MDS Convention Swap and New Digital Downloads

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday! Well, I'm a little slow to the trough but it is still Tuesday, and that means we have new Digital Downloads. I also thought it would be a good day to show you one of my Convention Swaps. I did it in MDS and then a few days before convention decided to turn it into a "Hybrid" by coloring a rhinestone with a sharpie and adding it to my card. Here's what I came up with-

and this was my final swap-

sorry for the poor lighting, I'm in the middle of packing up my house.

This is a CASE of a traditional card I made last year for a team swap. I switched it up just a little, but you can still see the basic bones-

What do you think? I am soooo happy with how it turned out! 

You want to know what's even better? I saved two of my swaps just in case I got to meet two of my favorite MDS people- Kimberly Van Diepen and Heather Summers. Well I met Kimberly early on and swapped with her but kept missing Heather till the last night. I was headed back to my seat after another unsuccessful round of "hybrid" swapping when one of my friends said "There's Heather" and there she was standing at the end of our row talking with some of our friends. Sooooo, what do I do? Yep, I go running over like a crazed escapee from a mental institute yelling"OHHHHH Heather Summers It's You! Finally!!!! Yep, Deer in the headlights look. Poor Heather. At least we had communicated by e-mail in the past so when I introduced myself she knew who I was. That's helpful when you go to fill out the restraining orders, don't you know. Well, I told her I had saved a MDS swap for her and this was the one I had left. She actually asked me how I got the sun to look like it did and if she could put it on her blog? Uhhhhh, let me see.... Like I was going to say No! Yes, Please!!! And Thank You!!! How cool is it to meet your blog friends and idols? So Cool!

Oh and today just gets better. It's Tuesday and that means we have all new Digital Downloads. I am Soooo Super Excited about the All New Rise and Shine Pocket Cards. We saw them Demonstrated at Convention and they are going to be a great addition for all of your scrapbook and journaling. Print them out and keep them on hand in your This and That book too, I know I plan too. So many great new downloads I just don't know which one I'm going to play with first. What about you? 

HELLO, LOVELY STAMP BRUSH SET - DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Regular Price: $6.61 Preferred Price: $5.95	PARTY PREMIERE ENSEMBLE - DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Regular Price: $22.17 Preferred Price:$19.95	POST CARD STAMP BRUSH - DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Regular Price: $3.28 Preferred Price: $2.95	RISE & SHINE POCKET CARDS - DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Regular Price: $6.61 Preferred Price: $5.95
SOHO SUBWAY DESIGNER SERIES PAPER - DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Regular Price: $5.50 Preferred Price: $4.95	WORLD MAP STAMP BRUSH - DIGITAL DOWNLOAD Regular Price: $3.28 Preferred Price: $2.95

To shop these great downloads and more stop by my online store. You can shop 24-7. Don't forget our Paper Promotion ends at the end of this month. Buy any 3 packs of Designer Series Paper and get 1 pack FREE!

Well, That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today's card, and I hope it inspires you to try MDS and create something fun for yourself. You don't always have to create something new, you can put a new twist on something you've already taken the time to create. If you liked today's card or have questions about it, I hope you will take take the time to leave me a question in the space below. I love hearing from you. Your comments really do make my day! If you'd like to +1 or Pin today's card, I've added the buttons for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little corner of the world. You are very appreciated. Till Next Time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan 

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Monday Musings - A Change From the Norm - NAC#1 / My challenge #29

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Hey y'all. Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. I had a very creative weekend. Got 3 cards made and a MDS Scrapbook page in addition to some down time. Hope your's was fun and productive too.

I've decided to make a little change to my Monday line-up. For those of you that have been around for a while, you know I try to do a MDS Monday. In theory it works and Monday is perfect because it goes with the MDS, you know it sounds good. Here's the problem, ok truthfully there are a couple of them. 1- The site I usually like to use for inspiration, doesn't always have the theme up in time for me to get something ready for Monday's. 2 - While I like the challenge site and when they have the theme listed it's usually good, they don't seem to have much support from their own DT with regards to having DT Inspiration pieces. 3 - They never give any feedback. Not once. Not even a thanks for stopping by. Very Dissapointing! :(  4 - Here's the most important though, I have a little issue with planning to do something on one day and then not doing it. That's why I don't have Clean & Simple Tuesdays for example and why my End of the Week Technique isn't assigned a specific day. In fact, this week's EWT will be tomorrow. I often make the bulk of my cards/projects during the weekend and if they're for a challenge I want to post them as soon as possible. Therefore MDS Monday's will now be simply MDS Day. That way, regardless of which day it actually is, it's always the right day. I will still endeavor to do at least one project a week though.

I am however starting a Monday Musings which will showcase a few things I'm either thinking about or that have happened in the last week. You can check out the full Monday Musings here. Here's a snapshot-
1-I had an Amazing new dessert last night- Totally worth the 14 points, yes I said 14. Check it out. I suggest sharing it with someone. :) Sooo Good!
2-My dessert I showed last week was a featured pick in one of the linky parties. How cool, something healthy was the most viewed!?!
3-So happy to see a Smart, Independent,Fiery Redhead Princess in a movie. Three guesses as to why I think that's fab and the first two don't count.
4- Last night was a "magic fingers" kind of night. Not in that kind of way! Come-on!!!!!
I hope you'l ltake a moment to check out the entire list and my new site too. :)

Now for today's card. One of the bloggers I follow set up a challenge site for her team members. How cool is that!?! So Cool! Anyways, last week was their first challenge, a sketch challenge. They are going to alternate between sketch and color challenges. As I am totally inept at color challenges I was really glad to see their first one was a sketch.

Here's today's card-

 I was so excited to see a C&S layout. These are so difficult for me. Luckily that means I get to check off a C&S and a Challenge card with just one effort. Woo-Hoo! :)  I decided to use one of my frames folders that I got for free during SAB. The only bad thing about it was cutting it out. Downside, for sure. This is the first time I've used this embossing folder. Wow, I just noticed that it looks like there's not left side to the inner rectangle. It's just the lighting though, I promise you it's there. I used my Scalloped Border Punch and my Decorative Label Punch as borders. The DSP is from the Summer Smooches collection. I stamped the little flowers from Betsy's Blossoms, fussy cut them, let Tink have her way and then popped them up with Dimensionals. Some of our sweet new Daffodil Delight ribbon finishes off the focal point. It was secured with more Dimensionals onto a layer of Island Indigo that I ran through my Big Shot with my Perfect Polka Dots E.F. I have to say I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, even if I'm not thrilled by the cutting out of the frame.

Here's the sketch I used-

Here's the inside-

I inked up my sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Island Indigo, still my all-time fav color although I have to say Midnight Muse is a close second. I used the largest bloom in the Betsy's Blossom for my accents. I inked it up and then stamped off once to give a lighter image. I then used my Two-Way Glue pen to randomly, yes I said randomly...lol, apply adhesive to the blossom. A little Dazzling Diamonds later and such a pretty sparkle. I'm so excited that you can actually see the sparkle here instead of how it usually looks.

Well, that's all I have for you today. Don't forget to check out the Nacho Average Challenge site. It's going to be a good one. They haven't posted today's color challenge but the site says it will be up today. Let's help them grow.

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by today. I really appreciate you! I love hearing from you, so if you have a sec and feel like dropping me a line, it would make my day. I read all of my comments and try to respond back. I usually try to follow back too. If you liked today's card and would like to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons here on the post for you. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan Pin It

Preview - Nacho Average Challenge #1

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Hey y'all. Just a quick preview of a card I'll be posting later this week. This is for the Premiere Challenge over at Nacho Average Challenge. How cute is that name? They are going to be alternating sketch challenges and color challenges. Since I'm pretty inept at color challenges, I'm really glad they started off with a sketch challenge! :) LOL!!!

