25 Days of Christmas Tags 2020 - BONUS Day 26!

Welcome to BONUS Day 26 of this year's 25 Days of Christmas Tags event. All the details can be found here on Tracey's blog.

Today's sponsor is MFT Stamps.

I used the new Peacock Pattern background stamp to create my sophisticated tag. I embossed it with Silver embossing powder onto Memory Box watercolor paper.

Then I sprinkled Tonic Nuvo Shimmer Powders (Catherine Wheel and Cherry Bomb) over top and spritzed it with water. The powders moved and separated into these colours, settling into the wells created by the embossing.

I added a (retired) Joy die cut that had been embossed with Platinum Sparkle embossing powder.

6 Card Rescue Plan

What do you do when you have a plan for a card, and it FAILS? Head to the Pretty Pink Posh blog to find out!

Canada Day Video Hop!

Happy Canada Day!  Today I'm part of a video hop celebrating Canadian YouTubers, craft products and shops.  There's over a dozen videos plus 13 shops and 2 Canadian papercraft magazines involved and we’re giving away over $1000 in prizes! All the information is on Emily's blog

The more you comment, the higher your chances of winning.

Here's my video, enjoy!

FS670 - No Line Watercolor Wreath

 Congratulations to this week's Featured Stamper, Nancy (Pansey64)!

I chose this card as my inspiration:

I focused on Nancy's:
-wreath
-square card
-sentiment in the centre
-narrow border

I changed:
-season/occasion
-colours
-technique
-die cut sentiment

I did some no-line watercolouring with this new Tidings Wreath stamp and my Altenew Watercolors.

Here's a video:

FS665 - Wonderful

Congratulations to this week's Splitcoaststampers' Featured Stamper, Christy.

I chose this card as my inspiration:

I focused on Christy's:
-rich colours
-bold flowers with white outlines
-wonderful sentiment

I changed:
-technique
-die cuts vs patterend paper

Christy's bold patterned paper reminded me of this outline flower die from Essentials by Ellen Wild Garden, which I haven't used in ages!

I wanted to create some of the fun texture from Christy's card, so I devised a dry brush technique, using Catherine Pooler inks, to create my coloured cardstock for inlaying and my background.

I popped up the flowers over a white strip for my sentiment from Totally Random Sayings Vol 3.

Here's a video showing the watercolour technique:

Fusion Card Challenge - Hi!

Good morning! I'm excited to be a Guest at the Fusion Card Challenge Anniversary challenge today! Thanks so much to Michelle Lupton for inviting me!

I used some brand new stamps and gems from the January release from Pretty Pink Posh, along with some older dies I had in my stash.

I started by creating my soft watercolour background with some Catherine Pooler inks and lots of water. 

Then I used Versafine Clair Nocturne ink to stamp the Crocus Flowers across the panel before adding more watercolour to them, to make them stand out from the background.

To assemble the card, I rotated the sketch and changed some proportions - making that dark strip very narrow (but so pretty with that scalloped edge from Stitched Borders 1!). My sentiment is from Everyday Greetings, stamped on a stitched circle from Stitched Essentials 1 and layered onto a label from Stitched Labels 1. I added a couple of small gems from Party Mix for sparkle.

Here's a quick video:

I used:

Muse 276 - Happy Anniversary

I had fun making my card for this week's Muse Challenge, where Guest Muse Bharati gave us this sweet inspiration:

I focused on Bharati's:

-rainbow, geometric background

-focal image with two 'bumps'

-strip sentiment with white embossing

I created my background with an MFT background stamp embossed in white on watercolour cardstock. I slopped (sounds messy, but it's true!) Catherine Pooler inks all over it in several layers so that in some areas with was blended and in others it was layered.

The heads of the hedgehogs made me think of a tilted heart so I kept it clean and simple with a white Heart Stax (these appear to be discontinued, so I linked to the Pierced Heart Stax below). I finished with a simple sentiment embossed in white on a black strip.

I used:

*NEW* Craft Stash Blog Hop

Good morning! I am so excited today to be hopping on Day 3 the New Craft Stash Blog Hop (full blog list below)! This is a 'just for fun' Blog Hop where participants are using something new--"New" meaning - new to the papercrafting market, new to the participants, or newly discovered in our Craft Stash - you know the stuff you bought, tucked away and forgot about! 

The Blog Hop is split over three days, so if you missed Day 1 or 2 you can go to Ingrid Blackburn's blog to get a list of links for the participants. By following the hop and commenting on each stop, you have a chance to win one of 6 prizes plus there are a few other prizes along the stops of the hop.

I used a new Concord & 9th stamp set and matching dies, along with new-to-me Arches Cold Press watercolour paper. 

I started by embossing the rose with WOW! Opaque White embossing powder.

I used Kuretake Gansai Tambi and started with a watery wash over the whole panel in soft yellow. I used the same colour with a little less water in the rose, to intensify the colour. Then I used a darker yellow to add depth in the shadows and finally some dark pink to blend and bring it to life. This rose is so big that you get a lot of variation in colour and it's so fun to experiment and see how the colours blend. I used the same process with the leaves, but they are much smaller so I only used two colours.

Once the panel was dry, I used a grey Copic marker to add a shadow along the bottom of the rose. Next,  I used the matching die to partially cut out the leaf on one edge before trimming my panel to 3.75x5. I cut the sentiment in Essentials by Ellen Slate cardstock and inlaid it into the watercolour panel. I added a narrow white mat before adhering it all to a Slate card base.

Here's a quick video:

We have some amazing sponsors & Prizes:

Stampscapes – 2 prizes – choice of Nature Sheet Stamp Set ($26.50 value)

CAS-ual Fridays Stamps – $25 gift certificate

Catherine Pooler Designs – $25 gift certificate

Right at Home – $20 gift certificate

Stamplorations – $20 gift certificate

Prizes will be drawn on Monday, July 23, so be sure to hop along for your chance to win!

Ingrid Blackburn

Ardyth Percy-Robb  <<You are here

Josefine Fouarge

Tracie Pond

Nanette Tracy

Lisa Harrolle  

Justine Hovey

Susan Powell

Jennifer Cerizo

FS570 - Love You

Congratulations to this week's Splitcoaststampers' Featured Stamper, Tracy! (aka Tracy_inkyfingers).

I chose this pretty card as my inspiration:

I focused on Tracy's:
-watercolour background
-colours
-stacked white die cut

I changed:
-added more 'form' to the watercolour background (see below for description and video)
-used a die cut as my sentiment
-spritzed the background and stamped hearts instead of sequins
-dark card base

I used stamps and dies from the Love is in the Air Stamp of Approval Collection from Catherine Pooler Designs, which will be available to Stamp Nation members and the Wait List in the next couple of days. See yesterday's post for more details of how you can win this collection of amazing goodies (and below for today's blog hop list!)!

I started by painting a heart with clean, clear water, on watercolour cardstock. I then added some of Catherine's vibrant inks, letting the water move and blend the colours.

It's Day 2 of the pre-release Blog Hops - if you want to win your Love is in the Air Collection, make sure to hop and comment!

Catherine Pooler   

Chrissie Tobas  

Melissa Miller

Jenny Colacicco

Jennifer Carter

Heather North

Tracie Pond

Josefine Fouarge  

I used:

SugarPea Designs Release Sweet Peeks Day 4

It's Day 4 of SugarPea Designs' Sweet Peeks Week - all of these products will be available on Friday night at 6 pm.

Today we have two new stamp sets - one is a beautiful mandala that will be so versatile and the other is a sentiment set that's all about YOU (with matching die, of course!)

This card was inspired by Debby Hughes' card here. I loved her colour choice and tried to mix my own watercolours (I know!) to match (I think mine ended up a bit softer, but still very pretty, if I do say so myself! lol!). 

