C O L O R S T Y L E...add color with CLEARSNAP

Shy Birds

More Smooched birds here - it's a phase!

ColorBox Boysenberry Limited Edition Class Pigment Ink - stamped and embossed on Bazzill's Sour Apple Cardstock - acquires a linen-y texture with Reverse Bird Branches from Memory Box.  All you need to do to is Smooch the birds, berries and leaves with Lettuce, Frosted Aqua, and a combination of Shabby Pink and Sweet Melon for the little berries.  

The greeting, from Many Thanks Design Adhesives, is simply glittered with Ocean Spray.  The two foam squares are topped with Silver Fog Designer Foils.  

How easy is that?

  

Here are the directions for this quick card:

Clearsnap Products

• ColorBox Boysenberry Limited Edition Classic Pigment Inkpad
• Smooch Shabby Pink Pearlized  Accent Ink
• Smooch Sweet Melon Pearlized Accent Ink
• Smooch Lettuce Pearlized Accent Ink
• Smooch Frosted Aqua Pearlized Accent Ink
• Many Thanks Design Adhesives
• Ocean Spray Glitter
• Silver Fog Designer Foils

Stamp

• Memory Box Reverse Bird Branch

Other Supplies

• Bazzill Sour Apple, Tangy Taffy and Lagoon Cardstock
• Detail Clear Embossing Powder
• Soft Round Paintbrush
• Rotary Cutter or Decorative Scissors with a Scalloped Blade
• Scrapbook Adhesives 1/4" Black Foam Squares

Directions

• Stamp Reverse Bird Branch on Sour Apple Cardstock with Boysenberry and emboss it
• Smooch the birds with Frosted Aqua
• Smooch the leaves with Lettuce
• Smooch the berries with Shabby Pink and  Sweet Melon
• Trim the cardstock to 2-5/8" square and ink the edges with Boysenberry
• Cut out and burnish "thanks so much" onto Tangy Taffy Cardstock
• Brush Ocean Spray Glitter onto the adhesive words
• Scallop the edges, then trim the Tangy Taffy Cardstock to approximately 2-3/8" x 1-1/4"
• Cut a 2-5/8" square of Tangy Taffy
• Cut a 1-1/2" x 3-1/2' strip of Lagoon Cardstock
• Cut and fold a 4-1/4"x 5-1/2" card of Sour Apple Cardstock
• Attach the pieces to the card
• Attach two foam squares to the card and press Silver Fog Designer Foils onto the adhesive

Enjoy the new Limited Edition Inks  and Smooches!

 

Live Your Dream

Six ColorBox Classic Limited Edition inks have arrived - Ocean, Curry, Boysenberry, Ice, Espresso and Grass.  They're beautiful - in a classy-chic way - and perfect for all of your stamping projects.  Espresso and Grass are featured here.

Six Smooch Accent Inks are new too - Banana Custard, Sweet Melon, Shabby Pink, Mocha, Lettuce, Frosted Aqua, Cape Cod and Plum Berry.  They complement the Limited Edition colors - and add a rich, pearlized luster to your designs.  Bird Collage, from Hampton Art, is great for Smooching.

I love to emboss the ColorBox Classic inks with clear powder, then Smooch the embossed design.  It's an easy technique - and the embossed image creates just enough of an edge to help keep me inside the lines.  If (or, in my case, when) you happen to paint outside the lines, a damp cotton swab quickly repairs it.

 

Here are the directions for this project:

Clearsnap Products

• ColorBox Espresso Limited Edition Classic Pigment Ink   
• ColorBox Grass Limited Edition Classic Pigment Ink
• Smooch Sweet Melon Pearlized Accent Ink
• Smooch Shabby Pink Pearlized Accent Ink
• Smooch Lettuce Pearlized Accent Ink
• Smooch Frosted Aqua Pearlized Accent Ink
• Smooch Banana Custard Pearlized Accent Ink
• Lucky Penny Designer Foils

Stamps

• Hampton Art Bird Collage
• Hampton Art Dream

Other Supplies

• Bazzill Apricot, Parakeet and Lagoon Cardstock
• Memory Box Parchment Cardstock
• Detail Clear Embossing Powder
• 1/8" Foam Dots 
• Carl Corner Rounder
• Cotton Swabs and Water

Directions

• Stamp Bird Collage on Parchment Cardstock with Espresso and emboss  it
• Smooch the bird with Frosted Aqua and Lettuce - and Sweet Melon for the beak
• Smooch the flowers with a combination of Sweet Melon and Shabby Pink
• Smooch the right  border with Shabby Pink
• Smooch the leaves and stems with Lettuce
• Smooch the semi-circles with Banana Custard
• Keep a damp cotton swab handy for clean-up if you happen to Smooch outside the lines
• Trim the cardstock to 2-7/8" x 3-1/2" and round the corners with the punch
• Ink the edges with Espresso
• Stamp Dream on Parakeet Cardstock with Grass, emboss it, and trim it into a strip
• Cut a 2" x 4-1/2" strip of Lagoon Cardstock
• Cut and fold a 5-1/2" square card of Apricot Cardstock
• Attach the pieces to the card, using foam dots for the greeting
• Attach three foam dots to the Lagoon strip and press Lucky Penny Designer Foils onto the adhesive

Hope you like the easy techniques and colors featured here!

 

 

Last-Minute Valentine

 

Design Adhesives, Designer Foils and Glitter exist for the just-in-timers who keep thinking that Valentine's Day is "not till next week."  

A wood doorhanger, inked with sweet Orchid Crafter's Acid-Free Pigment Ink, is the perfect base for Candy Store and Be Mine Design Adhesives.  Use a Stylus and White Oval Tip to apply the ink to the doorhanger and let it dry - really, really dry - so the Design Adhesives adhere properly.  

Then, the fun part...simply burnish the patterns and apply Ruby Slippers and Cinnamon Spice Glitter, Lucky Penny and Cherry Pie Designer Foils.  Add a poufy red tulle bow - and you're done!

Wouldn't this be the perfect Monday morning surprise to greet your sweetie?

Here's what you need:

Clearsnap Products

• ColorBox Crafter's Acid-Free Orchid Pigment Ink
• Stylus and White Oval Tip
• Candy Store Design Adhesives
• Be Mine Design Adhesives
• Ruby Slippers Glitter   
• Cinnamon Spice Glitter
• Lucky Penny Designer Foils
• Cherry Pie Designer Foils

Other Supplies

• Wood Doorhanger
• Sanding Block    
• Soft Round Paintbrush    
• Red Tulle

Directions

• Use the Stylus and White Oval tip to ink the front of the the doorhanger with Orchid
• Allow the ink the dry completely, until it no longer feels cool or damp
• Sand the edges of the dry doorhanger with the sanding block
• Cut out and burnish the candy patterns onto the doorhanger
• Brush Cinnamon Spice Glitter onto the lollipop sticks
• Brush Ruby Slippers Glitter onto the lollipops,  two "horizontal" wrapped candies, the small heart and two little candy sprinkles
• Press Lucky Penny Designer Foils onto the two "vertical" wrapped candies
• Burnish "BE MINE" onto the doorhanger and press Cherry Pie Designer Foils onto it
• Burnish "XOXOXO" and brush Ruby Slippers onto it
• Cut two hearts from the Be Mine sheet, burnish them at the bottom, and press Cherry Pie Designer Foils onto them
• Cut three more hearts from the Be Mine sheet, burnish them around the candies and brush Ruby Slipper Glitter onto them
• Tie a red tulle bow at the top

Hope you like this fun project.  It would be easy to switch colors and greetings to create a birthday or thank-you card using the same basic design.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Jean

 

Cupcake Wishes

A Design Adhesives cupcake - frosted with Cocoa Bean Embossing Powder - expresses your love on a sweetly-simple card.  The cupcake, one of four delightful treats from the Baby Cakes Design Adhesives, is also Smooched with Sassy Pink and Carrot.  Foam dots glittered with Sweet Orange and Cotton Candy add the finishing touch.  No calories, carbs or trans-fats!

Here are the directions for this girlie card:

Clearsnap Products

• Baby Cakes Design Adhesives
• Cocoa Bean Embossing Powder    
• Sassy Pink Smooch Accent Ink    
• Carrot Smooch Accent Ink    
• ColorBox Fluid Chalk Chestnut Roan Inkpad    
• ColorBox Fluid Chalk Orchid Pastel Inkpad    
• Sweet Orange Glitter    
• Cotton Candy Glitter

Stamp

• Hampton Art Love Defined

Other Supplies

• Paper Accents Muslin Assorted Textured Cardstock 
• Rotary Trimmer and Scalloped Blade 
• Heat Tool
• 1/8" Foam Dots

Directions

• Cut and fold a 5-1/2" square card of pink Muslin Cardstock
• Burnish the cupcake onto the smoother side of the pink cardstock and emboss it with Cocoa Bean Embossing Powder
• Smooch the X's, O's and flower centers with Sassy Pink and Carrot and dry the ink
• Scallop the bottom edge of the cardstock, trim it to 1-7/8" x 2" and ink the edges with Orchid Pastel
• Stamp Love Defined on the pink cardstock with Chestnut Roan and scallop the bottom edge
• Trim it to a 2-3/8" square and ink the edges with Orchid Pastel
• Scallop one edge of the brown Muslin Cardstock and trim it to 3-1/4" x 3-3/8"
• Assemble the card, using foam dots for the cupcake
• Attach foam dots and press Sweet Carrot and Cotton Candy Glitter onto the dots

Have fun with this card - mix and match the flavors, accents  and icing colors!

Contemporary Valentine

Gray, red and white - with the glimmer of Cherry Pie Designer Foils and Charcoal Glitter - create a simple Valentine card for your favorite guy.  A few seconds are all you need to add the shimmery red bird and sparkly charcoal circles from the In the Forest and Spots + Dots Design Adhesives. 

Gray Whale and Charcoal ColorBox Fluid Chalks instantly create the illusion of depth.  You don't even need to mask the background image - just layer the inks and add the bright red bird and hearts!

Here are the instructions for this contemporary Valentine greeting:

Clearsnap Products

• ColorBox Fluid Chalk Gray Whale Inkpad    
• ColorBox Fluid Chalk Charcoal Inkpad
• Vivid! Hot Red Inkpad      
• In the Forest Design Adhesives    
• Spots and Dots Design Adhesives    
• Cherry Pie Designer Foils
• Charcoal Glitter

Stamps

• Memory Box Leaf Canopy    
• Memory Box Love + Hearts    
• Memory Box Ring + Dots

Other Supplies

• Smooth White Cardstock    
• Memory Box Soiree Slate Shimmer A2 Card    
• Memory Box Soiree Cherry Matte Cardstock
• 1-1/8" Circle Punch    
• Soft Round Paintbrush

Directions

• Stamp Leaf Canopy on white cardstock with Gray Whale and rotate the cardstock 180 degrees
• Clean the stamp, then stamp Leaf Canopy again with Charcoal
• Dry the inks
• Trim the cardstock to 3-3/4" x 2-7/8" and ink the edges with Charcoal
• Burnish the bird from the In the Forest Design Adhesives onto the branches
• Burnish Cherry Pie Designer Foils onto the adhesive pattern
• Stamp the hearts (attached to the side of the Love+Hearts stamp) above the bird with Hot Red   
• Stamp Ring + Dot on white cardstock with Charcoal, then stamp "love" over it with Hot Red
• Punch it into a 1-1/8" circle
• Punch two additional circles of scrap cardstock and attach them behind the stamped circle for dimension
• Ink the edges of the layered circles with Charcoal
• Burnish the Spots + Dots Design Adhesives circle onto Cherry Cardstock
• Brush Charcoal Glitter onto the adhesive pattern 
• Trim the cardstock to 2-1/2" x 3-1/8"
• Attach the pieces to the card

Hope you like the simple layering featured here - try this design in other color combinations for spring birthdays and thank-you cards too.