Sunny Studio 1st Birthday Blog Hop with Fall Release & Giveaways!

Hello & welcome!  I'm so happy to have you joining us for our 1st Birthday Blog Hop!  I can't fully express how happy it makes me to have made it to this day and to have you here celebrating the occasion with us!

Up first I have a card using the Costumed Kitty from our new Halloween Cuties set, along with the pumpkins from our Harvest Happiness set which I colored with Copics.  For my circular edge, I inked up my background using salty ocean distress ink and then did some second generation stamping using the same ink color with a little leaf from our new Woodsy Creatures set.  I finished my card by heat embossing my sentiment in white on black cardstock and cutting the edge using our original Fishtail Banner dies.

For my next card, I combined the body from our Comfy Creatures set with the tail from our new Woodsy Creatures set and the face from the Raccoon Witch in our new Halloween Cuties set.  I completed the scene for my little flying raccoon by inking up the background using Salty Ocean and Blueprint Sketch distress inks and heat embossing the background with white opaque powder with the stars & moon from the same Halloween Cuties set.  

To complete my card, I inked up a strip of white cardstock with Mustard Seed and Spiced Marmalade distress ink, die-cut one end using our original Fishtail Banner dies and stamped the sentiment in versafine ink.  I love how the small touches of yellow pop against the royal blue and black backgrounds!

For my last card today I used our new Autumn Splendor set, along with a complimentary 3/4" tall diamond die (see details below).  I grouped 4 of the diamonds together to create one larger diamond to form my argyle pattern.  Click to download a PDF with step-by-step photos and instructions.

What's a party without some presents, right?  In addition to 16 cool prizes we're automatically offering a free mini diamond die (shown above) with every order.

We also have 15% off at our online store with the code "SUNNYBIRTHDAY" through Monday, August 15th at Midnight PST.

Before you go, make sure to check out all the AMAZING projects being shared by some very special guests using our newest sets.  I have admired each one of these ladies for so many years and it warms my heart to have them helping me celebrate this special milestone.  

Not only are you guaranteed to be inspired, but each one of them is also giving away a $20 gift certificate to our online store.  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter a drawing here on our blog as well for a total of 16 chances to win! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway You're next stop in the hop is the sweet and talented Jennifer McGuire.  :)

• Sunny Studio
• Jennifer McGuire
• Chari Moss
• Juliana Michaels
• Eloise Blue
• Debbie Olson
• Anni Lerche
• Stephanie Klauck
• Laura Bassen
• Vanessa Menhorn
• Francine Vuilleme
• Nichol Magouirk
• Lexa Levana
• Suzy Plantmura
• Nina-Marie Trapani
• Lindsey Sams

Thanks so much for helping us celebrate!  :)

Sunny Studio Supplies Used: 

        

    

Inspiration Week: Introducing Woodsy Creatures Set

Hello there!  Welcome to Day 3 of our Fall Inspiration week.  Today I'm showcasing a new set called Woodsy Creatures (hitting our online store early tomorrow morning).  ;)

This set is made to mix and match with the previously released Comfy Creatures and Sending My Love sets.  It comes with 5 new woodland critter faces, 3 tails and the addition of a new standing body (in addition to several accessories and sentiments).  The faces from this look awesome with the sitting body from Comfy Creatures so I used that on a number of the cards shared here today.

Up first is a card that immediately came to mind while designing this set.  I feel like I was channeling my inner Laura Bassen on this one.  For my sentiment I used the word "hello" from our Sunny Sentiments set.  

My second card combines the acorn from the new Autumn Splendor set shared yesterday, along with the hearts from our Stitched Hearts dies, a custom sentiment using our Sweet Script stamps and a pennant strip using our Fishtail Banner dies.

For this card I dressed up my critters with the feather headdress and pilgrim hat and put a little pumpkin and pie in their hands to create a Thanksgiving themed card.   I cut my pennant shape along the bottom edge with our Fishtail Banner II dies and then used the mini heart in the set to embellish the scalloped edge.

For my skunk card I used the same tail that was used on the squirrel card.  I love that it can work for both creatures depending on the way you color it.  To create my card I started by inking up my scalloped circle with Tumbled Glass distress ink and then flicked on color for my grass using Copic markers.  I then sponged on some Mowed Lawn distress ink along the bottom edge to fill in any missing spots of color.  I loved having the log and mushrooms to embellish with--They add a fun pop of color!

