Inspiration Week: Introducing Friends & Family Stamps & Dies

Hello there!  We're officially mid-way through the sneak peeks.  Thank you so much for all your love and support over the past two days.  Your outpouring of sweet feedback means the world to me!  

Today I'm sharing ideas using a new set called Friends & Family.  It combines over 12 mix & match sentiments with a number of bold layering flowers perfect for Spring.

Up first is a card whose design was directly inspired by a gorgeous card by Heather Campbell.  I loved her idea of having flowers blooming out from below the sentiment strip so I just had to try it myself!

This set comes with four stems that are attached as part of one stamp image that are perfect for repeatedly stamping as a continuous border for flower borders such as this one.  They were spaced to work well with the daffodil, tulip, daisy and posies from the set, each coming with their own unique leaves.  The daffodil flower layers with three separate stamps to complete the look.

For my next card, I used the exact same design, but this time substituted the daffodils for tulips.  The tulip flower comes with two separate images to layer.  These bold images are super easy to layer quickly by hand so no positioning tool is needed, making them a great option for creating card sets with.

For my next card I layered all the daisies from the set for a bright and colorful border to frame my sentiment.  I also love the opposite phrase that says "friends are the family we chose".

For my last card, I created a bouquet of mixed flowers using the standalone stem from the set.  I was able to length it by hiding the seam behind the layered bow from our Holiday Style set.

I didn't have room for the sentiment on the outside so I continued the design to the inside with an extra flower I had stamped earlier for my bouquet and didn't end up using.

I love offering freebies so for this release (starting on January 13th) a free 5/8" flower die will automatically be included with each order, while supplies last.

I have created a card idea using the bonus flower die which I am offering as a make-n-take with step-by-step directions that you can print out & recreate at home.  Just click on the image above to download.  :)

Here's a graphic showing all the different sentiment combinations you can create using the Friends and Family stamps & coordinating word dies...  I imagine you can even come up with more by trading which friend or family word you use.  ;)

And here's a look at the new Friends & Family stamps and coordinating dies...

        

I hope you've enjoyed today's sneak peek.  Would you like to win a $25 gift code to our online store to spend on some of the new sets?  Use the rafflecopter below to enter to win.  We will be giving away a new gift code each day for a total of five chances to win!  Contest closes on January 14th at Midnight PST.  Winners will be announced on Sunday, January 15th.  :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Make sure to check back tomorrow when I will be sharing two fun new sets that I'm hoping you'll fall in love with as much as I have. ;)

Other Sunny Studio Supplies Used Today:

   

Inspiration Week: Timeless Tulips, Daffodil Dreams & Vintage Jar

Hello there!  Welcome to day 2 of our inspiration week where I share sneak peeks of our newest release for spring and a few fun ideas using them.  There just might be another prize for the day (see below for details).  ;)

Up first is a card using a new set for Spring called Timeless Tulips.  This set comes with 4 different layering tulips, 2 scripty sentiments and a little layering bumblebee.   For my card here I started by sponging on tumbled glass distress ink along the bottom half of my card panel and then stamp the stems from the set, making sure to leave enough space between the stems for my tulips.  When I was done I actually filled in the leaves using our other new set called Daffodil Dreams.  

This leads me to my next card which showcases Daffodil Dreams and our new 3x4 Vintage Jar stamp set.  Both of these sets are layering sets, using multiple layers of ink to create one 3-D image.  The jar has two separate images with the outline and the shiny layer to add dimension.  

For this card I stamped the shiny layer on my card panel and then stamped the online image on a piece of vellum to add a touch of realism and make it look like the stems are really inside the jar.  The jar also comes with an oval image which can be used to give the appearance of water in the jar.  I masked off my jar and sponge on some more ink below the oval line to further the illusion.

For my next card with Daffodil Dreams I wanted to see if I could stretch the stamps and use them in a completely unexpected way by stamping them in lavender tones.  Of course this a completely fictional flower, but it was still a fun challenge.  

Up next is a Timeless Tulips shaker card with a Valentine's Day theme.  I stamped the Vintage Jar using Colorbox Seattle Sky ink and then punched a hole in the center and fussy cut the rest out to create my window for the shaker.

I white heat embossed a banner from our Little Angels set on vellum and cut it out with the coordinating dies. I then stamped my "sending love" sentiment in red pigment ink using our Sending My Love Stamps and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  When it was cool I used a little Spray Mount to adhere the banner to my card.  It can be messy stuff so be sure to use it in a cardboard box, but it gives a wonderful invisible hold which I love.

For my last card I wanted to create a shaker card with the Vintage Jar set sporting a completely different look, pairing it with some of our more playful images from Backyard Bugs, Sweet Shoppe and Summer Picnic.  I stamped the lid using Colorbox Seattle Sky ink and Versafine Onyx Black and then gathered a little gingham fabric which I just happened to have on hand that I adhered to the back with scor-tape.

For the Jar I chose to just use the outline image on it's own, stamping it onto the clear acetate using Stazon Ink.  I then used the coordinating Vintage Jar die to cut my window opening.  

I know layering stamps can sometimes be challenging to figure out exactly how to line up so I've created a special printable PDF for you to have on hand as a guide.  Download or print HERE.

A stamp positioning tool can also be really helpful (especially when stamping multiples). 

