Cocoa Between Friends

Posted on September 5, 2012 by Brian

It’s not quite Fall in Atlanta, but it’s starting to feel like the season change might be just around the corner. Nothing is better on a cool, Autumn evening than a hot bowl of spicy chili, a warm cup of Earl Gray tea or sitting on an ice patch with a winter bunny to share a cup of cocoa. These are the images that immediately pop into my head when I think about the cool nights ahead.

Here’s a sweet 5″ x 5″ card to celebrate:

As I mentioned yesterday, I am challenging myself to design without Baja Breeze for at least a week. This is Day 1 of my No Baja Breeze Challenge. I reached for the Baja Breeze seam binding, and I thought about incorporating a Baja Breeze border (but opted for the Pink Pirouette instead). It was difficult, but I made it through Day 1. Looking forward to Day 2…

Tips, Tricks and Reminders:

Keep it soft with a blender pen. To create the softest touch of color, lightly tap a blender pen into the ink (pressed onto the lid of the stamp pad) and then dab it off on a scrap piece of paper or grid paper. Keep wiping until you have a faint bit of color on the blender pen, and then paint away.
Limit the colors if you want to achieve a soft look. I think the bunny and friend are all the sweeter because the colors used to paint them are limited to pale blue, pale brown and pale pink. I used faint tracing of Midnight Muse and Soft Suede, combined with (already light) Bashful Blue and Pink Pirouette).
Stacking the Window Frames. These frames were designed to stack. They’re just too cool to not. When adding the layers, I lined up the pointed corners that make a square behind the rounded corners. It was easier for me to line things up while squinting to see the square. I’m cooky like that.

Stamp sets: Wonderful Winterland, Tiny Tags Papers: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack – Subtles Inks: StazOn Black, Bashful Blue, Midnight Muse, Pink Pirouette, Soft Suede Accessories: Window Frames Collection Framelits, 2-1/2″ Circle punch, Jewelry Tag punch, Blender Pen

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

5 Things: Pam Morris (1)

Posted on August 31, 2012 by Brian

It’s a holiday weekend, so I am going to try something new. While I hope to feature an entry like this every once in a while, I have a couple of these lined up for this weekend. Please let me know what you think.

The entry is called “5 Things I Like” (“5 Things” for short). Here’s the plan: I will feature a card I received from a friend or in a swap and will tell you 5 things I really like about the card. It’s a “review” of a card I love, and I will be sharing the secrets that (in my opinion) make it great. Sounds fun, huh?

The first “5 Things” card was designed by my direct upline Pam Morris. Pam and I have a wonderful relationship that centers around our intense like of one another. We touch base daily to chat about our lives and, of course, stamping. This is a card Pam made for a Stampin’ Up! Convention Wow swap:

If you recall from previous posts, my Mom and I had a blast helping Pam with these cards during our July 4 vacation. We helped to make lots of these (she had 160 in total), but the design is all Pam’s! My assistance in the production of these is not why I am fascinated with this card – I am fascinated with it because it’s a GREAT card!

The easel is a great showcase for a Christmas card! Christmas cards are meant to be displayed. On mantels, on tabletops, on desktops. I think we should all say “good-bye” to the pre-printed photo card and convert to these beauties. Keep the photo, but add it to the center of your easel card.
I love the non-traditional colors. Gumball Green is a perfect color for Christmas, but Gumball Green and Basic Black for snowflakes? Who’da thunk it? It works here, though, really well.
Triple time stamping. This stamping technique is all the rage these days, and it’s showcased perfectly here. To complete a triple time stamping effect, layer the three pieces of Whisper White card stock and stamp your images, allowing the stamps to overlap the layers. Then, assemble with the thin pieces of colored card stock between each layer. Perfection!
That sweet, little tag on that thin ribbon! I loved the ribbon from the start, but I fought Pam on the tag. “You don’t need the tag, so leave it off!,” I told her. “It’s just additional work with no real payoff.” She didn’t listen to me, and I have to admit I was wrong. The tag is brilliant and adds a wonderful addition to the front of the card. Yay, Pam!
Bling! I love the single rhinestone on the face of the card. The card’s not totally blinged out, but that single rhinestone gives it exactly the right amount of glittery goodness. [I detest glitter, but I have nothing against glittery-ness.]

So, there you have it…an amazing card that inspires me, along with the top 5 reasons I love it.

Stamp sets: Snow Swirled, Tiny Tags Papers: Basic Black, Gumball Green, Whisper White Inks: Gumball Green, Basic Black Accessories: Jewelry Tag punch, 1/8″ Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

A Perfectly Preserved Thanks – Sneak Peek

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Brian

Today’s project features a sneak peek at some Fall products in the upcoming Holiday Catalog, available August 1. The project is ALSO a PALS Paper Arts sketch challenge. That’s two in one! What a bargain!

The PPA139 sketch is designed by Margaret Moody:

With so many rich layers, there are so many possibilities for a beautiful card! When selecting the colors for this card, I stayed with regal Fall colors. Here’s my card:

This stamp set comes with a large canning jar and several fruits and vegetables for a perfect harvest-theme. I set out to place pears and corn on the corners, but they were too “busy” so I have some images stamped and snipped, ready for another project.

The Holiday Catalog will be published online August 1. I can’t wait for you to see all the amazing sets, accessories and papers Stampin’ Up! is offering in this catalog. I’ll be posting more Sneak Peeks over the next week or so.

Helpful tips:

Play with shapes. I recognize that the layout created by Margaret calls for two top-layer circles on the corners of the center piece. As I played with different shapes and sizes, I decided to place the circles one layer back. Since I had already glued down my Summer Startfruit card stock, I needed to play around with my punches to get the look I ultimately achieved. First, I punched the edge of a piece of Early Espresso cardstock with the corner of my 1″ Square Punch. I placed this piece into my 3/4″ Circle Punch to achieve the “Pac Man” shape that I then added to my card. While it looks like the circles are underneath the Summer Starfruit, the partial circle is actually lined up beside it.

Check out the other great sketches at Pals Paper Arts.

Stamp sets: Perfectly Preserved, TIny Tags Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Lucky Limeade, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso Inks: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray, Summer Starfruit Accessories: 3/4″ Circle Punch, 1″ Square Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Cannery Set Framelits, 1/4″ Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (Early Espresso), 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.

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