Tuesday, June 30, 2015

"New" Product Tuesday: Playful Pups Card Set featuring Mama Elephant

Greetings, friends!

Today I'm featuring the Mama Elephant Playful Pups stamps and creative cuts (dies) set.  This set was released last month, but I haven't had a chance to use it until today.  I wanted to keep the design "clean and simple" and I wanted to incorporate some of those awesome Mama Elephant script dies.  So here are the three cards:




 Materials:

  • Mama Elephant Playful Pups Stamps and Dies
  • Mama Elephant "Hello" Script Die
  • Mama Elephant "Smile" Script Die
  • Mama Elephant "Thanks" Script Die
  • White card stock for the card base (2 - 4.25"W x 11"H, scored at 5.5" mark and 1 - 5.5"W x 8.5"H, scored at 4.25" mark for the hello card)
  • Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles dies
  • Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circles dies
  • Sizzix Nested Oval Dies
  • Distress Inks for Watercolor Background
  • Watercolor Paper (Approx 4.25"H x  5.5"W)
  • Copic Markers:
    • Dog: E53, E55, E57
    • Red Accessories: R20, R24
    • Tennis Ball: YG21, YG03
  • Foam Adhesive (tons of it)
  • Liquid Glue
  • Adhesive Tape Runner
Directions:
  • First make the watercolor background paper.  I mixed a variety of distress inks to make the red, blue and yellow water color background.  I added some pigment ink to make a subtle bokeh effect.  I don't know how visible that ended up being, so you could skip that step if you wanted.
  • While the watercolor paper is drying, die cut the layout from a piece of white card stock.  You can die cut everything (except the pups) all in one pass:
    • Stitched Rectangle (largest size)
    • Two sizes of the circle or oval dies
    • Script dies
  • Once the watercolor paper has dried, run it through the die cut machine with the largest stitched rectangle die so it's the same size as you layout.
  • Stamp the Playful Pups on Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.  Color with Copic Markers.  Die cut using the coordinating dies.
  • I wanted to add dimension to these cards, so I used foam adhesive under the front panel, but I glued the frames (circle and ovals) directly onto the watercolor paper.  I also glued the innards of the words (loops between the letters) directly onto the watercolor paper too.
  • Add tons of foam adhesive to the back of the front panel and glue that on top of the water color paper.
  • Add the puppies using foam adhesive.
  • Adhere this entire piece to the front of the card base.


 Here are all three cards together:


Thanks for checking out these cards!


Saturday, June 27, 2015

BLOG HOP: Introducing JessicaLynnOriginal.com "True Love" Stamp Set

Hi everyone!

It's time for another JessicaLynnOriginal.com Blog Hop! Today we're featuring the all-new "True Love" stamp set.  This set comes with a ton of fun stamps that are good for more than just Valentine's Day.  You can use these for weddings, just because or a note for that special someone.  You can fill the frame with the sentiments that come with the set, or the butterflies, or pick some of your favorite sentiments from other sets and mix and match to your heart's content!  I didn't use the frame in these cards, but I plan to make more cards in the future with the frame.  It's great for any occasion.

If you came here from Jennifer's blog, then you're in the right place.  If you want to start the hop from the very beginning, click here.

This stamp set is so fun. I couldn't just make one card, so instead, I made two!  The first is inspired by yesterday's historic news in the US which has taken over social media, news outlets, and courthouses across the nation. #LOVEWINS.  I mean... who doesn't love rainbows and butterflies and love?

Card #1: Love Wins

The second card is a Flip-It card -- which shows a sentiment on the front and the butterflies on the back.  These Flip-It cards are so fun to make and the sentiments from this stamp set fit perfectly in the messaging area.
Card #2: Always You (Front)
Card #2: Always You (Inside)

CARD #1 "LOVE WINS" MATERIALS:

CARD #1 "LOVE WINS" DIRECTIONS:
  • Stamp the LOVE stamp on colic-friendly paper, color with Copic markers, add liquid pearls over the dots.  Let it dry
  • Die cut the stamp from the second largest tag.  You may need to do some partial cutting if you're using the My Favorite Things tag dies -- this makes the tag shorter.
  • Die cut a tag from the rainbow paper using the next largest die -- also partial cut the top so it's the right height.
  • Attached the LOVE tag to the rainbow tag and punch a hole at the top.  String some Baker's Twine through the hole.
  • Stamp two butterflies using Tuxedo Black Ink.  Color with pencils.  Attach to tag using glue dots.
  • Using the largest stitched rectangle, cut a card insert from white card stock.
  • Adhere this white insert to the front of the folded kraft card.
  • Attach the tag using foam adhesive, drape the twine around the edge.

CARD #2: "ALWAYS YOU" MATERIALS:

CARD #2: "ALWAYS YOU" DIRECTIONS:
  • Stamp the sentiment and butterflies and heart on white card stock using Versamark Ink
  • Heat emboss with Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder
  • Cut those out using the scalloped or pierced circles that come with the die set.
  • Die cut the card base (largest die) from the purple card stock
  • Die cut the two edges of the card (2nd and 3rd largest dies) out of patterned paper.
  • Glue the edges into place.
  • Adhere the ribbon down the center section using glue dots.
  • Layered the embossed pieces onto alternating scalloped or stitched circles.
  • Adhere these "tags" to the center circle using foam adhesive.

PRIZES:
Yup, that's right -- we have PRIZES!  For your chance to win a $10 Gift Certificate to JessicaLynnOriginal.com, just leave a comment on each blog of the hop. 

NEXT ON THE HOP:
Now head over to Sharon's blog and take a look at the gorgeous rainbow tags she made.  Thanks for stopping by!  If you get lost along the way, click here to see a complete list of the blogs in the hop.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Christmas in June??


Hi everyone,

You probably think I'm crazy and yes, this is a holiday card... in JUNE!  As many of you know, I love love love the holidays.  I listen to holiday music all year round.  Many people get sad when the summer solstice hits because every day after June 21 gets shorter and shorter (in terms of daylight)... but for me I'm super happy because it gets closer and closer to Christmas!!

I'm also applying for the 12 Months of Christmas Link Up Design Team and wanted to make a card using one of their free digital papers, so that's really why I'm posting this on my blog.  Haha!  If you love making holiday cards, you should apply too!  The link to their site with all the call details is here.

These are the three cards I'm submitting with my application.  Two of them you may recall from my 2014 Countdown to Xmas 25 Cards in 25 Days Challenge (Day 4 and Day 17).  The first card is a new one for today.

Card 1: Christmas in June
Card 2: Snowman
Card 3: Gingerbread House

Card #1 Materials:
  • White card base: 4.25"W x 11"H, scored at 5.5"mark
  • Green card insert: 4.25"W x 5.5"H
  • Holly and Berries Digital Paper from 12 Months of Christmas Link Up
  • Lawn Fawn Joy to the Woods stamp and die sets
  • Copic Markers
    • Bird & Red Accents: R22, R24, R29
    • Trees: C0, N0, N2
    • Bird House: G03, G17, G25 for roof, E11, E13, E15 for house 
  • Sizzix Oval Framelits
  • Red Ribbon
Card #1 Directions:
  • Stamp the images with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink.  Color with Copic Markers and die cut using the coordinating dies.
  • Cut an oval window in the center of the patterned paper and some white card stock.  Make a frame using the green card stock.
  • Create the scene, using foam adhesive to "pop-up" the ornament, bird and tree house.
  • Glue everything to the oval white background.
  • Layer the rest of the card in place.
Happy Merry June!  Enjoy!



Card Challenge: Lawnscaping Stars & Stripes

Hi everyone,

Summer is here and that means the 4th of July holiday is right around the corner.  My aunt once lived right near the NY/NJ border.  We could see the Statue of Liberty and the entire NYC skyline from the roof deck of her building.  We used to watch fireworks on the 4th of July.  In Boston, there's a huge celebration on the Esplanade.  My college roommate and I once sat in a Dragon Boat and watched the fireworks from the waterside.  It was super cool!  Decades later, I still like watching the NY and Boston fireworks shows  every July 4th!