Here's a look at the new Daffodil Dreams 4x6, Timeless Tulips 4x6 & Vintage Jar 3x4 stamps and coordinating dies available for purchase on Friday morning...

        

        

I hope you've enjoyed today's sneak peek.  Would you like to win a $25 gift code to our online store to spend on some of the new sets?  Use the rafflecopter below to enter to win.  We will be giving away a new gift code each day for a total of five chances to win!  Contest closes on January 14th at Midnight PST.  Winners will be announced on Sunday, January 15th.  :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Make sure to check back tomorrow when I will be sharing another new set that I'm hoping you'll fall in love with as much as I have. ;)

I receive many questions about the ink colors I used for my cards above.  While I mixed a variety of brands from my stash (that many people may not have) I thought I would still share.  Generally if you have a light, a medium and a dark you can make it work.  We happen to carry the Colorbox dye inks in our store so I have linked those.  :)

Yellow Daffodils:
Hero Arts Lemon Yellow
Colorbox Banana by Stephanie Barnard
Papertrey Ink Summer Sunrise

Lavender Tulips:
MFT Stamps Periwinkle
Colorbox Lilac
Simon Say Stamp Hot Mama

Hot Pink Tulips:
MFT Stamps Cotton Candy
Hero Arts Bubble Gum
Simon Says Stamp Doll Pink

Lighter Pink Tulips:
Hero Arts Passion Flower
MFT Stamps Cotton Candy
Hero Arts Bubble Gum

Red Tulips:
Ranger Pink Gumball
Simon Says Stamp Hot Lips (or Hero Arts Pale Tomato)
MFT Stamps Red Hot (or any red in your stash)

Leaves: 
Ranger Electric Lime
MFT Stamps Green Room

Jar on Daffodil Card: 
Simon Says Stamp Sea Glass
Simon Says Stamp Maliblue

Jar on Red Tulip Card:
Colorbox Seattle Sky

Other Sunny Studio Supplies Used Today:

       

      

Inspiration Week: Introducing Froggy Friends & Turtley Awesome

Hello there!  Welcome to our inspiration week where I share peeks of all the new products from our Spring release debuting in our online store on Friday the 13th.  Also, make sure to check out our giveaway at the bottom of this post.  :)

Up first I have a card using a new set called Froggy Friends (along with tulips from another set being shared later this week).  This set is primarily an everyday set, but it has a couple fun love themed sentiments including the Valentine's Day sentiment to give extra versatility.  I colored my background with distress inks and then heat embossed the sentiment and some pink hearts stamped with pigment inks.

Oh and before I forget, check out those fun eyelashes on the girl frog!  There are two little stamps included that allow you to turn any of the frogs into girly frogs.  So fun!

 


For my next card I wanted to use all the fun companion images from the set to help stage my little scene.  I love the water ripple image that hugs the lily pad to give the appearance the frog just hopped from one pad to another.  I created the waves for my scene using our wavy border dies (which I cut from masking material) and the coordinating wavy images found in our Island Getaway Stamp set.

Up next is a clean and simple card that just makes me smile every time I look at it.  If you're prone to being late with birthday cards, this would be a great card to mass produce because it's fairly simple to make, yet I think it has a big impact.

Here's a peek at the bottom inside the card.  There word "hoppy" is a separate stamp so you can use it to say Hoppy Birthday, You Make Me Hoppy and Hoppy Valentine's Day.  

There's also a little bow tie in the set which I stamped first, masked off and then stamped the frog over the top.  

Up next is a leaping frog using the hopping dashed line.  I think this dashed line will work well with so many other critter stamps.  I'm excited to try it with some other sets.  I completed my scene with a trio of flies from the set.  ;)

Up next is a birthday card which combines Froggy Friends with another new set for Spring called Turtley Awesome.  It's a sweet mini 2x3 set which comes with both a girl and boy turtle, party hat, gift and three different sentiment options.  

I love how Turtley Awesome is tiny, but it packs a big punch with sentiments that work well for several different occasions.  For this birthday card I cut a circle from masking material and built up my scene in the negative space.  I masked off a tree using our Summer Picnic Stamps and then blended the background with Tumbled Glass and Twisted Citron distress inks.  When I was done, I tied on a simple white grosgrain ribbon and stitched around the circle with my sewing machine.

For this Turtley Awesome card, I chose to repeatedly stamp the turtle images onto white cardstock and then filled the open spaces with hearts from the set stamped in red.  I then quickly colored in the hearts with two tones of Copic Markers for some simple shading.

When I started I knew I wanted to color in a single pair of the turtles so I made sure to center them in the middle of my card.  I finished off my card by heat embossing the sentiment with white embossing powder on red cardstock and tying a red grosgrain bow.

Here's a look at the new Froggy Friends 4x6 & Turtley Awesome 2x3 stamps and coordinating dies available for purchase this Friday (click on images to view them larger)...

     

     

I hope you've enjoyed today's sneak peek.  Would you like to win a $25 gift code to our online store to spend on some of the new sets?  Use the rafflecopter below to enter to win.  We will be giving away a new gift code each day for a total of five chances to win!  Contest closes on January 14th at Midnight PST.  Winners will be announced on Sunday, January 15th.  :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure to check back tomorrow when I will be sharing several new sets that I'm hoping you'll fall in love with as much as I have. ;)

Other Sunny Studio Supplies Used Today: