Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop ~ Focus on Tools

June 25, 2020June 25, 2020 ~ admin ~ 3 Comments

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop or IIBH as we affectionately refer to it.

You are currently visiting my little corner of the interwebs. My name is Joanne Cantrell and I live in a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere almost smack dab in the middle of the United States.

Our focus this month is on TOOLS! Yes, you heard that right, folks!

TOOLS!

Where would we be without our favorite tools? I don’t want to even think about it!

How many of you are ready for the new Cut & Emboss Machine coming in the next couple months? August 4 cannot get here soon enough. This is the date that Demonstrators around the world get their chance to order the large machine for the very first time. As customers, you can order it starting September 1. What better reason to sign up to be a demonstrator? If you would like to join my team, just click on JOIN TEAM link above.

Oh… back to tools.

Do you know what my favorite tool is?

Here’s a hint…

Yep, that’s little Successful Sammy – the world famous meme baby. Of course he’s almost a teenager now, but the point is… SCORE!

Have you guessed it?

My favorite tool is the SCOREBOARD!

It’s really great when you need to keep score.

Oh… yeah… it’s not that type of scoreboard. It’s the best type. The type you can use to score your Stampin’ Up! cardstocks and designer series papers. Technically it’s called SIMPLY SCORED (#122334) and is a great low cost investment.

Let’s be honest. How many of you use your Paper Trimmer to score your cards. That really is a great tool to have as well. But, the Simply Scored Scoreboard is really for so much more.

How much more?

Let me show you a few of my favorite uses beyond the scoring of a card fold.

#1. BOXES

This tool is perfect for creating all types of boxes. You can score whole pieces of DSP because this board is just over 12″ x 12″

Here are a few of the boxes I have created with it.

This box was inspired by Sam Drummond. It was made with Seafoam Spray and Whisper White Cardstock. The images are from the Basket of Blooms Stamp Set and stamped in Seaside Spray, Sahara Sand, and Misty Moonlight. The flowers were punched out use the Small Blossom Punch.

This is just your basic box and lid. Here, I used Pretty Peacock and Crumb Cake. I didn’t do any stamping on the box at all. I added interest by tying a length of the Pretty Peacock 1/2″ Scalloped Linen Ribbon round the lid. I added the bow separately.

How about this cute little Hershey Nugget Holder? It holds 10 Nuggets. For this fun, primary colored box, I chose Pacific Point, Real Red, and Daffodil Delight as my color scheme. The images and sentiment are from the new Zoo Globe Stamp Set. and, I used the Balloon Bouquet punch and Linen Thread for the balloons.

The great thing about the Simply Scored tool is that you can score a full sheet of DSP to create a gorgeous box that doesn’t need any stamping or anything. For this Ornate Garden inspired box, I just added a some ribbon and a rosette.

Speaking of Rosettes…

#2. ROSETTES

The Simply Scored tool is the best for making rosettes to any size because there are score tracks every 1/8″ for 12 inches! That’s a lot of scoring. And, the little scoring pen it comes with had two ends – a bigger ball for lighter weight papers like DSP and a smaller ball for heavier weight papers like cardstock. This allows you to create sharp score lines without tearing through the paper.

In addition to the rosette above, I created this fun lollipop to accompany the Nugget Box.

For this rosette, I actually scored then layered three different widths of cardstock. Then, I used a thin line of Tombow to attach them together along the top edge. And, a hot glue gun is a must for rosettes as that it what helps hold it flat and works faster than Tombow.

#3. BANNERS

This is such a basic use for this scoreboard.. but one that may have escaped you until now. When used in tandem with the Banner Triple Punch, you can create all types of sentiment banners with great 3D effects.

Here is a simply banner I created.

I took a strip of Whisper White and stamped by sentiment on it. Then, I notched the ends using the Banner Triple Punch and took it to the scoreboard to do what… SCORE!!!

To make the banner pop up, you will need to make two score lines on both sides of the banner between the sentiment and the notch. For farther apart the score lines are, the higher the banner will be. For this one, my score lines are only 1/8″ apart.

While you can see I have not made anything with this banner yet, it will be attached using Dimensionals. The higher it sits, the more Dimensionals you may have to stack on top of each other to keep it lifted.

#4. TEXTURE

This tool is great at adding linear interest to card layers and card fronts. The possibilities are limitless. You can make plaids, argyles, lattices, stripes, diamonds, etc… You can make frames, backgrounds, and focal pieces.

See… look what I have done for you…

This is a Simply Scored Simple Stamping card! I just scored three lines down the side of the card front 1/8″ apart. The stamps used are from the new Fancy Phrases Stamp Set.

For this one, I scored diagonals 3/4″ apart then placed a Pearl Basic Jewel in nearly every crossing. And, the sentiment is actually hiding a place where I messed up the scoring when I put too much space between the lines. See, mistakes are actually places for embellishments! I also scored the white layer to create a frame.

Oh – here is the other banner I created! But, more importantly, look at all that cross hatching. I scored every 1/4″ along both the LONG and the SHORT side. It adds a prefect tiled look, don’t you think?

I have some other scored layers that I haven’t used yet. I was just having fun created scored layers from some of my scraps!

#5. FUN FOLDS

One of the best uses for this scoreboard is to make fancy fold cards and gift card holders. Because there is nothing better than giving someone a fancy shmancy birthday card or slipping a loaded gift card into a neat-o holder!

Let’s take a look at a double pocket card…

This was created using one sheet of Terracotta Tile cardstock and one piece of 5-1/4″ x 4″ piece of the Ornate Garden Designer Series Paper. I’m not sure what I am going to slip into the pockets yet, but it will be something good, I promise that.

I took the design a little step further and actually created a card out of it but forgot to take a photo of the inside. To do this, I used a thin line of Tombow on the pock layers to secure them.

This shows the cardstock after it has been scored and cut and ready to glue. It also shows you my sneaky trick to scoring diagonally. I use a 6″ right triangle that I cut from the cardboard that comes with the foil sheets. I have added tick marks at the score lines so I know where they are.

Well, I hope these ideas encourage you to take another look at that tool that has been sitting unused on your crafting table for such a long time. It’s lonely and you need to give it a little love.

But, before you run off to SCORE!… take a look at what the others have to offer for your creative genius today.

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂 Joanne

Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop ~ The Man, The Myth, The Legend

June 14, 2020June 15, 2020 ~ admin ~ 1 Comment

Woohoo! Welcome to June! This year is half over. Can you believe it? Aren’t you glad. Oh my… what a year it has been!

Well, this month’s theme for the Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop is all about the men in our lives.

While I have a great husband and two wonderful sons… the first man in this girl’s life was her daddy!

This was our family back in July 1971. That’s me asleep in my Mother’s arms. We were getting ready to move to Iceland.

From even before that day, he was my hero…

I was a Daddy’s girl. I pretty much still am. He taught me how to use a drill and change a tire. He taught me a lot about computers and helped me with my math homework. I still call him when I need help. And, he is my go-to person when it comes to booking a cruise!

He’s a great guy and I love him more than he could ever imagine. And, this is a card made just for him… for Father’s Day.

You may have noticed that this card was made with some of the new great products from the new 2020-2021 Annual Catalog.

The color scheme uses Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, and what may be my new favorite color… Misty Moonlight.

The layers were cut using the new Best Plaid dies. I cut the stripes in two different colors to add a bit more texture.

The sentiments are from the Best Year stamp set – which happens to come bundled with the Best Plaid dies for a discount! It full of great sentiments for both the outside and the inside of cards for all occasions any time of the year.

I thought the inside was a bit blank with just the layers and the sentiment, so I added 1/8″ stripes in the same colors as the plaid on front.

Now, a little tip about punching that banner. The bottom layer is 1-1/2″ which fits perfect in the Banner Triple Punch, but the Vanilla layer that the sentiment is on is 1-1/4″ wide. That is an in-between size for the punch.

So, I dabbed a little bit of SEAL (the new adhesive from SU!) to the back of the layer at the bottom. It takes just a smidge. Then, attach it to the other layer. Slide it the whole way into the punch making sure the layers are straight. Then, punch. When you punch the layers, you are also punching off the bit that is adhered together. You layers are now separate so you can make the perfect border around the sentiment.

Who knew? Right!

Well, that’s all I have for you today. Go and honor those men in your lives with a card and a hug and maybe even a steak dinner

Love you Dad!!!

Here are the links to the rest of the Stamper’s Dozen Crew!

Stamper’s Dozen June 2020 Blog Hop

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂 Joanne

Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop ~ New Catalog Sneak Peek

May 28, 2020May 27, 2020 ~ admin ~ 4 Comments

Wow.. It has been awhile since I have hopped with y’all. I sure have missed you. Finally, in this crazy mixed up world, I am back!

