The Partridge Family

This morning, as I was getting ready to create a card, I happened to have a section of Tall Tales Designer Series Paper left from a previous project that was just crying out to me. “Pick me! Pick me!” it pleaded. The more I looked at this little piece of paper, the more I thought, “Why not?” I loved the scene that was depicted, with its Old Olive, Rose Red and So Saffron hues. And then I had an epiphany…”Let the paper speak for itself!” Thus, evolved this quick and easy card!

  • Prepare a standard card base from Rose Red and score at the side. Round the corners with the Corner Rounder.

  • Layer with Tall Tales Designer Series Paper. Round the corners to correspond to the card base. (Tip: I cropped the Designer Paper slightly to highlight the scene that I wanted to depict.)

  • Ink the {friend to friend} sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes with Rose Red and stamp onto Small Stripes So Saffron paper from the Tall Tale collection. Punch out with the Word Window Punch. Mat onto a Rose Red Modern Label. Punch another Modern Label from the Small Stripes So Saffron paper. Cut off the ends, and mat behind the Rose Red Modern Label as illustrated in the picture. Position and attach to the card base with Stampin‘ Dimensionals.

  • Select three Rose Red buttons from the Fresh Favorites II Collection and “thread” with snippets of So Saffron card stock. Using Mini Glue Dots, place these buttons as centers in randomly selected flowers.

  • As a finishing touch, I used the Build-A-Brad set and the 1/2″ Circle Punch to create a custom brad which mimicked the partridges in the tree. I then positioned this brad so that it appeared as another tree in the background.

Obviously this particular selection of paper would have been a perfect background for scrapbooking. However, with an almost twenty-year-old young man as the focus of my scrapbooking these days, I doubt that I would have used it for this purpose. This card is a different matter! I can hardly wait to send it out!

Your comments are very important to me, so please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Until next time…

Order Your Stampin’ Up! Supplies Now!

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370—Available July 1st)
Inks: Rose Red (101778)
Designer Series Paper: Tall Tales (115678—Available July 1st)
Card Stock: Rose Red (102544), So Saffron (105118)
Tools: ½” Circle Punch (104390), Word Window Punch (105090), Modern Label Punch (116630—Available July 1st), Corner Rounder (109047)
Embellishments: Antique Brass Build-A-Brad (109108), Rose Red Buttons from Fresh Favorites II (107422)

Color Throwdown Cakes

One of the nice things about challenges is that they help us grow as artists. Sometimes they jump start our creativity, while at other times they move us out of our comfort zones. I feel that I do my best work with rich and earthy colors, as opposed to those of lighter and softer hues. So when Color Throwdown posted this week’s color combination of Kraft, Baja Breeze, and Pink Pirouette, I was in a quandry. I love Baja Breeze, especially with Basic Black. But with Pink Pirouette and Kraft? I wasn’t quite sure what to do! Remembering the many times that I have encouraged my students in the classroom to stretch and challenge their minds, I decided that I would stretch and challenge my “muse”. I even added some “girly” glitter and swirly swirls to really move me outside of my creative box! Here’s the recipe for “Color Throwdown Cakes”:

  • Make a standard card base from Kraft and score at the side.

  • Layer it with Pink Pirouette that has been texturized using the Swirls Plate from Stampin’ Up Backgrounds I and the Big Shot.

  • Punch a Baja Breeze strip with the Eyelet Border Punch.

  • Punch a Kraft strip with the Scallop Border Punch.

  • Cut a strip of Dotted Baja Breeze Designer Series Paper.

  • Wrap a Kraft strip with Striped Baja Breeze Ribbon and form a bow.

  • Adhere all elements to the card base as illustrated.

  • Ink the “Wedding Cake” stamp from Fun and Fast notes with Basic Brown and stamp onto Whisper White. Punch out using Nestabilities and the Big Shot. Color using Blender Pens and ink pads. (Since I did not have Baja Breeze and Pink Pirouette, I substituted Sage Shadow and Pretty in Pink, and used Sahara Sand for the pedestals and Certainly Celery for the leaves.)

  • For a bit of Wedding Day sparkle, I added Dazzling Diamonds glitter around the edge of the image!

I hope that you have enjoyed today’s slice of “Color Throwdown Cakes”!

