Stampin' UP! Blendabilities

Have you heard the news?  7 of the new Stampin' UP! Blendabilities are now available for purchase!  What are blendabilities and how do they work?  They are an alcohol based marker that has the ability to blend with other alcohol markers and reduces the visible streaks in your colored image. Watch the video below to learn more.

***Note- If you are reading this post in an email or reader you may need to go to my blog to view the video above.  Click on the post title to go there now.

Here are a few samples I created using the markers.

You might even see these in a future video.  :)  I plan on making a few videos for you showing you how to create with this fun new marker.  Please let me know what you would like to see learn about Blendabilities in the comments below.

Clicky to view the PDF on available colors.
Clicky to go to my Stampin' UP! Store Blendabilities page.

StampNation members, don't forget to head on over to the new videos section and see my exclusive video comparing Blendabilities and Copics

Not yet a StampNation member? Clicky to purchase now or Clicky to learn more.  You will not lack for inspiration and ideas on this site!

Happy Shopping!

Coastal Cabana Blendabilities

By the Seashore

Pumpkin Pie Blendabilities

Blendabilities Color Lifter

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink

Greatest Gift

There's something magical about Christmas, isn't there?  Every year we remind our children of why we give gifts on Christmas.  We tell them that Jesus gave us the greatest gift of all so we give to others on His birthday to honor Him.  That's why I love this stamp set so very much.

Such a special card deserved some special treatment.  :)  For my background I masked and sponged in crumb cake ink.  My star was cut by hand and I added dimensionals to pop it over baby Jesus. Speaking of baby Jesus, He was stamped in Midnight Muse onto Very Vanilla, then cut out with SU Circle Framelits.  Next I layered him on a scallop circle I cut out of Midnight Muse cardstock using my Spellbinders Nestabilities Lacey Circles die.

 That beautiful script sentiment comes from my new favorite stamp company.  (new to me, that is)  Seasonal Flourish by Waltzing Mouse Stamps.  (WMS)  They have super fast shipping and lovely scrolling script.  You will be seeing more of them on my cards soon.

In other news, my old laptop is just about dead.  It runs super slow and really hot.  That's why I haven't been able to edit videos.  My dear husband bought me a new computer for Christmas, which I am trying to learn.  It doesn't have Photoshop yet, but it will soon.  I'm so excited!   Last night I found the movie maker program and I am almost back in business!   Here is a quick video I shot for you today with some sneak peeks.  ;)

I'm linking up to CAS on Sunday Challenge.  The theme is Christmas.  I think every card I'm going to show you this week will be Christmas and most will be CAS to get them done fast so they can be mailed out before Christmas.  ;)

CAS#23

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe:Christmas (SU), Seasonal Flourish (WMS)
Paper/Ink: Crumb Cake, Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla
Accesories: Circle Framelits, Lacey Circles (Spellbinders Nestabilities)



P.S.   Don't miss out on the Clearance Rack Blitz going on now!  So many wonderful items, but they won't last long.  I suggest getting the Jewelry Tag Punch if you don't already have it.  It's a favorite of mine that I won't be letting go of any time soon.

Jewelry Tag Punch

Orange Sunset

The challenge last week at StampNation was to create a card using the color Orange.  To be honest, I don't use the color Orange very often.  When I think of that color I think of my friend Tracy, pumpkins, autumn leaves and blazing sunsets.   I decided to try my hand at an orange sunset.

To make this card I masked off the two sides of my white cardstock, then sponged various colors of yellow and orange.  After I peeled off the mask I stamped the Serene Silhouettes in black staz-on. 

The black mat only partially covers the card base.  I popped up the sentiment from Really Good Greetings using a dimensional.  I punched it out of one of my punches, but didn't like how it looked, so I trimmed it down using my sharp paper snips and layered it on a black decorative label punch.


This card was made with Operation Write Home in mind.  My plan is to include it in the next box I send in to OWH.  Yes, it reminds me of a fall sunset, but it can be sent anytime.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

P.S.  If you are considering joining the Design Team at StampNation check out THIS POST for all the details.   If I can do it, you can too!

P.P.S.  This isn't the card I ended up submitting for my design team post.  The card I chose was in Monday's post.  I actually made at least 6 Orange cards in the month of October, so I had several to choose from.

You Are Amazing!

Everyone should hear these words at some point.  Yesterday one of my friends said this to me on Facebook and it warmed my heart.  It truly did.  :)   Today's challenge at StampNation is to create a children's birthday card.  What better time to tell a child they are amazing than on their birthday?  Especially if mom or dad makes them read their cards out loud.

My main image was colored using Raspberry Ripple and Bermuda Bay Markers.  I like coloring my stamps with markers to get more than one color on them, especially when the stamps are big like this one is. 

For some reason I felt like using a staple on this card.  When using staples in cards and scrapbooking was popular a few years ago I often found ways to include them in my projects, but my little stapler has been sitting lonely in my crop bag for some time now.  I decided to pull in out and I love what it added to this card.  Sometimes it's the little details that make the card.

Making birthday cards for kids is fun.  Take the challenge and make a card for someone young or young at heart.  I would love to see what you make for this challenge.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

Card Recipe:
Stamps: Blue Ribbon, You're Amazing
Paper: Birthday Basics DSP, Raspberry Ripple CS, Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple
Misc.: Bermuda Bay Taffeta Ribbon, Apothecary Accents Framelits, Circle Punch



Birthday Basics



Blue Ribbon



You're Amazing



Only One You MOJO309

Did you have a nice Labor Day Weekend?  I know I did.  It was so relaxing that I forgot to post a card yesterday.  :)  Actually it was a very crafty weekend for me.   I think I completed 6-8 card and got started on my son's new quilt top.  I also spent time on the computer looking for inspiration.  One of the things I found was this week's Mojo Monday sketch.



Instead of starting with a stamp, I started with paper.  On my messy table was this beautiful pattern from Eastern Elegance.  I really like the aqua (Coastal Cabana) combined with the grey (Smoky Slate) and white.  I paired it with a piece of DSP from the Winter Frost DSP stack which I distressed a bit using the distressing tool.

For the oval I first sponged some Coastal Cabana ink onto Whisper White cardstock.  Then I stamped the sentiment in Smoky Slate and used my oval punch to punch it out before layering it onto the Chalk Talk Framelit using dimensionals.

You could easily turn this card into a winter or Christmas card by changing the sentiment or adding a snowflake to the center.  I like that it can be sent to anyone for almost any occasion.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North
Card Recipe (SU items)
Stamps: Chalk Talk
Ink: Smoky Slate, Coastal Cabana
Paper: Eastern Elegance DSP, Winter Frost DSP Stack, Smoky Slate, Whisper White
Misc.: Chalk Talk Framelits, Distressing Tool, Smoky Slate Chevron Ribbon, Retired Basic Gray Ribbon




Chalk Talk Bundle
Stamps + Framelits



Copic and OWH

Since I was a little girl I have always loved coloring.  On Christmas day after all the presents had been opened you would usually find me coloring in one of the coloring books that was in my stocking and using a brand new box of crayons.  I was never really good at drawing, but I loved coloring in the lines.  :)  So, it is no surprise that as a stamper I would be attracted to coloring in images.  For several years I have wanted to try Copic markers.  They are a blendable marker, but on the pricey side.  Plus, they have an overwhelming number of colors.   Last I heard there were 360 colors.  Where does one start?

I decided to start with an image I wanted to color.  I found this flower (Simply Sketched by SU) and got some purples and green to color it in.   The colors I used are BV20, BV23, BV25, YG63, and YG67.  Not bad for my second attempt at Copic coloring.  I did experience some bleeding of the colors outside the lines, but with this image it's ok, because some of the lines are very "sketchy".   The small circle was cut out using my new Circle Framelits, and the Wisteria Wonder circle was punched out using my 2 1/2" Circle punch.

Once I had the main image colored I needed a sketch to make it into a card.  I got today's sketch from the OWH website.  If you aren't familiar with Operation Write Home, you should click on the link to learn more.  They help our nation's heroes stay in touch with home.



OWH Sketch

Once I had the perfect sketch I thought it would be easy to put together.  I wanted to have a monochromatic background to my card, but didn't have enough Wisteria Wonder shades of DSP, so I improvised.

 

My center panel was made using Wisteria Wonder cardstock, then stamped with Wisteria Wonder ink using the Very Vintage Wheel.  Then I distressed the edges with my distressing tool and sponged over the edges into the center with some more Wisteria Wonder ink.  The smaller block was made with vellum that I ran through the big shot with the Fancy Fan embossing folder. 

I thought my card was done until I checked out the sketch one more time and realized I was missing a piece.  What to do?  Should I pull out some white cardstock and do some more background stamping?  I searched my box of new SU goodies for a background stamp and the WW Chevron Ribbon practically jumped out at me.  :)  I wasn't sure this trendy ribbon would work with my vintagy card, but I tried it out and I like it!

This was my first card made for OWH since I received my OWH stamps.  It was fun making a card knowing it was going to our troops, and I added the stamp so it is ready to go. 

There is no sentiment on this card.  I considered adding one, but I know the most needed cards for OWH are ones that can be used for any purpose.  I'll let a hero add what they want.  It would make a great Thinking of You, Missing You, Hello Friend, Sympathy, Mom card.   Thank you OWH for being such a worthy cause.  I'm honored to add my cards for the troops.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North





Gee, Thanks

This card has been on my "to-do" list since I saw it in a magazine while flying down to CA in early April.   :)  That shows you just how busy my Spring has been.

After I finished the card I went searching for that magazine article and I had to chuckle.  My card isn't even close to being a copy of that card.  I did use graph/grid paper as my background and both cards used banners, but the magazine card had different shapes and sizes for their banners and I completely forgot to add the cute little embellishments they did.   Our colors are different.  My card is a bit "grungy" and their card was "clean".  I'm actually happy mine is different because it gives me a chance to make another card similar to this one, but closer to the original.  ;)

The thing that took the longest on this card was deciding on the greeting.  I wasn't sure whether this would be a birthday card, graduation card or even a Father's Day card.  That is the beauty of this design.  You can make it into whatever you want it to be.  I ended up choosing one of my new stamp sets, Really Good Greetings.

The banners were made using the Hearts A Flutter Framelits.  I used two different banner shapes and layered them with the Soho Subwat  DSP.  Then I strung them across my linen thread with Tombow Mono Multi glue.  That glue has been doing double duty in my house this week.  Monday night my son used it to glue together his Language Arts project.  One of the joys of being a paper crafter is that  I usually have supplies on hand for those "last minute" projects my kids have.

This card goes together so quickly.  Making banners is a great way to use up your scraps of paper, and with these blues, whites and yellows it works for a masculine card, but can be sent to anyone.

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

P.S.  A PERSONAL NOTE:
Life is CRAZY around the North household the past couple of weeks.  School is coming to an end soon, so there are finals, projects, concerts and field trips.  Baseball is in full swing, which means our nights are pretty busy.  The weather has been FABULOUS!!!! so I have spent every free moment while I am home working in our yard.  On top of that I am still working 3 nights a week.  As you can tell my blog posts have reflected the BUSYness of my life.   I am truly hoping it will settle down soon and I can get back to regular blog posts and videos. I haven't forgotten about you.  :)  As soon as my new Magnetic Platform comes in I will be making an Oval card, and I have a fun background making technique I want to share with you too.   Hope you are enjoying the new catalog.  Please let me know if you need anything.  I am still checking my blog comments daily even if I can't post.



Really Good Greetings




Soho Subway



Hearts A Flutter Framelits



Pink Wishes

Did you see anything you MUST HAVE on the retirement list yesterday?  I know I did.  Some of my favorite stamp sets are on the list.  In fact, half my stamps are on the list.   So are many accessories, including the jewelry tag punch, DSP and the Pretty in Pink color I used on today's card.

 

 

The sentiment was stamped in versamark and then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I love the way white pops against every color cardstock I have used it on. 

My card was made for a sketch challenge at Inspired to Scrap.  The sketch had 4 boxes with a heart in the middle of each.  Mine has a circle, but the concept is the same.  Each box is popped up using dimensionals.   It was a bit tricky finding the center of my squares, so I came up with a clever trick and decided to film a video so I could share it with you.

***Note: If you are reading this post in an email, you may need to click on the post title above "Pink Wishes" to take you to my blog to watch the video below.

A unique twist I added to the original sketch was to add some crepe paper flowers to each box.

If you haven't seen the video on how to make these flowers I will include it for you below.  I didn't sponge these flowers, but I did use my own home-made Shimmer Mist to add a bit of sparkle to them.

Of course the inside had to be decorated too.  Sometimes I wait to add my sentiment to the inside until I am ready to send a card, but this time I knew what I wanted inside. 

One of the great things about this card is that you can remake it with whatever colors you want.  I like to customize birthday cards if I know the favorite color of the birthday girl/boy.  You could also change the sentiment and make this a Mother's Day card.  (or any other occasion)  That's what I love about learning the art of card making.  Once you learn "how" the creativity can freely flow!

Creative Blessings,
Heather North

To visit my online store and see the retiring products available WSL click HERE.

Card Recipe
Stamps: Tiny Tags (Retiring), Blooming With Kindness
Paper: Pretty In Pink, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Subtles DSP Patterns Stack(retiring)
Ink: Versamark, Pretty In Pink, Primrose Petals(inside)
Misc: Jewelry Tag Punch((retiring), Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Crepe Paper, WW Baker's Twine, Various Punches, Subtles Brads(retiring)


Tiny Tags
Retiring-WSL




Blooming with Kindness



Jewelry Tag Punch



Creped Filter Paper



Scrapbook Sunday

If you caught my blog post yesterday and watched the video you already saw today's scrapbook page.  It was one of the make-n-takes for Regionals.  If you didn't read yesterday, you may want to click here to go there now.  I'm giving away BLOG CANDY.  :)

I've been a scrapbooker for most of my life.  Growing up I would add stickers or stationary to my photo albums. (remember the kind that had sticky pages with a clear film you would peel off?)    You could also say I've had a love for pretty paper forever.  I still enjoy getting pretty cards, pens and stationery as gifts.  I love looking through office supply stores for fun post-it notes and journals.  You get the idea.  

After I had my first son scrapbooking was my main "craft" focus.  It became very important to me to document his life.  At the time I asked my SU demonstrator how to add stamps to my scrapbooks and if SU products were safe.  I wanted ideas and inspiration.  She told me she wasn't much of a scrapbooker.  I searched for another demonstrator who could help me, but never really found one.  Last weekend was the first time I had somebody really show me how to mesh the two worlds.  I've done some sponging on my mats on my own, but here is what I learned just by making this page.

1. Use ink in the same color as your background cardstock with a graphic image to make your own background paper.   (note- for an even subtler effect use versamark.  This is also a great alternative if you don't have ink to match your cardstock.)
2. Stamp your title on a strip of paper and cut one (or both) end(s) to make a banner.  The banner can go across your page or tuck under your picture.   (It would be great to have little banners sticking out from different pictures of family that say things like, dad, brother, friend, aunt, etc.)
3. Add color to your page by stamping various geometric shapes onto a neutral paper, such as newsprint/ Special Edition DSP.   Stamp off for a lighter touch.  Use colors that are in your papers and/or pictures.

4. Add texture and interest by embossing elements on your page, such a banner, border or mat.

5. Have all your paper, ink and embellishments come from the same company so they coordinate.  (Ok, so this is just my own perfectionist thing, but it is one of the reason I wanted to learn how to use SU in my scrapbooks.  All their products coordinate so beautifully!
I learned all these things just by creating a make-n-take.  Imagine what I could do if someone would actually teach me how to use SU to scrapbook.  :) 

Creative Blessings,
Heather North



Clockworks



One in a Million

Vintage Faceted Buttons