IO- Diecut Obsession

 

Greetings friends.  Today I want to share a card that has a favorite die of mine that is being discontinued.  It is called "Peppermint Block," and it contains the stamp as well as the die.  The stamp includes 6 mints like the one I used and 6 candy canes.  It is a favorite of mine because it makes the perfect embellishment for holiday cards.  I think that it might be in the process of being discontinued because people weren't sure how to use it.  Basically, you stamp the block onto paper with red ink onto white cardstock.  It stamps all 12 candies at once as well as a square around it.  The coordinating die is also a square.  You simply place the square die on top of the stamped square, tape it down and cut out all 12 candies at once.  I love how easy it is to mass-produce.  If it is something you are interested in, the stamp/die set is half off until it is gone.

Here is a close up of the candy:

To finish the card, I stamped a peppermint stripe cover a card onto white cardstock and then ended up only using a small strip of it on the side.  I also added a tag, some mistletoe, some twine, and of course, a favorite sentiment that makes me smile.

Items Used:

Peppermint Block DIE314-V (50% off until it is gone)

Stitched Tag DIE798-Y

Mistletoe DIE1025-L

Candy Cane Stripes Cover a Card CC185

Christmas Socks E5731

Slim Scenes Hop - Day 2

 

 

              The Impression Obsession Slim Scenes Stamps Release Hop - Day 2!

 

Each day (October 15th & 16th) you can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am. 

 

There will be THREE $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificates as givaways chosen randomly from comments on the Design Team blogs over the hop - so the more you comment through our Slim Scenes Hop the more chances to win!

 

All comments for all of the event days will be open until Monday November 2nd at midnight CT.

 

All winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 3rd.

 

All of the new stamps and dies are available now! You can find them all HERE

 

 

I don't know if you have this problem or not, but I find sympathy cards hard to make.  I thought I would make a card that could be used for support as well as other occasions.  Plus, I don't always want to stick to just using flowers.

To make the card, I used three different background stamps.  Two you saw yesterday (the sky and the tree line).  This time I added some mountains for extra scenery.  I paired the stamps with various shades of Impression Obsession ink.  The inks are nice because there are light, medium and dark shades that are meant to work together to give you a gradient of color.  The teal theme was chosen because my nearest mountains are the Blue Ridge Mountains.

To finish the card, I chose one of my favorite sympathy phrases and stamped it in the darkest shade.

Thanks so much for stopping by during the hop!

Impression Obsession Items Used:

Cloudy Sky 3232-LG

Tree Lined Hillside Duo 3229-LG

Mountain Layers 3226-LG 

Baby Blue ink (Sky)

Aqua ink

Teal ink

Blue Spruce ink

Pine ink

Here is a list of all the participating designers so you can join in the hop!

Angela Bode 

Anna Wight 

Dina Kowal 

Giovana Smith 

Ilina Crouse 

Jeanne Streiff 

Laura Fulcher  (you are here)

Laura Williams 

Lee Ann Barrett

Lynda Pleckan

Vicki Garrett

Slim Scenes Hop- Day 1

 

              The Impression Obsession Slim Scenes Stamps Release Hop starts today!

 

Each day (October 15th & 16th) you can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am. 

 

There will be THREE $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificates as givaways chosen randomly from comments on the Design Team blogs over the hop - so the more you comment through our Slim Scenes Hop the more chances to win!

 

All comments for all of the event days will be open until Monday November 2nd at midnight CT.

 

All winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 3rd.

 

All of the new stamps and dies are available now! You can find them all HERE 

 

Greetings friends!  Slimline cards are really popular right now, and IO now has a line of stamps that are meant to fit the length of the card.  I made my finished card to be 8 1/2" x 3 1/2."  It fits into a regular business envelope, so there is no need for extra postage.

 

The first stamp I want to talk about is the Cloudy Sky background.  It is amazing!  I thought it might take a while to break in to get it to stamp well (larger stamps with solid areas often do), but no!  It stamped beautifully the first time I stamped it.  It looks so realistic!  I stamped it with Impression Obsession Sky Blue ink.  My recommendation is to use a MISTI or another stamp postitioner when you stamp these images.  You might have to stamp them multiple times to get the color you want.  It is also handy if you want to layer your colors like I did with the trees.

For the trees, I used one of the treeline stamps that comes in the Tree Lined Hillside Duo set.  The other treeline is pine trees.  I colored my trees with an assortment of Tombo markers, but really, any water-based markers would work.  I added marker to the trees, huffed on the ink a bit to keep it wet and then stamped it on top of the cloudy sky.  I repeated the process over and over until I got the look I wanted.  As a last step for the trees, I inked the ground area of the stamp with Toffee Versafine ink and a bit of dark brown marker.  Before I stamped onto the paper, I wiped off any ink that strayed onto the tree part of the stamp.

It may not look like it, but the background is only two stamps...the sky stamp and the tree/ground stamp. All that was left to do was add my sentiment in Vintage Sepia Versafine ink.

 

Impression Obsession Items I Used:

Cloudy Sky 3232-LG

Sky Blue Ink

Tree Lined Hillside Duo 3229-LG

Fall Blessings C198008

 

Here is a list of all the participating designers so you can join the hop:

 

Angela Bode 

Anna Wight 

Dina Kowal 

Giovana Smith 

Ilina Crouse 

Jeanne Streiff 

Laura Williams 

Laura Fulcher (you are here)

Lee Ann Barrett

Lynda Pleckan 

Vicki Garrett 

 

IO Challenge- You're a Hoot (Owls or other birds)

 Greetings friends.  It is time for another challenge.  If you would like to participate, you can find all of the information over on the Impression Obsession blog.  We hope you will join us!

This month's challenge is all about owls and other birds.  I definitely wanted to use my cute owl die and of course, I had to do my annual ode to candy corn.  It makes me laugh at how much I love the look of it and hate the taste of it.

To make the card, I cut out my owl and then placed it inside the Eyelet Circle die.  That die has a heart on the top of the pocket, but I just cut off the heart since it didn't really go with the theme of the card.  I stamped out my candy corn with black Memento ink and then colored them with Copic markers.  I then cut out the candy and glued them inside the pocket.

For the background of the card, I used the Wood grain cover a card background.

Owl items are currently on sale on the Impression Obsession site as the current featured products.  If you want to see the items on sale, you can find them all here.

Impression Obsession  Items Used:

Owl DIE283-O (on sale)

Eyelet Circle DIE924-V

Wood Grain Cover a Card CC359

Hoo's Got Candy A5476

Candy Corn B2273

IO- Die Cut Obsession

 

Greetings friends.  Today some of the Impression Obsession team are showing die cut cards.  If you would like a full list of participants, you can find them over on the Impression Obsession blog.

I must admit that I am a Christmas movie fanatic.  I quote them all the time and look forward to movie season.  That and some cookies puts me in a really good mood.  It seems more important than ever to focus on the things that make us happy.

To make the card, I first cut out my cookies in kraft cardstock and then again in white cardstock so that all the little cut outs would be easy to color.  I colored the inside of each cookie with Copic markers and then added a bit of glue and glitter to the tops to make them look like they were coated in sugar.  (It is a bit hard to see the glitter in the photo).

For the background, I stamped the retro circle cover a card background onto green cardstock using green ink.  I cut out a frame go around my sentiment and then added the cookies to the card.  Simple!

Impression Obsession Items Used:

Frosted Cookies DIE1015-I

Saying from clear set- Sweater Weather CL1037

Mid Size Frame die DIE930-Z

Retro Circle Cover a Card CC352

If you are still working on Halloween cards, don't forget that you can get 25% off select Halloween items- including the latest release!  If you click on the banner below, it will take you directly to the sale.

IO Challenge- Autumn Colors

 

 

Greetings friends.  Today's theme is all about autumn colors.  I am of a couple minds with this theme.  Part of me wanted to go with the brown/yellow/orange/red route and part of me wanted to go with Halloween colors.  I decided to play it safe and do both.

For my first card, I stamped my little trick or treater and sentiment onto watercolor paper using black versafine ink.  Once the ink was dry, I colored her with Zig clean color real brush markers and a waterbrush.  Once again I had to look up the candy corn color order.  I don't know why I can't ever remember it!  To finish the card, I added some purple because it is one of my favorite "go to" colors for fall.

Impression Obsession Items Used:

Candy Corn Kiddo E12256

Witch Way B5710

For my second card, I went with fall leaves and a fun sentiment.  This card shows the importance of color because using the fall colors really make it autumnal, but if I had used bright greens, it would make an amazing frame for spring or summer.

To make the card, I used the same process as the first.  Everything was stamped with black Versafine onto watercolor paper and colored with zig clean color real brush markers and a waterbrush.

Impression Obsession Items Used:

Oval Leaf Frame K12295

Leaves are Falling D12285

Impression Obsession- Diecut Obsession

 

Greetings friends. Today the IO designers are celebrating dies, so I thought I would share a couple with you.  Thee first is the fortune cookie die and the second is the pinked edge frame.

I love the fortune cookie die!  I think it is such a fun way to deliver a message.  You could use the fortunes stamp set, or you could personalize the message any way you want.  I cut out my fortune cookie using kraft cardstock and then stamped on top of it with the fortune cookie stamp from the Fortunes clear stamp set.  I thought it looked a bit too plain, so I shaded it a bit with a brown and a yellow color pencil.  the good new is the fortune cookie has cross hatch lines on it that help you figure out what to color.

Next, I layered my cookie onto the Pinked Edge Frame.  This is a fantastic die to use because it adds a bit of interest and design to the card without detracting from whatever you are trying to frame.

To finish the card, I made my own background paper.  I stamped the Diagonal Weave die onto cream cardstock using Versamark ink.  I then embossed it with gold embossing powder.  I liked the glossy look and raised dimension of the embossed background a lot.

