Hello Bluebird | Memorial Banner

Hello friends!  I have a card to share with you today that I created for Memorial Day this past Monday.  We are a military family.  Service to country runs deep on both sides.  From WWII through the war in the Middle East our family members have served proudly.   While crafting this card I thought about the fields of crosses in Verdun, France that seemed to go on forever, and the graves of Arlington, Virginia where friends and colleagues lay.   I don't think there is a family in our country that doesn't have a story of service in their family.  So today I honor them.  Those who put the comforts of home and love of family aside to protect the freedoms we hold so dear.

A Memorial Banner of Red, White, and Blue

This new card uses a number of different Hello Bluebird sets.  I began by scoring the foundation panel of Neenah Solar White card stock (80lb) on the diagonal.  This is nice way to provide interest to a CAS design.   For the base of the floral spray I used the very popular, Vertical Banner die from the Banner Buddies release.  Flowers and leaves were both stamped and die cut using the following sets:  Flower Garden and Wildflower Bouquet and the Wildflower Bouquet companion die,   The large leaves were die cut using Gallery Frame #2 and the stars were die cut from Gallery Frame #1   I trimmed the foundation panel with a gold leaf pen, and both panel and the floral banner were adhered to the card base with fun foam.

I hope you've been inspired by my card and words today.   It is a small offering from heart and hand.    The stamp and die sets I've shared today can be found on the Hello Bluebird web site and are waiting for you!

On Monday I posted these words from Thomas Pain:

"These are the times that try men's souls."    Written during the darkest hours of our nations struggle for liberty.    A struggle that brought Gen. George Washington humbly to his knees in prayer.   Surely a country had never paid such a high cost for freedom as this...   Our founding fathers knew the cost.   The struggle against tyranny and oppression will always cause suffering and pain - this we know. 

But the desire for freedom is greater.

Remembering

  

Penny Black | Full Bloom

Hello Penny Black friends!

I have been a busy gal lately but never to busy to sit for a while on the front porch and talk with friends!   I have several cards to share with you today from the newest Penny Black release, Full Bloom.   So, let's get a glass of sweet tea and take a look!

I am besotted with the mini transparent sets.  I teasingly refer to them as only 100 calories so you can indulge to your hearts content - no additional weight gain with these adorable sets.   Some of the mini transparent sets have companion cut out dies available so don't miss out on those - such a big help!

When my children were young I read children's poetry to them (as well as classic stories).  One of their favorites to this day is: The Jumblies by Edward Lear.   I loved the mini set, Friendship #30-566 because it reminded me of the Edward Lear poem.  

This is a mini set that has a companion die to match - yay!   I sponged some clouds with Ranger Distress Inks and used my Copics to create some sea green waves by just swiping across a panel of 80 lb Neenah Solar White card stock the same dimensions as my focal panel.   Then I took my trusty scissors and snipped 5 sets of waves.  The wonderful thing about these mini sets -- sentiments are included!  I call that, "value added!"  The sentiment is stamped on the first wave and adhered with a little adhesive being careful to leave room to slip in the main focal image.   All images were colored with Copic marker.   The companion die set, Friendship Cut Out #51-540  includes the sunshine die.

How cute are these guys?!  A boat full of friends indeed!

My second card is just as sweet.  Another mini transparent set called, Beautiful Day  #30-576  This little fairy can be used to create so many card themes, Birthday, Mother's Day, Hello friend.   She comes with a sentiment too!  Enjoy your Special Day  How perfect is that sentiment?! 

For my card, I decided to use the sentiment from one of my favorite sets, Forever and Always #30-401   Do you like the look of the new, trendy slimline card style?   I think they're perfect for scene building and lengthier sentiments.  Today I masked off a section of watercolor card stock with blue painters tape and dropped in some blues and lavender watercolor for the background.   My little fairy is colored with Copic marker, hand trimmed, and popped up with dimensional adhesive tape.  The focal panel is 3 x 8 which gives a nice quarter inch space once it's placed on the 3.5 x 8.5 card base.

Hey, what’s the buzz?! It’s this darling mini transparent set from the @pennyblackstamps Full Bloom Release called, A Secret - item 30-568 I’ve paired this sweet missy with Hearts Galore, item 51-492; Elegant Stitching, item 51-440 and a nice little sentiment from Nature’s Wishes, item 30-109.   This sweet missy is darling and a dream to color!

My next cards are more classic and feminine in style.  I can't go to long before the need to watercolor calls my name.  And, Tombow Dual Brush Markers and Ranger Distress Inks are a prefect match with Penny Black stamp sets.   Another beautiful mini set, Bunches for You #30-570, brings back the romance of love letters filled with pressed flowers and lavender *sigh* 

I stamped the image with Ranger Distress Ink (Antique Linen) and watercolored with my Tombow Dual Brush Markers.  Before hand trimming and edging with a gold leaf pen, I stamped with my favorite background stamp, Script #40-470 over the envelope to add some vintage interest.   The image is ready to adhere to a dark navy blue panel of card stock, which was die-cut with the lovely Elegant Stitching nested frames #51-440  The focal panel was then raised on a lavender card base.  The sentiment, So Very Much #30-269, is embossed in white.  Sliver thread and small iridescent lavender jewels finish the card.

My next and last card for this post uses a beautiful Slapstick set, Youthful #40-684, Script #40-470, Eloquence #30-162, and Whisper #80-008

Whimsical, Elegant and Classic - Penny Black Stamps has it all in the Full Bloom release.   I hope you've seen something that speaks to your creative heart!

Thank you so much for visiting and I'll you soon

Hello Bluebird | Fly a Kite with Susie

“It’s delightful when your imaginations come true, isn’t it?”

― L.M. Montgomery, Ann of Green Gables

Hello Bluebird friends!    I’m on the Hello Bluebird Blog to share a card I’ve created with one of the newest Hello Bluebird April 2019 release sets, Fly a Kite.  It is delightful when one can imagine the childlike characters of the forest flying a kite together isn’t it?   Recently, I’ve been talking to my blog friends about mediums and styles.  Today I am sharing my love of building scenes and adding patterned paper to create a happy, and whimsical scene.   Let's take a walk together to the Hello Bluebird Blog and talk patterned papers and the different design style it can bring to your card.

The magical world of make believe and the characters that live in it.  The Hello Bluebird April 2019 Release provides the beauty of the imageable!

Queen & Company | Shaped Shaker Card Kits

Queen & Company

Window Shaped Shaker Set

Hello friends!  Welcome to my front porch today as we talk about creating shaker cards.

I will be the first to say that I have always believed myself to be shaker card challenged (she laughs).  No longer my friends.  Why?  The wonderful shaker card kits from Queen & Company!

Queen & Co Specialty kits are all inclusive kits which often include dies, shaker foam accents, toppings, bling, twine, stamps and stickers.   It's very easy to create 10 cards with just one kit. 

I was amazed at how easy it was to create a sweet window shaker card using the kit I was sent.  And as the statement above states, everything I needed to create the card was included.   How sweet is this little window scene?!  A perfect window setting for a craft room (she smiles).

The Window Shaker Kit includes the following:

(4) Steel Dies (9) Self-Adhesive Foam Shaker Shapes (9) Matching Acetate Covers (1) 3x4 Clear Stamp Set

Patterned Papers and embellishments galore!  I used the Bling Flowers in Pink,  Jelly Gems Topping Set, and the 6x6 Dots Paper Pad

Card kits are a wonderful tool for the busy crafter.  And with so many kits available you're sure to find one that suits your crafty needs.

I'll see you back on the front porch in a couple of days with another Queen & Company Window Shaker card

Thank you stopping by for a visit

Hello Bluebird | Fairy Garden & Garden Friends

In the far away land of make believe

Where fairies dance

And ladybugs swing
 Under golden light
 As bluebells chime to their delight

And the whirl-about goes round!

Hello dear bluebird friends, welcome to my front porch!

Did you have a wonderful and blessed Easter?

We are settling back into a routine after having guests for the weekend.

Last week we talked a little about mediums and styles.  This week I thought it might be nice to settle back and take a look at a card creation that incorporates both - patterned paper, copic marker AND two stamp sets that bring the magical land of make believe to life.

I cannot take a walk through the gardens of Middleton or Magnolia without seeing fairies (she smiles).  You might say, "Oh Susie, how can that be?"  Well, when you see bald cypress knees grouped together as if they were extended family, or petite blossoms growing along the waters edge, and hanging moss that looks like a long grey beard, it's difficult not to believe.  It's easy to envision the scene above.   And that's just what I did.

The beautifully illustrated stamps sets, Fairy Garden and Garden Friends from Hello Bluebird are meant to interact together, and scaled to do so.

I started this card by cutting patterned paper with the Grassy Knoll stand alone die.  I color-tipped the ends of the grass with a darker green from my Copic marker to provide contrast against the light blue patterned paper of the sky.  If you look close you'll see slight pink wisps of color that are part of the patterned paper design.  I deepened the pink a little more with my Polychromos pencil.

Then I began to build my scene with style!  The toadstool from Garden Friends was the perfect center element for a magical merry go round.  Can you imagine how much fun that would be in the land of make believe?!  I pierced the toadstool in three locations.   A little strip of woodgrain patterned paper snipped into a tiny rectangles became the swing seat for our little ladybugs to stand on.  And embroidery thread their handlebars.  I shortened the right side to give the appearance of swinging upward and the left a little lower as they whirl about.