I love designs on the diagonal and this one was so fun and easy to create on a little 4.25" square card.  I embellished with hearts cut using our Stitched Heart dies and topped with glossy accents.  I finished off my card with a sentiment from our Sock Hop set.

For my last card I cut little polaroid frames on my Silhouette Cameo using cutting files by Lori Whitlock and then created little scenes in each.  I wanted it to look like a set of photographs were scattered across my card front.  

I must confess this was the last card I created and I had some random pieces left that I had colored including an extra tree stump, a handful of mushrooms and an unused skunk tail.  I decided to cut the tree stump in half and continue it on the two photos in the background and then just popped the tail in there to look like another critter photo might be sitting down below. I ended up using every last item I had stamped and colored which was a fun little personal challenge.
























And here's a closer look at the new Woodsy Creature Stamps & coordinating dies...

   

Thank you for all your feedback this week!  My "love language" is words of affirmation so it fills my heart with joy reading your sweet comments.  

Make sure to check back tomorrow for the big celebration when we will have a sale, a special blog hop and lots of prizes!!!  Yay!  Can't wait...

Inspiration Week: Introducing Autumn Splendor Fall Leaves Set

Hello there!  Welcome to day 2 of our Fall Release Inspiration week!  Today I'm showcasing our new Autumn Splendor set coming out on Friday!  :)

I've been itching to do a solid stamp set for awhile now and I love the idea of a bold layering set that is perfect for so many different techniques (I promise you'll want to tune in on Friday when there will be loads more ideas for it).  ;)

For my first card I wanted to create a pretty border showing the set in all it's glory.  As an accent next to the sentiment I used one of my favorite images from the entire set: the little acorn!  I love how it looks when it's all layered together!

For my next card I started by cutting two V's using the Fishtail Banner and Fishtail Banner II dies.  I then layered the images from the set to create a bouquet of sorts for the center of my card.

This set comes with two sets of berry images with shadows on each side of the berry depending on how you plan to use it.  Sadly please ignore the fact that I should have adhered them the opposite way on my own card though--Oops!  ;)

For my next card I wanted to do something light and airy with a clean & simple design.  I used the alternate interior layering pieces for my two leaf sizes.  For the bottom of my card, I stamped the base using one of the scalloped borders from our Sunny Borders Stamp set and then die-cut it with the coordinating dies.

I then inked up the middle portion on the left side of the card with some Tumbled Glass distress ink to highlight the leaves and make them stand out. I finished my card by adding a jewel to the center for a touch of bling.

For my last card today I chose to forgo the shadow portion of the images and to heat emboss my stems in gold for a classy look.  It hard to tell in this picture, but I love the way the gold stems look in person!   I finished off my card by die-cutting my panel with our Fishtail Banner II dies and inking up the bottom portion of the card with a a color to match my red leaves.

While I ran out of time to make a video, I did snap a couple quick pictures sharing my favorite way for stamping a bunch of leaves at once.  I started by die-cutting each leaf from a piece of scratch paper as a template.  I found that stamping onto the die-cut gave me an extra way to help line up my stem which was especially helpful for the berries (vs. stamping and then die-cutting).  

I then used my template in my MISTI stamp positioner so I could pop in my actual die-cut and position my stamp for quick assembly line style stamping.  You can take this concept one step further and stamp 4 templates all at once with one in each corner.  I had a blast cutting out & stamping a bunch of leaves in different colors for all my cards in one sitting (with plenty of extras for a rainy day).  

Here's a full look at the Autumn Splendor stamps and coordinating dies...

   

And here's a little visual I put together to show all the ways the stamps can be layered since I know they can look a bit strange on the stamp sheet without all the pretty colors. 

For those who are curious about which color combos I used on my leaves today, I actually picked from a variety of ink brands in my stash which I've listed below.  Luckily you really only have to find two colors that look good together so your options are truly endless.  ;)

Red Leaves:
Hero Arts Red Royal Shadow Ink
Ranger Adirondack Cranberry

Orange Leaves & Berries: 
Stampin' Up Pumpkin Pie
Hero Arts Just Rust Shadow Ink

Yellow Leaves:
Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight
Stampin' Up Crushed Curry

Green Leaves:
Hero Arts Green Hills Shadow Ink
Simon Says Stamp Green Leaf

Red Berries:
Stampin' Up Strawberry Slush
MFT Cherry Crisp

Stems:
Simon Says Stamp Dark Chocolate (for the lighter version)
Stampin' Up Chocolate Chip (for darker version)

Acorns:
VersaFine Vintage Sepia (for bottom portion base)
Close To My Heart Oak Brown (for bottom shadow and top base)
Stampin' Up Chocolate Ship (for top shadow)

I would love to hear your first impressions.  Thanks so much for stopping by.  

Inspiration Week: Introducing Halloween Cuties Set

I'm so excited that our little company is turning one this month and we're celebrating with three new Fall stamps & their coordinating dies coming out on Friday.  Today I'm sharing several ideas for a new stamp set called Halloween Cuties!  This set comes with two costumed Critters and includes all sorts of supporting images from jack-o-lanterns, to bats and spiders (I promise they're more cute than creepy).  ;)

Up first is a little scene using a number of images from the set (along with an extra pumpkin from our Harvest Happiness set) which I colored with Copic Markers.

For my next card I focused on the bats, moon and stars from the set (and the banner from our Sunny Borders set).  After coloring my images with Copics, I finished my card by adding a bit of bling to the moon & stars using the new Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pens.

For my last card I used that the same little witch, pairing her with the broomstick and cauldron that come with the set.

Curious how I created the bokeh backgrounds for my three cards?  I've put together a little step-by-step picture tutorial for you (click on the image below to view it larger).  

It's a twist on an idea that the amazing Sandy Allnock inspired me with HERE.  She used magnets & a Copic airbrush for her idea and for mine I used die-cut vinyl circles, Distress ink & my favorite jumbo dauber by Tsukineko.  :)

I actually love this technique so much that I also used it on some cards shared earlier HERE and HERE.

Here's a full look at the new Halloween Cutie stamps and coordinating dies.

  

I'd love to hear what you think.  Make sure to keep checking back throughout the week.  I will be sharing more fun ideas, including more for this set on Friday when we will have 10 special guests helping us celebrate with a birthday blog hop and lots of prizes along the way!  

Birthday Smiles Ice Cream & Balloon Cards with Mendi

Hello there!  It's Mendi here today and I'm so excited to be taking over the blog for the week. Today I have a couple of bright and happy birthday cards to share using a versatile set from our original release called Birthday Smiles.  This set has so many options packed in it and I've been dying to find some time to finally play with the coordinating dies we released in the Spring!

Up first is a card taking advantage of the dies by using them to cut the shapes from felt.  I'm weird, but I actually find fussy cutting relaxing so I don't always use the coordinating dies, but I think this die set is one that works so well as a stand-alone set too with all the cupcakes, ice cream and banner images.  

I started by stamping my sentiment on the bottom of my card panel using our Sweet Shoppe set (I decided I would hate to mess that up after all the stitching that follows).  I then adhered the cones to my card with a little liquid adhesive and stitched them on my sewing machine, starting by stitching the outside edge and then using it a a guide to stitch the diagonal rows.  When I was done, I pulled the threads to the back of my panel and taped them down all at once.  From there I added my ice cream and stitched again around the edge (taking the corners slow).  I considered stitching on the toppings as well, but it was getting pretty bulky so I decided to poke holes in the top of each with a paper piercer and add some decorative brads instead.  I finished off my card by adhering some pink felt to white cardstock for stability and then die-cut it using our Sweet Word die.  I love the look!

For my next card I used the Birthday Smiles set to stamp the solid balloon image (it comes with both an outline and a solid version for more techniques and flexibility).  I love how the balloons look when overlapped with each other!  Using my ink swatch book I was able to find colors that were a really close match to my striped Doodlebug paper--Love Jennifer McGuire's system and how it allows me to shop my inks like I'm at a paint store!

I decided I didn't want any extra bulk for the balloon strings this time so I drew simple lines with my Copic Multiliner pen and a clear ruler.  I then just drew some freehand bows.  They are far from perfect, but I decided to just go with it and call them whimsical.  ;)

I finished off my card by stamping one of the banners from the set, coloring it in with my Copics and using our Sweet Script set to stamp the word "party".  I finished off my card with a little twine and bows to match.  This card was super easy to create and I love how bright and happy it turned out!

Thanks so much for hanging with me today.  I hope you will stop back by tomorrow when I will be revealing the first of three new stamp sets we have for Fall.  :)

Sunny Studio Supply List: