Hello Summer

     I wanted to make a quick layout using my new The Stamps of Life Sandcastle Card Kit. I ended up getting a little carried away with some Silhouette files. I just love playing with my Silhouette Cameo. 

     I started with 2 sketches, but in the end I moved everything around. I used the provided die cuts in the paper packs and cut fun shaped banners with my trimmer. The row of sunny flowers is a border punch from my collection. The only papers that are not from the kit are 2 sheets each of My Colors: Expresso Bean and Blue. I needed to have some 12 x 12 to get started.

     I die cut one of each of the dies from the sand castle sets with a dark brown card stock and used my picscan mat to upload the shapes into my Silhouetts. I then arranged them as you see above with the word "summer" (a Silhouette cut file) to make a title grouping with one solid piece to glue the elements on to. The sunglasses and sun are from Sunglasses 2 Stamp.

     This really is just a 5 1/2 inch circle with a frame made from 2 circles die cut together. I used items die cut from the kit to make this cluster. VERY QUICK!!!

     This is a Silhouette file that I purchased. I just thought it was adorable and HAD to use it. I added the "summer lovin'" that came in the kit. How fun is that? It would have been 20 times sweeter if I had made it open for journaling on the inside.

Materials:

   Patterned Paper: TSOL - Summer Lovin' Collection

   Card Stock: My Colors - Expresso Bean

                                            Blue

                       TSOL - Sky

                                    Gingerbread

                                    Chocolate

                                    Grape

                                    Sunshine

                                    Tangerine

                                    Powdered Sugar

                                    Kiwi

   Dies: TSOL - Sand Castle 2 Stamp

                         More Sand 2 Stamp

                         Summer Lovin'

                         Sunglasses 2 Stamp

            Burniston - Beach Edges

            Sizzix - Circles

   Punches: EK - Sunflower Edge Punch

   Silhouette Files - Notebook Toon by Sarah Bailey

                             Cool Summer by Craftable

Flippin' Awesome

      Here is BBQ card #3. I used the Elegant Step-Up Card Die for the base of this card. All of the paper is from the Gold Club Kit. I used a pre-colored image for the BBQ pit and die cut the utensils with silver mirror paper. I pop dotted the sentiment on the inside in order to hold up the easel feature of the card. Not much else to say about this one. I finished it very quickly.

Materials: 

   Patterned Paper: TSOL - Totally Rad Collection

   Card Stock: TSOL - Sunshine

                                    Pool

                                    Silver Mirrored

   Stamps: TSOL - More BBQ 2 Stamp

   Dies: TSOL - Elegant Step-Up Card Die Set

                          BBQ 2 Stamp Dies

                          More BBQ 2 Stamp Dies

   Ink: TSOL - Midnight

Hey, Hot Stuff!

      After my brain freeze over the weekend, I decided to take action. Saturday I was staring at this BBQ stamp and die set, matching patterned paper, and embellishments with not one idea surfacing. I decided to make an "Idea Jar". I cut 1" x 2" pieces of card stock and wrote all sorts of ideas to give me a boost when I am stuck. I just looked around the room -- ribbon, embossing folder, names of fancy folds, some dies that could be used with any topic, etc.

     When I had a healthy stack of cards to throw in my jar, I drew. I got "SHUTTER CARD", and here it is:  

     I have just completed a total de-clutter of my craft room. I found a stack of these two Bo Bunny patterned papers left over from an Easter layout I did in 2018. You can see the layout here. It worked perfectly with the outdoorsy print on the back of the green leaves. I started with a white card base and matted all panels with Kraft. I then mixed it up a bit with the patterned paper.

    I used my Copics to color the BBQ pit, then die-cut it, and die-cut another out of Kraft card stock to make it sturdier. I added a spatula, tongs, and meat fork, some twine and enamel dots. 

     My B70 Copic marker was almost out of ink. You can see how light the center of the coloring is. I have decided that I like the contrast and have an ink refill ordered.

     The sentiment "BBQ time" was in the stamp set, but I was feeling lazy about masking half of it. Using my Evernote data base, I found a stamp that had the word "time" by itself.

     Here is a pic from another angle:

The IDEA Jar

Materials:

   Patterned Paper: Bo Bunny - Week Adventures

   Card Stock: TSOL - Powdered Sugar

                                    Kraft

                                    Peacock

                                    Silver Mirrored

   Stamps: TSOL - BBQ 2 Stamp

                              Party Statement "time"

   Dies: TSOL - BBQ 2 Stamp

                          More BBQ 2 Stamp

   Ink: Momento - Tuxedo Black

           TSOL - Twig

                          Banana

                          Green Apple

   Copics: BG 70, 72, 75, 78

                  R 35, 37, 39

                  E 42, 43, 44 477

   Embellies: Kraft/White Twine

                      Peacock Enamel Hearts

   Challenges: 

     Creative Creases - Fun Fold - #15 - *

     Creative Fingers - Anything Goes - #144 - *

King of the Grill

      I had made 10 cards using The Stamps of Life "Birdbath" Die Hard sets and monthly kit back in April, but never completed the insides of the cards. Yesterday I spent the morning finishing those. I then decided to put the kit up. that means putting the paper, embellishments, etc into stash and move on to the next month of stamps, dies, and kit. That brings me to the BBQ pit. I just couldn't get an idea to start a card. I saw this layout sketch on Sketch N Scrap and shifted my thoughts to making a layout. This layout is made predominately with TSOL products.

Sketch #228 by Stacy Daubenberger

     I used the BBQ pit from the paper pack. I made it into a chipboard piece, so it is very sturdy. 

     I did the BBQ sentiment the same way. 

     

     The cooking utensils are die cut from silver mirror card stock and I added some Velvet Night ends to give them interest. 

     The intended use for the oven mitt is as a shape card. I thought it would be great if it opened with extra pictures and journaling.

Materials List:

     Patterned Paper: The Stamps of Life - Totally Rad Collection
     Card Stock: My Colors - Velvet Night
                                              Snowbound
                          The Stamps of Life - Cranberry
                                                            Kiwi
                                                            Twig
     Stamps: The Stamps of Life - BBQ 2 Stamp
     Dies: The Stamps of Life - BBQ 2 Stamp Dies
                                                 More BBQ 2 Stamp Dies
                                                 5 x 7 Oven Mitt Fold-It
                                                 Loop Border
                                                 Gingerbread 2 Stamp (stars)
                                                 Stitched Tags
             Anboo - Alphabet
     Ink: The Stamps of Life - Midnight
     Twine
     Silver Mirrored Card Stock

Take It Easy Dragonfly

      I happened across this card sketch from Sketch N Scrap. I thought it would make a great card and be fun to work with. I have been making cards like crazy with the "Take It Easy" kit from The Stamps of Life. The paper pad had this print in several colors. Since this is card #I6, I chose the colors based on what was left. 

Card with Envelope

Card Sketch #190 by Lisa Hidy

     Everything is glued right onto the card except that the dragonfly is pop dotted. I colored the dragonfly using Copics. 

Inside of Card

16 cards made with the kit

     Some of these cards were heavily influenced by Lisa Mears (9 of them), Jeanne of Spectrum Ink (1 of them), 5 designed by me, and one from a member of the Facebook Stamps of Life Fan Group (can't find it again). 

Materials List: The Stamps of Life

     Card Stock: The Stamps of Life - Powdered Sugar

                                                           Licorice

     Patterned Paper: The Stamps of Life - Take It Easy Paper Pad

     Stamps: The Stamps of Life - Take It Easy Kit

     Dies: The Stamps of Life - Dragonflies 2 Stamp

                                                 More Dragonflies 2 Stamp

     Ink: Momento - Tuxedo Black

            The Stamps of Life - Mint Chip

                                              Candy

                                              Blue Jay

                                              Pixie

     Copics: B0000, 000, 00

                  RV52, 55

                  V12, 15

     Wink of Stella: Clear