Sneak Peek: Sealiously Sweet Stamps & Stitched Semi-Circle Dies

Hello and welcome to day 2 of our Summer Sneak Peek Week!  All this week I am showcasing cards using our newest collection which will begin shipping on Friday, April 24th. 

Today's sneak peeks include a new 4x6 Summer critter stamp set called Sealiously Sweet, along with matching dies and a fun new versatile standalone die set. Let's jump right in!

Card No. 1:  Up first is a card using 3 or the 7 adorable little seals in our new Sealiously Sweet stamps set. To ground my little guys and create a large polka-dot background, I used our new Stitched Semi-Circle Dies which come with 3 nested semi-circle dies (and a cute little scalloped gift tag) that add a stitch to both sides of the cutline so you can use them like I did here or as a window. I cut my circles from our Polka-dot Parade Paper Packs and popped up my elements with some foam tape.

Card No. 2:  For this card here, I started by using our new Frilly Frames Herringbone dies that I shared yesterday.  This time rather than using them vertically the way they come with one pass through your die-cutting machine, I turned them on their side and ran the die through my machine twice, overlapping my cuts by one row so that they would create a seamless pattern off the edge of my card.

I then positioned the little pieces on a double layer of paper napkins and colored them with my Copics to match the colors of the stamped floaties. This took a bit of time, but I found it really relaxing to do while I watched some TV. To speed things up, I started by covering the entire front of my card base with my tape runner before laying down my herringbone background.  Then as I colored each piece, I could pop it right in and press without having to mess with liquid glue or another adhesive. I love the way it turned out!  It makes me think of colorful pool tile.

To frame my little guy from the Sealiously Sweet stamps, I used our Fancy Frames Rectangle Dies and inked a little bit of tumbled glass distress ink behind him.  Since my background was so involved I wanted to keep the rest of my card really simple and help him pop.

Card No. 3:  Up next is a card that started with our Comic Strip Everyday Dies cut from White Cardstock.  I inked up my background with varying shades of Colorbox Sky Blue Dye Ink, adding a sandy border with using some kraft cardstock and our Woodland Border Dies.  For the little cutout to tuck my flip-flops into the sand, I used a small die from our new Tropical Scenes dies set which I will share more tomorrow.  

I finished my card by combining the words "Have a Sealiously Awesome" from the stamp set with the words "Fourth of July" from our Happy Thoughts stamps. I just love how easy this punny greeting can be switched out to match any occasion. Three of the seals from this set don't actually include summer themed items so you can just as easily use them year round and substitute the sentiment to say Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas.

Card No. 4: For this card I used our new Stitched Arch Dies which I will share more of on Thursday. I cut my frame opening from our Striped Silly Paper and used a bit of red gingham paper from our Holiday Cheer Paper pack, adding a row of the little watermelon from the Sealiously Sweet stamps to form a scalloped border.

To ground my little seal eating watermelon, I cut a tag from our Classic Gingham Paper using a tag from our Scalloped Circle Tag dies.  A good old fashioned eyelet with a little solid red baker's twine put a nice finishing touch on my clean and simple card.

Card No. 5:  For this card I used the smallest circle from our new Stitched Semi-Circle Dies to create a little window for my graduation themed shaker card.  Two of our largest local high schools in the area have the colors of red, black and white so my cards will forever be shared using that color scheme, but I love that this design is super easy to trade the colors out. To back my sharker I used a striped print from our Striped Silly Paper pack and some Black Star Confetti.  I was able to turn my everyday seal into a graduate by using the cap and diploma from our Woo Hoo Stamps and dies.  I was ecstatic to discover it fit him perfectly!  I finished off my card with a simple ric-rac edge to add a little interest to my simple card using our Ric Rac Border dies.

Card No. 6:  My last card of the day features a really fun shadow box design (see below for full instructions).  I used our Summer Splash Paper pack to cut my interior waves and decorate the rest of my card. To add interest to my opening, I used our new Stitched Semi-Circle Dies and a curved banner from our Banner Basics stamps which I colored using a no line color technique in which I used distress inks and a bit of Copic marker coloring for the folds. For the word "birthday" that matches the same font in "sealiously", I turned to our Happy Thoughts Stamps.

To recreate a shadow box card like the one I shared here, I have created a little guide with
step-by-step instructions.  It's so easy to do and I love that it doesn't require a bunch of fancy tools.  I can't wait to share even more ways to use our Stitched Semi-Circle dies later this week.  They are quickly becoming a favorite of mine!

That wraps up today's sneak peeks.  I'm so happy to have you hang out with me today. I read all your comments and they mean so much!  I'd love to give a $40 gift code to one lucky winner using the rafflecopter below.  Make sure to keep checking back all this week for more peeks & prizes for up to five chances to win. The contests run through Saturday at Midnight PST with winners announced here on Sunday, April 26th. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway Here's a closer look at the new Sealiously Sweet stamps & coordinating dies, as well as the new Stitched Semi-Circle Dies used today (available for purchase on Friday, April 24th).

        

  Other Supplies Used:

Woo Hoo Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Woo Hoo Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Ric Rac Border Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Fancy Frames- Rectangles Shop at: Sunny Studio
Striped Silly 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Polka-dot Parade 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Comic Strip Everyday Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Happy Thoughts Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Woodland Borders Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Holiday Cheer 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Summer Splash 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Scalloped Tags-Circle Shop at: Sunny Studio
Banner Basics Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Banner Basics Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Frilly Frames Herringbone Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Arch Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio
	Classic Gingham 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio

Sneak Peek: Radiant Plumeria, Potted Rose & Frilly Frames Herringbone

Hello and welcome to day 1 of our Summer Sneak Peek Week!  All this week I am showcasing cards using our newest collection which will begin shipping on Friday, April 24th. 

Today's sneak peeks include two new 4x6 layering stamp sets for Summer, matching dies and a new standalone die set. Let's jump right in!

Card No. 1:  My first card showcases our new Radiant Plumeria stamps. I started by inking up my cardstock panel with peacock feathers distress ink and then using the Radiant Plumeria Die to cut out an overall flower pattern on my background, leaving ample space between them for my leaves. I then adhered my stamped flowers, twisting and offsetting the petals to allow my card base background to peek through. To emphasize the cutouts, I added foam tape to the back of my card panel before adhering it to my coral cardstock.  For my greeting, I stamped "hello there" from the stamp set onto a stitched label from our Sliding Window Dies. 

Card No. 2:  The plumeria flower in our Radiant Plumeria stamps can be layered in one of two ways; one going the traditional route with a series of colors in the same color group or using an alternate layer that allows you to change the center color.  For these plumeria's I chose to forgo the B layer to create a white & yellow plumeria and them paired them with our Hawaiian Hibiscus Stamps.

The radiant plumeria set comes with a really awesome split leaf philodendron that is magical to layer and even better it's so easy to line up, you don't even need a positioning tool to mass produce them. I arranged my floral arrangement on a slimline style card (9" wide x 4" high) which I inked up in the center with salty ocean distress ink, adding a custom sentiment using our Phoebe Alphabet Stamps together with our Banner Basics Stamps.

Card No. 3: My third card showcases all the leaves from the Radiant Plumeria Stamps, as well as the flower which I stamped in two different shades of pink. The fan palm leaf is just one layer so to add some extra variation I first stamped it in one color and then used a finger dauber to sponge on some darker ink onto my stamp before stamping it again.  It gives it a shaded appearance and the look of a multi-layered image.

With this release we have a new Frilly Frame to add to our series called Frilly Frames Herringbone Dies. For this card I used them in a different way, using the negative space that the dies cut out.  I cut a template with the die from copy paper that I added to my card panel with some washi tape.  I then set to work adhering cut down pieces of foam tape to the back of each piece, using my template to position them on my card. When I was done, it was easy to just pull out the template and if I need to tear it out that would be easy to do as well (but it didn't turn out to be necessary).  I used the word "birthday" for my sentiment using the word die from our Blooming Frame Dies.

Card No. 4:  Up next is a card using our scalloped Fancy Frames Square dies arranged on the diagonal like a diamond.  I backed the opening with a piece of hot pink cardstock and heat embossed my greeting using the sentiment stamps from the Radiant Plumeria stamps. 

I then adhered the flowers and leaves in a symmetrical pattern to the back of my frame before adhering it to a navy card base, trimming off the excess with my scissors. Some pink iridescent confetti from our iridescent pastel confetti pack were the perfect finishing touch to give my card a little shine.

Here's an example of all the leaves and flowers I stamped out using the Radiant Plumeria set.  Sadly I didn't get around to using a couple of the color combinations for today's cards, but I wanted to make sure to share them...

Card No. 5:  Switching gears, my next set of cards feature our new Potted Rose stamps. The set includes a layered rosebud, leaf, terracotta pot (both layered and an outline version for two different looks) and a beautiful hello word with 3 supporting words to pair with it.

For my first card I focused on just the rose and leaf to create an overall background.  I started by inking up a card panel and then stamping it in the same color using the polka-dot print from our Background Basics Stamps.  When I was done I felt it was a bit darker than I had wanted so I added a piece of vellum over the top adhering it to my cardstock, hiding the adhesive behind each of my roses. When I trimmed down my panel, the edge caught and tore in my trimmer so I decided to just embrace it and cut the panel down more and add the gingham print edge using our Classic Gingham Papers.

As finishing touches, I used the label from our Fancy Frames Rectangle Dies which I stamped with a sentiment from our Heartfelt Wishes Stamps.  I then added a little scalloped edge using our Eyelet Lace Border Dies.

Card No. 6:  My next card is a clean & simple design which was created almost entirely with our Potted Rose stamps (aside from the Stitched Arch Dies which I will be sharing more of on Thursday).  I arranged my four roses together in the pot which I stamped my sentiment directly onto.  To give my pot a bit of weight and not make it look like it's just floating there, I added a little shadow with my Copic W1 marker.

Card No. 7: Up next is an encouragement card using the Potted Rose stamps with our Botanical Backdrop dies.  To help the die-cut frame match the look of my stamped leaves, I drew on some veins with the brush tip of my sketch marker. 

I inked up my card base with some spun sugar distress ink and created a custom sentiment by mixing three separate sets.  I spelled out "hugs" with our Loopy Letter dies, the ampersand is from our Festive Greetings Stamps and the word "prayers" is from our Angelic Sentments Stamps.

Card No. 8:  Do the roses from our Potted Rose stamps look familiar?  They were designed to compliment our popular Everything's Rosy Stamps so of course I had to create a card featuring them together. I was always sad I wasn't able to squeeze a third rose onto that stamp set so this was such a wonderful opportunity to add one and I can't wait to create more cards in the future mixing these two sets!  

For this card I inked up the center of my card base with some twisted citron distress ink and then layered it with a background mixing two of our frilly frames (which are designed to mix and match with each other). I used our new Frilly Frames Herringbone Dies for the inside of my panel and then cut the outside edge using our Frilly Frames Retro Petal dies. Our new herringbone frame cuts the opposite way, creating an opening with the stitching on the other side of the cutline.

I completed my card with a sentiment taking the word "birthday" from our Quilted Hexagon Dies and "wishes" from our Heartfelt Wishes Stamps. I heat embossed the greeting onto a banner from our Banner Basics Stamps, which I colored using a no-line coloring technique.

Card No. 9:  For this card I wanted to utilize the outlined flowerpot image from the Potted Rose set which compliments the images in our Pink Peonies Stamps.  I stamped my peony flowers in VersaFine Clair Charming Pink ink with the leaves in VersaFine Clair Verdant Ink and then heat embossed them with clear embossing powder.  For my color medium I turned to Daniel Smith watercolors.  I then added some dots of yellow liquid enamel by Ranger.

To turn my flower pot into a shaker, I used a small circle punch in the center and then used my scissors to cut a small shadow around the inside of the flower pot.  I then traced that shape that I fussy cut out onto my watercolored panel to repeat the process, cutting my watercolor paper opening just slightly larger so that I wouldn't see it peeking out from behind my flower pot.  I used a glue pen to adhere my pot to my background and then added a piece of acetate to the back of my watercolor paper.  I then added foam tape around that opening and the remaining card panel before adding my Studio Katia Crystal Clear Mini sequins and a piece of rust cardstock to compliment my pot.  

I finished my card with a strip of aqua striped paper from our Silly Stripes Paper pack and a simple hello sentiment from the Potted Rose set which I heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Card No. 10: For my last card of the day, I paired the terracotta pot from the Potted Rose set with our Timeless Tulips Stamps for a slimline card.  To create a sort of dreamy cloud background, I purposely inked up my background, leaving some patches lighter and uninked. I added some of the tulips and leaves directly to my card base and then popped up some of them with foam tape to give my arrangement a dimensional look.

To ground my flower arrangement I added a band of white cardstock which I edged with our Stitched Scallop Dies. I cut a thin strip of striped paper for a pop of color using our Rainbow Bright Paper pack and stamped a greeting from our Cheerful Daisies Stamps.

To help you line up our layered stamps like a pro I've created a special layering guide (you can click on the photo below to view it larger).  The guide shows the stamps starting with the lightest ink color, working towards the darkest, but sometimes I find it easier to start backwards. They both work depending on what your preference is.  The black outline indicates where that layer touches the previously stamped layer.  :)

I frequently am asked which ink colors I used for my layered images.  While I think there are so many great options out there, these are the colors I used today for my stamped images:

Pink & Orange Plumeria (stamped samples only)
Colorbox Razzleberry
Pinkfresh Studio Sparkling Rose
Pinkfresh Studio Apricot
Catherine Pooler Tiki Torch
Colorbox Tangerine
Lawn Fawn Pumpkin Spice

Dk. Hot Pink & Yellow Plumeria (Card No. 4)
Colorbox Raspberry Pink
Versafine Charming Pink
Colorbox Lemonade
Versafine Cheerful
Colorbox Banana
Pinkfresh Studio Apricot

Hot Pink & Yellow Plumeria (Card No. 3 & 4)
Versafine Charming PinkColorbox Candy
Colorbox Lemonade
Versafine Cheerful
Colorbox Banana
Pinkfresh Studio Apricot

Pink & Yellow Plumeria (Card No. 3)
Hero Arts Ultra Pink
Gina K Bubblegum Pink
Lawn Fawn Butter
Pinkfresh Studio Lemon Whip
Lawn Fawn Sunflower
Pinkfresh Studio Apricot

Peachy Pink Plumeria (Card No. 1)
Colorbox Cherry
Lawn Fawn Ballet Slippers
Colorbox Capri Pink
Stampin' Up Blushing Bride
Colorbox Cantaloupe
Versafine Tulip Red

White & Yellow Plumeria (Card No. 2)
SSS Barely Beige
Skipped This Layer- No Ink
Colorbox Lemonade
Versafine Cheerful
Colorbox Banana
Pinkfresh Studio Apricot

Yellow Rose (Card No. 5)
Colorbox Lemonade
Versafine Cheerful
Colorbox Banana
Colorbox Dandelion

Yellow Tulips (Card No. 10)Colorbox Lemonade
Versafine Cheerful
Colorbox Banana
Pinkfresh Studio Apricot

Pink Rose & Tulips (Card No. 6 & 10)
Gina K Bubblegum Pink
Hero Arts Ultra Pink
Versafine Charming Pink
Gina K Passionate Pink

Pinkish Red Rose (Card  No. 7)
Colorbox Cherry
Versafine Glamorous
Colorbox Fireberry
Colorbox Cranberry

Red Hibiscus, Rose & Tulip (Card No. 2, 8 & 10)
Versafine Tulip Red
Colorbox Strawberry
Colorbox Candy Red
Colorbox Cranberry

Lime Green Leaves (Card No. 2)
Colorbox Limon
VersaMark Verdant
Colorbox Grasshopper

Medium Green Leaves (Card 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 7)
Hero Arts Green Hills
MFT Green Room
Colorbox Green Apple

Dark Green Leaves (Card  No. 2, 3, 4, 8 & 10)
Colorbox Grasshopper
Colorbox Green Apple
Colorbox Golf Course

Olive Green Leaves (Card No. 5)
Colorbox Kiwi
Colorbox Luxuriant Green
Colorbox Artichoke

Terracotta Pot (Card No. 6 & 8)
Colorbox Pumpkin Pie (or SSS Orange Peel)
Hero Arts Just Rust
Colorbox Pumpkin

That wraps up today's sneak peeks.  I know that's quite a bit of information and it means so much to have you hang out with me today. I'd love to give a $40 gift code to one lucky winner using the rafflecopter below.  Make sure to keep checking back all this week for more peeks & prizes for up to five chances to win. The contests run through Saturday at Midnight PST with winners announced here on Sunday, April 26th. :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway Here's a closer look at the new Radiant Plumeria stamps & coordinating dies, Potted Rose stamps & coordinating dies as well as the new Frilly Frames Herringbone Dies used today (which will be available for purchase on Friday, April 24th).

    

    

 Other Supplies Used:

Angelic Sentiments Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Heartfelt Wishes Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Scallop Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Timeless Tulips Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Festive Greetings Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Fancy Frames-Square Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Fancy Frames- Rectangles Shop at: Sunny Studio	Background Basics Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Classic Gingham 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Striped Silly 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Rainbow Bright 6x6 Paper Shop at: Sunny Studio	Sliding Window Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio
Loopy Letters Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Everything's Rosy Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Everything's Rosy Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Botanical Backdrop Die Shop at: Sunny Studio
Hawaiian Hibiscus Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Hawaiian Hibiscus Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Frilly Frames Retro Petals Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Banner Basics Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Banner Basics Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Cheerful Daisies Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Phoebe Alphabet Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio	Pink Peonies Stamps Shop at: Sunny Studio
Pink Peonies Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio	Blooming Frame Die Shop at: Sunny Studio	Eyelet Lace Borders Shop at: Sunny Studio	Stitched Arch Dies Shop at: Sunny Studio
Iridescent Pastel Confetti Shop at: Sunny Studio	Crystal Clear Mini Sequins Shop at: Sunny Studio