Tag: DSP

Holidays

Love Never Gives Up

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Good Friday! While that may seem like a strange thing to say, given the historical significance of this day in the Christian faith, this day is indeed good when all is said and done. Today is necessary for the ultimate victory over sin and death and our full reconciliation to God in eternity. Thank goodness “Love never gives up!”

This week, we’re using the Faith Collection bundle to create designs to honor this Holy Week holiday. And today we pair the dies with several patterned paper packs, including Everyday Skies and Country Woods, and the Unbounded Love stamps. I used fellow demo Jackie Bolhuis’ easy step fun fold to create this Good Friday scene.

We get started with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. I used a sheet of moody skies from the Everyday Skies paper pack as the backdrop for our scene. The illusion of hills is created with Thoughtful Journey papers and both of the Grove die collections. I cut three crosses from two different woodgrain patterns from the Country Woods papers using the Faith Collection dies. For Christ’s cross in the center, I used the extension method to make this cross taller than the rest. The hills are adhered to the backdrop with differing levels of dimensionals. The two darker crosses are tucked behind the grass on either side of Christ’s cross in the center. The center cross is adhered to the center panel with dimensionals so it stands above the others. The sentiment from Unbounded Love is heat embossed in black on a lighter woodgrain sheet and then diecut with the smaller banner from the Autumn Leaves dies. A few two tone sparkle gems around the crosses draw the eye across the scene and the twist of gold thread behind the panel draws the eye down to the sentiment.

We’ll be rounding out Holy Week with a design honor Resurrection Day. I hope you’ll stop in to check it out.

Product List
Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133675 ]
[133675]
$11.50
Everyday Skies 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164622 ]
[164622]
$12.50
Thoughtful Journey 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163303 ]
[163303]
$12.50
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163393 ]
[163393]
$12.50
Unbounded Love Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 163378 ]
[163378]
$25.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Basics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165679 ]
[165679]
$21.00
Faith Collection Dies [ 164795 ]
[164795]
$22.00
Grove Dies [ 157844 ]
[157844]
$39.00
In The Grove Dies [ 163511 ]
[163511]
$31.00
Autumn Leaves Dies [ 162185 ]
[162185]
$38.00
Gold Twisted Thread [ 164603 ]
[164603]
$7.50
Two Tone Sparkle Gems [ 164633 ]
[164633]
$9.50
Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [ 144108 ]
[144108]
$4.25
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Add All to Cart
Holidays

Believing in a Brighter Tomorrow

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We are midway through Holy Week. For me, this is the point where things get a little hectic as my musical obligations for this special week pick up between rehearsals and services. While it may be busy, I really do cherish this special season and am always blessed to be able to share musical settings that celebrate God’s ultimate sacrifice to reconcile us to Him for eternity.

This week’s design theme centers squarely on the Holy Week celebrations and, in particular, is focusing on the new Online Exclusive bundle by Stampin’ Up! called Faith Collection. Today we are pairing it with the Thoughtful Journey designer series paper and the Unbounded Love stamps and dies bundle in a double easel fun fold design.

I tried several different layouts with this double easel design before settling on the one you see here. In my mind’s eye, I originally saw the cross on the smaller easel in the front, but visually it just didn’t accomplish the look I was hoping for. But when I moved the cross to the back, on what is essentially the card front, it completed the illusion of walking up the hill to the lone cross. And I just love how this ultimately gives the feeling of a contemplative walk to the cross at Calvary.

We get started with a base of Mossy Meadow cardstock, which is cut to standard A2 size. A sheet of the Thoughtful Journey patterned paper is the backdrop for our fun fold sunset scene. A sheet of Pretty Peacock cardstock serves as the mat for the patterned papers and the second easel section. Using the Faith Journey dies, a cross is cut from an Early Espresso woodgrain patterned sheet from the Country Woods paper pack and then adhered in the center of the card front panel with dimensionals so that the base of the cross is just below the front easel fold when the card is closed. A strip of Thoughtful Journey also covers the front easel panel. The sentiment from Unbounded Love is stamped in Early Espresso ink on Thoughtful Journey paper and then diecut with the decorative banner die from the Unbounded Love die set. Two greenery bunches, which to me look like palm branches, are cut from Mossy Meadow cardstock using the Winterly Treetops dies and are then adhered with glue dots behind the sentiment panel. Linen thread is wrapped around the small easel panel before the sentiment is adhered with dimensionals. A few In Color shimmer gems on either side of the sentiment panel add a little glimmer of color to draw the eye to the center focal section.

I’ll be taking a little break tomorrow but plan to be back with a Good Friday fun fold.

Product List
Mossy Meadow 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133676 ]
[133676]
$11.50
Pretty Peacock 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 150880 ]
[150880]
$11.50
Thoughtful Journey 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163303 ]
[163303]
$12.50
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163393 ]
[163393]
$12.50
Unbounded Love Bundle (English) [ 163384 ]
[163384]
$54.75
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147114 ]
[147114]
$9.00
Faith Collection Dies [ 164795 ]
[164795]
$22.00
Winterly Tree Tops Dies [ 164065 ]
[164065]
$36.00
Unbounded Love Dies [ 163383 ]
[163383]
$36.00
2024–2026 In Color™ Shimmer Gems [ 163781 ]
[163781]
$8.50
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Holidays

Golden Faith

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week’s design theme centers on the celebration of Holy Week, and in particular, I’m focusing on the new Faith Collection bundle that recently released as a Stampin’ Up! Online Exclusive.

Today’s design is based on Sketch #7 from the current Annual Catalog. This simple layout allows our focal image to sit front and center. And in the end, I decided it stands so well on its own that I chose not to include a sentiment on the card front. This opens up this design to not only the current Holy Week holiday, but also to a whole host of other religious celebrations throughout the year, including baptisms, weddings, and confirmation celebrations.

We get started with a base of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. The focal panel backdrop is a sheet of vanilla foiled Season of Elegance paper that is cut with the middle Textured Notes die. Our focal image is stamped in Shaded Spruce on white cardstock using the Faith Collection stamps and then diecut with the coordinating die. I stamped the lilies in Versamark and then heated embossed with gold to give a more realistic look of Easter lilies. They’re adhered around the cross on dimensionals. The cross is adhered to the focal panel with dimensionals. I added a few extra lilies to opposing corners of the focal panel background to tie all of the focal elements together. A few purple shimmer gems near the cross bring a touch of purple to the focal panel.

This super simple design lacks nothing in the wow factor department and really shows how a sentiment isn’t always needed to convey a message. I hope you’ll pop in tomorrow to see what other products can be paired with the Faith Collection bundle to create stunning designs.

Product List
Blackberry Bliss 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 133675 ]
[133675]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Season Of Elegance 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 164144 ]
[164144]
$16.50
Faith Collection Bundle (English) [ 164796 ]
[164796]
$36.75
Textured Notes Dies [ 165555 ]
[165555]
$31.00
Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147088 ]
[147088]
$9.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Metallics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165678 ]
[165678]
$21.00
Purple Fine Shimmer Gems [ 162611 ]
[162611]
$8.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Retiring

Blue Skies Friend

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

We’re closing out this week’s series of card designs using some of my favorite products from the Stampin’ Up! Last Chance list with this clean and simple design. We’re pairing up the Saying Hey stamp set with the Friends for Life dies to create this friendly hello.

We get started with a base of Azure Afternoon cardstock. The focal panel is a sheet of the Everyday Skies patterned paper matted with Pretty in Pink. A strip of Pretty in Pink bordered ribbon is tied around the bottom of the panel before it’s affixed to the card base. The sentiment panel is a piece of white cardstock punched with the Heartfelt Hexagon punch. The sentiment from Saying Hey is stamped in a combination of Balmy Blue and Blueberry Bushel so that there’s a small shadow effect. A combination of Everyday Skies and pastel ombre glimmer paper are cut with the Friends for Life dies to create the second portion of our Hey Friend sentiment. Dimensionals are used to give height and dimension to both portions of the sentiment so they stand proud above the ribbon. The dragonfly is cut from a combination of purple silver foil and pastel ombre glimmer paper and adhered with a dimensional above the sentiment panel. I love how the small dragonfly breaks up the sky and really draws the eye down to the sentiment. A scattering of pink sequins from the sequins trio give us some subtle twinkle across the clouds.

Last Chance items are quickly disappearing from the shelves. Did you see any sets this week that need to be in your stash? Don’t delay or you might miss them for good!

Next week, we’re going to be looking toward Easter with our card designs. I hope you’ll hop along!

Product List
Azure Afternoon 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 161719 ]
[161719]
$11.50
Pretty In Pink 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 163793 ]
[163793]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Everyday Skies 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164622 ]
[164622]
$12.50
Pastel Ombre Glimmer 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 164851 ]
[164851]
$12.00
Silver Foil 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Pack [ 163096 ]
[163096]
$10.00
Saying Hey Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [ 163697 ]
[163697]
$17.00
Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147105 ]
[147105]
$9.00
Blueberry Bushel Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147138 ]
[147138]
$9.00
Heartfelt Hexagon Punch [ 162888 ]
[162888]
$23.00
Friends For Life Dies (English) [ 163364 ]
[163364]
$34.00
Inspiring Snapdragons Dies [ 163673 ]
[163673]
$32.00
Pretty In Pink 3/8" (1 Cm) Bordered Ribbon [ 163784 ]
[163784]
$7.50
Adhesive Backed Sequins Trio [ 161206 ]
[161206]
$8.00
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Fine-Tip Glue Pen [ 138309 ]
[138309]
$7.25
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
No Stamp Design

Holy Week Scripture

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you may remember me mentioning our daily family prayer. Our daily family prayer is a selected scripture that is appropriate for the season on the church calendar or even just the time of year. I rotate these scriptures periodically, in particular as we enter different seasons in the church (liturgical) calendar. What I love most about this is that we ultimately memorize the scripture because we’ve said it each day. So as I’m choosing scriptures, I try to bear that in mind and choose scriptures that I think are important for us to take with us each day.

As we enter Holy Week, it’s time for a new family prayer and that means a new layout for our prayer frame. The 6×6 frame is from Amazon.

For the Holy Week prayer, I chose a darker backdrop that felt most appropriate for the significance of this upcoming week. This happens to be a sheet of the Everyday Skies paper. I printed the scripture on a quarter sheet of white cardstock and then cut it out using one of the Countryside Corners dies. I trimmed it slightly to reduce the white space on top and bottom. I then used the same die to cut the mat from a sheet of the purple Silver Foil specialty paper using the die extension method. I wrapped some Blackberry Bliss & gold metallic ribbon and linen thread around one end of the mat before adhering the sentiment on top with dimensionals. I used dimensionals to adhere the sentiment panel to the patterned paper and then added a few two tone sparkle gems for just a touch of moody sparkle.

Do you do anything special to mark the seasons?

Product List
Everyday Skies 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164622 ]
[164622]
$12.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Silver Foil 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Pack [ 163096 ]
[163096]
$10.00
Countryside Corners Dies [ 161471 ]
[161471]
$28.00
Blackberry Bliss & Gold 1/2" (1.3 Cm) Textured Ribbon [ 164039 ]
[164039]
$10.00
Linen Thread [ 104199 ]
[104199]
$5.00
Two Tone Sparkle Gems [ 164633 ]
[164633]
$9.50
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Retiring · Take to the Sky

Flying By

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

The Take to the Sky suite has officially hit the Last Chance list. If you’ve been eying this fantastic set, now is your chance to add it to the crafty stash before it’s gone! I know that I’ll be sad to see it go and fully intend to keep it in my stash even after it’s gone from the shelves.

The stamps and dies offer you a variety of plane sizes to use on your designs. Earlier today, I wanted a larger-scaled plane to take center stage, but for this card, I wanted to scale things back a little and so I chose the larger biplane stamp for this fun card.

We get started with a base of Basic Black cardstock. A sheet of the grey plaid paper from the Take to the Sky paper pack serves as our backdrop, and I decided to mat it with a sheet of textured silver specialty paper for just a hint of twinkle in the background. I wanted it to look as though our focal image is bursting through the clouds, so I began setting up the focal scene by cutting clouds from Azure Afternoon cardstock using the Bright Skies dies (also a set that is retiring!). I cut the map background panel with the Countryside Corners die and arranged the clouds and map so that our plane would sit front and center and look as though it’s mid-flight.

Our plane is stamped in black on Smoky Slate cardstock and then colored with the Night of Navy Stampin’ Blends. The propellers are cut from silver foil and an industrial trinket serves as the hub. Wink of Stella helps give our propeller the look of spinning. The sentiment from the Adventurous Sky stamp set is stamped on a smaller cloud cut with the Bright Skies dies. A few of the iridescent white sequins from the sequins trio pack further the illusion of being in the clouds and help draw the eye to the focal panel and sentiment.

The combination of products in the suite offer endless possibilities for so many fun designs — from super simple to detailed. It’s perfect for all the flight enthusiasts in your life.

Product List
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 121045 ]
[121045]
$11.50
Azure Afternoon 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 161719 ]
[161719]
$11.50
Textured Metallic 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 163772 ]
[163772]
$8.50
Silver 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Foil Sheets [ 163387 ]
[163387]
$5.00
Bright Skies Dies [ 162793 ]
[162793]
$34.00
Countryside Corners Dies [ 161471 ]
[161471]
$28.00
Take To The Sky Suite Collection (English) [ 163832 ]
[163832]
$74.00
Adhesive Backed Sequins Trio [ 161206 ]
[161206]
$8.00
Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [ 141897 ]
[141897]
$9.00
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [ 101406 ]
[101406]
$10.50
Night Of Navy Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154891 ]
[154891]
$11.00
Basic Black Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154843 ]
[154843]
$11.00
Smoky Slate Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154904 ]
[154904]
$11.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Retiring · Take to the Sky

Up, Up and Away Birthday

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, we’re exploring some of my favorite sets that are on the Stampin’ Up! Last Chance List. Today, we’re playing around with the Take to the Sky suite. As the spouse of a heavy jet pilot, this whole suite was a no-brainer for me and will definitely be sticking around in my crafty stash even after it officially retires!

For today’s card, we’re keeping it pretty simple and letting our dies and paper do the heavy lifting for this design.

We get started with a base of Night of Navy cardstock. I chose the cloud patterned sheet from the Take to the Sky paper pack as the backdrop for our flying biplane. Our plane is constructed using the Adventurous Sky dies and is a combination of the red Season of Elegance foiled paper and textured gold specialty paper. To give a realistic look to our spinning props, I added a small circle of Graceful Greenery vellum cut using the Spotlight on Nature dies. A few gold textured dots serve as the wheel and prop hubs.

The sentiment from the Hot Air Balloon stamp set is stamped in Real Red on Smoky Slate cardstock and diecut with the coordinating Hot Air Balloon banner die. The sentiment backdrop is a combination of grey and blue plaid patterns from the Take to the Sky paper pack with a strip of Cherry Cobbler & Gold metallic ribbon in the center to help things pop. A few red iridescent discs finish things off by drawing the eye to the sentiment. I added some starburst sequins in the opposing corners for a little extra pop of shimmer in the clouds.

We’ll be putting the stamps to work this afternoon. I hope you’ll fly by and check it out!

Product List
Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 100867 ]
[100867]
$11.50
Season Of Elegance 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 164144 ]
[164144]
$16.50
Textured Metallic 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Paper [ 163772 ]
[163772]
$8.50
Graceful Greenery Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 164118 ]
[164118]
$10.00
Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 131202 ]
[131202]
$11.50
Take To The Sky Suite Collection (English) [ 163832 ]
[163832]
$74.00
Hot Air Balloon Bundle (English) [ 162755 ]
[162755]
$45.00
Spotlight On Nature Dies [ 163580 ]
[163580]
$35.00
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147084 ]
[147084]
$9.00
Cherry Cobbler & Gold 1/2'' (1.3 Cm) Metallic Ribbon [ 156312 ]
[156312]
$8.00
Gold Textured Adhesive Backed Dots [ 164027 ]
[164027]
$8.00
Iridescent Adhesive Backed Discs [ 161954 ]
[161954]
$7.00
Starburst Sequins [ 165539 ]
[165539]
$7.50
Mini Glue Dots [ 103683 ]
[103683]
$7.25
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Changing Leaves · Retiring

A Little Note

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

This week, we’re taking a look at some of my favorite sets that made it to the SU! Last Chance list. And first up is the beautiful Changing Leaves bundle. I’ve learned to get a little out of my comfort zone and play around with unique color combinations, and when you really think about it, there truly is a tree representing just about every color in the rainbow!

Our base for this design, though not visible from the card front, is Melon Mambo cardstock. A strip of the gold leaf-patterned paper from the Nature’s Sweetness paper pack serves as the right edge of the card front with the gold-splattered newsprint as the larger backdrop for our card front. I sandwiched a strip of Melon Mambo foil paper in between the two Nature’s Sweetness patterns to complement the focal images. The leaves are cut from Melon Mambo foil paper using the Changing Leaves hybrid embossing folder. They’re layered on top of the gold mercury vellum disc cut using the Spotlight on Nature dies. The sentiment from Changing Leaves is stamped in Melon Mambo on white and then cut with the longer sentiment die from the coordinating die set. The sentiment panel is adhered over twists of gold thread at the base of the focal panel using dimensionals. I added a few Sunny Days dots and purple sequins to add some pops of pink across the otherwise white backdrop.

Using unexpected colors with the Changing Leaves bundle really ups its utility factor in the craft room, knowing that simply rethinking the color palette can change a design from something more feminine to a design that is much more neutral. And that’s more than half the fun of any set in your crafty stash — rethinking how you’re using it to transform utility!

Product List
Melon Mambo 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 115320 ]
[115320]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 162616 ]
[162616]
$16.50
Gold Mercury Vellum 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 164142 ]
[164142]
$10.00
Melon Mambo & Granny Apple Green 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Foil Sheets [ 161953 ]
[161953]
$10.00
Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147051 ]
[147051]
$9.00
Changing Leaves Bundle (English) [ 164139 ]
[164139]
$54.00
Spotlight On Nature Dies [ 163580 ]
[163580]
$35.00
Sunny Day Iridescent Dots [ 164696 ]
[164696]
$8.00
Purple Adhesive Backed Sequins [ 164970 ]
[164970]
$8.00
Gold Twisted Thread [ 164603 ]
[164603]
$7.50
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Changing Leaves · Retiring

Everyday Magic

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Welcome to this soggy Monday. It poured most of the weekend for us, so everything is wet and squishy now as we endure a late-season cold snap here in North Texas. What about you?

Have you checked out all of the products on the Stampin’ Up! Last Chance List that updated last week? I always have mixed feelings when the list is updated — I’m excited for deals but sad to see some favorites go. And I must say that this time around, there are a LOT of my favorites on the Last Chance list!

So this week, we’re going to be taking a look at some of them. And I hope to bring you not one but TWO designs with each of the featured retiring products as we move through the list this week. First up is the Online Exclusive bundle called Changing Leaves, which includes coordinating stamps, dies, and a hybrid embossing folder. I just love the detail included in this set and have found that it’s exceedingly versatile. This is one that will definitely remain in my crafty stash after it officially retires!

We start this design with a base of Pecan Pie cardstock. I used a sheet of the white woodgrain pattern from the Country Woods patterned paper pack as the backdrop for our focal section. Using the Changing Leaves dies and hybrid embossing folder, I cut an assortment of leaves and greenery from gold foil, Season of Elegance foiled paper, and Granny Apple green foil. I layered them with dimensionals and glue dots in the center of the card. The sentiment from Something Fancy is stamped in Shaded Spruce on white cardstock and then cut with the coordinating die from the set. The sentiment panel is adhered over gold thread and natural linen thread using dimensionals. A strip of the Nature’s Sweetness gold foil leaf pattern serves as the backdrop for our sentiment and hides the stems of our leaves festively. I added a combination of gold sequins, gold textured dots, and transparent dots for some visual interest across our design.

I think one of the hardest things about cards with lots of foil elements is that a photo can never do them justice! Tune in a little later as we take one more look at the lovely Changing Leaves bundle.

Product List
Pecan Pie 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 161717 ]
[161717]
$11.50
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 166780 ]
[166780]
$14.00
Country Woods 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 163393 ]
[163393]
$12.50
Season Of Elegance 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 164144 ]
[164144]
$16.50
Nature's Sweetness 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Specialty Designer Series Paper [ 162616 ]
[162616]
$16.50
Gold Foil Sheets [ 132622 ]
[132622]
$5.00
Melon Mambo & Granny Apple Green 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Foil Sheets [ 161953 ]
[161953]
$10.00
Changing Leaves Bundle (English) [ 164139 ]
[164139]
$54.00
Something Fancy Bundle (English) [ 160425 ]
[160425]
$45.75
Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147088 ]
[147088]
$9.00
Natural Tones Linen Thread [ 164071 ]
[164071]
$9.00
Gold Twisted Thread [ 164603 ]
[164603]
$7.50
Transparent Adhesive Backed Dots [ 163432 ]
[163432]
$8.00
Gold Textured Adhesive Backed Dots [ 164027 ]
[164027]
$8.00
Neutrals Adhesive Backed Sequins [ 161627 ]
[161627]
$7.50
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
Add All to Cart
Retiring

Brighter Skies on the Way

susanfoxbowenLeave a comment

Happy Saturday, crafty friends! It’s a rainy (and cold) day here in North Texas, and I’m playing catchup after a very busy end to the week. And with the weather as dreary as it is, I have my head in the clouds — the rain clouds, that is — and that works perfectly into this week’s design theme of all about nature.

This design is a combination of some of my favorite patterned paper — Everyday Skies — with two of my favorite pick-me-up stamp bundles — Playing in the Rain and Bright Skies. Both of these stamp bundles are on the current Last Chance list, so if you love them as much as I do, now is the time to swipe them for your stash! For today’s design, we’re keeping it pretty simple because these three products work super well together.

We get started with a base of Copper Clay cardstock. I really love how this pulled out the darker elements in the Everyday Skies paper but in a way that lends itself to our encouraging message. To add a touch of whimsy to the card to pair with our cute fox from the Playing in the Rain set, I chose to stamp the larger cloud from the Bright Skies stamp set onto black cardstock and then heat emboss in black before diecutting with the coordinating die. I add some rain in the area underneath where I intended to affix my cloud by heat embossing the stamped raindrops in clear powder and then affixed my cloud with dimensionals.

Next up, I worked on my focal character — the cute fox from the Playing in the Rain set. I stamped him in black onto Calypso Coral so that the space around the image would blend into the backdrop. I colored the fox with Stampin’ Blends before diecutting with the coordinating die. To ensure that the end of his tail had nice contrast, I used my Versamark pen to heat emboss the tip of the tail with white embossing powder. I used a couple of the ombre matte dots for buttons. I stamped the sentiment from Bright Skies in Blackberry Bliss ink and then affixed the fox to the right of the sentiment and used two layers of dimensionals so our character really stood front and center in the scene. I added a few two tone sparkle gems in the clouds for just a little added sparkly drama.

I really love the challenge of pairing products in my stash and I think this one turned out smashingly well. We’re going to continue our nature tour by using a sketch. I hope you’ll drop back by later to check it out.

Product List
Copper Clay 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 161721 ]
[161721]
$11.50
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [ 121045 ]
[121045]
$11.50
Everyday Skies 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [ 164622 ]
[164622]
$12.50
Bright Skies Bundle (English) [ 162794 ]
[162794]
$48.50
Playing In The Rain Bundle (English) [ 160551 ]
[160551]
$54.75
Jet Black Stāzon Ink Pad [ 101406 ]
[101406]
$10.50
Blackberry Bliss Classic Stampin' Pad [ 147092 ]
[147092]
$9.00
Versamark Pad [ 102283 ]
[102283]
$9.50
Basics Wow! Embossing Powder [ 165679 ]
[165679]
$21.00
Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154881 ]
[154881]
$11.00
Night Of Navy Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154891 ]
[154891]
$11.00
Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154880 ]
[154880]
$11.00
Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154883 ]
[154883]
$11.00
Shaded Spruce Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [ 154903 ]
[154903]
$11.00
Pretty Peacock Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack [ 161676 ]
[161676]
$11.00
Ombre Matte Decorative Dots [ 161448 ]
[161448]
$8.00
Two Tone Sparkle Gems [ 164633 ]
[164633]
$9.50
Stampin' Dimensionals [ 104430 ]
[104430]
$4.25
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