I {Heart} You

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Brian

Did you hear the story about the guy who made a boat load of Designer Series Paper Swatch Books? No? Well, let me tell you! So, there was this guy who made a boat load of Designer Series Paper Swatch Books for all of his friends, customers and fellow demonstrators. He had such a good time assembling all of these books and sending them to their new homes in little, brown padded envelopes. When he was finished, he had a box full of 3/4″ card stock strips in several colors. The colors really looked good together, so he made a single card with them.

You’d never know this card was made with (mostly) discarded strips of paper unless I told you – which I did. I would have never put these colors together had they not been forced together in my little box of scraps. I absolutely love this card with all its simplicity and unexpectedness. And, apparently, this card loves me back – it says so in the bottom, right corner. How sweet!

Tips, Tricks and Reminders:

GO vs. MATCH. As they say in fashion (and I’m an expert because I’ve watched every season of Project Runway, Project Runway All Stars and Project Accessory), you want your shoes, purse and jewelry to “go” with your outfit, not to “match” with your outfit. That isn’t always the case with a card. While Stampin’ Up!’s color families are perfect for coordinating colors (the base of your card can perfectly match the color found in a Designer Series Paper), sometimes you don’t want to be all matchy-matchy. Sometimes you just want it all to go together in a beautifully complementing way. That’s my approach with the colors in this card. These colors don’t “match” with each other, but they sure look like the “go” together.
Center first. It was easy to layer these strips of card stock on the Whisper White piece beneath. Since I had an odd number of strips, I started by gluing down the Calypso Coral strip in the center of the card stock. I then tucked the next piece right next to that one, lining it all up and making sure my edges were clean. Much easier than starting with one of the outside pieces, don’t you think?
Flipping the heart. I played around with a lot of different ideas for the heart in the center of the card. I stamped patterns and cropped them out. I cropped solid pieces of cardstock. I really liked the idea of flipping the stripes to crop the heart. I had the extra strips, so I glued them on a piece of scrap cardstock and then cropped the heart with my Framelits, making sure I flipped the pink and blue pieces. It makes for an interesting visual.

Stamp sets: Itty Bitty Banners Papers: Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, Melon Mambo, Not Quite Navy Inks: Not Quite Navy Accessories: Hearts Collection Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits Dies, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Before you leave…I hope you know how much I enjoy this time we spend together each day. I feel like I am the luckiest guy in the world sometimes because I have such kind visitors who are so generous with their compliments. I put a lot into this blog, but I also get a lot out of it. It really “fills my cup” each and every day to receive your feedback. It makes me feel like I’ve done something wonderful for this world. I want to remind you (in case you may have forgotten) that, aside from being a stamper who truly loves to share and teach, I also sell Stampin’ Up! products. If you don’t currently have a demonstrator (or if you have a demo who doesn’t mind sharing the love), please click here. And, as always, if you have questions or want my advice on anything, please email me at stampwithbrian@gmail.com. Thank you!

Thanks for coming by my blog today!

Brian

Thank You, Mate & a Sale-a-Bration Sneak Peek

Posted on December 30, 2012 by Brian

With the excitement of the Product Shares (please check them out here if you missed them) and my video on Friday (it’s here if you missed that one), I forgot about my original plan of dedicating the week after Christmas to Thank You cards. To make up for the two days I lost, I am giving you THREE cards today.

Each of these cards showcases an image from Feeling Sentimental, a really great stamp set from the 2013 Sale-a-Bration catalog. The set features a phone booth, a ferris wheel and an old-timey bicycle – all sketched and perfect for a quick and easy card.

CARD ONE: I stamped the phone booth in Stazon Jet Black ink and colored it in with Real Red and my trusty Blender Pen. I added a sentiment in Real Red to complete this very clean look.

Stamp sets: Feeling Sentimental, Just Believe Inks: Stazon Jet Black, Real Red Papers: Basic Black, Whisper White Accessories: Blender Pen

CARD TWO: I stamped and painted the phone booth (same as the first card), but this time I added some other effects. For starters, I rounded all the corners to soften the card a bit. I originally set out to create a huge Union Jack in the background, but I decided against that because it was a nightmare to create and would result with a card that’s way too busy. I opted for a deconstructed flag in the background – I learned that from Top Chef (I took all the “ingredients” and then rearranged them in a different way). The resulting stripes, in no way, look like a Union Jack (I get it), but they certainly pay homage to Britain, no?

