getting the most out of your mists

Hello there!!
Samantha here, and I'm super pumped to be on the Sweet Stamp Shop blog today!! :) Today I'm going to focus all about mists and 'out of the box' ways to use them! :)

I know I LOOOOVE using mists! they give an awesome 'messy' look to a project! And I'm the first to admit that 98% of the time, I either splatter the mist onto my project or spray it (either over a stencil or not)! I love the way that looks, but I was trying to come up new ways to use my mists and really stretch their 'I NEED TO USE THIS PRODUCT RIGHT NOW' factor! Ha ha!

My first thought was to paint with them, like watercolors!

And, since I'm currently in a love affair with the color gold (swoon) i used a Heidi Swapp Color Shine mist to really give me a goldy-shimmery look! :) And, people - I LOVE how this looks!! All I did was dip my paint brush into the mist bottle and lightly 'swipe' along the cardstock!

Those cute as can be little pears from the amazing Yummy Love stamp set really POP, don't you think?

My next thought was to combine misting with embossing folders! Sounds messy, right? Hmm, maybe a little! But so worth it! This is how I did it:

All I did was spray one side of the embossing folder (Lightly! - No pooling of color for this one!) and emboss the cardstock like i normally would! How did I not try this before?

I think this 'distressed' wood grain background is just AWESOME!!

Lastly, I tried what i thought was the most obvious way to use my mists more often...using them to tint my white embossing paste! I LOOOOOOOOOVE embossing paste, and since I have white, it's the perfect jumping off point to add color!

What you need to keep in mind here, is that you really need to play around to get the exact color you want and how many drops to use, etc. On one card i tinted my embossing paste with grey mist and it needed like 10 drops of color to mix, and for my card for this example, i used pink and only did 3 drops! So it really just depends on the color, and the amount of saturation you're looking for! :)

If you're intrigued to see the card i made with the pink tinted embossing paste - head on over to my blog! :)

What is your favorite way to use mists? I'm totally dying to find new ways to use this product! :)
All of my cards use the Yummy Love stamp set for the images and the Monogram Alpha stamp set for the sentiments! LOVE this pairing! :)

Have you been following the Sweet Stamp Shop on Pinterest? There is a TON of inspiration there, if you're ever feeling like you need a creative jump start! And if that doesn't help - the Sweet Stamp Shop Flickr account is filled to the brim with amazingly SWEET creations!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Samantha Pin It

they many faces of embossing

Hey there!
It's Samantha here on the blog today! And I'm SUPER excited to share some cards about the different kinds of embossing out there!

One of the hottest trends happening right now is embossing paste!! I, for one, am a HUGE lover of this look!
But there is the old school dry embossing and heat embossing too - both techniques look wonderful on cards!!

here's a quick comparison of all three styles:

And those ideas are just scratching the surface of the embossing world!! You can change the look and feel of your card by adding color:

* by mixing re-inkers/mists with your white embossing paste
* adding inks to you embossing folder, or lightly (and carefully!) adding ink to the raised images after they're embossed
* using color embossing powder

I mean, you can add glitter, distress stains, watercolors, markers, seriously, there is SO much available out there to make these techniques fresh and FUN!!

For today's cards, I kept it simple and clean (and white!) just to consistantly show the differences in the three methods!

My first card shows off the lovely effect that Heat Embossing can provide:

I stamped the US image from Across the Miles (one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE sweet stamp shop stamp sets!!) in versamark ink and then heat embossed in clear over water color paper! The numbers are from Numbers - Symbols stamp set from the latest release!! which were popped up for dimension! the rest of the sentiment was created using Alpha Tabs (another MUST have!!).

My next card shows off the awesome look of Embossing Paste!! LOOOOOOOOOVE that stuff! :)

I used it to add white on white interest to the background of my card! :)
(The same stamp sets were used for this card!)

I have one last card on my blog showing how Dry Embossing can give you a super cool look by adding dimension to the background of the card!! :)

Well, what do you think? Are you inspired to flex your embossing muscles?! I hope so!! Let me know in the comments below if you used any http://www.sweetstampshop.com/all-stamps/Sweet Shop stamps with embossing techniques!! i would LOVE to leave you some LOVE! :)

And while you're at it, take another gander in the Sweet Stamp Shop Store - did you know they sell flair now?! CUSTOM flair to coordinate with their stamp sets!! Hello!!!

See you next time sweets!!
~Samantha  Pin It

January Release - Basically, awesome.

Yeppers - today is release day! I can kinda hardly believe it - time flies so fast (then again I say that every month, don't I - lol)

Anyway, let's just dive right into it!

THE most important part (second to the stamps) is the sale - so before we go any further, here's the 'deal' ---

TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY!

20% off your total NEW release stamp purchase using coupon code NR20

(and if you mention 'blog' on your order, I'll throw in something special for you - but, only if you mention 'blog' in the comment section of your order!)

Are you ready for the new release?! I'm so excited about these four stamp sets, I could jump for JOY! But, I'll refrain myself - it's ok if you wanna jump - we encourage it!

We're releasing some great BASIC stamp sets ....

'Basic' means: a great standard and 'must have' set for any collection, usually including (but not limited to) sentiments and general images. Something you can use over and over again!

We're proud to be releasing...

Foxy 2x6 

Anatomy Of Love 4x6

Just The Basics 2x6

Numbers-Symbols 2x6

We LOVE our design team - no, really! They're awesome - on top of it - and just the best, sweetest, group of ladies we've had! So, let me show off what they've done to show you how awesome these stamp sets really are!

Please - please - *super pretty sweet* please - take a moment and visit these talented ladies on their blogs. Not only do they have bonus content - but, they LOVE what they do and it shows.... take a moment and 'follow' their blogs (if you can) and leave a comment - it means so much to these girls, I promise! (you'll make their day!)

Charlene Bopp 

Please take a moment to visit the uber talented Charlene on her blog HERE - she'll have bonus content (and it's - WOW)! 

Samantha Mann

Samantha is really the sweetest girl around - go ahead and see what else she has up her sleeve, on her blog - HERE.

Tyra Babington

 

It's no secret - I have a design crush on Tyra! SHE'S amazing!! WOW, ok - you like, absolutely have to go see her blog - like, right now :) HERE

Nicole Gavaldon

Every time Nicole posts one of her creations - I think, Ummm - WOW. I know you think so too, right?! So, take a moment and say hello to her on her blog HERE. 

Chrissy Larson

So, we don't have enough room on the blog right now to show off the amazingness of Chrissy! Most of these cards do special things - open with fun sentiments - and are just *way cooler* then these little pictures show - SO you MUST, must - must - go to her blog and check these cards out in more detail - amazing!! HERE

Melissa Chipperfield 

Haven't you LOVED Melissa's new series on blog photos?! (you should scroll down to her blog post and check it out if you haven't already!) Also, take a moment to visit her blog - HERE - she's pretty spectacular! 

Lindsay Amrhein

Take a moment and follow Lindsay on her blog - HERE - she posts great content and always has the most inspirational cards! 

Annette Witherspoon

Annette - is a doll - and so is her fun cards - I know she has a couple more really awesome creations to show you - on her blog, HERE. Be sure to say hi, I know she LOVES it! 

Dannielle Robeson

Did you know that Danni - our design team coordinator - is now the design team coordinator for 'Fusion Challenge'?! Yep, take a moment and check out her blog - get all the latest news and fun stuff coming out of Danni's crafty world! HERE

Your fearless leader NICOLE, might have made a couple items for the release too! (I just couldn't help myself, this is such a good release) But, you already know what I look like, right?! lol So, I'll spare ya the picture... and just get right to the good stuff... 

Don't forget about the sale - good today and tomorrow only! Coupon code - NR20 .. 20% off all the new release stamps! 

Check out all the new releases on the website - http://www.sweetstampshop.com/new-release/

Take a moment and comment below - let us know which stamp set you're just going to *have to have* ---- we love to hear what stole your heart! 

Thank you so much for stopping in, commenting, following - and supporting! We're a small business who deeply appreciates you as our customer and we know - it just wouldn't be possible without you! So, thank you!! 

Happy release day - Happy Stamping!

N. 

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