I used Lawn Fawn's Scripty Sayings stamps and a star from their Life is Good set to make this card.  I am also entering this into the Lawnscaping Challenge #108.  You can read more about the Lawnscaping Challenge here.


Materials:

  • Lawn Fawn Scripty Sayings Stamps
  • Lawn Fawn Life is Good Stamps (star only)
  • Card Base: 5.5"W x 8.5"H, scored at 4.25" mark
  • Red Cardstock: 5.25"W x 4"H
  • Blue Cardstock: 5.5"W x 4.25"H
  • Watercolor Paper: 5"W x 3.75"H 
  • Distress Inks:
    • Faded Jeans
    • Salty Ocean
    • Barn Door
  • White Embossing Powder
  • Hero Arts Unicorn White Pigment Ink
Directions:
  • Using a pencil, draw light guidelines for the stripes.  Approx. 3/8" apart from each other.
  • Leave a space for the blue section.
  • Mask off the edges and the blue section.
  • Using the white pigment ink, stamp "hello you" and "thank you" in alternating fashion
  • Sprinkle white embossing powder on top and heat set it.
  • Erase the pencil lines.
  • Using Barn Door distress ink, color in the stripes.  I made squiggly lines because I knew I wouldn't be able to watercolor straight lines perfectly.  Haha!
  • Using a combination of Faded Jeans and Salty Ocean distress inks, loosely draw the blue rectangle
  • Once the water colors have dried, stamp the stars with white ink and emboss.  I couldn't fit all 50 stars on the flag... so I only have 39 stars on this flag.  Apologies to those in South Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii :-)
  • Using foam adhesive, attach the watercolor paper to the red, blue and kraft card base in that order.
Happy Early 4th!


Tuesday, June 23, 2015

"New" Product Tuesday: Trio of Succulents featuring Lawn Fawn Stamps & Dies

Hello everyone,

Happy Tuesday!  Hope you're enjoying the sunny days of summer!  Today I'm featuring a Lawn Fawn Mini Stamp Set called "Stuck on You."  I couldn't decide which stamp to use, so I decided to make a set of cards.  This was super quick and easy to make, so these would make a great gift set!


Materials:

Directions:
  • Using the 3x4 Avery Elle Finished Frames die, cut three pieces of white card stock
  • Stamp the images on the white card stock.  For the Cactus plant and the smaller succulent, I layered both Field Green and Mint Julep shadow dye ink.
  • For the center card (the leaves), I used all three colors
  • Use the coordinating dies to cut everything out.
  • Attached to the center of the card using foam adhesive
  • Add layers for the rest of the card: white on top of polka dots on top of mint green card stock
  • Then adhere everything to the card base.
Here's a closer look at all three cards:




Super fun.  Super easy!

Enjoy!

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Happy Father's Day, Ba!

Hi everyone,

Today is Father's Day in the United States and it's also the first day of summer.  I decided to make a card that reminded me of my childhood swing set in our old house in Connecticut.  I also tried to incorporate products from all my favorite manufacturers.  Wasn't able to get everyone in, but I used as many different products as possible.


I grew up in New England.  Born in Connecticut, raised in Massachusetts.  In our old house in Connecticut, we had a swing set in our yard.  We also had a pretty hilly front yard and a big forest in our backyard.  As a little kid, I remember playing on the swing set.  I don't remember exactly what it looked like, but I remember it had red and blue stripes.  I was also a crabby little kid with a very short temper, but my dad (I call him Ba - short for Baba which means "father" in Chinese) is one of most patient people I know.  He was able to put up with my random whims.  For example, I wanted a swing set both inside and outside of the house.  So my father removed one of our swings from the set and attached it to our basement ceiling... so I could swing indoors too.  That's kind of random, right?

