Stampfest At Lynette's, June 20, 2026

We visited Lynette yesterday and had a great time! Enjoyed the summer activities with food specialites of the area. And we had lots of fun stamping! Above are the cards we made.

Our moon tags were inspired by a YouTube by Jenny Card Designs...called 

Simple Nature Scene-Ink Blending and Stamping

from May 30, 2026

LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgCJ-LBOwk0 

We cut our own tags with white cardstock, 6-1/4 by 3-1/8 inches. Then we made our own circle mask for the moon area using Hero Arts infinity dies-the same diameter as our moon stamp from Gina K (To the moon and back).

We used blending brushes with  Distress Antique Linen to add color to the circle/moon. Then we stamped the features of the moon with the "To the moon and back" Gina K stamp using the same Distress Antique Linen.  When done, we covered the moon with our circle mask to create the blue sky on the rest of the tag. We used Distress ink and blending brushes. 

Starting at the bottom of the tag Lynette ink blended with Faded Jeans ink, then Broken China and Weathered Wood at the top. I think I used Weathered Wood at the bottom, then Broken China, then Stormy Sky at the top.  

The rest of the stamping was done with Versafine Onyx Black. We stamped a wood mounted Hero Arts stamp, #K5517, retired Tall Wheat (sometimes referred to as Large Cattails). We used a stamp from the Stampin' Up! set called Garden Silhouettes, a Tim Holtz clear stamp from the Flights of Fancy set. The birds are from a Tim Holtz clear stamp set called Lost and Found.

This group of cards is inspired by Natasha Foote's 

6 Splotches Technique: Use ANY Materials for Amazing Card Backgrounds! (#1290)

from January 26, 2026

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SglTDkNu8fw&t=2s

Lynette's card are the two above. Mine are the two below.

Lynette had some metallic watercolors in her stash, so we used those. We had to set the panels aside to let them dry. We used her sweet Waffle Flower Lake Sunset and Beach Days stamp sets and Versafine Black Onyx ink to stamp the "squares". Immediately after stampin the summer images, we used clear embossing powder with a heat tool to set the black ink.  I love using those very fun summer images! Thank you, Lynette!!

My paper warped quite a bit. Lynette's not so much. We decided to run the layers through her old crimper, which saved the day. The corrugated look and it hid the warping! Next time will use watercolor paper or maybe my Tim Holtz multi media paper, which I keep forgetting about!

Above you see the result of trying Natasha Foote's debossing technique. Her YouTube is called,

1000 VIDEOS!! Let's Celebrate With a Freebie FOR YOU! Debossing In Card Making(#1000) 

from March 22, 2024  

LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3XwgSUEd4w

We used a Cuttlebug embossing folder called Stylized Flowers.
On the debossed side (indented part of the flowers, leaves and stems, we ink blended with Stampin Up's Pink Passion and Green Galore. 

Then using Distress Chipped Saphire, we swiped the ink directly from the inkpad onto the entire surface of the panel, going backand forth till all the white areas were gone. The result was dramatic!

Our final card is from Natasha Foote's 

SCRAPS into TORN ELEGANCE (#1337)

from May 15, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_rzhDBOj6Q&t=490s

We were inspired by a flower card like this created by a member of Natasha's Facebook. It was rough going at first. We were not sure how to do the paper piecing. Finally decided to create a 5 petal sketch on computer paper. We didn't have scraps of printed paper, so we tore into Lynette's stash. It sure looked like a "hot mess" at first (as Natasha would say!). But we were happy with the results. The stitching lines really help it come together. 

Thank you for visitng!

Peace and all good!

Stampfest at Lynette's March 23, 2026

Yesterday Lynette and I had a great time stamping. We worked on ideas we have been thinking about.

Our trees in the sky card was fun to make. We used a layer of dark blue card stock from Lynette's stash, Stamped trees from Gina K's You Warm My Heart and Natural Silhouettes stamp sets with Versafine Onyx black ink. The die cut happy is from Hero Arts and the "birthday" is from Lynette's stash.

Lynette and I saw a card like made by Audrey Pettit on her Audrey Pettit Designs website. We had lots of fun with this. Seems like we do a lot of substitutions but thie time we actually had the Leafy Texture Fades embossing folder. We inked the raised side of the embossing folder with Gina K white pigment ink, then placed the kraft paper inside and ran it through the Cuttlebug. We die cut 3 flowers from the Tim Holtz Sizzix WILDFLOWERS Thinlits Die set from white cardstock. Then ink blended with Gina K's lemon drop, powder blue and lucky clover inks. Sentiments from Lynette's stash.

Lynette and I saw Vicki Perry's February 22, 2026 post in the Gina K Designs & StampTV Friends Facebook group where she created her own background paper using blue and brown inks. We both loved it and wanted to give that a try. We used leaf stamps from these Gina K's stamp sets: Gentle Silhouettes, Flower Builders, The Greatest Gift, the Original Wreath Builder and Hugs and Wildflowers and Fresh Florals (the Birthday Blessings sentiment). 

We ended up liking a kraft oval for the sentiment in black ink. And stamping flower outlines from the Hugs and Wildflowers set on blue cardstock. The white oval got lost in the background print and so did blue flowers stamped on white cardstock.

We always have such a great time together! I'm so glad that Lynette hosts this very fun day!

Thank you for visitng and wishing you

Peace and all good!

 

Stampfest at Lynette's December 12, 2025

 

Don and I visited Lynette yesterday. We had great time visiting. We took a short walk to a restaurant for lunch which was delicious and we got a few "steps in".

For our Stampfest, we were inspired by two cards made by Meghann Andrews. She used Gina K's Great Outdoors stamps on her June 30, 2025 blog and Youtube: Gina K. Designs The Great Outdoors Livestream. 

We had some technical challenges. Lynette's Waffle Flower Postage Collage die did not have three rectangles going across. However, we were able to use my Gina K Master Layouts 4-it has a single rectangle postage die. So we cut three for each of us. We were glad we could squeeze these three postage pieces on a 5.5 x 4.25" card. 

Lynette found a beautiful wood  mounted stamp from Stampin' Up! called Homespun Plaid to use on blue cardstock. She stamped  both of our cards in Gina K's In the navy ink.

We used Lynette grip mat from Waffle flower. I cut strips of printer paper to mask off the rectangles, using washi tape to hold the paper in place. I liked how securely the grip mat held the three postage rectangles side by side as we worked.

For the sky and water, we ink blended Gina K wild dandelion, Stampin'Up only orange and Gina K powder blue. 

Then we carefully stamped the rocks stamp and the birds with GK in the navy ink. The rocks stamp was not long enough, so we had to mask off part and re-stamp trying to "match" the scene. I think it worked out pretty well.

You can see how well Lynette inkblended the sky and water and how she did a great job on stamping the rocks, which was tricky because the stamp was not long enough for the whole width. 

I did not get good coverage of in the navy ink in the center rectangle. And I had an empty spot on the left which I tried to re-stamp. It's not perfect, but I'm afriad to mess it up worse with a marker.

It was very fun creating this scene with the faux postage look. Having Meghann Andrews' sample was super helpful! Thank you Meghann for sharing your art with us on your blog and in your YouTube!

Now I'd like to try her golf version!

Lynette generously helped me make these three Christmas cards. She showed me cards she had made before our get-together with a Stampin' Up! kit called Sparkling Holiday that had adhesive on the back of the printed cardstock. I loved the design she created!  

Just wanted to thank my blog visitors. Just a reminder that you can always click on an image to see a larger version.

Wishing you peace and all good!

More Browns Technique Cards

This card started as a panel made at Lynette's house on Oct. 23rd using Natasha Foote's YouTube tutorial,  Browns Only Technique, Video #1237 from Sept. 24, 2025. The embossing of the hill and trees was demonstrated by Natasha at about the 10:15 minute mark in her video tutorial.

I tried the technique, first wiping the bottom of the panel with an anti-static powder bag. I tore a piece of paper to make the mask for the hill.  I applied Versafine embossing ink to the paper below the hill mask with a makeup sponge. Then I stamped the trees with embossing ink. Finally I added the gold embossing powder and heat set it all.

I liked how the gold embossing looked, but the paper I used was thin and there was warping from when I did the browns technique. I tried to "get rid" of some of that warped paper by cutting my panel with a Hero Arts Oval nesting infinity die. I cut a black "frame" with the next size larger oval die. I did not get my panel centered perfectly, however! 

The photo above shows  the way the "swiping" of the 3 colors looks, working from the bottom of the page toward the top: Gina K's dark chocolate, warm cocoa and soft stone at the top. 

Below are three cards and another sample showing the swiping of the inks at the beginning. Below each card I list the ink colors I used for the sky. Info about the stamps is at the end.

Ink blending: distress tumbled glass for the lake and streams. The sky, bottom up: distress fossilized amber, Gina K sweet mango, blue denim.

Ink blending: distress tumbled glass for the lake and streams. The sky, bottom up: Gina K wild dandelion, sweet mango, bubblegum pink, blue denim.

Ink blending: Gina K peach bellini, lovely lavender, wild lilac.

Above you can I tried swiping greens for the land. Used Gina K's asparagus, then jelly bean and soft stone at the top. I liked using the Fabiano Smooth Bristol paper 103 lb. (280 gsm). It worked much better than my regular inexpensive cardstock. It held up to water without much warping to much. 

The stamps for the outline mountain and a solid, filled in mountain are from Momenta, a small set that Lynette gave me. 

The tree stamps are from Gina K's Natural Silhouettes & You Warm My Heart, Stampscapes:  Tree Duo 085A and Inkadinkado-2 pine trees 96683 K, 

The birds are from Gina K's Fearless Flyers and Stampscapes-Gulls 302A.

The ground cover filler in the green card is from Stampscapes: Bush, 191A.

You can always click on an image to get a larger version.

Thank you for visiting! 

Wishing you Peace and all good!

Stampfest at Lynette's October 22, 2025

On Wednesday, October 22, we spent a wonderful day with Lynette. We went to a delicious Mexican Restaurant, La Marina Mariscos and enjoyed their lunch special, with lots of left overs to bring home.

Then we had a ball working on cards.We made a quick card stamping on  printed paper. Then we tried a simple ink swiping technique from Natasha Foote's YouTube Come Crafting with Natasha. 

Below are the cards we made with printed paper, inspired by Sharr Lm's Oct. 9, 2025 post on Facebook, at the Come Crafting with Natasha group. 

We used Lynette's Tim Holtz printed papers from her stash, stamping flowers in Versafine Onyx Black ink. 

Stamps:

Hero Arts wood mounted H3258 Real Dill

Gina K Natural Silhouettes

My Sentiments Exactly Happy Birthday

For the next four cards we tried Natasha Foote's Browns Only Technique, Video #1237 from Sept. 24, 2025. 

We used Gina K dark chocolate, warm cocoa and soft stone inks for the "land" in our panels. As shown in Natasha's video, we dabbed a small amount of brown ink on an acrylic block, spritzed it and tried to drag it across the white cardstock. It was difficult to drag. The ink did not go on smoothly. Natasha used the words, "hot mess" at one point...and we were thinking the same thing. Natasha encourages to keep on going and we did! 

NOTE Oct. 25, 2025...I just revisited Natasha's YouTube and noticed that when she dragged the inked and spritzed acrylic block across the paper, the block was held at an angle, so only part of it was touching the paper. That must be why we had trouble dragging it across the paper.

For the second panel we tried Natasha's "wet paintbrush and ink from an acrylic block" technique. That was a little easier. However after our panels were complete, we LIKED the uneven look of the browns and gray colors applied with the acrylic block. That method added more texture than just painting the browns and greys. We dried the paper with a heat tool and also set it aside to dry completely. 

We colored the sky by using blending brushes and ink.

Stampin Up orchid opulence, Gina K wild lilac, blue denim and blue in the navy.

For our lakes: Gina K powder blue and sea glass.

Stamps used:

Gina K Natural Silhouettes...very small pine tree

Gina K You Warm My Heart...various pine trees

The first two panels are Lynette's. The second two panels are mine. Lynette found some beautiful dark brown cardstock to back the panels. 

After a day, our panels look 200% better and I think we both are going to try this technique again!

Thanks for visiting! You can always click on an image to view a larger version.

Peace and All Good!

Stampfest at Lynette's July 11, 2025

We visited Lynette on Friday and had a great time as always! For lunch, we took a walk to a nice restaurant in her neighborhood...delicious food, with leftovers to take home. 

Lynette found inspiration for our cards from Lisa Hetrick, Gina K (who was inspired by Natasha Foote) and Jodene Tripp.

For our first card, we followed Lisa Hetrick's flower card with a wet on wet watercolor technique demonstrated on Lisa's YouTube tutorial from May 28, 2019. 

Card Tutorial: Washy Watercolor Florals + 3D Sentiment Embellishments

Lisa described it as  "wet, wet, washy watercolor". 

Lisa stamped her flowers first with GK amalgam ink-obsidian/black waterproof ink. Apparently the amalgam ink is waterproof. However I left that inkpad at home. So we decided not to stamp the flower first. 

First we added water to the watercolor paper with a paintbrush. Then we used watercolors from Lynette's stash, trying to keep our work area wet so the color would travel. We followed Lisa's video as we worked and set aside our panels to dry before we stamped the large outline flower from Gina K's Hugs and Wildflowers set, using Versafine Onyx black ink. It was very fun to watch the colors move and "go with the flow" on the paper.

Lynette mounted her both panels on a dark pink panel from her stash (this one and the next).

I decided to add the extra stamping shown on Lisa's demo, stamping the little branches with Gina K dandelion yellow and medium lilac. I stamped the leaves on a separate piece of cardstock with GK grass green ink. Then I fussy cut the leaves and attached them with GK connect glue.

For our second card design, we followed Jodene Tripp's Sept. 16, 2019 blogpost:

Altenew - Clean & Simple Boutique Cards

using the large leaves stamps from  Altenew's Leaf Canopy stamp set. First we stamped the the large shadow image with GK soft stone ink. Then stamped the large leaves outline stamp in Versafine Onyx Black ink. In both instances we followed the placement that Jodene used.

For our third card design we followed Gina K's YouTube from Jul 8, 2025: 

Inspired by Natasha Foote! Ripped Masking Technique - Fun Cardmaking Technique to Try Tonight!

Apparently Gina was inspired by Natasha Foote's YouTube from Jan. 22, 2025

Ripped Masking Technique TWO DIFFERENT WAYS (1131)

I forgot to bring my GK Masking Magic, so we used Lynette's removable tape. We used a solid mask for the sides, and ripped the tape for the wavy our ink blended areas. We used Post It's as shown by Gina to prevent our ink blending from going anywhere but the intended space! After ink blending an area, we stamped a design with the same color ink as what we used for the ink blending. 

From top to bottom, used Gina K inks:

Wild Dandelion, Turquoise Sea, Lucky Clover, Wild Lilac. 

Then we stamped the flowers from Gina's Natural Silhouettes stamp set using Versafine Black Onyx ink.

Thnaks for visiting!

Peace and All Good!

Stampfest at Lynette's May 26, 2025

Yesterday Don and I visited Lynette for the first time since my knee replacement surgery two months ago. We had a great time visiting. Enjoyed lunch at LongHorn's. Later we all enjoyed Phigment wine, cheese and crackers and chips and salsa for our supper. Lynette and I both loved the Rosemary Flatbread crackers from Aldi-they came in a box.

Lynette and I each made three cards. We found great card samples online, with BIG THANKS to...

Rachel Tessman of Stamp Your Art Out

and

Seeka of Sky Paper Scissors.

 

Note:  you can always click on an image to see a larger view of it.

We used directions from Rachel Tessman's Layering Leaves Square Column Fold Card blogpost. She listed the sizes of the various papers on that blog.

The card base is 5-1/2 x 10-1/8" scored at 4-1/4", 5-3/4", 7-1/4" and 8-3/4".

For the brick dry embossed panels, you start with 3 pieces: 

  2 of them are 1-3/8" x 5-3/8" 

  and

  1 of them is   1-1/8"   x 3-3/4".

We used Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Bricked embossing folder, after cutting the pieces.

We drew our own vase, using Kraft paper for it. Then Lynette stamped a texture stamp with GK warm cocoa ink on it.

The die cut leaves we used were from Lynette's stash.

I stamped a sentiment from Altenew's Leaf Canopy set on the banner of my card.

 

For our second card...

we found A Hidden Scenery Z-Fold Card on Rachel Tessman's blog. I tapped the "Page Down Key" three times to arrive at two photos of this card. She used beautiful printed paper from SU's December 2023 Paper Pumpkin Kit. She has a link there which leading to her Sept. 13, 2023 Autumn Hidden Scenery Z-Fold cards. There you find her directions for this style of card:

Card base  5-1/2 x 8-1/2"

Score at 2-1/8" and 4-1/4"

For the small aqua folded card that is attached later cut layer:  5-1/2 x 3"

For the white layer on the front and inside, cut two:  2-1/2 x 2-1/8"

We stamped our own design on our white cardstock base using Stampin Up's Spring Garden. We stamped the stems in GK's Jelly Bean Green and the flowers in SU's Yo Yo Yellow. For the cloud background, we used Lynette's cloud stencil with Distress Tumbled Glass ink and a blending brush. It was very fun to customize our card design, but if you have printed paper like Rachel's that would be very pretty too.

We used a word art stamp from the Stampin' Up! set called Natural Beauty for the outside of the small aqua folded card. You can write a note inside or you can use a stamp for the inside, like Lynette did.

This card is attached on the left side only. The fold part slips undereath the right side of the folded card to keep the z-fold part tucked inside. Rachel shows exactly where to add foam tape to the back of the folded card in her YouTube, December 2023 All The Best Paper Pumpkin Kit: First Set of Alternate Projects

Lynette added two yellow butterflies to the inside of her card to enhance the scene!

Our third card was inspired by Seeka's April 11, 2022 blogpost on Sky Paper Scissors. We used Gina K's inks. From the bottom up: Key Lime, Lucky Clover and Sea Glass. I think I started using my green blending brush at first, so the top layer is rather green-ish! 

Lynette die cut all the Gina K Botanic Duo flowers/leaves. She used her Cuttlebug, with dies facing up, the cardstock on top of the dies AND a piece of bubble wrap on top of the cardstock. Then the B plate on top of that. In the past I had trouble getting these dies to cut completely. She had no problem. I'll give her method a try the next time I cut these at home.

Lynette also cut stitched circles from Vellum and a smaller one from cardstock. She did not attach her die pieces, putting everything aside for later. That's why I only have my card photo.

A great big THANKS to Rachel Tessman for her wonderful blogposts. Loved your Layering Leaves Square Column card and your Hidden Scenery Z-Fold Card.  You have such an artistic eye for color and design. We really appreciate your sharing the blogposts with us!

Thanks also to Seeka for her Sky Paper Scissors blogpost on ink blending and Gina K's Botanic Duo dies. What a beautiful layout! Love the use of the Vellum circle under the white cardstock circle. Thanks for sharing beautiful cards with everyone.

Thanks for visiting!

Peace and all good!

Beach Cards, April 2025

My beach panels were inspired by Jackie Bolhuis' Beach Themed Cards Here. I love the look she creates with the Stampin' Up! Oceanfront stamp set. But I don't have that set. So I tried to re-create it on watercolor paper cut to about 3 x 4-1/4 inches. I wet the paper first with a round paintbrush. Then I pressed inkpads directly onto my glass mat-the white section. Used a round paintbrush dipped in water and picked up color and added it to my watercolor paper. Card on left started with Gina K sea glass for the sky and ocean mist for the water. I changed to ocean mist for the sky and turquoise sea for the water on the center and right panels. Used Gina K sandy beach for the land. Used Stampscapes Gulls-302A, Cattails-016B and Reeds Lg.068D with Distress ground espresso. I forgot to add the sun like Jackie did. 

You can always click on an image to see a larger version.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Peace and all good!

Stampfest at Lynette's November 13, 2024

We visited Lynette Wednesday, November 13, 2024 and had a great day! For lunch, we took a walk to nearby Chipotle's for  Burrito Bowls.

Back at her house, she helped me decide on a simple Christmas card design.

Inside of my Christmas card

Then we had lots of fun playing with her new Waffle Flower Postage Collage Die, Waffle Flower Postage Collage Blocks Stencil (contains the "window openings"/rectangles to mask out the perforation areas and a little border AND the Waffle Flower Collage Wild Flower Stencil set (of 3 stencils) to add the flowers. 

We were impressed how easy it was for Lynette to die cut the faux postage layer in her Cuttlebug. The Postage Collage Wild Flower Stencils (set of 3 stencils) are etched with text on each showing the order to be used. Made it easy to add the ink with blending brushes.

Remember to click on any image for a larger version.

We used Gina K inks: wild dandelion, sweet mango, warm cocoa and grass green.

On our second postage collage, we ink blended 3 background colors to each of the rectangles. We used the Waffle Flower Postage Collage Blocks Stencil and we added paper to block each rectangle when the colors did not go across the blocks.  

Then we stamped various small image stamps from our collection using Versafine onyx black ink.

For the background ink blending, we used Gina K inks, starting at the bottom and working our way up...

bottom: jelly bean green 

middle: wild lilac 

top: light orchid.

When we were done stamping, Lynette taught Don and me to play Mexican Train Dominoes. It was a  lot of fun. We played a few rounds and I think we'll play again next time. 

Lynette always puts out a beautiful charcuterie board with some delicious wine and last night was no different! We enjoyed the food and listened to music and then showed her many pictures from our recent vacation. It was a lovely day!

Thanks for visiting!

Peace and all good!