The Making of a Swap

Sometimes creating a card takes time. I saw this adorable new stamp set and just had to have it. I pictured adorable cards but when I tried to create one, I hit a wall.

The first thing I did was stamp it and color it in using the Stampin' Blends.  I went with the traditional colors for most everything and then only had to decide on the T-Shirt. There aren't that many available colors for the Stampin' Blends and I don't have the new ones yet so that made things a bit easier. I chose orange because I wanted the card to be bright and cheerful. I also trimmed it down. That is where I limited myself. I cut it down too soon. This meant that I couldn't use any of the cute framelits to cut it out. I got this far and then my one un-matted sample sat for at least a week. I sampled mats, layouts and card bases but wasn't satisfied. Too plain.

Last week (because I forgot to finish this post) it all came together. I matted the image on Soft Suede to match the otter's body. Thank you Kris for identifying him. An Otter didn't even cross my mind.

I chose the orange card base and then skipped ahead to the inside which is lined with Whisper White. I stamped it and committed to a horizontal card. Still nothing for the front.

Then I decided to look for layout ideas again. Freshly Made Sketches to the rescue. I picked FMS 230 (horizontal version) cut out the white pieces and stamped them immediately. It was still missing something. The card base was too plain so I checkout out my few stamps again and grabbed Woodgrain and the Versamark. Done.

I am so glad I waited for this to come together the way it did and I hope my fellow swappers do too. See, this is my May/June swap and it is July already. Time to work on my July/Aug swaps before they're late too.

We Create Celebrations Blog Hop

Can you believe it is already summer!? As always, we appreciate you hopping in. This month we are focusing on celebrations. 

I made this first card with my friend in mind. She recently accepted a new position as a first grade teacher. I am sure she will do a wonderful job. 

The "Congratulations" has a Stampin' Dimensional in the center and is adhered flat on the edges.

This stamp set is called Hand Delivered and is only available as a Hostess Benefit. Ask me how you can earn it.

I used the Stamparatus to align and stamp the images and colored them in using the Stampin' Blends (available now) on both cards. 

Thank you for hopping by as always. Now head on over to Jolene's blog where she will be sharing her creation using the Cake Soiree stamp set.

We Create Masculine Blog Hop

Thanks for hopping in! We're excited to share some masculine projects this month. Our hop is a little bigger than usual due to some additional hoppers and full participation so we hope you will hop the whole way through.

My first picture isn't super clear but I wanted to show you the entire group of cards all together. See below for close ups of each card.

I used Lovely as a Tree and the words from Picture Perfect Birthday to create this beautiful set of masculine cards. They are all colored in using Stampin' Blends and I used the same colors for all of them. I absolutely love coloring with these markers. You can probably tell since I have been using them a lot lately. 

The trees were stamped in Momento Ink and the words were stamped in Soft Suede to match the frame. I cut the tall tree a little close so in the future I would leave a little more space around it.

I am also a huge fan of the Whisper White and Very Vanilla Thick cardstock. If you haven't given it a try for a card base, you should.

Colors: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Old Olive

Thank you for hopping by as always. Now head on over to Jolene's blog where she will be sharing her creation using the One Wild Ride stamp set.

Design Challenge: Inky Friends 5 Wedding Card

This card came together quickly (except for the fussy cutting). I started with the rough draft of the birds on the gold heart with the banner but the color of the birds didn't stand out so I added the pink. Then when I went to put it all together I decided to add the embossed trees.  

Here's a close up. I used the Stamparatus to get the birds close. Turns out I didn't need to do this since I was cutting them apart anyway. For the coloring I tend to google how to color images like this and do my best from there.

I also realized afterwards that I could have just cut a hole in the gold heart rather than embossing and layering the pink one. Oh well. It works both ways and I was in a hurry to beat the deadline.

Visit the My Inky Friends Design Challenge #5 to see the sketch and consider joining in next time.

Stamp Set: Color Me Happy

We Create Feminine Blog Hop

Welcome to our hop! I have recommitted to our hop so hopefully things will run even smoother for the upcoming year. The themes are set and we're excited to create and share. We appreciate your continued support! Please remember to show us your love in the comments. 

This month we chose a feminine theme to cover Mother's Day, May flowers and much more. Be sure to come back next month for the masculine theme.

For my feminine creation I chose to use Butterfly Basics. I have had a lot of fun with this set over the years and I am sad to see it go. It is available in Wood Mount, Clear Mount or Photopolymer. You can get it before it's gone by purchasing before May 31. Use Hostess Code: JMKH3T7X

My favorite thing to do with this set is stacking the stamps. I tend to start with the lighter colors but there really is no rhyme or reason to the method. If it needs a little more I just add it on. Like the NY seal and the stripe. 

Card Front Close-Up

Inside Card

Envelope Flap

Fun fact: I used every stamp in the set to create the card and envelope.

Also featured: Basic Pearls, Butterfly Punch, Textured Impressions Folder.

Colors: So Saffron, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz

Thank you so much for joining us! Visit Tanya next and be sure to leave us all lots of love. We really appreciate it.