Polished to Perfection

Stampin' Up - Embrace Life -My Asian Version

I have always loved the beautiful colors and prints of Washi Paper.  When I saw this stamp from the SU Embrace Life Set, I couldn't wait to get home and use it with the little stash of Asian Paper I have been hoarding for months just waiting for the right stamp. I started with a SU Basic Black A2 sized card. The Asian Sticker is the from Magenta and is the symbol for Serenity which I thought was the perfect sentiment for this card.  Washi Paper is expensive but as you can see a little goes a long ways. The white paper is shimmery white from SU which I colored with the following Copic Markers R22, R27, R29 and R59. I always work from light to dark. I matted the Washi Papers with Copper Ore Petallic Cover from Worldwin Papers.  I used a red shimmer Krylon Pen to edge the card and the edges of the white shimmer paper.  Today I hope to get the chance to play with the other stamps from this set with my Asian Papers at Tracey's Open House (click here to see the projects that she is doing for her open house). Have a great weekend!!

Stampin' Up - Embace Life Cards

My sister Tracey (aka LakeshoreStamper) is hosting an SU Open House on Saturday, so yesterday I spent the afternoon with her designing cards for the Open House.  This image is from the Embrace Life SU Stamp Set.  To create this card I used my A2 Cuttlebug Embossing Folder to Dry Emboss the entire card and all the mat layers and I also decided to match the print chich gave my card a striking effect.  This is really easy to do..easier than matching Wallpaper.  I took some photos so you could see the card in process:

I started by dry embossing the entire card front in my cuttlebug.  You can do this by placing the front on the card in the A2 Folder - make sure it is in the folder even, now leave the back of the card extended beyond the A2 Folder and place it flat on your B Plate.  To match the print determine the size of your next mat (this one is SU Pixie Pink).  Place it on your card and determine where it will fall on the swirl design, then place it into your folder matching the design and the direction of the embossing imprint.

Continue this for each layer of matting. This layer is SU's Tempting Turquoise.

Next I added a basis black layer - which I again embossed matching the print. I staped the beautiful blossom on shimmery white and used SU Markers - Pixie Pink, Pink Passion and Rose Red to color in my blossom.  I colored the petals closest to me with the Pixie Pink first and then colored the petals that were further back with Pink Passion.  Next I shaded the Pixie Pink Petals with the Pink Passion and I shaded the Pink Passion Petals with the Rose Red.

Next I used the SU Large Oval Punch to diecut a Pink Passion oval and the SU Small Oval Punch to diecut a small shimmery white oval which I then stamped using the 3 for you Punch Set.  Next I added an oval embellishment fro the SU Hodgepodge Hardware Pewter set.  Now I loved the card ...but I always like to do one more step so I added tempting teal ribbon next.

I love the simplicity of this card.  Now Yesterday I asked everyone which card they like better - the black & white or the red and white, since it was a Valentine's Day Card everyone had great difficulty choosing since it was a Valentine's Day Card.  So I was having difficulty photographing the dry embossing with the basic black cardstock - so I decided to make it in white as well.  So again the question is - Black or White??  Which design do you prefer??

Thanks again for stopping by!!  Stop back tomorrow to see a truly Asian Twist on this blossom.

Happy 10th Birthday Jack

Today is my Son Jack's Birthday...we are a Bi-Coastal family and Jack lives with his mom during the school year which is why I stamped I miss you on my ribbon....and if you have been reading my blogs - you will remember that I have never actually sent a card- so this is a first!! ( I use my cards for class samples) Jack will be very surprised!! Probably not as surprised as my husband was when I told him I had made this card for Jack. 

I love this elephant from the Happy Heart Day set from Stampin' Up!! I am having so much fun designing cards using him.  For this version I stamped him on a tiny star print from Pebbles Inc and then cut him out.  I painted his toenails green with my Melon Spica Micro Glass Flake Pen . Next I designed my background mat on this fun paper from Best Creations - it reminded me of blowing bubbles. I used my rectangle scalloped nestibilities to die cut my design and scuffed the edges with Graphite Black Brilliance Ink.  Since I am on this mission to really use my stamps - you will notice that I used stamps from 3 Companies to create this card.  The happy birthday is from Lockhart Stamps and the heart flowers, XOXO. Love You and Miss You are all from My sentiments exactly...I loved the fact that the verse in this set was perfect for stamping on ribbon- I used brillance ink to stamp on my ribbon.  The ribbon is from American Crafts.  I chose this Cuttlebug A2 Embossing Folder - to accentuate the circles in the DP.  The epoxy stars are also from Best Creations.  I colored the heart flowers using my Copic Markers.

Here is a view of the interior of the card...which holds Jack's Gift Card in it!!

Happy Heart Print Day Card

As I was designing my Sweetheart Boxes yesterday...my mom insisted that my pink elephant was just too cute to decorate a kids box of candy...So here is it in a card version.  Don't you just hate it when your Mother is right!!  ( just kidding mom!!)

Happy Heart Day - Sweetheart boxes- Updated!!

Tonight - I am on a design roll...so I thought I would just show you a quick picture of these cute Sweetheart Boxes - which would be perfect for your Valentine's Day Party's.  I promise to back track tomorrow and write directions for my last 2 post!!    Be Creative!!  The stamps are the Happy Heart Day set from Stampin' Up....aren't they adorable!!!

Rather than coloring in the happy heart day elephant - I decided to stamp the image on a patterned piece of paper. I painted his toenails red with my Spica Micro Glass Flake Pen and cut out the image.  Next I stamped the image on White Luster (the Paper Cuts) and colored in the in the hearts and using my red copic marker.  To emphasize the  stems I highlighted them with the Melon Spica. When I was designing the sweetheart boxes I wanted to be able to see the candy...so I used a Marvy Heart punch to make a heart shape in the elephants tummy....after shaking the box several times I realized that the probability that i would ever be able to position a conversation heart in the right place was slim to nil so I filled in the area that I punched out with a leftover red scrap from a Cuttlebug A2 Textile Plate.  Now as luck had it---when I moved into my new studio I reorganized my cardmaking supplies by category and when I went to the Valentine's day box...it just so happened that I had these great conversation Hearts embellishments from EK Success.  They come in a variety of colors and sayings and luckily the pink and white ones just happen to have appropriate sayings.  The red cardstock mat is dry embossed using the      A2 Cuttlebug Folder.  I used my rectangular scalloped nestabilities to die cut the image and then added all the Rhinestones from Kaiser Crafts...they are very addictive and come in tons of colors.  Each packet has three sizes of rhinestones.  To wrap the box I used                          from Pebbles Inc

Next I decided to make another using the cute little mouse from The Happy Heart Day Set (Stampin' UP)

I used my oval scalloped nestabilities to make a window in my wrap.  I then stamped my mouse image and tried to center it in the scalloped window...but no matter what I couldn't quite get enough of the image...so I decided to make it 3-D by stamping and coloring a second image of the mouse.  I decided to use a foam square for more added dimension.  The pink heart is a heart fastener from Heidi Grace, which I had to cut the fastner off the back as it was just a little to deep.  The flower on the heart is a glittered rub on from Cloud 9 which I added a pink rhinestone to.  The Polka Dotted flowers are from Doodlebug.  The Polka dotted Ribbon is from Creative Impressions and the floral paper is from Pebbles Inc.  The heart rhinestone was originally clear and I altered it using my R29 Copic Sketch Marker. Now as always the design possibilities for these boxes are endless....I would love to see what I have inspired you to make with these boxes.  Please feel free to email photos of your boxes!!!