PaperFections

Rainbow Birthday

Hello and happy Monday, Friends ... Today I have a bright rainbow full of birthday cheer for you! This wonderful cupcake image is included in the adorable Memory Box Spring Bunnies stamp set. I love stamp sets that have a ton of versatility, and this one sure does! It's not only great for Easter and Spring, but also babies, love, anniversaries, and birthdays! I stamped the fabulous cupcake image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink onto X-Press It Blending Card, then colored it up with these Copic markers: Then I die cut the cupcakes with their coordinating Spring Bunnies die set and glittered them with Nuvo Glitter Gloss Aqua Shimmer. Next, I die cut Sentimental Happy Birthday from X-Press It Blending Card and colored it with the same markers, with an ombre effect. To complete the card, I anchored the birthday die cut with a piece of washi tape, and stamped the Sweetest sentiment (also from the Spring Bunnies stamp set). I also wanted to let you know about this great sale happening over at Ellen Hutson LLC on EVERYTHING ! ! Shop early, for the best in-stock selections! Thanks so much for joining me today! SUPPLIES: CL5220 Spring Bunnies clear... Read more →

Watercolored Die Cuts

Happy Friday, Friends! Today I'm sharing how you can watercolor your die cuts, to create a project quickly and easily, by cutting all the elements from white watercolor paper then watercoloring each of the pieces! For this card, I used two different colors (deep blue and deep purple) of Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolors on damp watercolor paper, let it dry, then splattered the background with white watercolor to create a starry effect. Next, I die cut the Starry Ring from the upper left corner of the background, then mounted the background to a white card base. The Roaring Rocket and its flames were die cut from white watercolor paper, then the rocket pieces watercolored with silver, white, black, blue and violet: I finished the card by heat embossing the Outta this World sentiment in white onto black cardstock. Both the rocket and the sentiment piece were popped up with foam tape. Clear sequins were scattered over the background. Thanks so much for joining me today ... I hope you'll give watercoloring your die cuts a try! Happy weekend! SUPPLIES: 99975 Roaring Rocket craft die 99972 Starry Ring craft die CL5221 Outta This World clear stamp set Ranger Watercolor Paper, 10... Read more →

Watercolor 2 Ways: Textured Watercolor

Happy Friday and weekend, crafty friends ... Sharon Harnist here with you again! Today I have two styles of watercolored cards to share, because I couldn't make up my mind which I preferred! I would love to hear which is your favorite, below in the comments! My first card boasts a new technique I haven't seen anyone else share, and it was a fun experiment ... I hope you like it! I call this one "Textured Watercolor". To begin, I painted gesso onto heavyweight white cardstock using a regular paint brush and let it dry. You will naturally get some paint strokes in the gesso and this is what you want ... it creates some great texture in the final project! After the gesso was dry, I used Avery Elle Liquid Watercolors on top of the gesso. My original intent was to apply the watercolor directly from the bottle to the top of the tilted cardstock panel and just let them run down the panel, creating whatever pattern occured. While this could create a really great background, it just wasn't what I was looking for the background for this card. Instead, I took a watercolor brush and smoothed the watercolor... Read more →

Floral Sympathy Card

Sympathy cards can be difficult to make, requiring just the right balance of color and elements to achieve a somber and reverent message. Today I'm using some gorgeous Birch Press handmade papers and tape, combined with beautiful Memory Box dies and stamps that hopefully strike that delicate balance: This card started with a Memory Box Custard notecard with a strip of Birch Press Mineral Green washi tape along the right edge. The next background layer is some beautiful Birch Press Ivory Cabbage Rose handmade paper, matted with gold metallic cardstock. Next is a layer of gorgeous Birch Press Bouquet hand screen printed paper, with a touch of gold metallic outlining -- aren't the colors amazing?!! These amazing papers feel like fabric! The pretty sentiment is from the Memory Box Prayers Sentiments stamp set. It was stamped with Tsukineko Delicata Golden Glitz onto an ivory Memory Box Tree Blossom Stitched Circle Frame. An additional Tree Blossom Stitched Circle Frame was die cut from gold metallic cardstock and glued on top. The ivory flower die cut was colored with Copic BG23 to match the floral paper and washi tape. The circle element was popped up with foam tape. Finally, the elegant Soaring... Read more →

Easter Peeps

Good Friday to you, Peeps ... I'm back with some more Easter card inspiration today! Who doesn't like some iconic Peeps over Easter celebrations? These were easy to create with the adorable Memory Box Sweet Bunny die, by just die cutting a few different colors of cardstock, plus white. I placed foam tape behind the bunny heads to mount them to the card base, then placed the eyes and noses die cut from white bunnies back into the colored bunnies. I love the one pink nose on the blue bunny! :) To make my Peeps look like they were sitting in a pretty box, I die cut Memory Box's Curved Happy Easter from pretty Lawn Fawn pastel Plaid Spring patterned paper and green cardstock, then layered the two together, offset just a bit: Thanks so much for joining me today ... Wishing you a wonderful weekend and Happy Easter next week! SUPPLIES: 99905 Sweet Bunny craft die 99349 Curved Happy Easter Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Heavyweight, Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb, 25 pk Lawn Fawn Petite Paper Pack, Perfectly Plaid Spring Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Banana Split, 10 pk Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Gumball, 10 pk Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock,... Read more →

Easter Window Card

Happy Friday, friends -- Today I'm sharing a Quick Bunny window Easter card! These adorable Memory Box Quick Bunnies from the new 2018 Spring Release fit perfectly around the Grass Stitched Circle Frame! I simply die cut a circle out of a lavender notecard about the same size as the stitched frame opening, then glued the frame on the card front. Of course, the bunnies needed tiny pom-poms glued on for tails, and pink noses dabbed on with Copic R20 to complete their cuteness! Inside the notecard, I placed the pretty Happy Easter Perky Script (die cut from Cherry Blossom notecard). I love the dimension, looking through the grass to the inside of the card at the greeting: Easter weekend is only two weeks away ... are you ready? Thanks so much for joining me today! SUPPLIES: 99902 Quick Bunnies craft die 99924 Grass Stitched Circle Frame craft die 99628 Happy Easter Perky Script My Favorite Things Die-namics, STAX Circle Set 1 My Favorite Things Die-namics, STAX Circle Set 2 Neenah Cardstock, Neenah Heavyweight, Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb, 25 pk Hero Arts Layering Paper, Mixed Floral Hero Arts Folded Cards, Floral Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, French Mints, 10... Read more →

Happy Spring

Happy Spring, Friends! The Spring rainy season has been here and now green is popping up everywhere ... I love it! To celebrate, I thought these adorable Memory Box Spring Bunnies would be appropriate! Aren't those bunnies adorable?!! I stamped them in Memento Gray Flannel ink, then colored them with Copic T0, T1, T2, and gave them rosy cheeks and pink ears with Copic R00 and R20. Next, I die cut Memory Box Blossom Circle from a green alcohol ink background paper I created with Copic Various Ink Refills and glued it in place around the bunnies. Next, I used Memory Box Broadsworth Floral Border to cut the card front right edge of my white top-folding card base. Then I glued a strip of pink alcohol ink background paper to the inside of the card, to make the delicate die cut edge pop. Note: (The alcohol ink backgrounds are from another one of my Copic Various Ink background making sessions << Full details can be found on that blog post. The green paper was made with YG03 and G46. The pink paper was created with Copic RV14 and RV17, with Gold Metallic Mixative added). To finish the card, I stamped... Read more →

Floral Butterfly Birthday

Happy Saturday, crafty friends! Today I'm sharing a birthday card made for my dear, sweet husband's aunt who turned 94 years young this week (and it happens to be MY birthday today)! :) It came together quickly and easily, by using these fabulous Memory Box dies: Fresh Picked Flowers, Primavera Butterfly, Adora Butterfly, and Sentimental Happy Birthday. I started by die cutting the solid Primavera Butterfly from white cardstock, then the Adora Butterfly die cut from gold metallic cardstock and placed on top. I love that this gives the look of gold metallic embossing, but a lot easier and less mess! The butterfly was mounted to a kraft card base with foam tape on the top right wing, to give it some dimension. The beautiful Fresh Picked Flowers die was cut from white cardstock and then colored with Copic markers G20, G21, and R20. It was also mounted to the card using foam tape behind the leaves and glue dots behind the flower centers, to create more dimension. The flower that was originally behind the butterfly was cut off the stem and added with foam tape to the top of the lower right flower. Finally, the pretty Sentimental Happy Birthday... Read more →

Very Happy Day & Sale!

Hello, Crafty Stampers! I must mention this first today because I wouldn't want you to miss it! Exciting, right?!! Just click the banner above to shop the Stamp Category at Ellen Hutson LLC . . . Shop early, for the best selections, before they sell out! AND new colors of DISTRESS OXIDE inks are also in stock at Ellen Hutson, so do yourself a favor and add a few (or all!) of those to your cart while you are stamp shopping, too! You'll thank me for it -- these inks stamp beautifully and create such fun techniques! Shop them here or click on the banner below: Now on to today's project . . . Valentine's Day may be over for the year, but that doesn't mean you must put away your "Valentine" stamps and dies! They can be great for weddings, anniversaries, or just an everyday "Wishing you a very happy day" card! For this card, I used Memory Box's Wirework Hearts clear stamp set and coordinating Wirework Hearts die set, along with the Heart Rays die: I simply gold heat embossed the beautiful large wirework heart onto 110 Lb. white cardstock, and die cut it. I prefer heavier cardstock... Read more →

Valentine Pampering

Could you use a little pampering today, to get ready for Valentine's Day? I'm here to help! I'm also very excited to announce that I'm the newest member of the Memory Box design team and I couldn't be more thrilled! I've loved and used Memory Box products for MANY years and I am very grateful and excited to begin this journey with them! I recently hosted my neighborhood ladies Bunco game night and wanted these wonderful women to feel special and pampered, so I came up with these relaxing bath salts gifts for them! An internet search for homemade bath salts will yield dozens of recipes for you to try ... I settled on Lavender and Rose Petal. Here's the easy recipe I used (I made a full recipe for each fragrance. Each recipe filled approximately 6-7 frappuccino bottles): 5 cups Epsom Salts (be sure they have no added fragrance) 3 cups sea salt (Mediterranean or pink Himalayan) 1 cup baking soda (helps to soften water & skin) Food coloring (about 8-12 drops, depending on depth of color you'd like) Essential Oil (about 10+ drops, depending on how fragrant you want them, keeping in mind the fragrance will dissipate a... Read more →

Lavender Felt Sachets

Happy Friday, friends! Today I'm sharing a fun felt project over in Ellen Hutson's the CLASSroom ... lovely lavender scented sachets! I hope you'll join me there for all the details on how to create them, with your Taylored Expressions felt (my very favorite felt of all time!) and Memory Box Plush dies! See you there! Read more →

Copic Poinsettia Card

Today over on the Copic blog, I show you how I finished this red Poinsettia coloring tutorial card I started and posted last month. I hope you'll join me in finding out how to use some more great Copic products with this pretty Memory Box Poinsettia Collage stamp! ~ Sharon Related articles Copic Coloring Guide Level 3: People Winner! New Copic Classes Next Year! Coloring People - Copic Tutorial Read more →

Coloring Reds with Copic Markers

'Tis the season for coloring lots of things red! Believe Poinsettia Collage stamp by Memory Box. If you need a few tips on coloring things red with your Copic markers, please check out the tutorial I have over on the Copic blog today! ~ Sharon Read more →

Tissue Pear

Hello, I hope you are having a good start to your weekend! I've been playing in the CLASSroom today and having fun with dimensional tissue paper shapes. I hope you'll join me to see how to create this fun card! ~ Sharon Read more →

Copic Dimensional Rose

Today over in the CLASSroom, I have this Copic colored rose card -- popped up on lots of my favorite new dimensional foam tape from Copic! I hope you'll join me there for all the details on how I created it. And don't forget to enter on two posts below this one for your chance to win an autographed copy of the Copic Coloring Guide 2! Read more →