Best Catch

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stamp bundle of Best Catch stamp set and Catch of the Day Thinlits Dies!!!  Combined with the Crackle Paint background stamp and some distressing of the cardstock, you get a perfect card for a man.  We made this card at classes this May as we focused on masculine themes.  I CASED my design (with a few changes here and there) from Tracy Gray.  You can see her original card HERE.  I felt so artistic and creative working on this card.  It's a perfect Father's Day card for my dad!

Now I have to tell you, it looks much better in person.  This photo sort of washed out the contrasts in the card and the bright colors in the fish.  The dies from Garage Gears Thinlits were used for the sentiment and Stampin' Blends colored the fish, hat, and basket.  The cattails seemed a little flat, and after trying several options, I decided to cut them out of Crumb Cake cardstock, then run it through the Subtles Embossing Folder.  Adhering it to a second die cut of the cattails then gave it a little strength.  Using my Bone Folder, I smoothed out some of the ridges made by the embossing folder, so it was even more subtle.  Random sponging of Soft Suede ink all over and Early Espresso around the edges made it pop, giving me the light and shadow effect I wanted.  I colored the cattails with Dark Soft Suede and Dark Crumb Cake markers for the tops and stems.

The fish was colored to represent a rainbow trout with more Stampin' Blends, then covered with Clear Wink of Stella for the perfect finish.  The die cuts out the fins also so they pop up off the fish body.  Adhering the images with Dimensionals and Glue Dots gave the card depth and added interest.

The Crumb Cake layer was stamped, then distressed using my Bone Folder, repeatedly bending the cardstock (like curling a ribbon) until the edges began to separate.  I pulled slightly on all four edges and added Early Espresso ink around all the edges to create more depth.   

If you love this combo as much as I do, be sure to order your bundle today, because it won't be offered as a bundle in the new catalog.  Ordering it now saves you 10% with the bundle price!  Click HERE to order your Best Catch Bundle.  Simply click Shop Now and use the Host Code shown on the intro page.  Everyone who uses this code will have their name entered into a drawing for a FREE GIFT.  Good luck!

New Catalog Open House!

Register for my New Catalog Open House Event!

The event takes place on Saturday, June 8th, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Come see the new catalog and products.

The day will be filled with games, prizes, make & takes, food, Bingo! and more!!!

Discounted retired product for sale--cash & carry only.  Gift bags for everyone who registers.

This is a FREE EVENT!

Don't miss this once-a-year opportunity!  Register now and share it with your friends!

Seriously, this is the most amazing

event of the year!!!

Click HERE to register now.

 

Grad Cards

Here are a couple great graduation cards I made for this past weekend that I would like to share with you. 

 This elegant card was made using the Layering Alphabet Edgelits combined with Gold Foil Paper, Night of Navy and Thick Whisper White cardstock.  I also used the Stitched Rectangle Dies for a little extra detail.  I used Itty Bitty Birthdays for the sentiment popped up with Dimensionals.  I love the elegant look this combination created with the layers of the Night of Navy made with the Layering Alphabet Edgelits!  You may have to enlarge it on your screen to see the detail.

This second card creates a fun, whimsical mood using the retired Alphabet Embossing Folder, and two retired stamp sets:  Bravo and Gorgeous Grunge.  It's easy to create this card using any school colors.  For this card, I simply inked the embossing folder with Night of Navy ink and ran it through the Big Shot with Whisper White cardstock.  Then in random patterns I sponged Balmy Blue, Night of Navy and retired Island Indigo ink over the raised letters.  Embossing the "tire tracks" from Gorgeous Grunge at various angles using retired Pewter Embossing Powder gave it a graffiti feel.  I felt it needed a little more shimmer so I inked up the splatter stamp from Gorgeous Grunge with Champagne Mist and Frost White Shimmer Paint.  Then I continued that shimmer on the inside around the "Congratulations" stamped in Night of Navy. 

Which one is your favorite?

Beauty Abounds Birthday

Here's a quick birthday card made with Beauty Abounds and Birthday Cheer stamp sets. I love how it turned out! One has a black mat behind the stamped layer. I edged the black mat with a Clear Wink of Stella brush to make it shimmer a bit. The other one has a Gold Foil mat behind the stamped layer for a little more pop.  Both versions have a little bling added with Basic Rhinestones.

Which one do you like better?

Floating Frame Cards

These are Floating Frame cards and were done at my April class. All the images are colored and placed on the first card base with Dimensionals, then the center frame is cut out. The section that is cut out forms the center of card #2 with a little frame added for interest. There is a little more involved to set up the first card requiring the use of Glad Press 'n' Seal and another layer of cardstock that we learned in class. I used Petal Palette stamp set for the flowers. Strong & Beautiful and Itty Bitty Birthdays were used for the sentiments. Do you have a favorite?