Using white ink doesn't always cut it

 I don't know about you, but I have great difficulty getting a good stamped image from white ink.

I saw a really cool card that Juli Baca made - she used white ink and it looked amazing!

This is my version with white ink - and I added more ink to the pad before stamping, and I also stamped each image multiple times.

I was using Crumb Cake as my card stock, and even with 3 stampings of each image you can see it didn't show up all that well.

I left it for a few days, then I thought - OK - white stamping is not my thing, but here's how I can make a card that looks as good as Juli's did.  Here's what I came up with.

It's still Crumb Cake cardstock (with an Early Espresso frame this time), but I also stamped each image with Versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  What a difference!

I've used Garden Green ink for the stem and leaves, and Pebbled Path ink for the flower centres.  These cards are for thank you cards for those who have ordered off me - an order really does make my day!

In order to add another element I gently flicked my White Stampin' Chalk Marker a few times which gave me the white flecks on the front.  I originally tried to do these with embossing powder, but I couldn't get it work the way I wanted it to.

The ink for the sentiment was Early Espresso.  

On the inside of the card I used an Early Espresso cardstock frame, then a top layer of Very Vanilla cardstock.

Measurements

Crumb Cake card base:  29.7 x 21cm, folded in half

Early Espresso layer: 10 x 14.4cm

Crumb Cake card front: 9.5 x 13.9cm

For the inside of the card
Early Espresso layer: 10 x 14.4cm 
Very Vanilla top layer: 9.5 x 13.9cm

If you live in New Zealand, and you'd like to purchase any of these products, feel free to click on the picture and you'll go through to my online store.  I'll even send you one of these cards to say thank you!

Product List

Cheerful Daisies Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [161290] $53.00	Crumb Cake A4 Card Stock [121685] $21.00	Early Espresso A4 Card Stock [121686] $21.00	Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad [147089] $19.00
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $19.00	Pebbled Path Classic Stampin' Pad [161648] $19.00	Versamark Pad [102283] $20.00	White Stampin' Chalk Marker [132133] $7.25

Take care,

Andrea

The Sweetest Songbird!

 Even though I've owned this set for a while, this is the first time I've actually used it!  Please tell me I'm not the only one who does this!

I cased this card from Donna Ross, and I just love the colours I've used in this card.  The Countryside Inn Designer Series Paper does totally tick my boxes as I'm a blue girl at heart.

The colours I used were: cardstock Night of Navy, the bird is stamped in Boho Blue, with a Pumpkin Pie beak, Early Espresso branch and Lemon Lime Twist leaves.  The flowers are Boho Blue (note the Basic Rhinestones in the centre of each flower).  The sentiment, bird's eyes and the musical notes are all stamped in Night of Navy ink.

I used both the Songbird Builder Punch and the Stylish Shapes dies.  I really like the stitching affect of the Stylish Shapes - it adds texture and interest in one easy step.

Here's the inside of my card

For this I used the Biggest Wish stamp set - I left just enough white space for a short birthday message.

If you live in New Zealand, and would like to purchase any of the items I've used today, please click on the pictures below.

Take care,

Andrea

Product List

Sweet Songbirds Bundle (English) [158727] $72.00	Biggest Wish Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [155052] $36.00	Stylish Shapes Dies [159183] $63.00	Countryside Inn 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [161467] $26.25
Boho Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [161650] $19.00	Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad [147114] $19.00	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad [147086] $19.00	Lemon Lime Twist Classic Stampin' Pad [147145] $19.00
Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] $12.75

Countryside Inn - taking it for a whirl!

I took part in a team stamping event over the weekend, and this is the 'Make 'n Take' that I made.

I used the Countryside Inn dies and Designer Series Paper, and I was inspired by a card that Gail Ellis made.

My card stock measurements are:
Basic White Card base:    14.85 x 21cm, scored at 10.5cm
Basic White pieces:          14.4 x 10cm to emboss
                                         14 x 9.5cm to use to stamp the flowers and leaves
                                         14 x 9.5cm as backing for the DSP
                                         Scrap for the sentiment
Designer Series Paper:    14 x 9.5cm for the floral frame

After folding the card base, I embossed the Basic White piece.  I then cut out the frame using the second and third largest shapes from the Countryside Corners dies.  I held the dies in place with washi tape as I did this, as I wanted it even all the way around.

Once I did this, I put the frame on the embossed layer, however I didn't like the look of the embossed 'busyness' and the DSP 'busyness', so I cut a piece of whisper white the same size as the larger part of the frame, and adhered the white to the back of the DSP frame. I then adhered this to the card front.

Next I stamped the flowers in Flirty Flamingo, using the Artistically Inked stamps, then the leaves in Boho Blue. I stamped the leaves off once onto scrap paper.  I cut out the flowers and leaves using the Artistic Dies.  I love this stamp set - it's a Distinktive set, so the stamping looks two tone, yet it's all done with one stamp!

I placed the flowers and leaves where I wanted them, using dimensionals on one of the flower/leaf sets.

I then used the Happy Birthday sentiment from the Artistically Inked stamp set again, and just cut this out as a plain rectangle.  I used dimensionals to adhere this to the card front.

I finished off the front of the card with some xxxx embellishments.

I've made a goal recently to make sure I decorate the inside of the card, so you can see here that I've followed through on that this time!  I stamped the sentiment using full strength Boho Blue, and the flowers using Flirty Flamingo stamped off once.

During our team event, I noticed a couple of people had made the card in portrait rather than landscape, and I liked it so much I went home and made it that way myself!  Which way round do you prefer?

If you'd like to purchase any of these gorgeous products, please click on the pictures below to go to my online store if you live in New Zealand.

Product List

Artistically Inked Bundle (English) [155456] $111.50	Basic White A4 Cardstock [159228] $21.75	Flirty Flamingo Classic Stampin' Pad [147052] $17.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $9.00
Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $8.50