Wedding Wishes

Today I have a special thank you for CardMaker Magazine for publishing

these wedding wishes in their May 2012 issue!    



Instructions and materials for this card are available in CardMaker May 2012 

This design combines Penny Black’s Bride & Groom

with tones of cream and gold.

Thank you CardMaker!

Cardstock Swatch Ring

Today I have one of my favorite reference tools – a cardstock swatch ring.

I find this “oldie, but goodie” idea extremely useful.  It makes coordinating cardstocks and colors for a project so easy.  I can work with the smaller swatches before pulling the actual larger pieces of cardstock and it is handy to take shopping as a reference tool for matching papers, embellishments and ribbons. 

As I am working on projects, I cut the swatches from leftover pieces of paper and index them on the back.  If I find I am running low on a particular cardstock, I have the name and color right at my fingertips.

This ring has all my Penny Black Mix & Match Papers.  It’s fun (and helpful) having this miniature rainbow of color on my desk!

Smiles,

Elizabeth

Pretty Packaging

Packaging freshly baked cookies with stylish flair is as easy as 1-2-3!

1)  Wrap cookies in parchment or tracing paper.  Create a seal by stamping the postage design from Free Flight on Judi Kins Eclipse Tape with VersaMagic Ink (Turquoise Gem /Pink Grapefruit).  Tip/Hint: Place a small piece of Eclipse Tape on copy paper before stamping.  This will allow the tape to be trimmed with a circle punch and not get caught in the tool.  Remove the backing (copy paper) to create a repositionable medallion/seal.

2)  Stamp decorative borders from Puzzle Parts on transparent envelopes with Cotton White StazOn.  Insert wrapped cookies.

3)   Fold over the extending end of the envelope, punch two holes and tie with a ribbon.  Attach tags die cut with a Spellbinders Labels Ten, highlighted with VersaMagic Ink (Turquoise Gem/Pink Grapefruit) and stamped with sentiments from Sweet Wishes.

Voilà!  Your very own stylish pâtisserie packaging! 

Enjoy viewing other "anything but a card" ideas "here" on the Penny Black blog. 

Happy Friday,
Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Free Flight 30-117, Puzzle Parts 30-114, Sweet Wishes 30-104

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001

American Crafts: Ribbon

Judi Kins Eclipse Tape

Spellbinders: Labels Ten (S5-022)

Tsukineko: Tuxedo Black Memento, Turquoise Gem VersaMagic, Pink Grapefruit VersaMagic, Cotton White StazOn, Sponge Dauber

Other: Transparent Envelopes, Hole Punch

A "Banner" Birthday

Today the designers for Penny Black are sharing cards using banners “here” and I thought it would be fun to create a pole full of birthday wishes.

This owl from a Word to the Wise is too cute to use just for graduation!  After exchanging the owl's graduation cap for a crown and adding a present (both from Mimi’s Big Wish), he was ready to perch atop a pole containing the banner and sentiments from Sweet Wishes.

The pole is a piece of tan cardstock that was stamped using the wood grain from Inspiring and Peanut Brittle Memento ink.  TIP/HINT: Rolling the strip on a thin paintbrush handle gave the paper a rounded log effect.

The tan cardstock mat was stamped with Design Spotter and Desert Sand Memento ink and then highlighted with Peanut Brittle Memento and a sponge dauber.  This piece was then matted with Black and Sea Breeze cardstocks.

To tie in with the subtle dots stamped on the tan cardstock, the card base cut from Fall Festival was also stamped with Design Spotter using Crimson Red VersaFine.

Images seen in black were stamped with Onyx Black VersaFine and heat embossed with clear powder.  

Thank you for visiting,  

Elizabeth 

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Word to the Wise 40-141, Sweet Wishes 30-104, Big Wish 30-098, Inspiring 40-113, Design Spotter 40-050

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-003, Sticks & Stones 02-002, Sea Breeze 08-002, Fall Festival 16-003

Copic Markers

EK Success: 3D Dots

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Crimson Red VersaFine, Desert Sand Memento, Peanut Brittle Memento, Clear Embossing Powder, Sponge Daubers



You're Unique!

This weekend I found myself venturing toward a modern/contemporary design.

I love the clean and classy look that you can achieve by mixing elements in black, white and shades of gray. 

Design components from Puzzle Parts were used for the patterns.  The top half of the card is gray cardstock with stamping done in Niagara Mist VersaMagic.  The two overlapping chevrons were stamped with Gary Flannel Memento and Onyx Black VersaFine on white cardstock.  Gray Flannel and Love Letter Memento inks were sponged with Inkblushers onto the chevron stamped in black. 

Three of the birds (Free Flight) were stamped in Onyx Black VersaFine and heat embossed with clear powder on white cardstock and then fussy cut.

To expand on the feeling of the sentiment created from Word Express, one of the birds was “uniquely” set apart from the others with the addition of red glitter.  After the stamping the bird in Crimson Red VersaFine and heat embossing with clear powder, Goosebumps Clear Textural Spray was used as an adhesive.  For small concentrated areas, rather than trying to spray the desired space, I unscrew the nozzle from the bottle and dip a toothpick into the liquid. 

TIP/HINT:  This card can also be easily created without the fussy cutting by simply eliminating the dimensional foam between the chevrons and patterned base.  Due to the dark hues of ink used for the birds, the stamped impressions will cover the pre-stamped pattern design.

Have a wonderful day,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Free Flight 30-117, Puzzle Parts 30-114, Word Express 30-106

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001, 01-002

Art Institute: Ruby Red Microfine Opaque Glitter

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Crimson Red VersaFine, Gray Flannel Memento, Love Letter Memento, Niagara Mist VersaMagic, Inkblushers, Goosebumps Clear Texture Spray, Clear Embossing Powder

Birthday Girl

A slight alteration to the girl holding a bird (Penny Black's A Little Bird) into a cupcake turned a fun, all occasion image into a confectionery birthday treat. 

Different textures and shapes created by a Cuttlebug Embossing folder and Spellbinders Scallop Rectangle die cuts were enhanced by applying Lilac Posies Memento ink with a sponge dauber.  A simple mat of Blue Lagoon cardstock edged in Teal Zeal Memento ink added a visual transition between the layers.

The colorful panel in the center is a piece of white cardstock that was toned with Mango Madness, Thatched Straw and Pink Grapefruit VersaMagic inks.  The Music Background was then stamped in Pink Grapefruit VersaMagic.

TIP/HINT:  Basic ribbons in neutral colors are easy to adapt to color schemes used within a card.  In this sample, the white ribbon was colored with the same color Copic marker as used on the girl’s dress.  Perfect match!

To complete the birthday greeting, a sentiment from Wishes was stamped on a hand-cut banner.

Wishing you a day filled with all kinds of happy,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: A Little Bird 30-102, Wishes 30-103, Music Background 2025M

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001, Blue Lagoon 09-001

Copic Markers

Offray: White Ribbon

Provo Craft: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder – Textile 37-1153

Spellbinders: Classic Scalloped Rectangles Small (S4-131)

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Lilac Posies Memento, Teal Zeal Memento, Thatched Straw VersaMagic, Mango Madness VersaMagic, Pink Grapefruit VersaMagic, Sponge Daubers, Clear Embossing Powder.

Get Well Wishes

A little extra sunshine for someone feeling under the weather.

Allover Pattern was stamped on summer sun cardstock with VersaMark Watermark ink and heat embossed with white powder.  The design was trimmed to create the shape of the card.

Morocco and Love Letter Memento inks were applied with sponge daubers around the outside edges.  Extra dots were added by hand with a Morocco Memento Marker.

To soften the colors of the flower after it was colored with Copic markers, Peanut Brittle Memento ink was sponged on top.

For a soft background, the white cardstock mat was masked and a small square was inked with Thatched Straw VersaMagic ink. This was then matted with a piece of Sea Breeze cardstock edged with Teal Zeal Memento ink.  The sentiment stamped in black is from Wishes.

For more "get well" card inspiration created by the Penny Black Designers, be sure to take a peek “here”.

Have a great day,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Flower Festival 30-095, Wishes 30-103, Allover Pattern 40-109

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001, Sea Breeze 08-002, Summer Sun 17-002

Copic Markers

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Morocco Memento, Love Letter Memento, Teal Zeal Memento, Peanut Brittle Memento, Thatched Straw VersaMagic, VersaMark Watermark Ink, Morocco Memento Marker, Sponge Daubers, Clear Embossing Powder, White Embossing Powder

Enjoy The Little Things

Happy Monday!  I hope your day is filled with wonderful things that make you smile.

These Hedgy Truffles were fussy cut and elevated/layered on a Reverse Wonky Rectangle. 

The sentiment and dragonflies are from the transparent set Hedgie Friends.

Tip/Hint:  Leaving the metal die cut frame on the cardstock is an easy way to mask the border before applying ink for shading.   

Tip/Hint:  To create mottled grass with Copics, the colored area was pounced with a piece of crumpled paper towel moistened with Colorless Blending Solution.

Smiles,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Hedgy Truffles 4255J, Hedgie Friends 30-101

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001, Coral Reef 15-003

3M Scotch: Dimensional Foam

Copic Markers

Spellbinders: Reverse Wonky Rectangles S4-307

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Summer Sky Memento, Sponge Dauber, Clear Embossing Powder

Let Your Dreams Take Flight

Wishing you beautiful moments of creativity as you enjoy a world of colorful imagination where your dreams and heart take flight.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

Butterfly

The butterfly from Penny Black’s Free Flight was stamped on white cardstock with Onyx Black VersaFine ink and heat embossed with clear powder.  The design was watercolored using Ink Potion No. 9 as a transfer medium for Grape Jelly, Lilac Posies and Tangelo Memento inks.  An application of Copper Sheer Shimmer Spritz with a paintbrush yields a shimmery effect.  Using Goosebumps Clear Texture Spray as an adhesive, black glitter was attached to adorn the body.

Decorative Tiles

The collage element from Free Flight was stamped on white cardstock with Smokey Gray VersaFine ink.  Two rectangles were trimmed from the image and the edges were sponged with Peanut Brittle, Toffee Crunch and Espresso Truffle Memento inks.  The edges were further enhanced by applying Delicata Golden Glitz ink directly from the pad.

Corner Piece

A section of the decorative border from Puzzle Parts was stamped on white cardstock with Onyx Black VersaFine and heat embossed with clear powder.  Espresso Truffle and Lilac Posies Memento inks added a worn and distressed effect to the piece.

A white flower eyelet offered a wonderful base structure for creating an antique finding.  After hammering the eyelet flat, it was coated with Silver Metallic StazOn directly from the inker bottle.  Once the eyelet was dry, it was then randomly pounced with Stone Gray and Jet Black StazOn ink pads.  A black bead accents the center.

White Card Mat

A bit of texture from an embossing folder adorns the upper left corner with a black string marking the transition between the embossed and un-embossed sections.  The sentiment from Free Flight was stamped in Onyx Black VersaFine and heat embossed with clear powder.

Various thicknesses of dimensional foam were used in assembling the design.

Have a beautiful day,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Free Flight 30-117, Puzzle Parts 30-114

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001, 01-003; Sticks & Stones 02-002

Dimensional Foam: 3M Scotch, EK Success

Martha Stewart: Onyx Glitter

Provo Craft: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Stylized Flowers 37-1232)

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Smokey Gray VersaFine, Delicata Golden Glitz, Grape Jelly Memento, Lilac Posies Memento, Tangelo Memento, Peanut Brittle Memento, Toffee Crunch Memento,  Espresso Truffle Memento, Sliver Metallic StazOn inker, Stone Gray StazOn, Jet Black StazOn, Ink Potion No. 9, Psst Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Copper, Sponge Daubers, Goosebumps Clear Texture Spray, Clear Embossing Powder

Other: White Flower Eyelet, Black String, Black Bead, Paintbrush

What's Cooking?

The best part about creating a card is having the ability to personalize it for the recipient. 

A few words (to our and niece) from Word Express were combined with the sentiment and image from What’s Cooking to create this customized greeting.

Create this card in 6 steps:

1. Stamp the pattern from Puzzle Parts on Summer Sun cardstock with Persimmon VersaMagic.  Highlight the edges with Purple Hydrangea VersaMagic.
2. Stamp the cat slightly overhanging the edge with black ink.
3. Mat with Fuchsia Fantasies cardstock and attach to a white card base with dimensional foam.
4. Stamp the cat twice on a separate piece of white cardstock with black ink and heat emboss with clear powder.  Color one full image and the cat paws with the book from the second image.  Trim with scissors. 
5. Create a banner from white cardstock and stamp with personalized sentiments.
6. Using the cat stamped on the yellow cardstock for placement, attach the trimmed cat on top with the sentiment banner tucked in between.  Add the fussy cut book for an additional elevated accent.

Tip/Hint:  Stamping the cat image prior to attaching the trimmed pieces allows the whiskers to show and eliminates the need to fussy cut them on the trimmed image.

Design Extras:  Rounded top, right corner and hand-drawn heart

Smiles,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: What’s Cooking 30-100, Word Express 30-106, Puzzle Parts 30-114

Penny Black Mix & Match Papers: Storm 01-001, Fuchsia Fantasies 13-003, Summer Sun 17-002

Copic Markers

Dimensional Foam: 3M Scotch & EK Success

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Persimmon VersaMagic, Hydrangea VersaMagic, Sponge Daubers, Clear Embossing Powder

A Spring Hello

Today I am using heat embossing as a “resist” as well as a “platform” for building color tones.

The main panel of the card cut from white cardstock was stamped with the decorative flourish from Penny Black’s transparent Flowers Sweet set in VersaMark Watermark ink and heat embossed with clear powder.

The first application of color with sponge daubers utilizes the “resist technique” in that the dye inks (Memento Teal Zeal and Pistachio) can easily be wiped off the embossed design with a damp tissue.

The second application of color with Brushstixs uses the raised, heat embossed design as a “platform” to add VersaMagic inks (Thatched Straw and Mango Madness).  These opaque pigments add a delicate chalk-like finish and once dry will not smudge.

A subtle pattern of dots from Memento markers (Bamboo Leaves and Paris Dusk) adds a delicate texture around the embossed pattern.

The window elements were created with Spellbinders Large Classic Ovals.  For a little extra dazzle, the recessed mat cut from Penny Black’s Grand Canyon cardstock was pounced with an InkBlusher and Habanero VersaFine Ink.  Once dry, it was pounced a second time with the same InkBlusher and Bronze Sheer Shimmer Spritz. 

Tailoring stamps…..

I enjoy intermixing stamp images to create different scenes from the original image.  You may recognize this girl from Tete-a-Tete.  For today's spring hello, I used the dog leash for a bouquet stem and added the flowers and tiny bird from the transparent set A Little Bird.

The sentiment is from the Hello Gorgeous set.  Tip/Hint:  With small delicate phrases it can be challenging inking just a portion.  With transparent sets, I clip the sentiments into two parts.  This makes it much easier to ink the smaller singular portions and the two sections can be quickly nestled back together for the original phrase. 

Thank you for sharing your time and visiting!
Elizabeth    

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Tete-a-Tete 4258K, Flowers Sweet 30-096, A Little Bird 30-102, Hello Gorgeous 30-097

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001, Grand Canyon 03-002

Copic Markers

Offray: Satin Ribbon

Spellbinders: Classic Ovals Large (S4-110)

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, VersaMark Watermark Ink, Teal Zeal Memento, Pistachio Memento, Memento Markers (Bamboo Leaves, Paris Dusk), Thatched Straw VersaMagic, Mango Madness VersaMagic, Bronze Sheer Shimmer Spritz, InkBlushers, Brushstixs, Sponge Daubers, Clear Embossing Powder

Thinking of You (A Floral Frame)

Happy Friday!  Thank you for stopping by to see the last Penny Black sneak peek!

Today Floral Frame and Brick Wall are being featured on the Penny Black Blog.

Spellbinders’ Labels Twenty-Five was used to die cut the layered shapes of the card.

The sentiment is stamped on white cardstock in Onyx Black VersaFine and heat embossed with clear powder.   

Floral Frame stamped in Vintage Sepia VersaFine and heat embossed in clear powder on watercolor paper was a slight transition from using black ink and complemented the vintage style of the design.  The image was watercolored with Memento Markers which are referenced below in the supply list.

The main frame of the card is a die cut from a heavy-weight manila index card.  Brick Red VersaMagic was the first layer of color to be applied with a sponge dauber.  For a subtle metallic shimmer, Cosmic Copper Brilliance ink was applied as the second ink layer.  To create a soft patina effect, Teal Zeal Memento ink was pounced randomly onto the frame.  Brick Wall was then stamped in Espresso Truffle Memento ink.

Brick Wall can also be seen paired with a cute teddy bear in this blog post “here”.

Layering the pieces with dimensional foam completed the design.

Wishing you a happy weekend,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Floral Frame 40-138, Brick Wall 40-137, Gratitude 30-105

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001

Canson: Watercolor Paper

Dimensional Foam: 3M Scotch & EK Success

Spellbinders: Labels Twenty-Five (S5-077)

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Vintage Sepia VersaFine, Red Brick VersaMagic, Espresso Truffle Memento, Teal Zeal Memento, Cosmic Copper Brilliance, Memento Markers (Angel Pink, Bahama Blue, Dandelion, Danube Blue, Desert Sand, Lilac Posies, London Fog, New Sprout, Olive Grove, Peanut Brittle, Summer Sky, Sweet Plum, Teal Zeal, Toffee Crunch, Tuxedo Black), Jumbo Sponge Daubers, Clear Embossing Powder

Other: Manila Index Card, Paintbrush, Craft Chalk (a faint halo of color outside the sentiment) 

How Wonderful....

Welcome back for another Penny Black sneak peek! 

Today’s Penny Black Blog spotlight is on this gorgeous transparent set called “Free Flight”.

This set has everything from simple elegance to a detailed collage.

This colorful card has no coloring!!  The butterflies were stamped with Memento inks (Morocco, Lilac Posies and Teal Zeal), trimmed and then edged with the same corresponding colors. 

TIP/HINT:  When working with water-based, dye inks and transparent stamps, it can be helpful to first ink the image with VersaMark Watermark ink and then apply the dye ink before stamping.  This process will yield crisp images and eliminate uneven ink tones.

The decorative gold paper matting the main panel is a piece of white cardstock that was edged with Delicata Golden Glitz ink and heat embossed with gold powder.

TIP/HINT:  For a banner variation, trim the paper sentiment strip longer than the width of the panel to which it will be attached.  Score each side to fit the width of the panel and wrap the ends around to the back.  Once secured in place, tuck a small piece of dimensional foam under the center of the banner for height contrast.

The elegant card base was cut from Penny Black’s Storm (01-002) cardstock and the edges were burnished with London Fog Memento ink.

Tomorrow I will have the last sneak peek of two more new stamps.

Have a wonderful day,

Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Free Flight 30-117

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001, 01-002

EK Success: 3D Dots

Mark Richards: Crystal Gem Stickers

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Delicata Golden Glitz, London Fog Memento, Morocco Memento, Lilac Posies Memento, Teal Zeal Memento, VersaMark Watermark Ink, Sponge Dauber, Gold Embossing Powder

Thank You For Always Being There

From past posts you can see how much I have enjoyed working with Penny Black’s new transparent set called “Puzzle Parts”.  Today on the Penny Black Blog it is the featured sneak peek.

Two of the four Puzzle Parts were paired with a section of the NEW background stamp “Floral Thread”.  Whether this flower pattern is used to cover the front of a card or for bits and pieces as seen “here”, this background is definitely versatile.  The design also allows you to use many stamping techniques for fabulous variations. 

Here is a quick overview of how the components were created….

• Top-folded card created from white cardstock was edged with  Crimson Red VersaFine.

• The paper on the lower half of the card is Coral Reef cardstock stamped with Puzzle Parts in Crimson Red VersaFine.  The same ink color was used to soften the edges.

• Floral Thread was stamped on white cardstock with Elderberry Memento ink.  TIP/HINT:  Deep purple and rich chocolate inks offer nice variations from black ink.  They lend a crisp contrast with a touch of softness.

• The design was colored with Copic markers and then Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz was painted over the flowers to add a glittery effect.

• Puzzle Parts was stamped on Blue Lagoon cardstock with Teal Zeal Memento and trimmed.  The decorative strip was attached to the floral background and elevated on the card with dimensional foam.

• The sentiment from So Blessed was stamped on a Spellbinders Label Ten edged with Crimson Red VersaFine.  Faux brads were created with a black glaze pen.

I am excited to share another new sneak peek tomorrow!

Thank you for visiting,
Elizabeth

Supplies:

Penny Black Stamps: Puzzle Parts 30-114, Floral Thread 40-135, So Blessed 40-132

Penny Black Mix & Match Cardstock: Storm 01-001, Blue Lagoon 09-003, Coral Reef 15-003

3M Scotch: Dimensional Foam

Copic Markers

Sakura: Black Glaze Pen

Spellbinders: Labels Ten (S5-022)

Tsukineko: Onyx Black VersaFine, Crimson Red VersaFine, Teal Zeal Memento, Elderberry Memento, Tuxedo Black Memento Marker, Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Spritz, Clear Embossing Powder, Sponge Daubers