Friday, March 9, 2012

Inspiration Hop, Day 1: Wild Flowers and Masculine Tags



The Design Team for Gina K. Designs welcomes you to another fabulous Inspiration Blog Hop!!! Gina and the Design Team will inspire you with many beautiful ideas! And as you hop through their 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 today, we have my new "Wild Flowers" set, a bold two step stamping set that coordinates with the popular previously released "Wild at Heart" frame set. I am so excited to have these additions, with new greetings and some matching butterflies. Stylized bold flowers are so great for a multitude of stamping techniques and making quick cards with beautiful bursts of color!

Perfect for the rock and roll technique Gina shared recently on StampTV using your ink pads, today I'm getting out my water-based Memento markers for some direct to stamp coloring! TIP: Scribble on your lightest color first, and then add your darker colors so as not to dirty up the tip of a light colored marker. Once you have all the colors where you want them and image fully inked, huff on it to moisten the ink and stamp. You will love building simple or fuller arrangements with all the different leaves and buds!Several people commented yesterday they liked how I "double-stamped" the flowers on the panels, but actually, I just stamped these on a flat panel of white CS, then die cut with my Spellbinders Labels 24 to give the greeting more impact and add more interest to the layout! TIP: I offset it just the tiniest bit so you'd have a little more of the black peeking through, rather than just the added dimension of the pop dots. Card base is Pure Luxury Innocent Pink.

Next, I want to show you fast you can build a field of flowers! Here are five different images from the set placed on the long rectangle block , inked up and ready to go, this block is a must have!
Stamp just once!Bam!
Now add your leaves and stems! I'll be back with the finished embellished sample later! :)


Finally, my last sample shows another quick card pairing this set with "Wild at Heart". First I stamped the frame in Old Paper Distressing Ink on White CS (if you see hints of pink red, sorry, I guess I didn't clean my stamp very well from the previous use, oops! This ink is not pink at all!)

Next I inked up my flowers one by one with Memento Sweet Plum and Grape Jelly on the petals and Rich Cocoa in the centers. I didn't bother with a stamp positioner, the die cut images make it so easy to eyeball and if they are slightly offset you get a tiny white reveal that gives it a more whimsical look.

Finish with the other flowers and stamp a sentiment in the lower corner. Originally, I intended for this to be a single layer card on Pure Luxury (which is why you see that large white border) but after using the purple shades I decided to kick it up by including one of the new Pure Luxury Parisian Garden patterned papers around the border, these patterns all look so terrific with my new flowers!

The finished card is just three layers (and only one color cardstock-white!), but the two step stamping and border around the frame make it look like so much more! Lots of fun tutorials coming up with this set, so please check back! Hope you love the new set as much as I do and enjoy using it with "Wild at Heart"!

And now for something completely different! I started to make a tag for a card with Tami Mayberry's new "Masculine Tags" set when I noticed how cool one of thee labels would be...
on a frosty beverage!! Father's Day is not too far off, plus birthdays of a couple men in my life!

I stamped the labels onto Gina K's waterproof labels and then cut them out with the Labels 22 and Grand Calibur.

Soak the labels off the bottles you'll be using before adhering your custom labels.

Full disclosure, I WILL say soaking the labels off a beer bottle was much more difficult than soaking off a wine label, gotta scrub scrub scrub (different glue, I guess) just sayin'! It IS worth doing for one bottle, but for a whole six pack or more, I would probably create a paper wrap/sleeve to go around each covering the original label and then adhere my new one on top, that would look great too and be much easier! Label is colored with Copics.

This is an* adult beverage* but would be super cute on soda bottles for a birthday or slumber party! Wouldn't these be so fun on a big wash tub tub full of root beers or colored in PINK for girls night?! (hmm, my birthday is coming up...!) As you can see, these two particular greetings are gender neutral, for the "rock star" in all of us! Hope this project inspires, so many picnic and outdoor events to look forward to with spring and summer on the way!

Check out all the amazing designs and inspiration:

Have a great weekend! Fun stuff coming up this weekend and inspiration hops resume on Monday! See you soon!

100 comments:

  1. I love all the designs you have created! My favorite is the layered look flowers. Thank you for the inspiration!

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  2. Ahhhh.....so beautiful! Thanks for a great start to my morning :) The first card is my favorite today...my DD could certainly use that right now. DH of less than a month deployed, ginormous shake-up at her workplace (1/3 of employees let go)just to name a couple! Thanks for sharing!!!

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  3. Wonderful projects. I love your tip about the flowers. Great look. I also like your label for the "adult beverage". Cute idea.

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  4. Gorgeous! Love the stamps and projects!

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  5. Beautiful cards and the idea for the labels is fantastic!

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  6. WOW! That is an awesome stamp set! And what you did with them is simply amazing!

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  7. no one does flowers like you :) Beautiful projects as always!

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  8. Those flowers are gorgeous! And how fun is that bottle label?! Great projects :)

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  9. Mel, your cards are gorgeous and each so different! Love the new set. The beer label is genius!

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  10. I love all of your designs! Such an inspiration.

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  11. Fabulous cards and labels. I like the sentiments in your flower set.

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  12. Looks like I'm going to be re-viewing some of the technique videos. Rock-N-Roll??? It's gorgeous for sure! Love the masculine designs too.

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  13. this is awesome I ordered the wild flowers...I love it!

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  14. Oh my, your new stamp set is absolutely GORGEOUS! Thank you so much for the photo tutorial...your cards are beautiful!!!
    Also, thank you so much for a chance to win!

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  15. I really love the wild flower set. Have already ordered it too. The cards made with it are awesome. The masculine tags set is super too, but I am on limited budget so for now just ordered the flowers and some lovely papers too.

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  16. Those are very lovely items you made ^_^

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  17. Love your new co-ordinating stamps andyour cards are Gorgeous! Great idea for bottle labels!

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  18. Awesome samples, Melanie! FYI-- make a couple of scratches on the labels, and spray with WD40. Let them soak up the spray for a while and they will slide off in hot water. In a pinch, you can use PAM spray instead.

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  19. FABULOUS designs!! Love the samples you showed for the flowers and the beer bottle is awesome! LOL I'd never do more than one either! LOL

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  20. Beautiful use of the stamps and thanks for the new technique ideas.

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  21. Beautiful Love the way you Stamped the Card then made the Spellbinders cut out and matched it up. thanks for sharing
    abbraddock@msn.com

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  22. I just love ALL your flowers and all the inspiration you offer for using them. Thanks so much!

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  23. I love the Wild Flowers and these cards are an amazing sampling of the incredible techniques to be used with them! They're on my list for sure. The beer bottle is hilarious. My hubby would have a nice chuckle for it.

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  24. Love these new sets! Your ideas inspire me!

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  25. What amazingly fun projects! Thanks for all the info on how you did things, that makes it so much easier to try myself.

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  26. Wonderful new set, love the tutorials, ever since I received your Wild at Heart card, it has been on my wish list, and if Lisa can sort out my stupidity it will be in my order along with wild flowers! Thank you for all the inspiration and friendship :-)

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  27. Wonderful new set, love the tutorials, ever since I received your Wild at Heart card, it has been on my wish list, and if Lisa can sort out my stupidity it will be in my order along with wild flowers! Thank you for all the inspiration and friendship :-)

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  28. BEAUTIFUL stamping techniques (and stamps of course!) and I love that label idea! TFS!!!

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  29. These are beautiful and such beautiful colors! How creative for the bottle label.

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  30. Love these sets!! And I LOVE what you created!

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  31. Your flowers are beautiful as always and I really like the clever use of the tags on the bottle.

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  32. I like the way you offset the punched label and moved it slightly. Quick and easy peasy.

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  33. Again, you, with all the best stuff!! Your flower projects are gorgeous, but I especially love the beer label idea. LOVE IT! My Cabana Boy just got into making his own beer, so we have a lot of 'plain glass' bottles. I will use your idea when we have folks over for the tasting. Great stuff, Mel! ~ky

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  34. All are beautiful and thanks on the tip of laying the flowers on a block at once.

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  35. Fabulous stamps and cards! I cannot wait inking them for my projects!

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  36. Thank you for showing different ways to use the stamps. Another awesome set you've designed.

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  37. Thank you so much for including a Scripture in your set. And it's one I repeat to myself a LOT! Thanks, too, for all the great ideas for using the set. My mind is racing with plans for cards now. You're the best!

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  38. Love this new set and how you combined it with your previous one!

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  39. Great ideas. I do love the flowers the best.

    Gayle
    gaylememories@sbcglobal.net

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  40. What a neat design on the bottle label!
    And your flower work is always awesome!

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  41. Amazing set, Melanie! I love it! Your card is gorgeous, and I love love LOVE the label idea!

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  42. Love what you did with your flowers and the beer bottle..... brilliant!

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  43. LOVE THE WILDFLOWERS AND THE PINK TINGE. MAN TAGS--WHAT A GREAT IDEA!

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  44. Oh, Mel, you make me laugh - "BAM!" like Emeril!!! You certainly had me fooled - I thought it was layering flowers, not cutting out with the labels die!
    Your bottle is such a cute idea - my friend for adhesive? Goo Gone, Goof Off, and such :D no elbow grease required. Darling ideas - great set!!!

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  45. That tag on the bottle is awesome. How clever.

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  46. Another wonderful floral set Melanie. Love how it coordinates with the last set.
    Marcie

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  47. I love all of the great ideas you've shared! You make me want to run to my craft room and get busy (if it weren't for the fact that I had joint replacement surgery on my right thumb and carpal tunnel surgery!)

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  48. Love all your projects, what a bunch of really neat ideas.

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  49. Your ideas are amazing and your work is too!

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  50. Wow, love all your ideas and cards. Oooh, the label for the bottle is so fun. Thanks for all the inspiration.

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  51. Hi! love your cards and the bottle label is very creative--who would have thought !!!

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  52. Fantastic! Love both of these sets and ordered both too! Postman - please hurry!

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  53. Wow! Your flower sets really look magnificent together Melanie! And I really like your idea of a beer label - so original!

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  54. You are awesome. Always learn something new and love all your designs. Thanks for sharing your technique with your first card. The beer bottle is great.

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  55. Love the new stamps. They would be great for any occasion.

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  56. I always love to see how you use the stamps you design. Such great creativity!

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  57. Oh my goodness Melanie...LOVE your new set and your ideas with Tami's set is just too cool(((HUGS)))

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  58. Love your flowers and the great idea of placing all the stamps on a large block. Also fantastic bottle labels.

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  59. What great ideas can't wait to see the rest

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  60. W O W ! ! ! When you wrote how you did the first card I had to go back and reeeeaally study it - WOW!! Today you shared a number of ideas, I could scarcely take it all in. I will have to return to this one often. Thank you soooo much for sharing your talent/gift with us.
    Jean McGee

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  61. Oh I knew you'd have some fabulous design ideas to share!!! Just gorgeous Mel!! And the label....soooo cool!!

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  62. The bottle label is such a cute idea, and you Flowers card is lovely! So inspiring

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  63. I just loooove what you've done with those stamps. Gorgeous!
    I always find your projects inspirational - thanks!

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  64. I love all the projects you created with the stamp set. The flowers are uber-pretty!

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  65. Well done Melanie!!!Beautiful cards!Thank you for the tutorial )

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  66. I love the tip you gave on layering flowers all at one time. This set will work great with my A Year of Flowers. Your cards are all so beautiful.

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  67. Your cards are so beauiful! And the bottle label is genius! You are so talented u always blow me away with the ideas u come up with! Thanks for the tutorial and the time u put on your blog for us all! God Bless You Always Angie!

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  68. LOVE your cards, they are beautiful. The labels are awesome.

    brz352@yahoo.com

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  69. All of those designs are wonderful, my favorite is the field of flowers, I want to go stamp now!
    Thanks for sharing!

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  70. I love the field of flowers! I also love the way you offset the sentiment with the nestabilities - very cool!

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  71. Stunning cards Mel and love this new floral set!!!! Fab label you made too my friend,

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  72. Awesome cards. Thanks for sharing

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  73. These are very cute projects! I appreciate the disclaimer for sure!

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  74. I like the way you used both stamps. I am inspired to try both of your ideas.

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  75. these are so inspiring and so beautiful. The different ways you use the stamps, is gorgeous. thanks for sharing, and congratulations on being part of the team, and for your wonderful, wonderful book. hugs...Pattie J.

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  76. Great cards and love the stamps.

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  77. How you inspire me to really put my heart into stamping. I love your hops and your images. The cards are amazing and it makes me jump right up and get busy stamping again. thank you bunches for sharing hugs Cathy K

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  78. beautiful cards. Thanks for the great ideas. Love the bottle label. I might have to get that set. Great Job.

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  79. great stamp set - I'm looking forward to what else you will be showing

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  80. Thanks for creating such easy to follow techniques. I just love your stamp sets.

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  81. Your new set is lovely and your creations are beautiful!

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  82. Love your new sets. Thanks for sharing not only your projects but the great tip about stamping once with a long rectangle block.

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  83. Lovely cards, great label, love the tutorials.

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  84. Oh my gosh! So many things to love today! I especially love the Scripture stamp!

    Kris in Alaska
    funamom at yahoo dot com

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  85. Thanks for sharing your talent with us. I love the way the flowers overlap the die cut and the flat panel. The verse you used is one of my favorite life verses. Love it!

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  86. Great projects! Love the techniques, can't wait to see the tutorials. These sets are a must have!

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  87. Cute idea with relabeling the beverage bottles. I absolutely LOVE your card! I have to try this technique- lovely!

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  88. Great cards! I loved them all and I want to thank you for helping all of us on the use of Copic markers and blending. Thank you.

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  89. What a great idea for masculine cards and even can be used for kids, who would have thought labels to make for almost any party. Thank you.

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  90. The flower card is so pretty.As always you teach us such neat tricks. The label idea is great for party refreshments. Thanks

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  91. Fabulous cards. Love the different techniques.

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  92. pretty pretty pretty! Great stamp sets!

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  93. Omigosh! I'm so glad I take the time to read these blogs! This time it was your explanation of the simplicity of cutting a shape from your focal piece and offsetting it a bit with dimensionals. How easy is that!! - especially compared to how I figured it had to be done...LOL! You are an inspiration and a wonderful teacher. TFS

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  94. these are both fabulous, love the label!

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Your generous feedback helps make my work and this blog better! Thanks for inspiring and motivating me! :)