More Kitchen Sink Stamping

Posted on March 24, 2010 by mauistamper

I kinda like this Kitchen Sink business. Today’s card isn’t as busy, but I used just about every stamp set I could put my hands on. I’ve just realized that at the end of the month, all of the Sale-a-bration stamp sets will become collector’s items! It’s time to put them to work before that deadline:

Cheep Talk, Happy Moments and On a Pedestal stamp sets
Summer Sun, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Certainly Celery and Whisper White card stock
Rich Razzleberry and Bermuda Bay Classic ink pads; White Craft ink pad
Summer Sun, Certainly Celery, Bermuda Bay and Melon Mambo Stamp n Write markers
Stamp-a-ma-jig; White embossing powder and heat tool; blender pen
Scallop Trim and 3/4 inch square (retired) punches; hand-held rectangle punch (retired)
Bermuda Bay polka dot ribbon; Big Shot and Perfect Dots embossing folder

I got a little carried away with the colors, didn’t I? It’s tropical 🙂

Don’t miss the Sale-a-bration set Happy Moments. I wasn’t taken with it when I first saw the SAB offering, but once I had it and started to play with it I changed my mind. The images lend themselves to a lot of different occasions and techniques. You heard it here, OK?

There are a couple of tricks I used here. First, to make that Happy Birthday Banner you just stamp your message, cut it into a strip, and trim the corners with a square punch to make perfectly even points. And no, I forgot to use the embossing buddy, so yes, it has white “freckles”. The other trick is to use a blender pen to selectively remove ink from a stamp. I stamped the entire bird from Cheep Talk with Bermuda Bay ink, then used the blender pen to remove the color from his beak and legs. I added the color I wanted with a marker.

It’s kind of a wild card, but I like it. Hope it makes you smile.

Twice as nice

Posted on March 5, 2010 by mauistamper

Last night I couldn’t make a decision. This isn’t news, by the way – I often have a hard time making decisions (Vanilla Swiss Almond or Deep Dark Chocolate?? Oatmeal Chocolate Chip or Peanut Butter Fudge??) Last night’s choice, however, had nothing to do with food and everything to do with color.

The Color Dare Challenge this week was Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery and Whisper White – a combination I would choose myself, so an easy one for me to work with. My problem was proportions. When I start a color challenge, the first thing I like to do is determine which color will be the dominant color – usually the card base – and which colors will be secondary. I’m a blues-and-greens girl myself, so I knew Regal Rose would be an accent color, but I couldn’t decide which color to choose for my card base.

What do you think? Does it work in Tempting Turquoise?

Or is it better in Certainly Celery?

Happy Moments, Crazy for Cupcakes, Itty Bitty Backgrounds and You & Moi stamp sets
Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, Tempting Turquoise and Whisper White card stock
Patterns II Designer Series Paper (retired)
Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise and Certainly Celery Classic ink pads
Ruby Red and Tempting Turquoise Stampin’ Write markers
Scallop Trim, Corner Rounder, Photo Corner and Modern Label punches
Piercing tool and mat, Fresh Favorites II Buttons, Stampin’ Sponges and Linen Thread

I still don’t know which one I prefer.

And if that sketch looks familiar, yes, it’s the Mojo Monday sketch for this week. For some reason I’m fighting the circle thing. Call it rebellion. More likely I just need some Deep Dark Chocolate and everything will be fine.

Layers are a girl’s best friend

Posted on January 28, 2010 by mauistamper

Well, maybe layers aren’t my BFF, but I know they’re a big part of my style. The more the merrier, and I really have to hold myself back sometimes. I could have easily added two or three more layers to this card, but I held the urge in check. I’m very proud that I could be so self-disciplined.

Happy Moments (Sale-a-bration) stamp set
Whisper White, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery and Barely Banana card stock
Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Melon Mambo and Barely Banana Classic ink pads
Scallop trim border punch, piercing tool and template, and Stampin’ Dimensionals
Elementary Ribbon originals, hand-held rectangle punch (retired) and Aquapainter
Big Shot with Perfect Details texture plate and Perfect Polka Dots impressions folder

I stamped the little focal image for this card the same time I stamped the image for yesterday’s card. I wanted to use that open Scallop Trim punch to complement the feminine aspect of the flowers, so a straight color block wouldn’t work. These mats are larger and more of a design element than an accent.

Take a closer look at the long white accent panel. I stamped the same little floral image in Barely Banana since I wanted some subtle color and texture, but the Banana color didn’t stand out enough. I stamped right over the Banana images with Certainly Celery ink – and it was easy with the Clear Mount stamps on their beautiful crystal-clear blocks – and then used the Aquapainter to smudge a little more Barely Banana color around the images. It looks tied together without being too same-same, if you know what I mean. Sometimes you get the best results when you don’t have the “perfect” solution for a problem and are forced to improvise and innovate.

Sharing Happy Moments

Posted on January 27, 2010 by mauistamper

When I first saw the Sale-a-bration mini catalog, I looked at the Happy Moments set and thought “Cute, but not me”. After getting my hands on it, I’ve changed my mind.

Happy Moments and Itty Bitty Backgrounds stamp sets
Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy and Barely Banana card stock
Old Olive, Not Quite Navy and Summer Sun Classic ink pads
Very Vanilla Craft ink pad
Aquapainter and Old Olive Wide Striped grosgrain ribbon

I’ve seen a lot of cards lately using color block sketches. Color block is a perfect layout for a smaller image – it gives plenty of pop without distracting your eye from the image. The line art in these images is perfect for watercoloring with the aquapainter. The rough edges mean you don’t have to color perfectly inside the lines, either!