Inspired by Tiffany & Co.

 

 

Making samples today. This one was inspired by the Tiffany Blue gift boxes.

Thank you Kathie!

 

My friend Kathie McGuire graciously agreed to make sample cards for my booth at Stempel Mecca in Germany next month. Not only did she send 25 astonishingly beautiful cards, she also sent this charming wall hanging - complete with flowers! Thank you Kathie, you are the best!

Christmas Trees

 

 

We went shopping at Costco today and the Christmas stuff is out. We got some wrapping paper which turned out to be the perfect material for Iris folding. Here's my Christmas tree pattern and three examples using the four different papers that came in the set. Never too early to start those cards!

Sunflower card

 

Next month I'll be attending the Stemple Mekka stamp convention in Hagen Germany. To mark the occasion, we are making cards this month in my Yahoo group monthly card challenge. The only requirement is to create a card using the colors of the German flag. This is my contribution. Most of the card is pretty easy to figure out. Here's how to make the stripe border:
Cut cardstock with your paper cutter into 1/2" strips in the three colors of the flag. Lay the strips in a pattern onto a sheet of sticky label paper (you can also just tape the strips together. Because I was making a card 5 1/2" wide, I laid enough strips to measure 5 1/2" from the first strip at the bottom to the last one on the top. I then cut the paper with my paper cutter so that I had a 1/2" strip with the three alternating colors on one 5 1/2" x 1/2" strip. This is a fun way to incorporate all the colors in the composition into one accent piece. Try it with a different color combination or cut it into thinner strips for a different look. You can also combine the cut strips together into an instant checkerboard design. Have fun!

Sunflower card steps

 

 

 

 

September 2011 Card Making Challenge

 

We have a card making challenge each month at my Yahoo Group. At the end of the month three winners are chosen based on their vision and execution of the theme. This month, in honor of my trip to Germany for Stemple Mecca I took inspiration from the German flag for the new challenge. Here's how it goes: You may make any kind of card you wish with any kind of image you like. You do not need to include a MSRS in this challenge as long as you use the three colors of the flag in your design. You may also use white if you wish. Good luck and have fun!

Sneak Peek

 

Here's a card made with a new set of stamps coming out at the end of this month. Another multi-purpose stamp set which can be cut up and combined in a bunch of different ways.

Whitewashing

 

I have a new set of stamps called Silhouette Panels which I've made into cards using an old but oh so pretty technique called Whitewashing. Here's how to do it.
Stamp your images on two bright and/or dark colors. I stamped and embossed the images using Glacier White embossing powder onto chocolate brown and turquoise colored cardstock. Mix a little white acrylic paint with water to dilute the paint. Brush it onto the stamped images with a brush (I used a 1" house painting brush). The idea is to tone the color down a bit while still retaining the underlining color. You may have to experiment with proportions. Rough painterly brush strokes look great. Allow the paint to dry and cut the squares out. Now you have 18 pretty images to play with. Have fun!

Whitewashing steps

 

 

 

 

Whitewashing steps