Create with Connie and Mary--White, White and all White!

This week our challenge was to design a project featuring WHITE. I was actually excited about this as I knew I wanted to create a scrapbook page and Stampin’ Up! actually has quite a bit of white products to work with!

I created my page on a base of 12x12 Basic White (naturally, hence our challenge!) and I created a photo mat to highlight a picture of my work bestie (@citrusandcedar). The picture is layered on Basic White and the Pearlescent Specialty Paper, which is still white, just a different tone of white! I love the subtle contrast.

I wanted to create some texture on the base of the page, especially because we are working with one color. I used one of our retired masks (I keep them all together so I wasn’t sure if it was retired or not until I wrote this) with our White Embossing Paste to add some texture and interest to the base.

I had a ton of daisy’s already punched out from a previous project so I decided to feature these on my page. Both the punch and stamp set, Daisy Lane, are being offered in our new upcoming catalogue. So that is an extra bonus! I placed some of the daisies off the edges of the page and then trimmed the excess away. I like the look this creates.

I like to create a couple of focal points around my photos on my scrapbook pages too. I decided to keep it simple by using only the Daisy Lane stamp set and stamped the sentiments in Basic Grey.

The sentiment “The Best Moments” is also layered on Shimmery White. You can see how it has a different tone as well, even though its white.

I added white pearls all over the page too as some accents.

At the top right corner of the photo, Friend is punched out with the Label Me Fancy tag and has Crinkled Seam Binding and Basic White Thread behind it as an accent.

Around the photo I tied some of the Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon and Basic White Thread as another fun accent.

I really love the crispness of this page and how nice and elegant it looks in tones of white. I can’t wait to see what the other ladies have created this week. You can go BACK to see what Melissa has designed and NEXT to see what Connie has created!

Create with Connie and Mary--Spring Flowers!

Well this week we are focusing our design efforts on Spring Flowers! There is still snow on the ground where I live so I don’t think I will be seeing any actual flowers for a while, nonetheless I was still excited to create a scrapbook page of a photo I did take last spring!

I wanted to use a bundle that I knew was carrying forward into our new catalogue being released in May. This is a set I was happy to see return as I have not had as much time to play with it as I was hoping, so I am glad I will have another catalogue run to be creative with it!

There are a couple things on this page that are retiring…have you seen the list? Can you spot them?

The base of my page is classic Basic White. Because this was a spring layout, I wanted a crisp background to start with. I began by blending some Balmy Blue into the background and I stamped the large from image from the Blossoms in Bloom stamp set in the same ink color. This created a bit of tone on tone imagery.

What I love about this die set is you get TWO large dies that match the stamped image. I used the more solid one up top, cutting it from Basic White card stock. The second more delicate one is die cut from Balmy Blue card stock. When you lay both of these over top of the stamped image you just get a peek a boo look at the stamping and blending beneath. LOVE!!

The small stamped flowers are hand cut as there is not a die that just cuts the perimeter out in the Many Layered Blossoms Dies. I used Bumblebee, Highland Heather (on Purple Posy card stock) and Petal Pink as to me these feel like spring colors. I love the soft pastel tones of this season.

I added small die cut flowers in Basic White to contribute to the crisp feel of this page.

I created two focal points on this page, the top right corner where I added in Happy (which is hand trimmed from the entire phrase of Happy Birthday). I used Flirty Flamingo ink on Petal Pink card stock so the sentiment would be a little more vibrant.

Opal rounds were the perfect embellishment for this page as they add texture without being distracting.

The Pinewood Planks 3D folder also add alot of natural texture to the photo mat.

This bottom second focal point highlights one of my favorite ribbons, the Bumblebee Gingham ribbon! I have gone through several rolls of this ribbon!

I thought the sentiment “I like you a lot” was perfect for this page and I am happy that this whole design used a single bundle! This is not something that I can say happens for me very often.

I love how this page turned out, especially because I was able to piece it together in less than 30 minutes! By focusing on a single stamp set or bundle it can make your designs come together a lot faster than trying to mix and match and incorporate other stamps . This bundle is definitely a winner for me!

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the team has designed with the theme SPRING FLOWERS! There are so many great stamp sets to choose from that the possibilities are endless. You can go BACK to see Melissa’s project or you can go NEXT to see what Connie has created this week for us. Either way, visit the whole hop and please feel free to leave me a comment. I really enjoy reading them.