Here's my card-

Nacho Average Sketch Challenge Card featuring
Betsy's Blossoms & Summer Smooches DSP

Here's their sketch-

A Great first challenge sketch! Clean & Simple and lots of room for interpretation. I stayed true to the sketch and am sooo excited to be playing along in the first challenge!

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you'll come back soon and see the rest of my card. I hope you have an Amazing rest of your weekend. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waitig for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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End of the Week Technique #39 - Using Framelets to Alter Layers

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Hey y'all. Happy Friday! I hope you've had an Amazing week and are looking forward to an equally Amazing weekend. My week is ending on a high note since I found out I was chosen as an Operator's Pick over at Stamping 411. How exciting!?! I love playing along with them, if you haven't checked them out, make sure you do...just after you're done here. Kay?

Today's card is one I made for a recent team swap. I'd been wanting to do this technique for a while and I think it ended up working just fine for this card. Here's today's card-

Any Occasion Card featuring
Betsy's Blossoms and Friendly Phrases and Labels Framelet

I was so happy this card turned out, because I ended up doing 14 of them in one evening! Nothing like a last minute save. I can't remember what was going on that week, but I try not to let swaps come down to the last minute, because augh, you know I hate that added pressure! :) Actually they were card fronts so I did everything except the So Saffron card-base, but still a lot of work.

First I decided which size Labels Framelet I wanted to use. I think this is the third largest one. Once I decided just where I wanted it in the framelet (how wide, how narrow, how many "bumps" etc.) I cut out all of my pieces. The tutorial for this is later on in the post.

After I had all my W.W. c/s pieces cut out, it was time for the fun stuff. I started off trying to brayer the color on for the sky. Yeah, that was so Not happening! After about the 5th try I gave up on that idea for fear I wouldn't have enough Whisper White c/s left to do the swaps at all. I then decided to just sponge the sky, so out came the sponges and the blues and the Large Scalloped Circle Punch (to make the clouds) and I got busy. I used Bashful Blue and some Marina Mist and sponged until I got the effect I liked. Then I sponged the edge with Baja Breeze for a little depth and contrast. I also lightly sponged over the whole piece in a circular motion to give a more "blended appearance" instead of the more defined "clouds" appearance.  I stamped all my sentiments in Midnight Muse at the bottom of the layer so I had a better idea of where to place my sun. I then inked up my "sun" with the largest flower in the Betsy's Blossom set. I know you're probably tired of seeing cards with this set but it's just so versatile and so darn sweet! I inked it up with my Daffodil Delight Classic Ink Pad then "rolled" the edge of the stamp on my Tangerine Tango pad. This gave a two-toned look and added depth to the image. Between this and my sky, everyone was ensured a "one of a kind" swap. The only thing I wish I'd done differently would have been to stamp the sun a little higher so the branch/leaves wouldn't be behind the ribbon.

Next came my sweet little bird, and a surprise design find! My original plan was to stamp the bird twice and then cut out the wings and pop them up on Dimensionals. Well, let me tell you what happened instead. I stamped that sweet little bird down in front of the sun and lookie at what a pretty design effect it made when the pattern/colors from the sun mixed with the colors and patterns on the wing. *Score!!!* Serendipity, I tell you, what a happy little finding. Why yes, since you asked...I did do a little *happy dance* : D

All that was left then was to stamp my branch/leaves (Gumball Green) under her and attach my Daffodil Delight ribbon. Instead of wrapping the ribbon around the layer I used my Stampin Mist Bottle to tie a knot near the end of a length of ribbon ( I think it was about 8"), snip the loop at an angle and then SNAIL the ends under my layer. I often do this instead of wrapping the whole layer. That's extra ribbon I can use on another project that would simply be hidden otherwise. I don't know about you but anything that conserves my supplies and still gives me a pretty look is A-OK with me.

This whole layer was secured to a base of Bashful Blue c/s with Dimensionals. I later added this layer to my So Saffron base with Dimensionals after I ran my base through my Big Shot with the Perfect Polka-Dots Embossing Folder.

Here's the inside-

Inside of Card with
Betsy's Blossoms "Sun" and Bird

For the inside I stamped another sentiment from Friendly Phrases in Midnight Muse. I really do love how you can mix and match the sentiments to convey different thoughts. I used the same technique on the inside as I did on the outside. I simply stamped everything off once to get a lighter image. O.K., look I don't know who Betsy is but I'm tired of calling the sweet little bird "her" so from now on she's Betsy! LOL.Well, at any rate, Betsy looked a little pale after stamping off, but would have been too intense against the muted sun so I had to figure out a way to make her shine. Get it?!? Make her shine. So I got out my thinking hat...Think, Think, Think....Come on- you know you're saying it with me in your best Pooh-Bear voice.  ( I really love him and his cuddly, all stuffed with fluff self!) Tink to the rescue. She made Betsy shine so pretty and for once, you can even see the shine. Woo-Hoo! Do you Love it? I do.  :)

Now for a quick little tutorial on today's technique. I'm sure you could do this with just about any framelet but I chose the Labels one for today's card. I can't wait to try it with some others too.

Here's what you're going to need- Framelet of your choosing in the size of your choosing, cardstock, Big Shot, platform and cutting pads and a post it note or piece of painters tape.

Here's the quick and easy way to use your framelets to completely customize your layers-

1- Figure out how wide you want your layer to be and choose a framelet thats' inside width is your desired width. 

2- Cut a strip of c/s to the desired length. Cut the width so that it will fit inside of your framelet. I chose to lay my framelet on my grid paper to measure the inside width and then cut my paper to that measurement. (But that could just be the OCD in me!)

3- Slide your c/s inside your framelet from the top so that the edge you want to cut is under the blade. Position it, while it's on the platform with both tabs closed and cutting pad, so that you are happy with how it sits and it has even borders on the side, like this- 

 

4- Once you're satisfied with the positioning use a post-it note or a piece of painters tape to secure the framelet to your c/s and cutting pad. Strictly speaking you could omit this step but I wouldn't. The chances that you will move the framelet or your c/s when applying the top cutting pad is high. Using either of these will help ensure everything stays in place and will not tear or damage your c/s. It will look like this-

5- Run your framelet through your Big Shot but only until you pass the portion you wish to cut. Then back it out. If you run it all the way through, the top portion of your c/s will have an embossed edge. Remove your top cutting pad and the post-it note/painters tape and you have a new and exciting edge to your layer.

Pretty Cool Right!?!

6- Smile when you see your cool new layer and decorate it however you'd like.

7- Smile when you finish your card/project and smile even more when you think about the joy it's going to bring to someone and the smile it will bring to their face.

This is a pretty cool way to add a new and different kind of layer to your cards/projects. I especially like that you can make them not only in the sizes of the framelets but even then you can adjust your sizes. I chose to only have the center curve and the two curves to either side. I could have taken it over just an 1/8" or so more to each side and added that curve as well. This is totally customizable to you and your design desires. Play around with it and see what you come up with.

That's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today's card and End of the Week Technique. I know I sure had fun making it. I really hope it inspires you to try something new today. Don't be a Scaredy Cat! You know the motto here- Just try! Have fun! What's the worst that could happen? You end up with a few new scraps of cardstock to use for another project. :) As always, if you create something with this technique, I'd love to see it. I love hearing from you and I read all of my comments. So, if you liked today's card/technique and have a moment to drop me a line, it would make my day. If you'd like to +1 or pin today's card I've put the buttons on my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too! :)

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to stop by my little bit of stamping happiness here. I really do appreciate all of you! {(hugs)} I hope you have an Amazing weekend filled with lots of time for Family, Friends and of course creativity! Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but learning to Dance in the rain. 

Be Safe,

Shan

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An Unlikely Inspiration & a C&S Card

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Hey y'all. Happy Friday!!! :) How's your day going? Mine started off Amazing before I even left home, then I got to work and found out I had made the Stamping Showcase over at Stamping 411. Wow! Great way to end the week. Now if I can just get those 13 swaps made tonight, then life will be really fab! Lol :)

Question for you... Where do you find your inspiration? Some people like my stamping buddy Michelle Suit has said she'll see something when she's out and be inspired to go home and try and re-create it. My upline team-leader Robin Merriman sometimes takes cards from magazines and re-creates them with all SU product (Hey Robin, btw's...we all miss seeing these every week), some others say "it just came to me" (boy, I wish I was one of those people!). I try to stay open minded and see what presents its-self, but I'm afraid it doesn't happen as often as I'd like. I do however think it's funny, that I now see colors and think of them in comparison to SU colors. That's happened with today's card. I initially thought I'd find something to do with the color combination and then my new favorite stamp set came out and "BAM!", (why yes, I did just do an Emeril) I knew just what I needed to do.

Here's today's card-

C&S Betsy's Blossom Card

I know, I know....Another Betsy's Blossom card. But this set is just so stinking easy and pretty and fun. Plus when you see the inspiration, you'll know why I had to use it! Here's a first, two actually- This is the first time I've done a card with Melon Mambo. I don't mean a card-base, I mean the first time I've cut the paper at all. It's also the first time the stamp pad had ever been used. If you look closely you'll see I did a little tone-on-tone stamping with Melon Mambo ink on the c/s. Why, have I resisted this color? So pretty! I also used Rich RazzleBerry, Regal Rose and Rose Red for my large blossoms and Pretty in Pink and Pink Pirouette for the smaller flowers.WOW! Is this a Pink card or what!?! I inked up part of the sentiment from Friendly Phrase is Melon Mambo with my Stampin Write Marker and stamped it on a scrap of Whisper White c/s. I punched it out with my oval punch, sponged the edges and then mounted it on a piece of Melon Mambo c/s, punched with my Scalloped Oval Punch. This was elevated with Dimensionals.

Are you ready for the inspiration piece? Wait for it....Wait for it.... You're not going to believe it...

That's right! It's my over-the-door ironing board cover. Can you believe it. Tell me those don't look like Betsy's Big Blossom and I'll tell you  that you need an eye exam! And just look at the colors...How could I not make today's card? LOL! It took me so long to make it because, I hate ironing so I don't see the inspiration very often. HAHAHA! I'm kind of a wash and wear kind of girl.

Here's a closeup of the flower-

Ok, so it's probably more of a "Quick and Easy" kind of card than a C&S, but tomatoes, tomatoes. Not really a way to make that saying look like you want it to sound without spelling one of the wrong. *SMH* So I used my Large Scallop Circle Punch to punch a piece of Melon Mambo out and then cut each one of the scallops so it would  flare a little more. I then inked up my stamp with Pretty in Pink and "tap-danced" my Melon Mambo marker all over it and stamped on a scrap of Whisper White c/s. Isn't that a pretty effect? I did this twice. I then punched one out with my Large Scallop Circle Punch, and one with my smaller Scallop Circle Punch. I curled the edges of all 3 layer with my bone-folder for depth. All three flowers were adhered to each other with Tombow. I decided it needed just a little something extra so I added a Rich RazzleBerry button to the center with a Mini-Glue Dot. It's not the same color as the flower, but I thought it looked pretty anyways. I got 2 whole containers of these Bright Buttons for FREE, during Sale-A-Bration.

Here's the inside-

I stamped the rest of the sentiment from the front and then added my two flowers. Do you ever split your sentiments like that? I do it a lot. I think it's an easy way to get a little more bang for your buck. I inked up just the center portion of the medium flower with my Stampin Write Marker and stamped it in the center of the big blossom for a different look.

So what do you think? I love it! (Even though it's so pink) I think it's bright and cheery and I think it will bring a smile to someone's face one of these days. It doesn't get much better than that. I hope you like it and I hope it inspires you to take something ordinary as your inspiration and turn it in to something that makes you, and hopefully others, smile.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I love hearing from you. Your comments always make my day so feel free to let me know what you think. If you'd like to +1 or Pin this, I've put the buttons on my side-bar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome as well.

I hope you have an Amazing weekend, filled with lots of time for Family, Friends and of course Creativity. Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,
Shan

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Betsy's Blossoms -Clean and Simple

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday! I hope you're having an Amazing day and week. Just one more day to go till the week-end. *happy dance*

Today's card is one I designed for my recent New-Year's Open House. I got to introduce 3 old friends and 1 new one to the joys of stamping. Let me tell you, these girls stamped like they were old pros and they all had so much fun doing it! None of them thought they would be able to recreate this card and were all delighted by the beautiful cards they made.

My friend April often laughs at me and says I can't make a one-layer card. I tried to for my Open House, knowing there would be new stampers, and still couldn't manage it. I know later today April will be laughing. :D
Even though it's not one-layer, this is still a super simple card to make and would be especially good for beginners or a 2-4-5 type class.

Here's today's card-

Clean & Simple Card with Betsy's Blossoms,  Petite Pairs and New In-Colors

I am in L.O.V.E, LOVE with this set. It's so fab, lately I've had to make myself not pick it up and choose another set to play with. Know what else I love? The New In-Colors and the New Pads! LOVE Them! This card came together so quick, I was done before I knew it. :) I used Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green and Summer Starfruit to stamp my images. For the tag I inked up & stamped my sentiment from Petite Pairs, added a few flowers and punched it out with my Decorative Label Punch. A little sponging around the edges and some dimensionals and the front was done. See, Easy-Peasy!

Here's the inside-

I stamped my flower in Raspberry Ripple, fussy cut it and then layered it over my stamped leaf image with my favorite adhesive, Tombow. As an after-thought I decided to let Tink have a little fun and added some Dazzling Diamonds to the center.

I didn't get pictures of everyone's cards, but here's one from my Open House-

This was my Friend Julia's card. I think she did a great job for her first time to ever stamp. Don't you think so too? I love how she made it her own by changing up the colors. Way to go Jules!

Well, that's all I have for you today. I hope you liked today's card and that it inspires you to create something Clean and Simple today. If you like today's card and want to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. I always love hearing from you, so feel free to leave me a comment. They always make my day! Friends and Followers are always welcome too. :)

I hope you'll stop back by tomorrow for this week's End of the Week Technique.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a great rest of your day!

Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storm to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.


Be Safe,
Shan

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Sneak Peek- Embossed Betsy's Blossoms / Freshly Made Sketches #36

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Hey y'all. Happy Thursday! Just one more day until the long weekend. Woo-Hoo! Do you have any fun plans? I'm having an Open House, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to celebrate our New Catalog. I'm also going to be featuring Scentsy Home Products and the delish New Velata Premium Chocolate Fondue. So if you're in the Metro DMV and want to come by and make a project with new product, smell some great scents and enjoy yummy snacks, hit me up..I'd love to see you!

I know the plan had been to do my EWT today....best laid plans and all that. I saw a sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and just had to play along, (and wanted to go ahead and be able to post ) so this weeks EWT will come tomorrow.

Can you believe 3 challenges this week? It's been a while since I did that. :) However when I saw this sketch I knew exactly what I wanted to do. So rare for that to happen, so when it does it just doesn't make sense to not go with it! I'm using this for my Clean and Simple card of the week because even though it has a lot of embossing and sponging, the overall look is Clean and Simple. The C&S card I had planned for today will simply get moved to next week.(Whew now the stress is off for me to do another in the C&S style! Score!!!)

I hope you're not getting tired of Betsy's Blossoms because I am so loving it! Here's today's card-

C&S Betsy's Blossoms with Embossing, Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #36

Although I knew what I wanted to do with this sketch this is not the first color combo I planned on. I haven't decided how I feel about our New In-Color Summer Starfruit. I think it's the "Peach Parfait" of the 21012-2014 Collection. (You know what I mean, you know you do.) I had the card-base cut, scored and folded and just couldn't do it with this card. I think once I get some DSP that coordinates with it, maybe I'll have better luck. I am, however, loving this New Midnight Muse!

Here's the sketch I used-

My goal with this card was, even though it was such a great clean and simple sketch, to add a surprise to take it up a notch. I stayed true to the layout only flipping the orientation. I made the sky by sponging Bashful Blue over the edge of a scrap piece of c/s I punched out with my Large Scalloped Circle Punch. I did this multiple times and then went back and lightly rubbed the sponge all over the piece to give a "soft, airy" appearance and to ensure there were no harsh lines. I think this really helps to make my embossed images stand out.

Here's a close-up look-

Embossed Betsy's Blossoms

It was really hard to capture the embossing , but I think this few gives you a little glimpse. I used Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Marina Mist and Gumball Green and heat embossed them with Clear Embossing Powder. In person the embossing just "pops" out at you. It's really so striking and you just want to rub your hands over it to feel the texture, especially on the sweet little bird and middle blossom. I used my 1 1/4 square punch to punch out my elements after embossing and then sponged the edges with the matching color. The 3 squares are adhered with Tombow. The center panel is elevated with dimensionals.

Here's the inside-

I stamped the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Midnight Muse. Next I masked the bottom of my card with post-it notes so I could be sure to get a straight line. I then stamped my two floral images from the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set in an alternating, random style, flowing pattern. I used Primrose Petals for the smaller flower and Raspberry Ripple for the larger one, stamping off once to get a softer look. A little visit from Tink gives it just a little sparkle and means the inside of my card has a pretty little surprise for it's recipient.

I'm so happy with how today's card turned out. I hope the fabulous ladies over at Freshly Made Sketches like it and that you do too! If you haven't checked them out yet,make sure you do. Their DT does Amazing work and the sketches are always fabuous!

If you liked today's card, feel free to leave me a comment. I love hearing from you and getting your input. If you liked it and would like to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too. :)

I hope you'll come back tomorrow for my Surprise End of the Week Technique. Thanks for stopping by and sharing my creative journey with me!

Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storm to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.

Be Safe,

Shan

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Sneak Peek - Betsy's Blossoms and Floral District / SSC #256 / My Challenge #22

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Hey y'all. Happy Tuesday. It's rainy and gloomy here in the DMV and I'm fighting the migraine (that is threatening to hit full force) it has brought me. :(

You guys know I love the peeps over at Stamping 411 and all the great sketches they have for us. They really motivate me to step out of my Scaredy Cat self and stretch myself creatively. Well they have another great sketch this week and as soon as I saw it I knew I wanted to make something with it.

Here's today's card-

Thank You Card with all new Betsy's Blossoms and Kindness Matters stamps and Floral District DSP

This card is a little of a departure for me. I rarely use DSP as a complete background. I looked back over my posts and it looks like I've only done this 9 times for full cards and 3 times for 4 x4's out of about 160 cards/projects. I tend to use it more for an accent/element. Geesh! I probably wouldn't have nearly so much old DSP if I did this a little more often. LOL! Another departure for me is the use of Rich Razzleberry. It's the first time I've ever used it all, no cards, no projects, no accents, nothing. Poor R.R. must have been feeling so unloved. The colors/design are also a little bold for my cards, but I went with the DSP for my color choice. Ha! I guess I should change that first line to say "This card is a BIG departure for me!"