So, welcome to my little corner of the interwebs. My name is Joanne Cantrell. I am from a tiny little town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the United States. It’s very nice to meet those of you who are new and it’s a pleasure to see all you that have hopped through my blog posts before!

Now, let’s get on to what you really came here for!

It’s new catalog time! It’s the most exciting time in the Stampin’ Up year… the new ANNUAL CATALOG is set to make it’s debut in just a few days. I am so excited. It’s chock full of great new products as well as some returning favorites.

Here is a glimpse of one of my favorite suites from the catalog. It’s called World of Good and can be found on pages 24-26. It has beautiful Designer Series Paper that works perfectly with the wonderful sentiments and great images. Then there are the dies. I just love them.

This card is features the one die that I am not really sure what to do with, but I guess this works. It’s a good border/accent die.

What do you thing of that awesome new yellow? Did you think it was Crushed Curry. Well, it’s called Bumble Bee. It is a beautiful addition to the yellows SU! already has.

This care features the globe dies from the suite. There are so many uses for these dies. I honestly can’t stop using them in several different ways… watch my blog for more ways coming in the next couple weeks.

This card was CASE’d from the catalog (the small greed card on page 25). It uses 10 globes that I glued on using Tombow Multipurpose Liquid glue and a piece of a Stamping Sponge. I love the tone-on-tone of this technique but it would look great mixing up the colors a bit. The sentiment is embossed in silver and is layered on Silver foil that has been cut out using one of the dies from the Stitched Rectangle dies. I added a bow using the 3/8″ Glittered Organdy Ribbon to give it s bit of bling.

Well, thanks for stopping by. I hope I have given you a bit of inspiration today. Hop along to see what the others have in store for you!

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂 Joanne

Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop ~ Going, Going, Gone!

May 14, 2020May 15, 2020 ~ admin ~ 1 Comment

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Stamper’s Dozen Monthly Blog Hop. This month we are all featuring items that will be retireing at the end of the month.

This is the time in the Stampin’ Up! year that we all love but we all dread. We are all excited about the lovely new items in the in coming 2020-2021 Annual Catalog… but then we are mourning the loss of all the great items that are saying goodbye.

For me, it’s a time that I go through my entire stash and pull out all the stuff that is not in the new catalog. And, I am learning, there are are lot of stamp sets that have not seen ink. Are you that same way?

Well, today, I finally put some ink to the Heartland Stamp Set.

This stamp set is great because you don’t have to get fancy with it to make a great card. I used it to make three sets of cards – each with a varying degrees of simple stamping.

These three cards use each image from the set (one on each card) as well as the sentiment. The colors used are Real Red, Garden Green, and Night of Navy. For this set, the images and sentiment were stamped on to a Whisper White layer and adhered to the card base in the same color as the ink.

Here is the next set. It uses the same colors, but has an added layer. I love how easy these cards are to make but they look so nice. This just goes to prove it a card doesn’t have to be elaborate to be beautiful.

In this final set, I added some die cutting and embossing. I used the an oval and a circle from the Stitched Shapes dies and a rectangle from the Stitched Rectangle dies to cut out the images and sentiments after I stamped them. I used the Pinewood Plank embossing folder to add the texture to the background layer. And, I used Dimensionals to everything up. Still a simple card, but the texture and die-cutting adds just enough interest without going overboard.

Here is a shot of all nine cards that were created. You can click on them to get a closer look.

Now, it’s time to see what other items you just have to have before they are Going… Going… Gone…

Stamper’s Dozen May 2020 Blog Hop

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂 Joanne

Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop ~ Spring Has Sprung!

April 14, 2020April 14, 2020 ~ admin ~ 7 Comments

Hello and welcome to spring!!!

If you are anything like me, you long for spring. It is like the whole world comes alive after the deadness of winter. The longer days… the budding trees… the flowers popping up everywhere… What is there not to love about spring.

And, I’ll tell you another thing! Being stuck at home right now, it is a whole lot easier with the sun shining and setting later than it would be if it was only light for 6 hours!

And, what better way to spend your time stuck at home avoid people than being locked up in your craft room working on spring projects?

That’s exactly what I did today.

With out theme being Spring has Sprung, I was thinking of what to do without being over the top and almost Easter-y. There can be a fine line. So, I took a sentiment set from 2019-2020 Annual catalog and a great graphic background stamp from the 2020 January-June Mini Catalog.

