Oh My Gostrich! – Freshly Made Sketches 423

by Shannon Jaramillo // February 23, 2020 // 4 Comments

Whattttt??? Is this the CUTEST little guy ever?!! So cute, he needs a name! Stanley! That’s it! I spent ALL day yesterday going through some family old papers and my brain was pretty fried so when I saw this darling stamp set with Stanley and his ADORABLE perky little face, I knew he was the perfect choice to shake off the melancholy.

Measurements:

Crumb Cake Card Base 4 1/4″ x 11″ scored at 5 1/2″
Layer of Old Olive Card Stock 4″ x 5 1/4″
Birthday Bonanza DSP 3 3/4″ x 5″

Details:

I built a little scene with the ostriches in keeping with the sketch layout and pulled out a whole slew of Stampin’ Blends to color Stanley and his companion (who’s pretending if we can’t see him, it can’t possibly be his birthday). I started with Light Gray Granite and then worked in layers of Light and Dark Crumb Cake and Light and Dark Soft Suede for their bodies. Legs and necks were a combination of Light Petal Pink and a Shin-Han Twin Touch Marker in Straw Yellow for the shading. Stanley’s beak is a base of Light Gray Granite with Light Pumpkin Pie layered over it and just a bit of Dark Pumpkin Pie for depth. I added strawberries to Stanley’s cheeks with Dark Petal Pink.
Oliver (it’s his birthday) is hiding his head in a pool of water stamped in Pool Party. Stanley is standing in Sahara Sand sand and the little flecks of grass were die cut in Old Olive, colored over with Light Gray Granite and touches of Wink of Stella at the tips.

I used Honeybee Stamp’s Sentiment Banners to help me get my stamped sentiment stamped correctly (and straight), and then cut the banner ends off – they were too distracting. I added another strip in Pretty Peacock to stay with the sketch and to bring out the pretty DSP. I also stamped a companion ostrich on the envelope – hey, I needed coloring practice! – as well as another on the inside of the card:

I layered the white panel over a SUPER pretty piece of Tropical Oasis DSP, stamped the sentiment and ostrich, and then, because I just happened to have a scrap of the DSP from the front of the card laying around, I added it to the inside as well. I love that the scrap was cut in such a way that the candles are perfectly displayed!

I can’t even stop smiling at Stanley and Oliver, they are SO stinking’ cute! I purchased this stamp set on a whim simply because I had an email in my inbox a few weeks ago from MFT Stamps with a pop up sale on a few retiring items – I’m so happy that I indulged in this set! Thank you Kim for your awesome sketch this week over at Freshly Made Sketches – it made my stretch my comfort zone a bit and design a scene instead of just using one image! And a BIG thank you to Amy for picking my card last week!

Thank you for stopping by!!

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

Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Pretty Peacock; Neenah Solar White Classic Crest 80#

DSP: Birthday Bonanza and Tropical Oasis

Specialty Paper: None

Ink: Versamark Onyx Black & Memento Tuxedo Black; Pool Party and Sahara Sand

Stamps: Oh MY Gostrich by MFT Stamps

Alcohol Markers: Light Gray Granite, Light & Dark Crumb Cake, Light & Dark Soft Suede, Light & Dark Petal Pink, Light and Dark Pumpkin Pie; Shin-Han Twin Touch Y223 Straw Yellow

Dies: Sentiment Banners & Grass Border by Honeybee Stamps; Pierced Circles by MFT Stamps

Tools: Big Shot, Stampin’ Trimmer (both retired)

Embellishments: Wink of Stella

Other: Whisper White Envelope

Inspiring Iris Thank You – Tic Tac Toe Challenge #52

by Shannon Jaramillo // February 20, 2020 // 3 Comments

Hello and welcome! I have a brand new Tic Tac Toe Board for your crafting pleasure today! Our designer this week is Amy – I have so much fun deciding which row or column to choose each challenge and then seeing what all the participants decide to use and HOW they use the elements…we are all so uniquely different in our interpretation! This week I chose to use the top row: Die Cut, CAS (clean and simple); Purple.