I stamped the mandala 4 times on a 6x6 piece of watercolour cardstock and embossed with white embossing powder. Then I set to work with my Prima Confections. I cut the panel using Zig Zag Stitched Rectangles, offsetting the mandalas so that the clear space created a place for my sentiment. Then I cut the 'you' 3 times (2 in regular cardstock, 1 with watercolour cardstock that had been painted with some of the full strength purple) and stacked them up. 

Next, I felt like the mandala was calling out for for a rainbow treatment. This is so simple - I scribbled some Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers on and then spritzed it a lot! (be sure to use watercolour cardstock for this method). I cut it out using the largest Zig Zag Stitched Circle die and popped it up over the edge on a square card (making sure that it will still fit into a standard-sized envelope!).  Here's a quick video:

Be sure to drop by all the DT Members' blogs for more inspiration and a chance to win (details on the SugarPea Designs blog)!

Amy Kolling Amy Rohl Amy Tsuruta Ardyth Percy-Robb Becky Pearce Brianna Loeffelbein Isha Gupta Kerin Sylvester Lesley Croghan Simonne Clay Stephanie Beauchemin Tracey McNeely Vera Yates

(links will be live at 6 pm on Friday, August 25)

FS550 - All My Love

Congratulations to this week's Splitcoaststampers' Featured Stamper, (aka HappyinMarco)

I chose this card as my inspiration:

I focused on:

-vertical flower arrangement

-colours

-black script sentiment

I changed:

-colour of card base

-position of sentiment

-technique

I used Zig Art & Graphic Twin Tip markers on an Impression Obsession cling stamp. Here's a quick video:

AJVD, MCV82 - Christmas in July

I'm on the A Jillian Vance Design Blog today with this watercoloured card.  Pop over for a photo tutorial and more details!

Since I was inspired by our Guest Muse Jessica at Muse: ChristmasVisions - specifically by her red, blue, gold and white colour scheme, I'll also link up there.

I used:
-A Jillian Vance Design Poinsettia Die Set
-A Jillian Vance Design Christmas Star Sentiments

Prima Marketing Watercolor Confections, The Classics

Prima Marketing Watercolor Confections, Tropicals

Kuretake Gansai Tambi Starry Colors, 6 Color Set

Black Velvet Watercolor Brushes, Short Round 6

Ranger Watercolor Paper, 10 pk

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Heavyweight, Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb, 25 pk

AJVD - Pretty Posies

I'm on the A Jillian Vance Design blog today with this card and a quick video!

FS540 - Thanks!

Congratulations to this week's Splitcoaststampers Featured Stamper, Angie (aka Sunshinesense).

I chose this card as my inspiration:

I focused on Angie's:
-rainbow
-floral theme
-silver accent

I changed:
-technqiue
-sentiment treatment and placement

While I had my new Uniko goodies out, I decided to make a few more:

Crisp stamping with Catherine Pooler Inks, Altenew Sentiment

Faux Watercolour Stamping with Catherine Pooler Inks, Mama Elephant Sentiment

Faux Watercolour Stamping with Catherine Pooler Inks, Uniko Sentiment

I used:
-Uniko Background Blocks Doodle Flower
-Uniko Background Blocks Horizontal Stripes
-Uniko All Occasion Sentiments #6
-Catherine Pooler Inks

Ranger Watercolor Paper, 10 pk

VersaMark Ink Pad

Hero Arts Embossing Powder, White

Prima Marketing Watercolor Confections, The Classics

Prima Marketing Watercolor Confections, Tropicals

Black Velvet Watercolor Brushes, Short Round 8

Scotch Safe-Release Masking Painter's Tape

Mama Elephant Creative Cuts, Thanks Script

Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Heavyweight, Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb, 25 pk

Avery ELLE-ments Dies, Double Pierced Rectangles

Sizzix Big Shot White & Gray

Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, Sparkling Clear Mix (4mm, 6mm, 8mm &10mm )

Ranger Stickles, Silver

Scotch Double-Sided Foam Mounting Tape

Altenew Clear Stamps, Hennah Elements

Mama Elephant Clear Stamps, Pix's Favorites