Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Inspiration Hops, Day 2: Elegant Flourishes and Stamper's Favorites

Good morning!  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 for our new sets, and as you hop through our 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 Gina K. Designs products! To see the full list of winners, check the Big News Forum at StampTV a few days after the hops.

Today we start off with my new set Stamper's FavoritesWhich image is your favorite in the set?  Or rather, which of these faves do you/did you already have a little stamping "thing" for?  As you know I am pretty partial to flowers, but I love all these others too (and I can't tell you how happy I am to receive all the customer requests form Gina K fans for a feather!  That is a fun trend that is here to stay!)

The hummingbird is the illustration I hinted at a few months ago when I said I thought it turned out to be one of my best.  I wanted to show you here with these "lovebirds" that you can stamp them at different angles are on your projects to make them look like different birds so they can pair up!  There are also many ways to color these, both stamped in black here, I made one a Ruby-throated  (RV25, RV000, YG93, YG97) and the other an Emerald (RV25, G05, B06,B37, YG67, BV31).  Try Google search for hummingbird for color reference (here is a good page) or check back on this blog often as I know I want to recreate every species!  :) Their tiny iridescent feathers are like scales, so I did a little stippling with the markers .  Watch for a video this will be my next one!   Cardstock is Pure Luxury White, Passionate Pink and Black Onyx.  I love how the pink just pops on his throat, the greeting and the flower (which I cut out from pink cardstock and popped up).  Sponge just a bit of Ocean Mist ink to create the sky behind them.  I also used the leaves from the set to finish the scene.  Last I added one of Theresa's Vertical Greetings.
 

Here is one I shared at the party with the feather.  There are so many ways to repeat this image and accent to create movement on your card,  with stitching,  rows of bling, stamping off,  or pierced trails like you see here.  Stamping off the image in Gina K.  Moonlit Fog at different angles look like they are gently wafting down from above.  Coloring just one feather red and popping it up (or cutting it out from red cardstock) really makes a statement.  The feather, which measure over 3" long, is a great addition to any nature card. It's like a masculine flower. ;) Greeting is from Beth's Lots of Lines set.


We are also showcasing Elegant Flourishes by Carolyn King. So excited to have these new decorative elements from Cammie, that can be used alone or with almost anything else of your choice! I like her new set and mine so much I just have to keep putting them together!  Doesn't this butterfly look fabulous with these flourishes?  Butterflies are always better flying from a flourish, I always say! ;) It's like, poof, magic!  

  I stamped the large and small flourishes in Gina K.  Cherry Red and Innocent Pink ink, stamping each off to make the flourishes dimensional, then did just a bit of sponging with the Innocent Pink along two sides and accented with some tiny adhesive pearls.  Cardstock is Gina K. Pure Luxury Black Onyx, Innocent Pink and White

And last is one I made with the dot circle in the Elegant Flourishes set, not just for "elegant" cards, these make fantastic whimsical or graphic elements, too!  Starting at the top of a panel, I stamped a row in each ink color, Cherry Red, Sweet Mango, Sweet Corn, Grass Green and Turquoise Sea inks, stamping off for the in between shades, then turned my mat horizontally and added hello from my Lots of Letters set in Black Onyx side the circles.  The size is just perfect for this alpha! And was a design element I do NOT have in that set!  Finally I jazzed it up with a tiny rhinestone in between the circle rows and mounted on a Pure Luxury Cherry Red base.  Easy peasy!

For more cards I've already created with the Stamper's Favorites set, please visit my StampTV gallery.



Here are the sets we are sharing today:



Now please enjoy more inspiration for our Gina K. Designs design team.  Don't forget to leave comments for more chances to win!


70 comments:

  1. AS you know....I love your set and these samples just are amazing! You really show the versatility of both sets and I am ohhing and ahhing over each one!

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  2. You always amaze me with your creations MF! Totally lovng that red feather one!!

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  3. Stunning cards! The card with the feathers has such lovely movement. Thanks!

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  4. Fantastic cards. Love them all.

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  5. Mel, these are so GORGEOUS! They are bright, beautiful, elegant and so much perfect! You are amazing! Hugs! Seanie

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  6. Another gorgeous set, Melanie and your cards are so stunning! This is the reason I like following your blog.

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  7. Wow! All of the cards you made with these sets are absolutely stunning!

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  8. My goodness, Mel, these cards are wonderful. I love the way you colored the humming birds.

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  9. I love all the cards, but I really love those hummingbirds. It's great that you are showcasing them in their real colors. I will keep checking back!

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  10. Love the shadow stamping on these cards, beautiful. Thank you!

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  11. Love the new stamp sets and love your beautiful coloring on your pretty cards. That red feather is gorgeous by the way.

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  12. Hummers are beautiful. The feathers are one of my favorites. Love the dimension on the butterfly card and what a cute idea on the hello card. Wonderfully done great job :)

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  13. Beautiful cards! Love these new images, especially the hummingbirds. They remind me of the ones who daily come to our birdfeeder! Thanks for the inspiration!!

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  14. So loving this months stamps. Feathers and hummingbirds, what could be better!

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  15. I love your whole set, especially the hummingbird and the feather.

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  16. Wow! Love the Hummingbirds and the feather leaves me breathless. So love everything, thank you!

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  17. GORGEOUS cards!!!!! Your sets just keep getting better and better....so creative!
    Jan

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  18. The cards are gorgeous! The one with butterfly is super cool!

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  19. Wow,wow and wow! The hummingbirds are absolutely gorgeous!

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  20. Beautiful hummers and I really like your colorful hello card, Mel!

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  21. Wow Mel, your hummingbird card is so beautiful and cool that they look like 2 different birds!!! Shazam!

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  22. In love with the feathers. So elegant, too.
    Tish

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  23. Love the humming birds card and the feather on the 'many thanks' card, look real!!

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  24. Wow! Love the hummingbird and that flower. Beautiful cards.

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  25. Gorgeous cards, Melanie - as always. I have to say that my favorite is the Hello Card! :)

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  26. I love your technique of stamping in lighter inks. Wonderful effect.

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  27. Simply beautiful - thanks for sharing.

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  28. Oh my goodness I LOVE these samples! I especially like the "Many Thanks" using the "stamping off" technique with the feathers! I also see this same card as used for a sympathy card with the colored feather maybe being a shade of grayish-blue for example...

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  29. Love the hummingbird card, beautiful coloring. Other cards are beautiful also.

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  30. Beautiful! I like them all, but the ones with the hummingbirds and the butterfly just popped! I'll definitely be placing two orders from this release!

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  31. SPECTACULAR card! That feather one is simply AMAZING. Love the coloring of your hummingbirds too....oh man, they are ALL fantastic! TFS!!!

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  32. WOW, beautiful color!

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  33. What a great tip I picked up.... shadowing the flourishes. Needless to say, all the cards are great.

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  34. Lovely card samples, designs and stamps. Thanks.

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  35. Such clever designs. I love the feathers, such a light touch. No pun intended:)

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  36. Awesome cards as always. I think the feather was what sold me on the set (can't wait to get it!) but I do like the hummer and the butterfly. Thanks for providing the coloring deets for the hummers. Love the last card with the colored circle dots. Truly inspired.

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  37. So beautiful. I love these new designs!

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  38. The hummingbirds look like they are really hovering, so cleverly done. They are all very cleverly done and I really like the feathers too. So effective.

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  39. I love love love the flower. Makes me think of summer. Great work.

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  40. Very elegant and classy work

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  41. What fabulous cards with these stamps!!

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  42. GORGEOUS!!! Especially the hummingbirds! My set is on the way and I can't wait to play with it. Have a great week Melanie

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  43. Takes my breathe away the way you create your gorgeous cards.Thanks for sharing and hugs:)

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  44. Love your hummingbird card - looks like a real painting, the choice of colors just beautiful.

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  45. Awesome way to showcase the red feather! My favorite is the hummer card--especially the coloring of the ruby-throat since they come to our feeder every summer. I love that stamp!

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  46. Oh my gosh ate these lovely cards!

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  47. Wow! What lovely cards! I adore the humming birds!

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  48. These cards areso beautful. The hummingbirds are amazing! Can't wait to get these stamps!

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  49. LOVE THOSE SENTIMENTS GOING DOWN AS SO UNUSUAL

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  50. Loved all your cards, especially the vertical sentiments.

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  51. The hummingbird is beautiful, Melanie. Your coloring really brings each one to life! Also love the flower, butterfly and feather in this new set :o)

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  52. Beautiful, elegant cards! The hummingbird set is quite lovely too.

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  53. My, I don't know which of your cards I like the best, but it's a toss-up between the hummingbirds and the feathers.

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  54. All of your cards are great! Thanks!

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  55. Your cards are awesome. I especially love the first one with the two hummers

    Kathleen

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  56. Oh my goodness, your colors are all just beautiful here. Love the red feather and piercing. That card is just stunning!!

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  57. The feather card is my favorite, it is fabulous! The hummingbird colors are amazing. You are very talented. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  58. Very beautiful cards. Love the use of so many of the new stamps. Great cards.

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  59. Hi Melanie. Loving all of the cards but the feather "Many thanks" one is stunning. Take care.

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  60. Your cards are outstanding, particularly the hummingbirds.

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  61. Wow, every card is gorgeous. I love, love, love that feather and the hummingbird.

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  62. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous! I especially love the love birds!

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