A Little Late

What's the age old phrase? Better late than never?
I have been so busy with work and as much as I love being busy, one of the downsides is being exahusted when I come home.
I miss writing. I miss creating. Not to mention having the kids all home all day long and the unexpected heat wave is just draining this old gals juices.
I know it'll be better come fall. I am not a summer girl (WHAT?). It's true. Our winters up here are so long and cold and bitter that despite feeling like a reprieve, summer is usually the exact oposite.
Give me spring or fall any day :)
To bad where I live we only get a few weeks of each :S lol
So as school drew to a close I actually went for it this year (a bit of a late start) and did teacher thank you gifts!
Being as there was only 2 weeks left of school when I decided to get some items going in my little boutique I just went small. I had a few 5x7 frames that I converted into dry erase message boards. I think they may be a bit small for that, plus it's hard to tell what they are.
Along with that, I found a few ideas of people creating desk calendars using the easel card technique. I thought that was brilliant so I decided to give it a go myself.
Here is what I came up with:

 These were so much fun and really quite easy to create once I got my mojo going.

Again I am totally in love with Colorful Seasons stamp set by Stampin' Up! That font *sigh*. Oh that font!
Plus I used the Berry Burst and Lemon Lime twist from the new In Color sets and they just punched it up in a fun and playful way.

 The next set I used the Berry Burst with Crumb Cake and Blushing Bride with the lovely cherry blossom stamps and dies in the Colorful Seasons set.
So what I have done is used some washi tape to punch up some mini binder clips which holds the calendar in place. The calendar is on the top part of the card and to make it more dynamic I created a cover for the calendar with coordinating images. The calendar pages were matted on cardstock to give it some strength and then bundled together with the binder clip which 'hangs' on a brad. The bottom is a piece of 3x6.5 cardstock that I scored at 3 and 3.5 to create a cover for 3x3 post it notes. So when it's in easel form, a person can scribble a note in the pad and see the date and it's just a nice little gift. The finished product is 5x5.


The next couple I have verred away from my Stampin' Up! sets and used the fun Be a Unicorn stamp and die set from The Greeting Farm. And what is a unicorn with out some sparkle? I added Stickles to the hair to make it shimmer and then based some of my mats with silver glimmer paper.




I used my mini daisy punch from EK Success and layered the buds and topped them off with a pearl coloredY18 copic.
My color scheme to keep with unicorn bubble gum rainbow is Pool Party, Sweet Sugarplum and Pretty in Pink.

I know I will be making these again for my shows this Christmas. Not only where they really quick and a lot of fun, but I think they'll be a huge hit for Christmas gifts!


So that's it for me for now, I hope you enjoyed!

~Brandie~

Annual Catalogue

Wow what a month! Wanted to blog more often and I have no idea what happened to May but it's gone and now I'm gearling up for end of school and the Stampin' Up! new annual catalogue.
Can I just say I am in love with some of the new stuff? Like WOW guys- way to out do yourself!
So I am adoring the new In Colors. Lemon Lime Twist? uh- yes please! I do love my Stampin' Up, but it IS about time that they had a bold fun green. Before that, my Old Olive and Pear Pizzazz were good- but this Lemon Lime Twist is so perfect for some of my more playful creations.
The other colors accent it perfectly and I will defintely be highlighting them on projects to come. I haven't used them together, but I ordered a pack of Berry Burst, Lemon Lime Twist and Smokey Slate (because I was out of Smokey Slate) and holding them together once the order came in gave me a 'huh?' moment with the creative gears spinning in my little ol' head.
And Color Theory? Oh don't even get me started! Colorful Seasons stamp set (with the dies, obviously) has got to be, hands down, one of the coolest sets I have seen in a long time. I couldn't wait to dig in. I love snowflakes and cherry blossoms and leaves and this set is PERFECT! I thought the beach chairs were kinds wuh-wuh- until Pinterest showed me other wise. And the Sentiments with this set? THE SENTIMENTS?! I love girly swirly matching fonts and *sigh* yes. yes SU! you have hit it out of the park.
So I was dealing with illness and kids and work work work before I could play.
And play I did :) I was inspired by the natural element of the stamp set so I decided to get my watercolor (ish) on and do the ink splatter? technique. Coloring on clean stamp blocks and spraying with my Stampin' Spritzers to create a fun watercolor background. I went a bit background crazy and have a stack here just waiting to become the background of new cards, but here is what I came up with for a few of them:

