It's A Wrap! (SFYTT Guest Designer Round-Up)...

Well, after a wonderful month as July's Designer of the Month for Jen del Muro's i{heart}2stamp Sketch For You To Try Challenge, I'm welcoming my card creations home to The Stampin' Bean. A BIG THANK YOU to my mom-in-law, Susan, for stepping in as my Designer of the Month and gamely playing along for all the sketch challenges. She's definitely my best stamping buddy, and her creations put mine to shame! If you'd like to see her creations, please visit her Splitcoast gallery here. Thank you for all your wonderful and kind comments on all of our cards.

Now, here are my cards, complete with Bean Notes...

To view an image up-close, please click on the photo.

A Little Patriotic Cheer (070409)...

This was my debut card! At first, I toyed with the idea of making a very elegant, subtle card, but, since it was being revealed on Independence Day, I felt that bright and fun was the way to go. This little Uncle Sam was just something I picked up on a whim and I was so glad to have a chance to use him. I made liberal use of glitter gel pens for some sparkle, and my favorite part are the little red, white, and blue pom-poms that I found at the craft store for pennies...Happy Fourth of July!

BEAN NOTES: Stampendous Patriotic Pair Stamps; Stampin' Up Brilliant Blue Classic Dye Ink; SU Stampin' Write Markers (Brilliant Blue, Real Red, So Saffron); Fireworks Designer Paper (unidentified); SU Whisper White, Brilliant Blue, and Real Red Cardstock; Dark Blue Satin Ribbon (generic); Spellbinders Ribbon Label Die; Big Shot; Sakura Golden Star, Red Star, and Clear Star Gelly Roll Pens; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic)
HAPPY BEANS: Red, White, and Blue Pom-Poms (generic)

Happy Birthday, Cupcake! (071109)...

I made this card for my terrific Aunt-in-Law, Karen, who turned 65 this month. She's such a fun, generous person, and is someone who would appreciate a good cupcake! I was able to break out my darling Taylored Expressions For the Love of Cupcakes set. Using a hobby blade, I cut around the outline of the tea stand so that the sweet cupcake designer paper could show through. To replace the sketch's star with a cupcake, I paper pieced the frosting over kraft paper, added some Stickle bling and a candle -- now Aunt Karen can make a wish!
BEAN NOTES: Taylored Expressions For the Love of Cupcakes Stamps; Memento Rich Cocoa Ink; Doodlebug Designer Paper; Stampin' Up Whisper White, Regal Rose, and Pink Pirouette Cardstock; Karft Cardstock (generic); SU Stampin' Write Markers; Classic Die Ink; White Grosgrain Ribbon (generic); Paper Shapers 1-1/2" and 1-3/4 Circle Punches and 2" Scallop Circle Punch; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder; Big Shot; Ranger Diamond Stickles; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic); Kaiser Rose Pearls
HAPPY BEANS: Hobby Blade

Happiness Always (071809)...

The Week 3 SFYTT sketch did give me a lot of trouble, but I couldn't really figure out why. I finally settled on this design after much gnashing of teeth (with a little bit of growling thrown in.) The bottom of the card is heavyweight Vellum from Papertrey Ink, and I've decided it is a lifesaver when you are completely unsure of what to do with a card. The button is "stolen" from my husband's coat -- it was an extra, and I claimed it!
BEAN NOTES: Stampin' Up Happy Harmony and Verve Because of You Stamps; SU Basic Black Classic Dye Ink and Whisper White Craft Ink; SU Kiwi Kiss, Elegant Eggplant, and Whisper White Cardstock; Papertrey Ink Vellum; Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls Embossing Folder; Big Shot; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic); Ranger Seafoam White Embossing Powder; Black Brads (generic)
HAPPY BEANS: Black Button (generic)

Sweet (07262009)...

Here is the fourth and final card for the month. I knew immediately that I wanted to do flowers in place of the stars, and I pulled out my very old Stampin' Up Jar of Fun and some acetate. For the flowers, I stamped the individual layers and carefully cut each out, mounting them with foam to add some dimension.
BEAN NOTES: Verve Grateful Elegance and Elegant Flower Stamps, and Stampin' Up Jar of Fun and Elegant Everyday Phrases Stamps; SU Close to Cocoa Classic Dye Ink and StazOn Stone Gray Ink; SU Candy Lane Designer Series Paper; SU Kiwi Kiss Textured Cardstock; SU Kiwi Kiss, Very Vanilla, and Pink Pirouette Cardstock; SU Sizzix Little Leaves Sizzlit; Big Shot; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic); SU Ticket Corner Punch; SU Twine; Kaiser Dark Brown and Light Pink Pearls
HAPPY BEANS: Acetate (generic)

Horn Tootin'...

I know I said I wasn't going to be posting, but I couldn't resist tootin' my own horn. I was thrilled and bowled over when I went online this morning and found my card was selected as the Featured Stamper for last week's Color Throwdown! Thanks to Barb for selecting this card. All of the throwdown projects that week were amazing, so I'm really flattered to be chosen. Now I really can't wait to get back to stamping!

Spreading the News...

We'll, it looks like our little family is going to be making a BIG move! My husband was offered a job in New York and, after a lot of agonizing decision-making, we're selling the homestead and heading for the Big Apple. It's going to be tough, but we're excited to introduce our little rugrat to big city life! So, since we have to be there by the end of August (I know, only a month to pack, sell the house, the car, get rid of furniture, etc., all while trying not to cry), I'll be taking a little break from posting. I have two posts set to publish around August 1, so please come back and check those out! Thanks to all my followers, and welcome to all of you who recently joined!

SFYTT Guest Designer Week 4...

Sigh! It's the last week of my month as Designer of the Month for i{heart}2stamp's Sketch For You to Try. Thank you again to Jen Del Muro for picking me, and for the wonderful sketches. Also, thanks to all the SFYTT Sisters for all their warm welcomes. But, a special thank you goes to my mom-in-law, the fabulous Susan, for playing along all month. I hope to see her own blog up sometime soon! Here is her lovely, elegant creation:


To view an image up-close, please click on the photo.

I simply love how Susan substituted the hodgepodged sentiment and ribbon for the element on the sketch, and the colors are now one of my favorite color combinations. Here is her card recipe:
Stamps: Inkadinkado 98161, Stampin' Up Short and Sweet, Botanical Blooms, and Fabulous Flowers, and Stamps Happen Leaf Ink: SU Kiwi Kiss, Colorbox Petal Point, Versamark Papers-SU Kiwi Kiss and Perfect Plum Cardstock; Bella Rose Designer Series Paper; Paper Pizazz Lavendar Rosebuds, Die Cuts with a View Plum Cardstock Materials & Tools: SU Hodgepodge Hardware; Offray Ribbon 3/8" Amethyst; Embossing Powder; 1/16" Circle Punch (generic); SU Small Oval Punch; SU Stamping Sponge

Here's a sneak peek at my card creation for this week. Please visit i{heart}2stamp to see the full card and to give the sketch a try! Plus, don't forget to check back August 1st for all the usual Bean Notes and Happy Beans!

It's In the Details...Verve Project Parade!

It's hard to imagine that another month has gone by and it is already time for another Verve Project Parade. This month's parade is unique: it is called Divine Details and focuses on the design process. I usually design a card or project according to mood. I might want to try a new color, break out an old favorite set, or attempt a new technique. Often, I find inspiration from sketch challenges and jump from there. I am a mixer rather than a matcher when it comes to stamps and papers and one of my favorite things to do is figure out how to make elements from different companies come together. So, here is my step-by-step design process for this particular project:

• I didn't have a sketch to work from, so I started off with deciding what stamp set I wanted to use, in this case, Verve's Miracles Blossom. I got the idea to make a triptych of panels to illustrate a growing flower in the adorable pot image.
  
• Next, I needed to decide on color. I love to combine challenges, and this week's Color Throwdown (#52) of Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, and Perfect Plum was great. I was out of Perfect Plum, so substituted Pale Plum instead.
• After stamping all the images I would need I cut them all out and got ready to adhere them to my Certainly Celery panels that I cut out with my fabulous Long Rectangle Nestabilities and Big Shot. I was going to just draw in stems and leaves, but decided that a nice little detail might be to pierce and stitch them in, which I did.
• I also came across a scrap of cork paper and thought why not make the pots out of those for a little added texture? I also double-stamped the blooms so that I could pop them out for some dimension.
  