Using purple takes me back to my high school days and Prince. Everything in my life was purple – even my ball point pen! Most teachers refused to let me use it but Mrs. King, bless her heart, let me use it, even though all of those biology notes in purple HAD to be difficult on her eyes! In adult life I rarely use purple for anything – except the flowers I choose to plant in the yard. My hubby was the one who noticed that they were all purple and suggested I chose a different color once in awhile! 🙂 Anyhoo, card making…

Measurements:

Highland Heather Card Base 4 1/4″ x 11″ scored at 5 1/2″
Strip of Granny Apple Green Card Stock 2 7/8″ x 5 1/2″
Strip of White Card Stock 2 3/4″ x 5 1/2″

Details:

I tend to fuss a bit with my cards so it’s refreshing to take a clean and simple viewpoint once in awhile. Purple gingham, a circle die cut, one stamp set and three inks. Simple!
I used the stamp set Inspiring Iris today. It’s a layering stamp set so achieving this look could not be any easier. The outline image was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black, for the the flower image stamp I used Highland Heather and then Granny Apple Green for the stem and leaves image. A total of three stamps and no coloring experience required! I added a simple sentiment from the same stamp set in Versafine Onyx Black as well and that was it!

I layered the white card stock onto a Granny Apple Green layer. With just a bit peeking out from either side it adds interest without overwhelming the card with color. I added the gingham circle die cut because, well…gingham. Yumminess in every color!
And then the card was done but I couldn’t just stop there. I pulled out my little jar of unused bows, actually looking for a twine one to go with the clean and simple concept but found this white beauty instead. I adhered it with a glue dot. Love the sheer organdy, it’s such a clean look!

My goal with each card is to use up one 6 x 6 sheet of DSP. I used a quarter of a sheet for the die cut circle, and a large strip of it for the envelope flap but had enough to add a thin strip down the side on the card interior. There’s still lots of room for a note and the gingham is so cheery, no one can resist smiling when they see it!
I do have a square of DSP left over – rats! I’ll have to leave it out so that it gets used up soon!
I used a few different bloom stamps from the same set to decorate the front of the envelope. No naked envelopes please! lol

I hope you enjoyed today’s creation and have a minute to pop on over to the Tic Tac Toe Challenge blog to be inspired by the rest of the design team! Can’t wait to see what you create!

Blessings!

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

Card Stock: Highland Heather and Granny Apple Green; Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White (80 lb)

DSP: All Occasion DSP Stack

Ink: Highland Heather and Granny Apple Green; Versamark Onyx Black

Stamps: Inspiring Iris

Coloring Tools: none

Dies: Stitched Shapes & SU’s Envelope Die (retired)

Tools: Big Shot

Embellishments: White Organdy Ribbon & Wink of Stella

Other: Whisper White Envelope

An Open Heart – Freshly Made Sketches 422

by Shannon Jaramillo // February 16, 2020 // 5 Comments

Hello my stampin’ peeps! I am back in town and was SO happy to be able to perch on my stool in my craft space and MAKE SOMETHING! I’ve been away TOO long! And I have just enough time to squeeze in the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenge! So let’s get to it!

Measurements:

Mossy Meadow Card Base 4 1/4″ x 11″ scored at 5 1/2″
Pear Pizzazz Card Stock 4″ x 5 1/4″
Strip of Garden Lane DSP 2″ x 5 1/4″
White Die Cut Card Stock 2 3/8″ x 4 5/16″

Details:

In my search for an image that would fit within the layout parameters, I quickly came across the retired stamp set An Open Heart and decided that it would be perfect. It’s a set that I acquired secondhand and have never stamped up. I have FAR too many of those so was very happy to get it inky! I knew I would be coloring with alcohol markers so I stamped the main image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.
Four colors of Stampin’ Blends were used here (you could easily just use one or two): Light & Dark Soft Sea Foam; Light Old Olive and Light Mossy Meadow. I needed a very fine tip pen to color in the branch stem so I pulled out my Mossy Meadow Stampin’ Write Marker for that.
I wasn’t sure what type of foliage I was working with and had no idea what the buds and berries really were so I went with the first image that popped into my head and that was – citrus! So I reached for more Stampin’ Blends in Light So Saffron (may I add that this is a FABULOUS addition to the Stampin’ Blends color variety – if you don’t have it, order it!) and Light Mango Melody. I love the brightness of Mango Melody!

Once the image was colored I searched through my stand alone dies for a rectangle shape narrow and tall enough to use with my stamped image and found the right size in the MFT stamps Pierced Traditional Tags die set. It fit perfectly and I like the added interest the tag shape adds to the card 🙂
I layered the tag over a pattern from the gorgeous Garden Lane DSP and then layered them both over a piece of Pear Pizzazz card stock which has been embossed with the Subtle 3D Embossing Folder.
I added this darling bird image from the same stamp set, again stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black (always use this ink when using alcohol markers), and wondered what color to color it. I am hopelessly illiterate when it comes to birds, but I found inspiration in the yellows of the buds and berries and then added darker shades as I went. When I was finished I had used a total of SIX colors! Light So Saffron, Light Mango Melody on the face, Light and Dark Crumb Cake on the body and Light and Dark Soft Suede on the wing and tail feathers. I’m pretty impressed with how he turned out. I have no idea if any such bird exists in nature but decided that it really doesn’t matter, and that knowledge is SO liberating! I just like the colors!! I fussy cut this little guy out and popped him up with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
I found a perfectly small sentiment to add to my card in the Itty Bitty Greetings stamp set. This set is the replacement for Teeny Tiny Wishes.
The layout called for some of ribbon or twine so I reached for (as I often do) my Linen Thread and make a quick bow. I just love (insert audible sigh) these linen bows and add them to projects frequently.
Added some Wink of Stella to the the leaves and called it good – at least for the card front!

I chose a simple white insert for the card and added a darling sentiment from the Forever Lovely stamp set. The sentiment was inked up with Versamark Onyx Black for a vivid stamp and then I added a tiny leaf spring from the same set, colored in Light Soft Sea Foam with just a touch of color from my Mossy Meadow Stampin’ Write Marker. I left it at that for the card interior and proceeded to add matching DSP to the envelope flap and a partial stamp of the main image on the front of the envelope.

It can be sometimes a scary feeling for me when I start a project without a fixed image of the final result in my mind, but I worked through the twists and turns of the creative process and am super happy with how it turned out. Thank you again to the Freshly Made Sketches design team for their inspiration!! Make sure to visit the Freshly Made Sketches website to see all of their beautiful designs!!

Thank you for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful week!

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

Card Stock: Mossy Meadow and Pear Pizzazz; and Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White (80 lb)

DSP: Garden Lane

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black and Versamark Onyx Black

Stamps: An Open Heart, Itty Bitty Greetings and Forever Lovely

Coloring Tools: Light & Dark Soft Sea Foam, Light Old Olive, Light Mossy Meadow, Light So Saffron, Light Mango Melody, Light & Dark Crumb Cake and Light & Dark Soft Suede Stampin’ Blends; Mossy Meadow Stampin’ Write Marker

Dies: MFT Stamps Pierced Traditional Tags & SU’s Envelope Die (retired)

Tools: Big Shot; Subtle 3D Embossing Folder

Embellishments: Linen Thread Wink of Stella

Other: Whisper White Envelope

Bold Blossoms

by Shannon Jaramillo // February 1, 2019 // 8 Comments

Hello there! I thought the folks hunkering down for this cold spell could do with some spring flowers, so these are just for you! 🙂

Measurements:

White Card Base 4 1/4″ x 11″ scored at 5 1/2″
Strip of Calypso Coral Card Stock 1 7/8″ x 5 1/2″
Strip of Happiness Blooms DSP 1 3/4″ x 5 1/2″
Calypso Coral Card Stock Layer 3 7/8″ x 5 1/8″
White Die Cut Card Stock 3 3/8″ x 4 3/4″

Details:

This very bright and bold pattern is from the Happiness Blooms DSP pack. Isn’t it amazing?!? I used to be intimidated by this type of pattern, but I am learning how to work with it. Once it’s paired up with elements whose colors are drawn directly from the DSP, the pattern tones down. It’s kind of magical!
There is a stamp set called Bloom by Bloom in the Occasions Catalog that exactly matches this DSP, but I don’t have it (yet). So…I improvised! The set I used is called Bunch of Blossoms from the Annual Catalog.

The catalog doesn’t list a pink color for this paper pack, but after stamping with a few different pinks I determined that the pink is Blushing Bride.
The blooms are Blushing Bride and Calypso Coral and those two colors combined with Call Me Clover is, well, magical!!
I paired the Bunch of Blossoms stamp set with a sentiment from Petal Palette and then die cut it and layered it onto a Calypso Coral oval scallop die cut.
This darling Calypso Coral 3/8″ Satin Ribbon is from the same suite of products. I love the satin finish as well as the width – perfect for a simple knot!
Lastly, the Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots in Call Me Clover are the sweetest accents…make sure you get some, they are soon cute in three sizes!

I chose to leave the inside of this card blank this time – I couldn’t find any inspiration for it 🙁 Maybe something will occur to me before I mail it!

Thank you so much for visiting me!

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

Card Stock: Calypso Coral and Neenah Classic Crest Cover Solar White (80 lb)

DSP: Happiness Blossoms

Ink: Blushing Bride, Call Me Clover and Calypso Coral, Tuxedo Black Memento, Versamark

Stamps: Bunch of Blossoms and Petal Palette

Dies: Layering Ovals Framelits Dies, Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies, Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies

Tools: Big Shot

Embellishments: Calypso Coral 3/8″ Satin Ribbon, Happiness Blooms Enamel Dots; Wink of Stella

Other: Whisper White Envelope

Everything Old is New Again…Just a Line

by Shannon Jaramillo // January 17, 2019 // 5 Comments

This darling stamp is Stampin’ Up!, circa 1997. Isn’t it sweet? I found this set on-line a few weeks back and had to give it some love…it’s probably been sitting unused for quite awhile 🙁

As the stamps are wood mount, I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to stamp two images in Memento Tuxedo Black and then added color with my Stampin’ Blends. Here are a few things that I wanted to share:

I had a few choices here. I could have just stamped the clothesline and left it empty, or I could have used the darling baby images at the top of the photo, or I could use the pinafores image (which obviously is what I did). There is also an image of a quilt which I forgot to add to my photo 🙂
Isn’t this Stampin’ Blends color chart AMAZING??? Sadly, it is not my creation. It was created by Diane Barnes and you can download a free copy here for yourself, if you would like. I really like seeing all of the colors like this, it makes it SO much easier to choose colors.

I also discovered that if you would like to use three colors to shade, you can! Light Calypso Coral is a wonderful darker shade for Light and Dark Petal Pink, and Light Bermuda Bay works well with Light and Dark Pool Party!
I used Light and Dark Daffodil Delight to color the daffodils and to color two of the birdies, and used Light and Dark Mango Melody for the third birdie.
I also discovered that coloring leaves with Daffodil Delight (quite by accident, I assure you) and then covering it with Granny Apple Green makes a unique shade of green! I then used Light Old Olive as an accent color for the leaves of the low flowers. The leaves of the daffodils were colored with both Light and Dark Old Olive.

The pinafores were colored (left to right) with Pool Park and Flirty Flamingo; Petal Pink; and Balmy Blue.
The laundry poles are Smoky Slate because I decided they were metal poles, and the laundry in the basket is Pirouette Pink; Pumpkin Pie; and Calypso Coral. The basket itself is Crumb Cake.
Mr. Kitty is colored after my own Buster…white with Light Pumpkin Pie stripes 🙂
I used the Rectangle Dies to trim my stamped panel out and then backed it with Grapefruit Grove Gingham Gala DSP. It’s funny to me that the Grapefruit Grove really compliments the Petal Pink pinafore nicely, when it isn’t even a color the I used!! I have no idea….

This cute little sentiment was a sweet addition to the inside of the card while still leaving ample room for a personal note.

I hope you liked my card today! Please let me know if this set is new to you, or if you have it and my post was a walk down memory lane… I love that Stampin’ Up! stamps never really go away, they just keep changing hands!

Blessings to you!