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! :)

Please check out the rest of our fabulous team for more ideas and inspiration:

• Gina K
• Tami Mayberry – Illustrator Grand Tags
• Melanie Muenchinger – Illustrator Pretty Patterns-you are here, thanks for visiting!
  
• AJ Otto
• Carolyn King
• Cathy Tidwell
• Deb Felts
• Giovana Smith
• Jimmi Mayo
• Lee Murphy
• Lori McAree
• Michelle Woerner
• Theresa Momber
• Tina Gilliland
• Vicki Dutcher