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Sweetly Swirled In Balmy Blue

April 6, 2020 2 Comments

Monday’s Are Hard, Stamping Shouldn’t Be

Card made with Sweetly Swirled Stamp Set

Monday’s are hard, but in this cardmaking series, I will show you that stamping shouldn’t be. In fact, it’s quite easy. And with minimal supplies and minimal efforts, you can get fabulous results!

Today’s Monday card features the stamp set, Sweetly Swirled. This stamp set was released new, from the 2019-2020 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog. It includes 14 photopolymer stamps, 3 of which feature sweet swirls.

These swirls make great accent images for any of your cards or projects! And two of them coordinate with dies, in the form of Layering Circles or Layering Ovals.

However, since we are using minimal supplies, this Monday Card only uses the stamp set.

That’s right, one stamp set, Sweetly Swirled, two ink pads, Balmy Blue and Memento Tuxedo Black, and two colors of cardstock, Balmy Blue and Whisper White. Please follow along!

A Monday Card

The Card Recipe

Balmy Blue CS: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2″, score at 4 1/4″ for card base.

Balmy Blue CS: (2 of) 1 x 3 3/4″, (2 of) 1/2 x 1″

Whisper White CS: 4 x 5 1/4″ (for inside, optional)

Whisper White CS: 4 x 4″, 3 3/4 x 3 3/4″, 1 1/4 x 4″, 3/4 x 3 1/2″, 1/2 x 1 1/4″

Stamp and Assemble

This Monday’s Are Hard, Stamping Shouldn’t Be Sweetly Swirled Card starts out with the typical “fold in half” and score with your bonefolder to get a great crisp card base. Let’s not break tradition.

However, my TIP to you is to score once, invert the fold and score again. Your inner crease is now as crisp as the outer one. This makes for a professional looking card base!

Create Your Own Designer Series Paper

With the minimal supplies used in this card, we are not adding designer series paper to it. We are making our own! This great background pattern can be used with any stamp sets you own.

First, I stamped a fully inked flower onto my 3 3/4″ square of Whisper White CS using Balmy Blue Ink. Next, I immediately stamped the shadow flower beside it, offsetting slightly. This is known as second generation stamping.

Be sure to add some darker flowers to the outer edges. It’s okay to stamp off the edge of your paper to create your individualized pattern. I always have scrap paper behind my work in progress to catch excess ink.

The largest circle swirl stamp fits nicely into the flowered square. I stamped this swirl in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink in the middle of the square. Because there is no up, down or other orientation to this stamp, it is easily placed.

For another random pattern, I used one of the Balmy Blue 1 x 3 3/4″ CS pieces and Balmy Blue Ink, and a different flower stamp from the first choice. This time I did not shadow stamp my image. Mixing things up creates variation interest.

Faux Sponging

A great way to add color to the edge of your cardstock is to sponge some on. Since this card requires minimal supplies, we are making this happen in another manner.

Hold your ink pad in one hand and swipe the edge of the ink pad onto the edge of the cardstock, going around the entire square. This will add needed contrast between the card layers.

You’re Really Missed

Are you a victim of crooked sayings? You can use your grid paper to line up those photopolymer stamp sentiments. Here’s how:

Place the stamp (image side down and flat side up) along the grid line.
Adjust stamp as needed, so that it is nice and even.
Then, simply add your clear block by placing it over the stamp.

Sentiment from Sweetly Swirled Stamp Set — Once your sentiment is lined up nicely, it is up to you to stamp it straight!

I used Memento Tuxedo Black Ink to stamp my sentiment on the 3/4 x 3 3/4″ Whisper White CS. For me, using the smallest piece of cardstock for my sentiment helps keep the saying centered. Less paper=less room for error!

To emphasize the “really” in this sentiment, I added Balmy Blue Ink with the smallest swirl stamp around this word. So that it wasn’t too bold, I stamped off onto my scrap paper first.

Finishing Touches

As cardmakers, we tend to have lots of little scraps of paper lying around at any given time. In this card, I put some of them to great use as accent pieces!

The half-inch wide strips flag easily. I use my Paper Snips to cut from the corner edge toward the middle. Repeat on the other side, until your triangle falls off.

To dress my flags up, I added contrasting colors in tiny circles. If you have don’t have a small circle punch, check your office supplies. I used an ordinary hole punch for this minimal supplies required card. Tiny drops of glue, or small glue dots will hold them fast.

Assembly

This Sweetly Swirled card has quite a few layers, but they go together quickly. Here is a picture showing the “layout of layers”.

I like to put each layer “set” together before I adhere it to the card base. Typically, I start from the top and work toward the bottom.

The Insider Job

Your Sweetly Swirled card is beautiful on the outside, now lets make it pretty inside too! I like to mimic some of the outer stamping into a corner of the inside card. This way the card has continuity and there is still lots of room to add your own sentiment or written thoughts.

Sweetly Swirled Stamps — Here, I used the same technique from the stamping of the front of the card, to add that inside interest.

Now is a good time to add some stamping to your envelope too! You could choose from the swirl stamps, the flower stamps or the sentiment stamp.

Step It Up

Sweetly Swirled Card with Pearls, Stampin' Blends colored

If you have Pearl Basic Jewels, item #144219, you can use your Stampin’ Blends to color them. This will create some bling in the color you need for your project. I used the Dark Balmy Blue Stampin’ Blend, item #148542, to color some of my pearls.

Easy Monday Stamping

I hope you enjoyed making this easy card on a hard Monday with me. My video tutorial can be found on my FaceBook page, as well as my YouTube channel. To see another Easy Monday Card, featuring Beautifully Braided, click here.

If you need any supplies for this card, please feel free to visit my online store, https://www.juliemakson.stampinup.net, at any time. See you next Monday for another installment of:

Monday’s Are Hard, Stamping Shouldn’t Be!

Beautifully Braided In Melon Mambo

March 30, 2020

Monday’s Are Hard, Stamping Shouldn’t Be

Today’s Monday Card features the stamp set, Beautifully Braided. This is one of my favorites from the January-June 2020 Mini Catalog from Stampin’ Up!. If you would like to see another project that features this stamp set, click here.

You can purchase Beautifully Braided as a bundle with the Braided Border Punch and save 10%. However, since we are using minimal supplies, this Monday Card only uses the stamp set.

Beautifully Braided Bundle item #153821 — Beautifully Braided Stamp Set, item #151637. Braided Border Punch, item #151924. Beautifully Braided Bundle, item #153821.

That’s right, one stamp set, Beautifully Braided, two ink pads, Melon Mambo and Memento Tuxedo Black, and two colors of cardstock, Melon Mambo and Whisper White. Please follow along!

A Monday Card

The Card Recipe

Melon Mambo CS: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2″, score at 4 1/4″ for card base.

Melon Mambo CS: 3 1/2 x 4 1/2″ and 2 1/8 x 1 3/8

Whisper White CS: 4 x 5 1/4″ x 2 (one for inside, optional)

Whisper White CS: 2 1/2 x 4 1/2″ and 2 x 1 1/4

Stamp And Assemble

This Monday’s Are Hard, Stamping Shouldn’t Be Card starts out with the typical “fold in half” and score with your bonefolder to get a great crisp card base. Let’s not break tradition.

However, my TIP to you is to score once, invert the fold and score again. Your inner crease is now as crisp as the outer one. This makes for a professional looking card base!

Create Your Own Designer Series Paper

With the minimal supplies used in this card, we are not adding designer series paper to it. We are making our own! This great background pattern can be used with any stamp sets you own that contain words or sayings.

I suggest stamping on scrap paper, as this technique has you stamping off the edge of your cardstock. Starting at the top, stamp your saying in Memento Ink onto the Whisper White Cardstock. Then, continue to stamp across and downward, varying the stamp (or words) position to get a unique random pattern.

Background technique with wordy stamps and Memento Ink.

An overlap in the middle is fine, that portion will be covered with other layers on the finished card. I prefer to keep the top, bottom and sides as nice as possible, as they will be seen. This is great practice stamping! When done, you can add this layer to your card base.

Floral Details

Next, we stamp the decorative floral border stamp in Melon Mambo Ink onto the Melon Mambo CS. Again, the pattern can vary, and only some of it will be seen on the completed card.

I tried to keep the full floral image on the outer edges. This technique requires stamping beyond your cardstock as well. You can add it to the card when stamping is completed.

Here comes my favorite part: the large floral image. This is stamped on Whisper White CS with Memento Ink. Some of the image will stamp off the sides, and as the artist of your own card, you decide how that will look.

Let’s add some color to our flower! Using the filler stamp (TIP this could make great clouds too), and Melon Mambo Ink, fill in your flower petals. This is not meant to be an exact fit, so don’t stress over lining it up perfectly. I love this artsy appeal. You can add it to the card when completed.

Finishing Touches

It’s time to stamp some more words. I stamped the front saying on Whisper White in Memento Ink, then layered it with a piece of Melon Mambo CS. As a final step to the front of the card, I added it toward the bottom.

Your card is beautiful on the outside, now lets make it pretty inside too! I like to mimic some of the outer stamping into a corner of the inside card. This way the card has continuity and there is still lots of room to add your own sentiment or written thoughts.

Here, I used the same technique from the stamping of the large floral image and filler petals to add that inside interest.

Now is a good time to add some stamping to your envelope too! You could choose from the large floral stamp, the flower border stamp or the sentiment stamps. And if you have some bling laying around, you could add that to your card front, too.

Noble Peacock Rhinestones, item #149494, includes Melon Mambo jewels. The Take Your Pick Tool, item #144107 makes it easier to apply the rhinestones to your project.

I hope you enjoyed making this easy card on a hard Monday with me. My video tutorial can be found on my FaceBook page, as well as my YouTube channel. If you need any supplies for this card, please feel free to visit my online store, https://www.juliemakson.stampinup.net, at any time. See you next Monday for another installment of:

Monday’s Are Hard, Stamping Shouldn’t Be!

No Matter The Weather

March 27, 2020

Card made with Paper Pumpkin March 2020 kit

We’re In This Together

The March 2020 Paper Pumpkin kit has been a huge hit! We are all facing difficult times. The stormy clouds, adorable rainboots (let’s try to be fashionable in arduous situations!), and uplifting phrases like “wishing you brighter days ahead” and “I believe in you” are a much needed breath of fresh spring air to our tired souls.

Paper Pumpkin kits include supplies that are both consumable (like ribbons and embellishments, use them up!) and non consumable (stamp on my friends!). The kits are a great way to build up your stamp collection, and the stamps are intended to be used once all the consumables are gone.

In fact, today’s featured card uses just the stamps from the March 2020 Paper Pumpkin kit. Bonus: this embellishment-free card is flat and easily mailed! What is not missing is… the wow factor.

If you would like to print or pin the card recipe with dimensions and a list of additional supplies I used, click here.

My Creative Process

Following are some pictures of assembly, useful tips and insights in the making of this lovely card, and alternative suggestions in creation. Please read on for more details!

Embossing Raindrops

VersaMark Ink, Emboss Buddy and Emboss Powder

To make raindrops on the watercolor paper, I took the following steps:

Run Embossing Buddy over Watercolor Paper.
Using VersaMark Ink Pad, stamp raindrops from the March 2020 Paper Pumpkin Kit on Watercolor Paper. (I stamped 3 images, then sprinkled with embossing powder, tapped off excess powder and repeated the process. In this way, I could see where my raindrops would be, and where I might want more of them.)
Use the heat tool to heat set the embossing powder. I experimented with both Clear and Silver Embossing Powder in my creative process.

Heat Tool — I find that a regular paintbrush is a great way to remove excess dry embossing powder from my project before I apply the setting heat.

Pigment Sprinkles

Prepare to be amazed….and very messy! Pigment sprinkles create super unique backgrounds, no 2 will ever be the same. So therefore, instant art! Here are my steps:

Using protective tray (or box, paper plates etc), lay heat embossed watercolor paper down and spritz with water to wet randomly. Don’t over-saturate here, you will be adding more water.
Sparingly tap pigment sprinkles over wet paper. These tiny particles have a mind of their own, just remember less is better and more is mud. Watch the colors run, it is so cool!
Add additional spritzed water to help pigment sprinkles blend. It is helpful to have a paper towel on hand to absorb excess water/color, especially from the sides where it tends to pool up.
Need to add more pigment sprinkles? Do so now, but be careful not to over blend.
When satisfied with outcome, you can place a clean paper towel over your watercolor paper to absorb liquid and speed drying time. Baby wipes are useful for your messy hands!
Allow watercolor paper to dry completely. Placing it under something flat and heavy helps to keep the curling paper manageable.

Fussy Cutting

Rainboots

Fussy cutting, the use of scissors to trim an image in close capacity, is not typically first choice. But sometimes it is necessary, and practice makes…if not perfect, maybe close enough? Regardless, Stampin’ Up!’s sharp little Paper Snips make the job easier.

Stamp the rainboot outline from the March 2020 Paper Pumpkin Kit on a scrap of Whisper White Cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.
Use the floral filler stamp from the same kit, and Pineapple Punch Ink, lining up with the outline image.
For an additional pop of fun bright color, I used the Dark Pumpkin Pie Stampin’ Blend and colored the boot label, boot straps and outlines.
Time to fussy cut! This one isn’t too bad, you can do it.

Grass

Here’s how I created the grass inserts for the rainboots:

Stamp the grass image from the March 2020 Paper Pumpkin Kit on a scrap of Granny Apple Green Cardstock using Granny Apple Green Ink.
Next, add Garden Green ink to the grass stamp and apply, overlapping the first image. This will give you thicker, greener grass. Who doesn’t want that?
Time to fussy cut. This one is a bit hard, once you get it sliced in half. I recommend first tackling the sides (make sure you leave a nice base at the bottom for handling), then when ready to do the grass fronds, snip downward from the top. Making little x patterns or spear shaped cuts is helpful.
After I fussy cut the grass, I applied the grass stamp with Granny Apple Green ink to each half to overlap (again) the previous grass. The illusion here is that you are really good at fussy cutting!
With the White Stampin’ Chalk Marker, I added tiny dots to the top of the grasses. This brightness adds the look of dainty flowers.

Sentiment

No Matter the Weather We Are in This Together Stamp

You are not alone in this. This card speaks comfort. To create the embossed verse, here are my steps:

Using your paper snips, flag the end of the Bermuda Bay Cardstock. I start at the bottom corner and cut straight toward the middle, stopping there. Next, I start at the upper corner and do the same, meeting in the middle to remove the triangle cut away.
Run Embossing Buddy over Bermuda Bay Cardstock to prevent embossing powder from sticking where you don’t want it.
Ink stamp saying form the March 2020 Paper Pumpkin Kit in Versamark, apply to cardstock.
Immediately sprinkle White Embossing Powder over Versamark image.
Tap off excess embossing powder and heat emboss to set.
I love sponging to add interest and depth. I added Bermuda Bay ink to the outer edges of the flagged sentiment piece using my designated sponge. (Yes, I am that person, designated sponge.)

Putting It All Together

All the hard work is done! Now it is time to assemble your card layers. As mentioned earlier, this card is flat, and easily mailed. However, if you choose to add dimension or embellishments, get creative!

Quick Tips

I used Tear and Tape Adhesive to attach the watercolored paper to the Whisper White Cardstock. This great holding tape really secures the heavy paper with its tendency to curl.
I used (Tombow) Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue to tuck the grass fronds into each boot. The wiggle room you have with this glue lets you move the grass around a bit to get the best angle.
Play with the placement of your sentiment piece. Depending on your creative outcome from the pigment sprinkles, you may need to adjust the height as you desire.
The process for heat embossing on this card is optional. If you have raindrop embellishments, use them instead. Craft Whisper White Ink can be used to stamp the sentiment instead of heat embossing it, and will look similar.

I hope you enjoyed my tips and techniques in the making of this card using the stamps from the March 2020 Paper Pumpkin kit! Be sure to sign up for my email newsletter, where I share more tutorials for free.

And if you need any of the supplies to create this card in your own stamp studio, shop my online store, https://juliemakson.stampinup.net, anytime.