 The neat thing with creating a watercolor background is you can either blend matching colors (or colors that accent each other on the color wheel) and make something that is eye catching and appealing. Or, what I had done here, is create 'sand' using Sahara Sand and Crumb cake and built up to a horizon with Soft Sky, Pool Party, and Marina Mist. I adored it and figured it gave that beach in the background feel. Plus, my good old Woodgrain Background stamp. MAN that thing gets a lot of play. What can I say? It's pretty much perfect for a lot of different stamp styles :)
That font off to the side? PERFECT! Sheer ribbon and some old Soft Sky ribbon intwined finished it off.
To get that fun torn edge, my own technique is to dip the edge of the cardstock (on the layers beneath the main layer) and then fray them with the edge of my scissors. Then I let it dry a bit before sanding and curling here and there.

This beauty was created by the fabulous branches and blossoms and, again, LOVE IT. The Melon Mambo, Tangerine Tango and Flirty Flamigo ink mashed together blended into what I interpret as a beautiful firey sunset.
Because I use watercolor paper for the watercolor technique (we don't want to wreak that precious Whisper White!) I created a frame for the 'painting' by cutting the mat the same size as my watercolor paper, and then trimming the inside to 1/4 of an inch all the way around. You could wet and tear the edges to give it more dimentions. I just smooshed my ink pad on it.

So there you go! See what happens when I'm gone too long? I get wordy and start gushing over new items :P
I hope you enjoyed- happy stamping!

~Brandie~

Last Ones....

I promise.
At least for a while ;)

I went on a kick and made a bunch of those Step Panel Cards.
I also dusted off the Greeting Farm's "Magical Bean" s kit (and thus putting my Hatters away for a little while). I added this to the Mini Faries available through the greeting farm and created these whimsical cards:

 I got to do the background sponging which is such an effective technique. I sponged in Soft Sky and Pool Party. Instead of die cutting a cloud shape I just winged it.
Then I went to my Tried and True Stampin' Up! Stamp sets and used my Thoughts and Prayers set for the hanging vines, Petite Petals for the watercolor-esque petals and then a fun Birthday banner sentiment from an old Sale a Bration set.

 The tiny buds are brought to you by a retired set Itty Bitty Buds and the coordinating punch set.

I am enamoured with the color combo here of Crumb Cake, Sweet Sugarplum and Blushing Bride. (please please please bring Sweet Sugarplum back when you re-vamp the color families Stampin' Up!!!)

 I used the exact template for this Fairy Birthday Card, but switched up the colors a bit. I love Pink and Green so
I paired Pink Pirouette with Pear Pizzazz.
Shhh but there is an even BETTER  BRIGHTER AND BOLDER green coming down the pipes ;) Can't wait to play with that!
The Smokey Slate I paired these colors with gives a good base to make this a wee bit more sparkley with some Fairy Glitter (or- good old fashioned Stickles or Dazzling Details). I also used some Silver embossing powder for the sentiment on the back. I tried it with the Banner on the front, but it didn't read well so I just used Smokey Slate ink for that. The buds on this card is brought to you by Forget Me Not by Papertrey Ink.

Well I hope you enjoyed! Next time I'll be showcasing a different technique, promise!

