#FF0014: Watercolored Dog Card – Happy Birthday, Twins

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Comments: 14

watercolored dog cardIt’s time for the Festive Friday Challenge, where every challenge is a party! For FF0014, we are celebrating National Dog Day (September 26th) with a Rhinestone twist. You can create a card to celebrate dogs, or you can create a card or project that has rhinestones, or you can combine both! Whatever way you decide to create is fine with us! We would love to have you play along!

Watercolored Dog Card

Watercolored Dog Card

For today’s challenge I created a cute, watercolored card using Stampin’ Up!’s Bella & Friends stamp set.  Although this card was designed to celebrate National Dog Day, it could very easily be used to celebrate a young child’s birthday or the birth of a baby.

Colors of the Day
The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips

The pups from Bella & Friends are just the cutest little guys. They were watercolored using a Blender Pen and the inks listed above.

watercolored dog card

Two are perched on clouds which were die cut using the Up &  Away Thinlits.  Even the sentiment, courtesy of Cake Soiree, is nestled on a cloud.

watercolored dog card

And doesn’t every celebration deserve balloons? Our third pooch is floating skyward courtesy of a  Pool Party balloon.

watercolored dog card

I think this card is just perfect for celebrating the Twins’ birthday. Can you believe they turned 8 years old yesterday?

It seems like just yesterday they babies, snuggling on the couch.

watercolored dog card

Now their faces have silvered, but they still snuggle with each other.

watercolored dog card

This may be the last birthday they share.  Many of you have asked how Brody is doing.  Unfortunately, Brody’s health is beginning to decline.  Just a month ago he was still full of vim and vigor, but the cancer is beginning to take its toll.  So we will continue to live every day to its fullest until his eyes tell me he is ready to say good-by…

The Challenge Twists

As mentioned earlier, Festive Friday is a challenge with twists.  If you do not wish to create a National Dog Day project, you could create a card or project featuring the color rhinestones.  We offer alternatives for every challenge.  Plus, if you play along with us, you will be earning Fest Points which can be redeemed for items such as tutorials (including the tutorial for today’s card), retired Stampin’ Up! products, design team cards, and even a spot as a Guest Designer! But remember:  To earn Fest Points, you need an account on the challenge site. Just click on login/register on the challenge site to get started.

To see all of the inspiration our Design Team has created for you, head on over to Festive Friday Challenges!

Would you like to create your own watercolored dog card card?  If you enjoyed today’s card, and would like to create your own watercolored dog card,  the supply list is located below.  Clicking on a product takes you right to my store.  Be sure to use this month’s Host Code.  Online orders over $50 (before tax and shipping) will receive a little gift from me IF you use the Host Code.  If your order is $150 or more, please do not use the Host Code.  You will automatically receive the gift from me, as well as your own Host Rewards.

August: 7V2KARM2

  • Are you in search of a specific retired stamp set? I just might have it on my list of  Retired Sets for Sale.
  • If you are in need of a Holiday Catalog, and you do not have a demonstrator, please email me (ann@thestampinschach) and I will drop one in the mail to you!

Bonus Days are BACK!  August 1st – 31st, 2018 Spend $50 and Earn a $5 Coupon Code to Redeem in September!

  • An email address is required to participate; Bonus Days coupon codes can be delivered only via email.
  • If you earn multiple codes from a single order, you will receive one email with multiple codes. If you earn multiple codes from multiple orders, you will receive separate emails for each code earned.
  • There is no limit to the number of coupon codes you can earn per order or throughout the duration of the Bonus Days earning period.
  • There is no limit to the number of coupon codes participants can use on an order during redemption.
  • Bonus Days coupon codes may be redeemed for any product (excluding Starter Kits and Paper Pumpkin Monthly Subscriptions.)
    • New prepaid Paper Pumpkin codes may be discounted with Bonus Days coupon codes.

As always, if you have a question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…

siggy-1

Price: $110.00

Stamp Review Crew: Rooted in Nature Sympathy Card

Comments: 24

sympathy card

It’s time for the Stamp Review Crew: Sea of Textures Edition! If this is your very first visit to one of our hops, the Stamp Review Crew is a group of international Stampin’ Up! demonstrators whose mission is to do a blog hop on the first, third and fifth Mondays of each month. Our hops are unique because each of us features the same stamp set used in a variety of ways, giving you loads of inspiration for that set. The hops are archived at the Stamp Review Crew blog. You will be able to click through each hop at any time, going directly to the posts for that hop whenever you want. This week we are featuring the Rooted in Nature stamp set. If you are following along in order, you have just arrived from the talented Stesha Bloodhart.  After visiting me, you will continue to the next stop, the creative Mary Haugen.

Rooted in Nature Sympathy Card

Rooted in Nature

A very good friend of mine said good-by to his first Boxer this past week.  They had been together for 12 years.  Knowing how much my friend was hurting, I wanted to design a card which would not only express my sympathy, but which would also be a card of encouragement.  I thought the Rooted in Nature stamp set, would be the perfect choice.  I had envisioned a card which would use one of the tree images, but by accident I ended up creating this card.  Preoccupied and saddened, (I knew the dog well and had stayed with him for three weeks last summer),  I was not paying close attention and haphazardly placed the leaf thinlits onto a strip of copper foil, not realizing they were embossing thinlits. Surprisingly enough, they were fairly well lined up.  When I removed the thinlits, I was struck by the beauty of the embossing, and decided to make them the focal point.  I hope my friend will find comfort from both the card and the words inside.