This is a pretty simple card all in all. Rich Razzleberry base, Floral District DSP, (First time it's getting used but it def won't be the last. Love every design in the pack!) Daffodil Delight (another lonely c/s color) for the mat and a little Baja Breeze joins the other two colors for my floral accent.  I stamped my sweet little bird in Baja Breeze twice on c/s, using one to cut out the wings which I popped up with dimensionals, and once on a post-it note. I then cut out the one on the post-it note to "mask" my stamped image for two reasons. 1- so I wouldn't get ink on it when I stamped my other images and 2- so it would give depth to my stamped panel where it looks like the bird is flying "in front of or over" the floral image.

I used the sentiments from Kindness Matters for the front and inside of my card. I got this set for free during SAB and am finally getting to ink it up. :) I used R.R. to stamp my sentiment and one of my "must-own punches", the Word Window Punch to punch it out. I punched individual flowers with my BoHo Blossoms Punch. I'm so glad both of these are hanging around in the new catalog!!! I curled the edges of the flowers up with my stylus, adhered them together with Tombow, added a little pearl (another under-utilized item) and adhered them all to the card with more Tombow. The right side end of the sentiment is elevated with a dimensional as is the Daffodil Delight layer. All other layers in my card utilize Tombow.

Here's the Stamping 411 sketch I used for my inspiration-

I stuck pretty close to it just changing the orientation and moving the sentiment and embellishment over to work with the orientation change. If you haven't played with the great gals over at Stampin 411, this is a wonderful sketch to start with! One of the things I like most about their site (other than the great sketches!) is they give dimensions for their cards and all the layers to help with your design. I don't know about you, but that's one of the things that takes me the longest to figure out! What a time saver to not have to guess, and cut and then re-cut! Thanks Ladies!!! <3

Here's the inside-

Once again the sentiment is from Kindness Matters and is stamped in R.R. I stamped the flowers in R.R. and D.D. and then let Tink have her way with them. It's been far too long since I just let her have her way. You know me, it just hurts me to not have a little something pretty on the inside. Why shouldn't the inside be as pretty as the outside?

For those of you new to my blog, You will see Tombow used a lot. My team-mates tease me about this all the time, even promising to break me of my Tombow addiction (or compulsion) if you will, especially before I begin my Convention Swaps. It's a pretty good bet that the only time you will see SNAIL used on one of my cards is to hold down ribbon. I use Sticky Strip for the "major" stuff, Dimensionals for elevation and Mini-Glue Dots mainly to adhere ribbon or embellishments. Most people ask me why I take this extra step especially since the SNAIL is sooo much quicker, not to mention less messy. Due to the humidity in the area I live, I've had "Snail-Fail" before on cards/projects I've made and stored. (I store all the cards I make for my blog until I either sell them or have an occasion to give them to someone. Sometimes that can take a little while.) Having found card elements in my storage box separate from their cards I would never want that to happen on a card I gave to someone and certainly not on a card I had sold. (Horrors!!!) I read a post a year or so ago about someone who gave a card to a family member and when they picked it up off the mantle to show a friend it fell apart. :'( How sad!!!! Please, don't get me wrong....I think SNAIL is a great product, I just don't think it works for me where I currently live. I know if I give you a card that I've Tombowed, those layers are staying put!

That's all I have for you today. Hopefully it's sunny where you are today and if not, that today's card brings a little cheer your way! If you liked today's card, feel free to leave a comment. I love hearing form you. If you liked it and want to +1 or Pin it, I've put the buttons on my sidebar for your convenience. Friends and Followers are always welcome too. :)

Till next time-

Remember- Life is often more about the storms than the peace they seek to overwhelm. It's not about Waiting for the storms to pass, but Learning to Dance in the rain.


Be Safe,
Shan Pin It