Have a great day,
~Brandie~

After The Break

Wow! I had wanted to blog so much more and make some fun Easter things and be all springy on here.
Then I got sick.
Then it snowed and was dank and dark. Very depressing.
Then my husband was sick and I was taking up the lion's share.
Now over a week later and much chaos I have been able to have some free time to get back into the social media aspect of my business. Not to say I haven't been creating ;)
Well. Not as much as I would have liked...
I don't know if you've noticed, but I am a bit of a girly girl. That trancends into my clothing, my likes and even into my hobbies. I don't even have very many 'boy' items. And 'manly' things? forget about it! Though I am working towards more boy stuff :) Dragons and superheroes and dinosaurs and astronauts- oh yessss. I have found items that I MUST have! Soon enough ;) Mother's day is close at hand :D
Until then, I have a few tools in my collection to create some less pink-frilly-glittery greeting cards (not that they have to be just for boys!) If you remember my love for Dawn's Step Panel card-  I went a little bit.... gung ho.

 These Mini Remix Boys from The Greeting Farm are little and cute and perfect for simple masculine cards.
To augment the boys I used a variety of stamp sets from Stampin' Up! including, Banner Blast (with coordinating Bitty Banner punch), Water Color Words, Gorgeous Grunge and Hardwood background stamp.
I used the Brick Wall embossing folder on some Smokey Slate, brushed with more Smokey Slate ink and then AFTER it was embossed, I stamped the Star and Birthday sentiment from the Watercolor Words to make it look like spray paint. Adding that to the Gorgeous Grunge splatters made it look like a Graffit Wall.

I grabbed a stack of gift stamp from one of my other sets and used various banners to give it a birthday party feel.
My color pallet was Daper Denim, Old Olive, Smokey Slate and Crumb Cake.

Being as the cards don't open, I like using the back of the card to carry on and have more space to not only decorate but, in theory, have a place to write a sentiment (though on this card, I think that's not going to happen :) oops!

This showcases the Graffit art a lot more prominently. I added bits of washi tape for dimension, then another one of our fun Boy Remix Boys and his pal puppy on a skateboard.

I'll be honest, it was hard to get started as I am so used to floral and glitter and swirls, but as it came together I was really happy with the outcome.

I hope it inspired you to think outside your own personal creative boxes.

~Brandie~

Party Shakers

Happy Sunday!
So as I mentioned in my last post, I have a customer who really likes the Hatters from The Greeting Farm and put in an order for a few different cards using various hatters characters. You've seen the Step Panel card that I made last time (link to Dawn's Stamping Thoughts and the tutorial on my previous post). This time I wanted to do something different than the step panel and easle cards that I've been really enjoying and so easy to do.
Time to step out of the box :)
I tried my hand at a couple of shaker cards- they can be a bit time consuming and really hard (for me anyways) to think of a concept for a card that wasn't too busy or lame. Everyone else I saw that made them seemed to have no problem with creative block. I just couldn't figure it out.
I guess it was only a matter (Hatter!) of time.

 This is Stephie. I made a window card with Stampin' Up!'s Window Sheets, Crumb Cake, Old Olive and Marina Mist card stock. I layered an Old Olive Scalloped square with some Marina Mist and cut right through the front of the card so it peeked to the sentiment on the inside.

 It creates a really neat dimmensional feel. I used the banner stamp and die from the Celebrate Today stamp set from SU! I layered them over the window, as well as stamped and embossed a set on the sentiment underneath, giving it a 3D effect. I used the Foam Adhesive strips from SU! as well sandwiched between 2 sets of window sheets to complete the window. I grabbed some silver stars that I had lying around for the shaker inserts.

 Here's the card layed flat and closed so you can see the fun silver stars dancing in the window.
I added layered petals from various mini bud punches and colored rhinestones with a blue copic that worked well with the Marina Mist color.
I used the Layered labels from SU! and the Endless Birthday Wishes set from SU! as well for the sentiment.

This here is Amy from the Hatters Collection. Using the same type of idea to create a 'through' window to the inside of the card. I honestly like the idea and think it can be a lot of fun :)

The color pallet for this card is Smokey Slate, Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay.  I used the Endless Thanks from SU! for the sentiments (retired- sadly enough). To finish it off, I was able to use some the glitter paper I received from this past Sale-A-Bration. I really hope they bring it back because, hello-GLITTER :)

That's it for me- enjoy the rest of  your Sunday.

~Brandie~

Standing Hatters

Hello!
Ever since I made those little bitty Leprechauns for my friend, she went and told HER friend who has become enamoured with the Hatter Collection from the Greeting Farm. Needless to say, that has spurned me into creating cards for this new customer featuring said Hatter cuties.

 This is Rosemary from the Hatters collection. I used Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, and Sweet Sugarplum as my color pallet. This was so much fun and I loved how it worked out. The flower dies and stamps are from Papertrey Ink's Forget-me-Not set and they layered wonderfully with Stampin' Up!'s Thoughts and Prayers stamp set. I added some glitter tape to finish it all off :)

 Here's the back all layered. You don't necessarily need to do a back side, but being as this type of card doesn't open up, you don't have an inside to work with. Besides, I myself love how it looks.

 This here is Carisa from the Hatter's set. The was Pink and Yellow so I used Melon Mambo, So Saffron and Pink Pirouette. I used Stampin' Up!'s Flower Patch stamps and dies- love how they layer with either the dies or using the 2 step stamping technique. I finished it off with SU!s Wonderful Mother and First Sight stamps.

And the backside of this one. I love the whole Pink Lemonade feel. The bright pink glitter tape and the copic colored pearl centers are great finishing pieces.

The card design is CASED from Dawn's Stampin' Thoughts blog. She calls it a Step Panel Card and I am seriously obsessed. I enjoy making these SO much. I have done this layout twice in my Stampers Groups.
The tutorial to the card can be found at Dawn's blog here:

https://dawnsstampingthoughts.net/2015/04/stampin-up-grand-vacation-2015-hawaii-blog-hop.html

So many options and ideas for this type of card. LOVE IT! Thanks for creating it Dawn :)

And thank YOU for stopping by!

~Brandie~

Shadow Box Mania

Hello!
I absolutely adore 3D cards. They are beautiful and intricate. Lovely layered roses and ribbons and leaves. The downside is mailing these mamma jammas. Heck, mailing aside, just putting them up on display can be a recipe for damage and disaster. You want to preserve them, especially after all the work you put into making them.
At least, that was my thought process in my following creations.
What if, after putting all that work into a card (or, you know, whatever) you have a pretty way to not only display them, but preserve them? I looked at shadowboxes, and even the ones from Michaels that you decorate and paint yourself seem to be quite pricey.
So....how hard WOULD it be to try to create one myself?
First I thought I could use box lids- but then I figured, we'd be stuck with the box bottoms.
And what am I gunna do with all those? Then the whole cost of an entire box just for the lid? Not very economical....
So really- how hard would it be to create one from scratch? What materials would I possibly use?
Wood and glass- too expensive (as you can tell, I'm all about cost effectiveness. Not to mention- hard to work with and more fragile than what I have in mind.)
I have made book covers and boxes before in my previous artsy fartsy endevours, so using the basic book cover technique, I applied it to creating my own shadow boxes with chipboard and acetate. Easy supplies to pick up at any craft store or even through Stampin' Up! I get their really high quality window sheets and before they discontinued them, the coaster board sheets. Oh how I loved them! Now, alas, they are gone. They were thin enough to cut with a paper trimmer but still sturdy enough to create these 3D items. But was not to be, I bought a bunch when they were on the retired list last year, but my stash has dwindled and I went back to chipboard sheets. Actual thick chipboard, not the chipboard sheets for die cutters- very thin will not work!

 I really do love these. I got to do that sponging background technique that has been my 'go to' lately. I used it to build up a layered scene, trying the telescope technique. That one is easy and fun, you just make windows with layering dies and you can add elements to make it look like a window into a scene. These shadowboxes are featuring princes and princesses from the Happily Ever After set from the Greeting Farm. The castle is from that set as well and make a wonderful backdrop on the background. Add some die cut leaves and branches, 3D roses and pearls.

One thing that I love to do, is add a mini hanging sign to personalize these little keepsakes. Great for baby names or kids' rooms or even personalized decor.





Close up!

 I die cut the letters and add them on layered pieces and add some more roses and pearls to finish it off. I love this pink damask DSP I found - absolutely perfect!

 Using some white bark DSP for these. Love the blue and teal combo. Then daisies and diamonds and Dazzling Details finish it all off with a bit of sparkle.

I hope this has inspired you to think outside (inside?) the box!

~Brandie~

My Little Ponies

Hello! Sorry for the lapse. Just not feeling very creative this past week. Trying to get back into it this week and missing just making things. Make sure, if it's your passion, to do something creative every day.

When I want to be inspired, I usually check on my old Pinterst boards (seriously- I have an addiction in my pinning! I forget some of the cool things I have on there!)
Then sometimes all it takes to be inspired to be creative is checking out your old work. As is the case here, I have my "Be A Unicorn" stamp and die set from the Greeting Farm.

I'm not ashamed to admit it, but I am a bit obsessed with the new "My Little Pony". When I saw this set, I knew I had to have it! The awesome thing is they have another couple of sets and singles of ponies, unicorns and pegasesus that would be perfect for any MLP fan!
So yes. I will be purchasing more of these ponies for my 'collection' (read: hoard, stash, ect lol)





So obviously these ponies weren't inspired by an one pony (especially if you are familiar with the mane six), but I can see how you can use this to create wonderful cards and crafts with a Little Pony Feel.
Me, I just went full on pretty glitter with my Top Note die layered over some plaid glitter DSP. I also used my Itty Bitty Banner stamps and dies for a fun party feel to add to the glittery cupcakes and . I was scared to stamp on my background image, but thankfully it turned out crisp (not something I am usually good at). I think it came together in a fun, pony-rific way!
So definitely stay tuned once I get my hands on more of these adorable little critters and see how I use the My Little Pony universe to inspire more creations.


Thanks for stopping by

~Brandie~

Hopeful(y) Creative

Hello Stampers!

Tonight I will be sharing some of my creations that I made using some of the most beautiful stamp sets I have come across. Whimsy Stamps have a collection called Wee Stamps that I am just in love with. The artwork is so elegant and beautiful. My only critique would be MORE BOY STAMPS PLEASE lol. Simply because it has been said I have way too many girly, pretty, feminine items and I have a hard time trying to create for the not-so-girly frou frou crowd.

So introducing Hopeful:

I tried to get as much dimension as possible with out bulking the card too much. I used some Spellbinders leave dies, EK Success flower punch, SU! Petite Petals punch. Then just layered some old DSP I had.















And Bashful:

I am just trying my hand at this whole almost 3 dimensional type of card ideas. I had to make these flatter as they were for a co-worker's custom order and they'll be heading in the mail- but I will definitely be using these again in the future for a variety of projects (these AND a few other choice Wee Stamp characters I have hoarded :) )




With Bashful I layered mini and small flower punches a few times to create multi petaled flowers and used this wonderful flourish die I had hanging around.

My friend wanted the colors red and blue for her friend, so for Hopeful I used Cherry Cobbler and Marina Mist and then Soft Sky and Real Red for Bashful. Then I used Smokey Slate for the card base.

So much fun to try different layering ideas to make a 'simple' A2 card POP.

Thanks for stopping by!

~Brandie~

Tons of Fun

Hello Stampers!

A few posts ago I blogged about the cute piggies available from My Favorite Things.
Well let me introduce: Adorable Elephants!

 As you can see, I have been on a bit of an easel card kick, lol. I also am loving (as I mentioned before) doing colorable images in almost storybook type setting. I am also having a lot of fun creating these background images by simply sponging a variety of colors and patterns. I have shown you my sunset, this is my cloudy day and really easy to cut more 'clouds' from my cupcake builder punch. I layered Pool Party and Marina Mist ink to create the sky and cut a curved boarder to separate sky from grass so they wouldn't smudge together. Then I blended Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive for the grass.

I tried to get my copics to echo the soft, almost a Winnie-the-Pooh type color scheme. Finished it off with a beautiful plaid background mat from a Provo Craft DSP stack.

The sentiments are from the Adorable Elephant set and had an almost Peek-a-Boo elephant and balloons.

Stay tuned for more to come! Thanks for stopping by.

~Brandie~

Spring Is Here!

Well no. Not really. We have had a batch of warmer weather but we're expecting snow again up here in what I lovingly refer to as the Northern Tundra. Plus who am I kidding? As a Northern Albertan born and raised I know that we're getting 'second winter' soon and we'll finally get spring after the final snow fall in May sometime. Usually the long weekend.

I wish I were kidding.

At least we have more light out :) That's the one thing I hate about winter (other than the length of it all up here) is the chronic darkness. I like being inside, but I thrive in sunshine and bright colors. And as any good crafter knows, if you can't have it, make it!

After making those St. Patty's day cuties a little while ago for a friend, she brought HER friend over to my place to order a card. Ahhh word of mouth advertising, gotta love it!
Anyways, her friend was blown again (blush) and wanted pretty much the exact same card, but a different Greeting Farm Hatter character and brighter colors for her mother's birthday.
Blue and Purple and Green and Yellow. Easter colors- but not TOO Easter-ish.
Ummmm Okay? lol.

Alas here is what I came up with!

My color palette this time was Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist. I wouldn't have put those colors together myself, but after the request I feel I may do these colors more often. They just scream SPRING IS HERE! Then the sweet little hatter with her hair of gold completes this Easel card.
I also went out and treated myself to some EK Success not-so-tiny flowers. I already had a variety of tiny ones so getting the next set up and layering the 'petals' made this card have even more pop of spring. Using Whisper White card stock and stacking the flowers, I was able to ink the edges to give each flower some dimension. The almost gold ribbon in a bright yellow complimented the hatter's hair and finished off this card quite nicely.

Well that's it for me. Have a great day!

~Brandie~

Sale a Bration Water Color

Hello!

For all you Stampin' Up! followers and lovers out there, you'll know that Sale A Bration is one of Stampin' Up!'s biggest and best events that everyone waits for each year. Other than the Annual Catalogue Launch, it may be my favourite time of the SU! calendar year.
As it winds down I get my freebies out and start creating. I got the Photopolymer set "Avant Garden" as it was free and one that I thought was okay- but maybe just sit in my 'maybe I'll get to it someday' stash. I don't know about you, but I have a few of those guilty sets stashed away.
Then while deciding to host a Sale-A-Bration final hurrah party, I wasn't sure what to use and do for make and takes and again, thank you Pinterest for some ah-mazing ideas with said Avant Garden stamp set.
I wasn't big on the 'real life' type flowers. I love more playful, cartoonish or watercolored type images. So when I saw what others were doing in a watercolor type theme I jumped on that bandwagon.
So mixing Avant Garden, So Very Much (also available during Sale-a-Bration) and Petite Petals I came up with these:

 I chose a very pretty color pallet. I love the Sweet Sugarplum color and really do hope then when SU! revamps their color spectrum, they choose to keep this color.
I have Sweet Sugarplum, Blushing Bride, Sahara Sand and Pear Pizzazz.

I also really liked the font of the Avant Garden set. I hope to see more sets with the coordinating fonts to create more sentiments. I also thought the Petite Petal stamp set and punch as well as the Flower Shot stamp set and coordinating punch has some textured flowers that work really well with this set as well. I think even Gorgeous Grunge would work flawlessly with this set.
So beautiful and so much fun.

 There is so much you can do with this set and I'm glad I gave it a go. Being inspired from other stamping artists I loved how some people used the set to create an almost 'floral spray' feel. So I tried to emulate that in my cards, along the card itself, in the corners or peeking behind a matted sentiment. It was even super simple and elegant to creating a background page. It would be no problem to blend colors and do an entire 12x12 sheet with this set to make a set of one sheet wonder cards.

I hope you were all inspired and enjoyed my take on the Avant Garden and So Very Much stamp sets.

~Brandie~

Little Fairy

Happy Tuesday!
Monday's ugly sister, lol.
I never minded Tuesdays- one of my favorite shows, Face Off, is on on Tuesday nights as is Ink Master. I have a soft spot for competition shows, especially ones that involve art and creativity. They usually go on the back ground as I'm creating at my desk then as the contestants are all frantic finishing their pieces I feel pushed to finish my own work, lol.
Very motivating.

