Warm Autumn Wishes – Fusion Card Challenge

by Shannon Jaramillo // October 1, 2015 // 8 Comments

Hello! I’m happy to share with you that I am now a designer for the Fusion Card Challenge! This fun challenge gives you, the artist, three different options!

Let the either the photo or the sketch inspire you, or go all out and use both!

I’m an overachiever so I tried to use both 🙂 I say ‘tried’ because I didn’t manage to use both completely:

I flipped the sketch and then tried to emulate the colors in the photo. I didn’t quite get that pretty soft greenish color in there, mine’s a bit darker, but overall, I am pleased!

I used a new-to-me technique that I ran across recently. I used a wadded up tissue to pick up ink from my ink pad and apply it to my stamp. You can see how I added a bit of a darker tone to my pumpkins, above. The tissue gives a softer look than direct ink, or using the rock-n-roll method.

I used this technique again on my leaf (above), I love the look I achieved and hope that with practice I can get even better results. I would love to know if you try this technique and whether or not you are pleased with it!

The wonderful Fusion Card Challenge design team has created some fabulous cards to inspire you this week, so be sure to stop by and check them out! Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White and Spring Moss by PTI

Pattern Paper: Green – Unknown; Orange – Blink of an Eye by My Mind’s Eye

Ink: Summer Sunrise, Harvest Gold, Terracotta Tile, Spring Moss and Simply Chartreuse by PTI

Stamps: Pumpkin Patch and Leave It Be by PTI

Dies: Pumpkin Patch and Leave It Be by PTI; Pierced Rectangle STAX by MFT Stamps; and Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: MISTI

Embellishments: Neutral Candy Dots by Stampin’ Up!

Feeling Like Fall – Sunday Stamps 110

by Shannon Jaramillo // September 20, 2015 // 2 Comments

We’ve had a few cooler days lately, and that combined with Friday night football games, has me feeling like Fall! So I broke out a new to me pad of paper that I have been saving for the occasion and started creating!

My jumping off point was this delightful sketch from Sunday Stamps:

I enjoyed mixing colors on this card and perhaps took a few liberties with Fall leaf colors!

I hope you will pop over and gather inspiration from the rest of the Sunday Stamps design team! We would love to see you play along with us!

A side note: My posts have been fewer lately as I have been busy painting another room in my house and then moving my creative space into the new room. It has a bit less square footage but oodles more sunlight! It will take me a bit to get everything reorganized but I look forward to sharing my new space with you!

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Vintage Cream by PTI

Pattern Paper: Autumn Flowers by Ki Memories

Ink: Pure Poppy, Ocean Tides, and Ripe Avocado by PTI; Chocolate Chip by Stampin’ Up!

Stamps: Leave It Be by PTI and Fall Foliage by MFT Stamps

Dies: Leave It Be by PTI; Stitched Mats: Rectangles by Lil ‘Inker and Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: MISTI

Embellishments: Linen Thread by May Arts

Noted – Sunday Stamps 109

by Shannon Jaramillo // September 6, 2015 // No Comments

It’s Sunday again and time for another fun challenge from the Sunday Stamps design team…

Aren’t the colors amazing? In Stampin’ Up! colors, the colors are Island Indigo, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight and Very Vanilla.

I kept true to the colors, choosing to repeat one design element. The colors from top to bottom are: Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, and then Crushed Curry.

All of the images on my card today are from the ‘Noted’ stamp set. It also has a coordinating die for the ‘hello’ sentiment.I just used the die for my focal point, and layered it four times.

I then applied Crystal Effects to the top of the word and let it dry. Now it has a nice shiny finish to help it pop off the busy pattern underneath. I dug around and found three coordinating sequins to finish my card off.

This sentiment, ‘hello, how are you?’ had me humming a tune from the 70’s all day. It was driving me batty because I couldn’t remember any more of the words, just the melody. Finally, last night I went searching for it on my phone and discovered the song was “Telephone Line” by ELO. Yep, that goes way back…anyone but me remember it?

I digress…I hope you have enjoyed my simple inspiration today. It would be awesome if you would stop by and see the inspiration from the Sunday Stamps talented design and perhaps play along!

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Vintage Cream by Papertrey Ink; Island Indigo and Crushed Curry by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: All About a Boy by Echo Park

Ink: Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Pumpkin Pie by Stampin’ Up!; Memento Tuxedo Black

Stamps: Noted by Papertrey Ink

Dies: Noted by Papertrey Ink and Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: MISTI

Embellishments: Misc Sequins

Giving Thanks – The Paper Players 257 & SIP #9

by Shannon Jaramillo // August 12, 2015 // 9 Comments

Hello!! I want to share with you that one of my cards was a designer pick over at the Stamp, Ink, and Paper challenge! I’m so appreciative of the honor!!

And now I have a funny story about today’s card…

The card I am sharing today was created last Sunday after seeing the new challenge from The Paper Players. Then Tuesday, I popped over to see the latest Stamp, Ink, Paper challenge and discovered that the sketch is eerily close to the card I had already made for The Paper Players!

Here’s the challenge sketch:

And here’s the card I created before I saw the sketch!

Isn’t that the strangest coincidence??

Moving along, I wanted to share a few things with you I noticed about my card once it was done:

Visual Triangles are Pleasing to the Eye:

If you look at the card above, I have Bermuda Bay in three spots on the card that loosely form a triangle. For Old Olive, I used the envelope liner to complete the triangle. Now look at the Crumb Cake…there’s the tree and the strip of paper…but where is the third element? It’s the linen thread in the button! It’s a subtle but important detail that the eye picks up on.

Balance is harmony

Always try to give equal visual weight to both sides of the card. Here, the three strips of paper on the left side help balance out the large rectangle on the other side. Once I had put the strips of paper onto the card, I felt that they overbalanced it (too heavy on the left side), so I added a button on the right to bring both sides back into balance.

I don’t think about these things as I’m creating and sometimes don’t realize them at all but I did today so I wanted to pass that info along.

My last tip for today?? Don’t forget the inside of the card! I Know, I’m guilty too, but I’m making a conscious effort to change my ways! It’s a small thing, and perhaps you wait until you know who you’re giving the card to, but I find that I need to do it right when the card is created or it will never get done!

Thank you to Claire at The Paper Players for this wonderful color combination!

And thank you as well for visiting with me today!

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey Ink; Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, Old Olive by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: Brights Designer Series Paper Pack (retired pattern) by Stampin’ Up!

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, Old Olive by Stampin’ Up!; Tuxedo Black by Memento

Stamps: Giving Thanks by Simon Says Stamp; Fancy Florals by Clearly Besotted Stamps; Tucked In: Thank You by Papertrey Ink

Dies: Stitched Mats: Rectangles by Lil ‘Inker; Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: None

Embellishments: Brights Designer Buttons and Linen Thread by Stampin’ Up!

Uplifting Words – CASology 158

by Shannon Jaramillo // August 10, 2015 // 3 Comments

Hello and Happy Monday to you!! Here’s to a great week!

I had so much fun creating this weekend! One of the challenges I came across was this one from CASology:

CAS means Clean and Simple. They want LOTS of white space and I think clean and simple is a fun change of pace! The cue card is precious…hmmm…what’s precious to me?

Hope. Because without hope for the future, we would never move forward. I think it’s so important, that’s what I feel when I see this sentiment. And though the sentiment is from The Stamps of Life (upliftingwords2hear), the rainbow stamps are from a new set this year from Stampin’ Up! called Over the Rainbow. Aren’t they perfect for each other??

I used one stamp from the rainbow set and just inked it up in fun colors (Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush, Pacific Point, and Perfect Plum) and then stamped the sentiment with Versamark Ink and heat embossed with black embossing powder. That’s it! Easy peasy! You can see the raised finish the sentiment has, it’s so pretty!

And then I found a sentiment for the inside that I think ties in very well:

Right?? We’ve all been there, and I think this card would be just wonderful to give to someone experiencing a rough patch.

And that’s it for today, thank you so much for stopping by! I’m in a rush to post cards before challenges close so I will be back again tomorrow! Until then…

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey Ink, Chocolate Chip by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: All About a Boy by Echo Park

Ink: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Cucumber Crush, Pacific Point, Perfect Plum by Stampin’ Up!; Versamark

Stamps: upliftingwords2hear by The Stamps of Life; Over the Rainbow by Stampin’ Up!; Inside & Out: Healing Touch by Papertrey Ink

Dies: Stitched Mats: Rectangles by Lil ‘Inker; Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: Heat Gun,Black Embossing Powder; Embossing Buddy by Stampin’ Up!

Embellishments: None