• After assembling the panels, I found some dark brown metallic cardstock for a background piece. Next I would need an actual sketch, so I simply played around with some different sizes of cardstock until something clicked. I reached for a Martha Stewart Punch and used it on the Pale Plum cardstock.
• I thought the bottom of my card seemed sad and plain. I had some dark brown organza ribbon and tried out a bit of tying. With a hobby blade, I made some slits to pass the ribbon through, tying as I went along.
• At first, I cut out the sentiment from Papertrey Ink's new Everyday Button Bits (don't you just love it when a sentiment from a different set says exactly what you wanted it to?) in the shape of an oval, but it overwhelmed the card. I am not a fan of tossing things and trying again -- unless I really mess up! -- so I cut down the oval and rounded the edges.
• And what card would be complete without the small little green pearls that I found in my stash? Voila! Finished card.

BEAN NOTES: Verve Miracles Blossom and Papertrey Ink Everyday Button Bits Stamps; Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip and Pale Plum Classic Dye Ink; SU Certainly Celery, Pale Plum, and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Dark Brown Mettalic Cardstock (Generic); Bazzil Textured Cardstock (color unknown); Dark Brown Organza Ribbon (generic); Foam Dimensional Squares (generic); Nestabilities Long Rectangles Die; Big Shot; Martha Stewart Dotted Scallop Border Punch; Kaiser Light Green Pearls
HAPPY BEANS: Quickutz Cork Paper; Paper Piercer; Light Green Embroidery Thread (generic); Hobby Blade

Snail Mail For Susan...

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(Now that I know the gift has been received and opened, I can publish this post!)

I made this letter holder as a thank you gift for my darling Mom-in-Law, Susan, to thank her for making so many adorable and lovely cards for my Designer of the Month spot on i{heart}2stamp. You can check out the amazing cards on Susan's SCS Gallery here.
For this project, I found this simple letter carrier at Michael's in their unfinished wood section. After lightly sanding, I painted it with white acrylic gesso, then sponged on a light layer of moss green acrylic paint (mixed from brown, green, and yellow acrylic). Next, I sponged bronze acrylic paint over to allow some faint green to show through. Using textured cardstock , I cut the cornice-punched liners and attached with craft wood glue. Double-stamping the Mail image from Papertrey Ink's Vintage Picnic, I cut out only several of the letters and attached with foam squares to add dimension. Using some shimmery bronze cardstock, I used a Nestabilities die cut and Big shot for the background circles. A few pearls, a matching bow, a bit of white grosgrain ribbon for hanging, and letters are now ready to post!
BEAN NOTES: Papertrey Ink Vintage Picnic Stamps; Encore! Copper Ink; White Acrylic Gesso (generic); Moss Green and Bronze Acrylic Paint (generic); Bazzil Lagoon and Bluegrass Textured Cardstock; Stampin' Up Whisper White Cardstock; Nestabilities Classic Circle Dies; Big Shot; Filigree Clear Embossing Powder; Kaiser Dark Brown Pearls; Martha Stewart Cornice Border Punch; SU Baja Breeze 1" Grosgrain Ribbon; White Grosgrain Ribbon (generic); Foam Dimensional Squares (generic) HAPPY BEANS: Letter Carrier (generic)

Hello, Orange!...

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I have been wanting to try my hand at a monochromatic card for some time, and, lo and behold, this week's Hero Arts Club Blog Challenge is exactly that! I chose a color that I don't use too often, and I decided to be as true to my orange monochrome as possible, resisting the temptation to use any other color, even a neutral like white or black. Still on my hot air balloon kick, I went for broke and made a sky filled with them...all in orange! I needed to make use of different shades of orange and textures to make the card work, and I was pleased with the results. The main "Hello" balloon and the clouds were created from the same Hero Arts set, Hello Circles. For the smaller balloons, I found some fun, bright orange buttons, added some baskets and 'rope,' and watched them drift away.
BEAN NOTES: Hero Arts Hello Circles (CL291) Clear Stamps; VersaMark Clear; Clear Embossing Powder; Stampin' Up Tangerine Tango Designer Series Paper; SU Tangerine Tango, Really Rust, Only Orange Cardstock; Orange Embroidery Thread (generic); Paper Piercer; Paper Shapers 1-1/4" Circle Punch; SU Only Orange Grosgrain Ribbon; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic)
HAPPY BEANS: Basic Grey Orange Buttons; Tim Holtz Distress Tool; Sharpie Orange Ultra Fine Tip Permanant Marker

Soft & Sweet...

