Saturday, May 31, 2014

Video: Crafting with Stamped Feathers


In today's video, I'll show you how to create a simple collage style background and create realistic embellishments using the feather in my Stampers Favorites set from Gina K. Designs. This card is perfect for Father's Day, graduation. or anytime you want a natural, neutral look for an any occasion card. The entire video is top view, which many of you have requested. 


 Color palette and card were inspired by a StampTV challenge to use three shades of brown on card, just reading that challenge got me going, so I encourage to you to play along with the challenges and incorporate them in your designs! They really help you grow as an artist and cardmaker.


Supplies:
Gina K. Designs Stampers Favorites, Timeless Textures
Gina K. Back Onyx, Kraft, Moonlit Fog, Dark Chocolate, White ink pads
Gina K. Pure Luxury White, Moonlit Fog, Dark Chocolate cardstock
Kraft button, raffia, scissors, water brush, pop dots, adhesive

Measurements:
White card base- 4 ¼" x 11 ", scored at 5 1/2"
White mat- 3 3/4" x 5 1/8"
Dark chocolate mat- 3 7/8" x 5 ¼"

Have a great day!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

Sweet Hello with Spectrum Noir


Hello!  Here is a card I made with Spectrum Noir markers and Stately Flowers.  Love this poppy image in blue!  Patterned papers are from the GKD Journey of the Heart pack.  Cardstock and ribbon are Pure Luxury. I sponged the Rectangle die cut with Sweet Corn ink.  Flowers paired with script patterned paper always feels so romantic!


Supplies: Gina K Designs Stately Flowers
Gina K. Pure Luxury White cardstock and Journey of the Heart patterned paper pack
Gina K. Black Onyx and Sweet Corn ink pads
Spectrum Noir Yellow(GB5), Green (DG3, DG4) and Blue (TB1, TB3, TB 5) Assortments
Scissors, sponge dauber, die cutting machine, Spellbinders Large Labels die


Coordinating Copic colors: Y35, B12, B23, B29, G99, G28

 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

My Book: Special Price, Plus Video from the Archives

If you have not yet picked up my book Fabuous Stamped Frames, it is now being offered at Annie's for only 4.95!  That is a steal for 36 card projects, all featuring different techniques, styles, layouts, color palettes, occasions, plus tips to help making stamping with these frames and cardmaking easy, fun and successful.  Don't wait because once they are gone, they are gone!  I guarantee you will see me using the stamps from my frame series on its pages in ways you have not here on my blog.


At this price, it would also make great gift for a stampy friend. :)


Also, if you didn't see it last year, here is a video again I did using the Inspiration Mosaic stamp set.  I use Stately Flowers 6 here, but any other set from the Stately series (or images from *any* set for that matter!) will work with this spotlighting technique.
(Forgive me that this photo is a bit pixelated, I can't find my original!)

Monday, May 19, 2014

You've Got the Stuff


Hi everyone!  I hope you had a good weekend!

A quick post to encourage all of you to enter the StampTVguest designer challenge for June!  There are only two challenges you need to do, and the first one is ending this Sunday!  
Here is the thread to read about the challenge.   
Winners will receive the stamp sets for our next release before anyone else
and I know you are going to LOVE what I have for you next month!  
"A Must Have" for your stamp collection!

I wanna see, like, 700 entries, one for each of you, okay? :) 
You have the time, and the talent.  I know it!  Rock it out!!!

Friday, May 16, 2014

Video: CAS Patternmaking and Making it Work


Hello!  A simple Father's Day card today for your dad! One color ink, 2 colors cardstock and two stamp sets are all you need.  But there's a little more here than meets the eye...



I also wanted to share a few tips in case you misplace a letter.*  Just keeping it real, it happens!  (first, check the bottoms of your embellishments jars, that is often the concealer in my case)  Many of the lowercase letters in Lots of Letters work double duty for another one, clear stamps make this really easy to modify with your markers or pads.  Simply lay the letter over the edge or corner of the pad so they part you want to omit its not touching, you will see the letter you want appear when pressed into the ink.  Be sure you start with a very clean dry stamp first so you don't have any extra ink on the parts you want to omit when you stamp.  Markers allow you to have a little more precision if that is difficult for you or even allow you to omit the inside (and make an e into a c, don't try that with a pad) ;)

Below has some suggestion for letters that can be made when you omit part of one of the letters following the "=".  For example:

a=  d, b, g (which are the same as p and q)
c=d
n= m, h
i= j, !
l=k or 1
o= a, b,d
n= m, h
r= n, m, h
t=f
u=n (inverted)
v= w, y
w= v (stamped twice)

 That's a lot of letters! :) (pardon the pun)

Any you see that I missed?  There are a couple others, too, that would also work for the ones I have already listed (if you have also misplaced the substitutes!**)  but these are the best matches.

Have a great weekend!

*I realize some of you are very organized and never lose anything. This is for those of you to share with a friend who isn't, and for those of you who *often* do!

**  Sorry, friend, that means it really is time to just clean your desk.

Thursday, May 15, 2014

How Dashing!



Just playing around with some ways to use the dashed line from my new Lots of Letters 2 set to create borders, patterns, as well as  a frame for your images as you see above! I spelled out THANKS in the lower right corner of my mat first, then stamped the dashes around it on all four sides.  Isn't that fun and versatile?  Next I stamped some flowers and leaves.  Buttons and brads fit perfectly in the two different flower sizes!  Cardstock is Pure Luxury Sweet Corn, Blue Raspberry and White ink is Grass Green, Blue raspberry, Sweet Mango and Tomato Soup.  The one popped up flower is a piece from my new free Silhouette cut file for this set.

It's almost Friday!

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Just Keep Swimming

Here is another quick card I made with Lots of Letters 2 and Lot of Letters.  Cut the banner strip and small star with your Silhouette Cameo and cutfile, and then stamp the Lots of Letters 2 triangle border in Grass Green and star in Blue Raspberry.  Add letters from Lots of Letters set in black (that set has all the numbers!)  Layer over these fun summery papers from the GKD Fishy Fiesta patterned pack.  Add red twine.  Base is GKD Blue Raspberry.

ARE YOU READY FOR SUMMER?


Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Supah Cute Cut File



Here is a sample I made with my new Lots of Letters 2 cut file!  How simple it was to cut this border with the Silhouette, then stamp on the matching flower border in GKD Red Hot.  Place it on your card where you want it (don't you love it vertically like this?) and stamp the lowercase letters from Lots of Letters inside each of the windows in GKD Warm Cocoa.  Remove the cut border and then add the patterned paper (GKD Journey of the Heart, super cute with these stamp sets!) and strip of Red Hot (cut with scalloped scissors) to one side.  Use foam squares to pop up the border over the letters and add some of the cut file's leaves, stamped with the Lots of Letters 2 leaves in Grass Green.  Last I added some sequins in between the flowers for sparkle.  Base is GKD Innocent Pink.

Tip:  When you peel your cut pieces off the mat, there will be a lot of circles left over from the negative parts of the border strips.  These are perfect for stamping letters into and popping up onto your cards, or popping up OVER the borders to add another layer of dimension. So be sure to save those for later. :)
Have a terrific day!  (you cutie)

Monday, May 12, 2014

And One in Red, Please...


Good morning and happy Monday!

I hope you all had a nice weekend celebrating the moms in your life!

I wanted to share the card I made *before* the yellow one in my newest video (click this link if you have not yet watched), and them realized I'd already shown a red and black card with this set in a video!  So, I just substituted the Sweet Corn for the white and red.  Ink and cardstock here is Gina K. Red Hot, stamp sets are Lots of Letters (elements for flower centers) and Lots of Letters 2, plus the daisy form the one of the new Incentive Duos, Especially for You.  I really like how both cards turned out, and how quickly I was able to make them. This might go into my arsenal of quick designs in a pinch.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Video: Hopeful Daisies with Lots of Letters 2


Hello! I got inspired when I received my Gina K. order of cardstock (more white, woo hoo!) which also included the new Incentive duos you get free with qualifying orders this month.  I love the daisy* and thought it would be fun to show you how to use the different circles accents found in both Lots of Letters sets and the letters to make a cheerful design like the one above.  It's very easy to mix the simpler graphic elements with more detailed line art in this way and blend like they were made fro each other. (I actually ended up using a different circle than you see in the photo)  The dashed line in Lots of Letters 2 is perfect as faux stitching to add a sewn, homespun touch.  Please enjoy!



Supplies used:
Gina K. Designs Lots of Letters, Lots of Letters 2 and new incentive duo
Gina K. Pure Luxury White, Black Onyx and Sweet Corn
Gina K. Black Onyx and Kraft premium dye ink pads
5/8 black gingham, 3/4" circle punch, foam squares, glue dots, Gina K. Kraft button

Incentive Stamps

 By the way, I have gained almost 700 new subscribers in the past 3 months since Gina started sharing them on StampTV! Wowee!  Thanks so much for your support  :D

*If you don't have this stamp or already placed your order, the daisy in A Year of Flowers or A Year of Flowers 2 would be great substitutes for recreating this design.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

On the Cover and Back in Stock!


