Mosaic Madness and new In Colors Card

I decided to try out the new Mosaic Madness stamp set with some new In Colors and the new Smoky Slate as a neutral card base.  I really like how it turned out but wasn't sure what greeting to use until I came across the new hostess set called Banner Greetings.  I used Basic Gray ink to give the banner greeting a chalkboard look and loved how it turned out.  Then I layered it with a scrap piece of Coastal Cabana card stock and hand cut the banner to match the greeting.  All the images were punched out using the new Mosaic Punch and popped up using dimensionals.

Close up of banner using chalkboard look

Ingredients:
Mosaic Madness stamp set #130246 WM or #130249 CM
Banner Greetings (hostess) stamp set #129711 WM or #129714 CM
Modern Mosaic Embossing Folder #129984
Mosaic Punch #131267
Crisp Cantaloupe, Coastal Cabana, Basic Gray or Smoky Slate ink and card stock
Rhinestone Jewels

Creative Elements Card

I love the Creative Elements stamp set!  It has flower images, flourishes, a background/line stamp and I love the word stamps "CREATE" and "Treat yourself like your own best company."  It allows you to create so many different card designs and layouts combining the different stamp images and wordings.  For this card, I decided to use the new In Colors - Pistachio Pudding and Crisp Cantaloupe.  I added some Night of Navy to give it a different look as well.  By adding a few tiny pearls and two large pearls on the upper right corner, it makes the card have a feminine flair without overdoing it.

Ingredients:
Creative Elements stamp set #128523 WM or #122647 CM
1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon in Night of Navy #126874
Pistachio Pudding, Crisp Cantaloupe and Night of Navy ink and card stock
Pearl Jewels
Stampin' Dimensionals

The Open Sea Father's Day Card

I needed a few Father's Day cards and some masculine birthday cards for the coming week so I decided to use Stampin' Up!'s The Open Sea stamp set.  It is a great stamp set for masculine cards.  I've been in a creative rut lately so I wasn't feeling quite creative the night I made these cards.  I had been thinking about card layout and color combination possibilities for most of the day.  While I was putting my wonderful kids to bed, a possible layout and a masking idea popped into my head.  I read the kids some bedtime stories, sang some quick songs, kissed them good night and rushed off to my craft room to try out my idea.  I played around with the masking idea and a possible spotlighting technique idea for awhile before this layout appeared on my card.
 As soon as I started stamping the Marina Mist background using a Window Frame Collection Framelit for a mask, I could see the rest of my card coming together.  Using the Window Frame framelit made it seem like I was looking out the window at the sea.  When I was done with all my Father's Day cards and a birthday card for my brother-in-law, I rushed to show my husband all the cards I had finished in just over 30 minutes (a total of 5 masculine cards done).  I was so excited at how they turned out and really felt I had finally found a masculine card to use over and over again.  So I continued to stamp and cut card stock to make 18 more masculine birthday cards to give all our male friends and family members over the next year.  I'm so glad I have those 18 masculine cards done for the year :)

Here is a photo tutorial for you on how I created these masculine cards:

Start with a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Very Vanilla card stock (or a light color).  Use the Window Frame Collection Framelit to cut out of a piece of scrap paper and sponge Marina Mist inside the frame.  This technique is called "reverse masking".

Stamp your image before removing the frame.

Add a mask (or the piece of the Window Frame Collection framelit cutout) on top of the area already sponged and stamped the image on.  This will act as a "mask" when you are stamping a background for the top layer of the card.

Stamp your image as many times as needed to create your background.  For this card, I stamped the captin's logbook image twice (once on the top and once on the bottom half of the Very Vanilla card stock).

Remove the mask.  The first layer is almost done.

Stamp another smaller image (in this case the compass) towards the top right corner of your card.

Add to a 4" x 5 1/4" layer of Crumb Cake.

Add some Linen Thread in an "X" pattern.

Add the layers to a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card base.  Add a stamped greeting with a dimensional onto another punched layer.

My original Father' Day card - I didn't like how big my greeting was so I decided to go with one from Teeny Tiny Wishes instead of this greeting from the Delightful Dozen stamp set.

Here is a little different card layout that does not include masking to make an assembly-line type production much easier for 18 masculine birthday cards.

My final masculine card layout for all 18 masculine birthday cards I need for the next year.

Ingredients:

The Open Sea stamp set #128454 WM or #123032 CM

Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set #128748 WM or #127802 CM

Word Window punch

Modern Label punch

Marina Mist, Night of Navy and Crumb Cake ink and card stock

Linen Thread

scrap paper to use as mask

Epic Day This and That Journal

The beginnings of my family's summer scrapbook cover

 

I recently purchase the Epic Day This and That Journal to see what it was really like inside.  I was pleasantly surprised by all the cute DSP in a spiral journal format (60 pages total with 30 coordinating spreads).  The journal also has two inside pockets which is great for little keepsakes and includes two loose die-cut printed envelopes for storing thoughts and mementos as well.  I also purchased the Epic Day This and That Designer Stickers just to take a look at all the sayings they had to offer but I had a great time placing them inside the journal.

After a night of struggling with card ideas, I started playing with both the Epic Day This and That Journal and the Epic Day This and That Designer Stickers and began to feel my creative juices start flowing.  I decided that this would become my family's Summer Journey Scrapbook.  Something to keep a few ticket stubs, fun pictures, quotes and it will make a great record of our summer activities.  I tend to scrapbook digitally (if at all these days) so having somewhere ready to put all our summer memories down instantly sounds so much better.  I plan to have my kids join me in jotting down our thoughts, quotes from trips and adding some fun pictures and mementos of our trips and daily activities.  This journal makes it so easy that I may have to get one for each of us to create our own Epic Summer Scrapbooks.  Purchase yours' today so you're ready to journal some of your favorite summer moments as soon as they happen!

Outside cover with a hexagon pattern everywhere

One of two inside pockets for storing your mementos

Second inside pocket for storing your mementos - placed in the back of the journal

Die-cut printed envelopes for storing special mementos or special journaling

The following pictures are samples of the printed DSP pages.  They represent some of the cute DSP included in this Epic Day This and That Journal but I'm constantly discovering even more as I delve more inside this fun little journal such as some really cute gumball green, pool party and crumb cake DSP pages.  Aren't they wonderful?

I can already envision pictures of our family adventures on this page!

With Stampin' Up!'s new hexagon punch, I can envision how easy it will be to add lots of pictures and quotes punched out in a hexagon pattern on this page.  I can't wait to start adding my family's memories to this journal!

I can't wait to journal all over these pages!  There's just something about all the lines and the look of a ledger that makes me want to write all over it.

Bright, sunny and cheerful DSP journal pages make it so much easier to use this journal on the go.

 

 

Epic Day This and That Designer Stickers (Sorry some of them are missing.  I forgot to take a picture before I began playing with my new journal):

 

 

 

 A sampling of the journal pages that I began to create with the Epic Day This and That stickers:

 

Ingredients:
Epic Day This and That Journal#131268 (only $10.95 w/out s/h+tax) - 6 3/8" x 8 1/16" journal with a debossed chipboard cover and 60 total printed sheets with 30 coordinated spreads
Epic Day This and That Designer Stickers #131271 (only $4.95 w/out s/h+tax) - 4 sheets with a variety of designs on semigloss paper; designed to fit inside your journal when stored
Epic Day This and That Designer Washi Tape also available #131269
Remember This and That Rotary Stamp also available #130133

May Club Cards

May kept us busy with preparing for Mother's Day and End of the Year Teacher gifts.  Here are the cards we made during Stamp Club this month.  Please contact me today if you would like to join us some time.

I also had a New Catalog Open House for my club members before Stamp Club.  Here is the card we made using the new In Colors, the new Mosaic Madness stamp set, the new Quatrefancy Speciality DSP and the new Mosaic punch.