First sneak peek of Over the Moon

You know how that old saying goes....you can take the girl out of the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the girl?  Or something like that.  :)  The new Over the Moon stamp set sure appealed to my farm roots and I just had to have it.  Holstein cows, here we come!

I just received this set on Thursday and I have already made....6 cards with it!  Those sweet cows are so much fun to colour ( I even made some Jersey cows, but don't tell my dad) :)

I'd like to say that this one is my favourite so far, but honestly, I LOVE them all.  I'll have all my cards on display at my Open House and BOGO Free sale on June 22, so you can stop by and pick your favourite.  I see a class in my future!

I chose to highlight this particular card because it was SUPER simple to create but I think it has a ton of impact because of the colour scheme.  You can't go wrong with black, white and red for a cow card. 

I created my own background with white embossing powder on Basic Black cardstock and I think those cows really pop!  I added a strip of Cherry Cobbler and some matching ribbon--aren't those little x's too sweet?  This ribbon retires May 31 but there is still some in stock, get yours now!

I used my Blends to colour the cow image--if you haven't tried them out yet, you need to come to my classes!  They are so easy to use and you can get great shadowing with just 2 markers and a little practice.  Easy-peesy.  Even easier--cutting her out with the stitched circles dies.

I decided to leave the card front sentiment-free, but inside I stamped "You're udderly fantastic" in Cherry Cobbler, with another cow peeking in from the bottom corner.  Because who doesn't love a cow pun?!

It literally took 10 minutes to make this card, but I just love it.  Rest assured some of my other samples are....let's just say, more complicated.  You have to have a herd on at least one card.  Maybe watch for a sneak peek of that one on Thursday. ;)

Hope you are having a great week!

Barb

Wood Texture DSP Final Farewell

I have adored the Wood Textures DSP since it was released, and have used it in many, many (many!) projects.  I loved it so much that I couldn't throw out the small scraps that were left at the end of each project--you just never know, right?!  So in a salute to the now-sold out paper I decided to show how I used my scraps and every last bit of this DSP.

Missed getting some for yourself?  I have an unopened pack and a partial pack that I will be selling at my Open House and BOGO sale next month.  :)

Barnwood walls are all the rage, why shouldn't that be reflected on a card too?  :)

I actually made this background many months ago and then set it aside to finish, wanting to get the right inspiration for the final look.  I really like how it turned out in the end, and I think the wood wall look really shines on this card.

I embossed the sentiment in gold on Early Espresso cardstock and then punched it out with the Story Label punch (available June).  I used a little trimming trick to make a "shadow" layer for the punch, which helps stretch your punches further (pun intended!).  Basically you punch two labels out of a coordinating colour, and cut one label in half horizontally and one in half vertically, and then piece them back together, widening them to get the layered look.  You really have to look very closely to see that it isn't one solid piece.

I added some gold thread (also retiring, boo hoo) and some leaves and twine to complete the card front.

Although this DSP is already sold out I will be selling mine at my Open House and BOGO Sale on June 22, so stop by to get some for yourself!  Click on the "Open House and BOGO Sale" tab above to see the details.

One last look, have a good week!

Barb

Stampin' Up! Falling Flowers (Stamping Symphony Blog Hop)

Hi Everyone, and welcome to another Stamping Symphony blog hop!  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Our theme this month was to use a retiring set, and I paired that with my theme for my technique class at the end of the month (vellum) to create this project:

There is just something about the combination of soft pink (this time Powder Pink, a retiring In Colour) and pale green (Soft Sea Foam) that makes my senses sing!

I embossed a panel of vellum with the Tin Tile folder (thankfully NOT retiring!) and adhered it to my base.  I added some pretty white and pink flowers from the Falling Flowers stamp set (cut with matching dies) and a sentiment in green, with "sympathy" die cut from the matching cardstock.

I really like the mix of colours and die cuts.

I stamped a few more flowers on the inside of my card, and an incredible sentiment from a Paper Pumpkin kit that reads:  "The loss is immeasurable but so is the love left behind."  It doesn't get more truthful than that, does it?  I often forget about my paper pumpkin sets but I am trying a new storage system for them with the idea that seeing is using....I'll share it with you down the road if it works out as well as I hope it does.  :)

Here's one more look before I point you to the others hopping along today: 

A La Cards (Leena)

LollyandSand (Sandy)

JustBStamping (Barb--you're here!)

Stampingjen.BlogSpot.com (Jennifer)
Hofkissed (Stephanie)

Want to play with vellum too?  Join my class on May 30 to make this card and two others highlighting vellum and all its uses!  RSVP here to save your seat.  

Barb

Stampin' Up! Foxy Friends Farewell

We are another week closer to saying goodbye to the retiring products this year, and as much as I look forward to playing with all the new goodies, it is bittersweet to bid some old favourites farewell.  The Foxy Friends stamp set (and matching punch) will be hard to lose!

Several days ago I shared the "girl" version of this card on my Instagram (@justbstamping) and Facebook (justbstamping) pages, but I saved the "boy" version for you this week.

I think there is a strong trend right now away from the gender-neutral baby things...green and yellow just aren't cutting it anymore it seems!  When I receive custom card requests they almost always want a girl or boy card.  This card is super cute in any colour.

Isn't he just too cute?  As a mom of two boys I can assure you that I still wanted soft, pretty colours for my boys, and this combo of Pool Party, Grapefruit Grove and Soft Sea Foam sure does the trick.

I actually used three different retiring sets on this card--told ya I was going to enjoy every last minute with them!  The Tree Rings and Pick A Pennant stamp sets are also retiring at the end of the month.

I stamped by sweet little fox on whisper white cardstock and then cut it out with the stitched circle die and mounted it on a scalloped circle in pool party.  I added a little sea foam foliage across the top, and anchored my focal point on a strip of green also stamped with foliage.

I stamped my pennant banner in pool party with Early Espresso letters welcoming the new arrival.  The tree rings and base are Crumb Cake.

I continued the foliage theme to the inside of the card and added some sweet little footprints across the bottom.  

In case you missed seeing the pink version, here is another look:

And one last look at this week's feature:

You can click here to shop in my store if you want any of these products before they retire!

Have a great week,

Barb

Stampin' Up! Sheltering Tree Farewell

The retiring list is out and for the month of May I am going to focus on spending some final quality time with my favourites while I can.

The Sheltering Tree stamp set is one I have used a LOT, and I'll be sad to see it retire at the end of the month (although I have seen the new catalogue and trust me, there are TONS of great sets I can't wait to get my hands on!).   I love that it can be any season, and really any colour that I want.  This time around I used Petal Pink and Calypso Coral to evoke some spring buds--because if I can't see them in real life at least I can create some on my own!

I stamped my tree in Soft Suede ink (my ink pad was pretty dry, so if yours isn't you should stamp off once to get the same softer colour I achieved) and then stamped the leaves three times:  once in Petal Pink; once in Calypso Coral; and once in Soft Sea Foam, rotating the stamp each time to get a tree full of leaves.

One of the best parts of this set is that the leaves are a separate stamp from the base of the tree, so I don't have to use markers to get the different colours on one stamp.  So much faster to just tap-tap-tap and go!

I used a mask and sponge daubers to create my cloudy sky with Pool Party ink, stopping the clouds about halfway down but lightly sponging the ink all the way to the grass line.

I used Pear Pizzazz ink and the two grass stamps included in the set to ground my tree, and then sponged ink overtop there as well to fill it in.

I layered my front panel on a strip of Petal Pink cardstock about 1/2" wider than the panel, so that there is a thin border of pink all the way down each side.  Then I mounted the whole thing on a piece of wood DSP.

The Wood Textures DSP will also be retiring at the end of the month (or while supplies last) and I have definitely stocked up!  I love the way it adds texture without adding thickness to a project.

I used Pear Pizzazz to stamp the "thinking of you" sentiment from the set on a Sea Foam banner.  It's popped up on dimensionals and anchored to the card front with a burlap twine bow on the left-hand side.

All of the retiring products are while supplies last, so don't wait if you are considering adding this set or paper to your craft room!  You can purchase all of these products and more in my store here.

Thanks for stopping by, please leave a comment below with your favourite season and you could win a prize!

Barb