Bluebells from Fairy Garden shimmer in golden light and play their magical tune as the butterfly from Garden Friends looks on, and the snail glides along the forest floor.  All the stamped images were colored with Copic markers.  Some were adhered flat, while others with adhesive mounting tape to give depth and dimension.  A peek through a grassy field of bluebells on a sunny day, where ladybugs play to the delight of their garden friends.

   What lies beneath black waters still and deep where gossamer wings doth fly? Sentinels of bald cypress knees keep watch by day and twilight casts last light as fairies dance and play.

I hope you've been inspired to create with imagination in mind as you step into the land of make believe with Hello Bluebird Stamps.

Hello Bluebird| Preview Day 4 | Fly a Kite

RELEASE DAY!

Fly a Kite

Hello Bluebird friends!  Welcome to my front porch, and day 4 of the the new April release previews which will culminate tonight April 16th at 7:00pm MST when the release goes live on the Hello Bluebird Stamps website.

Release day is here!    I am amazed I am almost through my first release as a "Bluebird" I'm still pinching myself.   But, I have several more cards to share with you this month - so let's talk.  I've been using Copics as my "medium" for all of the cards this month, including this one.  But, style is an entirely different animal, err, character (she smiles).   Today's card is a CAS design with an inked blended background.  It is a simple, but effective way to feature the principle element by framing it with other images or playing off a sentiment(s) and leaving a balanced white space.

For my card today I am using the new release set, Fly a Kite.  I loved coloring these adorable illustrations turned stamps.  Early in my stamping journey I wanted to give voice to the card designs I was creating.  Building scenes and story lines is a prefect way to accomplish that goal.

Life is Better with Friends is one of the sentiments included in the Fly a Kite set.  And it is the foundation for my CAS design.  Look at the interaction between the little bee and the fox - friendship is implied between the two by the sweet smile on the face of the fox.  The rest of the group help by surrounding the CAS design in the photo staging.  The card begins to tell a simple story on and off the card.

In the months ahead you'll see me use different mediums and styles and hopefully you'll be inspired to join the fun -- We can do this together! 

The new April 2019 Release will be available for purchase tonight at 7:00pm MST  Don't miss out, this release is going to go fast.

Hello Bluebird Stamps + Your Imagination = Inspiration

 Because Life is Better with Friends!

As always, thank you for joining me today.  And I'll see you soon.

  

Hello Bluebird | Preview Day 3 | Unicorn Tales

Unicorn Tales, Sparkle Script, 

After the Rain Scene Die

Hello Bluebird friends!  Welcome to my front porch, and day 3 of the the new April release previews which will culminate on the evening of April 16th at 7:00pm MST when the release goes live on the Hello Bluebird Stamps website.

Let's start this Monday off right with a cup of coffee while we talk and take a look at todays sweet offering.

Unicorns, Sparkle Script and After the Rain Scene Die - Wow!  This card is all about feminine sparkle and playtime fun with a magical unicorn rocking horse!  Glittering stars slide down rainbows made of polka dot pattern paper.   Tiny golden stars adorn a pastel bokeh background.  Add a rose gold embossed sentiment and you have a card fit for a princess!

I decided to use the "Sparkle and Shine' sentiment and embossed it in rose gold embossing powder.   This card almost has a faux shaker card feel doesn't it?  I cut a 4.25 x 5.5 panel from Neenah Solar White card stock 80lb and used my ink blending sponge (very lightly) to create a bokeh effect.  I gently buffed the circles with a soft tissue and placed the tiny stars randomly.  Believe it or not, I was able to lay a piece of acetate over the top without glueing those tiny stars down.  The static electricity held them in place perfectly.  I cut the polka dot pattern paper using the After the Rain Scene die and inlaid the pieces - a perfect fit!  The only thing left was to place my little unicorn rocking horse at the end of the rainbow with adhesive mounting tape.   What sweeter way to give a new look to a unicorn than to add a rocker underneath!   Easy peasy - just cut down a small circle die and angel it a bit on the ends.   My unicorn is colored with Copic markers and die cut using the coordinating dies available for the Unicorn Tales set.   A little stardust glitter down the mane finishes the card.   What type of card would you create with this new release set?  Birthday, Welcome Baby, Party favors, or maybe an invitation for a girlie day at the Spa!

Hello Bluebird Stamps + Your Imagination = Magical!

I'll be back tomorrow for Preview Day 4.    I hope you've enjoyed our time together as we took a look at the new April release stamp set, Unicorn Tales, Sparkle Script, and After the Rain Die from Hello Bluebird Stamps.   Be sure to check out all of the Design Team cards on Instagram, and don't forget the release culminates on April 16th at 7:00pm when all products will be available on the  Hello Bluebird Stamps website.  As always it's a pleasure to have you visit today.