Week 2 with Richard Breaks

Happy Tuesday, and welcome to my second guest spot with Richard! Here is a new sample he created with "The Vine" and its coordinating set "Branching Out". You know how much I like brown and this monochromatic sample with the different shades (and just one ink pad! Memento Rich Cocoa) is just lovely, that punch with the stamped vine is fabulous and all the distressing he did on the edges, direct to paper, and watermarked leafy background remind me of beautifully tooled leather.

And here is a short Q&A with the man himself!

Describe your style/what you think you do best: I like fresh, fun colors, for the most part, but since I am so new at doing this, I find it's hard to really say I have a style yet. I mean, this card is SO dark, and different from what I have done for the most part in the past.

FAVORITE TECHNIQUE: Anything that involves my Cuttlebug! I use my embossing folders with alarming regularity...

COLORS/COLOR COMBO: Orange and any sort of blue-green or yellow-green. I definitely like most shades of blue, as well. And who can argue with a pop of red? Uh, did I forget any colors???

FAVORITE EMBELLISHMENTS: Pearls and rhinestones, for sure.

FAVORITE GINA K SET BY MELANIE: Gifts from the Sea, my FIRST GinaK Designs set!

FAVORITE GINA K SETS (FROM ANY ILLUSTRATOR) It's a tie between Gifts from the Sea and Enjoy the Sunshine. Both of them are my "go-to" sets.

CRAFT SUPPLIES I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: My Cuttlebug! My Tombo adhesive and Scor-Tape, my teeny-tiny Studio G Inkpads, and for sure, Memento Tuxedo Black.

I’VE BEEN STAMPING FOR (HOW LONG):Two years, really, but I just started in earnest around April of this year.

I GET MY INSPIRATION FROM: Wow, so many sources. I think, first and foremost, the videos I see at GinaK Designs, and other sites. Challenges get me going, for sure. Needing a card for someone for a certain occasion will inspire me too. (I think we call that Necessity being the mother of invention.) Sometimes running across an older stamp set or favorite designer paper will spark something. During dry spells, I will search out sketches on various websites to get me started.

Tell us about your FIRST stamping experience!! My very first experience was at my friend Stephanie's house. We had just reconnected after an over 25 year separation, and the first thing she does is give me a new addiction, uh, hobby! My bank account will never be the same!

Tell us about your most MEMORABLE stamping experience!! Well, DEFINITELY being asked to be Melanie's guest designer! This has been a BLAST, and such an honor.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT STAMPING/CARDMAKING ARE: KEEP GOING! Even days where you have NO motivation can be good if you just stamp out some images or cut some cardstock while you watch TV. I will often make elements of cards, and put them aside until I figure out the perfect way to use them.

SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING GOALS ARE: I would ultimately like to be on a Design Team (or 6!), and I sure would love to change careers and work in the crafts industry.

ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS: Buy a good quality paper cutter, and don't load up too much on discount cardstock. You will want to move up to the better stuff before you know it. NEVER pass up a sale on embellishments!

What’s it like to be "Mr. CardMaker" in a sea of ladies? As a hairstylist, I have been surrounded by the lovely ladies for most of my life. I love it! SO many ladies have been so welcoming and supportive, and I actually have run across one more male cardmaker! (Hi, Ted!)

How do you think your personality/life experiences shape your art? I have been surrounded by art and artistic people forever. My Grandmother was one of those ladies who literally NEVER sat down without some sort of crafting going on. I also am an actor, and I did one year of graduate studies in Interior Design. One of my very favorite activities as a child was cutting and pasting things together out of construction paper. I feel like I've come full circle!

Another art medium I excel at (or would like to try) I would really like to learn graphic design. When I'm not at work or cardmaking, it seems I am here at this computer.

FAVORITE THING TO MAKE THAT AREN’T CARDS: Christmas cookies and decorations. Anything I can make shiny.

SOME OF MY STAMPING/CRAFTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Again, my guest designer spot with Melanie. I think that any card I make that makes people happy is quite an accomplishment!

CHALLENGES I LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN: Color challenges, theme challenges. I find I will often get stuck with a sketch challenge; I have no idea why.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT MIGHT SURPRISE US! I actually draw pretty well, but I really don't like to do it.

WHAT I DO WHEN I’M NOT STAMPING: I like to tan during the summer months, love to travel, and I like to spend as much time as possible with my dear old blind beagle, Celeste.

A FAVORITE QUOTE: "Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go." -Oscar Wilde

Thank you again Richard for sharing with us today! Please go visit Richard's blog for some more fun stuff! Have a terrific day!!

Liquid Pearls!

I have been looking forward to trying this color combo with "Branching Out", how do you like?Lemon Drop, Black Onyx, and White (and inked up with Memento London Fog).

I omitted the bottom portion of the frame for this greeting and accented each side with White Opal Liquid Pearls as well as the flower centers. Oval frame is cut and layered with Classic and Scalloped oval dies.

Have you tried the Liquid Pearls yet? TIP: When I use Liquid Pearls to make drops, as I pull the bottle away, I do a quick circle of my wrist, like I'm making a swirl in Dairy Queen in soft serve!) to pull the drop around so it doens't dry up in a point from pulling the bottle straight away, this pulls that little end around and down so it dries into a nice neat pearl, make sense? try it!

I really WILL start using some other images to accent "Branching Out" besides the "Springtime Silhouettes" I just can't stop, love 'em! Any requests on which sets?? maybe I need some suggestions from you to jump start me! ;)

Omission, Times Two!

Hello!! As many of you know, one of my favorite techniques is omission, which allows you a lot of creative control with your images by inking up only the parts you want! Here it is two ways, I used a marker to make a dashed instead of a solid line on my "Branching Out" frame, using the brush tip and just skipping along the border very quickly, then huffing before stamping...

and then I decided to let the little bird in Gina's "Springtime Silhouettes" fly away by inking up the cage only without the bird, be free!! :) I accented the branches and popped up stamped and cut flowers with White Opal Liquid Pearls. TIP: Snip in between the petals and curl them out with your fingers to add more dimension.

I used my own birds from the "Branching Out" set to perch on one of her greetings (with this greeting it's like one let the other out LOL!)

And finally a tip on betting your birds to perch properly: use a grid line block and center the image on where there little feet would be (body meets tail) over the cross hairs. Then line up the horizontal line on your block with where you want it sitting, easy peasy!

Have an amazing day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Here are a couple more cards I made when I had my stamps out the other day, the exact same way I showed in this post, I wanted to add some samples with different colors to show a few other different looks you can get with your sponging, one using yellow and green (and rhinestones), the other pink and purple (with silver nailheads).
I just love "Branching Out" with "Springtime Silhouettes", eek!!! I actually stamped up some coasters with both sets and used some "Bring the Bling" with the silhouettes on the coasters as well: the flourish for the birds and straight line of bling instead of the nailheads to hang the bird cage, turned out very nice! (will add some photos of them soon!) Ooh, still need to add those Liquid pearls samples for you!! :)

I saw a few of you at the festival yesterday, it was a GREAT time, thanks for stopping by! :) I also want to wish everyone a very happy Mother's Day, (treat yourself to that mani pedi or whatever you've been wishing for and call your own mom if you can!! ) I've been up since 5, sick little boy (fever since Friday, bad cough) so we'll be taking it easy today (and hopefully catch a nap!) Paul made breakfast and is also making a nice dinner tonight, one of my favorites Porcini Pasta ( a Macaroni Grill recipe printed in the newspaper many years ago, will scan and share)

Please pray that Williams gets better and we don't come down with it, besides wanting him well (and I'm concerned this could turn into wheezing tonight and date with the nebulizer) I have so much to dooooooooooooo this next week, eek!!! Thank you!

To Die for!

Quick card for today using "Branching Out" cut with a Spellbinders Standard Circle Nestabilities and layered over a beautiful Die-namics Dizzy Doily die, birthday prezzie from Carolyn, ins't that beautiful?? (Sentiment looks a bit muddy becuase I didn't clean the stamp well enugh before inking it wh pink, oops! base is Pure Luxury Black Onyx and also uses Bubblegum Pink and White. Flowers are inked up in pink and stamped on the pink cardstock , cut out, popped up and acccented with a silver nail head.

Off to the Earth Day Festival for the kids at school, back with more detials and a fun announcement!

More Branching Boxes with Sentiments...

Thanks so much for all the sweet feedback on yesterday's "Branching Out" tutorial!(Scorrll down if you missed it!) Here's another single layer CAS I created the same way as yesterday, making a space in the border for a greeting by omitting part of the image and inking only what I wanted, this time with the bird silhouette and half a greeting (again, ink up only what you want!) from "Springtime Silhouettes".
After stamping your frame a greeting, mask off the edges with sticky notes. I inked up the bird in Memento Rich Cocoa and stamped off onto scratch paper, so the bird would be a paler brown and then swiped over the head and underside of the body wing and tail with a matching Memento marker and stamped. The two tone look adds so mcuh to this gorgeous silhouette! I sponged in just a little bit of aqua around him to create a cloudy sky.

Here is the finished card. I embossed a Standard Square Nestabilities around the frame to accent it more and added little bit of a rhinestone flourish behind and over the eye. Cardbase is of course, Pure Luxury Baseweight White, I wouldn't use anything else for my single layer cards or Copic coloring.

(Why didn't I use "Bring the Bling"? Well, I know you don't ALL have that set yet, don't want to leave anyone out, hee hee. Speaking of "Bring the Bling" I need to work up a new sample for you with that set showing off the NEW LIQUID PEARLS Gina added to the store, did you see?? Good stuff! Some other fun bling things ahead, can't wait, can't wait!) ;)

Thanks for visiting today!

Tutorial: Branching Boxes with Sentiments

Good morning! I hope you had a terrific weekend! Today's tutorial is 2 for 1 and so fun and so easy! I wish I'd had a chance to share this idea with you at the release, but I suppose it's just as good to keep the good ideas coming! ;) I'm sure you've all seen and probably tried to make or recreate the beautiful cards that are so popular where you draw with a pen and ruler or stamp a box to house your main image that includes a sentiment in the border, it is such a great look! Let me show you how easy it is to with the both the large AND small frames from "Branching Out", this might become your favorite thing to do with this set!
Here is a single layer CAS I made from Pure Luxury which also uses a sentiment from "Garden Silhouettes" and the current StampTV Kit "Springtime Silhouettes". I am just lovin' this branch silhouette with the butterfly!

First you'll line up your frame onto your large acrylic block, this is the 6"x6" one Gina sells and the one I use for stamping all the large stamps from my frame sets. Centered in between the grid lines or along the grid line, whichever way you prefer, it's a snap to stamp it precisely on your cardbase. Next, you'll place your greeting where you want it to be above the border, and then ink around it, using a pad or marker. (You can make it a little tighter than I've done here so it comes right up to the edge of your sentiment if you wish, but then you have less wiggle room when adding he greeting later.

Remove your greeting, huff on the stamp to re-moisten the ink and stamp onto your pre-scored cardbase. The score along the middle is another guideline for you to look at to make sure your lines on your block are parallel. TIP: Don't fold the score until after you're done stamping and sponging, this keeps the card from "popping up" on you.

Now go back in with your greeting, making sure you've lined up your greeting with the line on the block and then center it over the line on the frame and you'll be good! Doesn't that look purty??

Now for the sponged sky you asked for that I made for my birdies! Although I really like the look of sponging over a cloud stencil or scallop punch, I typically just sponge without and try to make the color roll across the card in waves so your eye goes up and down. Here I've masked off the edges with sticky notes and sponged in Vivid Butterscotch. Imagine smoke moving and the way it dissipates, getting lighter out toward the edges and darker in the middle.

Now I've added in some pink, keeping some areas white, sponging into new areas so that only pink shows, and over the orange in some areas to create this new fiery color. That's' it, remove the stickies and you're ready to add some stamping and embellishments.

Here is the same card again, portrait style, like the one I shared on our inspiration hop the previous week, this works for me both ways! I clipped a part of a rhinestones flourish that would curve around my greeting for more interest, laying it over my card before pulling off the plastic and adhering to make sure it went where I wanted. I tilted the butterfly to make sure it would go just outside the frame.

Was that an easy card or what? One layer, wowee! See how nice it is to be able to customize exactly where you want your greetings to be and just how long or short the space is? For example, you could also flip the stamp so the vine is on the opposite side or even the top and make a space for a shorter greeting, etc.

Tomorrow I will share a card I made the same way but with the small square frame from "Branching Out". Hope this was helpful! Not just for scenes either of course, you can choose to isolate popped up single or several images that will pop off a white, neutral or colored background in a box like this! This is gonna be a new go to layout for me, for sure! :)

Warming up to a new friend

Here is the first card I made with "Branching Out" kind of a "warm-up" card. Unless I have a very specific idea I want to do immediately for a set (and I often DO since I design these sets months ahead of time and just dream about what I can make when I get the rubber in my hot little hands!), I'll instead do a test run in some colors that are comfortable to me and a simple layout just for the sake of getting it inked the first time. I knew I'd like how these branches and flowers would look in aqua and brown, one of my favorites color schemes. These cards almost always are something I'm happy with, but not necessarily something I'd try to "wow" you with at the party or in a sneak peek! ;)

Frame is die cut with a scalloped circle Nestabilities and layered over a standard die cut circle. I used a touch of Liquid Pearls in the center of each flower and added an adhesive pearl to the Chocolate Brown punched Fancy Corner. Base is Ocean Mist and ribbon is also Pure Luxury. Greeting is from "Garden Silhouettes".

Thanks again for visiting! :)

Branching Out with Geometric Patterns

Hello! Here is a simple card I made, again using the square frame from "Branching Out", but this time I created a pattern with it and I am in love with this look!
First I started with a panel of Pure Luxury White and stamped the square in vivid Coffee Bean into the center, with the branches top to bottom. Then I turned the image and stamped it again to the left and right of the center, this time with the branches side to side, slightly overlapping to make that diamond pattern. Do the same above and below.

Here is the finished pattern. you always just want to make sure when you overlap you aren't overlapping the branches one on top of the other, but the empty corner over the branches. I didn't need s stamp positioner, using a grid line block makes it really easy to line up your images.

Here is the finished card again, with a greeting from "Garden Silhouettes" popped up in the center on square punches. This time I added some sweet little paper flowers, where the diamonds intersected along the bottom, that Carolyn gave me for my birthday (among many other crafty goodies!) Finally I put some little silver adhesive nail heads in the centers.

Cardbase is Kraft. This symmetrical pattern on white reminds me of a garden trellis. I plan to try creating some other patterned designs in different colors with the oval and circle frames for this set, too.

Hope this was helpful and inspires you to try thinking outside the box with the "Branching Out" set (branch out, hee!) :)

Thanks for visiting!

Black Tie CAS

Today I have another quickie card and wanted to show you how beautifully Gina's new "Timeless Textures" work with "Branching Out", and look, a perfect fit for the square frame image! I stamped the frame FIRST in black and then stamped the script inside it with Antique Linen distressing ink.
Here is the trimmed frame, no die this time, mounted on layers of Black Onyx and Pure Luxury White. The middle layer is embossed with the Cuttlebug Leafy Branch folder, anther spot on match for the vines in this set, and one of my favorite folders of all time, hope you can see the texture of the dry embossing, it's a little hard to photograph on black but it looks super sharp in real life!

I stamped the greeting from "Garden Silhouettes" on white and punched it with a 1 1/4" square and then layered it over a 1 3/8" square punch and popped it up over the script. No embellishments today! I love these colors and layout for a wedding or anniversary.

Thank you for visiting! I have another fun little tutorial for you (not the birds) I wanted to share today but I am so sick again (ugh! this has been goigg on for 2 and half weeks, I thought I was almost over it and then last night took a turn for the worse, so I am getting out of bed for a few minutes here to post) and this was already written up! I hope tomorrow is better, I have so much to doooooooooo!

CAS Card and a Couple Things...

Good morning! Here is a VERY simple CAS card I made with "Branching Out". I am still in awe over the rainbow array of Nestabilities Gina showed in her video LOL! (and I think I have them ALL, yikes, but they just look so purty and organized in their original packaging, hee hee!) but I wanted to show a quick and easy card you can make with out any dies at all, by stamping your frame of choice from the set onto a clean white backdrop.I inked up the circle frame in pink and stamped. As an afterthought, I decided to make the branches pop a little more so I traced over them in brown, this would have looked more precise had I just gone over them with my marker BEFORE stamping, but it happens! Next I added the trumpet flowers, coloring with two darker pinks and brown directly onto the stamp. There are so many different places you can add the flowers on these branches so I just try to use an odd number and stamp them in different directions, I love how they look creeping outside the frame. The bird silhouette doesn't have an eye, this way he appears to be facing away from the viewer looking off in the distance or at another bird, but here I wanted him to connect with you (hee!) so I just added a little white dot with my Inkssentials pen for a tiny detail (I thought a rhinestone would be cute but didn't have one small enough!) and added a little shading with my brown marker again on his wing and tail feathers. Greeting is from the new Free with Three "Garden Silhouettes".

Thanks so much for all your encouraging comments from our hop the last few days I so enjoyed reading them and am very excited about all the enthusiasm for our new Gina K Designs sets! I am trying to get tip sheet wrapped up for "Branching Out" so I can post that soon.

One question that was asked from Day 2 was, did I make that sunset background for the birds on the wire or buy it? That is a sponged background I created and it is VERY simple to do, I will share a step by step as well as how to add the power lines this week!

Have a great day!

Inspiration Hop, Day 2: "Branching Out" and "Follow your Dreams"

Good morning! Happy Monday and I hope you all had a terrific Easter weekend! Today our Inspiration Hops with the Gina K team continue, please enjoy all the samples and ideas our team has for you and be sure to leave comments as Gina will be drawing winners from all the comments for stamp sets! The first set I want to show you is my new "Branching Out". Here is a closeup of one of the frames, die cut with a Standard Square Nestabilitie, and layered over Labels 15 and the Fleur de Lis pendant die. As you can see, these frame images work with a lot of different die sets!

I stamped the frame in gray and then the flowers in red, this particular flower is one of my favorites in the set and I love how easy this and all the other tiny elements are to add anywhere to the vine, bringing it to life, and also adding quick pops of color.

Instead of using the large rectangle frame, which was sized with A2 cards in mind, I decided to make a background paper with the longer vine and showcase more images from the set. I placed my Pure White Luxury mat at an angle, corner to my tummy, so I could stamp the vines ion a diagonal in rows, I find it is easy to stamp them "straight" across with the paper turned rather than trying to stamp diagonally, you know?

Next I used Vivid Brick Red to add two different flowers (they can be different types or just the same trumpet flower at different angles) and the berries to random spots on the vines. Depending on the look you are going for, they can all be stamped in consistent spots on the vine for a more symmetrical print, or randomly, turning them this way and that, like real flowers would be. I sponged the edges with gray before adhering it to my card.

This measures 5 1/2" square, I don't normally make cards this large, but I really liked the Pendant die, turned and I think the delicate cut outs go so well with the vine. Cardstock is Smoky Slate, Red Hot and Black Onyx. I notched the corners with the ticket punch and added adhesive nailheads. That beautiful greeting, which really pops in black, is from our next set we are showcasing today, and is also used on the next two "Branching Out" cards which show simple ideas for the birds...
and this one, both simple ones I shared at our release party...

all three of those sentiments are from Theresa's Momber's "Follow your Dreams", another scenic set I know you will love! This boat image I think would speak to every guy in my life! :) She's made it so easy to create a scene with it at the water's edge and a pine silhouette for a background. First I stamped the boat on a 4" x 5 1/4" Pure Luxury White mat and colored it with Copics. The lines below the boat create some ripples in the water, but also help remind me I need to put a little brown there to reflect the boat! Next I masked the boat and sponged aqua ink over it covering the top half of the mat with sticky notes to make a horizon. Remove your mask and sponge more aqua randomly to make the clouds, and olive ink below it the boat for the shore. And once you have your horizon line, you have a spot to add your trees.

Before removing the boat mask, be sure to remember to flip your trees over and stamp again below it, without reinking, this creates the perfect reflection and completes the illusion of water on your card. (Refer to sample for the clouds and boat reflection in the finished scene, I forgot to get a pic of that, oops!)A scene like that deserves a spotlight, so I die cut an oval window through my Kraft mat I'd stamped with the large "Branching Out" frame and then popped it up over my focal point with foam dots. I love doing windows with nature scenes especially, like you are peeking into another world. The frame allows me to come up with a simple but interesting layout that matches nicely! Base is Pure Luxury Fresh Asparagus, and I added just a few silver adhesive nail heads to finish it off.

• Gina K



• Giovana Smith




• Janice Whiting




• Jennie Harper

• Jimmi Mayo




• Lee Murphy




• Melanie Muenchinger (you are here, thanks for visiting!)




• Michelle Woerner




• Sharon Harnist




• Suzanne Dean




• Tami Mayberry




• Theresa Momber Illustrator of "Follow Your Dreams"
  
  
  


• Tina Gilliland




• Valerie Stangle




• Vicki Dutcher




• AJ Otto
  
  
  


• Carolina Buchting




• Cathy Tidwell




• Deb Felts




• Donna Baker




• Emily Giovanni

See you tomorrow as the hop continues, enjoying hopping around today!

Release party tonight and some peeks!

Hello, are you all ready to party??? We'd like to extend an invitation to you if you don't already have the Gina K Designs release on your calendar yet, it's from 7-9 PM CST in the StampTV forum! This morning we have sneak peeks from the team today of what you can expect at the release and previews of the new stamps you can order starting at 9 PM CST tonight (as well as get you ready for the festivities!) If you came from Lee Murphy's blog, you're at the right place. If not be sure to head over to Stamp TV's forum page for the full hop list. This morning I have a couple glimpses of my newest set "Branching Out", oh are you gonna love this one!"Branching Out" includes several small frames that fit the various Nestabilities dies, and small accent images for customizing and adding quick pops of color. It also has a large frame stamp that, like the one in "Inspiration Mosaic", can be turned 4 ways for different, easy layouts.
Here is a sample showing both the large frame and the oval frame, with a little bit of direct to stamp on the vine with a darker marker to add shading to the leaves. I'll be showing more at the party tonight, tip sheet soon, and a tutorial on Monday showing other ways to use this set! :)

I also have some new PAPER we're releasing tonight, (my first digi pack!) you can print in two different sizes and customize, here are just a few of the other colors in these 8 packs, you like??

Okay, that's all from me today, let's go see what Michelle Woerner has for us and come back tomorrow for the beginning of our three day Inspiration Hop for April! Thanks for stopping by!


Again, be sure to join tonight from 7-9 PM CST in the Stamp TV forum, for chatting more samples, new videos from Gina showing the new products in action, challenges, contests and prizes, it is sure to be blast, see you there! We'll of course follow up the next several days with an inspiration hop like we did last month to give you even more ideas for all the new sets, can't wait, can't wait!