Sometimes things don’t work out exactly the way we planned.  Life can be really frustrating, forcing us to take different paths to get where we need to be.  In the end, though, we sometimes find a solution that’s better than what we originally wanted.  Today’s project is a series of missteps and mistakes, and I couldn’t be happier with the finished product.  Here’s my card: 

Tips, Tricks and Reminders:

• Uni-Ball Signa Gel Pen.    Did you know this is a product in the Stampin’ Up! catalog?  I have known it’s there, but I never ordered it until I tacked it onto a small order last month – a little $3.95 gift to myself.  I knew I would be able to paint on dark paper with this pen, but I didn’t know how impressed I’d be with the outcome.  The lines were vivid and rich.  Perfection!
• Drawing lines on a card front.  I’ve shared this tip before, but it bears repeating because it’s saved me a lot of rework.  When you want to create a line across a card front, use a ruler or a thick piece of card stock to guide the pen.  Begin drawing the line off one side of the cardstock to avoid a “glob” of ink in the middle of the card.  Start off the card, and end off the other side of the card.
• Change of plans.  This card started as a base for The Paper Players’ color challenge last week (it included Midnight Muse).  My original idea was to create a diagonal grid in the background of a piece of Midnight Muse with my Uni-Ball Signa Gel Pen.  I wanted to make all the lines even.  My spacing of the lines, however, was a bit off.  They seemed to get closer and closer as I made my way across the page, so I decided to intentionally make them closer to the previous line.  In the end, the lines seem to radiate from one corner of the page.  

Shhh!  Don’t tell anyone.  Once I got close to the bottom, left corner, the lines started getting too close, creating a mess.  I decided to clip off the edge and then repeat the clip on the other three corners.  Makes for an interesting look, don’t you think?  I really like this sentiment from Really Good Greetings (available in the 2013-2014 catalog).  “Live the life you imagined” seems to fit well on this card that turned out better than I imagined. 

Stamp Sets: Really Good Greetings  Inks: Midnight Muse, Uni-Ball Signa Gel Pen  Papers:  Midnight Muse, Whisper White Accessories:  Stampin’ Dimensionals

Swatch Books and Shares. Don’t forget about my Designer Series Paper Swatch Books and Product Shares. Find out more here.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

The Paper Players have thrown down the gauntlet this week.  There’s no color challenge, and there’s no sketch challenge.  Instead, Ann has challenged us to make a Masculine card that’s also clean and simple.  Challenge accepted, Ann.  Here’s my card:

And here’s the challenge banner:

Tips, Tricks and Reminders:

• What is a “masculine card”?  I’m going to let you on a little secret – if you are going to give a man a card, it doesn’t have to be navy blue or dark brown.  It doesn’t have to feature a truck or a horse to make it masculine.  Men also like solid colors – bold patterns and bright colors work, too.  In this card, I kept my colors earthy and bold, and each color plays an important role.  No reds or pinks here, but the orange is a nice subsititute to keep the card from going too brown.  This card is pure rock ‘n roll!
• Baked Brown Sugar.  I am in love with this 2013-2015 In Color.  If you missed my rundown of these colors, you can see it here.  Baked Brown Sugar is the only color in the group that’s not a soft, subtle color – and I have a little crush on it.  Somewhere between Crumb Cake and Soft Suede, this shade of brown is perfect for this masculine card.  Lo and behold, it also coordinates beautifully with Tangerine Tango.
• Snippy, snippy.  I stamped this cetral image in three colors – once in Tangerine Tango, once in Baked Brown Sugar and once in Summer Starfruit.  Then I got to snipping and layering and snipping some more.  Even the stars at the top of the emblem are snipped twice to make several layers.

I hope you like my card today.  Please make sure you check out the other design team cards at The Paper Players.  I would LOVE for you to participate in this challenge, too.

Stamp Sets: Great Sport, Blue Ribbon Inks: Tangerine Tango, Baked Brown Sugar, Summer Starfruit  Papers:  Baked Brown Sugar, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White Accessories: 1-3/8″ Circle punch, 1-1/4″ Circle punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

I really love the concept of Stampin’ Up!’s In Colors. They really watch the color trends for us and respond with five colors that will stick around for 2 years. Some might then go away, while others are validated with an entry into the permanent color collection. When I joined Stampin’ Up! last year, I was not impressed with Calypso Coral or Pool Party. They already had one foot in the grave (so to speak), so I gave all my attention to the 2012-2014 In Colors. As time passed, though, I became more and more attracted to these soft shades. Now I am happy that they are included in the permanent color collections, along with Island Indigo and Wysteria Wonder.

