The Stamping Village Happy Birthday Collaboration Stamp Set

I love this collaboration stamp set that has images provided from multiple stamp companies.  I purchased it several months ago but finally got the chance to play with it.  

I had an old 6 x 6 paper pack (birthday themed) that I paired with it.  I cut the larger layer 3.5 inches by 5 inches.  I then cut down the biggest left over piece of the same patterned paper to 1 1/2 inches by 5 inches.  That allowed me to utilize most of the paper on 2 separate cards.  I mixed and matched several of the papers throughout all of these cards.  I also took several more of the left over pieces and made my own background design on one of them. I really like to get as much use from my papers as possible.

I picked out 2 copic marker colors that coordinated with the multicolored papers and used them throughout all of the cards.  I stamped one image in each of the smaller rectangles then minimally colored them.  One of the stamps was a "And Many More" stamp which is stamped inside the 3 cards that say Happy (or Hoppy) birthday.  I used the "Sending Birthday Wishes" stamp inside the other cards.  The only stamp I did not use on these juvenile type cards was the "Happy Birthday with love" one by Gina K Designs.  It has hearts all over it and just reads more mature to me.  I will make an adult card with that one.

The cards seemed a little "flat" in design to me so I added wink of stella to all the colored images and I also added a line of gemstones to the cake image card.  It seemed more teenage in design to me and definitely for a girl.  Now they all look good.  I have 11 nieces and nephews that are baby to high school age.  I also have 4 adult nieces and nephews but that's another story.  These cards can go to the family with 5 children and I don't have to worry that I sent the same card to more than one child in the family.  That is a relief.

 

Cards for Healthcare Workers

 I wanted to thank some healthcare workers so I pulled out some die cuts, some extra bases that I hadn’t finished figuring how to decorate and various stamp sets and this is what I came up with. 

Copic Jumpstart Color Combos

   

Traced Balloons from Avery Elle Balloons Dies

     Our homework for the day was to stamp multiple images and use different types of colors (warm versus cool) to make some images recede and some jump forward.  We also saw examples of  monochromatic, analagous, complementary, and triadic coloring.  I didn't have any stamps that would work for the homework so I used a set of balloon dies to create a possible card front.  First I traced the balloons, making sure to tuck some behind each other, then I colored them with analagous colors.  That is the look I am most drawn to.  

     I wish these were stamps because I don't have that thick outline to help keep my balloons perfectly even on the edges.  Some of my coloring goes outside the drawn pencil lines.  I couldn't have used my multi-liner to trace though because even with pencil, my dies wiggled and I messed up my tracing from time to time.  A copic multi-liner would have made a disaster if that happened.  Even though I don't have the nice black outline and my edges aren't perfectly smooth, I think I might be able to make this into a cheerful card for one of my young nieces or nephews.

The Daily Marker 30 Day Coloring Challenge day 2

    My daughter is at Driver's Education tonight, then has to drive with her instructor and another student directly after class.  That means I have about three hours to play (not including my drive time there and back).  Whee!
     Today I colored a Christmas image.  I need to practice more obviously, but it was a good start.  I haven't decided how to put her on a card but it will come to me eventually.

The Paper Nest "Christmas Bella"

 

     I also used my Kaleidacolor rainbow inkpad to make a card front.  I didn't think it was really coloring so I didn't use it for my coloring challenge item.  I always forget that I have this colorful inkpad.  I don't really have a purpose for this card either so I had a hard time deciding on a sentiment to use.  I finally decided to use "Sending Prayers" because I see a lot of requests for prayers and if it is a longer term ailment, I thought sending a card would be nice and uplifting.

Creating Snow

Hello All,

     Today I was inspired by this video made by Korin Sutherland from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps.  Her card is gorgeous.
     I decided to use the products I had on hand for a similar card.

Tree stamps are Avery Elle Winter Woodland, and Rubber Stampede Winter Woods
Sentiment is My Favorite Things Clearly Sentimental about Sympathy

What's Up? Carousel Seahorse. Daughter Love

      I have been overwhelmed with zucchini lately and have had very little time to craft due to shredding, freezing, baking and cooking with zucchini.  Seriously-I still have about 8 large zucchini to use and 3 little ones growing on the plants plus more blossoms wanting to turn into zucchini.  (Can you say a years worth of zucchini bread, zucchini crust pizza, chinese food with zucchini, italian crescent zucchini pie, vegetable side dishes, soups, etc.  It is really saving a lot off our food budget though.

Avery Elle What's up stamp set.  (Discontinued), Burlap, Wink of Stella, 

Dimensional foam, Copics, Fussy cutting, Ribbon, Stitched Rectangles Die.

  In the last few weeks I have managed to carve out a little late night crafting time for myself though and I have three cards to show for it.  They are very different from each other but that's the way I roll.

Avery Elle Thanks a Bunch, and Avery Elle We R Family Additions (Discontinued) stamp sets,

Memento Inks,  Copics, Wink of Stella, Stitched Rectangles Die, Pearls

Basic Borders set by Mama Elephant, Birthday Card Set, and Defective Die

Defective Die

      I received a defective die set from Simon Says Stamp (the Stitched Rectangles set). and in the aqua layers of the cards below you may notice there is a spot near a corner where 2 of the stitch details did not show up.  After inspecting my die I noticed the stitch details were never put on the die to start with.  I have emailed Simon Says Stamp and I suspect they will take care of the error.    

     

Mama Elephant Basic Borders
Avery Elle Balloons

     I had already die cut the blue card pieces though so I used them.  I just tried to cover the defective area with edges of the large balloon.  I tried the following sketch from Papertrey Ink because I wanted to play with the stamp set.  That was really fun but I needed to use my MISTI for lining up the borders.  I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise.  Here is the sketch I used.

     I decided not to add the "dots" over the lowercase i's in some of my Birthday die cuts.  I thought the balloon strings could substitute.  I don't think it worked out too well though so if I do these again I will definitely glue the dots over the I's.  I might even glue them in before giving these cards away.

     I am trying to increase my skills.  Right now there are still three things terribly wrong with these cards that prevent them from looking professional.  The problem with the defective die (which wasn't my fault and should be easily fixed),  the fact that two of the greetings had a little too much glue on them and it is sticky on the front of the card  (I know there is a special eraser you can get for glue boo boos though so I will look for that), and one of the backgrounds that I put stripes on came out wonky.  The stripes line up with each other but they aren't straight with the rectangular piece I stamped on.  I also am not sure I am entirely happy with how well the ink stamped on the balloons.  I stamped each balloon twice because I didn't get a good image but I have excellent ink, excellent card stock, and excellent quality stamps. I did notice that initially I had to stamp the Mama Elephant border stamps twice in each spot to get a good image but by the last card I made I noticed that I was putting my ink on in a very quickly repeating pressing fashion.  Once I slowed down and gently and slowly pressed the ink into the stamp repeatedly it seemed to only require 1 stamping.  

    Here are some additional supplies I used: Perfect Match Aqua Mist card stock from Papertrey Ink,  Perfect Match Black card stock from Papertrey Ink, Neenah Solar White card stock, Perfect Match Aqua Mist dye ink from Papertrey Ink, Buttercup Creative Color pigment ink from Mama Elephant, Plumberry Creative Color pigment ink from Mama Elephant, Versafine Onyx Black ink, Stitched Rectangles wafer dies by Simon Says Stamp, Birthday Trio Die Collection from Papertrey Ink, MISTI by My Sweet Petunia.

Quality Stamps

     I am so impressed with my first purchase of Avery Elle clear stamps that in addition to showing you my first project with their stamps, I wanted to share my opinion on quality stamps.

Avery Elle Balloons