Sweet Summer Card

This card was created recently for our first samples call from Dreamweaver Stencils. I thought the timing was perfect for this one! The Ice-cream Cone stencil was run through my Big Shot to emboss the image. I replaced the stencil over the top and added shading and detail to the cones using chalks. Then I applied the embossing paste over the ice cream portions, but instead of smoothing the surface, I left it fluffy. Who wants flat ice-cream? When it was dry, I sponged Brilliance inks over the fluffy surface and applied glitter. The sentiment at the bottom was embossing pasted and sponged with the same Brilliance colors when dry. Don't you want a nice big bowl of frosty ice-cream right now? Mmmmm. Hope all of you are having a wonderful summer so far!
Pam


"Ice Cream Cones" stencil from Dreamweaver (LM183)
"Summer" stencil from Dreamweaver (LM294)
Embossing Paste from Dreamweaver (DEP)
Multi Ultra-Fine Crystal Glitter from Stampendous (GM220U)
decorating chalks
Pearlescent Lime, Pearlescent Orchid, and Coffee Bean Brilliance inks from Tsukineko
Bazzill Limeade cardstock
Canson cardstock
white cardstock
print unknown
Big Shot
ribbon, Zots

STMC12-Happy 4th Card

Yeah, I know...I've been on a red, white, and blue kick lately! I decided to add to the collection with my version of this week's Stampendous Saturday Sketch Challenge #STMC12. The sketch layout was designed by team member, Cyndi Bundy, also know as "The Scrappy Chick". For more info on the challenge and the cool prizes you can win by playing along, check out the Stampendous Impressions blogsite. Be sure to visit the rest of the design team as well for more inspiration.
I added my own challenge to this one, as I decided to do another 4th of July card, but I really have no 4th of July specific stamps! I broke out the clear "Mega Birthday" set from Stampendous, and used just the "happy" portion of it. Then I broke out the clear set, "It's A Boy!" Sounds like a stretch, doesn't it? Not really...this set contains lots of stars and stripes for backgrounds, and extra eye candy. Pulled out some of my stash of letters and numbers, punches, and Class A' Peel stickers and it all worked. Sometimes you just need to look at things from a different angle...true in life and true in crafting!
Pam

Perfectly Clear "Mega Birthday" from Stampendous (SSC115)
Perfectly Clear "It's A Boy" from Stampendous (SSC131)
Class A' Peel "Super Stars" from Stampendous (AC676HSS)
White Embossing Powder from Stampendous (EP100)
Warm Red ColorBox Chalk ink from Clearsnap
Frost White ColorBox ink from Clearsnap
Bazzill navy
red linen and white cardstock
print papers (stash)
Chip Chatter chipboard letters
metal numbers
1 3/4 and 2" circle punches

Beach Shack Party Invite

I picked my hubby up from Point Loma in San Diego this week after his seven day fishing trip on the American Angler. Afterwards, we had a great breakfast and wandered around in some of the quaint little beach communities I love so much. Strolled along the shoreline and got sand and saltwater between the toes. Sigh...feeling in a beachy mood still!
This post is another project designed for Stampendous a while back, but I thought it was appropriate for now. Even if you live nowhere near the beach, throw down some sand, break out the flip flops, the munchies and beverages, adult or otherwise, and have a party!
I created the "gate" on this card from strips of kraft cardstock sponged with ink, adhered the curved portion over the top with a diagonal slat and another at the bottom. Used brad fasteners and a turn mount for the gate hardware. The gate can be opened with all the pertinent party data on the inside. Added the bikini motif and the flip flops with sand and this clever little invite says it all! (Unfortunately, Stampendous has discontinued the Bikini stamp, so if you are lucky enough to have it or find it, use it! Otherwise, substitute one of the other summer motifs from the "Summer Scene" set! There are several to choose from.) Hope you enjoy these sunny summer days and get sand in all those nooks and crannies!
Pam

Perfectly Clear "Retro Alphabet" from Stampendous (SSC055)
"Classy Party Set" from Stampendous (SWS047)
Perfectly Clear "Summer Scene" from Stampendous (SSC188)
"Bikini" from Stampendous (A196)
Onyx and Vintage Sepia Versafine ink
red, kraft, and white cardstock
brad fasteners, turn mount, tiny wood clothespin
watercolors or markers

Humu Humu Mosaic Card

Today, I'm posting my personal favorite of the samples that I sent to Dreamweaver Stencils. Partially because I'm partial to blue and green (hey, even my creative space is designed in those colors!), and partially because I love the Hawaiian Humu (and yes, I can pronounce the full name, but blogging requires shortening). But mainly, I love this card because I did something different (for me) with this great stencil designed by Lynell Harlow. I did a mosaic/pointilism look with it. Kind of looks like it should be part of the tiles in a swimming pool. I ran the stencil through my Big Shot to emboss the image into my cardstock and then I placed the stencil back over the top and used bullet tipped Fantastix from Tsukineko to color with inks in dots of color. The Petal Background stencil reminds me of water drops, so I ink-stenciled it in the same colors, applied Translucent Embossing Paste over the surface, removed the stencil, and let dry. You could easily apply the translucent paste over the Humu as well, which would give it a shiny tile-like finish. I can hardly wait to try this technique with some of the other fabulous Dreamweaver designs! Give this a try, post it, and send me a link. I'd love to see what you do with this idea!
Pam

