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!

Mason Jar Bouquet

These cards were inspired by Lindsay Weirich, 
the Frugal Crafter, and her Happy Heart Bouquet Card Tutorial.

I used 2 strips of printed papers from my stash for the background.
Die cut the oval from scraps of watercolor paper.
After stamping the vase, leaves and flowers
I used a water brush to pull color from the stamped vase
to add more blue color as shown.

The background for this card was made with embossing folder stamping technique-with pearlized acrylic paint from my stash. I like these two tutorials:
Heidi Wegman's Embossing Folder Stamping
and
Audrie Magno-Gordon's Embossing Folder Stamping

In my rush to get this card finished for a belated birthday,
 I forgot to add blue color underneath the mason jar.

Materials Used: Inks- distress broken china, worn lipstick, victorian velvet, wild honey, hickory smoke, abandoned coral, 
Stampin' Up! certainly celery, wild wasabi

Stamps- Stampin' Up!, Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous, Judith and Heather, Hero Arts

Park Lane Rose Repeat embossing folder
Spellbinders Nestabilities Oval die
Water brush
Eyelash yarn from my stash

Thanks for visiting. Hoping you spend time with your favorite person today!

Card Captain Day 4

Happy Technique Thursday! to my Enjoy Michael Strong Stamps Friends!

 These my little "techniques" today:
* making my own "tag reinforcement"

 * using an aqua painter to color stamped images 

* making my own "hill stencil".

 Here you see a close up of my "tag reinforcement".

I cut my own tag 7 x 3-1/2 inches from white cardstock.

Trimmed the top corners as shown and used a 1/4 inch punch for the center hole.

I added a home made "reinforcement" by punching a 1/4 inch circle
into a separate piece of cardstock. 

Then I punched a 5/8 inch circle around that.
Glued my reinforcement onto my tag.

To make a "hill" stencil simply cut a curvy line on cardstock scraps-Super simple.
Using this, I sponged mowed lawn ink to create my hills.

Coloring with Aqua Painter...
For the Vase, I stamped it on a separate piece of paper using Versafine black onyx ink.

When it was thoroughly dry, I used an aqua painter and distress inks to color it.
Just dab your inkpad to a craft sheet or similar surface.
Dip your aqua painter brush into the ink to pick up color.
Have scrap paper handy to test out the color's intensity.
Use a paper towel or old rag to pinch the brush and remove color
before going on to the next color.
I fussy cut the vase and attached it with foam tape.
I used the aqua painter to color the  the dragonfly and the cat.

To finish off my tag, I added assorted fibers from my stash!
Thanks, Lynette for sharing your fibers with me!

STAMPS-Michael Strong, Stampers Anonymous

INKS

Distress-mowed lawn, scattered straw, tumbled glass,
rusty hinge, seedless preserves, spiced marmalade, tea dye