The Stampin’ Schach Tip of the Day: Are you all out of Baja Breeze and Pink Pirouette? Don’t be afraid to substitute! In most instances, members of the same Stampin’ Up! color families work well with each other. And if you are not confident in your own choices, try Stampin’ Up!s Color Coach (105796). It features coordinating and complimentary color suggestions for the Stampin’ Up! colors, as well as neutral and monochromatic color choices. At only $9.95, it is money well spent! And, if you have never participated in a challenge, I encourage you to give one a try! You may be surprised at what you can create!
Your comments are very important to me, so please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Until next time…

Stamp Set: Fun and Fast Notes (113500)
Inks: Basic Brown (104315), Sage Shadow (102532), Pretty in Pink (101301), Sahara Sand (105208)
Designer Series Paper: Baja Breeze
Card Stock: Kraft (102125), Very Vanilla (101650), Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze
Tools: Eyelet Border Punch (113692), Scallop Edge Punch (112091), Stampin’ Up! Backgrounds 1 Texturz Plates (114512), Standard Texturz Impressions Pad (114614), Standard Texturz Silicon Rubber (114615), Big Shot (113439), Blender Pens (102845)
Embellishments: Dazzling Diamonds Glitter (102023), Baja Breeze Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

Razzleberry Lemonade with Cupcakes

In today’s sneak peek of the versatile stamp set, The More the Merrier, we have cupcakes! I actually modified Splitcoast Sketch SC234 to accomodate a stack of these delicious goodies, which are frosted with a variety of new In-Color inks (with just a smidge of Certainly Celery)! Here’s the recipe for Razzleberry Lemonade with Cupcakes:
  • Prepare a 5-1/4″ by 5-1/4″ card base from textured Whisper White card stock. Layer with a selection of Melon Mambo print from the Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper collection.

  • Ink the Cupcake stamp from The More the Merrier with Basic Black and stamp onto Watercolor Paper. (Note: You will need to mask certain cupcakes, and you will definitely need to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig!) Watercolor the cupcakes as you desire using a Blender Pen and the following inks: Melon Mamba, Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay, and Certainly Celery. (Tip: I use the easy method of just touching the tip of your blender pen to the ink pad itself. This usually provides enough ink for small images.) Stamp a single cupcake of your choice to be used on the sentiment oval. Once again, let your creativity soar and color it any way that you wish!

  • Add a Bermuda Bay wash around the perimeter of the cupcake block. To accomplish this I used a Sponge Dauber to apply the ink, and followed with an Aqua Painter.

  • Mat the Cupcake block onto Melon Mambo followed by Bermuda Bay.

  • Prepare two 2-1/8″ by 1-1/8″ reactangular blocks from Melon Mambo and mat onto Bermuda Bay. Attach to the Cupcake block as shown.

  • Attach snippets of Bermuda Bay and Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbons to the Cupcake block as shown. Position and adhere the Cupcake block with its attachments to the card base.

  • Adhere Certainly Celery buttons from the Fresh Favorites I collection to the rectangular blocks as shown. Mini Glue Dots are just the ticket to get the buttons to stick. (Tip: For “thread”, I used strips of Bermuda Bay.)

  • Punch a large oval from Melon Mambo using the Large Oval Punch. Punch a scalloped oval from Bermuda Bay using the Scalloped Oval Punch.

  • Ink the “Sweetest Ever” sentiment from The More the Merrier with Bermuda Bay, and stamp onto Whisper White. Punch out using the Word Window Punch. Mat onto the Melon Mambo oval followed by the Bermuda Bay scalloped oval. Attach to the card base as illustrated with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

  • For a touch of whimsy, add a cupcake to the sentiment.

The nice thing about these cupcakes is that you can make as many as you wish…they are calorie free, and go quite nicely with Razzleberry Lemonade!

Time is counting down, and July 1st will be here before you know it! If you would like to join my group and receive demonstrator perks and benefits, don’t hesitate to contact me today! I would love to discuss what it means to be a Stampin’ Up demonstrator with you!

Your comments are very important to me, so please feel free to leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you! Until next time…

Order Your Stampin’ Up! Supplies Now!

Stamp Set: The More the Merrier (Hostess Level 3 115322—Available July 1st)
Inks: Basic Black (101179), Melon Mambo (116656—Available July 1st), Bermuda Bay (115655—Available July 1st), Rich Razzleberry (115658—Available July 1st), Certainly Celery (105217)
Designer Series Paper: Razzleberry Lemonade (115675—Available July 1st)
Card Stock: Textured Whisper White (108693 Available in the Neutrals Assorted Pack), Melon Mambo (115320—Available July 1st), Bermuda Bay (115317—Available July 1st), Watercolor Paper (105019)
Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049), Scallop Oval Punch (114889), Large Oval Punch (107305), Word Window Punch (105090)
Embellishments: Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115611—Available July 1st), Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115610—Available July 1st), Certainly Celery Buttons—Fresh Favorites I Collection (107421)