Today’s card is not a genius design but it’s a great way to showcase the five new 2013-2015 In Colors. Here’s my card, followed by my assessment of each new color:

Stamp Sets: Just Believe Inks: Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, Crisp Cantaloupe, Baked Brown Sugar, Pistachio Pudding Papers: Baked Brown Sugar, Crisp Cantaloupe, Whisper White Accessories: 1-3/8″ Circle punch, Word Window punch, Modern Label punch

And now my thoughts about these five colors. Each color is aptly named as you will see:

• Coastal Cabana. As the name indicates, this shade of blue-green feels like a cool summer day in the middle of clear ocean water. Not a dirty beach with sand and heat. I’m talking about an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora where the water radiates with this color. This color is crisp and gorgeous, somewhere between Pool Party and Island Indigo.
• Strawberry Slush. If you sliced some strawberries and added them to crushed ice, you’d get this rich shade of red. It’s brighter than Primrose Petals but not nearly as electric as Melon Mambo. This color is refreshing and rich.
• Crisp Cantaloupe. I grew up with lots of fresh cantaloupe from Grandma’s field, fresh as can be but chilled a little bit in the refrigerator. You can almost taste a cold piece of melon when you see this orange/pinkish shade. My only issue is this – the color should be called Crisp-ish Cantaloupe. Who wants a crisp piece of melon? Don’t we want it to be somewhere between crisp and smooshy?
• Baked Brown Sugar. Again, just what my Southern roots expect from this shade of brown. This color can best be described as cardboard box, but I somehow don’t think Box Brown would be an attractive name. I will be using lots of this brown – no doubt, I’ll be layering it somewhere between Crumb Cake and Soft Suede.
• Pistachio Pudding. My only association with pistachio pudding is the artificial, mint green stuff that comes in a little box. Not exactly a beautiful color. This green, though, is a muted version of that artificial shade. In the end, it’s a really soft color, a mixture of two OLD colors – Mint Melody and Mellow Moss.

Why am I so hungry?

These colors will be available in the new catalog. Lots of great treats in that book! I’ve introduced them with a retiring stamp set, Just Believe. Time is running out for you to grab this set before it’s gone.

Swatch Books and Shares. Don’t forget about my Designer Series Paper Swatch Books and Product Shares. Find out more here.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

I’m a persistent and somewhat obsessive creature. When something gets stuck in my head, there’s a batch of brain cells that are wholly dedicated to that idea. If it’s a creative idea, then sometimes the only way to release the brain cells is to execute the creative idea. Since the moment my package of Fan Fair Designer Series Paper arrived on my front porch last year, I have been holding on to one piece of the pack for a “special moment.” I am almost always aware that this beautiful map page needs to be used in a special project before the paper is discontinued. Time has been ticking and ticking and ticking, but I finally made my project with my Fan Fair map. Those brain cells have officially been released to obsess over something else. Here’s my card:

And here’s Margaret Moody’s Pals Paper Arts sketch that inspired me to finally take out that sheet of paper and turn it into something beautiful:

Tips, Tricks and Reminders:

• Working with a Sketch.  When I first laid eyes on Margaret’s sketch, my eyeballs rolled around in my head, and I was overcome with dizziness.  How could I ever make a card with all these shapes and layers? I was defeated.  Once I started analyzing the pieces, though, I realized it wasn’t impossible.  The sketch essentially consists of two boxes with a banner across them.  Simplified.  Of course I added many other layers by matting all of my pieces but the pieces match the sketch layout. 
• Color Planning.  When creating a card with multiple layers, I often times draw out the card and scribble in the layer colors to ensure the layers are compiled how I need them.  On today’s card, the layers are consistently Crumb Cake, then Island Indigo, then DSP.  On other cards, though, it takes some planning to make sure the layers don’t compete with each other or offset each other.  Create your own sketch or label the one you are working with to make sure the end result is what you want.
• Just One Sheet.  This card is made with one sheet of Designer Series Paper.  The gorgeous sheet from Fan Fair features an old map with lots of beautiful colors throughout.  I selected the sections of that paper I wanted to feature and trimmed into the paper to pull them out.    

