Serendipity Stamps December Blog Hop #2

Hello Friends and Happy Holidays!

I hope that you are busy finishing up those Christmas cards and sending them out to your friends and families. I have just one last Christmas card to share with you, but first a reminder...

Today is the first day of Serendipity Stamp's second December BLOG HOP!

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

Here's a list of all the designers participating in the blog hop today...

Marybeth Lopez
Mary's Blog (Serendipity Stamps owner)
Julie Warner
Vickie Zimmer
Beth Chiu (that's me!)
Miriam Napier

The card I made for today showcases the gorgeous Rejoice die.

I decided to use this die to create a shaker card...I love sequins and anything shiny, especially during the Christmas season. I decided to use both gold and silver for a fun and festive look. 

I first cut my larger frame from silver mirror cardstock and created my shaker using acetate,  a double layer of foam tape, and ivory Stardream cardstock for the back panel. I filled my shaker with TONS of sequins from my stash! I mixed a variety of gold, silver, and clear sequins together and I loved how it turned out!

Next, I die cut a smaller rectangle frame from gold mirror cardstock and a center rectangle from more of the ivory Stardream paper. I cut my Rejoice sentiment from gold mirror cardstock and glued it at an angle onto my smaller frame. Of course I kept having to stop and shake my card from time to time....I'm like a little kid when it comes to shakers!

Now comes the really fun part....adding the finishing touches. I made a little gold bow and attached a crystal star to it and placed that on my panel. Then I glued a few sequins to the front of my card and filled them with gold and white Nuvo drops.

I think anyone would love to receive a fun shaker card like this....the possibilities with this design are endless. You can use any dies for the front of your card and use your favorite color palette to customize your own card. For example,  I think the Hello die would make an especially beautiful everyday card.

Thanks everyone for visiting my blog today. I hope you and your friends and families have a wonderful holiday season filled with all your hearts desire!!

Good luck on the blog hop!

Serendipity Stamps December Blog Hop #1!!

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving...can you believe it's only 19 days until Christmas? I've been super busy making holiday cards and I can't wait to share these two with you today. 

Just a reminder.... today is the first day of Serendipity Stamp's first December BLOG HOP!

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

Here's a list of all the design team members participating in the hop... 

Carol Mayne
Vickie Zimmer
Miriam Napier
Marybeth Lopez
Beth Chiu (that's me!)
Mary's Blog (owner)
Patti Kehl
Julie Warner

Today's first card features the adorable Winter Rabbit stamp. 

This is a really versatile stamp that can be used to make either a Christmas card or a Winter card...the detail on this stamp is fabulous!

This image was so much fun to color! Here are the Copic marker colors I used...

Sky - BG0000

Pine Needles - YG61, YG63, and YG67

Holly leaves - YG13, YG93, and YG99

Rabbit - E40, E41, E42, E43, and E44 (and R20 for his tongue and ears)

Holly Berries - R35

Pinecones - E23, E25, and E27

Snow on Tree and ground - C0, C1, and C2

Birch trees - C0, C1, and C2

Tree in background - YG03, YG17, and YG67

Frame Colors - YG63 and BG01

After I finished coloring my image, I added a few dots around the rabbit's nose with a brown Micron 0.45mm pen to add some extra detail. I also added some Nuvo Crystal drops in Red Berry gloss on my holly bushes for a pop of dimension and color.

While the Nuvo drops were drying, I prepared my A2 sized card by cutting a diagonal panel of blue Stardream cardstock. I laid this on top of a green piece of cardstock and cut both out using a stitched rectangle die. I then adhered a sparkly blue ribbon across the diagonal edge using a strip of Scor-Pal tape. I cut out the image using my paper trimmer and mounted it onto my background using foam tape.

I created a fun focal point on the left side of my card using a metal "Winter" charm, some green jute twine, and a tiny white button. 

After the card was finished, I felt that it needed a little extra "something", so I took a white glaze pen and dotted it all over the green cardstock to resemble snow.

For the inside of my card, I stamped a sentiment from Serendipity Stamp's For Unto Us cling stamp set using green ink. (If you haven't taken a look at this set, check it out...it's a set of 6 different holiday stamps for a very reasonable price, and the fonts are gorgeous!) I then mounted my sentiment panel to my card using more blue Stardream cardstock and a dotted green patterned paper. 

My second card was made using Serendipity Stamp's Sled stamp!

I think this is such a beautiful scene. I grew up in the South so snow was a rarity...and if we did get snow it certainly wasn't enough to go sledding! Looking at this stamp made me dream about living up North and jumping on a sled and racing down a hill...it just seems like so much fun!

To create this card, I first stamped the sled image onto Copic X-Press it paper with Memento

Tuxedo Black Ink. I first colored my background sky using Copic BG0000 and BG000. I then colored the rest of the image using the following Copic colors:

Sled - YG93, YG95, and YG97

Wooden building - E41, E42, E43, and E44

Snow shadows - C0, C1, and C2

I also used a bit of  Spectrum Noir Sparkle in clear to add a bit of glitter to the snow.

After I finished coloring the image I decided to create a snowy scene using Copic Opaque White Pigment paint. I've been using it to create lots of snowy scenes on my cards and I absolutely love it! I just put a little bit of it on an acrylic block, thin with water to create a thin liquid, and "spray" it onto my scene by flicking it with a brush or a tooth brush. I think it really helped to make this scene look inviting!


After I finished my scene, I die cut it using a rounded rectangle frame die. I also cut a frame for my scene using this same die and olive green cardstock. 

I created a background for my snowy scene using coordinating patterned papers and a rectangle die with rounded corners. Before I mounted my scene onto my background papers, however, I tied the edge of my scene up with some olive green silk ribbon, some navy blue jute twine, and a metal snowflake accent. I added a glittery green enamel dot on my snowflake for an extra bit of color.

Finally, I popped up my scene using foam tape and adhered it to my background papers. I used desert storm heavyweight cardstock for this A2 sized card.

For the inside of my card, I stamped the Winter Wishes stamp with black ink and colored it in an ombre style using YG93, YG95, YG97, and B32. I added a little white gel pen on the "snow" on top of the letters. I used the same dies and papers on the inside of my card as I did on the outside. 

Thanks so much for spending a little time with me today. I hope you all enjoy this holiday season with your friends and families. Happy Cardmaking! And good luck on the blog hop too!

Serendipity Stamps November Blog Hop#1!!

Happy November, Friends! Halloween is finally over, and you know what that means for us crafters....time for full-on, no-holes barred, crazy holiday cardmaking!!

Before I share my holiday card with you, I wanted to remind you that today is the first day of Serendipity Stamp's BLOG HOP!

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

You have until Sunday, November 5 at midnight to enter. Be sure to check back on the Serendipity Stamps blog on Monday to see if you're a winner!  

Here's a list of all the design team members participating in the hop...

Miriam Napier

Marybeth Lopez

Beth Chiu (that's me!)

Mary's Blog (the owner)

Patti Kehl

Carol Mayne

Julie Warner

Vickie Zimmer

Today's card brought back great memories for me. I used to love snow skiing and I haven't been in years! I saw this little skiing snowman and he just captured my heart! Although I did have to wonder what would happen if he fell...would he roll down the hill and  become an even bigger snowman?

Anyway! Creating this card was a snap...I first cut a background panel from patterned paper using a rectangle die with scalloped edges and then mounted it to the front of a navy A2 sized card using some foam.  I then stamped Serendipity Stamp's Snowman on Skis using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Copic paper. I colored him in with the following Copic markers:

B 32, B34, and B37

BG 11, BG 13, and BG 49

Y 32 and Y35

YR 68

C0, C1, C3, and C5

B0000

I added some shine to my snowman using glossy accents and a glaze pen. I adhered my image onto two oval frames made of coordinating pattered paper. (A little tip: use your patterned paper as a guide to decide on your Copic color schemes!) 

I then cut out three sentiments from navy cardstock using the Joy die and glued them on top of one another using liquid glue. Layering the pieces in this way will create a more substantial feel to your sentiment. I glued the sentiment onto the card, added a little white iridescent bow, and then a little gold jingle bell.

Finally, a few sequins for fun...I always seem to want a few sequins! 

Here's what the inside of the card looks like...

I used the sentiment Dashing Through the Snow for the inside. I colored the word Snow using BG 11. BG13, and BG49. I mounted the sentiment on two pieces of coordinating cardstock and then glued a small strip of the mint green paper below the bottom of my sentiment. 

I hope you all enjoyed my card today. If you love snowmen, make sure to check out all the adorable ones available at Serendipity Stamps....there are a ton of them!

Thanks so much for visiting and good luck on the hop!!

Serendipity Stamps October Blog Hop #2!

Hello everyone! It's that time again! Time for Serendipity Stamp's second BLOG HOP for the month of October! 

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

You have until Sunday,  October 22 at midnight to enter. Be sure to check back on the Serendipity Stamps blog to see if you're a winner!  

In other exciting news...Serendipity Stamps wil be having a SALE October 18-22....if you buy three items you'll get your fourth item FREE! Woo-hoo!!!

Here's a list of all the design team members participating in the hop...

Vickie Zimmer

Miriam Napier

Marybeth Lopez

Beth Chiu (that's me!)

Mary's Blog (the owner)

Patti Kehl

Carol Mayne

It's also time to make Halloween cards and I was so inspired by Serendipity Stamp's Spider stamp! That cute little spider with his wiggly legs is just TOO cute! My card is a little "outside the box" in that I used some non-traditional Halloween colors with the addition of the pink, lime green, and purple hues.

To make this card, I first stamped the spider onto Copic X-Press It paper with Memento's Tuxedo Black ink. I then colored the background with a BV0000 marker and colored the rest of the spider with RV52, RV55, BVo1, and BV02. I cute the image out with a circle die and layered it on top of a larger black circle. 

I then created an A2 sized card from black cardstock and layered a colorful piece of dotted patterned paper on it. 

I cut out a fishtail banner using hot pink cardstock and placed it in the center of the card. I popped up my spider circle using foam sheeting and placed it onto the banner. I then cut out the Boo die three times, stacked them, and glued them on top of one another. This gave my sentiment a little height without having to try to put foam tape or foam sheeting behind it.  I then placed this element onto my card. I applied some glossy accents to my spider's body and legs, some purple jute twine, and some pink sequins to finish off the front of my card.

For the inside of my card, I stamped Serendipity's Witching You stamp and colored in the tiny pumpkin "o" with Copic YR04 and Y17. I added more glossy accents to the pumpkin and then mounted this on black and purple cardstock rectangles. I used a strip of coordinating patterned paper to line the entire left edge of my card and placed my sentiment over the bottom paper. 

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you get lots of treats and very few tricks!

Serendipity Stamps October Blog Hop#1

Happy October, Friends! I'm so excited we're nearing the holidays...so many wonderful stamps and dies to play with! Holiday cards are so much fun to make and Halloween is definitely one of my favorite holidays!

Before I share my spooky card with you, I want to let you know that today begins the first Serendipity Stamps BLOG HOP for the month of October! 

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

You have until Sunday,  October 8 at midnight to enter. Be sure to check back on the Serendipity Stamps blog on Monday to see if you're a winner!  

Here's a list of all the design team members participating in the hop...
Carol Mayne

Julie Warner

Vickie Zimmer

Miriam Napier

Marybeth Lopez

Beth Chiu (that's me!)

Mary's Blog (the owner)

Patti Kehl

Today's card features Serendipity Stamp's Graveyard stamp, Boo die, and the Creepy Wreath die.

To create this spooky scene, I first stamped the image in Memento's Tuxedo Black ink onto Strathmore Bristol Smooth paper. I find this paper to be wonderful for blending distress inks, but other types of cardstock work well, too.

I then created my grass and sky by blending Distress Oxide inks in Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry, and Wilted Violet. (I masked my tombstones with masking paper before blending the ink over them.)

After my inks were blended, I removed the masks and  colored the gravestones with Copic markers in cool grey tones. I then stamped the gravestones image again on Copic X-Press it paper and colored them with Copic markers, again in cool greys. I cut the individual gravestones out with scissors and placed them above the tombstones on the colored panel using foam tape. I love the look of popping up parts of my images with foam tape...it gives such great dimension!

I cut the finished image out using a frame die and popped the outside frame up with foam tape. Finally, I  added some finishing touches...the Serendipity Stamps Boo die, the bats from the Creepy Wreath die, a button from my stash and a bow made from jute twine.

I hope you all have a SPOOKTACULAR month! Good luck on the blog hop and thanks for visiting!!

Serendipity Stamps September Blog Hop #2!

Hello my crafty friends! I hope you are all having a wonderful month!

I just wanted to let you know that today begins the second Serendipity Stamps BLOG HOP for the month of September! 

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

You have until Sunday,  September 24 at midnight to enter. Be sure to check back on the Serendipity Stamps blog on Monday to see if you're a winner!  

Here's a list of all the design team members participating in the hop...

Julie Warner

Vickie Zimmer

Miriam Napier

Marybeth Lopez

Beth Chiu (that's me!)

Mary's Blog (the owner)

Patti Kehl

Carol Mayne

I can't believe that this Friday, September 22, is the first day of Fall. Even though it's still warm here in Atlanta, I'm beginning to see the trees changing color and it won't be long until those leaves start falling!

So, in light of that, today's card features Serendipity Stamp's beautiful rake stamp. This stamp is Serendipity Stamp's Stamp of the Month and is currently 50% off! This stamp could be used for any fall-themed card, but I decided to make mine a Thanksgiving card.

I first stamped the rake image in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and then stamped Serendipity Stamp's One Falling Leaf  sentiment below it.  I colored the image using Copic markers. For the leaves, I used a variety of colors in the Y, YR, R, YG, and E families. I then added a complimentary teal color in the rake (BG 72, 75, and 78) and used E 31. 34, 35, and 37 for the tree bark. The rake tines were colored with C3 and C5.

I then mounted my colored panel onto a piece of candy corn cardstock, and then mounted that onto a piece of teal plaid paper. The finished panel was placed on a standard A2 sized card. As a finishing touch, I placed a small bow from my ribbon stash at the top of the card. 

 I then began working on the inside of my card. I believe the inside deserves just as much love as the outside of the card!

For the inside, I used Serendipity's Thanksgiving stamp, Blessings Die, and the Oak Leaf stamp. It's fun and easy to match your different stamps and dies together to create your own custom sentiment! I can see myself using the Blessings die for so many things...
Christmas Blessings, Baby Blessings, Marriage Blessings, etc.!

I hope you all enjoyed my card today...simple and easy to  make. Happy Fall everybody! Thanks for visiting and good luck on the Blog Hop!

Serenity Stamps September Blog Hop #1!!

Hello everyone and happy September!

Fall is just around the corner, can you believe it? It won't be long until we'll all be wearing sweaters and drinking hot cocoa!

But first....today begins the first Serenity Stamps BLOG HOP for the month of September! 

Serendipity Stamps showcases a new set of stamps every two weeks. Just comment on the Design  Team's blogs listed below to enter to win a $20 Serendipity Stamps gift certificate.....the more blogs you comment on, the more likely you are to win!

You have until Sunday,  September 10 at midnight to enter. Be sure to check back on the Serendipity Stamps blog on Monday to see if you're a winner!  

Here's a list of all the design team members participating in the hop...

Carol Mayne

Julie Warner

Vickie Zimmer

Miriam Napier

Marybeth Lopez

Beth Chiu (that's me!)

Mary's Blog

Patti Kehl

I just love the stamps I used for my card today...it features Serendipity Stamp's Tree Frame and Take Time to Sit.

I stamped the tree frame in Tuxedo Black ink by Memento and colored the trunks in different shades of browns to look like bark. I then used a variety of markers colors to  "dot in" leaves all over the tops of the trees. It takes a few minutes to cover all the "leaves", but it's worth the time and it's fun to choose which colors you want your leaves to be!

I anchored my trees to the ground using yell0w-green markers added some Copic BG0000 for the sky. Here are all the colors I used...

After coloring the trees, I cut the inside out using scissors and an exacto knife. I used my Memento black marker to go over the edges I cut...this gave my project a more finished look. I then stamped the sentiment on another piece of paper, colored it in,  and finished it off with some Sakura glaze pen.

I then lined up my sentiment behind the tree frame and popped up the top layer with foam tape for dimension.

Finally, I layered my pieces onto an A2 sized card made from heavyweight cardstock. I think this design would also make a beautiful shaker card!

Thanks all for visiting and good luck on the blog hop!!