Impression Obsession Items Used:

Fortunes CL1043

Fortune Cookie DIE1014-C

Pinked Edge Frame DIE931-Y

Diagonal Weave CC174

Impression Obsession- Old is New

 

Greetings friends.  Today is all about celebrating some of our favorite Impression Obsession stamps.  It is a great time to showcase some of the great designs that you may not have seen.

For my card today, I was inspired by a recent Jennifer McGuire video where she did some dot coloring.  You can see the full video here.

 

To make the card, I used my favorite Impression Obsession butterfly called Watercolor Butterfly.  I stamped it in black Memento ink onto white cardstock and then dotted it with Copic markers.  One thing I found out is that you can't move too quickly or else you are left with wonky looking dots.  I also found out the hard way that if I pressed too hard to make the dots, it left me with too much ink coming out of the pen (in other words... it was blobby).  Use a light touch.  That being said, it was a surprisingly fast card to make.

Here is a close up:

Have a great week everyone!

Impression Obsession Items Used:

Watercolor Butterfly F9768

 

Impression Obsession Challenge- Summer Fun!

Greetings friends.  Today is all about having a little Summer fun.  Have you made any summer themed cards this year?  If not, here is your chance!  To read all about the challenge and to learn how to submit your own card, visit the Impression Obsession blog here. 

I am a huge baseball fan, so I knew I wanted to make a baseball themed card.  I don't know that baseball should be playing this year, but I long for past summers of going to Nats Park and watching the Nationals play.

I started with the Buffalo Cover a Card background and stamped it ink.  The plaid reminded me of the neatly mowed lawns of a ballpark.  I plan to use this background to make masculine cards as well a holiday cards. 

I cut out a shape for the center that looked like an infield that worked as a backdrop for my sentiment and the baseball.  As a finishing touch, I popped up the baseball with foam tape.

Impression Obsession Items Used:

Summer Nights D12233

Ball A12227

Buffalo Cover a Card CC392

On a separate note, I wanted to point out that one of my favorite categories for stamping is currently on sale at Impression Obsession.  You can see all the items by clicking on the photo below. 

Here is one of the cards I recently made using a new coffee die and sentiment.  They are both included in the sale:

Items used:

Coffee to Go die DIE1010-P

Coffee Yawn B5740

Impression Obsession Fall/Winter Release Day 3

Welcome to the Impression Obsession Fall/Winter Release Celebration!

Welcome to day three of the Impression Obsession Fall/Winter Celebration! Each day during the celebration (July 15th - July 17th ), you can find a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am. Every single blog will have a $25 gift certificate to give away for the event - so the more you comment through our Release Celebration the more chances to win! All comments for all of the event days will be open until Sunday July 19th at midnight CT. All winner will be announced on Tuesday July 21th.

All of the new stamps and dies are available now! You can find them all HERE

Greetings friends.  It is the last day of the fall/winter release celebration, but don't worry, the design team will be continuing to post samples of the latest release.  After posting one day of Halloween and one of Christmas, I am finishing with a couple of Hanukkah samples and one card for fall.

My llamakah card makes me laugh.  I have said it before, and I will say it again, but I sure do love a pun.  To make the card, I stamped the llama onto 140lb cold press watercolor paper with black Versafine ink and then colored him with Zig Clean Color real brush markers and a waterbrush.  I finished by adding the "punny" sentiment.

Impression Obsession Items Used:
Llamakah E12313
Happy Llamakah C12312

Next, I want to show you one of the new backgrounds.  It is called Slant Background, and it is just one stamp.  I used one color of ink on the stamp, but the various density of dots makes it appear as though I used multiple colors of ink.  It is simply Versafine Majestic Blue ink.  I even stamped the sentiment in the same blue ink.

To finish the card, I added a white frame die cut and a blue checkerboard frame die cut.

Impression Obsession Items Used:
Oy to the World C12315
Slant Background L13950
Large Frame DIE860-WW
Checked Frames DIE805-YY

Finally, I made a fall card simply because the sentiment made me laugh.  I'm waiting for (and fearful of) the day Alexa has these powers.

The background was created using the Boxwood Cover a Card background.  I added various dye-based inks to the stamp, spritzed it with water and stamped it onto watercolor paper.  Without reinking the stamp, I spritzed it onto another piece of watercolor paper.  Each time you do this, the colors get softer and the image gets less and less defined.  I chose the background that I thought worked best for the card and then popped up a sentiment and added my rake and leaf dies.  The rake and leaves actually come from the same set.

Impression Obsession Items Used:
Sentiment from a clear set called Rake the Leaves CL1039
Oak Leaves and Rake die set DIE201-K
Boxwood Cover a Card CC258
Cute Scalloped Rectangles DIE975-V

Thank you so much for visiting me the past three days.  I hope you found something that inspired you!

Don't forget to visit the other designers:

July 17th Fall/Winter Release Day 3

Angela Bode 

Anna Wight 

Daniela Dobson 

Dina Kowal

Giovana Smith 

Ilina Crouse 

Jeanne Streiff 

Laura Fulcher 

Laura Williams 

Lynda Pleckan 

Susan Wymer 

Vicki Garrett