I'm a Guest Stamper for Stampin' Pretty!

As I write this post we are in the middle of a blizzard in Colorado and I know it is pretty, but...

I am a warm weather beach girl and I was inspired by this bloom from our yard last summer to make today's card.

I am also pleased to be this week's guest stamper on Stampin' Pretty, the amazing blog of my incredible upline, Mary Fish! So here is how I made my card. I first did the Bokeh technique by watercoloring Stampin' Up! inks onto watercolor paper. (I wet the watercolor paper with a paintbrush, then using my aqua painters, I grabbed ink from my ink pads and just "blotched" the different colors around until the paper was covered. After the paper dried, I sponged white ink through a mask I made by punching different sized circle punches on a sheet of acetate. Next, I stamped and embossed my Blended Bloom stamp with white ink (and clear embossing powder) on whisper white cardstock, Then I sponged Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Blushing Bride, Rose Red and Melon Mambo inks onto the flower with sponges, and afterwards rubbed the excess off with a tissue. This technique is called emboss resist. I made two of the same flower so I could cut and layer and curl and fuss until I had a more dimensional flower. I used Basic Gray ink to stamp the sentiment from the current Sale a Bration Best Day Ever stamp set (I love this set!). Then I sponged Basic Gray ink on my white SU organza ribbon to get a perfect match to the cardstock and ink in the center of the flower. I roughed up the edges of the watercolor paper to keep the "natural" feel of the card. Then, I added some tiny rhinestones for sparkle! Inside I stamped my daughter's birthdate (with my Alphabet Rotary Stamp) and the Best Day Ever stamp. I will give the card to her for her upcoming birthday. Everything I used here is Stampin' Up! This card makes me feel like it is at least April or May already! Thanks for taking a look! Thank you Mary, for allowing me to be your guest stamper today!

Best. Daughter. Ever.

Project Finally Finished

I finally finished my placemats and we are using them daily now. They are so much cheerier and brighter than the ones I made years and years ago...now to finish the matching napkins...maybe on spring break in 3 weeks!!!

In retrospect: Star Box

Forgive me for the tardiness of this post. The holidays were a whirlwind of activity. I had my annual cookie party in December and I needed a container for my shares. I found this little box on Pinterest in December and made a dozen of them. I scored my Stampin' Up! Real Red cardstock with my scoring board.  I used my favorite tool at the moment, the envelope punch board, to punch the top section of the box where the ribbon laces through. I embossed little stamped stars in silver, tied it closed with silver SU ribbon, and ended up making little tags to tie onto each box as well. I was able to fit a half dozen cookies in the boxes, inside clear bags. They were a hit! Thanks for looking!

Say Cheese!

That title was cheesy, I know.(wink wink) But I made my daughter a little camera album for Christmas to recap the year...and she loved it! I used my envelope punch board to cut the camera shape out of cardstock as well the pictures. I used my circle framelits to cut the silver glimmer paper lens rings and the acetate lens itself. Everything is Stampin' Up! Pretty easy, really! Thanks for taking a look!

The New Beachy Room!

My last post  on December 31st was showing you the new quilt I made for my daughter's newly decorated beachy room. I wanted to share the pictures of the finished space that she loves!

Her dad ordered her the Fathead brand "window" poster

 for Christmas. I painted the sign above her bed on burlap. I ordered her pillows from Society6.

We took lots of pictures while on vacation in San Diego in October so that I could paint some things for her walls. The little beach pails have been in our crafty possessions for a while already. She is going to put seashells in the top of the desk...it is made to put little trinkets beneath the plexiglass...Pottery Barn!

We found the lamp at Hobby Lobby and put sand and seashells inside. She LOVES it! It has a burlap shade, so I put burlap on the sides of the hanging boxes above her desk. The "S" is papier mache from JoAnn's Fabrics. I painted it white and glued on burlap and seashells.

Another sign I painted. This one was from a few ideas I saw on Pinterest.

And now some things we have picked up from living in Florida. (sorry you can see my iPad in the picture!) We still have a household beach theme because we prefer the beach to the mountains...I know...there are people who would kill to live in beautiful Colorado!

The surfboard we picked up in San Diego and a pretty frame from Hobby Lobby!

Hope she likes it for a while. We have changed themes at least once a year since middle school it seems!