SOTW - Wrapped Bouquet (and a heads-up)

Here's another card made with the Wrapped Bouquet bundle, and a cautionary tale, LOL. First of all, I have to say I love making backgrounds with the Blending Brushes and decorative masks. So easy, and such a wow factor! And there will be new masks in the new catty! However (and here comes the heads-up), it's always a good idea to thoroughly clean your masks before using them again.

That background was supposed to be Fresh Freesia to match the flowers. Apparently I used Rococo Rose last time and forgot to clean the mask afterward, resulting in the background you see here. Not exactly the look I was going for, but it still looked good, so I ran with it.

Look closely and you'll see it.

And now for the second heads-up. I try to be a shining example for y'all, but sometimes end up being a horrible warning instead. *snort* When coloring embellishments with Stampin' Blends, some things (like the twine) take WAAAAY longer to dry than others. So make sure your twine is thoroughly dry before using it on your card, or you'll end up adding color where you didn't intend.

Product List (the new In Colors can't be added yet)

Wrapped Bouquet Bundle (English)

Peaceful Moments Cling Stamp Set (English)

Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock

Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad

Blending Brushes

Basic Pattern Decorative Masks

Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Add All to Cart

Lasting Lily Sneak Peek

This was one of the Sale-a-Bration sets that I thought I wouldn't want or need, until I took a closer look at the sentiments. There are greetings that cover love, friendship, thanks, and sympathy....quite a spectrum. So, I went ahead and chose it for my free SAB item. It wasn't even in the house 24 hours when I needed to make a sympathy card. (Gosh, there have been a lot of those recently.)

I found that when using the DistINKtive stamps, I get a much better image if I ink the stamp using a sponge dauber, rather than pressing the stamp on the ink pad. Because they are so finely detailed, the ink tends to get in the grooves and mess up the details. A light inking with a sponge dauber works quite well for me! For good measure, I huff on the stamp before pressing it on the cardstock.

The soon-to-be-available Rectangle Stitched Framelits were used here, but I shortened both the image and the greeting panels. How, you ask? Easy! After cutting the image and the greeting (with both of them placed close to one side of the Framelit), I popped them out and then moved the Framelit over to cut off the part I didn't want. You can feel when the "teeth" fit into the previously cut stitches, so it lines up perfectly. Feed the cardstock through the Big Shot with the part you want cut off going in first. You only need the make sure the first part goes through (don't crank it all the way through!), then back it out.

Here's another tip: Cut a mask by stamping on a sticky note and trimming just inside the edges of the image. Make sure some of the masked image is showing when you stamp the next layer because the stamp won't reach right up to the mask, leaving a gap as shown between the two larger lilies. I did better when I stamped the smaller lily.

As pretty as this card turned out, I sure hope it's a long time before I need to make another one.

Product List

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Rich Razzleberry 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad

Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad

Big Shot

Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies

Subtle Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Lace Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Useful Negative Bits

After cutting the leaves for yesterday's card, I was left with a scrap I didn't want to toss, so I turned it into a card! (Imagine that!) After running it through the Big Shot with the best-embossing-folder-ever Subtle embossing folder, I was going to mat it on some green DSP. But then I had the thought that it would look really rich with a copper background. Since the greeting banner needed "something" to dress it up a bit, I sneaked a die cut out of the copper using the Stitched Seasons leaf die.

Everything is glued down well with multipurpose glue, so no one will ever know there's a piece of copper missing underneath. Except I just told everyone.....oops!

I do like the clean simplicity of this card, and the fact that it used what would ordinarily be discarded. This one is going to a friend who is having a rough time right now.

Measurements
 Basic Black 3-3/4" x 5"
 Copper Foil 4" x 5-1/4"
 Crumb Cake 1/2" x 3-3/4"
 Crumb Cake 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" scored & folded at 4-1/4"

Product List

Itty Bitty Greetings Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Copper Foil Sheets

Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Jet Black Stazon Ink Pad

Big Shot

Stitched Seasons Framelits Dies

Linen Thread

Heartfelt Blooms, Once More

I just had to play a little more with the Heartfelt Blooms Sale-A-Bration set! This time I did some fussy cutting and partial fussy cutting.

Partial fussy cutting is a good option if you don't like doing it, because you can still get the 3D look without as much work. You just use your Stampin' Trimmer to cut straight on three side sides, and on the fourth side you carefully cut with the trimmer up to the image. Then use Paper Snips to cut around the image, so it hangs off the edge. I did do some extra cutting by stamping the image again and fussy cutting just the main flower to pop up on dimensionals.

I've had this Ruffled Dynamic TIEF for ages but haven't ever used it! That happens more than I care to admit. Anyhoo, I thought it would be a perfectly lovely background. Remember when using a Dynamic embossing folder to lightly spritz the cardstock with water (pat the excess off with a paper towel) before embossing. And only use one clear plate, not two!

Product List

Heartfelt Blooms Wood-Mount Stamp Set

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad

Fresh Fig Classic Stampin' Pad

Rich Razzleberry Dark Stampin' Blends Marker

Big Shot

Ruffled Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Metallic Enamel Shapes

Stampin' Dimensionals