I love Monet's waterlilies and their invocation of a peaceful day quietly sitting by the pond. The Lily Impressions Designer Series Paper, available FREE with a $50 order, mimics these famous paintings and creates a beautiful backdrop for the cattails from the Friendly Silhouettes dies. 

Ink: Blackberry Bliss
Accessories:

• Friendly Silhouettes dies
• Stitched Rectangle dies
• Subtle 3D embossing folder
• Silver metallic thread
• Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins
• Stampin' Dimensionals
• Check You Out stamp set
• Friend Like You stamp set

Notes:

• I cut the cattail silhouette from Basic Black cardstock using the Friendly Silhouettes dies first. Then, I adhered it to a piece of Lily Impressions DSP before cutting the rectangle using the Stitched Rectangle dies. I used Stampin' Dimensionals to attach this piece to the card front.
• I used the Subtle 3D embossing folder on the 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Blackberry Bliss cardstock.

Accessories:

• Friendly Silhouette dies
• Stitched Shapes dies
• Stitched Rectangle dies
• Stampin' Dimensionals
• Whisper White Baker's Twine
• Friend Like You stamp set

Notes:

• Again, I cut the cattails from Soft Suede cardstock first, adhered it to a piece of Lily Impressions DSP, and then cut it with a circle from the Stitched Shapes dies. The circle is attached to the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.
• I cut the edges of the skinny strips of Pretty Peacock cardstock with the edge of one of the large rectangles from the Stitched Rectangle dies so that there is "stitching" along one edge.
• The dragonflies are stamped with Coastal Cabana ink while the greeting is stamped with Pretty Peacock ink.

Are you new to stamping? My next virtual class is the perfect opportunity for you to plunge into the world of stamps, ink, and paper! March 11, 2020, I will be demonstrating 3 cards and 1 mystery project featuring the Witty-Cisms stamp set. If you're a seasoned stamper, don't worry - these cards and project are perfect for you too! I'm sharing photos of the cards with you today, but because I'll be demonstrating everything on the 11th, there are no instructions in today's blog post. 

You can stamp along with me on March 11 - all you need to do is place an order of at least $40 (before S&H and tax) that includes the Witty-Cisms stamp set before Saturday, February 29, and I will send you a complete Make-N-Take kit. There are only a couple of other supplies you will need for this class including the watercolor pencils assortment #1, a Jet Black Stazon ink pad, adhesive, and a clear block or two. That's it! I will send you all the cardstock and accessories already pre-cut and ready to go. Click the button below to order all the supplies or just the ones you need. And don't forget, every $50 includes a FREE Sale-A-Bration item of your choice!

Aren't these little ladybugs adorable? You can get them FREE right now through Sale-A-Bration when you host a workshop - virtual or live - totally at least $300. 

Did you know that in the US, you can get stamp sets in French as well as English? While these are primarily for the Canadian market, they will ship to addresses in the US as well. I have a number of French friends, so I love having a few stamp sets in French.

For these samples, I used three different methods of coloring the ladybugs to show you their differences: Stampin' Blends, watercolor pencils, and Aqua Painters with ink from a stamp pad. Each method gives a little bit different look to the ladybug. 

I colored the ladybug with watercolor pencils. These colored pencils are fabulous because when they get wet, the color softens and looks more like watercolor paint than colored pencil. After coloring, you can use either an Aqua Painter or a Blender Pen to turn it into a watercolor. When doing any type of watercolor, it is important to use a permanent ink like the Jet Black Stazon. As you can see, I colored two different ladybugs. Then, I colored over the one on the left with an Aqua Painter and the one on the right with a Blender Pen. As you can see, they give similar results. 

With the Aqua Painter, you want to make sure that the tip isn't too wet. If it is very wet, the color may run too much. The Aqua Painter is also at a higher price point, but will last for a very long time as you can refill it with water.

The Blender Pen cost less and comes in a pack of three. However, they are not refillable and will eventually dry out. When the pen becomes a little too dry, the pencil lines will not fade away as much and the colors won't blend. 
​

Cardstock:

• Poppy Parade: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded in half, 5 5/16" x 4 1/16"
• Granny Apple Green: scraps cut with a circle from the Stitched Shapes and Well Written dies
• Poppy Parade DSP: 3 3/4" x 3/4"
• Whisper White: scraps

Ink: ​​Jet Black Stazon
Accessories:

• Well Written dies
• Stitched Shape dies
• Basic Rhinestones
• Retired Polka Dot embossing folder
• Watercolor pencils assortment 1 & 2
• Blender Pens or Aqua Painter
• Stampin' Dimensionals

Cardstock:

• Poppy Parade: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded in half, 5 3/16" x 3 15/16"
• Whisper White: 5" x 3 3/4", 1/2" x 3 1/2", scraps
• Daffodil Delight DSP: two strips 3" x 1/2"
• Poppy Parade DSP: 3/4" x 1 1/2"

Inks:

• Versamark
• Poppy Parade
• Daffodil Delight
• Granny Apple Green
• Balmy Blue
• Early Espresso
• Crumb Cake

Accessories:

• Black embossing powder
• Whisper White Baker's Twine
• Stampin' Dimensionals

Cardstock:

• Granny Apple Green: 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" folded in half
• Poppy Parade: 
• Poppy Parade DSP:
• Granny Apple Green DSP: 
• Whisper White:

​Ink: Tuxedo Black Memento
Stampin' Blends:

• Poppy Parade light and dark
• Crumb Cake light and dark
• Soft Suede light and dark
• Daffodil Delight light and dark
• Granny Apple Green light and dark
• Petal Pink dark
• Color lifter

Accessories:

• Red cotton ribbon
• White Polka Dot Tulle ribbon
• 2" Circle Punch

New Sale-A-Bration items are coming in March! Stampin’ Up! is releasing a second batch of brand-new limited-edition FREEbies will be here soon, including the So Very Vellum pack. There are three different colors, Pool Party, Soft Sea Foam, and Purple Posy, and each one features this cool dot pattern that feels both delicate and industrial mixed in with a little pop. I pushed the design in each of these directions for these cards featuring the So Very Vellum.

I combined this with a simple image from the Varied Vases stamp set stamped with Pool Party and Highland Heather ink with the outline stamped in Jet Black Memento. I added the centers to the flowers with the Light Daffodil Delight Stampin' Blend and tied a piece of Baker's Twine around the front. The card front is attached to a Pool Party card base. ​

I stamped the roses from the To A Wild Rose stamp set in Petal Pink ink on Whisper White cardstock. I added the centers with Crumb Cake ink. I cut these out with the Wild Rose dies. I also cut leaves from the Soft Sea Foam So Very Vellum as well as other leaves from Soft Sea Foam cardstock. I layered these on the card front. 

I cut a tag from the Soft Sea Foam So Very Vellum using the Wild Rose dies. I adhered this to the card front by putting liquid adhesive where the greeting would be added. This way, the sides of the vellum are loose and you can't see where it is attached. I tied the card front with a piece of White Seam Binding that I colored using a Light Petal Pink Stampin' Blend. Then, I added an oval cut with the Stitched Shape dies and stamped with "thanks" from the Here's a Card Stamp Set. Finally, I adhered the card front to card base using Crumb Cake cardstock.

For the Eiffel Tower itself, I used the Parisian Dies from the January-June 2020 Mini Catalog. I cut the tower from Gray Granite cardstock then I heat embossed it by sponging the front with Versmark ink and covering it with silver embossing powder. To age the Eiffel Tower, while the silver embossing powder was still hot, I sprinkled on Copper embossing powder and heated it again.

To a Blackberry Bliss card base I added a Blackberry Bliss card front that I had run through my Big Shot with the Subtle 3D embossing folder. I added the sunset to the front of that and then the Eiffel Tower.

The sentiment is from the Parisian Beauty stamp set. I stamped it in Blackberry Bliss ink on Whisper White cardstock and layered it on Basic Black cardstock. I attached it to the card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I can't wait for these products to become available for FREE in March! Check back here on March 3 for more details.

This month's Stampin' Friends blog hop is all about our favorites. If you're following the hop, you've joined me from Cheryl Taylor. I hope after you've read through my blog that you'll continue through the whole hop. You'll find a list at the bottom of this post with links to all the blogs.

I have soooo many favorites that it's hard to choose just one or two. Here are some of my favorite design elements and accessories that I included in these projects:

1. Layers - I love layers! Layers and layers and more layers. I love depth. These cards have lots of layers.
2. Texture - my cards are all about texture and layers. I love embossing folders, particularly the Subtle 3D embossing folder. I seem to use it on so many things and when a card needs a little something, it's usually the Subtle 3D embossing folder.
3. Bold colors - While pastels and earthy tones can be nice too, there's nothing quite as awesome as bold colors! I love this adjacent color scheme of Granny Apple Green and Bermuda Bay. The colors just pop!
4. Bling - I love a little bit of bling, not too much, just a little sparkle. That's why I love the metallic thread. It's so fine that it adds just a hint of shimmer. And who can resist some rhinestones? Not too many, just a few to jazz things up a bit. 
5. Dies - I particularly love the Stitched Rectangle dies. The Well Written dies are a close second. I love being able to add a die-cut word to my projects. 
   

​Many of my cards incorporate these basics, and they are the first things I turned to when I start a card. It was so much fun to be able to combine so many of my favorite things for this blog hop. I hope you'll click through the whole hop to see everyone's favorite things! The next artist is Barbara Welch. You can see the complete list after the descriptions of the cards. 

Ink: Gorgeous Grape
Stamps: Check You Out
Dies:

• Stitched Rectangle
• Well Written

Embossing Folder​: Subtle 3D

In addition to the cards, I also created some fun bookmarks using my favorite design elements and accessories. I purchased these slightly oversized, gold-coated paper clips during back-to-school clearance last fall. I think I got the jar of 70 for $1. What a steal! I created the toppers using dies and stamps and adhered them to the paper clips with sticky strip. The backs have an additionally piece of cardstock so that the paper clips are sandwiched between the layers. They are great for marking pages in your Stampin’ Up! Catalogs!

Stampin' Friends February Blog Hop:

1. Rachael Rife
2. Jo Blackman
3. Teri Pocock
4. Jean Bolan Beaulieu
5. Stephanie Jandrow
6. Katja Ettig
7. Tiziana Milano
8. ​Kim Quade
9. Kim Lamos​
10. Anne Marie Hile
11. Cheryl Taylor
12. Heidi Collins <-- YOU ARE HERE!
13. Barbara Welch
14. Maureen Rauchfuss