confetti by lexi

color blended christmas

color blending continues to be a mainstay in card making, and like everything else in the hobby, there's no such thing as too many inks and tools to get the perfect blend. scrapbook.com is introducing a new line of premium hybrid ink pads and asked me to take them for a spin along with their new clear stackable daubers, jumbo sponge daubers, and stencil blending brushes. one of the coolest things about these inks is that they are organized in color families with four shades of a color to create the perfect ombre - and in addition to being able to purchase them individually, you can purchase them in color family kits.

i was on a roll with christmas cards, so i decided to continue with my candy-colored christmas theme from my previous post using the same stamp sets and color pairings. first up, i created a few modern christmas trees by masking off three different sized triangles, blending pink lemonade, succulent, and caribbean inks into one triangle each using the clear stackable daubers. instant trees!

the little daubers are the perfect size for small spaces like these and blended the ink on perfectly. and how great is the stacking storage feature? i topped the triangles with tiny star sequins and added clear wink of stella over them for added sparkle. to finish it off and give the look of snow, i splattered a shimmer watercolor paint over the entire card after stamping the sentiment. clean and graphic and so me!

next, i created a simple merry christmas card starting with a masked off square, inking it in glass slippers ink. a little bit of detail is all you need here! this time, since my space was a little bigger, i opted to use the jumbo sponge dauber. the rounded edges are great for getting consistent blending and the size makes for quick work.

after blending, i stamped a simple but cute merry christmas sentiment into the lower right corner and added a small sprig of holly for interest and additional color. i wanted something a little more than a one-layer card, so i cut it out and popped it up on a smaller 4-bar sized card base. not only clean and graphic, but clean and simple too - gotta love that!

and last, but not least, i tried out the stencil blending brush on a similar shadow frame card, this time specifically creating a one layer design. i just love these brushes. they're so big and pretty for starters, but they are perfect for soft gradual blending. after masking off my detail square, i brushed ink in from the edges, leaving the center open for a star to coordinate with the sentiment.

to highlight the star further, i used a small sponge dauber to get just the hint of a glow using the same color, kind of twisting it in place right over the star. then i colored the star with a wink of stella pen for added sparkle and shine. it's the litte details like this that make one layer cards work well. once again, the finished card is clean and graphic - my standard! and i learned that i need a few more stencil brushes so i can have one for every basic color family.

so there's my look at the ink and blending tools being offered by scrapbook.com - so much to love! the coolest being the color organization of the ink pad collection. and the stackable daubers. it's always so hard to pick one favorite. just give me all the inks and toys and i'm a happy stamper! let me know what you think in the comments. until next time...

happy stamping!
:) lexi

 

 

christmas is coming!

today, i have a couple of fun new christmas cards to share with you using a selection of new and exclusive premium clear photopolymer holiday stamp sets from scrapbook.com. it's hard to believe that september is coming to an end - the time is now to start on a solid christmas card stash, right? so when they asked me to stamp and share, i couldn't resist! in addition to stamps, they are also introducing a new line of premium hybrid ink pads, which i will elaborate on in a different post, but since i'm using them here, i wanted to point that out, too.

first up, i created a sweet believe card using a stamp from the set called holly jolly sentiments - clean and graphic, as is my favorite, but also with a fun technique. using a misti, i selectively inked and stamped the word believe in caribbean and pink lemonade inks, and then stamped the complete sentiment in succulent ink to finish it off. the misti or a similar stamp platform is especially helpful for equal spacing between words - you simply use the grid to measure how far to move the cardstock up or down to get the words in the perfect spot, while the stamp stays put on the lid.

to emphasize the magic and add a little extra detail, i stamped the little reindeer in camel, colored him in, and added a touch of red nuvo drops for his nose. as you will soon see, i was totally in the mood for what i like to refer to as a "candy" christmas. while i love a traditional red and green, these lighter and brighter colors are my favorites and just make me smile!

in fact, i decided to keep the candy christmas going with a second card, along with more selective inking. this time, only inking, not inking and repeating. i just love how this sentiment forms a little tree - so clever! with that in mind, i inked the words in succulent, the star in daffodil, and the heart in cardinal red, stamping each on it's own without moving the stamp or the card from the misti. the focal sentiments comes from gifting and tag chrismas, while the background sentiment comes from holly jolly sentiments.

voila, perfect placement! although i love clean and graphic to the point of simple, the card seemed just a little too simple, so i added a merry christmas background in a light gray called fog for additional interest. it's almost tone on tone, which is perfect for letting the candy color scheme shine and it adds to the sentiment perfectly. this would be great for cash or a gift card - what my kids always ask for a lot of!

i hope you've enjoyed this look at scrapbook.com's new line of stamps. some bigger sets, some smaller and so many great sentiments across the board. one can never have too many christmas stamps - they're magic and just what i want!!

merry merry!
:) lexi

 

throwback thursday: mighty oak

i was so excited to play with mighty oak for this week's papertrey ink throwback thursday. i love all of the whimsical leaf patterns included in the stamp set. and since whimsical patterns inspire me to play with whimsical colors, once again, i found myself in the mood for a rainbow. 

but this time i thought i'd try a fall inspired line up. after a bit of swatching on my desk pad, i decided on terracotta tile, canyon clay, summer sunrise, simply chartreuse, ocean tides, enchanted evening, and autumn rose, with weathervane as my neutral. all slightly deeper versions of my typical rainbow and i have to say i love the results!

with three die cut and stamped leaves per color, i decided to place them in loose rainbow order from one side of the tree to the other, tilted this way and that right on the branches rather than fill the cover plate with them. each leaf is adhered to the tree on one side of the leaf, and then bent up for added dimension on the other. i also kept the tree itself white so that the rainbow of colorful leaves could take center stage.

i love a burst of color and this autumn rainbow of leaves did not disappoint - my kind of fall! i guess i'm finally having to face the facts that it is actually here - although i'm still waiting for the temps to reflect this. meanwhile my cards can! if you haven't already, be sure to check out a couple more throwback looks by lizzie and laurie, both linked on the papertrey ink blog...

happy stamping!
:) lexi

simple to spectacular: tea for two

good morning! it's my turn for simple to spectacular today, one of my favorite papertrey ink blog features! who doesn't love a simple, classic sugar cookie? but then you add icing and it's even sweeter and more decadent. and then you pop on some sprinkles and suddenly it's a party! today we're showcasing tea for two, a great stamp set for a variety of occasions - a reminder to "sip & relax" is often just what we need. i was particularly excited to take the polka dot teapot for this simple to spectacular spin, pairing it with something new - and plaid! as always, i stayed true to my typical clean and graphic style on all three takes, each one a little more involved than the last. from simple to stepped up to spectacular, i used the same stamps, colors, and basic layout...

for my simple version, i created an almost one layer card. i love the middle die from the shape shifter series to add the look of a layer without actually adding one. it's one of my favorite clean and simple tricks lately. i did decide to use a die cut teapot for added interest and just a little depth. it just seemed a little too simple stamped directly into the oval.

next, i stepped up the design a little bit by adding the middle die cut from shape shifters: oval 3 for an additional pattern. i love this plaid and lining it with weathervane cardstock really makes it pop! after adding this detail, i lost the area needed to add my sentiment. the double ended banner in cream was just the right size, also serving to ground the teapot. this is my next favorite thing to do with the shape shifters sets - the pattern surrounded by the frame adds such a cool detail!

and finally, for the spectacular version, i added the outer ribbon frame to my focal piece. it really adds a dainty touch, perfect for a teapot. and just as i had hoped, i love the contrast of golden yellow polka dots with the bold gray plaid. the result is so cozy and with the white on white, still a bit modern, too. it definitely makes me want to sip and relax!

and there you have it - three degrees of tea for two! just like other times, i love all three for different reasons. "simple" one layer cards are perfect and easy when i need something fast, and i really enjoy a good "spectacular" session when i have a lot of open-ended creative time. but the "stepped up" version is probably my most typical stamping zone. what do you think - do you have a favorite? let me know in the comments! and if you haven't already, be sure to check out the original post on the papertrey ink blog - dawn and heather have projects too! i always love seeing what my fellow stampers do with the same set.

take some time to sip & relax!
:) lexi

seasonal colors to fall for

Good morning! Welcome to this month’s color installment! Today I’m taking a look at fall colors. I know that for many this is a favorite color season to stamp, but I’m more of a spring/summer/rainbow girl, so I thought I’d challenge myself to find some “trendy” fall color combos to try. When I’m looking for something new, I will often look to wedding and fashion trends for ideas because many of their annual trends are often mirrored in ours, so that’s exactly where I started for this post.

 

I found my first two color combos in an article called, “The 10 Perfect Fall Wedding Combos to Steal in 2018.” There are a few more in the article I want to try, but I decided to start with this one because it is a bit more traditional.

The inspiration color combo focuses on orange but with lighter shades of beige or browns to set it off, rather than lots of oranges together, and I liked that about it. Canyon Clay and Fine Linen play the lead roles of orange and beige with Classic Kraft and Honey Nut rounding out the colors as in the inspiration.

And for a slight modern edge, I added in Weathervane. Grays are good for that, especially a neutral gray. If you want to stick with warm colors without a touch of modern, brown would work nicely as well.

 

Next, I was drawn to a navy and pastel peach wedding combo. Again, a form of orange is present, which is a fall staple. But the look is lighter and brighter without being too spring-like.

I translated the inspiration into Papertrey Ink with Enchanted Evening and Melon Berry as the focal colors, and Sweet Blush and Ocean Tides tying everything together. When you’re stamping florals, a green is usually helpful and I love how the soft, sort of grayish, green of Ocean Tides plays with navy and peach.

The overall look is still fall inspired, but I really like the pastel touch. Plus a blue and orange combo is straight from the color wheel basics – opposites attract!

For my last color scheme, I found an article called “11 Unexpected Fall Color Combos You Need to Try Now.” Unexpected was just what I was looking for and I think mustard and navy fit the bill. Yes, the color combo is somewhat in line with my love of yellow. Although my favorite shades of yellow lean more toward sunshine and buttercup, and not mustard so much.

This look seemed very modern to me, so I decided to create a modern color-blocked card. The closest I could come to mustard in the Papertrey Ink offerings was Saffron Spice, but I wanted it to be a little brighter, so I added an extra layer of Bright Buttercup to kind of pull out the yellow. Once again Enchanted Evening was the perfect navy.

This darker version of blue and yellow is a nice fall counterpart to one of my favorite color combos. I still like the brighter spring/summer version better, but I can see how this works too. I think it would make a pretty floral card with bold flowers – where is Gran’s Garden when I need it?!

So there you have it – my attempts at finding a few seasonal looks I could fall for. Rainbows are still my favorite year-round, but I can see myself using each of these combos again. If you have any unexpected or trendy fall faves, I’d love to try them too, so please share in the comments! It’s good to get out of my typical roygbiv box once in a while…

Have a colorful day!
:) lexi

 

Supplies:
Bloom Where You’re Planted card
STAMPS: Community Garden, Flower Power
INK: Canyon Clay, Fine Linen, Classic Kraft, Honey Nut, Weathervane
PAPER: Stamper’s Select White, Classic Kraft
DIES: Shape Shifters: Square 1
OTHER: foam tape, 2-Way glue pen

Thinking of You orchid card
STAMPS: Orchid Expressions
INK: Melon Berry, Sweet Blush, Enchanted Evening, Dark Indigo, Ocean Tides
PAPER: Stamper’s Select White
OTHER: MISTI

Thinking of You modern card
STAMPS: Ombre Sentiments: Thinking of You, Ombre Builders
INK: Enchanted Evening, Saffron Spice
PAPER: Stamper’s Select White, Enchanted Evening
OTHER: foam tape, ruler

back to hogwarts weekend!

september 1st is officially "back to hogwarts" day, so i had a lot of fun this weekend while harry potter marathons played in the background. what kind of #potterhead would i be otherwise, right?! i'll start with a card using more of the fabulous harry potter stamps from the sassy club, this one from a set called potter head. (and the real reason i bought the action wobbles i first used here.)

isn't he the cutest?! i knew as soon as i saw this image that i wanted it to have some sort of motion and the action wobble fit the bill perfectly. i used a clear block to smoosh a little distress oxide ink for my sky, adding a few die cut and glittered clouds left over from my saf pop up box for interest (and in one case to cover too big of a drip!). the sentiment banner is from the same set and describes my potter weekend well. i finished it off with a clear glaze pen over the glasses and a few mini star sequins to tie it all together. i solemnly swear i am up to no good!

i actually started my back to hogwarts festivities by pulling a bit of my recent universal haul together with a few books for a "packed and ready" flat lay pic, train ticket included - i am a true collector at heart! and a ravenclaw in case you didn't notice. what house are you?

then i posted a few more timely pics that i hadn't gotten around to posting yet from when we visited the wizarding world of harry potter at universal studios last month. we used to go every mardi gras break when the girls were younger and the last time we went, there was only hogsmeade and hogwarts in the islands of adventure, so it was very exciting to see the london side and ride the hogwarts express!

home sweet hogwarts...

lit up to welcome everyone back! (i'm determined to get a better pic of this next time.)

and then, if that wasn't enough, my new custom (harry potter themed!) teacher planner was delivered as soon as i posted the harry potter card today. and it's a mail holiday! it's from purple trail which i happened upon while searching for teacher planners and i fell in love with the custom options. i'll probably write a dedicated post about it after using it for a little while, but i just had to share the cover immediately - because #backtohogwarts! i started with one of their covers and altered it to be a stack of wizarding textbooks, changing titles and colors, as well as adding a new book and a wand. and then i went a little crazy...

you see, the insides of the cover can also be customized and i couldn't just leave them blank, so i created magical "stickers" to fill both the front and the back. shape tools, font boxes, colors, art images - be still my designer heart! hands down the best procrastination project i've undertaken in quite a while.

these really were so much fun to dream up and put together! it's hard to pick a fave, but maybe the hogwarts alumni or the teacher one...? i think i'm going to have to recreate some of them in my own software for other things! don't worry, you're just as sane as i am! or am i even?!

isn't it the most magical planner ever?! more to come, but for now...

mischief managed!
:) lexi