Friday, January 31, 2014

Upcoming Class


Hi everyone.  This is going to be one busy weekend!  First, there is the Open House at Angela's on Saturday.  If you live in the area, I would suggest stopping by to join the party.  They are always crazy-busy, but so much fun.  It is great to celebrate being part of a stamping community.

On Sunday, there is a little thing called the Superbowl.  Before that, I will be teaching an encore session of my 10 in 10 Valentine class.  If you want to take a break from all the football talk, think about joining me to make ten quick and easy Valentine's Day cards.  Don't worry, you will be home in time for the big game!

I am posting the cards from the class so you can see what we will be making.  The class uses some of the new products from Impression Obsession and Memory Box as well as Distress Markers, Memento Inks, masking tape, Distress Inks, and more.

 

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Impression Obsession "I Heart You" Challenge

 It is getting to be that time of year when we switch from holiday cards and move towards Valentine's Day cards.  Today's IO challenge is all about hearts/love/Valentine's Day, so I thought I would share my new favorite stamps with coordinating die.  I also wanted to show you how easy it is to make a bunch of conversation hearts for any of your projects.

First, you stamp the new  Conversation Hearts image (C5641) using black ink (I used black Memento).  Notice that it will stamp all of the sayings with a box around all the words:


Next, get out the coordinating Conversation Hearts Block die (DIE 133-C).  Notice it has 9 hearts to match the 9 sayings:


Tape the die on top of the words.  Notice that the square die is the same size as the stamped block.  This allows for easy alignment.  Once you have the die on top of the sayings, use a little repositionable tape to hold it in place and then run it through a die cutting machine:


You will be left with 9 conversation hearts with the sayings stamped in the middle:


You could repeat the process using different colors of paper, but I cut all of mine out of white paper and then colored them with the chisel side of my Copic markers.  It was a very fast way to color them!  To finish the card, I popped up the center heart with foam tape and added a layer of paper that coordinated with the center heart.


Need more "heart" inspiration? Check out what the other designers have created:

Laura Fulcher (you are here)

Friday, January 10, 2014

Impression Obsession Blog Hop Day 5

Welcome to Day 5 of the Impression Obsession 2014 Spring Release Designer Hop!
 
We have some beautiful CHA peeks to share AND Gift Certificates to give away each day!!!
The hop will start each day with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am EST. Each day pay us a visit and then head over and see our fabulous IO Design Team’s projects with our new stamps & dies on their blogs (only one comment per blog per day please). The more blogs you visit each day the better chance you will have to win! 
 
Every day (Monday Jan 6th – Friday Jan 10th) one of the blogs will be chosen randomly and a winner will be selected from comments on that blog at 10pm CT. The winner will be announced the following day along with the participating blogs for that day.
 
Two prizes will be awarded on the last day of the hop. One will be for Friday’s comments and another will be chosen from all the comments left throughout the week. So if you miss a day or time deadline your comments will still count for a chance to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate! Both Friday winners will be announced on the IO Blog on Saturday. 
 
If you have any questions please email Jeanne.
 
Well, it is the final day of the blog hop.  I really hope that you have enjoyed it.  For my final card, I would like to show you another of the stamp designers.  This time I chose an image by Tara Caldwell called Swirl Vase (H16011).  I chose not to add a saying to the front so that I could save the card as an emergency one.  I can add a message for birthday, thinking of you, get well, Valentine's Day, or whatever.  You can never have too many generic cards in your stash!  To color the image, I used Distress Markers and a waterbrush.

Here are the other blogs on the hop today:

Laura Fulcher You are Here
Vicki Garrett

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Impression Obsession Blog Hop Day 4


Welcome to Day 4 of the Impression Obsession 2014 Spring Release Designer Hop!
 
We have some beautiful CHA peeks to share AND Gift Certificates to give away each day!!!
The hop will start each day with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am EST. Each day pay us a visit and then head over and see our fabulous IO Design Team’s projects with our new stamps & dies on their blogs (only one comment per blog per day please). The more blogs you visit each day the better chance you will have to win! 
Every day (Monday Jan 6th – Friday Jan 10th) one of the blogs will be chosen randomly and a winner will be selected from comments on that blog at 10pm CT. The winner will be announced the following day along with the participating blogs for that day.
Two prizes will be awarded on the last day of the hop. One will be for Friday’s comments and another will be chosen from all the comments left throughout the week. So if you miss a day or time deadline your comments will still count for a chance to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate! Both Friday winners will be announced on the IO Blog on Saturday. 
If you have any questions please email Jeanne.
Hi again.  I want to thank everyone for the nice comments.  They have really made my day.

For today's card, I wanted to do a one-layer card.  The stamp and saying both come from a new clear set called Greet Each Day (CL537).  To make the card, I stamped the flower multiple times onto a kraft notecard and colored everything with some bright colors of Prismalcolor pencils.  I absolutely love white Prismacolor on kraft colored paper!

Here are the other blogs on the hop today:

Laura Fulcher You are Here
Vicki Garrett

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Impression Obsession Blog Hop Day 3


Welcome to Day 3 of the Impression Obsession 2014 Spring Release Designer Hop!
 
We have some beautiful CHA peeks to share AND Gift Certificates to give away each day!!!
The hop will start each day with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am EST. Each day pay us a visit and then head over and see our fabulous IO Design Team’s projects with our new stamps & dies on their blogs (only one comment per blog per day please). The more blogs you visit each day the better chance you will have to win!
Every day (Monday Jan 6th – Friday Jan 10th) one of the blogs will be chosen randomly and a winner will be selected from comments on that blog at 10pm CT. The winner will be announced the following day along with the participating blogs for that day.
Two prizes will be awarded on the last day of the hop. One will be for Friday’s comments and another will be chosen from all the comments left throughout the week. So if you miss a day or time deadline your comments will still count for a chance to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate! Both Friday winners will be announced on the IO Blog on Saturday.
If you have any questions please email Jeanne.

With the weather as cold as it is, who couldn't use a nice cup of hot tea?  I started my card by adding the Chinese Script Background (H13186) and added the Bamboo Single (F13177) and Brushed Bamboo (F13182) in green ink.  I allowed everything to dry and then embossed the Chickadee Tea (D13184) and Work of Art saying (B13224) in black.  To color the chickadee, I used white and grey prismacolor pencils because the waxiness of the pencils cover up the decorative background behind it.  I am all for avoiding masking whenever possible!

Today’s hop list!
Laura Fulcher You are here

  


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Impression Obsession Blog Hop Day 2


Welcome to Day 2 of the Impression Obsession 2014 Spring Release Designer Hop!
 
We have some beautiful CHA peeks to share AND Gift Certificates to give away each day!!!
The hop will start each day with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am EST. Each day pay us a visit and then head over and see our fabulous IO Design Team’s projects with our new stamps & dies on their blogs (only one comment per blog per day please). The more blogs you visit each day the better chance you will have to win!
Every day (Monday Jan 6th – Friday Jan 10th) one of the blogs will be chosen randomly and a winner will be selected from comments on that blog at 10pm CT. The winner will be announced the following day along with the participating blogs for that day.
Two prizes will be awarded on the last day of the hop. One will be for Friday’s comments and another will be chosen from all the comments left throughout the week. So if you miss a day or time deadline your comments will still count for a chance to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate! Both Friday winners will be announced on the IO Blog on Saturday.
If you have any questions please email Jeanne.

Welcome to day 2!  I have been working on a series of clean and simple Valentine's, and I thought I would share one I made using one of the new small textured backgrounds by the very talented Dina Kowal.  Her backgrounds are great because they are an easy way to add a splash of texture and color to your cards.  You could just as easily switch out the heart and add a flower, butterfly, present, etc. for a quick and easy card.  Very, very practical.

For my card, I stamped the Interesting Texture 2 (E13200) and Solid Heart (C14191) with pink shades of Memento Luxe ink and then stamped the Bold Sweet Valentine saying (C9137) on top with black Memento Luxe ink.  The Luxe inks take a really long time to dry, but they are opaque enough that they really cover up the layers underneath. 

Here are the other blogs on the hop today:
Laura Fulcher You are Here
 

Monday, January 6, 2014

Impression Obsession Blog Hop Day 1


Welcome to Day 1 of the Impression Obsession 2014 Spring Release Designer Hop!
 
We have some beautiful CHA peeks to share AND Gift Certificates to give away each day!!!
The hop will start each day with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am EST. Each day pay us a visit and then head over and see our fabulous IO Design Team’s projects with our new stamps & dies on their blogs (only one comment per blog per day please). The more blogs you visit each day the better chance you will have to win!
 
Every day (Monday Jan 6th – Friday Jan 10th) one of the blogs will be chosen randomly and a winner will be selected from comments on that blog at 10pm CT. The winner will be announced the following day along with the participating blogs for that day.
 
Two prizes will be awarded on the last day of the hop. One will be for Friday’s comments and another will be chosen from all the comments left throughout the week. So if you miss a day or time deadline your comments will still count for a chance to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate! Both Friday winners will be announced on the IO Blog on Saturday.
 
If you have any questions please email Jeanne.

For my first card, I wanted to share one of the new Gary Robertson images called Bunny With Basket (H1953).  To make the card, I colored the outside edges of the various parts of the scene with Distress Markers and then softened the color with a waterbrush.  Gary's images are just perfect for coloring!

Be sure to check out the other blogs on the hop, and thanks for stopping by!

Today's hop list:
Laura Fulcher - you are here
Vicki Garrett


Thursday, January 2, 2014

IO Challenge- Blues

Hello everyone.  I hope you all had a very happy start to the new year.  Today will be the first Impression Obsession challenge of the year, and it is all about the color blue.

For my card, I decided to make a chalky background, so I covered a piece of white cardstock with turquoise PanPastel, stamped my Medium Snowflake background (E6266) repeatedly with Versamark ink, then sponged ultramarine PanPastel onto the snowflakes.  I could have started with a light blue piece of paper and stamped the snowflakes in a dark blue, but the chalk gives a softer mottled look that I wanted.

Next, I took a scrap of my chalky paper and stamped the Mitten Border Large (D8797) in Memento Luxe Danube Blue ink and added the saying with the same blue ink (Let it Snow C 13164).  I glued everything down as a pocket and added a teabag.  Normally I wouldn't add an unwrapped teabag, but the wrapper didn't match the blue color palette, so it had to go.  :)\
 
Need more blue  inspiration? Check out what the other designers have created:

Laura Fulcher (you are here)

Want to play along? You can find all the information here, and you could even win a $25 IO gift certificate!