Stamp Review Crew: Flourishing Phrases

Happy Independence Day to all of my US readers!! I actually hope you're reading this on Tuesday and not plugged in on a holiday!  I will forgive you :)

Well it's been over a month since I've hopped along with the Stamp Review Crew.  The last two sets that we featured, I don't own.  It was a nice little break but I did enjoy seeing what the rest of the team came up with for those weeks.

If you're new to the Stamp Review Crew, welcome!  We are a group of stampers from around the world that love Stampin' Up! and we love featuring a particular stamp set to give you plenty of ideas!  Be sure to make your way around to everyone's blog.  I believe there are 16 of us this week!

If you came from Mickey's blog, thank you for continuing on.  I hope you like what I made!

I made two cards with the large flourish framelit using both the cutout portion and the negative.

I love the look of having words stand out - either by a different color or with a dimensional.  The floral image is from the stamp set Floral Phrases.  I colored the images with the in-color markers and spritzed it once with water.  This gave it the murky/blurred look (which I love).

Did you know you could "ruffle" cardstock too? :)

I did cut the flourish a bit since this portion was covered up.  Makes a great detail for the inside of the card.

For the second card, I used the negative image as the focal point.  I used my aqua painter to splatter Island Indigo ink on the Mint Macaron cardstock and then adhered it to the white layer.

I LOVE the detail of these framelits.  So classy and elegant!

For the inside of the card I used the sentiment that paired with the "With Sympathy".  I used my aqua painter again to make a watercolor swash on the background.

I hope that you liked both cards.  I don't want to be an enabler, but I'm thinking there will be many Flourishing Phrases bundles on wishlists after today!  Definitely worth the price!

Head on back to the talented Mickey Roberts or continue on to the equally awesome, Shana Gaff!  You won't be disappointed!

      

Blessings,

Holly 

Creation Station Blog Hop - Gifts from the Garden

 Hey everyone! I hope you are enjoying your weekend!  If you're reading this later in the week because you unplugged and went camping or you were visiting family - welcome!  The first Sunday of each month a group of stampers from all over the globe participate in The Creation Station blog hop!  I have been on the team for a little under a year and I'm so honored to be among so much talent.  

Speaking of, did you arrive from Denita's blog?  I love Denita's style - seems like the Aussies truly get it when it comes to stamping! :)  If you are starting with me, make sure you make your way around the hop and see what we have for you with our "Gifts from the Garden" theme.

I do not own the Gifts from the Garden stamp set and my Jars of Love is currently on it's way to my house, so I had to do something a little different.  My husband and I just planted a 20'x40' garden and I know when the time comes, we will have plenty of veggies to share with the neighbors, but for now - we have strawberries to share! :)

Our two older boys and I went to a very awesome yard sale Friday morning.  (If you didn't see my cool finds, make sure you're following me on Instagram.)  Anyway, on the way there we saw a Fresh Strawberries sign and decided on the way back we would pick some up.  Well, come to find out - we could pick our own and it was the last day to do so since the season is pretty much over!

I'm excited to know this place is 8 minutes away - I know where we will be next spring!

So since we had a berries, I decided to make a little thank you for our neighbors.  They are having us over for a pool party today after church.  Here is the cute little berry basket I decorated with the Blooms & Bliss DSP.  This DSP pack has both a pink/purple color scheme and a mint/blue color scheme.  Perfect combo!

I was not sure if I would like the sentiment cut out - but I'm glad I did it! I think it looks neat. =)

I also wanted to make a few cards with the Blooms & Wishes stamp set.  I think that "flowers" are very much apart of gardening! :)

This first one is my favorite.  You might not be able to see the "outside" of the window, but I took the aqua brush and my Mint Macaron ink and gave it an ombre look.

In the end, I think I may have covered too much of my planter box, but didn't want to weed any flowers out!

I have yet to order the Layering Circles Framelits - they are definitely on the short end of my wish list.  For now, I used the older circle framelits for a similar look.

I hope you enjoyed my cards and berry basket! I love sharing what I make with you!  Be sure to pin your favorites and make your way around the blog hop.  Next is the very talented Ms. Kimberly Van Diepen!

Or if you want to be a rebel and work backwards, go see what the lovely Ms. Denita Wright has made!

Thanks for joining me today!  Have a great 4th of July - no matter where you live!

-Holly

Make a Wish for JAI318 and GDP042

Just a quick post today! I have a few projects to finish for 2 monthly hops (due Sunday and Monday) and well since it's a holiday weekend here in the US, I don't necessarily want to be in my stamp room. :)

Did I really just say that??

So here is the card I made for my friend!  I used the sketch (again) from Global Design Project and the "Just add S" theme from Just Add Ink.

Sketches are my favorite challenge.  It really can help when you're in a hurry and you need that extra inspiration!

I think it's safe to say I added some "S" details - splatter, sparkle, stripes, soft suede... SWEET cupcakes :)

As always, dress up your envelope too! You're already inking the stamp, so you might as well decorate the envelope too! :)

Thanks for checking in!  Have a wonderful weekend!  Be sure to check back tomorrow for the Creation Station blog hop and Monday for the Stamp Review Crew :)

Blessings,

Holly 

Red, White & Blue for TGIFC62

Well summer is officially here in the US.  The 4th of July feels like the true beginning of summer for me.  It also feels like the end too, because before we know it, autumn will be here and we will be picking apples in the cooler weather!

But let's not get too far ahead.  I hope that you have something fun planned for the weekend.  We won't be doing much.  The only family we live near is off doing a tradition at their friends cabin on the lake, so we most likely will just be grilling, toasting some marshmallows and lighting a few sparklers.  

Before we head into the weekend, we have a challenge over at TGIF Challenges perfect for the festivities!  So before you head out camping or visiting family, join us in making a card (or project) with these colors!

For my card, I wanted to use the splatter from the Touches of Texture stamp set.  I thought maybe I would get a fireworks kind of look?  My 5yo said it looked like sparklers, so I guess it kind of worked!

I decided to make a thank you card with my brother in mind.  He's currently serving in the Air Force (and he's the reason I joined the military too).  He recently passed a big test and I'm pretty proud of him.  I'm also grateful for all he's done.

I added some silver thread and silver sequins to bring it all together.

And what's the 4th without sparklers??  I liked the idea of dividing them up (avoid the fighting) and adding a little festive tag! :)  These would make a cute favor at a wedding too!

Hope you can join us this week at TGIF!  Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Blessings,

Holly 

Celebrate 89! GDP042

My grandfather "Pap Jake" is turning 89 next Tuesday. Since Monday is a holiday here in the US, I had to be somewhat quick this morning so that I could get the card in the mail today.  (I actually set my alarm early to stamp before my kids woke up!  But.. yeah, that didn't happen..)

I was inspired by the Global Design Project sketch this week.  

Pretty simple.  I love sketches - my kind of thing when I'm in a hurry! :)

I wanted to use these little presents for awhile now.  The Weather Together stamp set is one of my new favorites and it has these 2 little presents in the set.  Not sure how to tie them with the umbrellas quite yet, but for now, I think the present looks cute as a background stamp, don't you?

I love the addition of the little fussy cut present too - wrapped in the Emerald Envy solid baker's twine.  The splatter on the 89 is from the new grungy set called Touches of Texture - another great set from the new catalog!  And the numbers are from the Larger Numbers Framelits.

For the inside, I carried over the Emerald Envy DSP, the splatter and the little present.  The sentiment is from the Feather Together set.

Don't forget to stamp your envelope too!

Thanks for stopping by!  If you still have your grandparents (or parents) around - give them a call or visit!

Have a great weekend!

-Holly

Weather Together Sympathy Card for PCCCS200

Let's just start off by saying this is very last minute!  I've been meaning to play this challenge all week and well, life happens!  But, I did need to make a sympathy card and I had this sketch brewing in my mind all weekend!

Here's the sketch - make sure you head over to the Paper Craft Crew blog and see all the other talented designer's and challenger's entries! Oh and wish PCC a happy 200th! :)

I took the sketch and flipped it upside down! I wanted to use clouds as one of the strips in the sketch but ended up adding DSP and ribbon anyway.

I absolutely love this set from Stampin' Up! called Weather Together.  It was one of the first sets to catch my eye and the matching framelits are so cute!

So there you have it! With 25 minutes to spare, I got a card made for the challenge! :)

 If you haven't seen my Stamps in the Mail kit for this month, there's not much time left for that either!  I will be ordering Thursday!

Have a great Tuesday!

-Holly 

Stamps in the Mail - Blooms & Wishes - first order due June 30th!

Hey everyone! So sorry it's been awhile since I've offered a Stamps in the Mail kit.  Life has been a little busy lately and I have not had the chance to sit down and make some kits up.  Plus, I didn't want to offer a kit that had a retiring stamp set, so I waited for the new catalog.  I have a few sets picked out for the next few months, so I hope you like the picks and I hope you join along!

So here are the cards you will make with June's kit!

I think the Blooms & Wishes stamp set from Stampin' Up! is beautiful.  I've said it before - I'm not a huge fan of flowery cards, but I love this set and the matching paper was one of the first things I bought.

There are 2 options for this card kit:

1- Blooms & Wishes (Photopolymer) stamp set with supplies for 6 cards/envelopes 

- $28 local MN pick-up or $31 shipped (US Only) -

2 - Blooms & Wishes (Photopolymer) stamp set with supplies for 6 cards/envelopes plus Island Indigo, Sweet Sugarplum and Mint Macaron Ink Pads

- $52 local MN pick-up or $58 shipped - 

Option 2 may seem a little expensive for a card kit, but you're getting $40.50 in just ink and stamps! As always, you can substitute ink colors if you chose.  

***If you have participated in my other 2 SITM kits, you already have Mint Macaron and I would recommend substituting Sahara Sand.  3 of the past 4 inks coordinate with the Blooms & Bliss Designer Series Paper (DSP).***

I will be closing out my first group of orders on June 30th at NOON CST.  Please leave a comment below or email me at Studio8tene@yahoo.com if you would like to participate.  Paypal preferred!

Thanks!

-Holly