Hello friends and happy Friday!  I hope you have fun things planned for the weekend ahead.  I hope to be spending lots of time in my craft room as I have many projects to design for some upcoming deadlines!  I tried to accomplish some of them last weekend, but I have been feeling a little less than inspired lately, so. .  hello procrastination, party of one!   Now it's crunch time. . . 

Today I am sharing another slimline birthday card using the same Slimline Birthday Scallops die and Celebrate Word dies from Whimsy Stamps that I used yesterday, but this card has a whole different look!

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

The base of this slimline card is made from Basic Black cardstock.  Using the Five Frames Slimline die, I cut the frame initially from Neenah White Solar Smooth cardstock.  Then I cut the frame five more times in Lovely Lipstick cardstock,  Calypso Coral cardstock, Daffodil Delight cardstock, Granny Apple Green cardstock and finally Pacific Point cardstock.  I cut candles from each of the same color and adhered the candles directly to the background on a sheet of white cardstock.  I sprinkled about three tablespoons of rainbow colored sequins directly over the candles before I created the shaker frame.  I lined the back of the frame with a sheet of acetate and then lined over the acetate end-to-end wit foam adhesive before placing the frame over the candles and sequins. Press firmly to ensure all ends are sealed and that sequins cannot fall out.  Using the "celebrate" word dies, I cut the bold shadow from black cardstock and the thinner script word from silver glitter cardstock.  I adhere both layers together using a Lawn Fawn glue pen.  Then I adhered the entire word sentiment to the front of the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. 

Thank you for visiting and have a great weekend!

Today I am very excited to be sharing an awesome new slimline die from Whimsy Stamps called Slimline Stars Background Die.  I am already so in love with this fun die and my brain is just swirling with ideas!  I have made my card into a birthday theme by combining it with the Birthday Slimline Scallop dies, but if you scroll until the end of today's post, you can also see a variety of other ideas using this same Slimline Star background die from my fellow design team members.  I always find it so neat to say how multiple people use the same product!

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2".  Slimline cards are designed to fit inside a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage.  The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I die cut the Slimline Star frame from black cardstock and placed an 8" x 3" piece of gold glitter paper behind the frame before adhering both to the card base.  I die cut the candles multiple times from Melon Mambo cardstock, Basic Black cardstock, white cardstock and gold glitter cardstock before layering them all together in the center of the card.  For the sentiment, I die cut the shadow layer of the word "celebrate" from Melon Mambo cardstock and the skinny top layer from white cardstock.  I adhered both layers of the word together using a fine glue pen and and adhered the entire word itself to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the card I created using the new Slimline Stars background die.  Here are more samples using this same die from the Whimsy Stamps Design Team to help inspire you!

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

It's unofficially official - pumpkin spice season is practically here. . .  Don't shush me!  I know it's only August, but let's be real, the pharmacies and groceries stores have had Halloween candy on display since the 4th of July!  So. . . if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!  This past weekend, I pulled out my fall and Halloween stamps and I'm ready for rust hues and spooky boos.

Today's card features the "Darling Mum" stamp set by Richard Garay Designs.  This is a retiring stamp from the company, but it's so beautiful that I wanted to use it one last time before it goes into the retirement vault.  

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Crumb Cake cardstock.  Using the Scalloped Stitched Nesting Rectangle dies from Gina Marie Designs, I cut the background from Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I stamped the Darling Mum stamp set three times in Versamark ink on watercolor paper.  I heat embossed the image with gold embossing powder and then I colored the image using Spectrum Noir Sparkle Brush markers.  After the images dried, I fussy cut each flower out.  I stamped the sentiment in rust ink on white cardstock and used an oval punch to punch it out. I adhered the three mums to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  

Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Here is the slimline card I created inspired by the sketch:

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2."  Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage.  Newton's Nook is now selling Slimline Envelopes in a variety of colors designed to fit your slimline cards!  The base of this card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I created a frame also from white cardstock using the Slimline Portholes Die.  I ink blended the background in Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide ink.  I layered the Sunscape Stencil over the yellow sky (to the left) and ink blended Honey Oxide ink to create a sun scene.  I die cut the waves from Bermuda Bay cardstock and blue glitter paper using the Shark Bites Die set.  Using the Shark Bites stamp set, I stamped three of the sharks in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock.  I colored the sharks using Copic markers and then I die cut them using the coordinating Shark Bites dies.  I stamped the waves and schools of fish in Bermuda Bay ink on the die cut wave paper.  I adhered the three sharks to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I stamped the sentiment in the upper right corner using Memento Tuxedo black ink.  

Welcome August and a new release at Whimsy Stamps!  Before I get to today's "Happy Hamster's" card, let me tell you a sad little story about a not-so-happy hamster. . . the pet one I had when I was around 10 or 12 years old.  My poor little guy (or girl, maybe?  How do we even know the gender of a hamster?!) tragically died by choking on a piece of broccoli that I didn't cut small enough for him. Yup, I am a ruthless hamster
​ murderess. . . It's untimely death still haunts me to this day, so I wasn't sure to laugh or cry when I received this new stamp set from Whimsy!  Also, I'm pretty sure that I have always thought the word was "hamPster", so here's to learning something new today!

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

The base of this slimline card is made from Neenah Solar White 80 lb cardstock.  Using the new Birthday Slimline dies, I cut the frame from Crumb Cake cardstock.  I created an ink blended background on a 8" x 3" piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock.  I blended Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide ink on the top 1/3 of the card, Broken China Distress Oxide ink in the middle and Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide ink on the lower 1/3 of the card.  I then spritzed the cardstock with water to develop those ink splotches.  I stamped the sentiment in the upper right corner in Bermuda Bay ink.  

I stamped the hamster images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on a piece of Neenah Solar White smooth cardstock.  I colored the images with Copic markers and then die cut them using the coordinating "Happy Hamsters" dies.  I adhered the die cut images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the images for added sparkle. 

Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello readers and welcome back from the weekend!  I hope you found a little time to do something crafty.  Today we have a new challenge to share with you at Newton's Nook Inky Paws Challenge. Challenge #129 is a slimline sketch challenge.  Using the sketch shown in the image below, share with us YOUR creations!

Here is the slimline card I created inspired by this sketch:

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post. 

This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2". Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and do not require additional postage.  The base of this slimline card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. Using the Slimline Frames die, I cut the base from Crumb Cake cardstock.  I lined the scalloped frame with an 8" x 2 3/4" piece of white cardstock.  Using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, I randomly stamped ants from the Woodland Picnic stamp on the white cardstock.  I die cut three circles from red gingham paper and centered these on the card.  Using the same Woodland Picnic stamp set, I stamped the animal images in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock.  I colored them using Copic markers and die cut them using the coordinating Woodland Picnic dies.  I then adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  I stamped the sentiment in Memento Black ink on a thin strip of white cardstock and notched both ends before adhering over the center gingham circle.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to many of the images for added sparkle.  

It's another fun "Bizzy Bees" card!  The latest hugely popular stamp set from Whimsy Stamps is back again today for another slimline card.  Not only is the "Bizzy Bees" stamp set super cute, it's coordinating "Bizzy Bees" paper pack is perfectly matched!

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

This slimline card measures 8 1/2" x 3 1/2".  Slimline cards are designed to fit into a regular #10 business sized envelope and require no additional postage.  The base of this slimline card is made from Basic Black cardstock.  Using the Slimline Card Builder Die, I cut the stitched mat from white cardstock.  I splattered some yellow ink all over this white background before adhering it to the card base.  Using the Hexagon dies, I die cut three pieces of pink paper from the "Bizzy Bees" paper pack and adhered them to the card lined up through the center of the card.  I stamped the bees in Memento Tuxedo black ink on white cardstock and colored them with Copic markers.  I then used my Brother Scan and Cut 2 Electronic Cutting machine to cut the images (in lieu of fussy cutting).  After cutting the images I adhered them to the card using 3M foam adhesive.  I stamped the sentiments in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on strips of white cardstock and adhered them beside the bees.  Lastly, I added a coat of clear Wink of Stella to the bees for added sparkle.  

If you missed the first card I created using this same "Bizzy Bees" stamp set, please click
here to see that rainbow creation! 
​​Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

Hello friends!  It's another exciting new release of products at Whimsy Stamps and I have a fun card to show you using the new Slimline Connected Bubbles die.  Did you know that Whimsy Stamps is actually the innovator of the slimline dies and has more than 10 dies to choose from with more on the way?  That's right, slimline dies all started with Whimsy and many other companies have followed this hugely popular card trend! 

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

The base of this slimline card is made from Coastal Cabana cardstock.  I cut a 8 1/4" x 3 1/4" piece of Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock for the mat.  I randomly stamped ink splatters in both Coastal Cabana ink and Daffodil Delight ink on this white background.  Using the new Slimline Connected Bubbles die, I cut the bubbles from Coastal Cabana cardstock and adhere this to the center of the card.  Using the Best Fishes stamp set, I stamped the fish in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock. I colored the fish using Copic markers and then used my Brother Scan and Cut 2 electronic cutting machine to cut the fish out (in lieu of fussy cutting).  I adhered the fish randomly to the card using 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  I stamped the sentiment "Best Fishes" in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on a strip of white cardstock, notched the left end and adhered it to the lower right hand side of the card with 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I added a coat of Clear Wink of Stella to the fish for added sparkle.  

I hope you have enjoyed this fun card!  To see more of the latest release products from
Whimsy Stamps, please click here.  
​
​Thanks for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!

I don't talk about it much, but every now and then I'll struggle with a stamp set or a card, and when I struggle, I reeeeeally struggle!  Sometimes I'll take a break and come back around to it. . . or not.  On the really bad days, I'll proclaim myself the world's worst cardmaker (EVER!) and throw a self-loathing, peanut M&M eating, pity party for one.  This new Birch Frame stamp set by Whimsy Stamps was one of those stamp sets that challenged me.  It's a beautiful stamp set, but not particularly "my style."  I'm not even showing you the first two cards I created using this set that I promptly declared "disastrously hideous" (which is like a bajillion times more hideous than hideous) and threw in the rubbish.  BTW, "rubbish" sounds way better than "trash" or "garbage."  So, no worries, these two cards actually went to a happy place! ; )

This time, instead of that M & M eating, self -loathing pity party for one, and before I threw in the proverbial towel, I decided to try this stamp set one more time with a more optimistic outlook and was able to create a card that is actually quite pretty.  I'm not saying it didn't take me 4-plus hours, but it's also not "disastrously hideous," so that's a craft win in my book!

*A full supply list is located at the end of this post.

The base of this A2 sized card is made from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock. I stamped the Birch Frame on a piece of white carsdtock and colored it using Copic markers.  I then fussy cut the entire frame out.  I stamped the sentiment from the Beaucoup Bouquet stamp set in  Merry Merlot ink.  On a 4 1/4" x 3" piece of Crumb Cake cardstock, I stamped the Leaves background stamp in Versamark ink.  I heat embossed the leaves in white embossing powder.  I matted this leaf embossed piece onto a piece of Merry Merlot cardstock before adhering both layers to the bottom of the card.  I then adhered the Birch Frame to the center of the card popped up on 3M foam adhesive for added dimension.  

I know I'm not alone in my crafting challenges.  Tell me all about yours in the comments below!

Today I'm taking a break from the slimline cards and sharing two sweet A2 size cards featuring the beautiful  "Soul Sisters" stamp set from the July new product release at Whimsy Stamps.  Initially I didn't think I would like this stamp set as much as I do, but when I combined it with the Arched Window Die (also from Whimsy Stamps) and a stenciled Distress Oxide ink background, these really came out quite eye catching!

*A full list of supplies is located at the end of this post.

Please note, both of these cards were made the same way, simply using different color combinations.  The base of these two A2 sized cards were created from Neenah Solar White Smooth cardstock.  I placed a 4 1/4" x 1 1/2 piece of Early Espresso cardstock as the floor or window seat of the card.  I cut the Arched Window die from white cardstock.  I cut a piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock the same size as the Arched Window to stencil on.  First, I ink blended Broken China Distress Oxide ink onto the cardstock.  Then I laid the Star Galaxy Stencil on top and added more Distress Oxide ink in Chipped Sapphire.  I put the ink blended background behind the white Arched Frame and adhered both to the center of the card.  I stamped the images in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on white cardstock and colored them using Copic markers.  I used my Brother Scan and Cut 2 Electronic Cutting machine to cut the images out (in lieu of fussy cutting them).  I adhered the images to the card using 3M foam adhesive.  Lastly, I stamped the sentiments in Memento Tuxedo black ink on strips of white cardstock and adhered them to the tops and bottoms of each card.  

I hope you have enjoyed these dreamy cards. Thank you for visiting and have a wonderfully creative day!