Poppin' Up!

This die set just said "FUN!" to me and when I saw this stamp set in my stash I immediately knew what I wanted to do!

I started by cutting the pieces from the Spring Potted Bunnies and Spring Teacup Bouquet dies in white card stock.  I used a blending tool and Distress Oxide inks to color them.

For the green of the stems I did use a regular dye ink in Garden Green.  I assembled my flower pots using a silicone mat.  I often to this when gluing pieces since I can  let them dry and not worry about them sticking to my table or paper.

For the background I used two stencils.  One is a dot stencil and the other I created using a circle die.  This allows me to stencil just a portion of the background.  I make sure to use Washi tape to secure everything to my mat so the stencils and background panel don't move.

I then stamped my sentiment, arranged my background pots and added some Washi tape to the side.

I decided to include a few upset flowers from the pot that the bunny decided to invade!

The bunny in his pot is popped up using foam dots and I added a few glitter enamel dots to the flower centers.

Dies: Cottage Cutz Spring Potted Bunny, Spring Teacup Bouquet
Stamps:  Paper Artsy
Inks: Distress Oxides (see photo above) and Stampin' Up! Garden Green

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Two Challenge Tuesday - Double Duty

My card today does double duty for two challenges - a color and a sketch challenge.

Here are the challenges:

a sketch at CAS Colours and Sketches, and the color challenge at Splitcoaststampers:

 So Saffron, Blushing Bride and Pool Party.

The card is fairly straightforward.  The only tricky part were the angles.  But I did some measuring, made light pencil marks and used my X-acto knife.  To get the stitching I used a cross-stitch edge die.  Since I knew the duck would cover up where they met it didn't matter hat it looked like where the stitching met.

This card could be used as either a shower or birth card depending on the sentiment inside.

Stamps and Dies: Stampin' Up! Something for Baby (retired)
Dies: Cottage Cutz Cute Phrase, Essentials by Ellen Stitched Edges

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Sending a Thousand Hugs

Happy Friday!  Are you ready for Mother's Day?  I am - I know that I will get a delicious meal complete with great company and I don't have to do any of the cooking or cleaning!  My card today could be used for Mother's day or any other occasion where you want to say "you're special."

I knew I wanted to use this bunny - I think he's adorable.  He is supposed to be holding a carrot but  for this purpose I wanted him holding a flower (or flowers).  After cutting them all out I decided that one was enough in his arms.

I used this week's sketch at Splitcoaststampers for my layout.  This made it go fairly quickly.  I just had to pick out the paper - which took a little time since I knew I was going to cut everything from white and match colors; I wanted to be sure I had ink that was fairly close.

I originally planned to use just Distress Oxide ink and did so for the bunny - Pumice Stone for him and Tattered Rose for his ears.  However, I found that I had some Stampin' Up! dye inks that matched the paper I so I went with those - Gumball Green, Pink Pirouette, Daffodil Delight and Melon Mambo.  I used a black Copic marker to color his nose and eyes.

Next I made an A2 card base from white card stock and added a yellow strip of washi tape.  This is a little bit a departure from the original sketch but the base needed just a little something.  The yellow added it. Varying a sketch just a LITTLE bit is usually allowed in sketch challenges, after all it is your interpretation of the sketch.  But when if can't tell that you've even used the sketch - you've gone too far!

This is the type of card that you can make to have on hand and then finish the inside to fit the occasion!

Dies: Cottag ecutz Carrot Patch Bunny, Sending Hugs Bear, Spring Grass, Double Stitched Rectangles
Ink: Distress Oxide Pumice Stone and Tattered Rose, Stampin' Up! Gumball Green, Pink Pirouette, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo,
Paper: Lawn Fawn Spring Fling
Stamps: Essentials by Ellen Lovely

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Two Challenge Tuesday

I had two color challenges this week.  And as in the past, the hostesses picked amazingly similar colors!  So I decided to make the same card in two versions - a CAS and a stepped up version.

My first card is for CAS Colours & Sketches using Mango Melody, Melon Mambo and Garden Green:

My second card for Splitcoaststampers uses Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo and Granny Apple Green:

Honestly, other than the Garden Green being slightly bluer, the colors are so close they look the same.  I suppose part of this is because I mixed some of the Melon Mambo into the center of the flower.  And I'll confess that I also decided to do two similar cards since this was a very busy weekend and it was faster to do a stepped up version of the CAS card rather than start from scratch!

I heat embossed both the flowers and sentiment in gold which I think adds to the elegance of the cards.  I wouldn't hesitate to give either as a birthday card - one of my goals this year is to actually send the cards that I make!

I used a brand-new, soon-to-be-released (in June) stamp set from Stampin' Up! - Bloom & Grow - in combination with two retired, but favorite stamp sets - Gorgeous Grunge and Butterfly Basics.  I think I will keep those sets forever.  There are some sets that I find are indispensable and these are two!

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Bloom & Grow, Butterfly Basics, Gorgeous Grunge
Dies: Budding Blooms
Ink: Crushed Curry, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Mango Melody, Melon Mambo

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Once Upon A Time Wedding Card

Happy Friday!  I have a wedding (or engagement) card using the Magical Fantasy dies from Cottage Cutz.  My family has a big wedding coming up this summer and there are several activities scheduled so I need cards.  When creating this one I certainly had Joe and Abi in mind.

This card can be personalized with the couple's wedding colors for a truly special card.

The card is pretty straightforward. All pieces are cut from white card stock (except the gold rings - I used a metallic card stock there).  I did use a pearlized white that was given to me by my mother-in-law.  I'm not sure where she got it but it makes elegant wedding/engagement cards.

To color the roses I used sponge daubers and So Saffron, Petal Pink and Soft Seafoam ink.

I often use a silicone mat when I am gluing small die pieces together.  While the pieces dry they do not stick to the mat.

I used a stack of three Petal Pink ovals under the white top oval to give just a hint of color.

I also added a tiny rhinestone to the solitaire ring.  The die has a stone shape for the ring but I like the little bit of bling that the rhinestone adds.

Dies: All Cottage Cutz -Little Princess & Roses, Once Upon A Time, Rose with Wedding Rings, Nested Stitched Ovals
Ink: Stampin' Up! Petal Pink, So Saffron, Soft Seafoam

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