On TV! not STV this time, Tee! Vee!!!!! :)

What a wonderful surprise I had on Saturday, to get an email from my friend Patricia Dunbar saying:

"OMGoodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(her words!!) "Your "Arranged with Love" stamps are on "Scrapbook Memories" on PBS RIGHT NOW!"


Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! (my words!)

You can check the "Scrapbook Memories" site's program guide to find out when the full episodes will air again on PBS, OR you can watch the clip with just my stamps, RIGHT NOW (there is also one with "A Year of Flowers"!) from youtube! Here they are below, enjoy learning how to watercolor with glitter pens and how to make clear embellishments with transparencies, courtesy of Julie Fei-Fan Balzer!


using "Arranged with Love"


Using "A Year of Flowers"


I am still so excited and honored that out of all the stamps out of there that could have been selected to show these techniques, they chose *mine* from Gina K Designs! So blessed!

Enjoy these tips and tricks from Julie Fei-Fan Balzer and download the pdfs to recreate these projects! Stardust Card

and Transparency Embellishments with Glaze

Thanks again Patricia for the heads up!! Made my week!



Would you like to win my upcoming stamp set from our next release? (Think Spring!) Help me spread the word by linking this post (you can also embed the video or pdf if you like) on your blog or Facebook account. Two entries if you post to both! Just come back here and leave the links back to your posts in the comments section, I will announce a winner next day! Thanks in advance!

"A Beautiful Life" Tip Sheet

The newest frame stamp in my collection gives you a beautiful layout for an A2 card in a matter of seconds, with a place to fill with more images, a greeting, or favorite photos. These elegantly arranged tulips will be a favorite and timeless addition in your stamp collection.

The tulip blooms are the same size and shape as the tulips in "A Year of Flowers" which make it easy to stamp just the blooms to pop up over the frame for added color and dimension.

The frame can be turned in 4 directions to provide you with a variety of vertical and horizontal layouts.

You will love the double border in this frame! Similar to that of "Festive Frame", you can color these in any hues you choose to give the illusion of extra layers without adding the extra bulk or time to cut them. Notice however these borders use both a bold and narrow line: when left uncolored, this creates the illusion of a beautifully embossed panel!

Fill out the frame even more with your favorite blossoms and leaves from "A Year of Flowers" to create your own custom arrangements! Cut them out and layer on top or mask off the border to stamp them inside.

The oval and surrounding flowers create the pefect backdrop to frame a smaller arrangement of "A Year of Flowers" blossoms.

Stamp the frame onto colored cardstock in Versamark or a matching ink for a beautiful tone on tone, embossed look.

Emboss the frame in silver or gold for an elegant wedding or anniversary card.

Cut out the oval window to create a window into your card or to layer another color under.


Cut out just one tulip corner or the other and pop it up over the corner of a greeting panel on another card, already masked for you!


Add buttons, pearls, or punched corners to the open corners to dress the frame up or wrap a ribbon around each and tie at the top or bottom.

Color in the corners of the frame around the tulips and/or color the borders to create the illusion of several different mats without all the cutting or adding extra bulk to the card.

Stamp onto designer papers to let the beautiful patterns show through. color directly over the pattern to make the tulips and narrow borders pop out without adding extra mats.

Paper piece the different parts of the frame to look like quilting.

A little bee and butterfly have been added for quick adornments here, as well as provide you with more options for your "A Year of Flowers" and "Arranged with Love" sets. Pop them up in the corner or lighting on the flowers for the perfect little embellishment. You can also use these new delicate images with any other flowers on your cards to create focal points and backgrounds.





Some ideas for creating a flight path for these insects:
pierce it
stitch it
stamp a flourish or use a rub on
a row of adhesive pearls or rhinestones
doodle it with a pen

Add glitter or Stickles to the butterfly wings for shimmer. Fold the wings in half and adhere the center of the image to your card so they pop out. layer a cut and folded butterfly over a stamped one on your card, this creates the illusion of flapping wings!

Cut the butterfly straight down the middle, between the antennae and through the body's center. now you have two new butterflies that can be viewed from the side! This gives more versatility to the image, mix these up with the front view and it will look like you have a lovely little swarm on your card.

Stamp it all over cardstock or your favrotie patterned papers to make beautiful coordinating butterfly backgrounds.

Make the bees wings translucent by stamping them on acetate or vellum and layering over the body, or cover with Crystal Lacquer, clear or iridescent embossing powder or Sakura glaze. Try flocking his little bumble bottom with black and yellow flock! :)

Ink just the "utiful" in "beautiful" and place a popped up bee in front of the word, that spells bee-yootiful!


Create a honeycomb background for your bee by inking up bubble wrap and stamping, the result will be hundreds of little holes in a hive!


The bee has his own quote: "Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers", which can be used for so many occasions. Make him the focal point of your card with this sentiments, yellow, black and white cards are so crisp and cheerful!





Add quick color to these tulips using the stems, leaves and blossoms from the coordinating "Pressed Flowers" set.


This set includes sentiments for year round occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and thank yous, as well as sympathy and encouragement. Greetings are sized to fit in the oval whether you orient your card vertically or horizontally.

The smaller greetings like "thank you", "friend" and "bride" look beautiful when stamped into the corner of the border or onto a tag.


Sentiment Combinations:

beautiful friend, bride, or mother

hello beautiful

thank you beautiful

you are a beautiful friend, bride, Mother

Mother, friend, bride, you are beautiful

you make life beautiful

hope your birthday (wedding, anniversary, Mother's day) is beautiful

have a beautiful day, wedding (day), anniversary or Mother's day!

These classic fonts will never go out of style and can work with so many other images you have collected whenever you need to make a beautiful card, not just for flowers! They also coordinate with the greetings in "Say it with Flowers".



Use some of these new quotes inside your "Festive Frame" set for wintery thank yous and birthdays!



Make a beautiful coordinating gift with your cards by adding a photo into the oval window: lovely for a bridal portrait, picture of you and your mother, Easter photos etc.


Make a wonderful mini wedding or Easter scrapbook using the stamp to frame favorite photos.





Create a bee tag and tie it onto a jar of honey with a little dipper for a sweet gift for a friend or teacher.





Use the frame on the top of a painted to altered paper or wooden box to create a gorgeous jewelry or keepsake box, perfect for Mom!





Create a clock with the frame using a clock kit and panel of painted wood like in this post. Glue the little bee or butterfly to the end of the second hand to make it continuously circling the clock face! (I almost hated to tell you about this one already since I am making one right now for the the blog and wanted it to be (bee!) a surprise!)





The frame creates a beautiful insert to decorate the large acrylic pillow boxes, stamp a greeting into the oval to announce your gift, or cut out the window to allow your treats inside to peek through!





The frame would make a beautiful book plate to line the inside of your favorite books and add your name to the middle.





Create a matchbook style card or pouch with the tulip frame on the front and add a seed packet inside, truly giving the gift of flowers!





Stamp it onto the outside of plain gift bag and color, quick, beautiful and inexpensive!





Create real framed art work with the frame, a pretty acrylic message board for jotting notes, or a wine label with the waterproof labels for special occasions.





Stamp the frame and a greeting onto Polyshrink, color cut out and make a hole in the corner, the heat. Add a chain and you now have a sweet key chain!

Shrink down the bee and butterfly images for charms to use one a wine ring, bracelet or earrings, a book mark, or card bling!


Stamp the frame onto an organdy gift bag, another easy way to dress up a little gift!

Stamp onto a mirror or pane of glass to make a beautiful sun catcher.

More tips to come! :)

In the Nick of Time...

I admit it. I almost missed my dear friend's birthday. We made last minute plans to go out with her and her husband the other night at 5:30, and at 5PM I got an email from her husband saying "hey, it's her birthday tomorrow!" Whoops! (I mean, I knew it was at the end of February, but how did we get to the end so fast??) Well, you know I had puh-lenty of cards laying around here (and fortunately even had one I knew she really liked already!) but I had to put together an impromptu gift, FAST, as we had to leave in 20 minutes to meet them! Luckily, with Arranged with Love, a bottle of wine, and some waterproof labels , putting together something pretty and appropriate was not a problem! Here it is, my own private happy birthday label! I stamped the frame onto the waterproof label in Memento Tuxedo Black, centering the little greeting card so as not to catch any of the borders on the sticker. After adding my greeting, I quickly colored it with Copics, sponged on a bit of Antique Linen Distressing ink and placed it over the existing wine label! Done in 15 minutes, (with time to spare to take photos for the blog heh heh), whew!! If you haven't used these labels before, you do not need to use special inks to stamp or color, kind of unbelievable I know, but true, your artwork is now waterproof!

With all the sentiments included in the "Arranged with Love" set, a personalized wine label like this one makes the perfect quick gift for weddings and anniversaries as well, and one that the recipient is sure to remember. Who knows how many times this set will save my hide in the future LOL! (Don't worry I'm still getting her something else, just didn't want to show up empty handed! ;) Hope this project inspires you to give the waterproof labels a try if you have not yet discovered how terrific they are for gifting!

Have a bee-yoo-ti-ful day!

Sweet Gift from a Beautiful Friend...

One of the best things to come out of illustrating and blogging has been forming beautiful friendships with women I wouldn't have otherwise known. You know with a shared interest like stamping you'll be friends forever! Tina Gilliland is one of these people. Not only does she send me jokes, offer sage advice and send up prayers for me and my family, check in if she hasn't heard from me or seen me around on STV or my blog just to make sure I'm okay, but also sends gorgeous cards and gifts like this one for no occasion but to make me feel special. She sent this very special mirror she stamped with "Arranged with Love" and colored to look like stained glass( then packed it up like a newborn baby to make sure it survived shipping!) I love it Tina I and I love you!

I pray you have all been blessed to find friends like Tina through your online journeys; if not, try reaching out to someone you feel a kinship with because they have a similar design aesthetic, seem to share a similar sense of humor or have similar things they are going through as you etc. (That's how Tina and I met!) You never know, it could be the start of a beautiful friendship...:)

The Look of Fabric

Here is a simple card using "Arranged with Love" stamped in gray on one of the digital Summer Fabrics, a freebie from Gina K Designs, which I printed out on Pure Luxury White. Doesn't that look like real fabric? I love how stamping over this looks like a woven tapestry! This photo looks so dark I know, but the layer underneath is In the Navy to go with the pale blue flowers. Get well cards I often try to combine a mix of muted as well as more cheery colors to try and convey both "I'm sorry you're sick " and "things will turn around!". This card measures 4 1/4" square, I used a scalloped Nestabilitie under the image, which is also an example of how you can crop the larger flower frame from this set to adapt to your square cards.

Gina K new release sneak peeks start tomorrow night, eek!!! :)

Stamping All Stars: Dawn Lusk

Something I've been wanting to share on my blog for quite awhile now are talented designers who have worked with my sets in the past. While I usually only have one "official" guest designer each month, someone enormously gifted (you might not be familiar with but SHOULD be IMHO!) who I've seen working with my sets and really deserves a spotlight, I also send a set to a few other friends and designers I admire whose style is a perfect match for the set to really rock the house! :)

When "Arranged with Love" came out, I just had to send a set to Dawn Lusk, fellow Dirty Dozen Alumni peep and fantastic stamper, she had been doing such gorgeous things with "A Year of Flowers"! Here is a new creation with the set from Dawn, her watercoloring is always magical!

I love the beautiful contrasts of the colors she chose and covering the sentiment card with the buttefly to add a smaller tag at the lower left.

Here's a little more about Dawn:

FAVORITE TECHNIQUE: so many! But I’d have to say masking is right at the top of the list

COLORS/COLOR COMBO: LOVE Fall colors!

FAVORITE GINA K SET BY MELAINE: just one?! I guess "Arranged with Love" with her new "A Year of Leaves" close behind!

FAVORITE GINA K SETS (FROM ANY ILLUSTRATOR): Autumn Beauty (there are those Fall colors!) by Theresa Momber

CRAFT SUPPLIES I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Copics, Reinkers, Prismacolor pencils, Spellbinders, Cuttlebug…

I’VE BEEN STAMPING FOR (HOW LONG): about 7 yrs

I GET MY INSPIRATION FROM: a lot just from nature

THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT STAMPING/CARDMAKING ARE: to have fun! Work with images you truly love and it will show in your work!!

SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING GOALS ARE: #1 fine tune my coloring #2 use more patterned paper and stop hoarding it!!! haha

FAVORITE THING TO MAKE THAT AREN’T CARDS: hmmmm, this could apply to the previous answer too..I need to do more things that AREN’T cards! Lol! I’d say, altering items like clocks, picture frames.

SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: I’ve been published numerous times in Crafts n’Things, had a cover shot on CardMaker and have been in several other magazines as well. I’ve been a designer for Rubbernecker, Cornish Heritage Farms, Artful Inkables, Dirty Dozen on Splitcoast, guest designer for High Hopes, Gina K Designs, Our Daily Bread Designs (currently), freelance for Janlynn (Stamps Happen) and Creative Cuts & More, and am DT coordinator for Mudd Puddles (just getting a team started).

Thanks for sharing, Dawn! You're truly an All Star! Look for more All Stars coming soon! :)

Arranged with Love Notepad

Here is a notepad I altered last month but hadn't shared yet ("Arranged with Love", I've missed you the past couple weeks LOL! I've always loved brown with aqua, and I was inspired one day at the mall when I saw a beautiful sundress in a fabulous, brown, white and turquoise floral print! I just had to recreate it with the "Arranged with Love" stamp! I stamped the image onto Pure Luxury White in Vivid Coffee Bean ink, left the roses uncolored and used a brown Copic for the background and a turquoise for the leaves. Isn't that fun?? So don't be afraid to try some wacky, unnatural color combos with these flowers; if you like the colors, it WILL work!! (This looks so close to the inspiration piece, I wish I'd had a camera that day!)
You can find these 5x7 note pads in inexpensive packs of 4 or 5. I cut a piece of Cool Caribbean CS the same size as the pad for the front cover, and a piece of Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss the same width as the pad but a few inches longer and scored twice so it would come up and over the top of the pad. Adhere these to the front and back of the pad with Scor-Tape.

After I took the pic of materials needed I decided to add another panel of white CS I Cuttlebugged with D-Vine Swirls. See first pic. Isn't the large framed flower image pretty on this larger format? Sentiment is from "Many Wishes", the free set from last month but now available for purchase!

Another hop coming up tonight, it should be a very fun weekend!! Happy Friday!!

Week 4: Selma Stevenson

Today I have a new project from Selma using "Arranged with Love". She colored it with peerless watercolors and then embossed it all with Iridescent Ice powder to give the whole front this beautiful shimmer.
The card opens to reveal this handcut assortment of blossoms from "A Year of Flowers", isn't that amazing?! This is a card I'd love to be there for when the recipient opens it to hear the "ooooooooooooooh!!"

Sentiment in the Nestabilities die cut is from "Say it with Flowers". Love the details like the piercing around the frame, punched border and embossing. Another top notch project, Selma!

Here are answers to some questions I had for Selma:

FAVORITE TECHNIQUE: I love to do any stamping technique. If I hear about a new technique I am anxious try it out. If I have to pick one, I guess I would say to color because there are so many ways to do it; using markers, water coloring, colored pencils, chalks, brayer, embossing, etc. I also enjoy cutting out my stamped images.

COLORS/COLOR COMBO: My favorite colors are lavender and green. I usually prefer pastels but because I love to color flowers, lots of bright colors are beautiful too. I really like to blend Barely Banana and Pretty in Pink on flowers.

FAVORITE GINA K SET BY MELAINE: I think everyone knows my answer to this one -- “A Year of Flowers”. I also love “Just So Hippy”.

FAVORITE GINA K SETS (FROM ANY ILLUSTRATOR): Any flower set for sure. I love Asela’s “Flowers for Daisy” set. This was the first set I bought from Gina. I have had a lot of fun with Theresa’s “Out West” set too. I also love using the two StampTV kits I have. Well I could keep going because I have so many favorite Gina K sets.

CRAFT SUPPLIES I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: I love to use my Nestabilities and Cuttlebug embossing folders. I also love good quality cardstock and Basic Grey paper pads. You can’t leave out all the ink pads and coloring tools. I also need ribbon and all my embellishments such as pearls, rhinestones and brads.

I’VE BEEN STAMPING FOR (HOW LONG): The first time I heard about stamping was before there were many stamp stores and there was no Internet. Some guy was sitting at a booth at the mall one day and wanted to show me embossing powder. I was hooked and have been stamping ever since. I signed up as a SU Demonstrator almost 10 years ago and have taught monthly workshops in my home.

I GET MY INSPIRATION FROM: Lately it has been doing StampTV challenges and viewing all the fabulous galleries. Prior to StampTV, I used to hang out in my favorite stamp store discovering new products and techniques and often signing up for classes. I also enjoy reading stamping magazines and reading blogs.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT STAMPING/CARDMAKING ARE: The joy it brings to me and so many others. I believe the most important thing I’ve learned is the joy in sharing ideas and teaching others what I have learned. Another thing I learned is how many wonderful friends you make with other stampers. It is a strong supportive community.

SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING GOALS ARE: I would love to be a full-time design team member some day. I have really enjoyed being on the Center Stage Spotlight Design Team this month for Gina.

FAVORITE THING TO MAKE THAT AREN’T CARDS: I really enjoy making/covering boxes. I don’t make as many as I should.

SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
I have had many cards published in “Stamper’s Sampler”. Stamper’s Sampler, “Take Ten", also published a four page article I wrote, titled “Make 10”. I have been published in the SU “Stampin’ Success” magazine. After becoming a member of StampTV, Melanie featured me as her Guest Floral Designer in May. I was featured in the first StampTV Center Stage. Melanie asked if I would be her Guest Designer for her new “Arranged with Love" set. I was so honored she would ask me. The beginning of this month I was selected, as one of six, to be on Gina’s Center Stage Spotlight Design Team. I have always thought it would be so much fun to do this so was extremely happy I was selected. Another accomplishment has been that I actually figured out how to start my Blog “Selma's Creative Corner“. It took some help from my StampTV friends, but it is up and running. I do not know that much about computers so this was a big accomplishment.

It has been a pleasure featuring her on my blog, please go look at hers now for another flower fantasy! :)

Cropping Large Stamps (and splicing small dies!)

Hello! Today I am sharing card made with a square layout from "So Sketchy" using some beautiful tag elements from our sponsor last month, Ormulo.

Even trimmed down the big tag was quite large so to work it into the sketch, I made card 5 x5. I thought "Arranged with Love" would be really pretty with all the flourishes on the two tags, so here's how I reshaped it to fit, as well as making a scalloped mat that was large enough for it.

I die cut two of my long scalloped rectangles (Chocolate Kiss) and adhered them sideways on the Pure Luxury White cardbase. I stamped the image as I normally would (Vivid Coffee Bean on More Mustard CS) and cut it through the middle, (not measuring, it won't matter because they are going to overlap, doesn't have to be exactly in half)

Then I lined the images up to fit the mat, the seam will be covered by my other elements. Isn't that nice how you have border that still matches up all the way around? Refer to finished sample at top!

I hope this was helpful to you! Have a great day! :)

Week 3 with Selma Stevenson

Today Selma has created two special gift card holders using "Arranged with Love". She stamped the frame onto Polyshrink and attached it to card (also shrunk down the little flower from "A Year of Flowers" to put over the card in the middle of the bouquet) so the image measures 1 1/2 x 2". Isn't that sweet? (I would love to use some Polyshrink with this stamp sometime and make a key chain, bookmark charm, sun catcher or other.) So pretty!
On the second one, the image is actual size, here she ran the bow underneath the frame and tied around the card to hold it closed...

and here you can see how the word window punched middle holds your gift card. A bouquet and a gift card, what else do you need for the perfect gift?!

Here are Selma's directions for making the holder:

"I stamped the image and watercolored it then cut around the frame. The Summer Sun card stock is 5 1/2" x 11". It is scored at 4 1/4" and 5 1/2" then scored 4 1/4" from the opposite end. When the middle section is folded inside, it creates a pocket for the gift card. I used Score Tape to secure the inside folded part. I use my SU Word Window Punch to cut the opening for the gift card in the center of the inside fold. Flowers from "A Year of Flowers" were added to the inside and a verse added. I used Score Tape to secure the long ribbon across the middle. "

Please go visit Selma's blog now for more inspiring projects with this set!

Have a glorious day, thanks for visiting!

Sophisticated Silver

Here is a simple wedding or anniversary card with "Arranged with Love", embossed in Silver Superfine embossing powder, it picks up every little detail in this stamp, and makes this monochromatic card so elegant!

I wrapped some Pearl Vellum (Paper Temptress) punched flourishes around the corners and accented them and the Pure luury White sentiment card with some of the 2 and 3mm adhesive rhinestones, I love that delicate sparkle. Blue mat is SU! Bordering Blue (I ran a silver paint pen along the edge of the blue mat to get this double silver border) and card and base are Pure Luxury White.

It doesn't get much easier than this! Have a beautiful day!

Potluck Friday on STV: Stamping on DP

For this week's StampTV Potluck Friday Challenge, I am asking you to choose a piece of patterned paper and stamp on it with line art images (not bold), then color the images in. This will work best with a light colored patterned paper so your new colors will show up when you color over it, and selecting shades for coloring that will be also be light enough for the pattern to show through, make sense? Here I stamped "Arranged with Love" on a floral pattern from the Basic Grey Porcelain pack and coolored over the flwoers and leaves with pale pink and green Copics, I like how this creates a "floral on a floral" and gives a pattern to the background behind the flowers instead of just a solid color (without having to cut and piece, yeah!!) I also love how this makes the paper look like a completely new pattern.



If you would like to play along, please upload your creation to STV by Friday, July 17th, 8 AM CST with the keyword STVPF21, I will randomly draw a winner and post it next Friday, that person can choose a 23.95 Gina K designs stamp set! Hope you'll enter, you'll have all week!

Tomorrow I'll be shairng a few of my favorite cards with my two sets included in the Lucky 7 promotion, along with links back to my stip sheets and all the samples i've made with them!

Week 2 with Selma Stevenson

Are you ready for this??
This week Selma created a fabulous shadowbox with "Arranged with Love" (I love making this type of card, but it's been awhile!) They are always SO great for weddings, showers or birthdays because it displays so beautifully: it stands up but can also be smoothed flat to put in an envelope. Here are Selma's directions for creating the box, dimensions and all!

"First cut two 6 1/4 squares to make the shadow box. Score the ends at 1/2" and 1". I stamped "Arranged with Love" (black embossed) and colored it with Peerless Watercolors, I also stamped some extra flowers from "A Year of Flowers" and colored them the same way. I attached the main piece to the bottom of the shadow box then started added some of the extra flowers on dimensionals. I cut and curled the petals on the purple flowers. I chalked the background with yellow chalk. For the top of the box, I use my large Petite Scalloped Nestabilities to cut the oval then cut another one, one size smaller to layer underneath (separated with dimensionals). Before attaching the red scalloped piece, I embossed the center of the white panel with the Cuttlebug Textile embossing folder. I then added some more of the cut out flowers on the top to give it more dimension. When you flatten it these flowers line up with the inside. On the rose on the left of the middle tag, I cut out just the bottom portion from a rose to give that some dimension too. I wanted the flowers on the main image to go past the border since it is a shadow box, and I think it looks great that way. I used Scor-Tape to hold the shadow box together. I added a punched border to each side and adhered pearls to the card and along the edges."

Do you love it as much as I do?? I could stare at this all day....

Selma has another project with this set on her blog, check it out!

Something very special coming in 24 hours!!!! :)

Faux Watercoloring!

This is the mat that I put on the first card I shared with "Arranged with Love", (you can see the finished card in this post. ) Here are all the Copics I used to do it, 12 colors plus a gray for shadows. As you can see, I usually only use two of each color and am still able to build a lot of lights and dark tones and still get them blended. For an "in between" shade, touch the tip of your lighter color to the darker marker and color away! Once you see the darker color fading, touch it to your darker Copic again to reload.

Now here is the same piece, flipped over! I couldn't resist snapping a photo of this "technique": faux watercoloring, which is simply coloring as you normally would and then letting the "bleed through" side of your coloring be your focal point! I stamped it on regular white copy paper (the kind I use in my printer) so the color would bleed through easily and I didn't have to use much to really get the nice, saturated shapes of the flowers and leaves. Plus it changes up the layout by flipping! Jut a fun alternative for this set, looks so "painterly" without the lines! I will definitely come back and post a finished card using this technique! ;)

I've had several requests for the colors used on this, here they are:
Lipstick Red and Cardinal
Buttercup Yellow and Pale Yellow
Honey Golden Yellow and Cadmium Yellow
Pea green, Green gray and Lime Green
C1 Gray
Prune and Amethyst

Try this yourself, it is such a lovely surprise when you are finished with your coloring to turn it over an see an entirely new creation! :)

Week 1 with Selma Stevenson

Today I have the first week of projects with my "Arranged with Love" Guest Designer Selma Stevenson! This first card had a design that really spoke to me I love the design of this 5 1/2 inch square card! The Cuttlebugged D'Vine Swirls border on the left looks so beautiful with the wet embossed white contours of the flower arrangement, I love the delicate pink butterfly punched accents. The sponging she did to color in the flowers and background is such a soft and easy alternative coloring, I just love this card! (Did I mention I love it??) ;)
Next she came up with this really clever gatefold design! When you open it up...

The frame divides in half with that little card overlapping, to reveal another sentiment inside!

Inside she used the single rose from "A Year of Flowers" and this sentiment for "Say it With Flowers", I just love how all three of these sets work together! To make this gatefold, score your cards base at 2 1/8" on each end of your 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" CS. Then stamp the frame two times and cut one in half(you'll use the LEFT side of this one), then cut other down the middle and around the left side of sentiment card (you'll be using the RIGHT half of this one). When you mat and adhere these to each side they will line up! Then color as desired.

If you never made or seen a gatefold, it likes opening up a present, I just love how bouquet unfurls, you can also use your bow to hold it closed and untie. Great job, Selma!

Please go see Selma's blog for more "Arranged with Love" inspiration, arranged by Selma!

Framing with Nestabilities

On today's sample I used a corner rounder on the bottom of my card base and some Nestabilities to frame up the "Arranged with Love" image. Let me show you how easy it is.
If you have Nestabilities, it is very likely the Scalloped Rectangles are part of your collection, they were one of the first few sets I bought, as most stamp images fit and frame nicely in a rectangle and look so elegant in this classic shape. To perfectly frame this large image, trim the stamped image on the line. Die cut two of the largest Scalloped Rectangles of the same size, here I used Pure Luxury White.

Then overlap them and adhere the first one over the top three humps of the second, lining the scallops up on both sides. The seam will not show once you place your image over it.

I used a pastel pink scheme for this card and added "Congrats!" to celebrate the arrival of a baby girl. The butterfly is from "Take Flight", covered in Stardust Stickles.

Have a great day!

Big and Beautiful

Here is a sample showing both how you can dress up the "Arranged with Love" stamp with single flowers from "A Year of Flowers", as well as mat it on a larger card. I chose earthy colors and the sunflower for a card that would be pretty for summer or fall. The popped up sunflower covers the flower underneath and dips down below the border. One this 5x7 card (Garden Green 10x 7", scored at 5"), I now have room to use two of my greetings on the front, I chose these two sentiments to celebrate an anniversary. "Congrats!" fits perfectly along the bottom. More flowers are stamped inside with Versamark.

I haven't made cards larger than A2 very often in the past because most stamp images are a better scale for a smaller format, but I really like this look! (Perfect for when you need write to bunch inside!) ;)

The frame is stamped in Memento Black on one of the "solid" distressed sheets from a Basic Grey pack, colored with Copics and mounted on Pure Luxury Black Onyx.

This week I will be sharing how to mat this onto Nestabilities and using Peerless Watercolors with it. :) Happy Sunday!

"Arranged with Love" Tip Sheet

Everyone loves to receive a bouquet of flowers, and they are appropriate year round. With "Arranged with Love", now you can have a stamped bouquet anytime, complete with a place to add just the greeting you need. You will be stamping out cards in no time that look like you spent hours, no need to mask, or worry about a layout or where your embellishments go! Beautiful when stamped and left uncolored, or approached with your Copics, watercolors or pencils, your creation is sure to get a "wow!"

This card was done with several shades of brown Copics after stamping the image in Vivid Coffee Bean on to Pure Luxury Ivory. I went over it with the Crackle image from "Bold Flowers" and mounted onto Pure Luxury Chocolate Kiss and the new Soft Sand.

Next up, my favorite tips for the new set! :)

• There are many ways to trim the image after stamping! Cut on the line and mat on colored cardstock as you normally would, or leave a 1/8" border around it to layer on your card base, that leaves a 1/8" inch of your card base showing. This second way creates the illusion of lots of layers, in only two!


• Cut along the outside of the border with a pair of decorative edge scissors: following the line makes it easy to get it straight and a scalloped, zigzag or postage stamp edge adds a lot to your design!


• Cut it shorter or narrower and run a marker the same color as the ink you stamped it with along the edge to frame it up again, easy!


• Pop up blooms from "A Year of Flowers" over "Arranged with Love". This gives more dimension, allows you to add more of your favorite blooms, and customize it even more according to the season (ex: adding tulips in Spring and sunflowers in Autumn).


• Layer "A Year of Flowers" bloom directly over the matching flower in the "Arranged with Love" layout to have its edges extend outside of the border, a great look! (Ex: a lily over the second lily from the top, will peep just outside the frame but still fit on the A2 card)


• Stamp the frame onto DP for a subtle pattern. Color over the flowers with light colors to make them pop but leave the pattern showing through.


• Stamp in color on a neutral cardstock and mount on a base to match the ink color for a soft monochromatic look. Stamp the little card onto white or ivory CS to layer over it like paper piecing to really make your greeting "pop".


• Stamp the image over a printed "Summer Fabrics" page(the freebie digi pack from Gina K Designs) which will look like rich floral tapestry over the canvas, twill and gauze backgrounds!


• Stamp the image onto acetate in Stazon and color the back to create a stain glass look!



• Stamp the crackle pattern from "Bold Flowers" to create a vintage style card.


• Sponge the edges with a distressing link to give it a beautiful, time-worn patina.


• Stamp over the page of a book "a la Gina K" and then color the blooms to allow the words to show through for a really romantic "love letters and flowers" feel!


• This image would be gorgeous with the cracked glass technique!


• Paper piece just the background around the flowers or certain flowers the background with DP.


• Embellish the little card nestled in the flowers with brads, rhinestones, flowers or piercing in the corners or underneath the greeting.


• Create a square card by cropping the image smaller and layer onto square card base.


• Crop the image with a large die to create a smaller version of the image for a focal point you can use to layer into a completely different sketch.


• Add a little bow to the side of the card.


• Cut out the little card like a window on your card front and have the greeting stamped on the inside of the card base so it shows through.


• Personalize your special delivery by handwriting your own greeting on the little card, "xoxo" the recipient's name, or add a real lipstick print, ooh la la!


• Substitute a die cut Nestabilitie over the little card to add a fancier shaped card to the layout, like the Labels One or labels Four. Try a heart for your sweetheart!


• Watermark with Versamark on colored Cardstock or use an ink similar to the cardstock color for a beautiful tone one tone pattern.


• Decorate your envelope flap and inside of card with "A Year of Flowers".


• Emboss in black or white and color.


• Emboss it with a metallic powder for a card that shouts "elegance"!


• Stamp in a waterbased colored ink and run your waterbrush or wet watercolor brush over the flowers to blend the ink and give a soft colored look.


• Use a craft knife to cut around some of the leaf tips or petal ends and gently pull them outward, adding dimension like they are growing off the page.


• Use a card base that is smaller than the image and cut around the flowers to make them extend off the card as if they are growing.


• Add punched corners or flourishes to the corners of the frame to make it even fancier.
  


• Add drops of Crystal Lacquer to the petals to make your bouquet look "fresh cut from the garden"!


• Add some ladybugs from "A Year of Flowers" or butterflies from Gina's "Take Flight".


• Stamp the image twice and cut blooms from one to layer onto the other for a paper tole effect.


• Stamp the image on an envelope and hand write the person's name in the little card in the center.


• Cut out just the flowers from a corner or side to add to the corner of your card, it works to decorate your card like a flourish would, like a little cluster or border of flowers!


• Color just one flower for a spotlight on that bloom.


• Layer a mat with another image over the little card if you want to use the large image like a background. If you use a single image from "A Year of Flowers" you already have a custom mat like matching DP to match behind it!


• Make an extra large card with this extra large stamp by layering it onto a 5x7" base. This way it looks like a smaller focal point and you can go to town adding more layers and designer papers to match for a different sketch.


• Color ideas: look to nature for some great color combos when coloring your arrangements or grab color challenges and add a green if it doesn't have one for leaves. Your favorite combos will be very striking. using several different colors will be very eye catching or a one color bouquet (like all white) says "Luxury!".


• Choose all pastels for a very springy card, earthy tones in the fall for Thanksgiving, an "all pink" or "blue" color scheme for a baby's arrival, etc.


• Search the Internet of floral sites and find the meanings of different colors in flower arrangements to really customize your bouquet.


• Color the bloom you really want to "pop" with the brightest color.


• The 10 greetings in this set will get you through the entire year of occasions: "Congrats" for a new baby, engagement, promotion, "On Your Special Day" works for any of those as well as a shower, anniversary, or Mother's or Father's day for moms and dads! These also work well in combination with each other to lead into the inside of your card, for example, "Beautiful Friend... Happy Birthday!" Sending Prayers...Feel Better Soon" "To the Mr. and Mrs. ... Congrats!" "On your Special Day...Thanks So Much!"


• These large classic script greetings are a beautiful new option to go with "A Year of Flowers" images or any other images in your collection , sized to fit almost all shapes of Nestabilities and Tags.


• The majority of the greetings from "Say it with Flowers" fit on the little card, which measures 1 1/2" by 2". Have fun going through your other greeting to see what you can add to that little card! The new "Free with Three" "Many Wishes" are a beautiful match, in both size and font, and fit!


• Stamp an initial on the little card for a monogram, perfect for gift sets or to frame for someone's room!
  

Projects:

Frame it in a 5x7 or 8 x 10 mat for piece of giftable art work. For a girl or woman's bedroom night table, write her name on the little card in calligraphy.

Slide the colored stamped image into a small acrylic frame to make a little message board, the little blank card space is perfect for writing the phone number or "I'll be back later, I love you!" :)

Place a small photo of yourself and the recipient over the card in the center instead of a greeting.


Create a quick set of matching cards using someone's favorite colors and add the different greetings to the centers for a gift she can use year round. Put in an acrylic box and tie a ribbon, you're done!

Stamp the image into Polyshrink and color, then shrink down to create a keyring or suncatcher.

For the brave: stamp the image onto canvas and embroider! :)

Use the image to alter the cover for a personalized blank book journal. Make it a book to keep track of birthdays using the "Happy Birthday!" stamp or any time gift with "Beautiful Friend".

Winners!

Thank you again everyone who played in the "A Year of Flowers" blog hop last week! Such beautiful cards from everyone!! :) should we have more hops??(with "Arranged with Love" next??)

The winner of my new "Arranged with Love" set goes to Stephanie B. with this beauty of a card you see above!! I just loved the pinks and oranges with the neutrals and all those repeating circles: the flowers, their centers, the spots on both the DP and the spiral clip, it just had such a fresh, modern, cheerful feel! And the pale pink envelope to go with was such a fun touch! Congrats Stephanie! Please send me an email with your contact info to make arrangements for you to receive the new set!

The winner drawn form the comments section is:
terriavidreader (IN-USA) who said...
I'm one of the few who doesn't own this set. But I'd love to win a new set! Being unemployed isn't fun!

June 19, 2009 8:19 AM

Congrats Teri! Please email me with your address and let me know whether you would like the"A Charmed Life" or "Sporty Accessories" set!

Please scroll down and see two sneak peeks if you have not already gone on our Gina K hop today! Next two peeks at midnight CST! :) we are less than 24 hours away from the PAR-TAY!!!

Sneak Peek Day 2: "Arranged with Love" and "Bug Me Anytime"

If you're familiar with my past stamp designs, you know I love elemental sets that allow you to create different compositions with the images to suit a certain style, mood, or layout. One of my favorites, "A Year of Flowers" is one that lends itself to the very simplest designs, with a single bloom on a one layer card, all the way to a very intricate arrangement using every blossom and leaf in the set LOL! I love how you could never make the same card twice with it. But sometimes when you stamp, you don't want to think (about: Where does the embellishment go? What layout should I do? Where is that mask again?? Where is my mojo...?!) you just want to stamp and color. I get that. (Sometimes, me, too!) This new set is for you! :) The sample below is a TWO LAYER CARD, made from just TWO stamps!

In my newest set "Arranged with Love", releasing this Thursday from Gina K Designs, I have taken all the time and guesswork out for you with this large frame stamp image, which I painstakingly arranged and edited a few of my favorites from "A Year of Flowers" to give you an extravagant, layered-looking bouquet, ready to layer onto your card front, that you can send for any occasion, year-round! It's like sending a real bouquet! The framed flowers image has a tiny blank "card" nestled in the center, and I've included 10 different greeting options for all occasions. You will adore the large, elegant font. I colored this with Copics and trimmed it with a pair of postage edge scissors, it is so easy to change the look with decorative scissors and sooo easy to cut, just follow the line! Card base is Pure Luxury Rocket Red.

Now, if you don't want to color, this set is also for you! Check out how beautiful it is stamped in a colored ink! (You won't believe how quick it was to put this clear gift box of cards together!)

These are stamped with Vivid Brick on the new Gina K Pure Luxury Soft Sand CS, layered onto Rocket Red and Ivory.

I stamped just the little greeting card in the middle onto the Ivory CS and cut it out to layer on top so the greeting would really "pop" off the darker paper. There is just one of the new 2 mm self adhesive rhinestones at the top corner of each for some bling, that tiny sparkle adds so much!

"Arranged with Love" is a wonderful stand alone set, but also the perfect companion to your "A Year of Flowers". By using a single bloom to decorate the inside of the card or your envelope, or if you don't see your favorite flower in this new set (or want to change this up to match your season, for example: sunflower for fall), simply cut one out and pop one into this arrangement, it will fit right in! :) Here I've stamped the frame image directly onto my card base and turned it sideways, then covered the little sentiment card with some masked "A Year of Flowers" lilies. It's like custom DP for the first set, but in a frame!

I also stamped the frame onto the back of my envelope. This is a really nice way to match the card when you're going to be hand delivering it, rather than just writing the name!

Below you can see how I stamped the individual lilies on the flap to decorate the back. I stamped the background one more time on some white CS and in plum ink and stamped another greeting from the set over it in Memento Black.

I may never be able to send a thank you or birthday card to all my readers, but I crafted this set with every one of you in mind, hoping you'll get years of enjoyment stamping with it and in turn bring smiles to your friends and family when they receive these creations from your heart. That's why I called it "Arranged with Love". Flowers and BIG hugs from me! :)

The next peek is the new set from Nina Brackett: "Bug Me Anytime". It is such a fun, funky set! It includes flower parts and pieces so you can make your own modern-looking arrangements, plus, of course, BUGS!! I stamped the big dotted strip from "Ribbon Stripes" for the side and bottom , it is such a nice match for the large dots that accent the majority of the images in this set, and the ladybug! So cute!! This time I used Almost Amethyst with the Rocket Red and I am lovin' this color combo!

Please check out more samples of these sets from our Gina K team, and stop back tomorrow for our two last peeks, and then... THE PARTY!! :)

Gina, Carolyn, Cathy, Cindy, Donna, Emily, Jessica, Kurtis, Lee, Lynn, and Theresa
and, be sure to check out our CenterStage Spotlight girls joining us in Previews today: Carla Suto and Melisa Waldorf , my Guest Designer this month: Selma Stevenson plus a couple more rockstar special appearances from Denise Marzec and Dawn Lusk! Thank you everyone! :)