Stamp Sets: Chalk Talk  Inks: Island Indigo  Papers: Crumb Cake, Island Indigo, Very Vanilla, Fan Fair Designer Series Paper  Accessories: Apothecary Accents Framelits 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Swatch Books and Shares.  Don’t forget about my Designer Series Paper Swatch Books and Product Shares.  Find out more here.

Brian

Big day today, so buckle down.  Lots to share.  I want to share a little bit about last night’s Ronald McDonald House visit, including the fun cards we made.  I also want to share my re-work of the card I made yesterday.  I listened to your advice, but my mind was racing all day with ways to fix it.  More of that after a quick recap of my evening at the Ronald McDonald House.

The Ronald McDonald House

As you might know, I started volunteering at the local Ronald McDonald House last month.  The Ronald McDonald House is an amazing facility that provides shelter and comfort to families who are away from home while their children are being treated in local hospitals.  Stampin’ Up! demonstrators show up at the house monthly to make cards with the guests.  Leishman Williams designed this month’s card.  Here’s a snapshot of the sample:We sat with several families to make these adorable cards, but I want to share a story about one young child in particular.  This boy had trouble stamping and gluing, but he kept going until he had a finished card.  It was a little crooked, and there was glue all over the front of the card.  When he was done, I said, “Wow!  I really like your card” and offered a high-five. He laughed really loudly and brushed off my compliment with a very sarcastic, “I like your shirt.”  I had a feeling he wasn’t being honest, so I said, “You don’t like my shirt, do you?”  Without a moment’s hesitation, he responded, “Well, you don’t like my card.”  Had I met my match?  Was I silenced by a young boy?  Yes, yes I was. 

When we were done making cards with the families, we used the remaining supplies to make cards for the Ronald McDonald House to send to their volunteers, supporters and families.  I mixed up the supplies and made the three top cards below.  Leishman made the bottom two.  Anne was busy helping the last person who wanted to make cards.

A Rework of Yesterday’s Project

Yesterday was a rough day for me.  I had to “put my pencil down” on a card I made for the Mojo Monday sketch challenge and posted the project anyway.  Wasn’t happy with it, so I asked for your advice on how to clean it up.  Here’s the card from yesterday:

While you are gagging at the busy-ness of this card, let me share some of your thoughts on how to fix it.  Take out the tickets, add texture to the pieces, add different colors.  I listened to every piece of advice you gave, and I appreciate it more than you can ever know.  I ultimately didn’t take your advice, though.  I was thinking about how to make this work from the moment I put down my pencil yesterday.  I decided there was too much Calypso right in the center and thought that…are you ready for this?…this is really crazy…I thought that it would work if I could make the center piece MORE busy.  It would detract from the tickets background (that I LOVE so much) and help the eye to focus on the balloons.  Worth a try, huh?  Well, here’s a card, I am very happy with.  I switch up some colors and changed the birthday ticket.  What do you think?

Much better, don’t you think?

Swatch Books and Product Shares

Don’t forget to sign up for my Designer Series Paper Swatch Books and Product Shares.  It’s a great way to get a sample of all the new consumable items in the new catalog without having to buy them all.  Click here for more information.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today.

Brian

I love to get my hands on a stamp set that does not really appeal to me and challenge myself to make something I like.  Is that crazy?  Please don’t answer that. 

When Pam came over last week, she brought her Feel Goods stamp set with her.  “Please, please can I borrow one of the stamps, Pam?  Pleeeeaaase,” I whined.  Didn’t really need to give it that much effort, though, because she graciously allowed me to keep it without all the whining.  So, here it is – a card I like with a stamp set I didn’t initially like but that I NOW like.  Go ahead, Stampin’ Up!, add Feel Goods to my list…

I am very happy with how this turned out.  Here’s how I did it:

• I cropped two Whisper White circles with my 3″ Circle Originals die. 
• On one of the circles, I stamped the sentiment with Tangerine Tango and set the circle aside.
• I cut around the edges of the other circle, leaving a circle that’s about 2-3/4″ in diameter.  I held this circle in the center of a piece of Whisper White.
• With “H” and “A” lined up side-by-side on a clear block and stamped around the circle with Daffodil Delight – over and over and over.
• After I had substantially filled the area with Daffodil Delight “HA”s, I added some Tangerine Tango “HA”s.

Here’s a close-up:

Stamp Sets:  Feel Goods, Designer Type Photopolymer Stamp Set  Inks:  Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight  Papers:  Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White  Accessories:  3″ Circle Originals, Stampin’ Dimensionals 

Just say “ha ha ha ha ha” out loud, and your mood will immediately improve.  You are welcome.

While we are all rolling around on the floor, laughing, I wanted to share my second stand-up comedy performance.  I shared my losing performance here, and here’s my winning video.  With this performance, I was crowned The South’s Funniest Accountant.  Before you click on it, though, I want to put a little context to the video.  The performance was in late 2008, just after the National Presidential Election and before the end of the year.  That makes a difference.  Here’s the video:

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

I posted my shares on Saturday and am selling my Designer Series Paper swatch books for all the new papers in the new catalog.  Please sign up for your set of books by clicking here.

Brian

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the wonderful women out there who have raised amazing children or who have helped to shape the lives of other people’s children.  My card today is not an outright Mother’s Day card, but it’s for you!

Jaydee created a wonderful color challenge for us this week over at The Paper Players, and I’m happy to share my card with you today.  Not only has Jaydee selected three of the rich 2012-2014 In Colors (Gumball Green, Midnight Muse and Raspberry Ripple), but she’s added the fun stipulation that they be paired with Whisper White.  I immediately went to Very Vanilla in my head until I saw that little “Whisper White” below.  Urrrrrtt! (that’s the sound of the car tires screeching across the asphalt as I slam on the breaks). Here’s my card: 

And here’s the challenge announcement:

Tips, Tricks and Reminders:

• Masking the Sentiment.  The Thinking of You stamp has a lovely “Thinking of You” sentiment inside the circle.  I didn’t want to use it here, but I did want to showcase the beautiful frame around it with my flower.  I COULD have inked all of the outside of the stamp with a marker, but that’s a lot of work and doesn’t always give me the result I want.  Since the central circle isn’t a size that coordinates with a punch, here’s what I did:  I stamped the entire image once on Whisper White card stock in Midnight Muse ink.  Without reinking the stamp, I stamped the image again on another spot of my Whisper White card stock – leaving a lighter version of the first image.  I cropped the first image with my Window Frame Framelits.  I snipped the circle out of the second image, trimming just inside the circle’s stamped edge.  I flipped this piece over to the clean side and glued it down on the first.  Because the image is so light, you can’t tell the other side has a stamped “guide” for cutting.
• Embossing the Background.  I really, really, really loved the look of this card with just a plain piece of Midnight Muse in the background.  It was so clean and crisp – needed nothing more.  Because this was for a design team challenge, though, I felt like I needed to do something different, step it up a little bit.  I ran that piece through the Square Lattice Embossing Folder (it kinda’ mimics the pattern in the stamped image, don’t you think?) and was stunned by what a difference it made.  I know I need to use my embossing folders more frequently.  This validated that to me.  It totally stepped it up.
• Creating Balance.  Because of the angle on the photo, it might not be obvious that the frame and flower are not centered horizontally on the card.  That was my first thought (it always is) – to center everything.  So symetrical.  But the more I played with the shapes and liked the sentiment on the right side of the card, I knew the frame and flower needed to be off-center a bit to balance with the weight of the sentiment and corresponding banner.  The end result is “balanced” but not “centered”.

Stamp sets:  Stippled Blossoms, Crosses of Hope, Just Thinking  Inks:  Midnight Muse, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green  Papers:  Midnight Muse, Gumball Green, Whisper White  Accessories:  Window Frame Framelits, Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you will check out the other design team cards at The Paper Players and consider adding one of your cards, as well.

Brian

Since I started offering product shares last Fall, I’ve received several questions about what product shares are and how product shares work. While it is not a complicated concept, the idea of a product share is often times muddied by multiple options and complicated sign-ups. SO, I drafted up a quick cartoon to walk you through the process step-by-step. I hope this helps:

I hope that helps!

Enough about HOW product shares work. Let’s chat about WHAT product shares I am offering for the 2013-2014 Catalog. I’m also making Designer Paper Swatch Books for the new catalog. Click HERE to review the simple options and sign up.

Still Sharing

Since I am in the sharing mood, I want to show you a sneak peek of tomorrow’s card for The Paper Players.  After you have made your requests for seats in my product shares, see if you can name the two stamp sets shown in this sneak peek.  I know you can do it.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian