Garden Party for September 16

Is it still Tuesday???

Tuesday is Garden Party day - where a clipping snatched out of my (getting kinda empty) inspiration shoebox is used as a basis for a card.

Here was the photo from last week.






And here is my attempt. I tried to capture the color scheme including the little splash of yellow. I was also trying to make my card look a little "fabric-y".









The image is from the HOTP Botanicals clear set. I stamped it with Broken China Distress ink on watercolor paper and then dabbed it with a waterbrush to blur the image a little (I was trying to make a vintage fabric look).

Distress inks are very wet and sometimes they bead up on solid stamps. To get around this, I ink my stamp with Versamark first, then ink with the Distress. It seems to help keep the ink smooth.

For the background cardstock, I inked one side of my Cuttlebug Embossing folder with Cloud White Versamagic ink, then I ran it through my Cuttlebug as usual. The white ink transferred to the depressed areas and gave them a white chalk finish. The folder rinses clean easily.

The white strip was made by punching both sides of a cardstock strip with my Threading Water punch and then using the one of the borders in the Just My Type Cuttlebug Embossing Border set in the center. I am really loving the embossing borders. They are so easy to use and add so much to a card.


So that was my attempt. And here is the photo for next week.

If you'd like to play along, just leave a comment with link to your creation and I'll highlight it in next week's Garden Party post.


Happy Stamping everyone!

Garden Party for September 9

Its Tuesday - Garden Party day where a clipping from the "Inspiration Shoebox" is used for card inspiration.


Well, I wanted to toss this one aside and pick something else - but I was told that would be cheating.


So I attempted it. This one was a real stumper for me. My first card was yuck - big time. I thought maybe a beautiful stamp image might save me from myself.
So here is my attempt. I don't know about the card in total - but I ended up having fun with elements of it.


First - I got to use some Black Magic cardstock and one of the new Cuttlebug Embossing Border sets. Now these are fun! Oh My - you can place them anywhere on the card. They are so cool.


I used the embossing border on the Black Magic cardstock and sanded the raised area to expose the color.


This stamp is Victorian Rose from Impression Obsession. I love the swirly goodness. (the greens match better in real life).


The corner on the top was made with the scalloped corner punch and then embossed with the embossing border to match the strip. I gotta tell ya, I could play with this cardstock and the cuttlebug folders for a long time.

So here is the picture for next week. If you decide to play along, just leave a comment here with a link to your creation and I'll highlight your card in next weeks post.


Happy stamping everyone!

Garden Party for September 2

Its Garden Party time again - where a clipping snatched out of the "Inspiration Shoebox" is used for the basis of a card. Here is the inspiration photo from last week.

I'm thrilled to say that I had TWO players this week - you guys must like fall!

First is Tiffany from IHeartArt with her wonderful floral card. I love the colors and all the layers of flowers. You can see her card HERE.

Next is Debbie from 1of2Shoes with her awesome nature card - it goes so well with the inspiration pieces and the coloring is amazing. You can see her card HERE.
Here is my attempt. I used the tree as inspiration for my branch. The stamp set is Branches of a Tree from Impression Obsession. I used Memento inks (I love them!) for this card. The stem is stamped in Rich Cocoa. I inked the leave clusters first with Tangelo, and then rolled the edges in Lady Bug before I stamped.

To be truer to the picture, my swirl background probably should have been green, but I love the creamsicle color. I cuttlebugged it and then dusted over the embossing with Tangelo ink on a duster brush - just to highlight it a bit more.

So here is the inspiration photo for next week (sorry about the glare - ran out of daylight).

Hmmm.... not quite sure how this got in there. Maybe the black and green color scheme? Or the funky frame over the mantel? I have no idea what I'm going to do with this one.

Should I draw a new one? Or is that cheating?

Garden Party for August 26

I'm getting back in the swing of things (I think!).

Its Tuesday - Garden Party day, where a magazine clipping snatched from the "inspiration shoe box" is used to create a card. Here is the photo from last time.

And I might just have to hang up my gardening gloves and turn the challenge over to Debbie. You really must check out the amazing card she created. You can see it on her blog by clicking HERE.

