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stamp review crew: birch

Welcome! So glad you are joining me today to check out the fun Stamp Review Crew blog hop featuring the Birch background stamp. I knew this was a must have stamp the minute I saw it. I really love wood textures and have always loved the look of birch wood. Now, I can have that look – in any color I choose!

My first card I stayed with the traditional white birch look and used Gray Granite ink.

I think the Coastal Cabana gingham print is a great contrast with the birch look. Let’s open the card and take a peek.

I layered the gingham dsp and three flowers on the left so they are in the same place as the ones on the card front. A fun detail is how the scallop circle is mostly hid when the card is closed. The Daffodil Delight and Calypso Coral flowers are from the Flourish and Well Written die sets.

My second card had a more subtle Birch look. I used Crumb Cake (stamped off) ink on a Crumb Cake panel.

I added some sponging with Whisper White ink for a more rustic look. The Daisy Lane daisy is colored with Watercolor Pencils, but not watercolored. Isn’t the white pencil on the crumb cake card stock fun!

Are you ready for more amazing Birch inspiration? Head on over to the talented Heidi or you can go back to Holly and her wonderful creations. Then make your way through the full blog roll. You won’t be disappointed.

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enjoy today

I have something I have to confess… I am a paper-holic. I love designer papers – the colors, patterns, possibilities! But, I often have a hard time using my pretty papers in fear that I will not have a particular pattern any more. Then what will I do? Ummm – BUY MORE PAPER! There are always pretty new papers coming out. So, what am I waiting for? I am working on using my stash, not just gazing at the pretty patterns. In fact, lately, I use dsp on almost every card. It adds a great level of detail without a lot of work.

Today’s card is actually a really simple card that looks much more complicated thanks to the gorgeous Magnolia Lane DSP.

The flower and leaves from the Magnolia Memory dies provide a great focal point. Just add a few accent details: punch out circle on edge of dsp, flower stamped in the open circle, scalloped detail between dsp prints, green linen thread and sentiment popped up.

So, use up those gorgeous papers. Make beautiful projects. There are always new patterns coming and more paper to buy!

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perennial essence

Hello! I thought I’d pop on today to share this super quick card. It is a really simple card that looks great thanks to the GORGEOUS Perennial Essence Designer Series Paper.

DSP’s bring a lot of detail to a project on their own. But, you can alter them to fit your needs by stamping on them or coloring them. For this card, I stamped the outlined flower on the left edge of the DSP in Blackberry Bliss ink.

I kept the sentiment panel simple to let the stunning paper take center stage. (Sentiments panel and card base are Blushing Bride.) I added a layer of vellum behind the sentiment for more depth and finished off with silver metallic thread and some Frosted Epoxy Droplets.

This sentiment is suitable for a variety of occasions: wedding, new job, moving, even graduation.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you are inspired to try personalizing your own DSP! Join me again to shine a spotlight on creativity!

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oast blog hop: end of summer

Hello crafty friends! Can you believe it is August already? Man the summer went fast. I’m really not ready to head into fall yet. Fitting that today’s One Stamp At A Time blog hop theme is End of Summer. Get ready for some great creative inspiration!

My take on this theme was to focus on adventure. Adventure that was had this summer or adventure yet to come: the next school year, going off to college, going from college into the work force, one more get away before fall, or maybe looking ahead to next summer’s adventures.

This fun card and coordinating tin would be great to send off a college freshman or for someone starting a new job or moving. The feature the Silhouette Scenes stamp set and coordinating Sweet Silhouettes dies.

I love the Blueberry Bushel gingham print peeking out.

I had this cute little tin so I decided to decorate it. It would be a great way to give a gift of cash to a graduate or to save up for your own adventure! I added some depth with the Crackle Paint background stamp.

I’m going to send you on over to Jeanna. You will love her interpretation of this fun theme.

You can find the full blog roll by clicking on the blue button below.

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dino days

Hello, my crafty friends! I really like to dig into a variety of styles for my cards: elegant, vintage, eclectic or fun. Even though my kids are grown, I still enjoy creating with fun stamp sets like Dino Days.

I paired this adorable guy with a bright color scheme of Coastal Cabana, Pumpkin Pie and Pineapple Punch. The coordinating Dino dies make this set even more versatile.

This dino and greeting remind me of the movie Meet the Robinsons:

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stamp review crew: sailing home

Hello friends! Welcome to another Stamp Review Crew blog hop. What is the Stamp Review Crew? We are an international group of paper crafters that get together to feature and review a single Stampin’ Up! stamp set on the first and third Monday of each month. All of our previous stamp set reviews are archived on the Stamp Review Crew blog. I get the honor of starting off the blog roll today.

For this hop, we are giving the Sailing Home stamp set its moment center stage. This stamp set isn’t one I normally would gravitate towards. But, I am SO glad I got it and the full Come Sail Away product suite. I have had so much fun creating with it.

This first card is one I made for a custom order. I was asked to make a sympathy card. A boat sailing into the sunset is what was requested. Here is what I created.

