Posts Tagged With: Lotus Blossom

A Lotus Blossom Bouquet for a Birthday

Posted on March 16, 2015 by stampsnlingers

As Sale-A-Bration draws to a swift conclusion, I thought I’d share another card made with my fave set – the Lotus Blossom.  Which I got for FREE during SAB – and so can you (if you hurry!).  I flat love the versatility of this stamp.  And, one of my very favorite color combos is the Crushed Curry and almost-any-other-color!  So, take a look-see at what happens when you combine it with Cherry Cobbler:

Lotuse Bouquet Happy B-day Outside 1 Watermarked 

While I don’t think you’d ever put any kind of curry – crushed or otherwise! – into a cherry anything – let alone cobbler! – I definitely think the combo works for this stamp.  I stamped the blossom on a piece of Whisper White card stock, three times.  As you know, this is a 3-step stamp.  And, it only comes in photopolymer – so you do need to remember to put some sort of squishy mat (a piercing mat or an old mouse pad) under your paper when you use it.  The Photopolymers don’t have any cushion of their own, so you have to provide it.  But, the ability to precisely position your stamp is one of the PP’s greatest qualities.  I love them!

Anyway – steps 1 and 2 of the blossom are Cherry Cobbler.  Step 3 is the Crushed Curry.  For the stems, I started with Old Olive and did the second stamp in Mossy Meadow.  I did make a little “mask” – I stamped a blossom on a piece of scratch paper and fussy cut it out.  Then I laid it over the bottom right blossom while I did the stems.  That’s how I got that one stem to look like it was “in the back” – and made it look more realistically like a bouquet!

Lotus Bouquet Happy B-day Outside 4 watermarked

I ran the long edges of the white card stock thru the Big Shot – using my Magnetic Platform – to cut them out with my Finishing Touches Edgelits.  I love how that lacy edge looks on the Cherry Cobbler card base.

I dipped into my go-to sentiment set – Sassy Salutations – and stamped Happy Birthday in Versamark Ink.  Then heat embossed it in Cherry Cobbler.

A bow and button from the brand new SAB freebie – the In Color Accessory Pack – plus a few Rhinestone Basic Jewels finished off the front.  The bow and button are adhered with a glue dot.  The entire front is popped onto a Cherry Cobbler card base with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

For the inside, I just stamped another blossom in the bottom corner of a piece of Whisper White Card Stock.  And added a few rhinestones.  The ones across the top hide a little boo-boo! Rhinestones and Pearls – two of my never-be-without embellishments – for obvious reasons! (I need them for my t-shirt fronts – but that’s a whole ‘nother story!). 😉

Lotus Bouquet Happy B-day Inside 1 watermarked

And that’s that!  One each Happy Birthday card for someone special – I hope that you like it, and will put the Lotus Blossom on your “must-have” list.  It’s just too pretty not to have.

As of today, 16 Mar 15 – there are only 15 days left to get in on Sale-A-Bration!  Your opportunity to add the Lotus Blossom to your stash is almost over!  The chance to get that additional $25 in Hostess Dollars is almost over!!   Don’t miss out.

This is the last day to get in on this week’s deals.  The weekly deals are below – some great Baker’s Twine colors on sale this week!  And that Wildflower Meadow stamp…. 😉 (yep – I just ordered the stamp and the TIEF, and some Baker’s Twine and ….)

TTFN and LLAP

Mary

March 1 – 31 HOSTESS CODE:  33QPV23V Use this hostess code when you order and receive a free gift from me!  But, if your order is over $150, please do not use this code (you’ll miss out on your own Stampin’ Rewards/Hostess $$ if you use it) but you’ll still get the free gift.  The free gift for February is your choice of any item valued up to $4.95 in either the 2014-15 Annual Catalog or the 2015 Occasions Catalog!

WEEKLY DEALS 10 Mar – 16 Mar 15 Click here to see the Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up! in my online store. The Weekly Deals are only while supplies last and only available at these great prices through 16 Mar.

STAMPIN’ UP! PRODUCTS USED IN TODAY’S PROJECT:

Price: $99.95

Price: $4.95

Supply List

Built for Free Using:  My Stampin Blog

Card Cuts Used in Today’s Project:
Cherry Cobbler Card Stock: 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ (card base, scored and folded at 4 1/4″)
Whisper White Card Stock: 4 1/4″ x 5 3/8″ (front art piece); 4 ” x 5 1/4″ (inner liner)
If you need any stamping supplies, I’d be very happy to be your Demonstrator. Just click on the Order Stampin’ Up! Online Now button on the right side of the screen to go directly to my online store or drop me an email if you have any questions. Happy Stamping!

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Shop the Clearance Rack here.

Earn FREE Stampin’ Up! Products – Join my Punkin Head Peppermint Rewards – My online customer thank you program!

BLENDABILITIES DISCONTINUED

You’ve been reading that the Blendies have been on ordering hold, due to quality issues in manufacturing. Due to the nature of the defect, Stampin’ Up! has concluded that difficulties, dissatisfaction, and product returns will only become more widespread. The manufacturer is unable to correct the problem in a manner the company is certain would meet our high quality standards and provide us with a stable, long-term solution. Therefore, after a great deal of deliberation and in order to prevent further disappointment, the Blendabilities product line has been discontinued. If you have Blendabilities that you feel are defective, please let me know and I’ll guide you through what to do next. Hopefully SU will find a new source for alcohol markers – you’ll know just as soon as I do!

Backorder Report – as of 12 Mar 15

Currently, the following items are on BACKORDER; backordered items will be available on or before the date indicated.

131169: Regals Collection Classic Stampin’ Ink Refills–March 16
137362: Balloon Framelits Die–March 18
127821: Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder–March 18
137414: Bow Builder Punch–March 20

Currently, the following items are NOT ORDERABLE:

131262: Regals Stampin’ Write Markers
126199: Stampin’ Pierce Mat
137866: Sahara Sand 7/8″ Lace Trim
137360: Butterflies Thinlits Die
139322: Butterfly Bundle (Wood)
139323: Butterfly Bundle (Clear)
138865: Butterfly Bundle (Photopolymer)
137380: Paper Pumpkin Clear Stamp Block (2-7/8″ x 2-11/16″; supply item)

Currently, the following items have LOW INVENTORY and will move to the “Not Orderable” list (above) once our current inventory is depleted:

122332: Crumb Cake 1/2″ Seam Binding Ribbon
137898: Calypso Coral Pompom Trim
127811: 1-1/4″ Scallop Circle Punch

Categories: Happy Birthday | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Lotus Blossom Thinking of You

Posted on February 6, 2015 by stampsnlingers

So, in a week where I ought to be building wonderful, creative, gender-specific, gender-neutral, romantic and yet funny Valentine’s Cards, I find myself working on other kinds of cards entirely.  A friend of mine has family in the hospital, who isn’t doing well.  I want to send a card letting her know that I’m thinking about and praying for her.  So, I delved into my more somber creativity and mined the beautiful Lotus Blossom SU Set (Sale-a-Bration item – still FREE with a $50 purchase thru 31 Mar) and the equally lovely Irresistibly Yours DSP (Occasions catalog) to build today’s card.  I also used the Annual Catalog stamp set called Thoughts and Prayers for the sentiment.

About the same time that I knew I needed such a card, the weekly Mojo Monday sketch arrived in my e-mail.

Mojo Monday 383

I gotta tell y’all – for some reason, this one just confounded me!  I have no idea why – but it took me two days working off and on to finally build something that I liked well enough to call it good.  I struggled with colors and patterns and…well, I just struggled.  Maybe because it’s February.  Or perhaps the moon is setting in the House of the Rising sun and Mercury is playing with Mars.  Or something.  But, I finally decided to quit overthinking it and just put it all together.  And – really ended up liking it quite a lot!  See what you think:

Thinking of You Outside 1 Watermarked

I started with one of our ever-so-handy Crumb Cake Cut and Ready Card Bases and cut a piece of Very Vanilla Card stock for the main card front.  Then, I matted a piece of the Sale-a-Bration Irresistibly Yours DSP onto a piece of Crumb Cake CS.  The DSP, I’d colored with an almost dry SU Sponge Dauber – my “brown” one.  It had been used for Crumb Cake  and Soft Suede ink at various times in the past few days.  The exact ink color is less important than the fact that it was ALMOST DRY, so the DSP is only very lightly colored.

My art piece is from the Typeset DSP that I edge sponged with some Old Olive and then stamped with the Lotus Blossom.  Remember, this is a multi-step stamp that comes in photopolymer – so, as I mentioned in an earlier post, you’ll want to use a squishy mat under your paper when you use the stamps (this is true for ANY photopolymer stamp!).  Use your piercing mat or one of your old squishy mouse pads.  Any-who….the first two stamps are done in Pumpkin Pie and the third layer is with Crushed Curry.  I experimented on scrap paper a couple of times to come up with the best way to lay down the colors before putting it on my DSP – and I ended up with this one, which I loved!  Now, take note: this is the way that I liked best – you can definitely be your own boss with this stamp.  Whatever YOU like best IS the best!  Play with it and have fun with it – there’s no telling what you’ll be able to come up with!

The stem is also two -step and I used Old Olive on the first stamp and Mossy Meadow for the second layer.

Thinking of You Outside 2 Watermarked

The banners are the polka dots from the Irresistibly Yours DSP.  I colored them with Soft Suede – and just used the same dauber on both, but colored the bottom piece more – making it darker. I like the tone-on-tone result.  Made these into banners by cutting the ends with the Hexagon Punch.

The Sassy Salutations set provided my sentiment, which is stamped in Soft Suede on a Vanilla circle die-cut that I edge-sponged with more Old Olive.

As I adhered all the layers to my Vanilla card front, I used SNAIL for all the pieces, except for the right-side edge of the art piece.  That area has SU Dimensionals on it to compensate for the raised layers of the vertical DSP.

I finished the card front with a tiny Linen Thread bow glued to the sentiment, and three rhinestone jewels that I colored with the darkest Pumpkin Pie Blendability.

Thinking of You Outside 3 Watermarked
I wanted the inside to have a sentiment for this card, and I chose the Thoughts and Prayers set to accomplish my goal.  It’s stamped in Soft Suede on vanilla card stock that I lightly edged with Old Olive ink.  And, just cause I could and I liked it so much, I added another Lotus Blossom in the bottom corner.  I think it finished it off nicely.  What’s so fun about this particular stamp is that even using the same colors and stamping the same way each time, each flower you build looks just a little different than the last one – just like real flowers.  I love it more every time I use it!

Thinking of You Inside 2 Watermarked

Obviously, if you left the sentiment out, this would make a very pretty every-day-just-because-I-was-thinking-about-you-today card!

This really wasn’t as hard a card to make as I made it out to be – at least in the end!  And I really love how the whole card is in soft, neutral tones, with just the Lotus Blossom popping off the card.  Pumpkin Pie and Crushed Curry – beautimous!  Try it today – you’ll like it!

There’s still time to get in on the weekly deals – check out the Hearts border punch!  Mine is already on it’s way to me – along with some Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper.  Can’t wait to play with them! 🙂

TTFN

Mary

FEBRUARY 1 – 28 HOSTESS CODE:  RKBPBNYM Use this hostess code when you order and receive a free gift from me!  But, if your order is over $150, please do not use this code (you’ll miss out on your own Stampin’ Rewards/Hostess $$ if you use it) but you’ll still get the free gift.  The free gift for February is your choice of any item valued up to $4.95 in either the 2014-15 Annual Catalog or the 2015 Occasions Catalog!

Here are the card cuts for today’s project – starting with a Crumb Cake Cut and Ready Card Base

Very Vanilla Card Stock: 4″ x 5 1/4″ (large card front); 4 1/8″ x 2 7/8″ (art piece mat); 1 7/8″ Circle (Sentiment); 4″ x 5 1/4″ (inner liner)

Irrestistibly Yours DSP: 5 1/8″ x 2 7/8″ (vertical band); 3/4″ x 2 1/2″ (lighter banner); 1/2″ x 3 1/8″ (darker banner)

Typeset DSP: 4″ x 2 3/4″ (art piece)

Crumb Cake CS: 5 1/4″ x 3″ (Vertical band mat)

 STAMPIN’ UP! ITEMS USED IN THIS PROJECT:

Price: $99.95

Supply List

Built for Free Using:  My Stampin Blog

WEEKLY DEALS 3 Feb – 9 Feb 15 Click here to see the Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up! in my online store.  The Weekly Deals are only while supplies last and only available at these great prices through 9 Feb.

Supply List

Built for Free Using:  My Stampin Blog

If you need any stamping supplies, I’d be very happy to be your Demonstrator. Just click on the Order Stampin’ Up! Online Now button on the right side of the screen to go directly to my online store or drop me an email if you have any questions. Happy Stamping!

Online Shopping Icon 3

It’s Sale-A-Bration Time!! Earn a free item for every $50 that you purchase. Click here to read all about it.

Shop the Clearance Rack here.

Earn FREE Stampin’ Up! Products – Join my Punkin Head Peppermint Rewards – My online customer thank you program!

 

Categories: Any Occasion, General, Sympathy, Thinking Of You | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Painted Blooms, Butterflies and Irresistibly Yours for the Happy Stampers Blog Hop!

Posted on January 29, 2015 by stampsnlingers

Happy Thursday – and welcome to the first Happy Stampers Blog Hop of 2015!  This is my first hop, and I’m really excited to be included with the other talented ladies who are taking part.  One of the coolest parts of stamping is how everyone can, with roughly the same tools, come up with an almost endless variety of ideas.  Blog hops really illustrate how versatile these products are.  So, once you’ve checked out my projects, be sure to go to each of their blogs to enjoy their creations.  Take a minute to leave each of us a comment, because, in addition to some great ideas, we’re all giving away a little Blog Candy, too!  For this hop, we’ll all show you a card made with some Occasions catalog product(s) and one with Sale-a-Bration product(s).

Happy Stampers Jan 2015 Blog Hop LogoMy first card to share with you uses the Irresistibly Yours DSP (Sale-a-Bration catalog) and the Butterfly Basics stamp set and complementary Butterflies Thinlits Dies (Occasions), which are available as a money-saving bundle (so, you KNOW that’s how I got it!).  I colored the DSP with my Sale-a-Bration Blendability markers.

Happy Birthday Butterfly Outside Card 3 watermarked

My design inspiration for this card was Mojo Monday Sketch #380.  And, as I looked at the supplies I’d chosen, I gratefully stepped back into my color-palette wheelhouse.

This card started with a Crumb Cake Cut and Ready card base, with the corners rounded.  I sponged the edges of a piece of Typeset DSP with my Crumb Cake ink, and then SNAIL’d it to an Old Olive Cardstock mat.  Using a couple of the stamps in the Butterfly Basics set, I inked the Typeset with some honeycomb and frond images, using Crushed Curry and Old Olive respectively (I stamped each one off on scrap paper first and then stamped twice without re-inking).  I rounded the corners and SNAIL’d the whole thing to the card base.  Then, I colored two pieces of the Irresistibly Yours DSP – one with the lightest Wild Wasabi Blendability Marker and the other with the lightest Crumb Cake Blendability – and wiped the excess off the “resist” areas with a paper towel.  This DSP is so cool and versatile – you can make it be any color you want it to be (sponge ink on, spritz it on, use a Blenadability, etc), and it’s also pretty in it’s natural white-on-white state.  And, because it’s a Sale-a-Bration item, you can still get a stack FREE with a $50 purchase through 31 Mar!  Each piece was matted to the opposite color – the Old Olive on a Crumb Cake mat and the Crumb Cake on an Old Olive mat. I put these on with SNAIL as well, since I knew I wanted to pop my sentiment and the butterfly.

Happy Birthday Butterfly Outside Card 5 watermarked

I stamped my sentiment in Old Olive on a piece of Vanilla Cardstock and then added a Crumb Cake flower.  Both of these are in the Butterfly Basics set – this one gives you a lot of stamping power for your money – and was the first thing I ordered when the Occasions catalog came out.  Please note that, sadly, it was far from the ONLY thing I ordered! LOL  After I lightly edged the CS with some more Crumb Cake, I popped it onto the card with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.  My Butterfly was stamped twice in Old Olive (on Very Vanilla) and cut out twice with the Thinlit Die that matches it.  I colored in one butterfly with my lightest Crumb Cake Blendability.  Then I layered them on the card front with SNAIL – the top one, I only attached the center third or so of the butterfly, and then put a little tiny piece of Stampin’ Dimensional under each wing – I wanted them to stay up even after going into an envelope.  I finished off the front with some Pearl Basic Jewels on the butterfly and in the center of the flower.

For the inside, I inked the edges of a piece of Vanilla CS with the honeycomb stamp, again with the Crushed Curry, and lightly sponged it with more Crumb Cake.  The sentiment is in Old Olive, from the Good Greetings Hostess set.

Happy Birthday Butterfly inside card 3 watermarked

I must say, I really like working with this color combo – and this card turned out to be one of my very favorites!  You can find the card cuts below.  But first, on to card two – my Occasions Catalog share!  Everyone stand up, stretch a little – maybe get a snack or another cuppa ….  long blog post today!

Thinking of You Butterfly Outside Card 3 watermarked

This one started with another great sketch from Mojo Monday – this time is was #381.  And, since I wanted to use the Painted Blooms DSP, I let it drive the colors.

This color combo is very spring-y and feminine, and I like it – it’s just a little harder for me to work with than the more earthy tones in the first card.  But, I’m learning and trying to expand my comfort zone and I think it turned out well.  I started out with an Old Olive Cut and Ready Card Base (Annual Catalog).  I cut a 2 3/4″ circle from the top part of the Whisper White Mat, and then cut a slightly larger (next size up in the Circles Collection dies) round of the Painted Blooms DSP (Occasions catalog).  That stack has many beautiful paper patterns, but this one is my favorite.  I SNAIL’d the DSP circle to a Pink Pirouette CS mat.  I wanted a little more detailing on my white mat, so I used the fine-point end of my Pistachio Pudding Stampin’ Write Marker to make “stitches”.  I wanted it to look hand-stitched – which, for me, means not-so-even-and-perfect.  Pretty sure I nailed that one!

Thinking of You Butterfly Outside Card 4 Watermarked

I adhered the white mat with Stampin’ Dimensionals to the Pink Pirouette mat, making sure the DSP was under the opening, and centered so the edges of the DSP weren’t visible.

I made my sentiment banner by SNAIL-ing my Whisper White CS to a Pink Pirouette mat and then stamping the sentiment from the Sassy Salutations set in Blackberry Bliss.  I gave that the hand-stitched treatment as well.  The banner is SNAIL’d to the larger white mat – obviously there’s only SNAIL on the ends that actually TOUCH the mat!

Then came the really fun part!  I’d been itching to use the gorgeous, detailed dies in the Butterfly Thinlits set.  I ran the medium butterfly through the Big Shot, using wax paper and my Magnetic Platform.  The beauty of this butterfly means there are a lot of little pieces to clean out of the die cut.  With the wax paper, I was easily able to push them all out with my craft pick.  Tip:  leave the die cut IN the die while you push out all the little pieces.  It stabilizes the cut and helps a lot.  Then, I ran that die cut BACK through the Big Shot, this time in my Lovely Lace Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  I think it adds a subtle little sump’n-sump’n to the butterfly.  I repeated the cutting and pushing-of-pieces on a second butterfly, this time with white CS.  Then I layered them onto the card with SNAIL – a little offset from each other, just to add a little more depth.  He got a few little Pearl Basic Jewels and the front was finished!

Thinking of You Butterfly Outside Card 2 watermarked

On the inside, I “stitched” a white CS liner, and SNAIL’d a few (okay – this time, 4 just looked right – please excuse me for decorating with an EVEN number – no need to call the Decoration Police!) Bitty Butterflies, made with the SU punch of the same name, in Pink Pirouette.  I stitched all of THEM, too.  Appears I got on a sewing binge, which is quite odd, considering I can’t really sew a stitch! I once tried to make a t-shirt and cut two backs out.  Yea – sewing is not my thing!

Thinking of You Butterfly Inside Card 2 watermarked

So – if you made it all the way to this point, pat yourself on the back!  I’m sorry for the novella, y’all, but….two cards takes some words.  (According to WordPress, 1675 so far!).  All the card cuts are below, as is the supply list for each card.  And, those stalwart souls who kept slogging on, will now get to read about the….

BLOG CANDY!!

Embellishing “makes” and “finishes” your card.  So, for this hop’s Blog Candy, I have a package of SU Calypso Coral Baker’s Twine, a package of Old Olive Simply Styled Embellishments, and a package of Santa & Co Washi tape.  One lucky winner will receive all three items!

Jan 2015 Blog Candy pic 2 watermarked

Simply leave me a comment on this post before 7 AM ET on Monday 2 Feb 15 and you’ll be entered to win.  I’ll have the random number generator pick a comment on Monday morning and I’ll announce the winner on my blog that morning!  Please note, anyone is welcome to leave me a comment but I am only able to ship the blog candy items to addresses within the United States.  Thanks for your understanding.

There’s only a few days left to use my January Hostess Code, so now’s the time.  Don’t forget that you’ll also get a free gift from me and you may qualify for Punkin Head Peppermints!  And, if you’ve been waiting for the Textured Impressions Embossing Folders  – this is a good week.  There are 6 TIEFs on sale right now – including the Lovely Lace folder I used on my second card.  Check out the Weekly Deals below and stock up on all your favorite folders.

Hope you enjoyed my blog hop shares – I sure had fun making them!

Mary

Okay, on with the hop!  To hop back to Heather Van Looy’s Blog, click the Back arrow button.  To move forward to Amy Koender’s Blog, click the Forward arrow button.

Happy Stampers Jan 2015 Blog Hop Back Button Happy Stampers Jan 2015 Blog Hop Forward Button

In case you get lost along the way, here is a list of the Happy Stampers Team Members who are joining in this blog hop:

JANUARY 1 – 31 HOSTESS CODE:  RMQE9AEQ Use this hostess code when you order and receive a free gift from me!  But, if your order is over $150, please do not use this code (you’ll miss out on your own Stampin’ Rewards/Hostess $$ if you use it) but you’ll still get the free gift.  The free gift for January is your choice of any item valued up to $4.95 in either the 2014-15 Annual Catalog or the 2015 Occasions Catalog!

Here are the card cuts for today’s project

Happy Birthday Butterfly (starts with Crumb Cake Cut and Ready Card base)

Old Olive Card Stock: 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8″ (bottom mat); 4 1/8″ x 2 1/8″ (Top rectangular mat)

Crumb Cake Card Stock: 4 7/8″ x 1 5/8″ (Bottom rectangular mat)

Typeset DSP: 4″ x 5 1/4″

Irresistibly Yours DSP: 4 3/4″ x 1 1/2″ (Bottom rectangle with Wild Wasabi); 4″ x 2″ (Top rectangle with Crumb Cake)

        Very Vanilla Card Stock: 3 1/3″ x 1 1/2″ (Sentiment banner); 5 1/4″ x 4″ (Inside liner); Butterfly (stamped with Old Olive and then Butterfly die cut)

Thinking of You Butterfly (starts with Old Olive Cut and Ready Card base from 2014 Holiday Catalog):

Pink Pirouette Card Stock: 4 1/8″ x 5 3/8″ (Bottom Mat); 4″ x 1 1/8″ (Sentiment banner mat); Medium Butterfly Thinlits; Bitty Butterfly punches

Whisper White Card Stock: 5 1/4″ x 4″ (Card front with 2 3/4″ circle cutout); 3 7/8″ x 1″ (Sentiment banner); 5 1/4″ x 4″ (Inside liner); Bottom Butterfly

Painted Blooms DSP: 3″ circle cutout for card front

STAMPIN’ UP! ITEMS USED IN BOTH PROJECTS:

STAMPIN’ UP! ITEMS USED IN HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUTTERFLY:

Supply List

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

 STAMPIN’ UP! ITEMS USED IN THINKING OF YOU BUTTERFLY:
 WEEKLY DEALS 27 Jan – 3 Feb 15 Click here to see the Weekly Deals from Stampin’ Up! in my online store.  The Weekly Deals are only while supplies last and only available at these great prices through 3 Feb.

Visit my online store here
Shop the Clearance Rack here.
Earn FREE Stampin’ Up! Products – Join my Punkin Head Peppermint Rewards – My online customer thank you program!

Categories: Any Occasion, General, Happy Birthday, Sympathy | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 63 Comments

Lotus Blossom Love

Posted on January 27, 2015 by stampsnlingers

Good morning!  Happy Tuesday – My share today uses the 2015 Sale-a-Bration Lotus Blossom stamp set.  I chose this as one of my FREE items when I spent $50  – and you can, too!  Sale-a-Bration runs through 31 March.  Don’t miss this opportunity to get some exclusive Stampin’ Up! products.

Lotus Petal Love You 3 Watermarked

To tell you the truth, I’ve been a little afeered of this particular stamp set.  It’s a Two-Step set (well, it actually has 3 steps), and every time I tried to make a beautiful, artistic lotus blossom, I ended up with a blob.  An uneven, weird-looking, blob.  And then, I finally remembered a tip I’d seen about photopolymer stamps.  Are you taking notes?  Photopolymer stamps don’t have a built-in cushion like the clear or wood-mount stamps.  So, if you stamp directly onto your hard crafting surface, you’re likely to get less-than-ideal results (that’s code for “uneven, weird-looking, blob”).  The trick is to place your cardstock on a cushioned mat – like….a piercing mat.  So – I did that. And, guess what?  Yup.  A lotus blossom emerged!

I once again went to a Whisper White note card from the Note Cards and Envelopes set.  I SNAIL’d a Whisper White mat onto a Basic Black mat, and my art piece was ready to go.  I had this vision in my head of a very monochromatic card with just a bare pop of color.  So, I used my Basic Black ink and my Blackberry Bliss for the lotus blossom.  The first two steps, I did with the black.  The third step, I inked up and then stamped off once on scrap paper with the Blackberry Bliss ink before I applied it to the flower image.  And – I loved how it looked!  Okay – I did that like 3 times on scrap cardstock before I girded my loins (sorry for saying loins on the internet) and stamped my card front.  And breathed a sigh of relief, cause it looked great.  It’s a little hard to see in the picture below, but the flower really DOES have a lovely Blackberry tint.

Lotus Petal Love You 2 Watermarked

For the stem, I did the first stamp (the stem has two parts, too) in black.  Then I hemmed and hawed a while – green?  Stay with black?  More blackberry bliss –  that’s crazy talk!!  Oh – the decisions.  I finally settled on Mossy Meadow – which I stamped off lightly once and then barely, lightly, oh-so-delicately stamped over the black stem.  And then I did it a little harder, cause I didn’t want it to be THAT delicate!  Oh yea – still holding my breath with every stamp I make!

I cut a “You” out of Basic Black with the Hello You Thinlits Die (remembering to use my wax paper – see my previous post “Hello You” for directions) and adhered it with a little Liquid Glue.  Then, I used a sentiment from the Crazy About You stamp set (2015 Occasions) in Blackberry Bliss.  And also Basic Black.  Dip a little in the Black, dip a little in the Blackberry Bliss.  Stamp with the piercing mat.  And then barely, lightly, oh-so-delicately traced the words with my Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Write Marker – cause I didn’t want THAT to be quite so delicate either!  I’m so sorry this color is hard to see in the picture – I promise my next purchase will be an Ott Lite so that my photography “studio” does a little better job of re-creating the colors.  Promise.

A few Rhinestone Basic Jewels finished off the front and I popped it onto the card base with some Stampin’ Dimensionals.  For the inside, I used the Good Greetings hostess set sentiment “I Love Us” – but I only inked the “Love Us” part, using the Blackberry Bliss marker again.  And I stamped an irregular row of little tiny Blackberry Bliss hearts along the bottom (the heart is part of the Holiday Home stamp set).  And finally, because it just…needed….something else, I made little teensy stems and grass with my Mossy Meadow Stampin’ Write Marker.  And – I resolutely pushed away all my tools and decided to leave well enough alone!

Lotus Petal Love You Inside 2 Watermarked

This would be a great Valentine’s Day card.  Or a nice little note tucked away for your spouse or significant other to find.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Shameless plug – the Happy Stampers are doing a blog hop on Thursday, 29 Jan.  Be sure to check back here around 9am Eastern to see my contribution and those of all the talented stampers in this group.  There’ll be some blog candy, too!

There’s only a few days left to use my January Hostess Code, so don’t tarry too long.  Don’t forget that you’ll also get a free gift from me and you may qualify for Punkin Head Peppermints!  And, if you’ve been waiting for the Textured Impressions Embossing Folders  – this is a good week.  There are 6 TIEFs on sale right now.  Check out the Weekly Deals below and stock up on all your favorite folders.

TTFN

Mary

Here are the card cuts for today’s project, starting with a Note Card from the Stampin’ Up! Set:

Basic Black Card Stock: 4 7/8″ x 3 3/8″

        Whisper White Card Stock:  4 3/4″ x 3 1/4″

JANUARY 1 – 31 HOSTESS CODE:  RMQE9AEQ Use this hostess code when you order and receive a free gift from me!  But, if your order is over $150, please do not use this code (you’ll miss out on your own Stampin’ Rewards/Hostess $$ if you use it) but you’ll still get the free gift.  The free gift for January is your choice of any item valued up to $4.95 in either the 2014-15 Annual Catalog or the 2015 Occasions Catalog!

STAMPIN’ UP! ITEMS USED IN THIS PROJECT

Price: $99.95

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Categories: Any Occasion, General, Love, Valentine's Day | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

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