Hey Chick!

Hello friends! This month the Artisan Design Team is sharing projects that feature the Hey Chick and Hey Birthday Chick bundles, the Sand & Sea suite and the Cactus Medley with the Succulent bundle! My assignment was to create some fun projects featuring the CHICKENS! Such a fun and cute couple of sets to work with!

As soon as I saw the big chubby chicken and the little chicks I knew I wanted to showcase them with a Diorama Card! This is such a unique card style to showcase a ‘scene’ and its a throwback to those fun shoebox diorama projects I loved make as a kid for a school project.

To recreate these projects you will need some Stampin’ Blends to add a hint of color to your chickens. The secret weapon and fun tip with this project is to take the wood stump die and the fence die and add extra details and dimensions to them by pressing them into the Cinnamon Cider ink pad prior to running them through the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. The ink on the die will press into the card stock and transfer, giving the recessed area some ink detail!

I also used the Wired Up background stamp set with my projects. I inked it up, keeping it right in the stamp case, with Grey Granite and then lightly touched my surfaces to the stamp. By not fully pressing it I was able to just add the chicken wire detail in a few places. Its a faint but awesome detail.

I think the bright colors of Poppy Parade, Coastal Cabana, and Daffodil Delight really added to the whimsical feel of these projects. I was really happy with how cheery and fun the finished projects turned out!

The Daffodil Delight card is a traditional card fold. I added die cut chicken wire poking out from each side of the main panel for a fun detail. The sentiment in Coastal Cabana at the top of the card is the sign trimmed to look like a board instead of a sign post. I always look for ways to change how a die works and this was easy! I added a light coloring detail to the chicken on this card with Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight and Mango Melody Stampin’ Blends.

To create the Diorama card you will need a large die to cut the window in the front. I used the largest circle die from the Circles Dies in the Annual Catalogue (a crafters must have set!).

The base of the Diorama card is 6 3/4 x 4 1/2. You want to score this at 3/4, 1 1/2, 5 1/4 and 6. You want to peek and valley fold these score lines to create the raised up front area.

The Basic White background piece is lightly stamped with the Chicken Wire background stamp and measures 4 1/4 x 4 1/2. You can attach this and then piece in the chubby bowtie chicken and fence. I found this was easier as I knew exactly where to place it instead of adding it to the Basic White first.

I then added a Coastal Cabana back piece to the card which measures the same as the Basic White, 4 1/4 x 4 1/2. This also gives the card a bit of weight and makes it easier to stand up.

The little chick on the left hand side is attached with a Glue Dot on his one leg. This gives him the illusion of popping out. The two streamers are cut in Pumpkin Pie and Mango Melody card stock and are attached to the inside of the window. This also contributes to the diorama style and feel.

I finally I just love the belly band on the Mini Paper Pumpkin box. I just love these boxes. They are the perfect size for giving Gift Cards and little treats and fit our Basic White Notecards perfectly!

I created the Poppy Parade belly band to be 2 inches wide and stamped ‘Hey Chick’ in the coordinating ink randomly along the band. I used the chicken wire die again, this time in Coastal Cabana cards stock to add a bit of detail. The chicken with the balloon is colored with Stampin’ Blends and I couldn’t resist giving him a little bowtie! I love that the Birthday Chick dies have a die that cuts Happy Birthday! It was a fantastic addition to this project with the little cupcake trimmed from the Hey Chick stamp set.

If any of these projects have inspired you and you live in Canada, please consider shopping with me. I would love to get to know you and help in your creative stamping journey! I teach a lot of classes and facilitate a number of monthly groups!

Create with Connie and Mary--Easter Cards!

Hello friends! Our official theme this week is Easter Cards, however I have been sharing some Easter inspiration over the past couple of weeks. So hopefully if you haven’t visited in a while you can go back and take a peek! I really love designing Easter cards because I love the soft pastel colors of spring and Easter. Fun Fact—my 5 bridesmaids all wore a different shade of pastel back when I got married 20 years ago! 20 years! Where does the time go?

It was really easy to design this card based around the sweetest bunny ever! You can find this cutie along with an adorable lamb and butterfly in the Springtime Joy stamp set. I have made quite a few things with this set over the past few weeks. You can also follow me on Instagram @stampwithbrenda as I do post almost daily over there!

I also wanted to create a card that used some items that you wouldn’t necessarily think of as ‘Easter’ themed too!

I started with a crisp base of Basic white and ran a layer through the awesome Dainty Diamonds 3D Embossing Folder.

I then cut some squares from various papers to create a fun focal point.

I started with a square of the Love You Always Foil Sheets in the Sahara Sand. On top and at an angle I added some of the Love You Always Specialty Designer Series Paper in the Blushing Bride tone.

And finally I thought this was a good opportunity to showcase the Stitched With Whimsy Dies on a Basic White square with an amazing Gold Hoop! I love these embellishments and I really hope they continue with our new catalogue coming out in May.

I added a little greenery using the Forever Flourishing Dies in Soft Seafoam and added it to the left of the hoop with some glue dots. The cute little bunny is stamped in Momento Ink and colored with the Stampin’ Blends. A fun tip is to use the light Smoky Slate Blend to delicately color around the flower crown to give it a little depth and dimension.

The Springtime Joy stamp set doesn’t have a sentiment that says Welcome Easter so I had to stamp two different sentiments and hand trim them to create my own. I find you can almost always get the sentiment you want by combining a few different stamps!

I hope you are inspired to create something with this set! I have a few other projects I haven’t shared yet so keep checking back! I know the other designers have made some fantastic projects this week too. You can go BACK to see what Melissa has designed and NEXT to see what Connie has made.

So Happy...

Today I committed to making a project that was just for myself—this might sound crazy but with all of my Artisan commitments and the various classes and groups I offer, most of my creative time is designated to that. So it was refreshing to make a scrapbook page, my favorite thing, for just me and to display in my crafty space!

This is a picture from a family photo shoot 2 years ago already! Sometimes, moms can relate, I just can’t wrap my head around the passage of time. The days can be long but the years go fast, is such a perfect way to describe ‘time’ and this motherhood journey!

I started with a base of Basic White because I really wanted to use the So Happy bundle. I have had it sitting on my craft table for the last month and was itching to create a stencil of sorts to create some clouds. I also wanted to use this set in a non-traditional way as at first glance it looks like a birthday set. With a little creative design I think I did create a page that has nothing to do with birthdays!

I used Pool Party and the new Blending Brush to create the clouds. You could use any of our amazing blues, but I find Pool Party and Pretty Peacock look amazing together. I will be sad to say goodbye to Pretty Peacock next month but I am also excited to see the new In Colors that will be released.

I cut a ‘stencil’ using the cloud die from the Happy Die Set and then used its edge repeatedly create a cloud like look on my page.

I blended the clouds about half way up my page and added two feature areas to the page. The top left little area is where I was able to introduce Calypso Coral and Petal Pink—two other colors that I find look amazing together. The half 2 inch circles are from the new and exclusive Butterfly BIjou DSP and had a similar shape to the clouds which I liked.

Using the dies I was able to cut out the little banner in the Natural Touch Specialty Paper. I sniped it apart so it looks longer than it is in reality. “Happy” is stamped in Pretty Peacock and then cut with a Stitched Rectangular die.

I love to add texture and interest to my sentiments by combining different ribbons. Here i used the Polkadot Tulle ribbon and the gold thread from the Forever Greenery Trim Combo Pack. The Gilded Gem and itty bitty gold star (from the dies) just add a fun element!

What I also love about this bundle is how the different phrases build off of the word HAPPY. I was able to cut the die down a bit from its initial form to change its appearance a bit too. I cut the ‘Happy’ out of the Natural Touch Specialty Paper as well. This helps tie the two feature areas together.

I also modified how the ‘Happy’ looked by trimming the top edge off of the die and shortening the edges.

I stamped ‘to have you in my life’ on Petal Pink Card stock and stamped the stars in the same color. I used Calypso Coral for the actual sentiment. The stars are stamped using the four colors that make up this page and also serve to create continuity across the page.

Making this page just filled my cup today! I am so blessed that my hobby is something I love so passionately and has become a business that has allowed me to stay close to home to raise my kids.

If you are inspired by this page and want any of the project supplies I used, please feel free to shop my store or use my Hostess Code!