I was thrilled to see A Year of Flowers 2 is back in stock, as I have a project in the latest issue of CardMaker on the cover! (Guess which) ;) I simply loved how this cascading bouquet came out (and how quickly it came together, just a couple markers and folds for this one and a black ink pad ) and I am delighted and honored that CardMaker chose to feature it so prominently!

 Additionally, this project is also featured free project in the current CardMaker Newsletter!  Use that link for a free download of all the instructions and measurements you need to mke this spring/summer card.  Hope it inspires!

Have a GREAT day!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Sweet Baby: LOL2 Patternmaking



Sweet single layer baby card with Lots of Letters 2, I just love gray with pink and white! One set, one color cardstock and two pads only! I couldn't decide if this is one I should do a video for, since I have already shared another card stamping this border. (Thoughts?  Self explantory?)  It's an easy single layer design that is accented by the dashed line from the set like faux stitching. Ink looks subtle on the pastel card stock for a soft look, but really pops on the brighter ones. I stamped my flowers first, added the two step elements like the dotted ring to the centers and the small flowers and dots in between next, and finally the stitching.  It works out perfectly to have a space at one end of the card when you stamp three borders so you can create a vertical greeting with the letters off to the side. 

TIP:  For a vertical greeting, spend a few seconds looking at the space to make sure you'll have room for the number of letters in your greeting, and then work your way UP form the bottom, finishing with the first letter, so you don't end up having a big gap down below.  If you prefer to stamp form the top, and do have extra space that needs filler, keep stamping the letters the same distance apart to be consistent but then add a button or one of the small stamp elements.

Supplies:
Gina K. Designs Lots of Letters 2
Gina K. White and Moonlit Fog ink pads
Pure Luxury Innocent Pink cardstock

Monday, May 5, 2014

Happy Happy Happy



Good morning! I hope you had a great weekend! Be sure to watch my video with some tips for the triangles from Lots of Letters 2 in the post below if you have not done so already.  Gina will be featuring it today on StampTV. Here is another sample I made as a warm up when my set first arrived to show you how to make pennant banners. Be sure to use the line as a guide like I showed in the video rather than trying to bend the border!*   TIP:  Since you are doing multiples of the same word on this design, remember to stamp out the H on all banners before peeling off and switching to the A.  :)  Here I added my letters to the triangles and then added bakers twine with a little Mono Multi adhesive to make the pennants look strung. 
Isn't it amazing how different these triangles can look depending on the orientation and colors, contrasting this with the Dad's Day card I shared with my tip sheet and the harlequin pattern in today's video.  (I am just getting started with what these babies can do, too!) This design is a little bright for me, but festive and just right for a kid's birthday.  TIP: The small elements like the circle and star here would also stamp up some quick matching gift wrap on white paper or plain gift bag.   Now that Lots of Letters (with the lower case) is back in stock, I will be showing a fun  mash up of the caps and lower case together in my next video!

Anything else you'd like to see?  Happy Monday!

Supplies:
Gina K. Designs Lots of Letters 2
Gina K. Sweet Mango, Turquoise Sea, Passionate Pink, Grass Green and Black Onyx ink pads
Pure Luxury White and Turquoise Sea cardstock
Twine, pop dots

3 3/4” x 5” white mat

* I appreciate all the supportive messages I received thanking me for sharing my goof and being a cautionary tale for the rest of you. ;)

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Video: Elegant Harlequin and Triangle Tips for Lots of Letters 2


Hello, hope your weekend is off to a great start!  Here is my latest video, posting a few days early for all my readers. :)  Here I show how to use the triangle border from Lots of Letters 2 to quickly create an elegant harlequin background, perfect for masculine and feminine projects, and always lovely with floral images (rose and sentiments for this project are from my Stately Flowers 6 set, great time to get it as it includes images and greetings for both Mother's Day and Father's Day.). No individual letters on this stamped project today, as they are just one small part of this very versatile set of elements!   Included in this “how to” video is also a big how NOT TO (don’t try trimming the base of your clear stamps for any reason, you'll see!), as well as some other triangle tips, so please be sure to watch it in its entirety!  Please enjoy!

 Supplies used:
Gina K. Designs Stately Flowers 6 and Lots of Letters 2
Gina K. Pure Luxury Innocent ink , Black Onyx and White cardstock
Copics R22, RV42, R05, G85, G24
Spellbinders Timeless Rectangles dies, Foam squares, adhesive pearls