I already gave it to someone! Yay!

Thanks for visiting,

Kathryn

Hello Watercolor Card #tgifc65

I made today's card in response to the challenge blog "TGIF Challenges". The challenge  ( #tgifc65 ) was to cut something out and use it on your project. It could be die cut, fussy cut, or even punched. You just had to CUT something out. My card used die cutting, using my Sizzix Big Shot and two different die sets. I was also inspired by Kristina Werner's blog post from a couple days ago where she watercolored her background. You can see her post here: http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/?p=16235

I used a piece of watercolor paper that was 5 inches wide by 3-3/4 inches high. I sprayed both sides with water to help prevent it from curling up on me while I was painting it. and to also help the ink to blend together and spread.  I squeezed a few drops of Melon Mambo ink refill into the lid of it's corresponding ink pad, and also squeezed a few drops of Calypso Coral ink refill into the lid of it's corresponding ink pad. Then I took one of my aqua painters, loaded up my aqua brush with water and some of the Melon Mambo re-inker and started painting along the top of the wet watercolor paper. I painted about 1-1/4 inches and then I cleaned out my brush. Then, I picked up some of the Calypso Coral with my aqua brush and started to paint underneath the Melon Mambo. I wanted the two colors to blend so I went over the first color close to where I had stopped painting to mix the two colors slightly. (Remember, my paper is pretty wet, so the color was being pulled down by gravity a bit.) I used less and less ink the closer I got to the bottom, so that it would become lighter and lighter. After the paper dried (I helped it out a bit by using my heat tool), I wanted to give it the look of having little water droplets splattered on it. I wasn't sure if I actually dripped water on it, if it would look like I wanted it to, so I decided to use one of the splatter stamps from the "Gorgeous Grunge" stamp set. I used Whisper White craft ink, and I really like how it turned out. I think it looks great, and I love the colors! I also decided to turn the watercolor paper upside down so that the Melon Mambo was on the bottom instead of at the top so that it didn't feel so top-heavy.

 All supplies used are from Stampin' Up!:

Stamp set: Gorgeous Grunge

Inks: Melon Mambo Classic Ink Refill, Calypso Coral Classic Ink Refill , Whisper White Craft Pad

Card stock: Whisper White Thick, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Watercolor Paper, Aqua Painter, Big Shot, Hello You Thinlits Dies, Bloomin' Heart Thinlits Dies, Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Dimensionals

Now, like I mentioned earlier, the TGIF challenge was to use something you cut out on your project, so I decided to use the "Hello You" Thinlits Dies, and also the "Bloomin' Heart" Thinlits Dies. I layered the little flower dies to give them some dimension, and on the greeting, I cut out four "hello" dies. I layered all four of them one on top of the other to give it some depth also.

Here is a picture of the challenge post from TGIF Challenges blog:

I hope you like my card today, and that it might inspire you to create something yourself!

Thanks for stopping by,

Kathryn