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