I present to you the marriage of A BIG THANK YOU and BREATHTAKING BOUQUET with the ceremony conducted by Embossing Powder and the Heat Tool! 🙂

For this first card, I used clear embossing powder on Whisper White cardstock. I then sponged the colors on (Highland Heather, Calypso Coral, Melon Mambo, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, and Granny Apple Green). This is a technique called Emboss Resist. I used a Highland Heather card base and stamped the sentiment in the same color. For a little extra touch, I added pearls that I colored green using the Light Old Olive Blends.

For the next card, I stamped the image and embossed with Black Embossing Powder. I then used both colors from both sets of Water Color Pencils to color the flowers. I got rid of the coloring lines by using the Blender Pen. I stamped the image in coordinating colors (Balmy Blue, Rich Razzleberry, and Calypso Coral) then punched it out using the Label Me Fancy Punch. I used the Leaf Punch to punch out a couple leafs from Pear Pizzazz cardstock. I used Dimensionals to mount onto a Rich Razzleberry card base.

This third card uses the same basic idea as the card above but I just did a little more coloring. I added some of the Braided Burlap Trim (secured in the back with a couple glue dots on each side). The sentiment was stamped in Calypso Coral and punched out using the Label Me Lovely Punch. I added a couple more of those Old Olive Pearls.

Those are the Springy looks that I created using this pair of stamp sets. But, I saw beyond the Spring-y-ness. I saw the beauty of this background stamp. It is not named Breathtaking Bouquet for nothing. Plus, let’s be honest… I can never just do a card or two for you… I always have to be extra! LOL 🙂

How about it in a simple black and white?

Or a little black and white with a splash of Terracotta Tile? What about that ribbon? It’s from the new catalog coming out in June! It ties great! (I colored in the large flowers using the Chalk Marker.)

But, I think I really saved the best for last…

Does this look a little familiar? My most favorite Designer Series Paper ever was from a couple of catalogs ago and was part of the Love Affectionately suite. This Night of Navy and Copper color scheme reminds me of it. The frame that I cut out of the Copper Foil in the background was die cut using the new Ornate Frames dies coming in the new Annual Catalog. I added a bit of Copper Trim for interest. I used the Tailor Tag punch for the sentiment but trimmed off a bit from each end because I didn’t want to hid too much of that gorgeous background!

Well, that’s it from me for this month. I hope I have inspired you to look at stamp sets in a different way.

Here are the links to the rest of the blogs… hop along little rabbit!

Stamper’s Dozen April 2020 Blog Hop

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂 Joanne

Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop – Final Days of Sale-a-Bration

March 14, 2020March 14, 2020 ~ admin ~ 4 Comments

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop!

This month’s it’s all about Sale-a-Bration. It’s just about time to say goodbye to all these great items. They are only here for a couple more weeks. I know, I am sad too!

Have you heard, there were a few more items released that you will really want to get your hands on. I am featuring my favorite here today. It’s the Tags in Bloom Stamp Set.

This set has great sayings and beautiful graphics. And best of all… it’s totally free with $100 purchase. Does it get any better than that?

So, without further ado… here are the projects I have created with this set.

I know.. I usually save my best for last. But, this was the first card I made with this set. I was inspired by a one I had seen on Pinterest, the mother of all idea givers! That card used a different set but the same theory.

To create this, I punched out the window first using the coordinating Label Me Lovely Punch from the Jan-Jun Mini Catalog. Then, I stamped the focal image and colored it with Calypso Coral, Old Olive and Crushed Curry Blends. I also stamped the flowers on a scrap piece, colored them, and cut them out. I used a piece of the Window Sheet and Foam Adhesive Strips to make the window. The shakey things are the Peaceful Poppies Sequins.

Oh – whoa… see, I typed what I did which is where I ran into a problem and you will to if you don’t heed this warning… I stamped the sentiment too late! Stamp the sentiment onto the background (in the case – Peaceful Poppies Designer Series Paper) BEFORE attaching the window sheet. Simply place the layer where you want it and stamp through the hole! Luckily I had a duplicate layer that I could use to do so!

Onto the next one!

How simple is this one. I decided I needed to use that piece that was punched out to create the window but I wanted something super easy. So, I grabbed more pretty paper. Afterall, what good is it just sitting around. #loveitchopit, right! So, this DSP is from the Come Sail Away pack. I used a Mossy Meadow card base and ink. Add a little bit of Burlap Ribbon and Linen Thread and you have a very masculine card. I think I will send this one to my son who what been underwater for a couple months so I haven’t seen his chubby cheeks for a bit!