Vintage family photo - I'm the little girl...
Materials:

  • White card base: 4.25"W x 11"H, scored at 5.5" mark
  • Blue card stock for sky background: 4"W x 5.25"H
  • Doodlebug Designs Patterned Paper fro the grass and clouds
  • Swing Set: Lawn Fawn Let's Play Stamp Set
  • Crab: Lawn Fawn Life is Good Stamp Set
  • 'Happy' sentiment: Simon Says Stamp Happy & Smile Stamp Set
  • 'Father's Day' sentiment: Mama Elephant Happy Everything Stamp Set
  • Clouds: Taylored Expressions Build a Scene Clouds Dies
  • Sunshine: Sizzix/Stephanie Barnard Hello Sunshine Dies
  • Hills: Simon Says Stamp Stitched Slopes and Hills
  • Versamark Ink Pad
  • Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad
  • Ranger White Embossing Powder
  • Copic Markers
    • Red: R22, R24, R29
    • Blue: B12, B14, B16
    • Grey: N0, N2, N4

Directions:

  • Die cut the hills from the green grass paper
  • Die cut the clouds from the white polka dot paper
  • Die cut the sunshine from yellow and orange yardstick
  • Stamp the swing set and crab using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and color with Copic Markers
  • Use the coordinating stamps to cut out the swing set.
  • Fussy cut the crab
  • Stamp "Happy Father's Day" on the green hill using Versamark Ink and heat emboss with White Embossing powder.
  • Assemble the card according to the photo.  I used foam adhesive for the Sunshine and the front hill to create more dimension.
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there, especially my very own Baba!

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

"New" Product Tuesday: A "Whale-y" fun card featuring The Stamps of Life

Hi everyone,

I was first introduced to The Stamps of Life five years ago at a Scrapbook Expo in Santa Clara, CA.  I was drawn to their booth because it was covered in pink!  I naturally gravitate toward anything pink.  At the time, I had never heard of clear stamps.  Stephanie Barnard was at her booth and walked me through how everything worked... acrylic blocks, ink pads, clear stamps, etc... and I was hooked!  I love her designs and products.

Today's card features the new June release stamp set: whale2stamp.  This "whale-y" fun set reminds me of whale watching near Cape Cod.


Materials:

  • The Stamps of Life whale2stamp stamp set
  • Card base: 4.25"W x 11"H, scored at 5.5" mark
  • White panel: 4"W x 5.25"H
  • Sizzix/Stephanie Barnard Triple Circle Flip-its Framelits (circle dies)
  • Patterned Paper (Doodlebug Designs)
  • Scrap paper - shades of blue/aqua
  • Adhesive Tape Runner
  • Foam Adhesive
Directions:
  • Using different sized circle dies, cut a bunch of circles in the top part of the white card panel.  I found it was easier to trace the circles first and then die cut accordingly
  • Cut pieces of scrap paper and patterned paper to fill the circles
  • Stamp the whale on some patterned paper and fussy cut it out.
  • Cut a strip of the "wavy" paper to form an ocean.
  • Glue everything in place.
  • Use foam adhesive to give the whale some dimension.

Super easy, right?  Enjoy!






Saturday, June 13, 2015

New Release + GIVEAWAY: JessicaLynnOriginal UFO Brentwood Owl Launch (Part 2)

Hello again,

Hope you are enjoying the design team's projects featuring the fun new UFO Brentwood Owl stamp set from JessicaLynnOriginal.com.  The first card I posted earlier (see here) features the Brentwood Owl-stronaut.  Here are two more cards featuring some of the other stamps from the set. In addition, there's a giveaway for this set, scroll down to see more info.

Inside message reads: "party 'til the cows come home"

GIVEAWAY:

Head over to the JessicaLynnOriginal.com Blog for your chance to win this fun new set.  All you need to do is leave a comment on that blog post.  Good luck!

