Aloha!

Stamp class tonight featured the 'Do the Hula' retiring stamp set ... a lil' retirement send-off. I had fun mixing this stamp set with some different background techniques.

Hula Girl

Stamp leaf in Versamark Ink on Kraft cardstock and emboss with clear embossing powder. The background behind the hula dancer is 'babywipe painting' ... aka, drip a few drops of re-inkers (I used Only Orange, Summer Sun and Pink Passion) onto a baby wipe and pounce on the cardstock. The hula dancer is stamped with Chocolate Chip craft ink & embossed with clear embossing powder.



Palm Trees

Stamp palm trees with bleach on Chocolate Chip cardstock. To make a bleach 'ink' pad, I use a small piece of felt, folded over, in a small plastic container - splash the felt with a bit of bleach to moisten. Stamp aloha with Versamark ink and emboss with clear embossing powder.



Surf Board Cloth

I thought it was only right to recycle, so I stamped the surf board in Chocolate Chip classic ink on the *now dry* baby wipe that I used to 'paint' the background of the 'Hula Girl' card.



Au Chocolat Bag

To wrap things up, a quick & easy gift back decorated using the Au Chocolate double-sided designer paper from the Spring mini catalog.

Stamp Garage Prep ...

Part of prepping for this month's class includes cleaning up the stamp garage.

Table's ready ...


Now I need to clean up my work space and finish preparing the class projects.



I'm planning to teach a couple background techniques and use soon-to-retire stamps & accessories ... a little send off party for the June 30 retiring stamp sets.

Spa Treatment ...

Sometimes you just want to put your feet up and have a place to put down a refreshing beverage.

I made this coaster using the 'Bubble Queen' stamp set, Stazon ink, pastel chalks and a piece of stone tile from Home Depot. After stamping and coloring, I sprayed the tile with some Krylon to seal it, added some felt pads to the bottom and voila! ... a coaster.



This stamp set is great for "no special occasion" cards & gifts for friends - and it's retiring at the end of this month (sigh) ... can't wait to see if there is a new 'spa' set in the Stampin' Up! catalog coming out in July.

Count down to new catalog time ...

Grad Cards ...

'Tis that time of year: graduation parties, weddings, bbqs with friends ...

I went to a graduation celebration today and will be heading to a BBQ tomorrow where I'll likely see another recent grad so figured I'd better get some cards ready.

I've been wanting to try some new background techniques and this was a great opportunity to play. For these cards, I used multiple colors of ink (from re-inker bottles), baby-wipes and white cardstock.



Once the backgrounds were finished, I stamped with craft ink and embossed with clear embossing powder.


The cards are 3 x 6 - perfect size for including a 'happy graduation' check!



I'll be teaching this technique as part of my June stamp class.

A Little Note ...

Sometimes you just need a lil' note ... to say "Hi" ... to say "Cheers" ... to say "Oops"

I made this 3 x 3 notecard using Stampin' Up!'s 'Petals & Paisleys' designer paper. Colors in the paper work great with Turquoise and Olive. I also used some Cool Caribbean cardstock from the 'In Color' series.

Ya' Know, For Kids ...

Several friends of mine have kids who celebrated birthdays recently and, being late as usual with sending cards, I decided to do a little extra something special before sending my handmade greetings ...

The cards use Stampin' Up!'s 'You're Neat' stamp set. I embossed the image with black embossing powder and then colored in the images with a mixture of Crystal Effects and classic ink (from a refill bottle)


Once the cards were complete, I stamped their names using the 'Doodle Alphabet' (and then a fine sharpie to write their address before mailing)... colored pencils worked great for coloring in the letters.


But why stop there? Stamping can make a package special for adult friends, too.

Piercing Stems ...

Looking for a new way to add texture to your card? Try using a paper piercer to create stems for flowers (or lines from a bug, or thought balloons for your message ...)

I got this idea from some cards I saw on Splitcoaststampers ... it uses Stampin' Up!'s 'Polka Dots & Petals' stamp set with watercolor crayons, blender pens, colored brads (to match Stampin' Up!'s colors) ... all on Sahara Sand cardstock.

Quick Gifts ...

Looking for a quick gift idea? Try some of the projects from my May class.

Stamp yourself a sticky note cover made from coasters ...


Or, plant your favorite flower in this stamped clay pot (it's also a great way to hold bath salts, candy or other goodies) ...



We used Stampin' Up!'s 'Polka Dots & Paisley' and 'Polka Dots & Petals' stamp sets combined with craft ink (for the flower pot) and watercolor crayons (for the sticky note cover)

Color Ideas ...

If you're wondering what colors to use, turn to your favorite magazine ... it's a great place to get ideas. For my April class, I used a picture of a dinner plate as inspiration for a "one-sheet-wonder" project ...

1 Picture of a dinner plate
+
1 sheet 8 1/2 x 11 white cardstock stamped
to my heart's content
=
design detail for 8 greeting cards.

The inspiration image ...


Stampin' Up!'s 'Doodle This' Stamp set ...


Inks: Old Olive, Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, More Mustard, Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip ...


Add some colored cardstock, punches & a greeting ... 8 cards!

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