Thursday, July 10, 2014

tickled pink!


i fell in love with this stamp set, flamingo lingo, from the minute i saw it in the 2014-2015 stampin up! catalog and just couldn't wait to get started creating with it.  not only do i happen to love pink, it also just evokes summer and sunshine!  i knew i wanted my first card to be full of bright, summery colors, and the rich crushed curry yellow seems to be drenched in hot sun.  plus, this set is part of stampin' up's partnership with ronald mcdonald house charities, so $3 from the purchase of each set is donated to the cause. 

there are a lot of fun punches and dies that coordinate with this set as well, and i wanted to use as many of the pieces as I could for full effect!  so here's a look at what went into this project (all products from stampin' up!):

  • flamingo lingo stamp set
  • petite petals punch
  • scallop oval punch
  • bitty banner framelits dies (not pictured)
  • crushed curry 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock
  • 2013-2015 designer series paper stack (i used the strawberry slush polka-dot paper)
  • whisper white cardstock
  • classic stampin' pads in crushed curry, strawberry slush and crisp cantaloupe or calypso coral, depending on how pink or peachy you want your flamingo!
  • a little white button
  • baker's twine


if you're new to cardmaking, a standard card base is a sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock, cut in half to 8 1/2 by 5 1/2, and then folded in half to 5 1/2 x 4 1/4.  after prepping my crushed curry card bases, i cut my strawberry slush polka-dot designer series paper to 5 inches by 3 1/4 to allow for a half-inch margin on the left and right sides of the card and along the bottom.

i stamped all the rest of my stamps on whisper white cardstock - the flamingo in calypso coral and crisp cantaloupe, the scalloped floral piece in crushed curry, and the flower and "tickled pink" saying in strawberry slush.  i punched and die cut the latter three... more on tools for that in a later post!  i didn't bother measuring my flamingo, i just simply used my paper trimmer to trim around it and used the size i got!

i wanted my "tickled pink" banner to have some dimension, so I put a stampin' dimensional (basically a foam sticker, also known as a pop dot) in the center to pop it up, and used regular double-sided adhesive on the ends.  after everything was attached to the page, i ran some baker's twine through my button holes, tied and trimmed the twine, and put that in the center of my flower.

...and here are the end results!


  

so summery and fun! get in touch if you want more information on how to use or get any of these supplies. or, even better, if you're in the dc area, come join me for a stamp camp and make one yourself!

happy creating!  

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

well hello there!


hey there - thanks for stopping by!  i've been dreaming about a blog for a long time, because i absolutely love to create, but i love to help others find their creative side even more.  i can't tell you how many people i've heard say, "but i'm just not creative..."  and that breaks my heart.  there was a time when we all picked up scissors and glue and markers and we would cut and paste with abandon and proudly bring our creations home for our parents to hang on the fridge.  and it was liberating! somewhere along the line, though, we start to think that what we create doesn't have the same value as what, say, someone else is creating - maybe someone who is getting paid to create, or went to school to study art, or who just naturally seems really good at it.  those people are wonderful and wonderfully inspirational, but what sets them apart is that they've had a heck of a lot of practice creating.  the "crafty" part of your brain should really be a muscle - it takes exercise and practice for your creativity to blossom.  and sharing ideas with fellow creatives helps us all find new ways to create fun new things!

in this blog i'll share the projects i'm working on, talk about some of my favorite products, and give as many tips and tricks along the way as i can.  and if you're in the washington, dc area - come create with me!  i often teach cardmaking and scrapbooking classes and would love to make something fabulous with you.