I've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'...

Do you ever struggle for inspiration even when you have a sketch or something to guide you?  That was my problem this week.  My crafty mojo was no where to be found even though I was working with an awesome CAS(E) this Sketch challenge.  What's a girl to do?  Well, I decided to take a page out of Dannielle's book and do a little Fusion.  ;)  Before we get ahead of ourselves, let me show you the sketch.

For my first card, I used the adorable Yummy Love set to make the perfect valentine for my honey.

I used a couple bits and pieces of patterned paper that I had leftover for the background and the heart shape.  To get that cute "Hello" banner, I cut up a journaling card from a pocket scrapbooking company.  I had some white letters laying around but I needed a little bit more color so, I colored them with my copics to match the heart.  Love how that turned out!  A little fun coloring on my honey pot and some Glossy Accents to make some honey on the dipper and you have a pretty cute card.  Love it and I hope you will too!

For my 2nd take, I got totally stumped.  I tried a TON of different card ideas and I just wasn't cranking out anything I liked.  Then my Facebook feed gave me an idea.  I'd use the Fusion challenge blog as my inspiration and pull in a picture that inspires me to use along with my sketch.  That's all it took.  I had a card done and I loved it in less than 10 mins...I swear!  So, here's the inspiration photo I used in conjunction with my sketch for my second card:

Pretty, isn't it.  I knew that this was just screaming for a little ELEGANT combo so I broke out Elegant Flowers and Elegant Sentiments.  You can't beat that 1, 2 punch!

I stamped my flower with a lovely turquoise ink and then stamped the outline with gold to emulate the inspiration photo.  The sentiment was stamped with the same gold and then I added some enamel dots and bling to represent the berries from the inspiration.  I thought it needed a little something more so I cut the card front down to layer on a striped card base for the perfect extra pop of color.

Nothing terribly techniquey this week but I wanted you to see how a sketch can just be a springboard to even more inspiration.  Thanks to the Fusion blog for all their great and inspiring combos.  I hope you will visit their challenge and CAS(E) this Sketch for some fun and energizing sketch action.  Don't forget to check out our Sweet Stamp Shop Facebook page.  We'd love to hear about your ways of getting your craft mojo back.  We all need a little help sometimes!  Also, don't forget to check out the SSS YouTube channel.  Nicole has totally revamped it and you won't want to miss out on the fun she has in store, so make sure you subscribe now!  I hope you enjoyed today's Sketches 2 Ways and I can't wait to see you back here soon.  Have a great Monday.

-Chrissy Pin It

Purple, Pandas, & Pears...Oh My!

It's another SWEET Monday and I have a bit of fun for you today.  For this week's Sketches 2 Ways, I debated using the current sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch or giving you another peek at an upcoming sketch.  Duh!  I decided you guys are way too special to not get especially sweet treatment so, the sketch I'm using will be up on the CTS blog this Thursday which gives you an extra 3 days to play with it.  Woo hoo!

I had WAY too much fun with the combo of Sweet stamps and the awesome sketch this week.  Yup, I actually ended up with 4 cards from one sketch and had to ask my fellow designers to help me pick the two that I would feature here.  Don't worry, you'll get to see the other 2 also...just check out my blog today and on Thursday.  First up, the sketch!

Can you see why I had so much fun?  Well it all started with Alyssa's Yummy Love stamp set.  How am I supposed to resist smiling fruits and veggies?  Impossible.  

I had some cards lying around from a certain pocket scrapbooking company that I knew would be perfect with these stamps.  So, I did a little misting on my green card base to give the card some sparkle (shine mist).  While that was drying, I stamped and colored these adorable pears.  I decided yellow was the way to go because that is the color of the pretty pears on our trees out front (when they aren't covered in snow...ugh) and I liked how it picked up the yellow on the delicious card.  I die cut a heart to cover a mess up that I had where I tried to add a little shadow to the pear.  It just didn't look that great.  Thanks goodness for dies to cover up an oops.  I thought I was finished when I stamped the sentiment but I was feeling the need to fill the white void under the pears.  A little green washi was all it took.  What do you think?  I think the washi really helps tie the card to the sketch.

 My second card is inspired by my littlest dude.  His 4th birthday is coming up and he's a purple-a-holic.  So, I broke out our new number set, Numbers - Symbols, and everyone's favorite panda, Panda Face. 

 I did a little masking, embossing, and inking on this card.  WHOA!  First, I masked off a rectangle to make a little focal background for my card.  Next up, I embossed my 4's all over my background shape with white embossing powder.  Using some neon purple (yup, NEON purple) ink and a make-up sponge, I blended in a cool background that I knew my little dude would just adore.  I love how the embossed 4's really stand out.  I applied a little strip of glitter paper to represent the line from the sketch.  Finally, I stamped my sentiment on a little square of paper that I knew would make a perfect sign for my panda to hold with the hands that I cut after stamping 2 cute panda images on another white paper (one for the panda and one for just his hands).  A few foam squares for dimension and there you have it.  So, do you think my purple lover will like his birthday card?

He might just give me a face like this:

I just love that little goofball.  I hope you enjoyed my cards today and I'd love for you to come visit me at my blog for another awesome card made with more Sweet Stamp Shop goodies (you might find another surprise there also).  How awesome is that?  We'd love it if you come visit us on Facebook and LIKE us!  You won't want to miss out on the deals and peeks shared there...I guarantee it!  Just tell them Chrissy sent you.  ;)  Thanks and have a wonderful week!

-Chrissy Pin It

Painless Tattoo!

Hi everyone!  Hope you are having a wonderful Monday morning and are ready for a bit of sketchy inspiration!  This week you are getting a sneak peak of the upcoming sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch (shhh...don't tell anyone).  I must admit that this one had me stumped for a bit but I'm really loving what came out of my crazy mind when I finally figured it all out!  Here's the sketch:

 I was stuck in the feather zone for awhile with the sketch and just couldn't get past them.  Finally, I thought of balloons and that started the creative juices flowing.  I turned to Fall Gratitude for my balloon shapes.  Seriously, would these not be the coolest balloons ever with those patterns?  I also had to use Elegant Sentiments...how could you resist that script?  It's gorgeous! 

I found some splattered/bleached paper in my stash which made a perfect background for my balloons.  I stamped each balloon on other papers in my scrap stash and to give them a little fun twist, I used Glossy Accents for dimension and shine.  I embossed "happy" to make sure it stood out against the background and it turned out perfectly.  I connected my balloons to the sentiment with some hand drawn strings.  I love how it all came together and was thrilled that I pulled it off without feathers!  ;)

For my 2nd take on the sketch I layered the rose image from Elegant Flowers on top of the heart from Cookie Sprinkles.  These two images worked perfectly with a sentiment from Chalkboard Sign.  I did a little tweaking to the images that I'll show you in a second.

 

For some reason, when I layered the flower bud and the heart on my colored paper, my mind went straight to a tattoo.  So, I decided to look up different means of making an image look like a tattoo.  By adding some simple lines, some shading with copics, and a little reflection triangle on the heart, I think I got a pretty good looking tattoo for my card.  A simple technique but I think it's a fun one to try out!  Check it out:

To complete the card, I did a cheat chalkboard background using some patterned paper I had lying around that already had the chalkboard look.  I went with the Chalkboard Sign sentiment, "I Love You" because I thought it worked well with a tattoo image and I embossed it to make it pop.  Here's the completed card.  What do you think?

    

I hope you enjoyed my two takes on the sketch coming up this week at CAS(E) this Sketch and got a new technique to try with your Sweet Stamp Shop stamps.  Have fun with the sketch and share your creations on our Flickr group.  Don't forget to check out the Sweet Stamp Shop Facebook page for up-to-date info and offers.  Plus, a new release is right around the corner and believe me, you won't want to miss it!  Have a great week!

-Chrissy Pin It

Amp It Up With Embossing Paste!

Oh boy, do I ever have some fun for you today.  I finally decided to try out a fun technique that people are just going crazy for and I can't wait until you see the final results.  I think you will love it but first our sketch for today is the current sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch which I totally adore.  Can't you just see it oozing inspiration?   

For my straightforward, by the book (er...sketch) card, I'm using the super fun Baking Love set.  This set is a total must have.  I have no idea how I have lived so long without it.  ;)

I knew I wanted to have the piping bag pipe out my sentiment and I played with a couple different options.  I settled for embossing the "hello" and then using a Versamark pen to extend the sentiment with a little squiggly line to the card's edge.  I stamped the piping bag on some patterned paper with splashes of pink to bring another color into the card.  A little cutting and I had a super cute popped up piping bag decorating my card for me.  Finish it off with a few glitter tape hearts and you have a great little take on this week's sketch.

For my ampped up take on the sketch, I'm going to use the Elegant Flowers stamps set.  I swear I have been turning to this set time and time again.  It's good for SO many occasions and who doesn't need a stamp set like that? 

I used a similar technique to last week's card in order to create a stencil with my Silhouette Cameo using the flower image from Elegant Flowers.  You can check out a step-by-step video on how I made this card on my YouTube channel.  Once I created the stencil for my background, I smeared the silver embossing paste over the top, pulled off the stencil, and let the image dry.  I loved the look of the silver embossing paste on the silver paper.  SO pretty.  I finished the card off by stamping the flower image on a piece of silver cardstock, cutting it out, and adding the image along with a die cut "thanks" to the card front.  A little bling and you have a much more involved version of our sketch. 

What do you think of the embossing paste trend?  Come share you thoughts with us on our Sweet Stamp Shop Facebook page.  We'd also love to have you share some of your own techniques/cards using embossing paste on our Flickr group and don't forget to share your take on the sketch over at CAS(E) this Sketch.  I hope you enjoyed my double take and will come up with your own interesting interpretations whether they are simple or complex.  Can't wait to see your amazing creations. 

-Chrissy

Pin It