Just Add Ink: Easter Wreath

I didn't want to miss the current challenge at Just Add Ink. The image is the prettiest Easter wreath I've seen and with Stampin' Up's Wreath Builder dies retiring - how could I not play along? Clearly I wasn't just "inspired" - I pretty much duplicated that wreath!!

I cut a rainbow of eggs.  Then because I liked the texture of the eggs in the inspiration photo, I used the Tasteful Textiles embossing folder on them.  I started with one of the the wreaths from the die set, but I also cut a second wreath and clipped a number of the leaves to fill it in.

I didn't use a pink background but I'm wishing I would have. It added a nice warmth to the wreath in the photo. I did add some woodgrain to the white and at least edged it with some pink cardstock.

The pearls were to add some elegance.  They are older Stampin' Up and I've colored them with Copics to match the cardstock they are on.

Thanks to Just Add Ink for the inspiration!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Arrange a Wreath (just the sentiment)

Dies: Stampin' Up Wreath Builder dies, Stitched Labels

Cardstock: Stampin' Up So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Apricot Appeal, Seaside Spray, Marina Mist, Blushing Bride, Purple Posy, Highland Heather, Gorgeous Grape and Rich Razzleberry. Wreath in Just Jade.

Ink: Just Jade

Other: Stampin' Up Tasteful Textile and Pinewood Planks embossing folders

Tic Tac Toe Challenge: Love Wreath

I don't have all of my Valentines cards made. I don't make many so I don't have a large collection of stamps or dies for this holiday.  Plus I generally manage to hold back from buying more because I just don't have a need.

I did get inspiration from the current Tic Tac Toe challenge and was able to use products already in my stash.  I saw the "wreath" in their grid and knew immediately what to do. I love Stampin' Up's Wreath Builder dies.  I used it for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then tucked it away. But just seeing the word "wreath" reminded me that it has other holidays too.  So here's what I did with it.

From wreath I went up and down to "pink" and "sparkle". (The deep color is Flirty Flamingo which photographed more coral than pink - but I call it pink in real life.)

Thank you to the Tic Tac Toe Challenge for getting me motivated to start Valentines!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Stampin' Up Wreath Builder dies

Paper: Stampin' Up Brights 6x6 dsp and Glimmer Paper Assortment (an older pack with Mint, Bermuda and Sweet Sugarplum), cardstock in Flirty Flamingo, Mint Macaron with the lighter pink being Taylored Expressions Cupcake

Other: Stampin' Up Painted Texture Embossing Folder, Jewels are Little Things by Lucy in Copper Rose Mix

Freshly Made Sketches: In Sympathy & Friendship

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Judy and here’s what I did with it!

  

 

This card was not my original plan but I had an unexpected need for a sympathy card.  A friend's father-in-law passed and now there are so many complications.  Dealing with his death and an elderly mother and travelling the 700 miles there during this time of COVID with high-risk factors themselves - they need prayers for strength.  The sentiment is a very old sentiment from My Sentiments Exactly. It was just what I needed for my friends, plus the coordinating inside says "Our hearts, our prayers and our love are with you."  I wish I knew how to send it where they are right now - but I am sending prayers. 

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: My Sentiments Exactly

Dies: Memory Box Jovial Wreath, Birch Press Genevieve Butterfly Layers A, B and C

Other: Studio Katia Magnolia Flowers, Stampin' Up Subtle Embossing Folder

Color Throwdown: Hello Wreath

 I love this delicate wreath from WPlus9.  Since I got it, I've collected a variety of flowers sequins to add dimension to it but I haven't done a thing with it all...until inspiration this week from the Color Throwdown.  I love the lush colors and it just so happens that some of my sequin flowers are purple!!

The flower sequins have quite a bit of dimension.  They are lovely but I'm a bit worried about mailing it. It's destined for my mother-in-law so I think I'll tuck in a note telling her that if there are loose sequins in the envelope they are supposed to be on the wreath!!

Thank you to the Color Throwdown for the inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: WPlus9 Welcome Wreath

Dies: Paper Smooches Bows (I don't have the dies for Welcome Wreath which include a bow)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Old Olive, Misty Moonlight

Ink: Stampin' Up Old Olive, Misty Moonlight, Crumb Cake

Other: Stampin' Up Brick & Mortar Embossing Folder, Studio Katia Lavender Petals

Stampin' Up Wreath Builder Three Ways

I have a favorite out of every Stampin' Up catalog and this year it is definitely Arrange a Wreath Bundle, especially the Wreath Builder dies.  I've only posted one card with it so far (see it here) - it was summery with all of the new in-colors.  Now I've done a trio of Christmas cards using the same set, and the same layout but with entirely different looks.