Colors of the Day
The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips

Today’s card is a simple, classic design, one which allows the embossed panel to take center stage.  It was matted onto Mint Macaron cardstock, and popped up on dimensionals.  If I were to make this panel again, I would align the top leaf a wee bit better.  But after encouraging  decades of students to reduce, reuse and recycle, this old science teacher used the one I had accidentally created.

sympathy card

The sentiment was heat embossed in copper.  I snipped off “Be Strong” from the rest of the image, and matted it onto Mint Macaron.  It was also adhered using dimensionals. Because it looked lonely by itself, I added leaf images which I created by stamping the images in Cajun Craze and Tranquil Tide onto vellum.  I then heat embossed them with copper embossing powder for a neat beaded effect.  A snippet of copper metallic thread completes the look.

sympathy card

Obviously, this card could be used for a variety of occasions by switching out the sentiment.

Rooted in Nature

I hope you enjoyed today’s card.  If would like to try your hand at creating your own Rooted in Nature card,  the supply list is located below.  Clicking on a product takes you right to my store.   You will receive a little somethin’-somethin’ from me IF you use the Host Code.   If your order is $150 or more, please do not use the Host Code.  You will automatically receive the gift from me, as well as your own Host Rewards.

August: 7V2KARM2

Of course, if you ever have a question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Now hop along to Lou to see what she has in store for you!  If you get lost along the way, you can find a list of all the hoppers at The Stamp Review Crew.  Until next time…

siggy-1

On the CASE: Time for Tea Decorated Tea Tin

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Comments: 2

decorated tin

Nicole and I are back On the CASE. Our mission: To work through current Stampin’ Up! catalogs, breaking down gorgeous samples step-by-step, just for you! CASE means to Copy and Share with Everyone, and that is exactly what we do. We hope you enjoy the cards we CASE and the free tutorials included in our posts. Today’s edition features a CASE of one of the Time for Tea decorated tins.

Time for Tea
Decorated Tea Tin
Annual Catalog Page 14 & 15

decorated tea tin

The Tea Room Suite is so feminine and dainty.  The Tea Room Specialty Designer Paper combines subtle, vintage looking patterns with more vibrant patterns in Calypso Coral and Coastal Cabana.  Copper accents on the coordinating ribbon and vinyl stickers add a touch of elegance.  Of course, I was completely mesmerized by the copper tea tins.  In fact, it is one of the tea tins which is the focus of today’s CASE.  Enjoy!

decorated tea tin

Colors of the Day
Stamps and Papers and Inks … Oh, My!

Stamps: Time for Tea Bundle (includes Spot of Tea Framelits Dies)
Paper: Whisper White Cardstock (scraps), Tea Room Specialty Designer Series Paper (12″ x 3-1/8″ Crushed Curry Pattern, Section of the Floral Pattern that contains the flowers shown), Tea Room Memories & More Card Pack
Ink: Old Olive, Blender Pen
Other:  Big Shot, Copper Tea Tin, Tea Room Copper Vinyl Stickers,  Paper Snips, SNAIL Adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Tear and Tape Adhesive

“On the CASE” Notes
Your Step-by-Step Guide

1.  Adhere the designer paper to the tin using Tear and Tape Adhesive.

decorated tea tin

2.  Add the vinyl sticker trim around the lid.

decorated tea tin

decorated tea tin

3.  Die cut the Tea Room Memories & More sentiment card.

decorated tea tin

4.  Stamp the leaves in Old Olive and color using an ink and Blender Pen.

decorated tea tin

5.  Fussy cut the flowers from the Designer Series Paper, as shown.

decorated tea tin

6.  Attached the leaves and the flowers to the back of the sentiment as shown using SNAIL adhesive.  Next adhere the sentiment to the tin using dimensionals.

decorated tea tin

This adorable little tin will be heading off to my great-niece who recently graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in business.  She has moved to Milwaukee to pursue her new career.  I will fill the tin with a variety of 4 gift cards in individual envelopes, with directions to open one each week for a month.  I hope she has as much fun using them as I had selecting them!

How Hard Was It to Crack This CASE

Today’s project is easy! No problems here, for sure.  Difficulty Level:  2 out of 5, only because of the fussy cutting.

#SUontheCASE

Nicole and I hope our projects today inspire you to try CASEing the catalog, too! We’ll be “on the case”, looking for the hashtag #SUontheCASE on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ & Pinterest). If we find one of your projects, we’ll share it, like it, repost it – we’ll do it all!

On the CASE: Picnic with YouNow head on over to Nicole at  Pixel Maven’s Retreat to see the CASE file she has been working on.  Nicole always writes the BEST tutorials!  I know what she has CASED…and you will be delighted!

Ready to get On this CASE?  If you enjoyed today’s decorated tin, and would like to try your hand at creating your own CASE,  the supply list is located below.  Clicking on a product takes you right to my store.  Be sure to use this month’s Host Code.  Online orders over $50 (before tax and shipping) will receive a special little somethin’-somethin’ from me IF you use the Host Code.   If your order is $150 or more, please do not use the Host Code.  You will automatically receive the gift from me, as well as your own Host Rewards.

August: 7V2KARM2

As always, if you have any questions about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away. Until next time…siggy-1