Stamp sets: Feeling Sentimental, Itty Bitty Banners Inks: Stazon Jet Black, Real Red Papers: Real Red, Midnight Muse, Whisper White Accessories: Blender Pen, Bitty Banners Framelits, 3/16″ Corner Punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals

CARD THREE: For my third card, I decided to let the stamp set image speak for itself – and luckily the accent wasn’t so Cockney that I couldn’t understand it. No painting and no fussing. And look at me! I even sponged the edges of the paper with Early Espresso – I am SOOO vintage! I also brought back Baja Breeze to coordinate with the other card stocks. This one just might be my favorite of the three. What do you think?

Stamp sets: Feeling Sentimental Inks: Early Espresso Papers: Early Espresso, Baja Breeze, Naturals White Accessories: Stampin’ Sponge

So, to recap, here are the three cards I made with the phone booth:

Before you leave, I want to remind you of a couple of dates and upcoming events:

Wednesday, January 2 – the deadline to sign up for a spot in one of my AWESOME product shares – to learn more or to sign up, click here. This is a great way to sample the items in the Spring Catalog before deciding which ones you want to purchase. I will host additional shares if there’s a demand, but most shares will likely close out on the 2nd.
Thursday, January 3 – the 2013 Spring Catalog is live online. The catalog will be posted online at http://www.stampinup.com/ (I’ll also share a link here when it’s live), and orders can be placed at http://www.stampwithbrian.stampinup.net/.
Tuesday, January 22 - Sale-a-Bration starts. For those who aren’t familiar, Sale-a-Bration is Stampin’ Up!’s annual sales event that offers select products for every $50 spent. Customer and hostesses earn Sale-a-Bration products (on top of the already generous hostess benefits), so it’s a wonderful time to really rack up on some great freebies. The stamp set featured in this post is one of the items you can earn for free with a $50 purchase during Sale-a-Bration. Other include ribbon and button packs, a punch, DSP and other stamp sets.
Monday, December 16 – my birthday. It’s never too soon to start planning.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today. I enjoyed hanging out with you.

Brian

5 Things: Pam Morris (2)

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Brian

What a week it’s been! Even though the Labor Day holiday delivered me a [much appreciated] four day work week, the week has been jam packed and has felt like much more. I am happy to relax a bit this weekend and make some cards.

I’m kicking off this weekend with another episode of “5 Things I Like…” featuring this beautiful thank you card by Pam Morris:

Here are 5 things I like about this card:

The color combinations. The natural colors in this card are both soothing and energy-filled. Pam does a great job of balancing the browns with the corals and greens. I love that she used white (instead of vanilla) for the “thank you” banner and background.
The balance. This card is perfectly balanced, but it’s not completely centered. Sure, the bird and banner fall right in the center of the card face, but look at how the flowing banner on the right mimics the flow of the branch on the left. The scalloped coral strip on the left cuts into the brown panel, but the shape itself balances the addition.
The unique color choices. The banner down the middle is from the International Bazaar Designer Series Paper. The DSP features a light shade of Tangerine Tango. Pam decided to crop the bird and border in Calypso Coral, which coordinates very well with this shade of Tangerine Tango.
The versatility of this card. Change the sentiment on this card, and it’s also perfect for a birthday, congratulations, get well or best wishes card. Heck, change the colors a little, and you’ve got a Christmas card.
That bird! I’m not bird crazy, yet 2 of the first 3 ”5 Things I Like…” cards have featured birds. Thanks, Lori and Pam! I don’t have this bird punch, but I absolutely love this bird. It’s so soft and understated. It’s smooth in some places and pointy in others. You can’t go wrong with this Bird Builder punch. Second guessing my last order.

Stamp sets: Itty Bitty Banners Papers: Wild Wasabi, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Crumb Cake, Calypso Coral, International Bazaar Designer Series Paper Inks: Wild Wasabi Accessories: Bird Builder punch, Scallop Edge Border punch, Bitty Banners Framelit, Pearl Basic Jewels

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

Betsy’s Blossoms – a Masculine card

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Brian

After a workshop this past weekend where we punched the Betsy’s Blossoms flower with the large scallop circle, I thought it would be really cool to ”masculinize” the floral design by punching it in dark colors with the square punch or the scallop square punch. I pictured navy’s and browns.

After doing a quick search online, I came across a beautiful card by Jill Franchett at Jill’s Ink. Jill uses a different color palette and layout, but her work definitely inspired my final card. You can check out her card here.

Here’s my card:

Tips, Tricks and Reminders

Use it in a different way. You’ve heard this from me before, but I get such a thrill out of using stamps, shapes and punches in ways they were not intended to be used. A flower is a flower, but I really love the idea of taking the “flower” out of this image and transforming it into a really cool pattern.
Stagger the punches for a cool effect. Because my stamped image is not intended to be a flower, I made sure I didn’t punch the pattern in the same place on each stamped image. I like the effect this has on the final design.

Stamp sets: Betsy’s Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners Papers: Cajun Craze, Night of Navy, Very Vanilla Inks: Night of Navy, Soft Suede, Cajun Craze, Summer Starfruit, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake Accessories: 1-1/2″ Scallop Square punch, Bitty Banners Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

Fall Congratulations – a MOJO Monday Layout Challenge

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Brian

It’s time for another MOJO Monday layout challenge. This card combines several things I’m currently obsessed with: Fall colors, ribbon slides and a gorgeous medallion stamp.

It’s the middle of the summer, and the sun is shining. For some reason, though, I’m obsessed with the warm, rich colors of Autumn. The colors featured in this Orchard Harvest Designer Series Paper warm my heart and force me to make beautiful things with it. I love this plaid print!
Since the Designer Ribbon Slides made their debut in the Holiday Catalog, I have been excited to find the right project for them. Here it is!
I have always loved this medallion stamp from the Day of Gratitude stamp set, and I’m excited to feature it here.

I worked on this card Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I worked on it, reworked on it and worked on it some more. Like I said earlier, I was really excited to work with this medallion, this patterned DSP and these luscious colors. When I put them all together, though, I felt like it was too much. If I listed out all of the accessories, papers and inks I used up to get to this final card, I’d likely have a list long enough to fill 2 or 3 blog posts.

Tips, Tricks and Reminders:

Hide what gets busy. The meallion is beautiful and intricate. Paired with this plaid DSP, though, the center of the medallion (with all its intricate details) makes this very busy. I added a 1-3/8″ circle of Very Vanilla to the center of the medallion to “wash away” some of the busy-ness. I also added the pearl in the center to draw your eye away from some of the patterns to the simple, white pearl. How sweet of me!
Limit color choices on a busy card. Again, love this plaid (I promise I won’t say it again). When working with a busy plaid, it’s important to keep your other colors simple. I worked with this medallion, adding layers of Lucky Limeade and Early Espresso (both featured in the DSP) but decided to stick with the same Island Indigo center to limit the array of colors featured outside of the DSP.

Stamp sets: Day of Gratitude, Itty Bitty Banners Paper: Island Indigo, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Orchard Harvest Designer Series Paper, vellum card stock Inks: Island Indigo, Early Espresso Accessories: Bitty Banners Framelits, 1-3/8″ Circle punch, 1″ Circle punch, 3/4″ Circle punch, 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Designer Ribbon Slide, Stampin Dimensionals, Pearl Basic Jewels

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

For Baby – a MOJO Monday Layout Challenge

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Brian

It’s time for another Mojo Monday Layout Challenge. I love these challenges as they get me using stamp sets I don’t, otherwise, often use. This layout comes from Julee Tillman:

This layout contains a lot of shapes and sizes. It would be easy to make a card really busy. I logged into the site first thing Monday to see the layout and spent the rest of the day thinking of how my card would look. Would I use many colors, or would I go monochromatic? What sentiments would I create? Should I make a holiday card? The card I ended up making isn’t the card I dreamed up during the day, but I like the outcome. So I didn’t follow the layout exactly, but this card is definitely inspired by the layout:

Helpful Hints:

Snip it! It’s fun to water color or color shade large, solid images like the ones found in Easy Events. It’s just as fun (and dramatic) to stamp off on several pieces of scrap paper and snip the pieces together. It’s tedious, but it can have a wow result.
Make your own design. This image of the duck, the sentiment and the umbrella could all fit inside the circle punch. I chose to “cut off” the umbrella from the central circle so that the snipped image would be nicely set off the circle.

Stamp set: Easy Events Papers: Very Vanilla, Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Subtles Designer Series Paper Stack Ink: Basic Black Accessories: 1-3/8″ and 1-3/4″ Circle Punches, 2-3/8″ and 1-3/4″ Scallop Circle Punches, Itty Bitty Banners Framelits, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

Do you want to earn a free stamp set of your choice from me? Join my team in July, and that’s what you’ll get. To learn more, click here.

Do you like this project? Do you want to see more? Please subscribe to my blog by entering your email address in the “subscribe” field. You can buy Stampin’ Up! products from me 24/7 or join my team to earn discounts and benefits with Stampin’ Up! Please contact me at stampwithbrian@gmail.com if you have questions.

PALS Blog Hop – Summer Sunshine

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Brian

It’s time for some fun in the sun with the Pals! Glad you could join us for the Pals Summer Sunshine Blog Hop! You’ve probably hopped over from Lori Martin’s blog, I’m stop number 20 on the Pals Hop and I’m glad you hopped in! I’ll help you “hop along” from blog to blog where you’ll find great ideas for summer themed Stampin’ Up! projects from the Stampin’ Pretty Pals!

The beauty of summer is found in the colors and textures of nature – the bright yellows of the sun’s rays, the delicate touch of a flower’s petals, the firm textures of woody trees and twigs. To celebrate summer, I made an adorable wooden gift box with Natural Composition Specialty Designer Series Paper and the Fancy Favor Bigz XL die. I love how the heavy-weight Specialty DSP appears embossed with a glossy wood grain texture – it adds a nice touch to this little gift box. I brightened up the wooden box with a belly band of Floral District DSP and a small strip of Daffodil Delight card stock and then adorned the belly band with a faux suede flower. To add a touch of summer sun to the gift box, I created a fan with the Designer Rosette Bigz XL die and Floral District DSP.

Below is a close-up of the texture I created on the flower and belly band:

Here are some helpful tips to help you achieve this same look:

Add a simple touch of scoring. In the center of the Daffodil Delight band around the box, I added two scored lines. It’s a simple and lovely way to add a subtle elegance to any project.
Add texture with faux suede. After I punched the flower from Soft Suede card stock, I rolled the image (from center to tip) with a bone folder. Really dig into the card stock to break down the fibers in it. Work your way around the flower several times until you can gently pull the card stock apart, leaving the inside texture of the card stock exposed. Layers and layers of faux suede in both Soft Suede and Daffodil Delight really add a special texture to this flower.

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes Paper: Natural Composition Specialty DSP, Floral District DSP, Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Whisper White Ink: Soft Suede Accessories: Designer Rosette Bigz XL, Fancy Favor Bigz XL, Bitty Banners Framelits, Perfect Pennants Bigz L, Blossom Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Bitty Buttons, Early Espresso Baker’s Twine, Bone Folder, Sticky Strip

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Now hop along for more inspiring ideas from Maxine Conrad’s blog, stop number 21 on the Pals Summer Sunshine Blog Hop! Thanks for “hopping” by!

Should you hop off course, simply click on any of the links in the Pals Hop Line-up below and you’ll be back on track.

stampwithbrian.com

Paper crafts – creating, collecting, organizing, inspiring

Tag Archives: Bitty Banners Framelits

I {Heart} You

Thank You, Mate & a Sale-a-Bration Sneak Peek

5 Things: Pam Morris (2)

Betsy’s Blossoms – a Masculine card

Fall Congratulations – a MOJO Monday Layout Challenge

For Baby – a MOJO Monday Layout Challenge

PALS Blog Hop – Summer Sunshine

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