Serendipity Stamps June Blog Hop #2!!

Hi Everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying your summer! The temperature is really climbing here in Atlanta...great weather for staying inside and crafting! 

Keep in mind that today is the first day of Serendipity Stamp's second BLOG HOP for the month of June! 

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 gift certificate to Serendipity Stamps. The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have of winning!

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

Mary's Blog (Serendipity Stamp's owner)

Julie Warner

Beth Chiu (that's me!)

Vicki Zimmer

Marybeth Lopez

Today's card features the adorable Bikini Kitty stamp from Serendipity Stamps. I thought this would be a fun card to send to a friend who needs a little reminder to take time out for herself from time to time (don't we all need to remember this?)

I stamped my image onto Copic X-Press It paper using Ink On 3's Blackout Detail Ink and began coloring with Copic markers. I first colored my sky around the the kitty with BG0000 and BG000.  I extended the beach sand area on both sides using a Sigma Micron .45mm pen and then colored the sand using E31 and E33. Kitty's bikini was colored by blending RV34, R14, YR16 and Y35. I used the same colors for her umbrella but added YG01 for a pop of lime green. The kitty was colored with YR 21, YR23 and YR24, plus a little R20 for her cheeks and ears.

After Kitty was all colored up, I colored and fussy cut an extra umbrella and used a ball stylus to shape it into a more rounded shape and added it on top of the original umbrella using a couple of small drops of COLLALL colloidal silicone...in retrospect it was almost too small of an area to do this technique with, but it still added a bit of interest to the card.

Next, I cut out my image using a rectangle frame die and put that aside while I worked on my card.

I used Kraft colored cardstock to create a top-folding A2-sized card. I then cut an A2-sized rectangle from persimmon cardstock, then turned the rectangle die at an angle and cut it diagonally. I like doing it this way because I like to have the stitched line across the cut line at the top (hope that makes sense...sometimes it's hard to explain things in writing)!

I glued the persimmon panel to another A2-sized rectangle and then placed a o.5 inch strip of Scor-Pal tape above it. I took some kraft colored jute twine and wrapped it around the panel several times, using the Scor-Pal tape as my adhesive. Once this was finished, I added the panel to the front of my card using my ATG gun.

I then used foam tape to adhere kitty's "frame" to the front of my card, being careful not to place the foam tape directly on top of the twine. I used a double layer of foam tape to add the kitty image so that it popped up above my frame.

For my sentiment, I stamped "Just Unwind" from the Meow Mix Cling Set using Versafine Vintage Sepia ink and cut it out using a stitched fishtail banner. I added it below my kitty using foam tape. 

I used Nuvo drops in the colors Ripened Pumpkin and English Mustard to create glossy little "pearls" to add to my card. I didn't add this directly to my card as I have a fear of accidentally making a mistake on my card after all the hard work I've put into it! To get around this, I simply squeeze the drops out onto a piece of acetate, let them dry (usually overnight), and then glue them onto the front of my card. 

I also added a jute twine bow onto my card as a final touch. 

Thanks everyone for visiting today! I hope you all have a fantastic week and 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!