 

The truth behind this - when the new holiday catalog came out, I totally fell for the Love of Leaves bundle but I need leaves like I need a hole in the head.  The only way I could justify getting those leaves is if I didn't buy Christmas stamps (I play these games with myself but who am I kidding - I'm sure my demonstrator will order again for me!)  But it actually wasn't hard because I knew I had these fabulous wreath dies.  So instead of Christmas stamps or dies I added a variety of products to change up the look of the wreath. There's Champagne Foil and Blue Gems, Snowflakes, and Red Velvet paper along with the Plaid Tidings dsp. 

Here's the elegant card. I love the subtle shine of the Champagne Foil and it embosses beautifully.  I layered it with Balmy Blue to coordinate with the gems, then I added some older snowflake sequins.

Then the subtle card.  I had not envisioned those adhesive snowflakes being so small.  The dimensions are clearly stated, I just didn't pay attention. I couldn't make them work on the wreath; they just got lost. So I grouped the flowers and greenery in one spot to leave a lot of open space for the itty-bitty snowflakes. Also - it says they are Just Jade but I liked them better when I used the more subtle Mint Macaron.

Then there's traditional and this is my favorite. The Red Velvet on the poinsettias is amazingly rich. I wanted to hang the sign so I used the other bow die, snipped the die cut in half and turned it sideways. The label is a different die set - Stitched Labels - that's just a great all-purpose set.

I love this set - now I need to move back on the timeline and get some fall cards done with it!  And...I can even move into the holidays next year as it has hearts and Easter eggs!  

SUPPLY LISTS - all Stampin' Up unless otherwise noted

Elegant

Stamps: Arrange a Wreath, Woodgrain Background

Dies: Wreath Builder die set

Paper: Champagne Foil, Balmy Blue

Ink: Balmy Blue, Versamark

Other: Falling Snow embossing folder, Frosted Sequins (older), Blue Adhesive-Backed Gems

Ink: Balmy Blue, Versamark

Traditional

Stamps: Arrange a Wreath

Dies: Wreath Builder die set, Stitched Labels

Paper: Red Velvet, Plaid Tidings dsp, Crumb Cake, Shaded Spruce, Just Jude and Crushed Curry CS

Ink: Shaded Spruce

Other: Tasteful Textiles embossing folder, golden gems by Studio Katia (I don't have the gold ones from Stampin' Up yet)

Subtle

Stamps: Arrange a Wreath

Dies: Wreath Builder die set

Paper: 2019-2021 In Color dsp (last years version), Purple Posy and Mint Macaron CS

Ink: Mint Macaron

Other: 2019-2021 In Color Faceted Dots, Adhesive-Backed Snowflakes

Fab Friday: Arrange a Wreath

I got my first new catalog order from Stampin' Up - and I am absolutely thrilled!  Right now my card making is all about the die cuts - and the Wreath Builder set did not disappoint!  Not to mention - huge fan of the new in colors!!


This is all the In Colors plus one layer of Shaded Spruce.  Shaded Spruce and Just Jade might be my favorite combination!  I also love how the magenta pops with all of the other colors.  The subtle blue is incredible. And we've needed a different brown for a long time!  FYI - if you are a Copic user, the charts on my sidebar as being updated as you read this. I'm struggling with finding a match for one color, but I expect to have them available by the end of the day.
Check out all of the detail on these dies...

I immediately cut all of the wreath parts, then wasn't quite sure how to arrange my card, but I remembered the sketch at Fab Friday.  At first glance, it certainly didn't seem like a wreath was meant to be on this sketch, but all the elements are still there! Thank you for the inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Stampin' Up Butterfly Gala (the sentiment)
Dies: Stampin' Up Wreath Builder
Paper: Stampin' Up Just Jade, Shaded Spruce, Bumblebee, Magenta Madness, Cinnamon Cider, Misty Moonlight
Other: Stampin' Up Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder, the enamel dots are not Stampin' Up because those dots are unavailable right now :(

Christmas Card Throwdown: Merry Colors

I wanted to play along with the current 52 Christmas Card Throwdown before it ends this week because it such a classic color combo - green, kraft and white.  I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I saw in my not-yet-used stash that I had the Winter Wreath Decor dies from Pink & Main to go along with their wreath base.  I have all the seasons and thought I had used them all - but this one was still waiting. I must have run out of time at Christmas.  Given some of them such as the reindeer and the gingerbread man were perfect for kraft - and others like the snowman and the snowflake were perfect for white - it was meant to be!!

The sentiment is a Concord & 9th sentiment that I picked because it was bold enough to stand out from all of the detail on the wreath.  I did play around with adding some sparkle to the sentiment and various other elements, but I kept coming back to the classic look of the plain cardstock.
Thanks to the fine group at Christmas Card Throwdown for the inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST Dies: Pink & Main Winter Wreath Decor dies, Wreath Base, Concord & 9th Merry Cardstock: Stampin' Up Granny Apple Green and Crumb Cake Embossing Folder, Stampin' Up Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh

Freshly Made Sketches: Happy Harvest

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jennifer Timko.

I am definitely feeling autumn today.  Two weeks ago, Colorado went from summer to winter in just 36-hours going from 83 to 13 degrees - no kidding!  Colorado weather is nothing if not unpredictable and within two days we moved from winter back to gorgeous autumn temperatures.  But the extreme temperature is going to make us miss the changing leaves.  Our trees were just starting to change to their glorious fall colors when the freezing cold hit - and they went instantly to brown.  The temperature is cool and brisk as I am making this card and I can hear the leaves in the breeze - but I'm going to have to get my fall colors through my cardmaking!!


I just recently got this Autumn Wreath from Pretty Pink Posh.  It's been on my wishlist forever.  I love its fresh and open look.  I know they also have a Spring Wreath and their recent release came out with Winter Wreath - I'm not going to wait so long to get that one.  The sentiment in the wreath set wasn't skinny enough so I pulled out Mini Strips - Harvest from Taylored Expressions.

I love sketches that are open to so many ideas and that includes a skinny strip for all of my skinny sentiments!  I hope to see you playing along with us this week!

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Pretty Pink Posh Autumn Wreath, Taylored Expressions Mini Strips - Harvest
Dies: Pretty Pink Posh Autumn Wreath, Taylored Expressions Mini Strips die
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Seaside Spray
Other: Pretty Pink Posh Marigold Jewels, Stampin' Up Embossing Folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Exhale Worry

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Mitchell.

I seem to have purchased quite a number of wreaths lately.  All seasons.  Die cut. Stamped.  So there was absolutely no doubt as to how I was going to use this sketch!!


This is a series of dies by Pink & Main.  The wreath itself is the Wreath Base die and then there are seasonal sets on top.  I've used it before with the Fall Wreath Decor dies - Thanksgiving here and Halloween here.  I was shocked to see that I hadn't used the Winter Wreath Decor dies - I'll have to remedy that soon.  This card uses the Spring Wreath Decor dies. I used flowers and leaves but made it summery with the bright colors.  The Spring set also has a bunny and an umbrella.  The Summer set just came out.


I adore the sentiment.  It's from the Exhale Worry set from Picket Fence that includes five unique and amazing sentiments with the same theme.

Last week, I commented that I wanted to get back to keep-it-simple mode with my cards.  I'm not sure how to rate today's card.  It was actually very simple, but talk about time-consuming especially adding centers to all of those flowers.  I wish I were better at using Nuvo Drops because those would have been perfect flowers centers and would have saved a lot of time!

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Picket Fence Studios Exhale Worry
Dies: Pink & Main Wreath Base, Spring Wreath Decor dies, MFT Fishtail, Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Mats Squares
Cardstock: A large variety from many different companies!!!

Taylored Expressions Sending Joy

FYI - there is an exciting, but time sensitive announcement at the bottom of this post - 

so if you don't have time to read the post now, scroll to the bottom.

I love to give card sets as gifts.  I get the joy of making them and it is a wonderfully personal gift.  Maybe my friends would prefer a Starbucks Gift Card or something from the local brewery, but I don't think so. I know they value these cards because they use them. (Although we still find time to meet at Starbucks and the brewery!)  I was at a friend's house and on her fridge was a card that she received from another friend to whom I had given a gift set.

BTW - don't ever think that hand-crafted cards aren't totally appreciated.  Years ago, this was a little hobby for me.  Then I started sending regular cards to a friend who was battling cancer.  At one point in her battle, she was interviewed for a TV spot - she was in her office and covering the walls of her office were my cards.  That wasn't the point of interview - they were just there and clearly had profound meaning to her.  At that moment, my hobby turned into a passion!

Back to the point of this post.  Taylored Expressions has been a series all week with each designer showing an idea for a set of cards that is simple to create. (Start here and work your way forward.)  One of the reasons that I am passionate about Taylored Expressions is their constant emphasis on "sending joy" so they have a wide variety of products to let us do that!  Here's my set.

Let me break down the components of these and why they are simple.  I used Simply Stamped - Wreath.  Layering stamps can easily add a lot of impact, particularly if you have a Misti tool.  I attached the base stamp and stamped on a piece of scrap.  Then I could line up my background cardstock based on that scrap.  (Just add little pencil marks around a couple of corners of the cardstock, because you can do cards 1, 2, 3 and 4 just by placing and stamping.)  Ditto for the next leaf layer and the berries.  These take a little more effort to line up because they need to be precise - but remember - you can stamp 1, 2, 3 and 4 once it's lined up (or get carried and stamp twenty!)

In my experience, an embossed background looks like magic particularly to a non-cardmaker.  (We'll never tell them how easy it is, will we?)  Just for fun, I used four different embossing folders, but you could simplify even more and use the same folder.

I also used a variety of colors and a variety of greens on each card.  I picked greens to match the mood of the card but you can certainly simplify and use just a couple of greens - the colors of the berries and the bow change the mood.  Here are each of my cards and the colors.

 


Did you notice the last card was missing a green ink pad?  That's because I cheated and used something you'll see next week.  If you love Mint Julep - rejoice!!  Because there's a new color that's part of next week's new release that matches perfectly!!

Tip: Another way to simplify would be to use a die-cut bow instead of the layered stamped bow that comes with the stamp set.  Taylored Expressions has a variety of bows - I particularly like Little Bits - Bows.

Two more things to make this set extra special.  First - I added colored envelopes and lightly stamped the wreath on them.  I first stamped in Sugar Cube white, then I moved the envelope just the tiniest little bit and stamped the matching color to the envelope. It gives it a dimensional look and it's very quick and easy!


Then right when I was finishing these up, Taylored Expressions came out with a new product that was the icing on the cake - personalized "Made by Me" stamps.


Never forget that the cards you create are little works of art - and art is signed, right?  I think "signing them" makes cards even more personal - and I love these new stamps.  AND...they're now available to everyone in the Personalized Pop-Up Shop on the TE website!  The first Pop-Up collection includes four stamps featuring Taylor-made designs that you can customize with your name and, in some cases, your website address. 

The Personalized Pop-Up Shop will only be open through February 3rd (that's tomorrow!) so visit https://www.tayloredexpressions.com/popupshop.html to get your personalized stamp today!

Here's one last look!

SUPPLY LIST

A Wreath of Peace

It's the Friday morning before Christmas. Presents are wrapped, cards are mailed, house is decorated, and now it's all about family and fun, worship and celebration... and peace!!


I was browsing a sale at Spellbinders right after Thanksgiving.  It was a fun sale in that a number of things already on my wishlist were discounted - yay!  But I hadn't seen this set before and it just jumped right into my cart.  The wreath and bow are one set.  The snowflakes come from a coordinating set that has dies for each of the seasons.

The sentiment is from Memory Box.  They have a series of Jotted Script dies and I love the font!  I used birthday here and here.  I also have the "thanks" die which I clearly need to use.  And now I'm looking at their website and it seems there about 10 more than I need to order!  (Am I the only one that probably gets more giddy by the look and font of the sentiment as anything else on the card?!)

Peace to you in these last few days!!

SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Spellbinders Wreath Four Seasons and Wreath Elements Four Seasons, Memory Box Peace Jotted Script
Cardstock: Taylored Expressions Toffee, Salt Water Taffy, Confetti Cake, Cookie Monster (just backing the "peace")
Sequins: 28 Lilac Lane Aqua Dreams

Freshly Made Sketches: Christmas Wreath

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Linda.

I'd love to be creative with this one - but how could I not do a wreath at this time of the year??!!  I have this new to my stash wreath die from Memory Box and sentiment from Right at Home.  I love this sentiment set - it's new to my stash and it will definitely be my go-to this year.


I think the little berries make this card!!  They are Little Things from Lucy's Cards Glossy Berry Mix Pearls.  They have a fabulous golden sheen!
I wanted a simple background but unique - so I used Taylored Expressions Brick by Brick Stencil but I taped off a number of them to give it this random look.  Once I had the stencil all taped up, I did a number of these backgrounds so you'll be seeing more of them.
I hope to see you playing along this week at Freshly Made Sketches.
SUPPLY LIST Stamps: Right at Home Peace Love Joy Dies: Memory Box Pine Wreath, Taylored Expressions Door to Door Summer Decor (the bow) and Stitched Rectangle Stacklets Cardstock: Taylored Expressions Peapod and Granny Smith Miscellaneous: Taylored Expressions Brick by Brick Stencil, Dreamweaver Embossing Paste, Little Things from Lucy's Cards Glossy Berry Mix Pearls, Versamark, Taylored Expressions Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder