Thursday, December 20, 2012

IO Challenge- Sending Love

Are you ready to think about Valentine's Day yet? Today's challenge is all about sending expressions of love. For my card, I used two of Impression Obsession's solid stamps...Solid Heart Large (H8877) and Happy Solid Heart (B8855).  My first thought was to clear emboss the large heart on mullberry paper and then spray it with an assortment of colors.  The only problem was I didn't have any mulberry paper, and the paper I used didn't resist the sprays.  Therefore, I just cut out the heart and layered it onto my card.  Sometimes things are just happy accidents.  To finish the card, I cut out the Happy Solid Heart and popped it up on the card with a few pearls.

Need more quote inspiration? Check out what Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Julie, Kittie, and Vicki created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

Don't forget that you can find Impression Obsession on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!

 

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Two Cards- Nothing in Common


Today I wanted to share a couple of cards with you that have absolutely nothing in common. I guess you have to go wherever the creative impulses take you! The first card is one that I teach in my Distress Marker class. I used the Impression Obsession Butterfly Group (F8123) and Hello saying (A3579) along with my Dried Marigold, Tattered Rose, and Picket Fence Distress Markers. I really like how well the Picket Fence marker shows up on kraft paper.

The second card just amuses me.  When I saw the Impression Obsession Assembly Required saying (B7702), I immediately knew I would pair it with a round shaker pouch and some Polar White Flower Soft.  To create the background, I used the Snowflakes Cover a Card (CC066).  It made for a really quick card...especially considering I didn't have to stamp or color a snowman!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Celebrating the Holidays

Today the IO team wants to share holiday cards with you. I decided to show you the card I am using for this year's thank you cards. I didn't want to do something as elaborate as my Christmas card, but I wanted to have something to show my gratitude.

To make the card, I used the snowflake from the Impression Obsession Mitten die set (Die025-22) along with some paper from Imaginisce (400036 snowflakes).  I thought the two coordinated really well with each other.  To finish the card, I added a little pearl bling.

Need more holiday inspiration? Check out what Daniela, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Julie, Kittie, and Vicki created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

Don't forget that you can find Impression Obsession on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!

 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

One-Layer Fall Card


Today's Impression Obsession challenge is all about fall cards. The picture of my fall card makes the finishing spray look a little odd and doesn't really show the gold metallic spray very well. Here is a close up of the shine:


To make the card, I masked off areas with some Eclipse Tape strips and then sponged the card with Tea Dye, Old Paper, Dried Marigold, Scattered Straw, and Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink.  I then stamped the wheat and saying from the CL406 We Gather Together clear set using brown Versafine ink.  I then colored the wheat with assorted fall Prismacolor pencils (Henna, Goldenrod, Jasmine, Limepeel, Chocolate).  To finish the card, I spritzed the whole thing with gold shimmer spray.
 
Need more fall inspiration? Check out what Daniela, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Kittie, and Vicki created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

Don't forget that you can find Impression Obsession on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Gift For You

It is getting to be that time of year again when I am thinking of ideas for small Christmas presents. I love to give little tokens to lots of people for the holidays, but I really need to stretch every dollar. I used a sale at the grocery store as well as a coupon to buy a package of tea for fifty cents (tea goes on sale all the time so just look for deals). I chose peppermint because it definitely says "holiday" to me, and it smells so good!

To decorate the gift, I used a double tag with the Cover a Card Thick and Thin (CC008) background on the bottom and a red tag on the top. I then embellished the red tag with a peppermint image from the Leigh Hannan Holidays clear set (CL157) and embossed the saying (My Cup of Tea A5511) with white powder. The tags attached to the package of tea with a white ribbon, red button, and peppermint colored bakers twine.  Here is a closer view:

Need more quote inspiration? Check out what Daniela, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, and  Kittie created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

Don't forget that you can find Impression Obsession on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!


 

Thursday, October 25, 2012

White Christmas

Today I wanted to share with you a white-on-white card using the new Impression Obsession Tree Line Die (DIE027-P).  I paired it with a textured background created with the Sizzix Large Christmas Words embossing folder.  I wasn't sure at first about layering white-on-white, but I think the texture helps separate the two elements.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

IO Challenge- Halloween!

Today the IO designers are sharing Halloween cards with you.  I have a feeling that a bunch of us will be using the new Halloween Hill die (DIE029-P) because it is awesome!  It cuts out the hill along with all the elements you see attached.  There are also a few bats, but I didn't include them in this card.

The card I am showing you is so quick and easy to make.  In fact, it is one of the ten cards I will be doing in my 10 in 10 Halloween class tomorrow at Angela's.  The class is all about making cards that can be done in ten minutes or less.  For this card, I cut out the hill and punched out a yellow circle.  When I layered the card, I made sure to put the yellow moon behind the house and pumpkin so that the yellow also colored the windows and pumpkin face.  To finish the card, I added a little baker's twine at the bottom and added the saying (Eek A3520)


Need more Halloween inspiration? Check out what Daniela, Dina, Jeanne, Julie, Kittie, and Vicki created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

Don't forget that you can find Impression Obsession on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Blog Hop- Dies Day 3

Welcome to the final blog hop day.  Impression Obsession has released a bunch of new dies, and the design team would like to show you lots of cool ideas for using them during a three-day blog hop.  The best part?  There will be a winner chosen each day from participants who comment on each DT blog for that day, including the Impression Obsession blog. The winner for each day will be announced in the next day's Impression Obsession blog post. Each winner will get to select 3 Dies of their choice!!!

I just know the new Mitten die set (Die025-22) is going to be really popular.  It comes with the mitten, snowflake, and bow dies.  For this card, I matched the mitten die with the Large Mitten stamp (L8144).  Using both the stamp and die is a nice effect because it gives you a white border around the mitten.  To color the mitten, I inked the stamp with light blue ink, pressed it against the knit cover a card (CC138) stamp that was inked with dark blue ink and then stamped the mitten onto white cardstock.  I cut out the mitten with coordinating die and then added the snowflake and bow.  The bow die coordinates with the String Bow Bell stamp (C8159).

Don't forget to leave a comment on my blog as well as the following blogs for a chance to win three dies of your choice:

IMPORTANT...I am going on vacation and scheduled this post in andvance.  I added the names of the designers who had signed up by the time I wrote this post.  Other designers may have signed up since then.  Please go to the Impression Obsession blog first to get the most up to date Friday blog list.  Thanks!
 
Dina 


Good luck!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Blog Hop- Dies Day 2

Impression Obsession has released a bunch of new dies, and the design team would like to show you lots of cool ideas for using them during a three-day blog hop.  The best part?  There will be a winner chosen each day from participants who comment on each DT blog for that day, including the Impression Obsession blog. The winner for each day will be announced in the next day's Impression Obsession blog post. Each winner will get to select 3 Dies of their choice!!!

For my card, I used two sizes of leaves from the Leaves die collection (DIE030-S).  How practical is that set?!  Next, I added some dot paper from Memory Box and some brown washi tape from We R Memory Keepers.  To finish the card, I added the Mini Watch the Leaves saying (B5371).

Don't forget to leave a comment on my blog as well as the following blogs for a chance to win three dies of your choice:
Dina 

Good luck!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Blog Hop- Dies Day 1

Impression Obsession has released a bunch of new dies, and the design team would like to show you lots of cool ideas for using them during a three-day blog hop.  The best part?  There will be a winner chosen each day from participants who comment on each DT blog for that day, including the Impression Obsession blog. The winner for each day will be announced in the next day's Impression Obsession blog post. Each winner will get to select 3 Dies of their choice!!!

For my card, I paired the Fancy Tree die ( DIE031-N) with the Cover a Card Swirls background (CC012).  I thought the two matched perfectly.  The picture didn't pick up the metallic paper very well, but it is one of the gorgeous silk papers from The Paper Cut.  The card ended up being pretty clean and simple and definitely easy to mass-produce for Christmas.

Don't forget to leave a comment on my blog as well as the following blogs for a chance to win three dies of your choice:
Dina 

Good luck!

 

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Nature Inspired- Zentangle

Today's Impression Obsession challenge was "Nature Inspired."  I have a feeling I went a very different direction than the other designers!

I decided to use one of the first Impression Obsession stamps I ever owned (Paisley Tree K2057).  It is such an awesome image.  I let the patterns in the tree inspire me into drawing a frame around it and using the same designs in the tree to draw Zentangle patterns in my frame.  To finish the card, I added the "Just for You" saying (A3562).


Need more nature inspiration? Check out what Daniela, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Julie, Kittie, and Vicki created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

Don't forget that you can find Impression Obsession on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!


   

Thursday, September 6, 2012

IO Challenge- Favorite Quote


Today the Impression Obsession challenge is all about favorite quotes. I really love this saying (If You are Grateful C3541) and think it would make nice Thanksgiving cards:


To make this card, I used the brand new Leaves dies (DIE030-S) to cut out a mask using Eclipse Tape.  I then layered my mask onto some speckled tan cardstock:



Next, I sponged some yellow, orange, and purple ink onto my card:



To add some interest to the leaves, I stamped the Love Letter (J8778) script on top of the leaves using brown ink:



I removed the mask, stamped my saying, and layered the pieces of the card.  My sponge had a little gold Shimmer Spritz on it, so the leaves had a nice sparkle to them.

Need more quote inspiration? Check out what Daniela, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Julie, Kittie, and Vicki created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

Don't forget that you can find Impression Obsession on Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Zebra

Today I wanted to share a rather simple card with you.  It features the new Single Zebra (E7680) image as well as the new Ticking Cover a Card background (CC126).  Of course, Impression Obsession just came out with a new zebra print cover a card that would have been perfect for this card.  I didn't have the new background when I made this card, so I had to improvise.  Sometimes things just work out!  I stamped everything with black versafine ink and added some layers of silver metallic paper.  Very, very easy.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Yellow and Gray


Time for another Impression Obsession challenge! This time the theme was "yellow and gray." I have seen a lot of cards around lately using those colors, and I have to say that I really like the two together.

For my card, I stamped medium yellow cardstock and light yellow cardstock using the Small Quatrefoil Cover a Card Background (CC125) using Brilliance Pearlescent Yellow ink.  You can't really see the background or shimmer of the ink from the first picture, so I took a second with the card facing the light:


I then stamped the light yellow cardstock with the Flower 3 stamp (A5573) and the Flower 1 stamp (C5571) using Dandelion Memento ink. To finish the card, I overstamped everything with the Silhouette 3 flower (D5553) and the Friendships Multiply Joys saying (C5043).

Want to see more yellow and gray cards?  Check out what Daniela, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Julie, and Vicki created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

 

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

New Class

Inspired by all of the "back to school" information that is rampant in August, I decided to design a class for everyone who is a bit of a kid at heart. What is the class about you ask? Here is a clue:


Yep, I am doing a crayon class.  Everyone will receive a 24 ct box of crayons, and we will be making the following cards:






The class will include techniques such as crayon blending, crayon resist, and crayon melt-art. We will also be combining crayons with other materials such as embossing folders, Colorwash sprays, and Distress Inks.  I think it will be a lot of fun, and I hope you do too.  Angela is out of town at the moment, so the class dates may not get added to the store website.

Crazy for Crayons- Friday, August 10th (10am-12pm).
or
Crazy for Crayons- Sunday, August 19th (12:30pm-2:30pm)

Thursday, August 2, 2012

It's A Man's World Challenge

Today the IO team is creating "manly" cards. Everyone has a different approach to masculine cards, but for me, I try to keep clean lines and keep it simple. I also tend not to use much in the way of embellishments.

For my card today, I used the Sail Collage (H13022) as well as the Cover a Card Rolling Waves (CC123). I stamped both using Versafine Majestic Blue ink and then colored the scene with chalks. Usually I don't use cards for masculine cards because of the "soft" look. However, I thought it worked just fine for this card. Perhaps the dark colors and harsh lines needed a little softness.

 Want more masculine card inspiration?  Check out what Daniela, Dina, Jeanne, Jenny, Julie, and Vicki created. Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!

 

Friday, July 20, 2012

Day 5- Smiling's My Favorite!

I absolutely love movie quotes. Sometimes I feel like my conversations are comprised of about 2% movie quotes. Needless to say, when I saw this quote from "Elf," I knew I had to use it.

For my card, I used the Cover a Card Thick and Thin (CC008) in red ink to create a peppermint looking background. I also included the new elf image (Jingle E11049) and the I like to smile (C3863) saying. I colored the elf with watercolor pencils and then blended everything with a Dove Blender pen.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog this week. I have enjoyed sharing the new IO release with you!

Remember, we are having a blog hop every day this week to feature the new Impression Obsession products.  Here is the information you need to know to win an IO gift certificate:
  • A Gift Certificate Drawing will be held every day and an extra one on Friday.
  • To be eligible to win each day leave a comment on the blog for each participating DT member. 
  • Posts are closed for each day at 10 p.m., EST, for that day's drawing.
  • The winners will be announced in the post for the next day.
  • To be eligible to win on the extra drawing Friday you must have commented on each DT blog participating on each day (Monday through Friday).  Posts closed at 10 p.m.. EST
  • (You can go back and catch up on comments to be eligible for the 5 day drawing on Friday.)
Here is a list of designers who are participating today (besides me):
Dina 
Jenny 

If at any point during the week you get confused, just visit the Impression Obsession blog.  Shirley will help keep you on track and will answer any of your questions.  Good luck!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Day 4- Fly Away



Today is day four of the Blog Hop and has the added theme of "Fly Away."  I thought it was the perfect opportunity to show you the brand new Bird Line (G13030) image. I really like to work with solid images because they give you all kinds of technique opportunities. For my card today, I stamped the birds onto some patterned paper from the Basic Grey Plumeria line. I embossed them with clear embossing powder and then let them cool completely. I then added some Peacock Feathers and Rusty Hinge Distress Inks on top of the patterned paper so that it covered up a lot of the plaid. The embossed birds resisted the ink and allowed the plaid to show through. When I spritzed the paper with some Gold Shimmer Spritz (Colorbox), it added a metallic sheen to the paper. Here is a close-up of the metallic quality of the card:

 

In my final picture, I wanted to show you how much patterned paper changes when you add ink on top of it. You really can get a lot of looks out of one piece of paper depending on the inks you choose:

Remember, we are having a blog hop every day this week to feature the new Impression Obsession products.  Here is the information you need to know to win an IO gift certificate:
  • A Gift Certificate Drawing will be held every day and an extra one on Friday.
  • To be eligible to win each day leave a comment on the blog for each participating DT member. 
  • Posts are closed for each day at 10 p.m., EST, for that day's drawing.
  • The winners will be announced in the post for the next day.
  • To be eligible to win on the extra drawing Friday you must have commented on each DT blog participating on each day (Monday through Friday).  Posts closed at 10 p.m.. EST
  • (You can go back and catch up on comments to be eligible for the 5 day drawing on Friday.)
Here is a list of designers who are participating today (besides me):

Dina 
Jeanne 
Jenny 

If at any point during the week you get confused, just visit the Impression Obsession blog.  Shirley will help keep you on track and will answer any of your questions.  Good luck!