Grace's Garden

Hi Friends,
How are you doing? I so wish I could get together with you, share some coffee or Diet Coke and maybe even a hug. What a weird world we have all been thrust into these days. I'm trying to be thankful for all the blessings I have in the midst of this trial but I am getting a little lonelier. The blogging helps me feel like I'm talking to a friend and I hope it will inspire you to not let this time be wasted. I'm baking more, reading more, knitting more, biking more and stamping more, all of which are good things. I just miss my peeps!

Today's card features the Grace's Garden stamp set but not the dies because the dies are stuck in China due to the COVID-19 crisis. I am sure someday I will receive them, but for now, I decided to make a card with just the stamps. To mimic the gate opening and closing, I chose a gate fold card layout. The measurements are 5-1/2" by 8-1/2", like a regular A2 card, but I scored at 2-1/8" on both sides. (Hint: Score on the left first at 2-1/8" and then turn the card to the other end and score again at 2-1/8").  Here's the card as well as a video I did demonstrating how I made it!

I used some Mosaic Mood Designer Series Paper to brighten up the card a bit and also hide where my Stampin'Blends coloring had bled through. I used Stampin' Blends to color what I had stamped and I used a new die from the upcoming "Ornate Garden" Suite which releases tomorrow. Check back tomorrow for a new blog post and all the details about that! This was a fun card to make and I realized I didn't miss the dies that coordinate with the stamps that much, although I'll be happy to receive them when they arrive!

Here's the video how-to:

I've been enjoying making more video tutorials. I hope they help you see what I did and how I did it, in case you have questions.  My supplies are listed below and today's the last day of Sale-A-Bration so it's a good time to shop and grab some extra goodies for free!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I miss seeing your face!
Sarah

Delivering Love

Hi Friends,
Just a quick post today. Montana has a "shelter at home" order that went into effect at midnight last night so yesterday I ran a few quick errands. I know I can still get essentials but I figured why be out and about when we are encouraged to stay home.  One thing on my list was to take a goodie bag to a an elderly friend and customer who unfortunately broke her ankle in early March and has now ended up in a rehab facility during the Covid-19 chaos. She is very bored and anxious to be home so I thought 2 things would cheer her up, stamping and cookies! I knew they wouldn't let me visit her in person so here's what I dropped off yesterday at the rehab facility.

Some months, I get extra Paper Pumpkin kits and then I have them to gift to someone. It's perfect for this situation and I'm sure she'll enjoy the home baked cookies and the stamping! If you're interested, click on the Paper Pumpkin link on the right (scroll down!)

Be sure to take care of yourself, your family and reach out to others who may be more isolated than you are and really "stuck" in their circumstances. One of my life's mottos is that "what goes around comes around". Not sure all that means but I do know the more kindness, cheer and good will you spread, it comes back to you tenfold in unexpected ways.

Have a good Saturday!
Sarah

Under My Umbrella bundle

Hi Stampin' Friends,
I hope you are healthy and staying safe. Our state (Montana) goes into "shelter in place" mode at midnight tonight so we made a quick trip to the grocery store for a few things. All the essential businesses will still be open but it sounds like it's best to just stay home for now. What a different world we are living in right now. It sure gives you time to think about your life and what you've maybe ignored when things were more hectic.

I'm using much of this time to stamp. It brings me joy, provides a creative outlet and is better than watching TV nonstop.  I felt I should focus on stamp sets I haven't blogged about yet, so here goes. Today I'm sharing the "Under My Umbrella" bundle. It's a cute little set that features a punch so is perfect for any type of crafter and really easy to pass around and share. The sentiments are a little different than the usual so that was a nice bonus too. Here are some samples I came up with:

This first one features the 3D Brick embossing folder which I absolutely love. I could use it all day! I also wanted to work in the pretty tricolor purple stripe ribbon so that helped me with my color scheme. The punch cut out the umbrellas and I stamped the handles. I extended the length of them with a Basic Black Stampin'Write marker.  Maybe a better sentiment for our times would be "No matter the social distancing, we're friends forever" !!!!

This second card features some of the special Designer Series Paper offered with the Coordination Product Release. These are set to go away on March 31st, so if you still want to grab some the "Pleased As Punch" DSP, get some soon (#153558). It has paper designs that coordinate with the Umbrella Punch, the Tulip Punch, the Heart Punch and the Small Bloom punch, all part of the Mini Catalog and Sale-a-Bration offerings. Are you curious about the polkadots on the purple umbrella? I used the Blackberry Bliss Stampin'Blends to color the umbrella and then used the color lifter Stampin' Blend to make some dots. It removes the color and you can get more or less color removed depending on how much you color with the lifter. I thought it was kinda a fun touch!

My last card takes full advantage of the punch and the coordinating DSP. I punched out all the umbrellas and then used some Silver Foil Paper to punch out the handles.  This is a simple card but makes a big splash with all those colorful umbrellas (pun intended).

Here's a look at the bundle so you can see what all comes with it:



It's nice to play with a simple bundle and see what you can do without a lot of extra product, although I love buying as much as I'm able to buy!  I'll be back soon with more ideas and I hope you've been inspired to take some creative time for yourself and do a little stamping.  All the products I used for these cards are below and you can click on any of them to direct you to the online store. Thanks for stopping by!

Sheltering and Stampin',
Sarah

Sharing What You Love with Those You Love!

Hi Friends,
Today's blog post is a little different!  Last night I did a Facebook Live session around the topic of sharing stamping with a non-stamper.  My husband Jeff had agreed to help me out and he definitely qualifies as a stamping newbie. He didn't completely realize what he agreed to but was a good sport throughout. We made a card in an effort to show how easy it is to stamp and make something, with just a little help!  Here's the card we made:

I designed this card with Jeff in mind because we love to 4-wheel in our side-by-side all around Montana, which of course has lots of mountains.  I've listed the supplies below so you can check out what products we used.  I kept this simple but also incorporated some fun tools like punches, embellishments and the Stampin' Blends alcohol markers. I think we both felt quite accomplished after making this card and he agreed that stamping was "not hard"!

If you want to see the whole thing, check out our FB Live here:

I doubt we'll take this show on the road but it was fun to show how stamping can be a fun activity, especially in times of self quarantine and enjoyable for even the newest of stampers! Thanks for watching!

Happy Stampin',
Sarah

Flood Your Town with Thank You cards!

Hey Stampers,
Today's blog post is a call to arms for all you card makers out there!  Let's put our talent, supplies and time to good use and flood our communities with thank you cards. There are so many people that are not able to "hunker down" in these troubling days because they are essential to keep the rest of us supplied, healthy, fed and moving. Think about the medical care people you know, the grocery store owners and clerks, the small local coffee shops, bars, restaurants, the first responders, even the mail carriers, UPS and the garbage pickup people. All of them are still working  and deserve a huge thank you from us.

Yesterday, I dug around and found some retired Memories and More cards and also some card/envelope combos that coordinate with them. I made 10 cards, 2 of each, in about 30 minutes and it was fun!  Today I'm sending all of these in the mail to some of the folks I just mentioned above and I plan to make more today.  Take a look:

What's laying around in your craft room that could be put to good use today?  I hope you'll take up my challenge and join me in flooding your town with thank you cards. Here's another idea. Make some 3" x 3" cards to have in your purse and hand them to people. I so wished I had thought of this before this morning when I had to get some routine lab work done. I encountered 3 people, the nurse who took my temperature at the door, the receptionist that signed me in and the lab tech that drew my blood. I could have given each of them a card right on the spot. That's my next plan! 

I would love to hear what you're doing to reach out to others during this crazy days. We all know it's more blessed to give than receive - LET'S SHOW IT!

Happy Stampin' and with a grateful heart,
Sarah

Easter is just around the corner!

Hi Stampin' Friends!
I don't know about you but stamping is providing some wonderful therapy and distraction these days. I am usually not home quite this much and while I'm trying other things I enjoy like baking and knitting, I'm also doing things that need to be done like cleaning out closets and a storage shed. There is still plenty of time leftover and I'm using it to stamp.  I had ordered the Easter stamps in the Mini Catalog awhile back and hadn't gotten around to doing anything with them. Finally, I played... Here's what I have to show you today:

My first card is from the "Full of Happiness" set which features a wonderful smudgy chick and egg. I used a stamp pad to stamp the chick but used my Stampin'Write markers to stamp the egg stripes. If you use the brush end of your marker, it's easy to apply the ink to the stamp and switch up colors for each stripe. A light "huff" on the stamp to re-wet it works really well after you have all the colors on there and before you stamp. I added a little green grass with a grunge stamp from the "Painted Poppies" set. The embossing folder is a sneak peek at a new item available April 1st!

My next two cards are made using the "Easter Promise" stamp set. I tried to go for a vintage style with the one above, using the Woven Threads Designer Series Paper. By the way, you can get a pack of that as a freebie with the 3rd release of Sale-A-Bration products from now until March 31st!  This was my favorite pack of paper when the Annual Catalog came out!

The card below is a sentimental choice for me. I was raised in South Dakota and the state flower is the Pasque flower or crocus. They grow in the wild in the Black Hills and are generally the first flower of spring. The petals are mostly pale purple with a little white. This reminded me of home, my parents and much time spent in the Hills. For this card, I again chose to use "Woven Threads" DSP and then colored the flowers with my Stampin'Blends alcohol markers.

My last card uses the third Easter set in this year's Mini Catalog, "Welcome Easter". It's full of really cute animals that are fun to stamp and color. I fussy cut the animals out after I colored them with Stampin' Blends markers. I used some "Garden Lane" Designer Series Paper in my background and surrounded each animal with a Soft Seafoam Green die cut circle, using the "Stitched Shapes" dies.

Easter is a couple of weeks away so I'm a little late in showing these to you but there is still time to order this week, make some cards and have them ready in time for Easter. The animals would make great table decorations or party favors as well.  Easter is one of my favorite holidays because of the real reason, the resurrection of Jesus Christ but I'm not sure what it will look like this year with our Covid-19 chaos and all the social distancing we are doing. I will still celebrate even if it's only me and my family, in our home! I hope your Easter is blessed as well.

You can check out all the products I used below and a click on any of them will take you to the online store.  Don't miss out on SAB this last week if there are still some things you'd like to get your hands on!  Meanwhile, stay safe and healthy and keep on stampin'!!

Blessings,
Sarah

Watercolor Drip technique with 3 gorgeous cards!

Hi Stampin' Friends!
I did a Facebook Live today on my "Big Sky Stampin' " FB page and want to share it here, as well as my projects!

Here are the projects:

This is the card I made with my sample "Watercolor Drip" piece in the video below!

Easy to gather supplies for this technique!

Watch the video below for all the details!

I encourage you to visit the online store to check out all our reinker colors, watercolor paper and more that was used to share this technique!  Click on "shop now" on the right, or on any of the supply items listed below.

I'll be doing more FB Live videos as we are into our second week of social distancing and no "in home" classes. I miss all of you!  Reach out if you have questions or are lonely!

Blessings,
Sarah

Three Cheers for Paper Pumpkin, or What can I do under quarantine?

Hi Friends!
How's your life these days?  I pray you aren't sick or scared but only a little restless or bored. The restless and bored we can fix and my favorite prescription is a subscription to Paper Pumpkin!  I've talked about this fun kit before but now it may actually be a lifesaver for long days and sleepless nights.

Paper Pumpkin is Stampin'Up!'s monthly subscription kit that is a steal of a deal. You get everything thing you need in a box, via the mail, each month for a fabulous one of a kind project like cards, gift giving packaging, party favors, home decor, etc. Most of the months, your project will be cards but you can always repurpose the supplies to what you want to make.  It's a surprise every month, but they give us hints!  You need to sign up before the 10th of a month to receive that month's kit. You always have the option of pausing or canceling your subscription and you can easily increase the number of kits you receive if you would like to share some crafting time with your kids, your friends or coworkers. You will find that this is inexpensive therapy with a purpose... useable projects you have when you are done. This is all for $22 per kit, per month.

I have a couple of videos to share today and some pictures. The first is of me getting my March Paper Pumpkin and then some pics showing the process of making them.

Doesn't that look like fun?  You get great directions but if you like to go rogue, you can always do that as well. 

The next kit is coming in April and here's what Stampin'Up! has to say about it:

At Paper Pumpkin, we believe in making a difference—especially when it comes to helping our subscribers build relationships through papercrafting. For April, we created a fun, family appreciation themed card kit that would make it easy for customers to share their hearts with those they love most: mom, dad, daughter, son, sister, and brother. April’s kit even includes Mother’s Day and Father’s Day sentiments, giving your customers the perfect way to show their appreciation for beloved parents on their special days with a beautiful, handmade card.

And, here's a promo video teasing the theme!

Want to give it a try?  You can click on the link below for more information and to subscribe. I'll send all new subscribers a free gift in the mail to jump start your stamping fun!  Be sure to sign up before April 10th to receive April's kit!  Contact me if you have any questions....

Paper Pumpkin monthly "Fun In a Box"


Happy Weekend and Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Retiring soon! 2018-2020 In Colors!

Hi Stampers,
How's your social distancing going these days? Some of you are in more urban areas but many of us are in more rural areas where social distancing is the norm!  I'm spending lots of time in my stamp room, going through some old stuff, catching up on some Paper Pumpkin projects and having a generally relaxing good time with this stamping hobby. Stamping therapy is a good break from whatever stress you have in your life and it's a welcome distraction from the news which hasn't been good for awhile now. Hopefully all these efforts will result in success and we will be back to normal life soon - that's what I'm praying for.

One thing that popped up on my radar was the fact that this is the time of year where we get ready to retire certain Stampin'Up! products to make room for the new Annual Catalog which will be coming out in May and ready to launch on June 3rd.  Every year, a set of In Colors retire and I wanted to remind you of what will no longer be available in June. Often, these colors sell out quickly so now is the time to stock up if you need anything.  I have a couple of pictures to show you to remind you of the colors. I made these cards from color samples I made when they first came out in spring 2018. I've enjoyed their presence in our color palette and will miss them when they are gone!  Just to jog your memory, they are :

Blueberry Bushel
Call Me Clover
Pineapple Punch
Grapefruit Grove
Lovely Lipstick

Here's a pic I made from my samples. I used the "Rooted in Nature" glorious tree and then turned all of them into thank you cards.  Sharp eyes will note the matching card stock, DSP and ribbon!

Here's a close up if you're curious about my card design. It's pretty obvious and not too complicated.

So, what specifically is going away? All the card stock, ink, refills, markers, Designer Series Paper, ribbon and buttons that are made in the 2018-2020 In Colors. If you have a favorite or two, I highly recommend stocking up soon, at least by mid April, to be able to get what you want. Once an item is sold out, they will not replace it because these colors are retiring anyway. In the past, there has been a bit of a run on card stock and ink, just FYI.  What's your favorite?  Mine is Blueberry Bushel, followed by Lovely Lipstick.  I am okay with Grapefruit Grove and Call Me Clover but never became a big fan of Pineapple Punch.  How about you?

I've listed some supply pics/codes below so you can get to the store and see what's there.  Here's another link that will work well:

2018-2020 In Color products

Thanks for stopping by!  Keep up the stamping and check in on your friends once in awhile to let them know you are thinking about them. Sending a card is even better!

Happy Stampin',
Sarah

Tri-Panel Spanner card in three versions!

Hi Stamper Friends!
Today I have something for the more avid crafter! This is an easy to make, spectacular to look at card that will have your recipient amazed at your talent!  The secret is a couple easy cuts on a normal card and a hidden window sheet!  Curious?  I have three of them for you and can't wait to show you!

I have pictures of them all but I think a short video explaining the construction process will help you see the pictures differently and understand what you're looking at. Have a look....

Here's the card version featuring the Tropical Oasis suite which is in the 2020 Mini Catalog. I love dreaming about a warmer, tropical climate in what continues to be winter in Montana!

First panel, the outside of the card:

Second panel, opening up first flap:

Inside of card, opening up second flap:

The first card I made of this style was actually the one below, using the "Pressed Petals" suite and Positive Thoughts stamps with Nature's Thoughts dies, found in the Annual Catalog and Mini Catalog. I tried to use it all including Washi tape elements!

Outside of card:

Second panel:

Third panel, inside the card:

The last one of these I did is making use of the "Come Sail Away" suite in the Annual Catalog. I wanted to try my hand at one of these style of cards for a man. I knew between the Designer Series Paper, the stamps and the dies, I would have lots of elements to decorate my card with.  Here it is:

First panel, outside of card:

Second panel:

Third panel, inside of card:

When it comes to actually using this card, I will either add some more white card stock to this panel for writing or will write on the back of the card. My husband is a Navy Veteran so that's who will get this one!

I hope you enjoyed seeing the variations of a simple yet dramatic card with use of a hidden window sheet and all sorts of panels to decorate with DSP and more. I will for sure be making more of these! Anyone out there think this will be the next card they try? I hope you do!

Don't forget about Sale-A-Bration! We are in the home stretch and online shopping is still a great option when you are waiting out the Coronavirus at home. Stamping is indeed great therapy and we all need that more than ever these days. Click on "shop now" on the right and be sure to contact me if you have any questions or need help with an order.

Keep calm, stay safe and keep stamping!
Sarah

By the Dock Bundle with Watercolor Technique

Hi Friends,
Well, have you figured out what to do with the extra time you have on your hands? After not leaving my house for 4 days, I finally made a quick in and out trip to Target for hair mousse. Ridiculous? It depends on how tolerant you are with bad hair days I guess. I also ventured to Costco in hopes of bagging some hand sanitizer but alas, I was too late for that pot of gold. Oh well.... I will stay home and use soap and water like I have been.

Anyway, how's your stamping or other crafting coming along? I'm having "fun" doing some things I have on my to do list that just don't get done. Like trying a new bread recipe (see below), trying to organize a Zoom meeting for my SU demo team and cleaning up my phone contact list, haha!

I do have more creative fun to show you! Awhile back, I included this card in a post using the "By the Dock" bundle (click here ) and today I wanted to share more about how I did a watercolor technique with Stampin'Up! Watercolor pencils. These are inexpensive tools that are super fun to play with. Here's the card:

The bundle provided what I needed for stamps and dies, including being able to cut out the boat and also die cut the paddles and the frog. I want to share how I colored the water and sand. I piece of Shimmery White card stock works great for this card and makes the sand and water sparkle a little more. You can also add some Wink of Stella to the water if you want even more sparkle. I used Coastal Cabana, Pacific Point and Night of Navy pencils for the water and Early Espresso and Basic Gray for the sand.  I created a short video showing you how to color and then apply water with either a Blender Pen or an Aqua Painter to move the color around and create a more blended effect.  Check it out:

Our Watercolor Pencils are high quality and suitable for adult coloring books, journaling or other projects you might have in mind. I keep mine in a VHS style case along with a blender pen and pencil sharpener so they are all in one place and easy to grab.

Just a reminder, Sale-A-Bration is still going on so you can create an order of Watercolor Pencils, some blender pens or Aqua Painters and paper and hit your $50 minimum in no time. There are some great products to choose as freebies for every $50 increment you reach. Be sure to check out the online store for all the details. Click on "shop now" on the right side bar!

Let me know if you need more ideas to spend some time while you are social distancing. What a crazy concept when so much of our lives are spent working on relationships with those we love, those we work with and those we have to get along with ;)

You can also bake! I finally cracked open a book I bought on spring break a year ago, at the Nordic Museum in Seattle, WA.  I'm of major Norwegian descent and felt it was my duty and delight to bake like they do in the old country.  My first attempt was a basic wheat loaf. The yeast measurement was a little wonky and I decided I will try to add more next time but the bread was delicious!

I'll report back when I perfect my Nordic baking skills!

Happy Stampin',
Sarah

Three Cheers to You Kit - Help, I'm Bored to tears!

Hi Friends!
You might have stumbled on my blog recently or have been faithful followers... my goal in the next couple of weeks is to provide some much needed distraction from the craziness of the Covid-19 chaos as well as all the other troubling and ever-changing state of our world. You may also be stuck at home for the first time in a long time and are having trouble figuring out what to do with yourself. I don't have all the answers, but I have one!  Stamp!!  Maybe it's time to try a hobby you haven't explored yet or dust off your stamping skills and get back into it. There are lots of options but I'm going to start with the easiest... Kits, specifically all-inclusive kits!  What if it was easy to make a card like this?

Guess what?  It is!!  Watch this video for an explanation!

(I realized after I finished the video that I did not show the ink "spot" that was included in the kit, but rest assured, all-inclusive kits also include ink!!)

Here are pics of the rest of the cards in the "Three Cheers for You" kit, up close so you can really see them. They are beautiful and have such a gorgeous color scheme to launch off of.

I can assure you that it takes no particular advanced skills to make these cards. Can you look at pictures?  Can you glue?  Can you punch out precut flowers?  Then you can also stamp!  I'd love to get a kit like this or our other kits into your idle hands so  click on this link to the online store for more information or to order!

Three Cheers for You Card Kit

I'm also happy to place an order for you via text, email or phone, which can be shipped directly to you, no matter where you live in the United States. This kit is also a great gift idea for your crafty or card sending friends. Think about any birthdays coming up as well as Mother's Day! You could give the kit as a gift or make all the cards and give the box of cards as a gift.

Thanks for letting me share an idea with you for the time you have at hand, which is plenty right now!  Stay tuned for more ideas!

Happy Stampin' and healthy wishes!
Sarah

Peaceful Poppies Elements Layered Fold

Hi Stampin' Friends!
It has been awhile since I've connected with you via blog. In that short amount of time, it seems our world has completely upended and we are in uncharted territory. About the current Coronavirus situation, let me say I hope you are safe and healthy, as well as your families and those you love and work with. Obviously, this unprecedented situation is creating many headaches and inconveniences with cancellations of school, church, events, travel and more. I personally had a busy March and April ahead of me and now it's wide open with no plans. I'm assuming you are in the same boat. While I'm praying for a swift passing of this virus and a return to "normal", I'm also praying for some silver linings such as more time together as a family, a general slowing down of our hectic lives and maybe some resetting of priorities and goals.

While I take all this very seriously, I'm also stuck at home for the next few weeks and so being a crafty person, is this the opportunity I've always dreamed of? I am a little bit overwhelmed with nothing but time ahead of me so I plan to make it productive by crafting - all of it - stamping, knitting, quilting and catching up on my photo albums. I could binge watch Netflix all day, everyday, but that would be a waste of this unexpected and unplanned gift of time.  What are you thinking?

I'm not sure what direction my Stampin'Up! business will take, especially regarding the in home classes that I offer, but I do plan to use this time to up my game online so, with that in mind, here's a post today, including a video "how-to" for your viewing pleasure.  Here's the project:

The feature set of the 2020 Mini Catalog has been the Peaceful Poppies Suite. Included in the suite is a product called "Peaceful Poppies Elements" that contains some fun die cuts, black accents, vellum and watercolor paper flowers. I've already used several of the vellum and watercolor pieces, but hadn't used the rest. I recently needed 10 cards for a swap at my demo team meeting and decided I wanted to use these elements. I had wanted to make a tri-layered card as well, with each fold cascading away from each other. I know this has been done before, but I just figured it out myself and was so happy with the results. The video below gives you all the details but in case you need it in writing, here's the card directions:

Poppy Parade cardstock cut at 5-1/2" x 11-3/4"
From left to right, score at 2", 3", 5" and 7-3/4"

I used the Peaceful Poppies DSP to decorate the surface of my panels as well as the Stone 3D embossing folder. One other note, I did use white embossing powder and heat embossing for my "Congratulations" sentiment to make sure it popped out agains the black background. Here's the video:

I hope you've enjoyed this project idea!  Stay tuned for more videos and more Facebook Live  videos on my Facebook Page, located here:

Big Sky Stampin' Facebook Page

Until next time, stay warm, stay healthy, stay inside and keep on stamping!
Sarah

Beautiful Moments

Hi Stampers!
I hope you are ready for some fun coloring!  Stampin'Up! has been increasing the number of stamp sets that lend themselves to coloring and the sketched drawing styles tops the list in my opinion!  The new stamp set "Beautiful Moments" is the latest one and features women and girls that are easy to relate to and easy to color.  Ready to see some ideas?  I sure had fun!

If you like to use an Aqua Painter with ink for your watercoloring technique, you will love this card!  Be sure to use watercolor paper so it can absorb all the water without breaking down.  Stampin'Up! has great watercolor paper that comes in 5" x 7" sheets so I cut one in half for this card. I started at the bottom and slowly worked my way up with horizontal brush strokes of color. I used Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Soft Seafoam, Pool Party, Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay. I stamped my image prior to watercoloring and be sure to use Stazon ink because it is permanent and won't bleed.  Below, you can view a quick Youtube video showing how I made this card!

This card is the result of a different idea that went awry.  I had made a mountain scene with my "Snowfront" stamp set and then added this woman in a field image also, then in coloring it, really messed it up and so had to cut her out. I was going to throw the whole thing away, but decided to salvage her. That is the explanation for the somewhat awkward shape I cut! I had to cut away everything that was a disaster from the first project. I made it better by adding some of the new "So Very Vellum" paper which is a new freebie in the Sale-A-Bration promotion. I love the soft colors. I used one of the larger rectangle dies for my white frame as well. To color, I used our alcohol markers, Stampin'Blends. They color easily and smoothly and with a dark and light shade of every color, it's a snap to blend.

This final card is my emotional favorite! I'm the mother of two girls and I have such strong memories in my head and photos in my drawers of these two precious girls, hand in hand, everyday, exploring, learning and laughing. That sister bond is incredible and I'm so very blessed to have a couple sisters of my own.  This image was also colored with Stampin'Blends.

As promised, here's my video tutorial of the first card with a watercolor technique.

I love this style of stamp that lets me color with different techniques. It's a fun past time to color and the end result is stunning with the right tools. I've listed my supplies below as always and a click on any of them will take you to the store. I hope you try coloring soon!

Thanks for stopping by!  I'd love to have you be a regular "follower" of this blog. You can click on the "follow me" button and you'll receive email notification when I have a new post!

Happy Stampin!
Sarah

Well Dressed

Hi Stampers!
Yesterday I featured some new Sale-a-Bration paper and today I want to share a new stamp set you can earn for free with a $50 order of any Stampin' Up! product. This set is perfect for guys and if you're looking forward to making some cards for birthdays or Father's Day, this set will help you out! It's a classic take on a classy guy! Here's are some ideas:

As you can see, the stamps a clean, crisp images of "guy" accessories that are fun to mix and match.  Because there are no sentiments included in this stamp set, I used some other stamps to help me out including the "Pedal to the Metal" set, the "Label Me Bold" set and a birthday set that I forgot to write down, haha! I love to stamp on our Designer Series Paper, which I did in the second example above.

Here's a peek at the stamp set itself!



As you can see, all kinds of dapper dude cards can use these fun images!

Thanks for stopping by!  Keep coming back for more ideas and inspiration!  My supplies are listed below if you want more information or would like to order anything.  Please contact me with questions!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah