Songbird

Today's post is for Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps. The team all has new samples to show off today. You can see all the DT's creations on The Prickley Pear Blog.

A cute little bird card for today. Quick and easy to color this is a quickie! I used Spellbinder's Fleur de Lis Rectangles to frame the bird. The card is 4 1/4" x 5" and opens at the bottom, tent style.  

 I used these two Copics to airbrush around the edges of the image. I didn't bother masking anyting, knowing that the bird would be covered with a second popped up bird. 

 Here are the Copics that I used today... small little flowers to color so no time spent blending multiple colors. 

To finish the card I added a second stamped bird popped up with Dimensional Silcione. I embellished the flowers and bird's tail with small pearls using Viva Decor Pearl Pens. Couldn't resist this fun little multi colored twine to add a bow to the card. The layers on the bird panel were all made with Perfect Layers Rulers.

• Stamps from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps: Just a Note from the Clearly Beautiful Butterflies Set,  Songbird Image
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, DP by Lily Bee Designs - Buttercup 6x6 pad
• Other: Spellbinder's Fleur de Lis Rectangles, Twine by Pink Paislee, Viva Pearl Pens - Aqua, Sunny Yellow, Dimensional Silicone, Foam Tape, Perfect Layers Rulers

Peach Blossoms

 I had no idea what a peach blossom looked like.... so off to google I went. I found a photo to use as reference to get the colors right. I had no idea the blooms came out directly from thick branches, but they do. I found these pink and blue papers in a 6x6 pad from Lily Bee Designs called "Handmade". I am becoming a big fan of Lily Bee because the prints are so versatile. I used Spellbinder's Grand Labels One to create the card base and additional layer. 

 I stamped the image on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White and then used a Circle Nestie to cut it out. These are the colors I used in the background. I did not airbrush. It took me about ten minutes to color the background smoothing out the blue to fade to the lighter color at the edge. I only used the 0 Blender to correct some Blue that got in the flowers. 

 The blossoms can range from pale pink to a very deep pink, so I kind of took the middle road with the colors on the flowers. You can see the Copics I used. I spent about twenty minutes coloring this.

I used foam tape in between some of the layers for a little dimension. I added a sentiment and finished up the card with a little a bow. 

• Stamps: all stamps from Impression Obsession - F12006 Peach Blossom, B3581 Thank you for Thinking
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black
• Paper: DP from Lily Bee Designs "Handmade" 6x6 Collection, Neeneah Classic Crest Solar White
• Other: Ribbon by May Arts, Bow Easy Tool, Copics, Spellbinder's Grand Labels One, Spellbinder's Circle Nesties, Spellbinder's Scalloped Circle Nesties, Foam Tape

Sunflower Seeds

The challenge over at Flourishes is to create a card using your favorite Flourishes set... you can find all the details of the challenge here ---> Timeless Tuesdays 165. It is hard to choose a favorite from Flourishes as I'm a big fan of so many of their sets. But I picked out Sunflowers and The Seed Packet Set to create with. I think the Sunflowers are easy to color and always make a beautiful card and the Seed Packet set is so versatile to use with flowers or veggie image. 

I stamped on Neenah Solar White Paper. I combined the two stamp sets, masking the seed packet with Eclipse Tape to then stamp the sunflowers inside. I colored the background with the E40's and then used the Copic Blender Solution and the Fur Technique to create a mottled background. After using the Blender Solution and a rag to create the mottled background I went on the color the sunflowers. I used three colors of Bo Bunny Paper to completely cover the card front, then I ran the panel through a CB folder adding embossed polka dots. Jute string and a little sentiment tab complete the card. The seed packet is popped up with foam tape. Finished card size is an A2 and opens at the bottom, tent style. 

• Stamps: all by Flourishes - Sunflowers and Seeds of Friendship
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black
• Paper: DP by Bo Bunny, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
• Other: Jute String, Bow Easy, Foam Tape, Copic, Copic Blending Solution, Eclipse Masking Tape, Polka Dot CB Folder

Floral Farmhouse

The Impression Obsession Team's Challenge for today is Floral. You can always play along with us too, with a chance to win $25 to shop in the IO Store. Fins all the details of how to play along and win on the IO Blog. 

Check out what the DT is showing off today.... Dina, Jeanne, Laura, Julie, Vicki and Daniela

 I picked an old favorite today! I love this image, it is called Sunflower Barn. I liked the delicate border with white card stock and thought it made for a really simple and pretty card, framing the image nicely.... instead of sunflowers I colored them as daisies.  I wanted the whole scene to be the focus and I thought really deep yellows would really put the focus on the flowers only. The greens I thought tied everything together nicely. 

 While I picked an old favorite for the image, I picked a new favorite from my Spellbinder's stash that had yet to come out of the package. This die is Romantic Rectangles and cut so beautifully and easily. I love the edge detail... so dainty. I thought I'd share a pic of how I make a folded card base with this one. I cut two sides and then glue a folded card in the middle, lining the two dies up when I glue them down. 

 G43 and G46 continue to be my go to greens. I just love the vibrant tone, I'll need refills soon the way I use them! I used the E30's on the dirt. On the Barn I used the E40's. The flowers are colored with the Y20's. I airbrushed just a little yellow around the edged while the paper was still in the die using Y23.

 I stamped this friends sentiment on the inside corner of the card. 

Here is an up close picture. Really all the work on this card was coloring, the Spellbinders Die framed it so nicely I just didn't want to fuss with it. It's always hard for me to resist adding a bow... so I added one in the corner. 

• Stamps by Impression Obsession: #H1157 Sunflower Barn, #C3639 Best Things
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black
• Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
• Other: Spellbinder's Romantic Rectangles, Bow Easy Tool, Copics/ABS

Raspberries

Today is another DT post for Serendipity Stamps. The challenge this week is Flourishes. 

Also be sure and stop by Serendipity Stamps to do a little sale shopping... This week all Words and Verses stamps are 20% off!

Check out what the team came up with today:

 Amy -  Kathie - Miriam - Jeanne - Sue

Sorry for the absence here in Blogland.... I have not been feeling so hot, but hopefully I'm getting to a better place and will get back to creating and posting a little more regularly!

 There are new spring and summer stamps that have just been introduced. The image I used on today's card is one of them... you can see them all HERE! These are called Blackberries, but I think my color choices lean more toward Raspberries today. Out challenge was Flourishes and I kinda ended up covering them up.... I stamped a flourish on the mauve colored card stock using grey ink, then I ended up adding embossing as well, so they kind of hard to see in the pic, but they are there.

 Here are the Copics I used for the image. In the background I used T1 to add some grey, I then used the 0 Blender pen to wash the color out... leaving kind of a marble looking background.  You can see I added piercing around the edge and framed the image with several Nesties. G43 and G46 contimue to be my go to colors for leaves.

I stamped the sentiment and hand cut a a banner adding a black mat to it. I gently bent the banner and added a little dimensional silicone under the bend to keep it bent and propped up. A little foam tape under the image circles to add dimension. I used Black Seam Binding to make a little bow. All of the straight line layers were created using Perfect Layers Rulers.

• Stamps: 1257E Blackberries, 178E Daniel's Flourish, 059D Just a Quick Note
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black
• Paper: Grey, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Black, Cranberry
• Other: Sizzix Embossing Folder, Perfect Layer Rulers, Copics, Foam Tape, Dimensional Silicone, Spellbinder's Circle Nesties, Spellbinder's Scalloped Circle Nesties, 1/16" Rainbow Tape

Frilly Flowers

Our Creative Corner is having a challenge this week to create something frilly or feminine.... I think this die cut definitely fits the bill of frilly! I used Spellbinder's Grand Labels 23 to create the card base, cutting a folded piece of paper. I cut another layer from the same die, adding a strip of pink and blue paper. After the papers were glued together I ran it through a Sizzix embossing folder.

Here are the Copics I used to color the floral bookplate image. I cut the image out with the coordinating die. I added the die cut and the image panel to the card front using foam tape. 

• Stamps: Stamps and coordinating die cut is from Flourishes - Botanical Bookplates Volume 1
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Blue, Misc. Pink DP
• Other: Copics, Spellbinder's Grand Labels 23, Spellbinder's Antique Frames and Accents

Beach Days...

If you have been reading the Impression Obsession Blog, you know we are showing off new rubber today! Next Month in May we will be doing the same thing! That's right monthly releases of new stamps from IO! Today is also the beginning of a new challenge that you can play in and you all are invited to join us with the chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate. Find all the details of how to play and win on the Impression Obsession Blog!

If you have not checked out the new website for Impression Obsession you should! The new site is easy to navigate and features card samples for the image you are looking at.

 Visit and bookmark the site - IOStamps.com 

Check out what new goodies the team has posted today: 

Dina, Jeanne, Laura, Julie, Vicki and Daniela

 I thought this little beach girl (Item # CS376 Jill) was cute and so I picked her to ink up and play with for today. I kept the color scheme red, blue and kraft. Red and blue always seem like summer colors to me and I threw the kraft in to match up with the sand. 

 I stamped the image and then cut it out with a large Circle Nestie. You can see the colors I used for the sand and sky. 

 I finished up coloring using the Copics shown in the above picture 

After I finished coloring, I popped the image back in to the nestie circle die and added piercing marks to the top half of the image. I used the inside of the die as a guide to keep me even with my piercing. I stamped the sentiment on a label die cut from MFT's Sweet Stack Dies. Different layers were popped up using foam tape. 

• Stamps: all stamps by Impression Obsession - Set #CS376 Jill
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: Misc. Blue DP, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Red Dots by Bo Bunny, Kraft card stock
• Other: Bow Easy Tool, MFT's Sweet Stack Dies, Spellbinder's Grand Circles, Spellbinder's Grand Large Scalloped Circles, Spellbinder's Circles, Spellbinder's Petite Scalloped Large Circles, Misc. Ribbon, Piercing Tool

For the birds...

Today brings us to another challenge with the Serendipity Design Team. Our theme this week is birds... so check out what kind of projects the team came up with this week: 

Amy -  Kathie - Miriam - Jeanne 

Also I want to tell you that Serendipity has a special that you can take advantage of up until April 9th. Shop online at Serendipity Stamps and buy three items and get the fourth FREE!

 I paired up this cute little bird stamp with the new frame dies from Memory Box. It made for a quick and easy card that came together very easily.  I used a folded piece of paper to cut the card base, keeping the fold line slightly lower than the cut line of the die cut. The lacy frame is a separate die cut that lays over and fits right to the edge.  

 I used two Copics to airbrush around the edges of the card and the oval bird panel. 

 I used the Out of the Box Technique to cut out the bird oval. After airbrushing the panel, I used the above Copics to color the image. I did use Google images to pull up a picture of a finch, so that I could somewhat "get it right". 

 Here is the finished front of the card. I layered the ovals with foam tape.  I used a few small adhesive pearls around the edges and finished the card off with a bow on the top. I used a Viva Black Pearl Pen to add a little pearl eye. 

 I added a layered sentiment of Miss You on the inside, cutting the edges to match the die cut frame of the card. 

• Stamps by Serendipity Stamps: Goldfinch #1219G, Miss You #373D
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Paper: Dp by Authentique, Neenah Classic Crest Natural White (ivory)
• Other: Bow Easy Tool, Misc. Ribbon, ADhesive Pearls, Foam Tape, Copics, Spellbinder's Oval Nesties, Memory Box Debutante Frame #98297 and Vaudeville Frame #98298

Easter Magnolias

 I'm baaaack! Sorry to be absent for a week, but needed a little break. I have had this card in the works for days on my desk which is pretty pitiful, because it seems so very very simple. But time just kept going by so fast and I never could seem to get it finished. 

 I used Spellbinder's Labels 24 to create the frame. I stamped the magnolia in the four corners and then used a smaller die to trace along the inside edge of the frame, and then cut  along that line to remove the middle piece. I kept the coloring very simple, only using a few Copics. 

I added an embossed background and my sentiment with Spellbinder Circle Nesties. A little light peach bow to wrap it up. Finished card is 4 3/4" Square, tent style, opening at the bottom. 

• Stamps: All stamps by Flourishes - Magnolias, Easter Basket
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black
• Paper: All Color card stock is by Authentique, Neenah Classic Crest Solar WHite
• Other: CB Folder, Spellbinder's Labels 24, Spellbinder's Circle Nesties, Misc. Ribbon, Bow Easy Tool, Copic Markers