Thursday, February 25, 2021

#GDP280: You Are Capable of Amazing Things

I am back for another challenge at the Global Design Project this week! This week's challenge is a CASE the designer challenge.
 
I decided to use the Hydrangea Haven Bundle - it's one of my favorites and followed along with the floral theme of Janneke's card. I also followed her layout pretty closely.
 

The dies in this bundle are really spectacular! For the leaves on the bottom, I used the detailed die, and then also cut out the outline of the hydrangea and stem/leaves to get the solid piece behind. I simply trimmed off the flower and placed the other die-cut in its place. 
 

To get the soft blue color on the blooms, I used my Blending Brush. I suppose you could use a sponge too. My craft room suffers from severe disorganization, and my sponges were nowhere in sight.... But the Blending Brush worked very well. I just held the die-cut in hand and very lightly circled the Blending Brush around.
 

I love these hydrangeas, and I hope you do too! Here is a full list of supplies for this card:
Stamps: Hydrangea Haven
Ink: Seaside Spray, Soft Suede
Paper: Soft Suede, Basic White, Seaside Spray, Pear Pizzazz, Hydrangea Hill DSP
Embellishments: Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack, Pastel Pearls
Tools: Hydrangea Dies, Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine, Banners Pick a Punch, Blending Brushes
Adhesives: Stampin' Seal, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Multipurpose Glue

Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

A Touch of Ink: Two Cards

I have TWO cards to share with you today! Both cards feature the stamp set A Touch of Ink, which is free with a $100 purchase during Sale-a-bration. 
 

If you look carefully at the butterfly and the hummingbird, you can see that I used the same technique on both images. The stamp set comes with an outline image for each, plus a solid watercolor image to stamp and "color". Don't you just love two step stamping? First, I stamped the outline for each image. Then, I stamped the solid watercolor image in Seaside Spray ink. For the butterfly, I rolled the edge of the stamp in Misty Moonlight ink, and for the hummingbird, I rolled the edge in Highland Heather ink. I call it the "rock and roll" technique. Is that the technical name? I don't know, but it works!
 


I used two Designer Series Papers for these cards - the Hydrangea Hill paper and the In Good Taste paper. Aren't they perfect? I could have made many more cards with these papers and stamp set, but there's only so much stamping time in one day. 
 


Here is a full list of supplies I used on these cards:
Stamps: A Touch of Ink
Ink: Memento Black, Seaside Spray, Misty Moonlight, Highland Heather
Paper: Thick Basic White, Basic White, Gorgeous Grape, Misty Moonlight, Hydrangea Hill DSP, In Good Taste DSP
Embellishments: Flowers for Every Season Ribbon Combo Pack, Gorgeous Grape Sheer Ribbon, Opal Rounds
Tools: Versamark, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Rectangle Stitched Dies, Layering Circles Dies, Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine
Adhesives: Stampin' Seal, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Heal Your Heart

Today's card features two Sale-a-bration products - the Heal Your Heart stamp set and the Paper Blooms Designer Series Paper. These are both free with a $50 purchase during Sale-a-bration, and they pair together beautifully!
 

The color combination in this paper is so pretty. It immediately caught my eye when I saw the Sale-a-bration brochure, and it was the first thing I picked as a reward. The sentiment from the Heal Your Heart stamp set is stamped on a piece of white cardstock and cut with the Hippo & Friends Dies. If you haven't checked those dies out yet - go do it! Of course the stamp set they pair with is amazing, but the die set includes different shapes and sizes of labels that can be used with practically any stamp set.
 

Here is a full list of the products I used on this card:
Stamps: Heal Your Heart
Ink: Night of Navy
Paper: Night of Navy, Rococo Rose, Basic White, Paper Blooms DSP
Embellishments: Elegant Faceted Gems, Silver Metallic Edge Ribbon
Tools: Hippo & Friends Dies, Old World Paper Embossing Folder, Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine
Adhesives: Stampin' Seal, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

February 2021 Monthly Card Club Sneak Peek

This month's card club kit will feature the You Are Amazing stamp set, and products from the Well Suited Suite. These cards are perfect for the men in your life, but I think anyone would love them!
 
Here are some details about the club:
 

If you'd like to subscribe, please sign up here and I will send you a link. You will need to sign up by February 20 to get this month's kit.

Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Monday, February 15, 2021

Sending Hearts: More Alternative Projects

It's after Valentine's Day, I know. But I wanted to share the rest of the projects I made with January's Paper Pumpkin kit, Sending Hearts, and the Little Love Boxes Add-On. And let's be honest, sometimes things get done last minute in my world, and I ran out of time to share these last week. 

First up, this is what I did for my kids' teachers. I bought them each a box of chocolates, and then fancied up the top of the box. I only snapped a photo of one of them - but you'll get the idea.
 

I used the stamp set from the Sending Hearts kit to stamp the XOXO on the background. The heart stamp is from the Snailed It stamp set. I used the Many Hearts Dies, the Playful Alphabet Dies, and the Snail Dies to cut that cute snail out of the Snail Mail DSP. The ribbon is leftover from the August-December Mini Catalog, but the red worked perfectly for Valentine's Day! The box was finished off with some of the heart embellishments from the Sending Hearts kit.

Next up, I made matchbox holders for the valentines my kids handed out to their friends. We picked up a large box of heart-shaped fruit snacks at Aldi (side note: I am super excited that we just got this store here in Arizona!) for them to hand out.
 

I used the little die-cut snails from the Little Love Boxes Add-On to decorate, and a stamp from the kit for the sentiment. So cute! I punched a heart out of the Snail Mail DSP with the Heart Punch Pack, and the stitched white piece is from the Snail Dies. We made Petal Pink holders for the girls and Pool Party holders for the boys. When I ran out of snail die-cuts, I used the stamp from the kit to stamp some more and colored with Stampin' Blends Markers, then fussy cut. I used up that Real Red Sheer Ribbon, then used up another red ribbon from the holidays, and finally finished up a few with the current Pool Party Sheer Ribbon. Again, I didn't get photos of everything, but here are a few more.
 


Finally, I used some of the Little Love Boxes as treat holders for the rest of the teachers at my kids' school. We put two Reese's hearts or two Hershey's strawberry creme hearts inside of each one.
 

I used Purple Posy cardstock for a belly band and the scalloped heart in the background. My first plan was to use Magenta Madness for the whole thing, but that has been my favorite color recently, and I was all out of Magenta Madness cardstock! The stamp is from the Heartfelt stamp set - my favorite set for Valentine's Day this year. 
 


Even though Valentine's Day has passed, I hope you enjoyed these projects! I'll have one more card to share with you this week that I made my husband for Valentine's Day, so make sure to check back!

Happy Stamping!
Rachel

Thursday, February 11, 2021

#GDP278: Brand New Butterfly Bouquet!

The challenge at Global Design Project this week is a sketch challenge. I pulled out the brand new Butterfly Bouquet Bundle and the result was so pretty!
 


This bundle of products will be released to customers on March 2. If you can't wait that long, you can add them to a starter kit right now. (Which is a pretty smart idea since you can get 5 free packs of paper with your starter kit during Sale-a-bration!)

The stamp set and dies will be available in the upcoming annual catalog, but the Designer Series Paper and another specialty paper will only be available while supplies last, and will NOT be in the upcoming catalog. You can see the beautiful Butterfly Bijou Designer Series Paper in the background - I used it for the skinny strips behind the butterfly. And the butterfly is also cut from the paper - you have to see this die! It cuts out 6 butterflies at once from the paper, or you can stamp and cut out too. Wow!
 

A few other details:
  • The sentiment is from the Lovely You stamp set, and is fussy cut.
  • The sequins are from the Whale of a Time Sequins assortment.
  • I tied a double bow with the White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon and attached with a glue dot behind the sentiment.
  • I used one of my Water Painters and Mint Macaron Ink and flicked some on the white piece in the background. This is a technique I'm still working at - there's a fine line between subtle speckles and large splotches, and I haven't quite perfected it yet!

I hope you enjoyed this preview of new products. They are just gorgeous, and I can't wait to use them more!
 
Stamps: Lovely You
Ink: Memento Black, Mint Macaron
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Mint Macaron, Basic White, Butterfly Bijou DSP
Embellishments: Whale of a Time Sequins, Whisper White Crinkled Seam Binding Ribbon, Gold Hoops Embellishments
Tools: Stitched Shapes Dies, Brilliant Wings Dies, Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine
Adhesives: Stampin' Seal, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Tombow Multipurpose Glue
 
Happy Stamping!
Rachel 

February 2021 Christmas Card Club Sneak Peek

This month's Christmas Card Club features fun colors and cute snowmen! 
 

Remember, this club is a subscription. It is $35/month, and includes products and cardstock cut and ready for you to make 8 Christmas cards - 2 each of 4 designs. You also have the option to add on the stamp set/bundle and any inks that I used at catalog cost (I cover the tax and shipping as a perk of belonging to the club). There is no commitment to subscribe for a certain period of time, BUT for every 6 consecutive months that you subscribe, you'll get a $25 product credit from me! 
 

If you'd like to subscribe, you can sign up here. Sign up by February 15 to get this kit.
 
Happy Stamping!
Rachel  

Friday, February 5, 2021

January 2021 Paper Pumpkin: Sending Hearts

One of my goals this year is to get my Paper Pumpkin kits put together every month. I so love getting these boxes in the mail every month, but after my second son was born (over five YEARS ago!), I got a little behind. I've put them together here and there, but I have a pile of boxes. Some half done, some brand new, some fully done with the cards still sitting in the box. So this year, I am resolving to put the kits together shortly after I get them, share the projects with you here, and then send the cards or gift the gifts to people I love.

January's kit was perfect for Valentine's Day, and honestly the cards could be sent to anyone you love anytime, just to show them you care. I put two together the way they were intended, and then had a little bit of fun with the rest. I also ordered the add-on, which included die cut snails and labels, plus 24 little boxes. I was thinking of using the boxes for my kids' classroom valentines, but I'm a few short, so I'm coming up with another plan for those. Stay tuned! Here are the cards I created:
 
These cards were put together as intended. So cute! 
 

For this one, I used three of the snail die-cuts from the add-on. I cut a piece off of one of the card bases, and added in some Poppy Parade and Basic White cardstock.
 
 
This next one is pretty similar to the original, but I used Petal Pink and Memento Black inks instead of Poppy Parade. I also switched the card bases around and used the Petal Pink base instead of the Poppy Parade.
 

I think this is my favorite of all of the cards! I added in some Poppy Parade and Basic White cardstock again. I used another piece from the Poppy Parade card base in the kit, stamped along the bottom of the card, trimmed one of the black scalloped pieces to fit, and added a few Matte Black Dots instead of using the Petal Pink embellishments that were included in the kit.
 

For this card, I used another snail die-cut from the add-on. Instead of stamping the large heart image, I placed the snail inside the gold heart and stamped the sentiment there as well. Simple and cute!
 

Next, I added a snail die-cut on the mailbox piece. I left the ribbon off and switched out the sentiment on the label for the large love die-cut. 
 

For this one, I switched out the Poppy Parade ink for Petal Pink and Memento Black. Instead of using the Petal Pink embellishments, I used a few Matte Black Dots.
 

For my final card, I once again used a die-cut snail from the add-on. I stamped the sentiments right on the mailbox piece. I wrapped the ribbon around and used one of the smaller black scalloped pieces on the bottom instead of the side.
 

I hope you've enjoyed these alternative cards using January's Paper Pumpkin kit! 
 

If you're interested in subscribing to Paper Pumpkin, you can read more about it here. Here's a little peek at February's kit:
 

You'll need to subscribe by February 10 to get the kit pictured above.

Happy Stamping!
Rachel

 
 




Monday, February 1, 2021

#GDP277: Love You Lots

I am so honored to be a guest designer for the Global Design Project this week! This week, it's a color challenge:
 

These colors instantly made me think of the new Kangaroo & Company Bundle, so that's what I used!
 

The Heartfelt stamp set from last year provided the sentiment, and the heart is from the Stitched Be Mine Dies. I love how all of these different Valentine's products coordinate so beautifully! 
 

For the kangaroos, I stamped on Sahara Sand cardstock, and then added a little bit of shading with my Light Crumb Cake Stampin' Blends Marker. I also added a few details with Light Rococo Rose. And did you know the mama kangaroo die cuts her pocket so that you can stick the baby right in?! How fun! 
 

The finishing touch is a few of the white Resin Hearts Embellishments colored with Dark Rococo Rose. I hope you enjoyed my card - thank you for stopping by!
 
Here is a full list of the supplies I used:
Stamps: Heartfelt, Kangaroo & Company
Ink: Memento Black, Sahara Sand, Stampin' Blends Markers: Crumb Cake, Rococo Rose
Paper: Sahara Sand, Rococo Rose, Blushing Bride, Basic White
Embellishments: Resin Hearts Embellishments
Tools: Kangaroo Dies, Stitched Be Mine Dies, Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine
Adhesives: Stampin' Seal, Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots

Happy Stamping!
Rachel