I created the sunset by sponging ink onto a Whisper White panel. I used Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Terracotta Tile, Balmy Blue and Night of Navy. I used some of the retired Wood Grains DSP and distressed the edges. The sentiment is from the retired Teeny Tiny Wishes. The boat was colored with water color pencils. Here is a closer look at the corner:

My second project today uses the card fold i learned from Ronda Wade and first showed on the Stamp Review Crew’s Bird Ballad blog hop. You can see that project HERE. I liked the fold so much so I kept playing with it.

I really like the Crackle Paint background stamp with the rope pattern Come Sail Away DSP. Here is the first open:

And full open:

I used the stitched label that was cut out from the front of the card as a layer for the sentiment. This card fold is such a great way to showcase gorgeous designer series papers!

Are you ready for more amazing inspiration with the Sailing Home set? I’m sending you over to the talented Ann, just click on the NEXT button below. If you like you can go back to the amazing Nikki by clicking on the PREVIOUS button. Which ever way you travel be sure to hit all of the stops along the way. So much creativity and inspiration awaits!

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check you out 2

I’m back today with another card with the Check You Out stamp set. I love this stamp set. It is so much fun! This card is one I designed for a recent card swap with other Stampin’ Up! demonstrators.

That little worm is so stinkin’ cute! Look at him and his little bow tie. Such a dapper little guy. This was a fun card to design. The colors play off of the cheerful smile the little worm is giving. I like how the layered circles off set the edges of the stack of books. Colors are Pool Party, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight and Crumb Cake.

The card I made to swap had a couple of minor changes. I used a scalloped circle punch instead of the scalloped die for the Daffodil Delight circle. The punch was just a little bigger. I also left off the rhinestones.

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born to shine

Hello! Today’s project features another NEW stamp set in the 2019-20 Stampin’ Up! catalog: Born to Shine. Both of my daughters are dancers, so this was a must have set for me. Yes, I said they ARE dancers. Yes, they are both grown, and no longer taking dance lessons or competing on the high school team, but it is truly a part of who they are. It is not something that is ever gone. It helped them develop grace, poise and confidence. I have so many great memories over their many years of dance. And yes, I miss watching them perform.

I absolutely love the saying “Dancing is like dreaming with your feet.” I’m so glad it is in this new stamp set!

I started with a Smoky Slate card base. I lightly dragged my Whisper White ink pad across it to give it a little distressed look. Behind the main panel is a bit of Highland Heather script print DSP. The top panel is the NEW In Color Purple Posy. I stamped the dancer with Highland Heather ink and the stars with Purple Posy, spattered some Smoky Slate ink and distressed the edges. The dancer’s dress is colored with Wink of Stella, but it doesn’t show up well in the photo. The sentiment is stamped in Whisper White ink on Basic Gray card stock and punched out with the Pretty Label punch. It reminds me of a cloud. Finishing touches are a bit of white flax ribbon and a few rhinestones.

This card brought back a flood of memories. I may need to go watch some of their old dance videos. Thanks for stopping by. Join me again to shine a spotlight on creativity!

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osat blog hop: down on the farm

Thanks for stopping by! Today is the monthly One Stamp At A Time blog hop. Our theme is Down On The Farm. Be sure to take the full tour to see all of the great interpretations on this theme. I decided to take a farmhouse chic approach to my project.

I recently created a home decor piece and used it as inspiration for today’s projects. Here is my decor piece:

Here is my interpretation of this in card form:

I used the Basic Gray gingham print from the Neutrals 6″x6″ DSP stack. The sentiment is from Dandelion Wishes stamp set. The Sprigs are punched out of Granny Apple Green card stock and tied with Linen Thread. I also created a smaller decor piece.

This is a small monogramed 4″x4″ canvas. I used the same gingham dsp and sprig punch. I cut out three “h”s with the Hand Lettered Prose dies and layered them for depth.

Inspiration is all around. See what ideas you can find from decor pieces and let your creativity run!

Now, go check out the great projects the rest of the OSAT Design Team has waiting for you! Please click on the blue box below for a pop up list of the full design team.

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daisy smile

Hello, friends! Thanks for joining me today. I can’t believe it is the second week of July already! Summer is just flying by. It has been nice to finally have some warm weather. I love seeing the trees fully leafed out, green lawns, and beautiful flowers. My daisies haven’t bloomed yet, though. They are my favorites. At least I can create my own on paper with the Daisy Lane set!

Water color washes are one of my favorite background techniques. They are so easy and no two are exactly the same. I started with a Coastal Cabana wash on water color paper for today’s card.

I stamped the small daisy all over the card base and added a strip of Daffodil Delight gingham pattern from the Brights 6″x6″ Designer Series Paper stack. The leaves are stamped in Shaded Spruce. I pulled the color out with my aquapainter. Daisy is stamped in Daffodil Delight and punched out with the Medium Daisy punch. I layered two for more depth and added one of the Perennial Essence Flower Centers. They are so much fun and add such great texture. I wrapped some linen thread to help ground the flower.

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