Is that too cool or what? All I can say is Wow!




Well, here is my attempt. I've wanted to use this Floral Rooster stamp forever. I just love it and finally got my chance.

The card ended up a little more blue than the inspiration piece, but it sure was fun to color. I used my Copic markers. The sentiment and matte are cut out with Nestibility dies.

The edges of all the white pieces are inked with Memento Cantaloupe ink and a duster brush. You might not be able to tell in the photo, but I really like the way inking the edges mellows out the bright white paper.








So here is the inspiration photo for next week. You know its coming.... fall is right around the corner, so we might as well get ready!

If you would like to play along, just add a comment here with a link to your creation. I'll highlight it in my post next week.

Happy stamping everyone!

Garden Party for August 12

Can we just pretend its Tuesday the 12 and not Wednesday the 13th?


When does school start?!! While its nice to have time with the kids, and I like not have to scramble to get everyone out the door in the morning - a big part of me is ready for a regular schedule again!


Anyway - it is Garden Party time, and this is the inspiration photo from last week.


And, I'm excited to say that Tiffany played along with not one but two cards! You can see her card based on the umbrella HERE. Check out all the stitching - I love it. I could never get it so straight and perfect.


And you can see her card based on the little girl HERE. I think she captured the garden feel of the little girl's outfit wonderfully.

Thanks Tiffany for playing along!


Well, here is my attempt. I was going to just use the umbrella for my inspiration, but then I thought about one of the little girl stamps in the Kids at Play kit and I just had to use her. I love all those vintage little kids.

I guess in my mind she matches the shape of the little girl and the card matched the colors of the umbrella?

And I tried to use some of the Prima's in my stash. I'm never very comfortable with the Primas - don't know why....

I pierced the strip at the bottom with my new Tim Holtz Design ruler. I love that thing! I know its silly to love a ruler - but I do! (maybe because its still bright and shiny?)


So, here is the picture for next time. This card won't be posted till August 26.

I'm taking a little summer vacation blog break next week. Well, I'll try to - we'll see if I can't resist sneaking in a post or two....

So you have plenty of time to play along if you want to. Just post a comment here with a link to your card.

Garden Party for August 29

Hello everyone!

Its Tuesday - Garden Party Day, where a magazine clipping from the "Inspiration Shoebox" is used as inspiration for a card.

Here is the inspiration photo from last week:

And I'm thrilled to say Laura played along! And she teamed up with her daughter to make the card - how fun is that? You can see Laura's awesome card HERE. Her daughter colored the images. Great job huh?

So here is mine. I tried to give mine some "quilt" texture using Fiskars embossing plates in my Wizard. The images are all from Odd Bird Planet (yes, the planet includes critters other than birds - bunches of them in fact!).

Here are the Copic Markers I used. I know - I need to focus. And not just with picture taking either.

So here is next week's photo.... My! How.... ummmm.... colorful??

If you would like to play along, just post a comment with a link to your card and I'll highlight you in the summary next week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Garden Party for July 22....er....23

The Garden Party is running a little late this week..... probably spending way too much time ogling all the yummy stuff coming out of CHA. One of these days I'm gonna go!

Anyway, here is the inspiration photo posted last week.
And here is the card I ended up with. I kind of wimped out and just focused on the pillow and the couch. I added texture to the background to try to mimic the fabric on the couch. Its a Bazzill bling paper (Blank Check - gotta like that color name) that is "Cuttlebugged". Then I brushed over it lightly with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a Duster Brush to highlight the texture.

And I tried to tie in the green and Burgundy red colors.

This stamp is called Rose Bouquet and its from Paper Inspirations. You can see it HERE.

I'm really impressed with how well these detailed images stamp (really impressed??.... there is a pun in there somewhere....). They come out clean every time.

This might look a little intimidating to color, but its really not because the image does most of the shading for you.

I colored the image with my Copic Markers. Here are the ones I used. I also used colorless blender along the outside edge of the foliage to blend it into to background a little.





So here is next week's photo. Something a little different, and I already have an idea!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Yikes!

Here is the photo I pulled out of the "inspiration shoebox" for this week's Garden Party Challenge.

Sorry I'm so late posting! Its been hectic here at the homestead. But I'll give you till Wednesday morning if you want to play along. Just comment here with a link to your card.

This is a tricky photo. (Somehow I don't think this room would look quite the same in my house. Picture it with the pillows arranged into a "house" and Littlest Pet Shop animals all along the table. Maybe a few peanut butter fingerprints on that nice white couch).

There is no strong focal point for me. Not even a strong color scheme - although there is a lot of texture. The first thing my eye goes to is the floral pillow (maybe I need a nap). Then the roses and candlestick (love that candlestick). But check out the topiary tree in the background - I really like that. Hmmmm.... a little stumped with this one.

Garden Party for July 15

Its Tuesday (for a little while longer anyway) - Garden Party time, where a photo from the "inspiration show box" is used to make a card.

Here is the photo from last week--->

And, we have a winner of the $5 coupon from Odd Bird Planet!! Laura played along - you can see her lovely card HERE. Its so cute I can't stand it - wait till you see!

Laura - I'll be in touch with your coupon code to get your free goodies!








Well, here is my take on the inspiration photo. I used Flower Garland S from Odd bird Planet (designed by yours truly - yay).

I embossed it in white on black and then colored the flowers and leaves with opaque pink and green Souffle pens. It still needed something, so I went over it with a Quickie Glue Pen (love those!) and added pink and green glitter. I added glitter to the first pink matte too.

The background texture was made with a Fiskars embossing plate in my Wizard. I added some Faux stitching with a white gel pen (love those too).

This is where I usually post next week's photo - but the sun went down (way before I was ready) and I don't want to try to take the picture with bad lighting (I'm challenged enough as it is). So I will post it tomorrow!

I have some very exciting news coming (its about a kind of marker, starts with a "C"...........).

Have I ever mentioned that I stink at keeping secrets........... Have a great night....

Garden Party for July 8 -with a prize!

Time once again for the Garden Party Challenge - where a magazine clipping snagged from the "Inspiration Shoe Box" is used as a basis for a card.

Here is the photo from last week --->

Ahhh.... to just sit there with a Margarita...............

I really love the gazebo made from natural sticks (sorry about the photo - I need to take better pictures of my pictures). And that table is awesome! I want one.

And... Hooray! Laura played along! Check out her super cute card HERE. And while you are there, scroll down and check out the seriously awesome 4th of July card. I love it too!

Edited to Add:

Look! Philippa played along too! Check out here lovely card HERE. Very beautiful - thanks for playing along!

So here is my version - a little more abstract than usual. I tried to capture the gazebo texture with one of my all time favorite background stamps.

The hydrangea flowers are from the Blissful Flowers set from Stamping Sensations. They are colored with Copics and I inked the edges with Distress Vintage Photo and duster brushes (yes- duster brushes again!)

I added the dew droplets to mimic the glass vases. The scalloped border was made with the threading water border punch - to capture the table.

So there is my attempt.

And here is the photo for next week. Something a little different.

And Johanna from Odd Bird Planet is providing a prize this week!

One person randomly drawn from all who participate will win a $5 certificate towards anything from Odd Bird Planet. Take a look at all those yummy images and you'll be hooked!

So... if you want participate - just leave a comment on this post with a link to your card by the end of the day Monday, July 14. You can use any stamps, paper, embellishments, etc.


Oh - one last thing, I had a question on where to get my beloved duster brushes.

I sell them in the Paper Garden Projects store. You can see them HERE. Right now, I usually only ship within the US. But if you see something you want and need mailed internationally, just send me an E-mail and I'll see what I can work out for you.

Have a great Tuesday!

Garden Party for July 1

Its Garden Party Tuesday - where a magazine clipping plucked from the "Inspiration Shoebox" is used as the inspiration for a card.

Here is the picture posted last week ---->

I like the colors, although I don't know if I'd be gutsy enough to decorate my own home with them. (But I painted 2 giant trees on the walls of one DD's room - so who knows.)

And here is my card. It seems like I've been using flowers a lot lately, so I switched over to strawberries. The stamps are from Odd Bird Planet - Strawberry Pair and Berry Sweet.

I colored it with Copics and cut it out with my Nestibilities die. Then I inked the background with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and a duster brush while the cutting die was still in place to keep the cream edge. The matte is cut and embossed with a scalloped die.

The patterned paper is from the Basic Grey Blush collection. The bottom edge is punched with a Threading Water Punch.

So there is my attempt....

And here is the photo for next Tuesday. Hmmmm.... interesting. I guess we'll see...

If you'd like to play along, just post a comment here with a link to your creation and I'll include it in Tuesday's post.

Garden Party for June 24

Hi everyone! - its Garden Party Time again - where a magazine clipping from the "inspiration shoe box" is used to make a card.

Here is the photo from last week.

The colors are pretty subtle and it took me a long time to come up with something. I actually made 2 cards -but didn't care much for the first.

So here is the second one. With the subtle colors, I decided on a wedding congratulations theme and I mostly focused on the pillows.

I used a stamp from one of my favorite artists. The stamp is called Victorian Rose, from Impression Obsession. I embossed it using Ranger Gold pearl over Versamagic Magnolia bud ink.

I also embossed over a brass brad for the corner. Just ink it with Versamark, dip it in the embossing powder and heat it (use tweezers to hold it!). If you want more than one coat, just dip it again before it cools and reheat. Mine has 3 coats.

I had all the papers in my stash - Prism cardstock, and embossed vellum and a striped metallic gold.

So that was this week's attempt.

Here is the picture for next week. When I saw it, the first thing I thought of was the Basic Grey Blush collection (one of my favorites). So I may use some of that.

If you want to play along, just leave a comment here with a link to your card and I'll include it in next week's post.

Have a great evening everyone!

Garden Party for June 17

Tuesday - Garden Party Day - where a photo from the "Inspiration Shoebox" is plucked out and used to inspire a card.

Here is the photo from last week. -->

And look! Emilia decided to play along again. Yay! You can see her awesome card HERE. Too cute huh? And isn't it wonderful that someone all the way from Taiwan can stamp with someone here in Philadelphia PA. Love that.



For my card - I just focused on the pillows on the bed. I used Flora Ginormous from Odd Bird Planet to create the flowers. They are colored with my Copic Markers.

The texture on the back green panel is made with a Fiskars texture plate that I ran through my Wizard.

So there is my attempt....





And here is next week's photo. Hmmmm.... a little boring if you ask me. The "Inspiration Shoebox" is getting a little empty. I need to start clipping some more pictures - Help - send magazines! LOL.

Well, I'll give it a try. If you'd like to play along, just add a comment to this post with a link to your project and I'll include a link to your creation next week.

Garden Party for June 10

Its Tuesday once again (and good golly its been hot here). Tuesday is Garden Party Day - where a clipping from the "Inspiration Shoebox" becomes the basis for a card.

Here is the photo from last week -->

Its kind of busy but strangely I like the light blue and bright orange together. I don't think I'd ever put those together on my own.

I decided to zero in on the bird plate and use the blue and orange color combo.




So this is what I came up with.

I do like the brown bird on the blue background. The stamp set is Birds Galore from Inkadinkado. Its a great, versatile set and I find myself using it a lot when I need a quick card. You can find it in the Paper Garden Projects Store.

The background texture is done with a Fiskars Texture Plate in a Wizard. If you want to know how I made my diecut plate "sandwich" its here in this post.

I also like the color combo. But all in all, it came out a little bland. I think replacing the back blue circle with orange would help spice things up.

Its also pretty symmetrical. I generally like asymmetrical things better.

Edited to add:

Look! Emilia played along again!! You can see her awesome card HERE. Thanks so much Emilia!


Anyway - there is always next week. And here is next week's photo.

If you want to play along, just leave a link to your creation in a comment on this post. I'll be sure to showcase it next week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Garden Party for June 3

It can't be June already??? How is that possible?

But it is true. Time for the Garden Party for June 3 - where a magazine clipping snatched out of the "inspiration shoebox" becomes the basis for a card. Here is the photo from last week --->

And look!!

Emilia played along! Oh My! I'm thrilled about that! You can see her amazing card HERE. And while you are there - page through some of her other creations. What that woman can create with a stamp, a little watercolor and a craft knife just boggles my mind! Sigh.... to be so creative. She is a master with Odd Bird Planet stamps.




So here is my take in the inspiration photo. I focused on the alcove (wish I had the guts to do something like that). I decided to turn the alcove into a window on my card.

I cut the oval with my Wizard Nestibility die. I adhered the blue cardstock to my base card, then cut the window through both at the same time.

I stamped the branch from the Impression Obsession clear set Branches of a Tree. Then added the leaves and flowers from the same set. I really like this set! I can see using it in all seasons. You can see it HERE.

I used all Mementos inks (Sand, Angel Pink and New Sprout). I'm really loving these inks. (Aren't they pretty?) And if you are a Copic user - you gotta try them. They work so great! Never feather or bleed.

I added the strip at the bottom to mimic the furniture in the photo. I used a Fiskars texture plate through my Wizard to get the pattern. My "sandwich" to do this was - Wizard white plate, 3 pieces of scrap cardstock for a shim, Fiskars texture plate, my tan cardstock, the Wizard tan embossing matte, and the Wizard blue charm embossing plate.

I added the dotted ribbon - just cause...


So here is next week's photo... Lots of stuff here to choose from, but my eye keeps jumping to the bird plate.

If you'd like to play along, just leave a comment on this post with a link to your creation.

Garden Party for May 20

Its Tuesday - time for a Garden Party. Here is the clipping pulled out of the "Inspiration Shoebox" last week.

I really liked the black scroll work. And of course it has my new favorite color - green.















Here is my version.

I used my all time favorite background stamp - Swirl Background from Impression Obsession - to mimic the black scroll work on the wall.

And then I just went with the obvious - a green potted plant. I used the Art Impressions Watercolor Garden clear set to make the pot and the plant. I really love this technique for stamping. Its quick and easy - but I really like the effect. I'm really enjoying the new Memento dye inks. Great colors and very even coverage.

So that is my attempt..... A quick and simple one this week. Gotta tell you, the end of the school year is wiping me out. I think I'm spending half my time at one school or another.



Here is next week's picture - an easy one I think! If you'd like to play along, just leave a comment on this post with a link to your creation and I'll include you in the write-up next week.

Quick reminder that the "Gallon of Gas" shipping sale at Paper Garden Projects store ends tomorrow.

Garden Party for May 6

Its Tuesday - Garden Party day - where a magazine clipping pulled from the inspiration shoe box is used as the basis for a card.

Here is the inspiration photo from last week -->

I'm thrilled to say Michelle from Inspiration Blooms played along. You can see her card HERE. I love the way she captured the cabinet doors in the card, and I really like that Boxer paper. I think its my favorite of the new Basic Grey releases.

As for my attempt....
I think I put this photo in the box because I loved the red and because the room is calm and orderly and comfortable looking.

You see - if this were my house, the cushions and pillows would be arranged in a "fort", there would be stuffed animals jammed into the potted plant (because "that's where they live"), and the nice collection of canes would become "horses" for the girls to ride around the house on - neighing at the top of their lungs.

Just not quite as peaceful - trust me on this.


But there were no "in my face" design elements in the photo. So this is what I ended up with.

I took the red and tan color and I went with a nautical theme because of the boat on top of the cabinet and the fishing net. I used a large rectangular image because there were so many rectangles in the room.

I tried to capture the wicker chests with the cuttlebugged strip - I inked it with Vintage Photo distress ink to color it up a bit. I used the step punches in the corners to try to pull in the rectangle windows in the cabinet doors and the red pillows.

The lighthouse is one of the images from a cling set by Impression Obsession. I really like the collection of images in the set. I colored it with Copic markers.

So there is my attempt....


And here is the photo for next week..... hmmmm, a bunch of little squares. Maybe its time to try that "inchie" thing that's going around.