So I had an order a few months ago for some children birthday cards. A friend of mine who loves my work, just wanted a variety of boy and girl birthday cards to have on hand for when a kid's party popped up. And if you have kids, you know how out of the blue a birthday party invite can be, especially on a Friday night when  you're pulling everything out of the backpack (or Sunday evening and  you realize you missed the party and you feel horrible!) So makes life a little easier when you have a card ready to go.

I do girly more than I do boyish (which isn't really fair as I have 2 of each), but I myself am a girly girl so I tend to lean towards pinks and flowers and glitter as go-tos in my creations.

So going back to The Greeting Farm and their Magical Bean set, I used this little darling to create a simple layered card.

I have been been trying unique cuts and folds for cards lately, trying to make a card unique and interesting without adding too much bulk and additional embellishments. As beautiful as those kinds of cards are, the cost to create them was outweighing the amount I charged.

Trying to go basic without being boring I tried to just layer various, simple pieces together and I really enjoy how it all came together. Using my Stampin' Up Brick Wall embossing folder, I embossed a sheet of Crumb Cake, then stamped a swirled floral image on it and sponged Crumb Cake ink over it for a wonderfully distressed textured feel that created a great base for the Magical Bean Fairy. Then Flirty Flamingo and Rich Razzleberry mats layered with Stampin' Dimensionals allowed me to have a vanilla ribbon peek underneath.

I dusted off the old Top Note Die and cut the Pink Pirouette die in half, letting a piece of it peek behind the layers.
Then using the same colors and my Itty Bitty SU! punches and Petite Petal punch, I created a fun blast of petals in the corner. Finally I finished the image off with a sentiment from the retired Remembering Your Birthday stamp set.
I loved putting the sentiment on its side as opposed to across in the traditional way. I feel that it gave my card more of an interesting design.

I think what I enjoyed most about creating this card was just going out of my comfort zone. I went with a traditional A2 tent fold, and was able to make something interesting out of it.

I hope it all inspired you to think out of your own creative boxes. Stay tuned for more layering and dimensional cards that are deceptively quick and easy, but will look like it took you ages to complete.

~Brandie~

Little Piggies

So a few new things have happened to me lately, and one of those things was finally getting off my butt and opening my own etsy store. I have had my own Facebook store for a few years now, but sadly with work and 4 kids it had been horribly neglected.
All that being said, I have been busy working on various creations (to come soon) and while doing that I had found a few new craft companies (darn you pinterest! Oh who am I kidding?) and one of them is My Favorite Things. They have got the cutest, most colorable images out there! I have loved creating my own designer series paper to get the look I want, and after some inspiration from Pinterest again, I have started creating my own back grounds.
LOVE THEM! The masking and sponging techniques used is so quick, so simple, yet so effective, not to mention FUN!
These Little Piggies went wee wee wee all the way to my craft desk!

 These little guys are a part of the Hog Heaven Stamp Set from My Favorite things. I love how they have the coordinating dies to make fussy cutting almost a thing of the past (which is great cuz I'm not that great at fussy cutting).

I'm still a Stampin' Up! girl at heart so I was able to use my Top Note Die (seriously- why on earth did they retire it? It's PERFECT!) and created an awesome base to layer on patterned paper to create a background scene for the piggies. Using Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Tangerine Tango, I cut the cupcake top out of the retired cupcake builder punch from Stampin' Up! and used it as a cloud mask as I build the color up from the Daffodil to the Tangerine to the Melon for a lovely sunset sky. Then I layered Old Olive and Pear  Pizzazz for grass, while using Copic YG04 and YG06 to make little grass bundles.
The stamp sets come with a small variety of punny sentiments and seriously, who doesn't like a good pun? And, as always, using my staple, Stampin' Dimensions to create dimension.

I hope you enjoyed them and are inspired to create your own!

~Brandie~