Easter Blessings

May the spirit of the Lord fill your home this Easter and all the rest of your days. As we face new challenges through this pandemic, I’m wishing you a very Happy Easter that is filled with plenty of love and happiness, even as you may be separated from family and friends. Stay safe and healthy. God bless you and your family now and always.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

1 Peter 1:3:

The design for this beautiful Easter Blessings card has been forming in my mind for several weeks. I’ve seen many cards with the sweetest baby chicks, bunnies and lambs and I was tempted to make one of those, but this design kept leaning toward something more serene. Yet when I sat down to make it, I still wasn’t quite sure where it would end up. I’m quite happy with it.

The colors I used are Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Rococo Rose and Pear Pizzaz. I combined these with the retired Wood Textures Designer Series Paper and the Layered Leaves 3D Embossing Folder, with a little Linen Thread and some Basic Pearls to dress it up a bit. My trusty Silhouette die cutting machine provided the crosses, which I cut twice- once with the Wood Textures paper and another one on on some old brown cardstock and then adhered them together for a sturdier cross.

Cutting Dimensions

  • Cardbase: Whisper White Thick cardstock 8 1/2″ h x 5 1/2″ w folded to 5 1/2″ h x 4 1/4″ w
  • Embossed Layer: Whisper White cardstock 5 1/4″ h x 4″w embossed with the Layered Leaves 3D Embossing Folder
  • Cross: 2 1/2″ h x 2″ w cut with scissors or a die cutting machine from a brown or wood paper of your choice.
  • Flowers: The Small Bloom punch was used to make the Rococo Rose offset flowers. Two punches for each flower.

Instructions

  1. Fold the cardbase in half using a bone folder to sharpen the crease.
  2. Before embossing, use the Thoughtful Blooms (or a flower and leaves stamp set of your choice) to stamp a background on the Embossed Layer rectangle with Pear Pizzaz for the leaves and Blushing Bride for the small flowers.
  3. Run the Embossed Layer rectangle through your embossing machine using the Layered Leaves 3D Embossing Folder or another folder of your choice.
  4. Apply Snail Adhesive to the back of the Embossed Layer and adhere to the front of the card base.
  5. Using the Small Bloom Punch, punch two blooms for each flower out of Rococo Rose cardstock. Hold each individual punched bloom in the cupped palm of your hand and press the center with a rounded tip of a Sharpie. Rotate the Sharpie in a circular motion in the cup of your hand, until the bloom is concave. Adhere two offset blooms with a Glue Dot and use another Glue Dot to adhere the finished bloom to the Embossed Layer. Finish with a Basic Pearl embellishment.
  6. Adhere two cross layers together with liquid glue. Allow to dry and then affix to the Embossed Layer with Dimensionals.
  7. Tie two lengths of Linen Thread into a bow, pulling one loop on each side smaller than the other. Adhere to the cross with a squished Glue Dot.
  8. Affix the Easter Blessings sentiment from the Itty Bitty Greetings Clear-Mount Stamp Set to Clear Acrylic Block D, apply Rococo Rose Ink to the sentiment and stamp image on Whisper White cardstock.
  9. Punch sentiment out with the Classic Label Punch. Adhere to Embossed folder with Dimensionals. Do not put Dimensionals where the label overlaps the cross.
  10. Now you are ready to send to a friend!

Products Used

Recommended Stamper’s Tool Kit

No Matter the Weather We’re Friends Forever

What is it about umbrellas? They’re just begging for some pretty patterned paper. And did you notice the background paper looks like rain drops? The Pleased As Punch Designer Series Paper was created around 4 punches – umbrella builder, hearts, tulips and small blooms punches! So basically you can use the punches to cut out the images in the paper for some fun and infinite possibilities for your cards!

The paper made this card super easy to make. The only stamps are the sentiment and umbrella handles. The rest is all punched or cut paper. I know right? So fun. I like how some of the umbrella lines are printed right on the paper and the prints are super fun. Unfortunately, the Pleased as Punch paper is no longer available, but any Designer Series Paper would work – especially the Best Dressed pack available through 5/31/20.

Cutting Dimensions

  • Card Base: Thick Whisper White cardstock 8.5 h” x 5.5″ w folded to 4.25″ w x 5.5″ h
  • Patterned Paper: Raindrop (or other pattern) Designer Series Paper 4″ w x 5.25″ h
  • Larger White Rectangle: Whisper White cardstock 3.25″ w x 4.5″ h
  • Smaller White Rectangle: Whisper White cardstock 3″ w x 4″ h

Instructions

  1. Fold the card base using a bone folder to sharpen the crease.
  2. Apply Snail Adhesive to the back of the Designer Series Paper and adhere to the front of the card base.
  3. Apply Snail Adhesive to the back of the larger white rectangle and adhere to the Designer Series Paper
  4. Affix sentiment to the acrylic block, apply Ink to the sentiment and stamp image on the lower right corner of the smaller white rectangle, as shown
  5. Apply Dimensionals to the back of the smaller white rectangle and adhere to the larger white rectangle.
  6. Either punch the umbrella handles out of the designer series paper with the Umbrella Builder Punch or affix umbrella handle to the acrylic block, apply ink to the umbrella handle image and stamp two umbrella handles on scrap cardstock. Punch the handles out using the Umbrella Builder Punch.
  7. Punch two umbrellas from the designer Series Paper, apply Dimensionals and adhere to the smaller white rectangle.
  8. Apply adhesive to the two umbrella handles and adhere to the smaller white rectangle.
  9. Cut a 8″ piece of baker’s twine and create a bow. Adhere to the umbrella with a glue dot.
  10. Add Epoxy Droplets, as shown.
  11. That’s it!

Products Used

Recommended Stamper’s Tool Kit

Showered with Love

When I saw this card, I was looking forward to making it, mostly because it uses watercoloring and I thought that would be a fun technique and the pretty pinks are way girlie for me. Plus the Under My Umbrella bundle is just SO spring! I’m from New Hampshire, April Showers Bring May Flowers is something we’re used to saying. April is mud season, so compared to THAT this card is super cute. Boots and an umbrella are a must to survive mud season. Now that I live in Florida, it’s more about rainy season in June. Either way can you resist this adorable umbrella and girly flowers?

The design came straight from the Stampin’ Up! 2020 Jan – June Mini Catalog for this one. The only real change I made is the size of the card. Except as I was just uploading this picture, I noticed they used clear sequins! I missed those. Drat. They’re so cute!

Stampin’ Up! 2020 Jan – June Mini Catalog

Cutting Dimensions

  • Card base: 8.5″h x 5.5″w piece of Seaside Spray Cardstock folded to make a 4.25″w x 5.5″h. My project picture does not do SeasidecSpray justice. It is a really beautiful color that is retiring June 2021.
  • Watercolor Paper: 5.25″h x 3.75″w
  • Seafoam Green Tag: 1.5″ h x 1.5″ w use the Tailored Tag Punch to make the banner triangle.
  • Umbrella & Flowers: stamp the umbrella, flowers and umbrella handle with Stazon Ink on scrap watercolor paper. Use the Umbrella Builder Punch to pop out the Umbrella Handle and then use your scissors to fussy cut the rest. I recommend painting before cutting.

How to Watercolor

There are four main tools needed for successful watercoloring:

  • Stampin’ Up! Watercolor Paper (and yes, it’s better than just any old watercolor paper)
  • Stazon Ink Pad – this prevents the outline from bleeding while you paint
  • Aqua Painters – these are a paint brush- like tool with a water reservoir built right in!
  • and then the Ink Pad(s) of your choice. What colors do you want to use?
  1. Affix your Stamp to an acrylic block,
  2. Apply some Stazon Ink and stamp your image on the watercolor paper.
  3. Next, dab a little ink from the Stampin’ Ink Pad onto an acrylic block and
  4. Use the wet Aqua Painter to dilute the ink. Then paint.

I usually start with the area I want darkest first and work outward for some shading. Be careful not to add too much water!

Putting it All Together

Cut the paper as indicated. Using Stazon ink, stamp the umbrella and flowers on Watercolor Paper and stamp the umbrella handle on Basic Grey Cardstock. Watercolor the umbrella with the Rococo Rose ink. Watercolor the background using Seaside Spray and Basic Grey Ink. Watercolor the flowers using Grapefruit Grove, Petal Pink and Rococo Rose and the leaves in Garden Green. With the Umbrella Builder Punch punch out the umbrella and handle. Then use the Paper Snips or other scissors to fussy cut out the flowers.

Once the background is dry, add some Seaside Spray water drops from the Stamp Set and adhere it to the Seaside Spray cardbase. Then adhere the Umbrella handle using Snail Adhesive and the Umbrella using Dimensionals. Next arrange the flowers to your liking and affix to card. Swipe the Wink of Stella over the flowers to add a little sparkle.

Lastly, stamp the sentiment to the Soft Seafoam tag with Garden Green ink and affix the tag to the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals. And that’s it!

Products Used

Life is Better with a Friend Like You

Life is so much easier with a close friend to talk to, don’t ya think?  Another perfect greeting from the Peaceful Moments stamp set pulled this pretty card together. The Garden Lane Designer Series Paper adds a little pop of interest to a #simplestamping design. No fancy tricks or new techniques for this one.

I tell you I was a little turned off by the Garden Lane Designer Series Paper when I first received it. It was just, well A LOT of green. I mean just LOOK at all that green!!!

Garden Lane Designer Series Paper

I knew if I was ever going to like this paper, I was going to have to pair it with complimentary colors.This card was a little easier than some others I did. For this card, I pulled from the pattern itself when I chose coordinating Cardstock.

I used a Pretty Peacock Cardstock base, topped with a Whisper White Cardstock layer stamped with the sentiment in Pretty Peacock. After that it’s a square of that Garden Lane, a 3/4″ rectangle of Pool Party and a tie of Baker’s Twine popped up on some Dimensionals.

Cutting Dimensions

  • Pretty Peacock Cardstock 8 1/2″ h x 5 1/2″ w folded in half to 4 1/4″ w x 5 1/2″ h
  • Whisper White Cardstock 5 1/4″ h x 4″ w
  • Garden Lane DSP 3 3/4″ square
  • Pool Party Cardstock 3/4″h x 3 3/4″w rectangle
  • Baker’s Twine cut about 6″

Product List

Here’s a look at the products I used to make this card. Click the image and you will be taken to my online store.

I Miss Your Face

This sentiment just cracks me up. I miss your face! Ha! My friend Christine from New Hampshire says this when she calls me. She makes me laugh. Maybe I should send this to her. Hmm…

This card was one of a few projects that came out of a rare Friday craft-therapy session at the beginning of the Coronavirus Pandemic. My friend Kim and I had taken the day off to go to a stamping expo, but that got cancelled. We decided to turn lemons into lemonade with some much needed craft-therapy. We had so much fun!

Flowering Foils Specialty Designer Series Paper
Flowering Foils Specialty Designer Series Paper

For this beautiful card, Kim first folded an 8.5″h x 5.5″w piece of Whisper White Thick Cardstock to make a 4.25″w x 5.5″h card base. She then used a brayer and the Rich Razzleberry stamp pad to create the ombre effect on a piece of Flowering Foils Designer Series Paper. This paper is a free Sale-a-bration item with purchases made through March 31st, but any foil or heat embossed paper will work create the same effect.

I then used the Label Me Lovely Punch to make a layer out of Blackberry Bliss and the Whisper White Sentiment layer. I used the Blackberry Bliss stamp pad for the ‘I miss your face’ sentiment.

Kim made a pretty layer from Rococco Rose for that gorgeous ombre background and then we started putting it all together. We used the Snail Adhesive for everything, except the sentiment layers, which we popped up with some Stampin’ Dimensionals. Super easy.

We dug into my stash for some retired Silver-edged Berry Burst ribbon to pull it all together, but the Silver Edge Metallic Ribbon would also look fabulous.

What a fun day we had!

How to Make the Ombre Effect

  1. Choose one ink pad. That’s it. Just one. Open it.
  2. Position your foil or embossed paper on a piece of scrap paper a few inches larger.
  3. Using the brayer like a paint roller, roll it on the stamp pad rolling in one direction until the whole brayer is coated with ink.
  4. Starting at the edge of the foil or embossed paper that you want to be darkest, roll the brayer back and forth the the width of the foil or embossed paper, slowly moving up the paper until the ink gets lighter. Stop an inch or so from the far edge.
  5. Repeat with the ink and brayer until you reach the desired look.

Cutting Dimensions

  • Card base: 8.5″h x 5.5″w piece of Whisper White Thick Cardstock folded to make a 4.25″w x 5.5″h
  • Roccoco Rose Layer: 5″h x 3.75″w
  • Flowering Foils Layer: 4.75″ h x 3.5″ w
  • Ribbon: Roughly six inches of your favorite ribbon

Products Used

Here’s a look at the products I used to make this card. Click the image and you will be taken to my online store.