Materials for the Pink UFO Card:

  • JessicaLynnOriginal.com UFO Brentwood Stamp set
  • Kraft card stock: 4.25"W x 11"H, scored at 5.5" mark
  • Watercolor paper
  • Yellow Card stock
  • White Card stock
  • Distress Inks
  • White Pigment Ink
  • Star Confetti
  • My Favorite Things Tags Dies
  • Baker's Twine
  • Copic Markers
  • Versamark Ink
  • White embossing powder
Directions for the Pink UFO Card:
  • Create the water color background using a variety of pink, yellow and orange inks.  See my bokeh watercolor blog post for detailed directions on how to make this background.
  • For the tag:
    • Die cut two tags, one from yellow card stock, one from white
    • Stamp the UFO Cow image onto the white tag
    • Color with copic markers
    • Punch a hole through the top of both cards
    • Thread the baker's twine through the hole
  • Here's a close-up of the tag:
  • Attach the card to the watercolor paper
  • Add yellow and white card stock for the frames
  • Glue all the layers together
  • Add sentiment to the bottom of the card using white embossing powder
  • Finish with star confetti sprinkled on top
  • Inside the card, write "party 'til the cows come home" in white ink.



Materials for the Blue Sky UFO Card:

  • JessicaLynnOriginal.com UFO Brentwood Stamp set
  • White card stock: 4.25"W x 11"H, scored at 5.5" mark
  • White card base: 4"W x 5.25"H
  • Watercolor Paper
  • Distress Inks
  • Liquid Pearls
  • Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle Dies
  • Copic Markers
  • Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
  • Foam Adhesive
Directions for the Blue Sky UFO Card:
  • Create the water color background using a variety of blue, green and yellow distress inks.
  • Use distress inks to color the white card insert with a variety of brown inks (I used Tea Dye, Old Paper and Frayed Burlap)
  • Stamp the "Flying Saucer Found" newspaper stamp in a repeating pattern on the brown card
  • Cut a window from this card using the Simon Says Stamp stitched rectangle dies
  • For the UFO:
    • Stamp the UFO Cow image onto some white card stock
    • Color with copic markers
    • Fussy cut the image out
    • Attached the UFO to the watercolor paper
  • Add liquid pearls for accents in the background. 
  • Glue all the layers together.  Use foam adhesive behind the brown frame for added dimension.
  • Cut out some clouds and lightly color using distress inks. Add sentiment to the clouds.
Enjoy!!!

New Release + GIVEAWAY: JessicaLynnOriginal UFO Brentwood Owl Launch (Part 1)

Hi everyone,

Today JessicaLynnOriginal.com is launching a new stamp set.  This fun UFO Brentwood Owl set!  The design team has put together another round of fun projects (multiple projects this time) with these new stamps!  You'll see them popping up on our blogs throughout the day, so be sure to keep an eye out on our blogs.  You can link over to the other design team members' blogs in the column to the right.  In addition, there's a giveaway for this set, scroll down to see more info.

I especially love this set because it reminds me of my good friend and freshman college roommate.  She is literally a rocket scientist -- probably the smartest person I knew in college.  She studied aeronautics and astronautics and later went on to work on space shuttle programs, satellites and all things space-related. I, on the other hand, ended up in the entertainment & marketing world.  How very different!


GIVEAWAY:

Head over to the JessicaLynnOriginal.com Blog for your chance to win this fun new set.  All you need to do is leave a comment on that blog post.  Good luck!

Materials:

Directions:
  • For the owl:
    • Stamp the UFO Brentwood Owl on white Copic-friendly card stock using the Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
    • Color the image using Copic Markers, fussy cut the owl
    • Add Glossy Accents to the beak, feet and laser gun
  • For the water color background
    • Use a variety of blue and green distress inks and paint onto the water color paper.
    • Once it's dried, use a circle die and blot white pigment ink on the background to create the "moon" or Bokeh effect
    • Die cut with the finished frames die
  • Adhere all the layers together.  I used foam adhesive behind the watercolor paper to add more dimension
  • Add metallic thread behind the owl.
  • Attach the owl using foam adhesive.
  • Here's a close-up of the owl:


Enjoy!  Please come back later today to see my other two projects using this stamp set!


