30-Day Gratitude Challenge: Rice Paper Technique

Good morning!  Today I'm over on the Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration blog sharing a super fun and easy technique that you'll love!!!  This is call the rice paper technique and adds some great texture to your card. 

For this technique you start by taking a piece of Whisper White cardstock and you stamp all over it (in this case I used Everything Eleanor and Lost Lagoon ink.  Next I take a piece of tissue paper (this technique is perfect this time of year since we have lots of tissue in our gift bags and packages) and I scrunch it up.  I take one of our glue sticks and add glue all over the front of the cardstock before attaching the tissue paper.  It's OK if the tissue is isn't straight, in fact it adds to the effect if it's not and you just rub the cardstock until the tissue paper is fully attached and all the air bubbles are removed.  Then all you have to do is trim off the extra tissue paper (doesn't this look cool??)  Now you can just use this like a regular piece of paper for your project.

 

 This is a close up of the finished paper

I decided to use my rice paper piece for the gratitude card I made for the 30-Day gratitude challenge I'm currently participating in.  The cardbase is Blackberry Bliss and I added a piece of Lost Lagoon cardstock that's embossed with the Big Shot and Polka Dot Embossing Folder.  My rice paper piece s matted with Basic Gray cardstock and then I added some Blackberry Bliss 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon.

The greeting is from the Blooming with Kindness stamp set and was cut out with the Big Shot and Ovals Collection Framelits before sponging around the edge with Basic Gray ink and attaching the greeting with dimensionals.  For a little extra I stamped one of the flowers from the Everything Eleanor stamp set in Blackberry Bliss and cut it out with my Paper Snips.  I added a few small pearls to the center of the flower for some bling and a dimensional was used to attach the flower to the cardfront.

Isn't this a fun technique?  It works great with so many different images and helps soften it.  You've got to give it a try.

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today's card:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Enjoy!

Diana

30-Day Gratitude Card Challenge: Day 15

Our chilly weekend has started and I always love Saturday’s.  Have lots on my to do list and then we’re heading out tonight for the Snowflake Stampede and looking forward to seeing the Christmas lights in Bull Run park before it opens to the public (just need to dress in lots of layers so we stay warm, last time we did this we were freezing!!1)  I have two different posts today for lots of fun, first off is my card for the 30-Day Gratitude challenge.  I decided to change things up today and not go with a theme but an every occasion card that’s the workhorse of your card stash.  I also love how you can add a few accessories and designer series paper and let them be the focus so you can make this card in no time.  I started with Blushing Bride for the case base and added a piece of Whisper White cardstock that’s embossed with the Big Shot and Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder.  I added a piece of Flowerpot DSP (these flowers are so soft and pretty) and edged it along the bottom with a piece of Garden Green cardstock that was punched with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border.  Along the top I added a piece of Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon.

For the accent piece I took a piece of Lost Lagoon cardstock and embossed it with the Big Shot and new Fun Frames Embossing Folder and just used my Paper Snips to trim around the embossed edge.  The greeting is from the Blooming with Kindness stamp set and is stamped in Tangerine Tango on Whisper White before attaching it to the accent piece.

It’s great to just use a few simple and fun tools and get a really cool effect.  Are you playing along with my challenge?  Remember if you play along and post your card either in a comment on my blog or on my Facebook business page I’m going to do a drawing at the end of the month for FREE blog candy.  Remember, you can’t win if you don’t play!

Below are easy ordering links for the products used on today’s card:

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Enjoy your weekend,

Diana

Create with Connie and Mary Sketch Challenge: Blooming with Kindness

Good morning friends and welcome to another week.  I had a busy weekend which included working on swaps for Stampin' Up's upcoming annual convention.  Things are really coming together and I can't wait to share all my fun projects, make sure to check back next week for all the details.  Today I'm sharing my card for this weeks Create with Connie and Mary sketch challenge.  This card showcases several of the new In Colors which are so fresh that I'm loving them!  The cardbase is Crisp Cantaloupe and I added a layer of Early Espresso and Soft Sky (so glad this color returned to the color collections as part of the recent color refresh) which was embossed with the Big Shot and the Chevron embossing folder.  Next I used the Oval Collection Framelits to cut some oval pieces in Crisp Cantaloupe and Whisper White.  On the white piece I stamped the flower from the Blooming with Kindness stamp set with the Soft Sky ink.  I used my paper trimmer to cut off the bottom of the oval.

For decorative elements I added a piece of Early Espresso 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon and some butterflies that I cut out of Crisp Cantaloupe and Bermuda Bay cardstock with the Beautiful Wings Embosslits and Big Shot.  The greeting is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (so versatile) and was punched out with the Modern Label Punch.  The final touch was to add some rhinestones to the center of the butterflies for some sparkle and I attached the butterflies by just the center so I could make the wings stand up.

I really liked the simplicity of this sketch so you could really let the elements shine.  This card is so sweet, and you could definitely change the greeting or colors for any occasion you have.

Enjoy and have a great week!

Diana

Fab Friday Sketch Challenge: Blooming with Kindness

 Happy day friends, we've reached another Friday, yeah!  We've got another busy weekend coming up, I think I need to resolve myself to the fact that with all of our activities the days of having nice relaxing weekends are a thing of the past.  When I saw this weeks Fab Friday sketch challenge I knew I wanted to play along since it's such a great layout and would be perfect for another sympathy card that I'm working on (I'm planning on mailing by package of sympathy cards to my mom shortly so I'm hoping this batch will tied them over for awhile, unfortunately my mom and her friends have had to use a lot of sympathy cards lately, which is sad, at least they can have something pretty to send their greetings in).  Today's card starts with a Pool Party card base and then has a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock that I stamped the En Francis background stamp in Soft Suede.  Then I distressed it a little by tearing one of the edges and sponging around all the edges with Crumb Cake Ink. 

Next I added a piece Pool Party Core'dinations cardstock that was embossed with the Big Shot and the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder before being sanded to bring out the embossed texture.  I tore one of the corners of this piece as well to mimic the corner tear on the Crumb Cake piece.

For the main stamped image I used the Blooming with Kindness stamp and inked the flower with my Pool Party and Island Indigo markers using the thumping technique before punching it out with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  This piece was matted with a piece of Island Indigo cardstock that was cut with the Big Shot and the Window Collection Framelits.  The greeting is from the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set and is stamped in Soft Suede ink before being punch with the Modern Label Punch and then being sponged with Crumb Cake ink.

I really like how soft and pretty this card turned out and I love being able to mix so many different stamps and elements together.  I think they work really well.

I hope you enjoy, have a great weekend and happy stamping!

Diana

30-Day Gratitude Card Challenge: Day 17

Welcome back on this beautiful Saturday.  I'm so looking forward today, not only do I have a hair apt. this morning but I'm having some ladies over for a private party this afternoon and we're going to have lots of fun making Christmas projects.  Today I'm sharing another gratitude card that is so fun.  I started with the cardbase of Soft Suede and stamped the greeting from the Blooming with Kindness stamp set with Early Espresso ink.  Next I stamped the large flower image on Very Vanilla cardstock.  To color the flower I first inked up the flower with Primrose Petals ink and then took a sponge dauber and Raspberry Ripple ink around the edges and Luckly Limeaid to the flower stem.  Next I ran the cardstock through the Big Shot with the Apothocary framelit to cut out the shape.  I used the same Raspberry Ripple ink to sponge around the edge.  I added a Lucky Limeaid printed designer button and attached the cut out piece to the cardbase with part of the right side hanging off so I could trim it down.  The final step was to use the new paper piercing tool to piece holes around the edge of the die cut shape.

I made two of this card this weekend, one was for a friends birthday, the other was this gratitude card, so fun and pretty.

Enjoy and happy stamping,

Diana

30-Day Gratitude Card Challenge: Day 9

Happy Friday, yipee!  We have a jam packed weekend coming up with lots of traveling but we're looking forward to catching up with friends.  I was so excited to make today's gratitude card since it uses a new stamp set I just got and it's always so much fun to break in new stamps.  This card is really straight forward it uses the Blooming with Kindness stamp set and the flowers are ink with Island Indigo and Lucky Limeaid Stampin' Write markers.  I used the color spritzing tool with the Rich Razzleberry marker to add some spritzing all over the flowers.  Next I added Early Espresso cardstock, Champagne shimmer paper, First Edition designer paper (cut with the Big Shot and Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die) and the Orchard Harvest DSP.  The greeting is from the same stamp set and inked with markers, cut out with the large oval punch and matted with Lucky Limeaid cardstock punched with the decorative label punch.  I used dimensionals again to attach the greeting (I have to tell you something funny about dimensionals, I remember when I first started stamping and I got my first package of dimensionals and I was so afraid to use them because I wanted to save them.  Finally I realized that each dimensional cost about a penny and they really make a difference so now I use them ALL the time, one card actually had 12 on just one card.  The point of the story is that when you find something you love it's better to use it and enjoy it than saving them, just my thought).

 

Take care and have a great weekend!

 

Diana