So, creating the card above inspired me to look at the other Designer Series Paper I have. This one is from the Country Club pack. I decided I could turn it into a more feminine card. So, I CASE’d Brian King for this one. I used the Crushed Curry and Old Olive Blends since they were already out. I used the Dark Crushed Curry Blends to add color to some Pearl Basic Jewels to give the center of the flower some oomph! (And to distract from the fact that I put the white layer on the gray layer crooked! Ugh!)

While I had that Country Club pack of Designer Series Paper out, I looked to see what else I could use and found this lovely argyle print. A little Night of Navy and Crushed Curry cardstock helped highlight the bright colors of it. I stamped the sentiment in Night of Navy and used the coordinating Label Me Fancy Punch to punch it out. This punch can also punch a slot or a hole in the tag it creates. So, I used the hole option on both ends and laced some Denim Ribbon through it. If you have not used this ribbon yet, I beg of you.. please do so immediately. You will thank me!!!

And finally… what if you just can’t bear to chop your lovely paper???

Why, you create your own DSP using the images from the stamp set!

I stamped the flower in Daffodil Delight, the leaves in Granny Apple Green, and the buds in Coastal Cabana – on Whisper White cardstock. I stamped the sentiment and border in Gorgeous Grape and used the Label Me Fancy Punch to punch it out. A little Gorgeous Grape Mini Striped Ribbon keeps the sentiment from getting lost in the background. (The card base is also Gorgeous Grape!)

Well, that is all I have for you. Remember, if you want this beautiful set, you need to head on over to my online store TODAY and snatch it up. It won’t be here for long!

Now, go see what the other ladies have for you today!

Stamper’s Dozen March 2020 Blog Hop

Until next time… keep it simple Stampers!

🙂 Joanne

Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop – Showing and Sharing Love

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020 ~ admin ~ 3 Comments

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop. Since today is Valentine’s Day… Our theme is all about showing and sharing love!

I really do love Valentine’s Day, but honestly, I am really not into all the candy and roses and red and pink. So, I thought I’d give you a few ideas featuring The Daisy Lane stamp set, the Daisy Punches, and the Well Written dies.

Basically, all three cards are the same style, but they feature different Design Series Papers from the January-June 2020 Mini Catalog and a different base color theme.

This one is Pretty Peacock with DSP from the Poppies suite.

Here we have Basic Gray with DSP from the Golfing Suite

And for the last card, we have Petal Pink with DSP from the Paris suite.

I know, I really should know exactly what the names of the papers are, but since I am a procrastinator and went to dinner with my hubby, I am really running behind. I promise I will get those names for you. But to be honest, I think we all know the paper as I described it versus it’s real name! 🤷🤦

Well, that’s all for you tonight. I did do one more card but couldn’t get it to cooperate… watch for it to come next week!

Now hop along!!!

Stamper’s Dozen February 2020 Blog Hop

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂 Joanne

IIBH January 2020 — Love is in the air

January 23, 2020January 22, 2020 ~ admin ~ 7 Comments

Welcome! It’s been awhile since I have participated in the Ink & Inspiration Blog Hop. My how I have missed you all! It’s nice to be back in the saddle again!

So, in case you didn’t know… I am Joanne Cantrell… a demonstrator from a very tiny town in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the United States.

Our theme for this month is Love. I love love, don’t you! I love my husband and I love my children… most of the time! LOL But, even more so… I love the new January-June 2020 Mini Catalog. And even more than that… I love FREE stuff from Stampin’ Up and it’s Sale-aBration time! Okay… maybe I do love my husband more. The kids… eh! Just kidding. I love them to pieces and would be lost without them! I’d be rich.. but I’d be lost!

Anywho…. back to the FREE stuff!

The first time I went through the Sale-a-Bration brochure, I zeroed in on one stamp set. It was cute and it made me giggle. And now… Stampin’Up went above and beyond and will be offering a coordinating die set to go with this FREE stamp set. So, really… It’s like buying a bundle for really cheap! Add some cardstock, ink, and ribbon and you will easily reach the $50 threshold for you FREE Sale-a-Bration item.

I can’t believe this is the first time I am inking it up. Are you ready to see what I so excited about?

It’s the Little Lady Bug set!

Now, the only way to get your hands on this set is to host a $300 workshop. Then it’s yours for FREE. Nothing else to do. Stampin’ Up will give it to you for FREE. Doesn’t that just make you love these lady bugs even more.

Of course, I did more than just simply decorate the outside of a pizza box!

I thought this set is perfect for kids to stamp and color to create their own Valentine’s for their school chums. So, let’s open up and see what’s in the box…

Wow, look at that! It’s full of little 3×3 cards and envelopes.

Suppose you probably would like to take a gander at all of them… and I right? Well, here goes…

That’s all I’ve got for you today! Go see what the others have created for you… Go on… it’s okay… Hop along!

Until next time… keep it simple, Stampers!

🙂 Joanne

Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop – New Decade / New Catalog

January 14, 2020January 14, 2020 ~ admin ~ 3 Comments

Welcome to our first Stamper’s Dozen Blog Hop of the 20’s. And, what better way to ring in a new year and a new decade than with a new catalog (with a new name)!

This month’s blog hop is all about the new stuff that graces the pages of the new January-June 2020 Mini Catalog. This is the new name for what we used to call the Occasions catalog.

So, I thought I would play around a little with one of the more masculine bundles in the Mini Catalog. It’s called By the Dock.

Here is what I made for you… I hope it inspires you!

This first card is just paper and ink. I used Basic Gray for the base and added a layer of Smoky Slate. I used Basic Gray ink on Whisper White paper for the images. Pretty quick and simple yet very beautiful. Proof that great cards don’t have to be intricate!

For this card, I used Night of Navy as the base, added a Crumb Cake layer that I embossed using the Pinewood Planks 3D embossing folder. I used the Stitched Rectangle dies to cut out a Merry Merlot layer and the Very Vanilla layer. I stamped the images on the Vanilla layer with Early Espresso ink. Finally, I used the larger circle from the Stitched Labels dies to cut the sentiment layer out of Very Vanilla. I stamped the sentiment in Merry Merlot ink and wove some of the Night of Navy/Sahara Sand Baker’s Twine though the holes.

This card did not have much stamping on it other than the sentiment. For the base, I used Early Espresso. Then I created a layer with Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla. I used the Oar dies from the Dockside dies to cut out 8 oars from Crumb Cake cardstock. Don’t you just love the wood grain that is embossed as they are cut. I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso ink.

Now, are you asking yourself, “How hard was it to line up those fiddly little oars?” Well, actually, it was pretty easy!

I used a piece of well-loved grid paper to line them up on the lines. Then, I had to figure out how to get these perfectly lined up oars onto the Very Vanilla layer without losing the spacing…

Then I thought… WASHI TAPE! I always keep old, retired tape laying around just for instance like these. I pulled out a length of tape out, gently stuck it to the row of oar, being sure to press down so they would stay stuck. Then, I used the tape to lift up the oars and flip them over. I applied a bit of Tombow Multi-purpose glue to the backs and flipped them over and positioned on the card. After pressing them down so they adhere to the layer, I carefully pulled off the tape. Since I never ripped the tape from the roll, I just wound it back up to be used again later.

And, here is my final card for you using this bundle.

This card started with a Crumb Cake base. I added a Night of Navy layer and a Whisper White layer. Before I adhered the white layer to the navy layer, I stamped the images on it along with the sentiment. First, I used Mossy Meadow and a sponge for the bushes. I loved the way the sponge left the texture. It was just perfect. For the sky, I sponged Balmy Blue ink… the sponge left cloud-like texture there. Then, I used Pool Party to sponge the water. For some reason, by sponge didn’t leave the texture in the water which was just great, because I didn’t really want it there. Maybe it was because that sponge had been used a lot more.

I stamped an additional dock image, along with a boat, a couple birds and a frog, onto a small piece of Whisper White. I used several different blends to color them before I cut them out using the Dockside dies. The dock was done with Dark Daffodil Delight, Light and Dark Pumpkin Pie, Dark Crumb Cake, Light Basic Gray, and Bronze. For the boat, I used Light and Dark Crumb Cake and Bronze. The frog is Dark Daffodil Delight and Light Old Olive. I used a little Dark Daffodil on the bird’s beak. Then, to make these blend in, I used the Pool Party sponge to add color around the die cut images. This took car of that white border that would have stuck out like a sore thumb on the sponged background.

Well, I hope that you were inspired by what you have seen on my blog today. Hop along to see what the others have created just for you!