It's A Cupcake Kind Of Day Challenge!!!

First I need to remember to tell you that if  you participate in the challenge you have a chance to win a $25 gift certificate for the IO Online Store.  If you want to play you have until tomorrow night, 9 p.m. Friday.  The instructions are in the first side bar over near the top under the "I'm A Winner Tuxedo Cat" widget on the IO blog HERE.  Think about the fun and the chance to win $25 worth of free stamps, plus the I'm A Winner widget for your blog.

This was a fun card to create.  The Palm Cupcake is one of the NEW Spring IO STAMPS.  I stamped it with Brilliance Galaxy Gold, restamped the top part twice so I could layer it, cut them all out, then used a medium embossing tool on the foamy top parts before mounting them with 3D pop dots.  The flower was also tooled.  I added miniature white pearl cake decorator flower stamens to it for fun and mounted it with 3D pop dots.  The bottom of the cupcake and the Palm tree were painted with Twinkling H2O's.

The backgrounds were done using using the Mega Mount^TM, and Cover-A-Cards^TM Wood Grain on top (Pink toothy cardstock inked with Brilliance Moonlight White and heat gun dried), and  Hearts (White Laid cardstock inked with VersaMark with Rangers Enchanted Gold embossing powder).  The Wood Grain was used on top for a watery look and the heart layers are torn and then embossed on the torn portion with the embossing powder again for a faux heats and sand look.   Gold cord was run through the lace and then mounted in the center of the card. (If you click on the card, you will be able to see the grain on the different cardstocks.  I think that really made the card even more special.)

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE MEGA MOUNT USED WITH THE LARGE 5.75" STAMPS YOU CAN VIEW IT HERE.  *Note - I happen to stamp on enough cardstock to take the whole stamp and I use my mount sitting down and rocking it from the bottom to the top, instead of left to right.  Whatever floats our boat, right?  :-) I like the leftovers for the inside and envelope. etc.

I ran some more white cardstock through my Cuttlebug with a Spellbinders Lacy Squares die and then stamped the You're Sweet with Memento Cottage Ivy.   The words can also be purchased as part of Red Rubber Cling Set Sweet Hearts or Clear Stamp Set Sweet Hearts.   The words were also mounted with 3D pop dots.

The embellishments are 5, 3, and 2mm pearl stickers mounted with Glossy Accents to make them more permanent for mailing.  The buttons are leftovers I have had for eons.  The gold cords was used for them as well and they are mounted with large glue dots.  The faux stitching was done with Spica At You Olive Green pen and Signa Uniball White pen.


As a finishing touch to the card,  I edged the inside of the card and envelope with remnants from the backgrounds.

Now check out the DT members creations on their blogs below for more beautiful cards created with the NEW SPRING stamps too:

Daniela Dobson
Deborah March
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Julie Koerber
Kelli Richardson
Laura Fulcher

Supplies:
Image: Impression Obsession - Cover-A-Card^TM Wood Grain and Hearts; You're Sweet
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth and Laid cardstock, Pink cardstock with a tooth look
Inks: Brilliance Galaxy Gold and Moonlight White, Memento Cottage Ivy, VersaMark; Twinkling H2O's Gold Sand, Nutty Oak, Mallard Green, Warm Pecan
Accessories: Niji Waterbrush, Glossy Accents, Spellbinders Lacy Squares, 5, 3,and 2MM pearl stickers, Kreinik Gold Cord, 3 mother of pearl, Spica AtYou Olive Green pen, Signa Uniball White pen.

I am closer to posting some more cards!!!  Yikes!!  Thanks for stopping by to look and share all!!

 Shirley

The Love Bug

For some reason this card did not want to photograph well and it didn't scan well either. After what seem like limitless tries I just went with the last attempt. Ha~!

IMAGE:

1. This cute Love Bug by Peddlers Pack was stamped with Color Box Black pigment ink
2. Heat and Stick Embossing Powder (also called Oh So Sticky Powder, Sticky Powder, Sticky Stuff, etc.) was applied.
3. Heat gun was applied until wet looking
4. Art Institute Black Wing glitter applied
5. (Important Step) Heated again to set the glitter.
6. Brushed again to remove loose Glitter
7. Painted with Twinkling H2O's Garnet using Niji waterbrush
8. White Signo Uniball pen used for eyes and mouth.
9. Cut out image and used Black Sharpie to darken edges.

BACKGROUND:

1. One piece Stardream Metallic Jupiter text weight paper 4.25X5.5".

2. Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb. Cover cardstock run through Cuttlebug using embossing folder from Combo Love Language (1 piece 5.25X4.0) The hearts run vertical.
3. Run the left side of the cardstock through first and then line up the rows of hearts to match the top rows of hearts and put through again. (If you look at the white cardstock above you will know what I mean.)
4. Punch the bottom edge using Fiskars Heart Border Punch by lining up and punching the middle first and then the sides.

5. One piece of Dali Dore SHIMMER Nero 76lb Cover cardstock run through Cuttlebug using embossing folder Mosaic Tiles. If had to do this over, I would have punched the edge and mounted separately with the hearts facing North instead of South as shown.
6. Line up left side of Mosaic Tiles on heart BG where you want path to start and mark with pencil. Line up right side the same way and trim from top left to top right mark and do the same with the bottom of the path using the top trimmed edge as a guide for equal distance from the bottom.
7. Mount to White Heart embossed BG.

8. Mount Love Bug using tape on the feet and Dimensional Glue Dots on the top and antennae.

EMBELLISHMENTS:

1. May Arts String Loop Ribbon applied in upper left and corner taped down with ATG tape. [I don't know if I have ever mentioned this, but I use ATG on everything and buy it from the site I listed. If it won't hold, and that is rare, I use Scotch Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive (picture only). A stamping friend, Carole Miller in MO, told me about this and it never fails with papers.]
2. Tied a bow using the Martha Stewart method.

3. The Stick Pin was created using a JoAnn Sew Essential Pearlized Leaf Straight Pin. It is only found in their stores and not online. The Red Glass Heart and Pearlized bead are Czech beads. it was put though the bow knot before mounting the bow with a glue dot.

4. Love You, Hearts trimmed down, and cursive i in Miss You from Combo Love Language die using Stardream Metallic Jupiter text weight paper applied as shown.

INSIDE CARD AND ENVELOPE:

5. The Double Hearts and the i and u from the Miss You from the Combo Love Language die plate were used on the inside of the card and the envelope. The i and the u were each placed inside each Heart.

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

Swirls And Pearls

Glitter drives me crazy sometimes. It never looks in a photo like it does IRL. Anyway, the image was stamped on white cardstock and then glitter was used to fill in the swirls. I worked with the lightest color first, then pink, then gold. The tree has snowflakes, but I chose to used a die to mount them over the ones already there. I used the two on the right and cut them down. The one on the top was used for the larger ones. Large Pop Dots were used just below the snowflake on top and then the right and left swirls on the bottom and the center top of tree trunk.

The background is a Cuttlebug embossing folder. I am trying to do more layers. Most of my images are too big to do a lot of it. I used an oval punch for the words and then Magic Matter to do the edge seen around it. The circles on the outside frame are from snowflakes I cut down for the tree. They are from the one on the right on the die below.
The regular dots were made with a White Signo Uni-ball pen. The ribbon is May Arts and I love it. I love how easy it was to use. Glitter glue and pearls were added to the tree snowflakes, the brass snowflake and the tag for the final touches.

I decorated the inside of my card and envelope with the embossing folder and painted with Twinkling H2O's Iridescent Gold so it matched the BG area.

Supplies:
Image:
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb cover cardstock 4.25X5.5" and 5.5"X8.5" folded
Brilliance Galaxy Gold
Impression-Obsession: Swirl and Snowflake Tree
Glitter Glue - I suggest one that dries clear.
Art Institute Glitter:
Sea Shell Transparent
Baby's Breath Transparent
Fool's Gold Opaque
Curious Metallic Ice Gold Cardstock 2X2" to fit Die
Cuttlebug Die Snowflake #2
4 Large Pop Dots

Tag:
Curious Metallic Ice Gold Cardstock
Stampin' Up 1.75 Oval Punch
Stampin' Up Pixie Pink or Medium Pink Cardstock
Magic Matter

Background:
Curious Metallic Ice Gold Cardstock 4.25X5.5 trimmed and cut to 3 strips of 1 5/8"X3 7/8"
Cuttlebug Snowflakes Embossing Folder

Embellishments:
Stickles Diamonds glitter glue
Gold (Brass) Snowflake
SnowflakeMark Richards Crystal Effects Pearls 3mm and 5mm
Signo Uni-ball White pen

Don't forget, if you have questions, you can email me by clicking on the EMAIL Me on the right sidebar. Thanks for stopping by the blog to look and share!

 

 Shirley

 

Its Not Too Late - Visit My Blog.com

Carolyn King, Cammie to those who know her, who designs for Gina K. Designs, has pledged that 100% of her proceeds from her newest set "Whimsical Autumn" will always go to the Alzheimer’s Association. To understand the determination and good will Cammie has for this organization you need to visit her blog.

The second reason to visit her blog is the LARGE amount of Blog Candy, that has been made available by different donors, for the winner who follows Cammie's rules. You can see more donars when you visit the site. I am going for the Blog Candy with this pledge:

I lost my Aunt Laura to the complications of Alzheimers. I am pledging that, if I should be fortunate enough to win, ALL of the BLOG CANDY will be raffled off and all of the proceeds will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association. Details to follow. If others would like to make the same pledge, email me. Once the list has started I will keep it at the top of 'the blog' until the winner is known.

Do you need ideas to see what can be done with stamps from this great set? Below is a list of bloggers that have made cards using "Whimsical Autumn". If you know of someone I have missed, please let me know. You may have to search down on their blogs because some have done more than one card. You will love their blogs too, if you haven't visited them before. Lots of eye candy:

1. Cindy Haffner's Corner

2. Explore, Dream, Discover

3. Feeding My Soul

4. Hands, Head, and Heart

5. Inky Paws

6. One Happy Stamper

7. Out to Impress

8. Paper Delights

9. Rainy Day

10. Running With Scissors

11. Scrap 'n Extras

12. Sew Flake Creations

13. Seaside Creativity

14. Stampin' With Markie's Mom

15. Stamp Owl's Studio

16. Stamp Talk With Tosh

17. The Caruso Manner

18. The Creative Closet

19. This Is My Story

Let's grow this list. Below is the card I made with the set. It really does not do the stamp justice nor does it even hope to compete with the Card Artists above. The set has some really wonderful stamps and you will see them by visiting the above links.


The paper used is Neenah Paper Classic Craft Natural Super Smooth 80 lb. cardstock and Stardream Fairway text weight paper. The backgound papers were run though my Cuttlebug using the Textile Texture folder. The center punched circle was created using instructions from Becca on her video at Amazing Paper Grace. The image was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and painted with Twinkling H2O's Orange Peel and Sweet Alfalfa. The ribbon is Stampin' Up Grosgrain and the fringed edge for the ribbon was done by pulling on one of the end threads to unravel it! I got from The Rhinestones are from Mark Richards Crystal Stickers Elements. The scalloped edges were created using Martha Stewart's Doily Lace Edge Punch. The white dots were done using a White Signo Uni-ball pen. The little orange dots around the pumpkin are Stickles Orange Peel glitter glue.

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

A Holiday Break!

I wanted to do a quick card and break from the coming holidays for a moment. Here is an image I have had for a while. Its the Stampendous Peony Panel image. It was stamped with VersaMark on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb cover cardstock and then embossed with Rangers Gold Pearl EP. It was painted with Twinkling H2O's Garnet, Lemon Yellow, Dreamsicle and Mallard Green. When the watercolors were dry, Dorland's Wax was used over the centers of the Peonies. It seals the watercolor so it won't run or leak color into the Diamonds glitter glue. Then Stickles Diamonds glitter glue was used over the centers. Stickles Yellow glitter glue was used for the centers of the orange blossoms.

The Stardream Chiara Amber background behind the main image was cut with a Spellbinder's Nestabilities Long Scalloped Rectangle. If you want a great price on Spellbinder Nestabilities, etc. , you better check out the link I just posted. They also carry most of the border punches and other stamping supplies too! If you check under Ritz Camera they sometimes will have what the other doesn't. And if you find a better deal, please let me know. The white dots are from a White Signo Uni-ball pen.

Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb cover cardstock was used with the Cuttlebug Textile Texture folder. It was then scored horizontally and vertically with the Scor-Pal . The scalloped edges were drawn with a Sweetwater Scribbles Doodling Template and then Trimmed with scissors. The ribbon from Michaels $1 bin was then mounted to the embossed piece and then mounted on another piece of the Stardream Chiara Amber cardstock.

The 3mm pearls mounted on the scallops are Mark Richards Crystal Stickers Elements that were painted with a Niji waterbrush filled with Ranger Alcohol Blending Solution and dipped on the tip of a Senorita Margarita Jaquard Alcohol Ink bottle. I got the idea of painting them from a fellow card artist - Connie Thorson. She teaches classes at Stampers Alley in Mooresville, NC. Thank you for the tip Connie. She paints her pearls with Copic Markers. The secret to the whole thing is the alcohol ink. I don't have any of the Copics yet. LOL

Tip - You will read directions telling you to use drops of the alcohol ink in watercolor wells or on pieces of foil, etc. mixed with the blending solution to get your colors. To me, it seems easier and less wasteful to just dip the brush tip against the dried ink or a little pushed out of the top of the bottle. When I am done I swish the brush until its clean on paper. Very very easy. I store my brush covered brush side up in a separate place from my regular Niji waterbrushes. If you have questions email me.

The image was then mounted on the finished background. Both of the ovals for the word, which is from Word I Plate by Rubber Stamp Tapestry, were cut using Spellbinder's Nestabilities Large Scallop (small) Oval, if you know what I mean by small. Hello was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold, heat embossed to dry, and then painted with Twinkling H2O Garnet.

Thank you for stopping by 'the blog' to look.

 

 Shirley

 

Guess Who?

The main image, Pumpkin Patch by Impression-Obsession was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb cover cardstock, that had been cut with a Spellbinder's Nestabilities Large Scalloped Rectangle, and painted with Twinkling H2O's Orange Peel, Lemon Yellow, and Moss Green. If you want a great price on Spellbinder Nestabilities, etc. , you better check out the link I just posted. They also carry most of the border punches and other stamping supplies too! If you check under Ritz Camera they sometimes will have what the other doesn't. And if you find a better deal, please let me know.

The Owl, also by Impression-Obsession, was stamped twice with Brilliance Galaxy Gold, mounted on top one another, and then painted with Twinking H2O's Warm Pecan, and Icicles. He was covered with a light coat of Glossy Accents. His eyes were done with a Gelly Roll Metallic Gold pen with a dot of Black placed with a Black Sharpie for his pupils. His beak and feet were done with a Gelly Roll Copper Startdust pen. He was mounted with a dimensional glue dot.

The words, Guess hoo? from Sweet 'n Sassy, were stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold. She has some of the cutest owl stamps and sayings I have seen anywhere. The holes in the scallops were hand punched.

The image was mounted on Stardream Fairway text weight paper. The white dots are from a White Signo Uni-ball pen. The ribbon is 5 years old and I don't make me remember where I got it! LOL

The Stick Pin was made by stamping a medium sized pumpkin on Lucky Squirrel Canvas White Poly Shrink with Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink. It was heat embossed to shrink. It was turned over and heated again until it looked shiny and then a jewelry gold Eye Pin was pushed into the back and the back of a wood stamp was pressed down against it. When cool it was sealed with a clear drying glue and then turned and painted with Daler Rowney Sun Orange Pearlescent Acrylic ink. A black Sharpie was used to outline the eyes and mouth. It was sealed with Glossy Accents and then Gelly Roll Stardust Gold was used to highlight the eyes and mouth again. The beads on the pin are Czech 5mm glass beads. The bead used to cover the tip is a white bugle bead and it was sealed with Glossy Accents.

The background paper is Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb cover cardstock embossed with Cuttlebug Pumpkin Harvest, then painted with Twinks Orange Peel and Moss Green. It is mounted on Stardream Fairway text weight paper I used the same White Signo pen for the dots.

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog'.

 

 Shirley

 

Last Summer Fields or Halloween Too!

This was my first try at a Zindorf and I didn't like it at all at the time, but then when I was trying to find a background for another card.............well, you know what can happen. I found the Cuttlebug folder used behind the image in my box and thought wow, that would go with that image I didn't like. Duh!!!
The image is Summer Fields by Impression-Obsession and was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb cover cardstock, heat embossed, then painted with Twinkling H2O's Orange Peel, Fern, Sweet Alfalfa, Icicles, and Lemon Yell0w. I went over the daisies, jack-o-lanterns, stars, and moon with my Ranger Bullet Perfect Pen, added Clear Embossing Powder and heat embossed, like Michelle Zindorf. She uses a Versamark pen. This was done to protect the images when the sky was brayered.
The sky was created using SU Night of Navy, Brilliant Blue, and Ballet Blue Classic inks. I wasn't really happy with the results so I tried adding a little watercolor to the moon. I also didn't like the way the grass area looked so I went over it with a Green Sharpie and liked the result.
To finish the image Stickles Yellow glitter glue was added to the fireflies, eyes of the jack-o-lanterns to me (remember my last card using this stamp). Stickles Diamonds was added to the little flowers below the daisies in the grass, and Stickles Orange Peel was added to the centers of the daisies. Glossy Accents was used over the daisies and the fire flies.
The background behind the image was done using the Cuttlebug Spots and Dots embossing folder and then dragging a Mica Magic Burnt Orange ink pad over the top. The cardstock behind that is Bazzill Bling. The ribbon is Michaels $1 bin. The beads are Czech 5mm Topaz glass hearts with Stickles Yellow glitter glue applied. The dots on the White cardstock are Gelly Roll Stardust Marine and the dots on the Bazzill Bling are White Signo Uni-ball pen.
Thanks for stopping by the blog to look and share!!

 

 Shirley

 

A Very Shelly Christmas

I love shells, don't you? I think almost everyone does. This tree has it all if you like the ocean too. The image is Ocean Tree by Impression-Obsession and was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold on Curious Ice Gold text weight paper. Stickles Glitter glues was used for the crabs, fish and starfish. Jones Tones Foil Glue and Pearl Swirl Foil were used for the little circles on the fish and the scallop shells. The starfish were stamped on a separate piece of Ice Gold cardstock and then mounted with dimensional glue dots.


The waves were done with Sparkle and Sprinkle Dimensional Glue and Starfire Glitter. I am sure any dimensional glue and transparent sparkle glitter will do. Mark Richards 3mm Pearls were applied to the ocean wave bubbles randomly. The sand along the bottom of the tree is USArtQuest Mica Flakes Gold Medium PFX702.

AMACO Bright Gold Embossing Sheet and a Cuttlebug Vintage Die was used for the upper left hand corner adornment. The open areas were filled with the dimensional glue and glitter used on the waves. The gold metal piece on the bottom right hand corner is a left over from the die cut. The way I did the corner so it wouldn't lose its shape would be another tutorial. If you would like to see how I do that, email me by going to the sidebar on the right where it says Email Me. The ribbon is grosgrain from Wal-Mart. The orange dots are Stickles Orange glitter glue.

The image was mounted on Bazzill Bling Karat and the dots were applied with a White Signo Uni-ball pen. I think I have had enough of dots for a while, but I promise nothing. :-)

I am going to try to do the stamping with Brilliance pads tutorial next. Hopefully maybe tomorrow. Thank you for stopping by "the blog".

 

 Shirley

 

Last Ocean Flower of Summer

Hard to believe Summer is almost gone. I decided to use my Ocean Flower stamp by Impression-Obsession before my new ones arrive. That's right. Impression-Obsession now has all of their NEW Fall-Winter stamps online. Enough of that for now. Let's get down to business. {SMILE} Fun that is.



I had the hardest time getting a good picture of this card. The added Rangers Stickles Yellow Glitter glue really had a glare to it. Ha! I stamped it with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and then painted it using a Niji waterbrush and Cherry Sorbet, Sweet Thistle, and Wild Vine Twinkling H2O's. The words are from a clear Impression-Obsession stamp set, Sentiments I. I have both the I and II because they are different fonts and fit almost every occasion. They were stamped with Stazon Vibrant Violet and the enhanced with Copic At You Spica Lavender. The dotted swiss around the flower is from one of Cuttlebug's new combo embossing folders Just My Type. The background paper framing it is Stardream Amethyst text weight. The dots were made using a Signo Uniball White pen, from an office supply store, and a ruler placed along side to put the dots at an even distance. The Dotted Swiss Ribbon is by May Arts. The pearls, AH YES THE PEARLS, especially that "BIG DUDE". I bought that when I didn't check out the size online and I have more where that came from. {SMILE}. They are from Mark Richards Crystal Stickers Elements.

Inside the card and on the envelope I used the fish from Seascape by Impression-Obsession. I didn't have to just stamp a piece of the stamp either. Because I can buy from I/O unmounted with repositionable cling, I just clipped the fish separately and stamped it that way. The small seaweed is from their Angelfish clear stamp set. The fish and the weeds were all painted with the Twinks I used on the flower. I highlighted them a little with the Stickles Yellow glitter glue.
Thanks for stopping by "the blog" to look.

Dropping You A Line

I just received my new Impression-Obsession stamps and this one, Sailboat, just begged to be used. It was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold on Neenah Super Smooth Classic Crest Solar White 80 lb. #03249 cover cardstock. *Tip (It is the only paper so far, besides Stampin' Up Whisper White, that doesn't ball up when you watercolor on it.) The image was painted with Twinkling H2O's. The pearly bubbles on the gold fish had Jones Tones Foil Glue applied; then Jones Tones Pearl Swirl Foil was applied when the glue was clear but sticky. The little orange and yellow fish with the yellow middles had Rangers Stickles Yellow glue applied to the middles. The white waves on the hull of the boat also had Jones Tones Foil Glue applied and then the Pearl Swirl Foil followed. The White Pearl on top of the mast and flag is a flatback bought on EBay. Below is a close-up of the foiled gold fish bubbles, the foiled waves and you can see a little bit of the head pin fishing pole.


The clouds in the sky are from the Impression-Obsession Clear Cling set "Angel Fish". They were stamped with ClearSnap Mica Magic Pearl Ink; then highlighted with Rangers Stickles Diamonds; Tulip White Puffy Paint was added and then heated to give the clouds dimension.

The fishing pole from the deck of the boat is a Gold Eye Pin with Stampin' Up Gold Cord attached. A bow was added and also a White Pearl flatback. The beads are Czech glass beads.

The waves and the words are also from the Impression-Obsession Cling set "Angel Fish". The waves were stamped with VersaMark. The words were stamped with Mica Magic Pearl and then a Uniball Signo White Ink pen was used over that. The brass Starfish charm is from Fancifuls, Inc. online.
Thanks so much for stopping by "the blog".

 

 Shirley