Monday, July 9, 2012

Inspiration Hop, Day 1: Pretty Patterns and Grand Tags

Good morning and happy Monday! Welcome to our first day of Gina K Designs Inspiration Hops with the design team! As you hop through the blogs, make sure to leave a comment on each of them, because we will choose a few random comments, and those stampers will each win a grab bag of deeply etched, pre-cut Gina K. Designs stamps! To see the full list of winners check the Big News forum at Stamp TV a couple of days after the hops.
First up we have my new Pretty Patterns. I got more samples made with this set in one sitting than I have with any other of my sets in quite awhile, these just go so quickly and can provide so many looks, it's easy to get started creating, and then want to re-create one in every color! :) I've already uploaded several samples using all of the different borders in the set to the StampTV gallery, which you can see here, but today I wanted to show you a one layer card using just the chevron to create a beautiful ombre.
First stamp the chevron three times in Versamark on white cardstock, leaving space above and below for the greetings. Emboss with clear EP. Just this look by itself I love, like dry embossing, very elegant for single layer white cards!
Next, ink up your jumbo dauber in Memento Dandelion and start sponging over the embossed chevron concentrating the ink near he bottom fading out toward the top.
Now do the same with just Cantaloupe near the bottom to deepen the bottom half.
Last sponge Tangelo onto just the bottom third. Isn't that build of color to the top and resist of the chevron print lovely?
Finally, add your greetings in Tangelo above and Tuxedo Black below. These sentiments are from the new Assorted Greetings and we will sharing more projects with this set on Wednesday) In these colors, the sentiments really pop and I love having this "...go above and beyond" ABOVE these mountains in the chevron, like arrows pointing upward, as well as the gradual change in color, like cream rising to the top, being at the pinnacle, blah blah! :) (I know I think about some of these things too much!!)
Next up we have Tami Mayberry's Grand Tags, perfect for music lovers with the grand piano theme and containing two large labels which fit the Spellbinders Labels 22 Nestabilities set, plus lots of truly "grand" greetings! (My mom will love cards made with these!)
I also stamped the lines and circles border from Pretty Patterns in gray to suggest a whimsical staff, (which also coordinates nicely with the art deco feel of this tag image) and two-step stamped the large black solid circles from the Pretty Patterns set in at random plus a few rhinestones for sparkle. Cardstock is Pure Luxury Black Onyx and White. Inks are Memento Tuxedo Black and London Fog, and ribbon is Pure Luxury Polka Dotted Black. I notched out the corners of white mat with a pair of scissor to match the die cut label, snipping two rectangles into each since I couldn't find my corner punch...I stamped the label again and popped up just the front portion of the piano, cutting off the propped up lid, to give more dimension to this part of the image. I added one little adhesive rhinestone and filled in the stripes with a gray Copic. Great set, Tami! :)
http://api.ning.com/files/PsJxvi-*WJtrsT8RMY93fpIX*ncOBPlXz5QBCUxIXw9lMw1MGgzt4vrNGAam-p1JqkZyVNAlmVXhVeAhfA1Vybw7eMoRx8s-/Designteambutton.gif
Please check out the rest of our fabulous team for more ideas and inspiration:

82 comments:

  1. Ooooh, love that glowing chevon card! Beautiful samples!

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  2. fabulous cards. love how you inked the first and the genius way u added the "whimsical staff" to the second! Awesome chica!

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  3. Your chevron card looks amazing! Great use of that stamp set! Love it!

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  4. Thank you for reminding me about the technique for the first card, fun fun fun!!! Great design on the second!!

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  5. Love the cards, and new stamps are
    great, thanks for sharing.

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  6. Never considered using my design stamps as resists and creating my own bkgd. Thanks. I LOVE this set of stamps!

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  7. Really like the tchnique on the vard.

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  8. I love learning new techniques from you. I will have to try this one. Your card is beautiful.

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  9. VERY nice tutorial!! Love how you popped up the piano too!

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  10. Wonderful cards using these new stamps--love the chevron and the grand piano.

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  11. Great job! Thanks for the tute too!

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  12. Just love your set!!!Thank you for the tutorial! I've started saving to get the set =)

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  13. Love your stamp set and know it is a must have. Wow, what fabulous cards!!!

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  14. I LOVE the color gradation on the chevron card. Your Pretty Patterns set is becoming one of my new favorites!

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  15. Melanie :
    i tried to leave a note but i done something and i lost it..
    i love the coloring of a card like this one, hope to try it soon..
    verna garrison

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  16. wonderful cards! saving to get the patterns set! love how it fades to brighter color. thanks for the tutorial I aways am able to try it for myself.

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  17. Terrific new set with some many wonderful patterns. I love the summery, airy feeling of your chevron card!!

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  18. Beautiful! Love both cards! These stamp sets will be very versatile.

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  19. Great cards Melanie! I certainly am going to try the chevron one asap! Thanks!

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  20. I really like how you used both sets on th black and white card.

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  21. omg, so love that chevron card! It looks like its glowing for sure! And love the dots with the classy piano!

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  22. Your set is so cool! You really showcased both sets beautifully! Love the gradual color effect.

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  23. Your cards are gorgeous and as a owner of the new Pretty Patterns set I must tell you I love it. There has not been much time to play with them though with the garden and other summer actitities going on, but I can already tell it will be a well used set for me. Thanks so much for the nice samples you created with these sets too.

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  24. beautiful cards and I LOVE your design set. I can see so many uses!

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  25. Wonderful cards Mel, I love how you combined the stamps with the piano, and love the embossing.

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  26. I really like the black and white cards with the designs on them. Very posh!

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  27. What a great idea to emboss with these. These would make great background stamps.

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  28. Great use of both sets in the card with the grand piano, very classy.

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  29. Love how you embossed and sponged the chevron pattern Gorgeous!

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  30. WOW! love the color dynamics of the thank you card. Piano card also has a nice twist.
    hugz, Dottie

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  31. very pretty chevron pattern. Great job.

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  32. I love this new set! At first I wasn't sure, but the more samples I see, the more I love it! That chevron card is superb!

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  33. Cool cards! Thanks for sharing the technique. Love this new stamp set you've created! Can't wait to get one!

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  34. Your new set rocks! So many possibilities for CAS and not so CAS cards.

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  35. The more samples I see with the Pretty Patterns set, the less intimidating! Thank you :)

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  36. Beautiful cards! And thanks for the chevron instructions - that will be so versatile!

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  37. Gorgeous cards! Love the background you created on the first one and the second one is just so eye catching with the circles and lines under the main image.

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  38. Cute cards. Love the new sets!! Love your "ombre"

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  39. Pretty colors and effect in the first card. The black and white card looks so elegant.

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  40. Your Pretty Patterns set is something to get excited about. Love it!!! Beautiful cards, as always.

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  41. Beautiful cards, love the bright chevron card, and your set combined with Tami's is so classy, your new set is giving me so many ideas, can't wait for my order to arrive :-)

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  42. Nice cards and the chevron is really great, love it.

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  43. Way to use your images!! LOVE IT!

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  44. Who knew yellow could pop like that? Love the design stamps!

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  45. Absolutely love the chevrons that card is so beautiful

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  46. love the bright colors.....love the black and white. pretty!

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  47. Really pretty. I love the ombre yellow.

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  48. Wow, love your new set! The chevron card is so cool. It's easy to see why you would want to make one in every color! I love what you did with Tami's set, only popping up a portion of the piano. It makes perfect sense, but I'm not sure I would have come to that conclusion all by myself!

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  49. Melanie, I love your new stamp set and all the possibilities. You are an inspiration!

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  50. Your new set Pretty Patterns is definitely on my immediate wish list. Love the chevron card.

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  51. Very cool chevrons. I also love the black and white.

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  52. Loving this new set, the chevrons in particular. Love that you can make a pretty quick card or use them to create dp

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  53. Nice cards. Thanks for the tutorials

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  54. Great new sets and some fab ideas for using the stamps!

    Carol B
    ciaoitalia2007(at)gmail(dot)com

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  55. Fantastic cards! Love how you did the ink on the first.

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  56. I love making my own backgrounds and your new set has so much to offer. Great tech on your card - tfs. Very cute how you combined the lines and circles with the Grand Piano card, too.

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  57. OH, my. LOVE what you did with that simple pattern by repeating it in clear EP and then doing the coloring of inks. How easy could that be, yet soooo elegant.

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  58. Love the graduated colors. Great idea!

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  59. Love your set! and really love the cards. Been really getting into making backgrounds recently.

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  60. Your card is lovely - as is your new stamp set. It is on my "must have" list.

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  61. Fun! This reminds me of crocheting with the ombre threads. :)
    S. Carter

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  62. Aloha, Melanie,
    Woo those patterns are stunners! So simple and yet look at the results. Your chevron looks like the sunset behind it! And your piano, like tole paper layering, is just elegant!!! Congratulations on another super set!!!

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  63. Love, love, love this chevron pattern. Amazing how you did the front of this card.

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  64. I love the chevron how it goes from dark and fades to light. Your second card is nice how you combined your set with Tami's set and how you popped the grand piano.

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  65. hahaha I would have made that card all backwards! Love the gradiant of color.....well done!

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  66. Love the Pretty Patterns set. Just might have to invest in that one.

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  67. I can tell the chevron stamp is going to be lots of fun. Super bright card.Popping up the piano in the second card was genius. Thanks, Melanie.

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  68. love how you did the emboss resist- so fun!! great colors too!

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  69. I loved all of these . Great thinking girl..

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  70. These are all incredible, fun and versatile

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  71. Your patterns stamp set is a must have, love it!!!

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  72. What a great technique! Thanks for the tutorial. I also love how you combined the Grand Tags and Pretty Patterns.

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  73. Great resist technique with your darling new set, Mel -- so striking!

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  74. Wow! Both your cards are spectacular! Thanks for showing us how you made the background.

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  75. I just love Pretty papers especially the the cross within a cross with a cross one as it has a Southwestern ring to it. But I really like them all as they can be used in so many ways :o)

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