Stylish Shapes Dies

Little Monkey Swinging By Card

Little Monkey Card Class

Little Monkey Swinging By Card

As we “swing” into the second card from my Weekly Card Class From Maine, we are continuing our “monkey play”. I am using the Little Monkey Bundle by Stampin’ Up! and having so much fun.

Did you miss the first card from this week’s class? Click here to check it out, you will go bananas over it!

Green With Envy Monkey

For my Little Monkey Swinging By Card, I wanted some more natural or neutral colors. I started with a Mossy Meadow card base.

One of my favorite things to do is use a stamp from my set for background imagery. I chose the tree branch with leaves from the Little Monkey Stamp Set for this card.

As you can see from my picture, I did a lot of stamping with Mossy Meadow Ink. I made sure the outer edges looked lovely, because the middle mess would be covered up!

Color-Less Monkey

In keeping with the theme for this Little Monkey Swinging By Card, I wanted to keep the coloring to a minimum. I started with a square of Very Vanilla Cardstock and stamped my monkey in Pecan Pie Ink.

Next, I simply added color to the outer edges of the square with a sponge dauber. This added color to my piece without me actually coloring it in. I also added sponged color to the rest of my pieces for this card, which all happen to be from the Stylish Shapes Dies!

Little Monkey & the Swinging Sign

This Little Monkey Swinging By Card has some built in action…the sign actually swings!

To make this happen, I poked holes in both the sign and the bottom of my monkey’s hands. Next, I strung some Linen Thread thru the holes so that the sign could be connected to the card without being adhered down.

You can see the action “in action” during my live card class. Watch the replay here!

Get Your Little Monkey Card Class From ME

This Little Monkey Swinging By Card is just one card in my featured class this week. For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing more cards from the Little Monkey Card Class, as well as my bonus cards, as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.

Little Monkey Bananas For You Card

Finished card, Little Monkey Bananas For You

Little Monkeys Card Class

Little Monkeys Bananas For You Card

The Little Monkeys Bananas For You Card is first up for your Weekly Card Class From ME. This class is a more fun than a barrel of monkeys, featuring the Little Monkey Bundle by Stampin’ Up!.

Want to know more about this adorable bundle, which includes the Little Monkey Stamp Set and the Little Monkey Builder Punch? I shared some great details, and you will find them by clicking here.

Little Monkey Coloring

Coloring the Little Monkey with Stampin' Blends

I shared my favorite way to add color to stamped images while I made this Little Monkey Bananas For You Card…Stampin’ Blends! First, I started off inking up my images from the Little Monkey Stamp Set with Memento Black Ink. This ink is water based, and works perfectly with the oil based blends. Remember…opposites attract.

For my sweet little monkey’s face, I used SU800. Stampin’ Up! has a great collection of skin tone colors that range from pale pink to deep brown. I love using these blends on so many stamped images!

Coloring the banana images with Stampin' Blends

The monkey was not the only thing that I needed to color on this card. I filled it full of bananas too!

I chose Daffodil Delight for my yellow tones. If you would like to see my coloring process, watch the video replay here.

Monkey Crumb Cake

I love the simple act of adding texture to a card. For my Little Monkey Bananas For You Card, I chose a mini embossing folder. The Geometric Patterns measure just over 3″ wide, by 6-1/4″ long.

When I use the mini folders, I cut my cardstock to 3″ wide. This gives me a nice selection to work with, and it doesn’t take up the whole card front. I added Crumb Cake Ink to my embossed piece to give the cardstock some depth. It really helps draw the eye to the design!

Monkeying Around With Linen Thread

For this Little Monkey Bananas For You Card, I chose to wrap Linen Thread around the embossed and sponged Crumb Cake layer 3 times. I completed the look with a simple tied knot. Lastly, I added this piece to a mat of White Cardstock before adding it to my card front with dimensionals.

Get Your Little Monkey Card Class From ME

Little Monkey Bananas For You card kit

This Little Monkey Bananas For You Card is just one card in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link. For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing more cards from the Little Monkey Card Class, as well as my bonus cards, as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.

Beautiful Balloons Yay You Card

Beautiful Balloons Card Class, Card 1

Beautiful Balloons Yay You Card

My Weekly Card Class From ME happens to showcase a pretty awesome feature: celebrations! Our focus this week is the Beautiful Balloons Bundle by Stampin’ Up!. Need more info on this class? Click here.

Happy occasion cards are a lot of fun to make. If you need a celebratory card, you may need a balloon or two. I am here to tell you that this great bundle is not limited to just balloons. Let’s take a closer look at our first card of the week.

Bright & Beautiful Designer Series Paper

Not only Bright & Beautiful, but also Brand New! That is what this gorgeous designer series paper is.

This fun collection of DSP really only has 1 thing wrong with it. A single pack of this 6 x 6″ paper is just not enough. You will need more than 1 pack!

In this paper pack, you will find dip-dyed ombre hues, plus washes, strips, stars, confetti and more. The colors of this paper pack include Azure Afternoon, Berry Burst, Blueberry Bushel, Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia, Lemon Lime Twist, Lemon Lolly, Lost Lagoon, Misty Moonlight, and Pretty Peacock.

Beautiful Balloons Dies

Perhaps the real star of the Beautiful Balloons Dies is the fringe die. I couldn’t wait to try it out and see how the fringe process would go.

Here is what I learned right away:

  1. If you don’t lay the paper slightly higher than the fringe die cut area, your fringe will not cut thru to the bottom. You will have a grate effect die cut that is surrounded by solid cardstock or DSP.
  2. The fringe needs a little help separating. You can easily do this with a quick finger ruffle.
  3. If your pattern paper allows, try flipping the design to create fringe layers that overlap when layered together, rather than stacking same pattern on top of same pattern.

Get Your Beautiful Balloons Card Class From ME

This Beautiful Balloons Yay You Card is just one card in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link. For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.

I will be sharing more cards from the Beautiful Balloons Card Class, as well as my bonus cards, as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.