Painting with Coloured Pearlized Enamel Effects

Want to make an embossed image pop? Dig deep for your inner Bob Ross and paint them with coloured Pearlized Enamel Effects.

To do this use the white pearlized enamel effects and add any re-inker colour you choose! Here I have used 2 different colours. Then paint them onto the raised surface of the cardstock.

Products used to make this card: Peaceful Seasons dies, Painted Trees 3D EF, White Craft ink, sponge, Pearlized Enamel Effects, Loose Snowflake embellishments and Aqua Painter.

Happy crafting!

Hugs, Tracie

 

Christmas Friends - O Christmas Tree

Hello friends! Thanks for popping over to my blog! Today I continue down the path of Christmas themed cards using Christmas Friends. I know I have said this before, but the images in this bundle are so adorable.

Today's post is using the singing mouse. It looks like our little friend has been inspired by the constellation he sees in the sky! 

The supplies I have used on my card are

• Christmas Friends
• Decorative Trees
• White Glimmer Paper
• Stampin' Blends
• Pearlized Enamel Effects
• Blending Brushes

Enjoy crafting today & happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie.

Polar Bear Christmas Friends

Hi Friends!  Yes I am showcasing another Christmas card and it is ONLY Sept. 22 - the first day of fall.  Well you can't be too prepared. Besides, how can I resist making cute cards with such an adorable stamp set like Christmas Friends?!?

Simply put..... I can't resist!!! I should be cleaning the house or something but I learned in my day job that I need to be passionate about something and house work doesn't "cut the mustard!"  But crafting does!  Who is with me??

So without further adieux, here is Mr. Polar Bear. He has stopped to smell the roses.... ummm I mean the Christmas pine tree!

With the wind whirling in the background he sure is lucky to have a nice warm coat! 

Look how the ink blending in Boho Blue over the surface of the So Swirly embossed background really helps to make the swirls pop.  It gives the background depth and dimension!

The trees (Merriest Trees) were die cut and also embossed.  This time I have used the blending brush to outline the shape of the tree. And it wouldn't be a Christmas card without glitter!

So, I traced the edges of the trees with a 2 way glue pen and then dunked the trees into some glitter! Notice the glitter under the paws of the bear? Does it look like he has been walking through the snow?

I hope I have inspired you to get crafty (and not do housework)! LOL. Crafting is way more fun.

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Christmas Friends Owl Ornament

Hello and welcome to today's blog post featuring the Christmas Friends bundle. I am loving this bundle. The images are just so darn cute!

Now I am not going to lie. I had a bit of a struggle figuring out what to do with this little guy. If you could see the mess I made on my desk...... well I am sure I am not the only crafter that crosses that mental roadblock.  None the less, I finally landed on a design that I am really happy with.

The background DSP is from the Little Bit Festive specialty DSP pack. This is a great option for anyone looking to make some quick cards because it has all sorts of laser die cuts. Check it out here.

The ornament is something I crafted as I don't have an ornament die. I used the Stylish Shape dies to make the base and then embossed it with Wintry (retired) embossing folder. I use a die from Merry & Bright dies (2023) and popped the ornament up on dimensionals.

The letters were die cut from red glitter paper using Alphabet a la Mode dies.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on today's post!

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Christmas Friends - Present Time for Mr. Bear

 The new winter / holiday 2024 catalogue is now available and it's time for me to share some new samples that I have been making with the Christmas Friends bundle.  Today's share is Mr. Bear!  Such a festive little guy patiently waiting to open his Christmas presents by the tree.

This card came together quite quickly as I am featuring the Little Bit Festive Specialty DSP & die cuts.  Makes card making a breeze when you can add some detailed images to your stamping.  

Mr. Bear (Christmas Friends) was stamped and coloured in Crumb Cake. The wreath is Granny Apple Green and the bow is Cherry Cobbler.

I added some texture to the white layer using the Snowflake Sky EF.

Happy Stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Pets & More Mash Up with Country Flowers

Hello again friends! Well that adorable little kitty is at it again. This time he is peeking from behind the tin basin just to say hello.

I really enjoy combining different sets together to come up with something a little unexpected.  

Today I have used Pets & More along with the Country Flowers bundle.

I have layered a piece of the Unbounded Beauty DSP on a white base. Then layered a piece of Basic Beige that I embossed using the Distressed Tile 3D EF.

The floral arrangement has been coloured with Peach Pie Stampin' Blends & the leaves in Lost Lagoon.

I die cut from Peach Pie glimmer paper the surrounding leaves and the larger bunches of leaves from Lost Lagoon.

The kitty on the left card was coloured with Smoky Slate and the one on the right card was coloured with Neutral Stampin' Blends. Honestly I can't decide which I like better. I think I might be leaning towards the one on the right card.

Which do you prefer?

I hope you enjoy today's mash up!

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Country Birdhouse Versatility

This card could easily have been a Birthday, Thank You, Sympathy or a card to say Hello. That's what the Country Birdhouse bundle provides - lots of options from one bundle!

What sentiment would you have put for this card? I would love to hear your opinion.

For the most part this card features mostly die cutting of the birdhouse (white, Early Espresso, Basic Beige), flowers (white, Azure Afternoon, Blueberry Bushel and leaves (Lemon Lime Twist). The only stamping is the bird which was coloured with Stampin' Blends in Azure Afternoon and 2 flower clusters (one you can see on the bottom right corner and the other is just under the bird). These have also been coloured in Azure Afternoon and Blueberry Bushel.

The card base is White with a layer of Early Espresso and then Basic Beige.

I have added hints of gold glimmer paper in the center of the flowers and roof and gold embossed the sentiment (Simply Said Mix & Match).

Tell me what sentiment you would have used for this card.

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Country Birdhouse & Merriest Moments Mash Up - Country Winter Cabin

There is nothing better than finding new ways to stretch the boundaries & purpose of a die set to make something completely different.

That's what I have done here today with the Country Birdhouse and Merriest Moments dies. The end result is a Country Winter Cabin.

I started with a base layer of white and layered Night of Navy. I then added an embossed panel (Snowflake Sky) of white cardstock. Next I die cut the birdhouse in Basic Beige and added some glimmer white for the roof and below the front door. The windows, chimney & door were die cut using Merriest Moments along with the trees. The wreath was die cut in Shaded Spruce using the smallest deckled circle and then dry embossed with Wintry embossing folder (retired).

To complete the wreath I added a red baker's twine bow and some new Cherry Cobbler Berries (embellishments) coming in August.

I love that I was able to stretch the use of these dies and I hope I inspired you to create your own "mash up".

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Simple Gestures Make All the Difference

Simple gestures of sending a card to someone that is not feeling well can put a smile on their face and brighten up their day. Did you know that the benefit of smiling increases mood enhancing hormones while decreasing stress-enhancing hormones? And ultimately triggering your brain to produce more endorphins - the chemical that relieves pain and stress? (ok science lesson over - lol).

If all that is true, imagine the smile you could put on someone's face just sending a lovely card, letting them know that you are thinking of them and wishing the well.

As an avid card maker, nothing makes me happier than designing intentional cards & knowing that the person that receives my card, will smile.

My card was designed and created using Stampin' Up! products that include:

• Fully Flowering Ephemera
• 3D Eyelet EF
• Just Wanted to Say dies
• Countryside Corners dies

How often do you send cards? Do you know someone that needs a little boost? Why not make a card and send it to them? It will even put a smile on your face!

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

 

A Perfect Trifecta of Colours

Sometimes, someone does something that just brightens your day and when that happens it is only fitting that I return the favour! How stunning are the 3 colours together? Lemon Lolly, Shy Shamrock & Pretty Peacock.

Playing with these colours just makes me happy. And what better bundle to use Lemon Lolly on than Cheerful Daisies? I die cut the flowers in white and ink blended with Lemon Lolly. For stability I die cut the shadow layers and added a touch of Lemon Lolly to them before I layered them behind.

Using the Country Birdhouse roofline dies I cut 2 and ink blended with Shy Shamrock. They have been adhered to an embossed layer of cardstock using Fun Pattern EF. 

Before layering this onto Shy Shamrock cardstock I lightly ink blended over the embossing with Shy Shamrock to make the background pop.

Finally, I die cut some extra white leaves from the Cheerful Daisies bundle and ink blended Shy Shamrock and Pretty Peacock before layering them on the card.

Happy thoughts and happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Make New Beautiful Creations With Leftovers

Waste not want not! Don't discard those "leftover" pieces! Instead, use them to make new creations as I have done here. With the rising cost of everything these days it stands to reason that we would want to make use of everything - those little scraps, images that you coloured and decided didn't work on your current project and even pieces that might look "unusable" - like this piece of cardstock that I die cut (on an angle) a shape from.

So, the other day I posted a card (see post below) showcasing the Sketched Plaid background stamp using Bubble Bath ink. Today I am using the "leftover" piece as a layer for a new card.

In the open space where I die cut the shape, I have filled it in with some additional layers to create a frame for my sentiment. There are 4 layers inserted into the opening. 😄

Once the sentiment was in place, I stamped, coloured the flowers, foliage and pail with Stampin' Blends (bundle used is Country Flowers) and then die cut the images. The flowers are Bubble Bath, Petunia Pop and the foliage is Shy Shamrock. The pail has been coloured in Smoky Slate. The butterfly (Spotlight on Nature) has been coloured with Fresh Freesia. And everything has been covered with Clear Wink of Stella. 😉

It really makes be happy when I find new ways of using what one might consider "unusable" in a new project!

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

  

Thoughtful Expressions

I love it when a card (finally) comes together. Sometimes it takes longer than others but in the end I am super pleased with the softness and daintiness of my card.

I wanted to use the Thoughtful Expressions dies a little differently. So, I stamped a piece of white cardstock in Bubble Bath (isn't that such an adorable name?) with the Sketched Plaid background stamp and then die cut a section on an angle (check out an upcoming post, tomorrow, that shows what I did with the remaining piece) with the Thoughtful Expressions dies.

I have built the card layers starting with Bubble Bath base, then a layer of Whisper White and then the Sketched Plaid Thoughtful Expressions die cut.

Using the Thoughtful Expression dies again, I die cut a "frame" of white and layered that on the plaid with adhesive foam strips.

I love how the Bubble Bath and Shy Shamrock go so well together so I die cut the leaf branches (again using the Thoughtful Expression dies) in Shy Shamrock and 3 tiny flowers in Bubble Bath. These were adhered to the upper left and lower right corners of the white frame.

I tied a triple bow and adhered with glue dots and finished the card with some pretty 2024 - 2026 Shy Shamrock gems.

I know exactly who I am sending this card too. I hope she likes it.

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

If I Fits, I Sits! - Pets & More

Hello friends!  How many of you are cat lovers? And how many of you have seen your kitty in a strange place? A bag, a box, a dresser drawer or even a pail. No matter what, you are sure to find your furry friend in a weird place / position! 

Let's face it... cat's do funny things, sit in odd places, make strange gestures. But all in all, cats are awesome!  I have 2 furry friends that I love to pieces. So when I saw the pail from the Country Flowers dies and the kitty from Pets & More, I knew exactly what I wanted to create.

I started with Summer Splash and ink blended over a stencil to create a background. Then  stamped the pail and coloured it with Smokey Slate Stampin' Blends and then die cut.

The cute kitty from Pets & More was colored in Gray Granite with a touch of Bubble Bath in the ears and nose. I fussy cut the kitty and put him behind the pail. 

Behind the kitty are some flowers from the Country Flowers bundle. I coloured in Lemon Lolly and Summer Splash. I created a new color by coloring over some of the Lemon Lolly with Summer Splash - making a pretty green.

The little birdie (Fluffiest Friends), who is in disbelief that the kitty fits in the pail, ("If I fits, I sits"), has been colored in Summer Splash and Lemon Lolly.

The final touch are a few Lemon Lolly flowers with rhinestone accents and a sentiment in Memento.

I hope you liked todays post. I would love to hear of some of the crazy places you have found your kitty!

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Spotlight on Nature - Simply Lovely

On the docket today is a new stamp set called Spotlight on Nature. I love this set. Simple & dainty! And the font on the sentiments really compliments the images - simply lovely! 

Of course I had to complicate things a bit.  I wanted the flowers closer together and since this set doesn't have coordinating dies, I chose to fussy cut the flowers, leaves and butterfly.  

The white layer was embossed with the Distressed Tile 3D embossing folder and since I didn't have any matching ribbon I chose to colour some white ribbon with the Dark Bubble Bath Stampin' Blends.

The flowers were coloured with Stampin' Blends in Bubble Bath. The butterfly is Highland Heather and the leaves are Lost Lagoon.

It's funny. When I started designing this card this is NOT AT ALL what I thought it was going to look like - but I love it! I hope you do too.

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie

Beach Day Tropical Background Sunset - Ink Blending

Warning! Today's project might make you wish you were relaxing on a beach!

I love blending inks! I especially love seeing new colours form as 2 colours merge like you can see here when the pink and yellow overlap.

Today I was inspired to create a tropical background by ink blending Tahitian Tide, Lemon Lolly & Magenta Madness on a 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" piece of white cardstock.

I then die cut the front panel of my card base with Countryside Corners dies to create an opening for my ink blended cardstock layer to appear through.

Before adhering the background in place, I stamped and die cut all the surrounding pieces using the Beach Day stamps & dies from Stampin' Up!

The palm trees were secured in place before placing the background behind the hexagon opening.

What could be better than relaxing by the ocean in a comfy chair surrounded by palm trees to watch a beautiful sunset?

I love the brightness of the colours I have achieved with this card. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Happy stamping!

Hugs, Tracie