Vibrant Vases in Highland Heather

by Shannon Jaramillo // January 9, 2019 // 9 Comments

Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day to You!! I whipped up this little card last night after having let the color combination sit on my craft table for almost a week! When moving into a new house or redecorating a room, I like to tell my husband that I have to let the walls “talk” to me before I can hang anything up. Do you do that too? It’s the same with this color combination, it had to percolate a little!

Measurements:

Highland Heather Card Base 4 1/4″ x 11″ scored at 5 1/2″
Balmy Blue Stitched Layer 3 3/4″ x 5 1/8″
Gray Granite Stitched Layer 3 3/8″ x 4 3/4″
Gingham Gala Stitched Circle Layer 2 7/8″
Stamped White Card Stock 2 1/4″ x 3 1/2″

Details:

I knew when I sat down to create that I wanted to use the new Vibrant Vases stamp set and the Gingham Gala 6″ x 6″ DSP, both of which are in the new Occasions Catalog and are available now. And purple was a foregone conclusion as it is my favorite color. I don’t decorate with it or wear it, but when choosing plants or flowers, I always seem to pick purple!! Definitely a child of the 80’s and influenced by Prince, lol
I stamped the vase and flower posy in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink because I knew I wanted to color it in with Stampin’ Blends. I used both Light and Dark Highland Heather to color and shade the flowers, then Light and Dark Old Olive for the leaves, and then I added Light and Dark Balmy Blue to the mix for the vase. Note: This set does have coordinated stamps to color the flower and vase outline, I just wanted to play with my markers 🙂

I used my Gorgeous Grape Stampin’ Write Marker to add a bit of detail to the flower centers, as well as a bit of Wink of Stella.
I’m really enjoying playing with all of Stampin’ Up’s stitched dies, they add such a nice touch, but this card can easily be made without them (I’ve provided the measurements above) and would still look beautiful.
I just played around with the colors and layers to come up with my layout and couldn’t decide if I should use Balmy Blue or Highland Heather ribbon, so…used both!! These adorable ribbons are available as a free gift with any $50 purchase. The Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack includes 5 spools of ribbon: Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight, Grapefruit Grove, Highland Heather and Lemon Lime Twist.
Retired Old Olive Glittery Enamel Dots add a nice detail (love them) and after sleeping overnight, I came back in and added the Old Olive Banner die cut with a banner die from the just retired Farmhouse Framelits Dies. I trimmed the banner in half and then trimmed quite a bit off to leave just a bit peeking out.

The interior is quite simple today, just a trio of Mary’s tulips to brighten it up!

For those who don’t “know” who “Mary” is, she is Mary Fish, my Stampin’ Up! up-line, mentor, and friend. For reaching the $1,000,000 sales goal, she was invited to participate and influence the creation of a stamp set, which is Varied Vases in the Annual Catalog. It coordinates with the Vase Builder Punch as well as this new set from the Occasions Catalog, Vibrant Vases. The tulip is her signature logo so I can never see one without thinking of her 🙂

Thank you so much for stopping by, I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing a prelude to Spring with my card today!

Blessings to You!

Supplies (all Stampin’ Up! unless otherwise noted):

Card Stock: Balmy Blue, Gray Granite, Highland Heather and Old Olive; and Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey Ink

DSP: Gingham Gala 6″ x 6″

Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento

Stamps: Vibrant Vases

Dies: Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies; Farmhouse Framelits Dies (retired)

Tools: Big Shot; Stampin’ Blends; Gorgeous Grape Stampin’ Write Marker

Embellishments: Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack (SAB Freebie); Glitter Enamel Dots (retired); Wink of Stella

Other: Whisper White Envelope

Fresh Foliage Thank You – The Paper Players 413

by Shannon Jaramillo // October 10, 2018 // 3 Comments

Hello my stampin’ friends! I hope your week is going well! Today I wanted to incorporate two challenges into one card: The Paper Players theme challenge of trees or leaves and my FSJ team color challenge.

Measurements:

Lemongrass Card Base 4 1/4″ x 11″ scored at 5 1/2″
Citrus Cooler Layer 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″
Butter Cream Layer 3 3/4″ x 5″

Details:

The color challenge was to use 3 of 5 colors and I used 4 of the 5: Butter Cream, Citrus Cooler, Sweet Pear (my fav color) and Lemongrass.

I was quite literal with the leaves or tree challenge and chose to use FSJ’s Fresh Foliage stamp set. Coordinating dies are available but today I just used the stamps. Isn’t the way they have built the shading into the stamp set amazing?

The first image stamped was this gorgeous thank you sentiment from the ATS set ‘Many Thanks’ on to Butter Cream card stock. Such a gorgeous font!

I inked up two mirror image stamps in Sweet Pear and stamped them around the sentiment, using my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig as my placement guide.
I then pulled out my Lemongrass ink pad and a blender pen. I used the blender pen to pick up the ink directly from the ink pad and then colored each leaf on the stamp, staying toward the bottom of each leaf. I also inked up all of the stems. Then I used a dauber to pounce on the inked stamp, pulling some of the color back up. I then stamped directly over my Sweet Pear stamped images, creating soft shading of the leaves and stems.

I needed to add Citrus Cooler to my design but wasn’t satisfied with the options I had in the ‘Fresh Foliage’ stamp set so I pulled out ‘Harvest Wreath’ and found this itty bitty dotted stamp. I played around with full color stamping and then stamping off once, but first the color was too dark, and then it was too light (Goldilocks here) but then I found a combination that was JUST right. lol. I inked up the little stamp in Citrus Cooler and then stamped it into the dauber sponge before stamping on to my card front. Perfect!!

I layered the card front onto Citrus Cooler card stock, added a 3 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ piece of white craft foam to pop it up, and adhered the card front to the Lemongrass card base.
I wanted to add more to my design but every embellishment I chose overwhelmed the design. I finally added Wink of Stella to the Citrus Cooler dot images and then went over that with Journey Glaze. It is SUCH good stuff…I can’t believe I stamped for eight years without it!!
I left the card to dry overnight and came back but it still wasn’t enough so I colored all of the Lemongrass parts of the leaves with Wink of Stella. THAT was the perfect finishing touch. I can see just a bit of the shine in the photo but in person, the whole card sparkles. So happy!

I stamped another stamp from the ‘Many Thanks’ ATS set on the inside and called it good.
Since I didn’t have any FSJ pattern paper that used these colors, I just went through my pattern paper stash until I found one that matches amazing well and used that to line the envelope.

This was such fun to create and I thank The Paper Players design team for giving me the inspiration!

Have a great day! I hope you get to do something crafty today! P.S. I love to hear from you so please leave a comment if you can! Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Fresh Foliage Stamp Set – SS-0559

Price: $18.95

Fresh Foliage Bundle – BD-0394

Price: $36.80

Many Thanks ATS – AT-0280

Price: $8.95

Harvest Wreath Stamp Set – SS-0492

Price: $21.95

Lemongrass 8.5 x 11 Cardstock – CS-0019

Price: $6.95

Citrus Cooler 8.5×11 Cardstock – CS-0089

Price: $6.95

Buttercream 8.5 x 11 Cardstock – CS-0006

Price: $6.95

Lemongrass True Color Fusion Ink Pad – IP-0022

Price: $7.95

Sweet Pear True Color Fusion Ink Pad – IP-0054

Price: $7.95

Citrus Cooler True Color Fusion Ink Pad – IP-0048

Price: $7.95

Black Licorice True Color Fusion Ink Pad – IP-0041

Price: $7.95

Supply List

Cows Are Beautiful Too!

by Shannon Jaramillo // July 1, 2018 // 4 Comments

I never thought I would say that a cow was beautiful but this gal sure is! This is another stamp featured in the Life is Beautiful stamp set…available TODAY!! Yay!! I am also featuring another pattern from the Good Life Prints pattern paper pack, a delightful Rustic Rose gingham, yum!!

I’m going to be brief with the details of my card so you can get to the catalog faster! (But no peeking until you suitably admire my card. #kiddingnotkidding

Today I am featuring two new colors, one of which you saw a bit of yesterday, Tin Pail (I’m going to give you a closer look at it in a minute), and the second color is Rustic Rose…say it with me Rustic Rose…it just sounds farmhouse-y and garden-y and picket fence-y doesn’t it??
The adorable Matilde, yes, I named her, looks so pretty with just her bonnet of flowers colored, I can imagine all sorts of coloring possibilities for her!
The sentiment is from the Humble and Kind stamp set, also part of the Good Life collection. Clean and simple and sweet.

I tried several different color combinations to get the best shade of rose that I could and settled with a color a mid-tone gray (#46) followed up with several layers of pink (#04) in deepening tones. I used the same gray on the leaves, followed up by Fresh Forest green (#23) and then used a lighter gray (#29) with the same green for the sprigs of leaves around her mouth.
I wanted to give you a comparison for the new Tin Pail color so I stamped Miss Matilde in both Whip Cream and Tin Pail. I am pretty sure Tin Pail is going to become one of my staple neutral colors:

I love the scallop detail that the Border Basics die provides! It’s such a fun detail! I added a few sequins and then a strip of Tin Pail card stock down the left side to give my card that little somthin’ extra to balance everything out.
Oh!! And please notice that I included Matilde’s actual stamp so you could see the ‘indexing’ (image on the cling foam). No stickers! No issues with cling! And you know exactly where and how your image is going to stamp! What a concept. I love, love, love the indexed stamps, it makes stamping so much easier. And easy is ALWAYS good, right?

A special shout out the the Freshly Made Sketches design team for their fabulous (as always) for their layout sketch! I am always inspired by their talents!

Okay folks, the catalog is live! Please feel free to view it here in flip-book format while you wait for the actual catalog to arrive. Oh wait…did you not ask me for one?? Oh dear. Well, the good news is I will totally send you a catalog free, I am just asking that you cover the shipping charge of $7. A steal for a 335 page catalog with fabulous sample and TONS of inspiration! Email me today and we will get you all set up! Enjoy!

FSJ Convention 2018 was the “Beary Best”!

by Shannon Jaramillo // June 25, 2018 // 4 Comments

Oh my goodness!! Isn’t this ‘beary’ little guy the cutest?!? I have SO much to share with you all after my long weekend at the FSJ (Fun Stampers Journey) convention, but first, I wanted to share my swap card for the ‘Inking the Way’ team card swap. This little guy is an ‘ATS’ stamp called ‘Beary Best’ and he is retiring June 30th so if you love him too, make sure to place an order right away as he is only available while supplies last!! And he is on SALE!!! ‘Beary Best‘, just the stamp, is only $5.37!! And ‘Beary Best‘, the bundle (stamp and coordinating die!) is only $10.47!! What amazing value!!

Are you interested in purchasing other stamps and dies at amazing prices? Who wouldn’t be, right?!? Then check out the FSJ Retirement Party (after you finish this post of course :))!!

Measurements:

Card Base 4 1/2″ x 11″, scored at 5 1/2″
Stamped Image Layer 3″ x 5 1/2″
Printed Paper Layer 1″ x 5″

Details:

Would you like a way to use up those scraps of darling pattern paper that we all hoard…I mean have? This layout packs a TON of pattern paper punch and uses only two 1″ x 5 1/2″ pieces of pattern paper!!
Assembly is SO easy! I attached both the bear stamp and the sentiment stamp to the ‘F’ block. The grid lines on the block and indexing (stamp image) on the stamp, make getting things lined up straight a BREEZE!! Then I inked this both stamps up with Hazelnut Blend Fusion Ink and stamped him on Buttercream card stock!
I cut thin strips of color coordinating card stock, applied adhesive and attached them to both sides of my stamped image layer. One done, I adhered everything to the card base!
I added two Journey Sequins Bloom Time sequins in the lower right hand corner for a bit of pop and then balanced them out with a hand snipped banner of pattern paper and a teeny tiny bow of Journey Natural Thread!

I added a bit of the Through the Years pattern paper to my photo so you can get a better idea of the overall design…it’s gorgeous in Butter Cream, Banana Cream, Summer Days, Pool Play, Beach Breeze, Lemon Grass and Fresh Forest.

Now….CONVENTION. Oh my goodness! FSJ (Fun Stampers Journey) KNOCKED it out of the park at Convention!! Honestly, LOOK at ALL the goodies that were included in the price of Convention!

Just look at all the STUFF!!! The natural canvas tote in the upper left was the bag given to us at registration. It contained THREE full size stamp sets, 1 ATS size stamp set, the black and white checked planner you see to the left (complete with a full compliment of calendar pages in it) as well as the convention pin and a pin announcing this was my first convention. You can see those attached to my lanyard (also included in the bag). The REST: a $600 party host set for staying at the convention hotel, 2 ATS stamps, the mini envelope die, a full spool of Lemon Drop satin ribbon, a pen and stickers for our amaze machines with the new logo on them, a darling take out box, another fold away tote which came with the new annual catalog in it, the 2018-19 Annual Catalog (SPIRAL BOUND!!!!!) and a commenorative wood mounted Convention 2018 stamp set! OH! And the Holiday mini catalog!!! (eek!)

Whew!! That’s a TON of STUFF, right?? I’ve been to stamping conventions before but they pale in comparison to the way we were treated. And that’s just the stuff. We also were treated to THREE days of general session with SO many new products and tips and techniques and SIX breakout classes!! I learned SO MUCH!! And FOOD!!! I will share photos of the food in the posts to come, just let me say here that we did not go hungry! No boxed meals happening with FSJ!!

Oh! And the opportunity to shop in the Journey store and purchase SO many bundles and a la carte items from the new catalog!! And we got to take them home with us!! And we were able to purchase them with our coach discount and a 10% convention discount!!

Are you on overload yet? lol, I am. I am SO inspired by the wonderful FSJ crew and all of their hard work producing a GORGEOUS 334 page color catalog FULL of amazing projects to inspire!! Would you like one????? You’re like “You’re Kidding” right?? Of course you want one!! Just shoot me an email and as soon as I receive the catalogs, I will ship them out to you!

Thank you so much for visiting my little blog and I hope to see you back! Don’t forget to subscribe so you can get peeks of amazing FSJ product delivered right to your in box!

Supplies: (All Fun Stampers Journey products unless noted differently below)

Card Stock: Buttercream, Summer Days, Lemon Grass, and Fresh Forest

Printed Paper: Through the Year

Ink: Hazelnut Blend

Stamps: Beary Best

Dies: None

Tools: Journey Blooms Paper Trimmer

Embellishments: Journey Sequins Bloom Time and Journey Thread Natural

Other: None

Live Like You Mean It

by Shannon Jaramillo // March 17, 2018 // 2 Comments

Sharing a bit of stamping I did this morning! When I got up this Saturday morning, I had a mile long mental list of things to do and was full of ambition to get started on my tasks…and then I walked by my stamping space, which has the most gorgeous light in the morning…and I veered in there instead and got lost in paper and ink! Does that happen to you?

I love how cheerful this little card turned out and I know exactly who I’m going to give it to – she is indeed one of the loveliest people I know!

The DSP (Designer Series Paper) I used is called ‘Gingham Garden’ and is probably 5 years old now. But there is no expiration date on cuteness and this paper has that in spades. And the stamp? I have no idea how old it is (perhaps you can enlighten me), but it showed up in my mailbox this week and I couldn’t WAIT to ink it up!

The color combination is Melon Mambo and Cucumber Crush (retired), the flower is from the very retired ‘Live Like You Mean It’ stamp set, and the darling sentiment is from the ‘Hanging Garden’ stamp set. I used a few pierced dies from MFT Stamps to bring definition to all the white space.

And in the picture below you can see one of my most favorite new products, the ‘Glitter & Clear Epoxy Shapes‘. They are the teeniest little gems I have seen on the market and I am definitely going to be stocking up on them! You can find them on page 33 of the 2018 Occasions Catalog, on the lower left hand side. Because they are clear, they are hard to see, but are SO worth the investment!

Thanks for taking the time to stop by today and I hope your weekend is fabulous!

Blessings,