"Petals Background" from Dreamweaver (LJ899)
"Humu Humu" from Dreamweaver (LL371)
Translucent Embossing Paste from Dreamweaver (DEPT)
Aquamarine, Lime Pastel, and Azurite ColorBox Chalk inks
Fantastix (bullet point) from Tsukineko
double-sided foam adhesive
embossing machine (Big Shot)

STMC11-Two Cup Changito Card

Saturday is the perfect day for hanging out in your jammies, so I thought this Changito stamp would be perfect for this week's Stampendous Saturday Sketch challenge. This week Debbie designed our sketch which you can check out on the Stampendous Impressions blog site. Follow along and post your own creative versions to any online site with a link to Stampendous, and you could win one of two great gifts.
I also thought this card could also make a good Father's Day card...simple enough for last minute. I figure if dad were wearing bunny slippers, they would have to be blue bunny slippers. Speaking of blue bunny, dad could even drop a scoop of Blue Bunny ice-cream in those cups o' Joe! (Yeah...I know, that was reaching!)
I just received a handful of Copic markers in the mail this week, so I tested them out on Changito. Conclusion? I definitely need more practice! lol. Fortunately, Changito doesn't care if he looks a little messy! Looking forward to taking my Copic Certification class next month. For some strange reason, I decided to do this card in red and blue, must be all the decor out there for the 4th. I did throw in some light blue to change it up a bit. Hope all of you fathers (and moms) have a nice relaxing weekend with or without those two cups!
Pam

Cling "Changito Coffee" from Stampendous (CRV180)
Cling "Two Cup Day" from Stampendous (CRE252)
Class A' Peel "Dotted Scallop Border" from Stampendous (AC724VR)
White embossing powder (EP100)
Frost White ColorBox ink from Clearsnap
Paris Dusk Memento ink from Tsukineko
Copic Sketch Markers
Bazzill Jetstream cardstock
red linen cardstock
blue striped paper (unknown)
double-sided foam adhesive
buttons, twine

Fern and Flower Card

Here is the second of my Dreamweaver creation posts.  This one uses the jumbo "Fern Frond" stencil which was simply ink stenciled over the background of the card. The tiles were pre-punched and placed on a scrap paper using a bit of double sided tape to hold in place. The stencil was taped down over the top and the embossing paste was applied. The stencil was then removed (and cleaned immediately) and the paste was allowed to dry. When dry the stencil was placed over the surface again and the hardened paste surfaces were colored with chalks. The sentiment is a Class A' Peel sticker from Stampendous. The rest of the card was distressed with sponged ink. This card would work for many occasions and for men and women. I love that embossing paste! It is so easy to use and creates a wow look! So, break out those stencils and have some fun!
Pam

"Fern Frond" stencil from Dreamweaver (LJ829)
"Floral Pattern" stencil from Dreamweaver (LG631)
Embossing Paste from Dreamweaver (DEP)
Class A' Peel "Friendly Greetings" from Stampendous (AC961)
Decorating Chalks
Olympia Green Versafine ink from Tsukineko
Bazzill cardstock
brad fasteners
corner rounder

Sand Dollar Thoughts Card

Okay, I've been holding this in for over a week now (which is really hard for me!), but I'm so excited! I've just been selected to be part of the Dreamweaver Stencils new design team! I hadn't worked with stencils much for the past few years, but a couple of good friends loaned me a bunch of Dreamweaver goodies to play with. I had sooooo much fun. I started with the basics and then moved on to thinking outside of the box with stencils. I love being able to work with another paper craft technique, and I'm sure that I'll have opportunities to mix them all. Keep checking back for new stuff!
My first post for Dreamweaver uses their larger sand dollar stencil. I ran it through my Big Shot to emboss it into the paper. Two tricks I found to get a thick embossing: 1) Spritz the cardstock lightly with rubbing alcohol (not water because it will sometimes leave a mark when it dries) before embossing. 2) If you are lucky enough to have two of the same stencil, tape them together at the edges before embossing your cardstock. If you don't, you'll still get a nicely embossed image because these are well-made brass stencils.
I kept the card simple to show off the embossed focal point. I used a Stampendous sentiment on the panel at the bottom. The panel was created kind of by accident, and a happy one at that. I had used the Petals Background stencil for a different project and a layer of ink built up on the stencil. I started to clean it by spritzing with rubbing alcohol first and liked the way the ink and alcohol mingled on the stencil. So, I laid a piece of white cardstock over the top and voila! Kind of a reverse way to use the stencil. I'm sure I didn't invent this concept, but I had fun using it!

"Petals Background" stencil by Dreamweaver (LJ899)
"Sand Dollar" stencil by Dreamweaver (LR12)
Perfectly Clear "Ornamental Frames" from Stampendous (SSC197)
Azurite and Aquamarine ColorBox Chalk inks from Clearsnap
Sepia Versafine ink from Tsukineko
Coredinations, DCWV, and Strathmore cardstock
plain white cardstock
Big Shot (or other embossing machine)
corner rounder