Friday, June 12, 2015

Teacher Appreciation Cards

Hi everyone,

It's that time of year... summer is right around the corner!  Most of my friends with kids are winding down the school year and packing for summer vacation trips (I'm jealous!).  I just came back from a conference in Las Vegas and spent some time with a good friend from business school.  Her amazingly cute 4-year old daughter was writing Thank You cards for her teachers and putting gifts together.

In honor of all the teachers out there - past, present and future... I decided to make a teacher card.  I posted this on Instagram earlier this week, but here's the full overview on how I made this card.  SUPER easy to replicate, especially if you have a ton of teachers to acknowledge.  The best part is, if you're giving the teacher a gift card (or cash) this is a fun way to include it in the thank you card.


Materials:
  • White card base: 4.25"W x 11"H, scored at 5.5" mark
  • Patterned paper: 4"W x 5.25"H
  • Simon Says Stamp stitched circle dies
  • Lawn Fawn Chit Chat stamp set
  • Lawn Fawn A Good Apple stamp set
  • The Stamps of Life gift card holder die
  • Ranger Liquid Platinum Embossing Powder
  • Versamark Ink Pad
  • Copic Markers
  • Memento Tuxedo black ink
Directions:
  • For the front of the card:
    • Cut a circle out of the patterned paper.  Using the same die, cut a white circle from some Copic Marker-friendly white card stock.  Here I'm using 80lb. Neenah Classic Crest Solar White card stock.
    • Stamp the apple image onto the white circle in the lower 1/3 part of the circle.
    • Color the apple with Copic Markers
    • Stamp the word bubble in Versamark ink so it looks like the apple is saying "thanks" and heat emboss with the liquid platinum embossing powder.
    • Adhere the patterned paper to the card base front.
    • Adhere the white circle in the center of the patterned paper.
  • For the inside of the card:
    • Stamp the sentiment on the inside right panel of the card with Versamark ink and heat emboss with Liquid Platinum embossing powder.
    • Use the gift card die and cut out the gift card template.  Glue the sides using any liquid glue.  Allow it to dry.
    • Once dry, glue the front of the envelope to the left inside panel of the card so the flap is on top.  You can decorate the flap or customize it with the teacher's name.  I just kept it blank here.
That's all!  Super easy, right?  Here's what both the inside and front look like when you're done:




Enjoy the rest of the school year (especially those of you on the East Coast who have tons of "make-up" days due to the snow storms this year).  Have a wonderful summer!


Tuesday, June 2, 2015

"New" Product Tuesday: Watercoloring with Distress Inks featuring Art Impressions

Hi all,

Happy Tuesday!  I'm actually posting this on a Tuesday too!  How wild is that?  I am participating in a 30-day coloring challenge by Kathy Racoosin at The Daily Marker.  I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with it, but I'm going to try my best.  I may not be posting all 30-days on my blog, but I'll try to do a weekly recap of the coloring projects I am able to complete.

Today's card features a fun stamp set I purchased from Art Impressions.  This Flower Shop TryFold stamp set is really pretty and perfect for practicing your watercoloring techniques.



I also posted a new VIDEO on YouTube that shows the making of this card.  It features fast-paced watercoloring (I wish I could color that fast in real life).  I hope you like watching it!  If the video below doesn't work, you can also watch it in HD on YouTube here.



Materials:

Directions:
  • Score the water color paper 3 5/8" from both sides so you create a card with three panels
  • Stamp the flower shop stamp in the center panel
  • Turn the paper over and stamp the flowers for sale sign on the right side (1.5" from the top) and the umbrella cart on the left side (2" from the top) close to the score mark.
  • Color the images
  • Cut around the flowers for sale sign and umbrella cart
  • Round the corners using a 1/8" corner rounder
  • Adhere onto the green card stock
  • Here are the three different panels




Hope you enjoyed this card and video!  Have a great week!