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Today I decided to try combining a few challenges to see what I could manage, and I was lucky enough to find three that were exactly what I needed. For the sketch, this week's Mojo Monday (#96) was just perfect, and the Penny Black Saturday Challenge (#58) suggested I make something "soft and sweet," encouraging soft and sweet textures, images, and colors. I tried out a new technique, faux suede, on some Blush Blossom cardstock. For that little something extra, Our Creative Corner challenged everyone to make a card using at least three embellishments, with a specific list. For this card, I chose ribbon, some pewter brads, and a cute little green button.
BEAN NOTES: Penny Black Squeeze 'Til I Squeek and Stampin' Up Everyday Elegant Greetings; Memento Rich Cocoa Ink; SU Stampin' Write Markers (Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink); DCWV Nana's Nursery Baby Girl Designer Cardstock; SU Blush Blossom and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Pale Green Metallic Textured Cardstock (generic); SU Ticket Corner Punch; Nestabilities Petite Scallop and Circle Dies; Big Shot; SU Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic); Pewter Brads (generic)
HAPPY BEANS: Autumn Leaves French Twish Button

Sweet Air...

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Taylor is back with a new Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge (#74), and I love this week's sketch. Of late, I have had a strange obsession with hot air balloons, which is funny because I am deathly afraid of heights and would never take a ride in one! For this card, I decided to make a birthday balloon from one of Taylor's cupcake images, a bitty piece of a Verve stamp, paper, and some embroidery thread. I love this DCWV Designer Paper - it made me think it was raining cupcakes...now that would be a sweet ride!
BEAN NOTES: Taylored Expressions For the Love of Cupcakes, Verve Up, Up & Away, and Papertrey Ink Borders & Corners Circles Stamps; Memento Rich Cocoa Ink; SU Close to Cocoa Classic Dye Ink; SU Stampin' Write Markers (Really Rust, Bashful Blue); Basic Grey Offbeat Designer Paper; DCWV Sweet Stack Designer Mat Paper; Dark Brown Metallic Cardstock (generic); SU Really Rust, Bashful Blue, Riding Hood Red and Whisper White Cardstock; Nestabilities Classic Rectangle Die; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder; Big Shot; Paper Shapers 1-3/8" Circle and 1-1/2" Scallop Punches; Foam Dimensional Squares (Generic); Ranger Crackle Accents
HAPPY BEANS: Martha Stewart Crystal Fine Glitter; Brown Embroidery Thread (generic)

SFYTT Guest Designer Week 3...

Another week of my month as Designer of the Month for the Sketch For You To Try challenge at i{heart}2stamp. My mom-in-law, Susan, has produced another double-feature of fantastic cards. To see my card creation, please click here, and why not try out the sketch for yourself? (Please leave your comments here for Susan to read!)

Home is Where Your Heart Is...

I love the rustic feel and the three little rain boots are so sweet. The sentiment makes me want to snuggle up and drink a nice hot mug of cocoa. Here is Susan's recipe:
Stamps: Stampin' Up Scene in a Garden, Weathered, and Hampton Art Studio G "Home is Where Your Heart Is" Stamps
Ink: Adirondack Espresso Ink and SU Close to Cocoa Classic Dye Ink
Paper: SU Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip, Pockets and Pieces Office Accents Cardstock; Lasting Impressions Old Lace Solid Cardstock
Materials and Tools: SU Hemp Twine; Stampendous and Hampton Art Chalk; Multi-brown Buttons (generic); Paper Shapers 1-1/2" Circle Punch; SU Distressing Tool

You Float My Boat...

Susan definitely took up this week's sketch as a challenge because she made a second card, this time using Stampin' Up's adorable (and retired) Boatloads of Love set. I love how she flowed the image of the boat and its cargo across the elements. How sweet is this card? Here is the recipe:
Stamps: Stampin' Up Boatloads of Love, Loads of Love, and Loads of Love Accessories
Ink: SU Old Olive
Paper: Lasting Impressions Artichoke Solid Cardstock; SU Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper; SU Whisper White Cardstock
Tools & Materials: Lasting Impressions Paper Scuffer; Stampendous Pastel Chalk; SU Blender Pen; Gelistix Silver Pen; Prismacolor Burnt Ochre; Paper Shapers 2" and 3/4" Circle Punches; Kraft Edgers-Victoria; EK Success Rick-Rack; Lasting Impressions Buttons; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic)

Here's a sneak peek at my card creation for this week. Please visit i{heart}2stamp to see the full card!

A Singular Something...

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A wonderful, dear woman who is very close to our hearts is going through a rough time right now. I wanted to make her a card that would show her how special she really is. This week's Color Throwdown (#51) of Lavender Lace, Garden Green, and So Saffron provided me with the jumping off point for this basket full of tulips. The sentiment was stamped on a piece of wood, which I think adds a little rustic flavor to this otherwise simple card. Like the lavendar bloom, our special someone is a "One of a Kind."
HAPPY BEANS: Papertrey Ink Vintage Picnic and Stampin' Up One of a Kind Stamps; SU Chocolate Chip Classic Dye Ink; SU Stampin' Write Markers (Close to Cocoa, Garden Green, So Saffron, Lavender Lace and Mellow Moss); SU Lavender Lace, Garden Green, and So Saffron Cardstock; Glossy Photo Paper (generic); Karft Cardstock (generic); Nestabilities Classic Rectangles and Scallops Dies; Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossinf Folder; Big Shot; Kaiser Dark Brown Pearls; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic); American Crafts White Galaxy Marker; Tim Holtz Distress Tool
HAPPY BEANS: Wood (generic), Sakura Gelly Roll Purple Star Pen

Life is a Journey (Enjoy the Little Things)...

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For this week's Hero Club Blog Challenge, they are celebrating their new website and asked that we make a card or scrapbook page inspired by something we see on the Hero Arts site. I was inspired by this adorable owl card by Kelly Rasmussen to make my own version -- I thought I would try my hand at a three-dimensional pop-up card. Interestingly, I worked on the outside front of the card last, as I had to make sure of the size of the tree. I wanted to keep it simple, as it would need to lie flat for the inside to pop-up. The fasteners were created by punching out some heavy cardstock, covering with paper, and adding a brad. Just as the sentiment "Life is a Journey" says, creating this card was a journey, too!

First, I made the pop-up using a template that I made myself, essentially cutting out the fold-out element supports with a hobby blade. I cut one shorter than the other to give the card some visual depth.
I loved the idea of running the "hills" through a Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, and I did it with both Mellow Moss and Kiwi Kiss Cardstock for added depth of field.
For the tree, I drew a trunk and used a VersaMark Pen and embossing powder for a woodgrain look. Again, I used an Embossing Folder (D'Vine Swirls) for the foliage, which I thought was reminiscent of the cute Verve tree on the front of the card.
These sweet Hero Arts stamps, some of which I've had forever, helped me create my little woodland scene, replete with birdhouse, owl in the trunk, bird on a Stickle-berry bush, frog on a lily pad, mushrooms growing by the fence, with a squirrel perched on top. I sponged in a cloud filled sky and made a hot air balloon by paper piecing and drawing in the ropes. It sails happily along with a little punched butterfly with the apt sentiment "enjoy the little things." Bean Tip: If using clear stamps, you can often manipulate the image, as I did here with the sentiment to curve what is normally straight.) The stream was created with light blue vellum with some Glossy Accents applied for the current, and I lined it with gravel from my own backyard!
BEAN NOTES (Front): Hero Arts Birds and Branches, Verve Whimsy Tree and Papertrey Ink Birds of a Feather Sentiment Stamps; Stampin' Up Cloas to Cocoa and Basic Gray, Kiwi Kiss, and Baja Breeze Classic Dye Ink; SU Very Vanilla and Baja Breeze Cardstock; Kraft Cardstock (generic); Paper Shapers 7/8" Circle Punch; Heavyweight Cardstock (generic); Brads (generic); SU Hemp Twine (Inside): Hero Arts Birds and Branches and Sparkle Clear Messages Stamps; Other Hero Arts (unidentified) Stamps; SU Basic Gray, Close to Cocoa, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, So Saffron, and Creamy Caramel Classic Dye Ink; StazOn Stone Gray and Cotton White Ink; SU Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, So Saffron, Garden Green, Riding Hood Red, Really Rust, Pale Plum and Pumpkin Pie Cardstock; Black and Kraft Cardstock (generic); Paper Shapers 7/8" Circle and 1" Scallop Punches; Martha Stewart Butterflies and Picket Fench Border Punches; Gray Sharpie Permanent Pen; Foam Dimensional Squares (generic); Picture-hanging Wire (generic); Ranger Red Stickles; Filigree Clear Embossing Folder; VersaMark Clear Pen HAPPY BEANS: Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls and Swiss Dots Embossing Folders; Big Shot; Light Blue Vellum (generic); Ranger Glossy Accents; Gravel (backyard)