Sunflower Studio

TCP TUESDAY #69 - COLOR CHALLENGE

Jen's up this week with a fun color challenge.  I love it when I'm really challenged to use colors that I wouldn't normally reach for.  Orange is definitely a part of my repertoire but blue?  Not a big one for me.  Thankfully, I had paper in my stash from American Crafts that really lent itself to this combo.  So here goes...

Aaaahhh...a sweltering summer day.  What better way to spend it than in your own little pool like Sprinkle!  I think she's drinking a spot of iced tea and catching a few rays.  In case you were under a rock - or on vacation or something - Sprinkle in her little pool are a part of the newly released FUN IN THE SUN Clearly Swanky stamp set by THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  The "Stay Cool!" sentiment is a part of the BY THE SEA set that was just released as well.  The two sets are must haves and they coordinate perfectly.  I colored my little scene with the Copics and airbrushed the background colors.  I also used some Spellbinder's dies for the large label shape and the circle.  I ran the pink cardstock through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dot folder to add more texture.  (This card didn't have enough going on, huh?)  The buttons are also from TCP in the Candy Sprinkles collection!  The little white sentiment flag - stamped with dark brown ink from Papertrey - sort of disappeared in my picture but you still get the point.

Don't forget to join the TCP design team and create a card using Jen's color combo this week.  Post a link to your card on JEN'S BLOG so that you'll be included in the contest to be this month's SWANKY STAMPER.  Please use keyword TCPTUES69 if you're uploading to SCS or PCP.

A WILD & SPOOKY NIGHT

So...on Monday I posted some new cards using adorable new images by Anna Wight for WHIPPER SNAPPER DESIGNS.  One of my commenters brought to my attention the fact that the witch's little broom was actually turned the wrong way.  OH NO!  She's right!  She's riding it backwards.  Oh dear...well, as my commenter (shellied on SCS) stated, "...but she had to have somewhere to put the blackbird..."  Good point!  But this all made me think about what else I had in my Anna Wight stamp collection that she could ride on.  A COW!  hee hee

The cow jumped over the moon...yea...WITH THE WITCH RIDING IT!  Now THAT would be "a wild & spooky night", right?  The cow is part of the BUNDLE OF JOY set...she's so sweet.  The sentiment is from one of Anna's Halloween sets from last year, SPOOKY EXPRESSIONS, and the witch is from the brand new HALLOWEEN FUN set.  Love, love, love them all...or as Peeves would say, "Potty lurrrves Loony" or something like that.  {Can you tell I'm obsessed with Harry Potter at the moment?}

The buttons here are from Papertrey, Creative Imaginations, and The Cat's Pajamas.  I hand cut the moon and did a little sewing along it's edges.  Oh!  I also helped my mom do a little craft area cleaning yesterday and came home with an excellend pattern tracing wheel.  {An Anna staple, dontcha know!}  I used that on the little sentiment banner with a pinked end.  The patterned papers are by Imaginisce.

TCP NEW RELEASE DAY!

Today's the big day at THE CAT'S PAJAMAS so I wanted to share a few more new samples....

From the BY THE SEA Clearly Swanky stamp set...And, as mentioned yesterday, here's Mermaid Sprinkle!  This started off as kind of a mermaid sitting on the rocks kinda thing.  (Does it remind anyone of one of those Backyardigans episodes?  Yea, me too!)  But with the sentiment, I think it takes on sort of a "come hither" attitude, don't you?  She's a sexy kitty!  The patterned papers here are in the Cosmo Cricket Lil Man collection and I sponged some of the edges with Papertrey's Tea Dye duo ink.  The big ole ribbon is from Jo-Ann's by Offray and I used my Making Memories slot punch to create the slot to slide it through.  The buttons are also from THE CAT'S PAJAMAS.  It's all colored up with Copics and I used the airbrush for the water and sky.

Below is the first card that I made when I sat down to work up my new release samples.  POOCHIE in his beach chair is also from the BY THE SEA set.  For the "S.S. FUN" I used the "Fun in the Sun" sentiment from the FUN IN THE SUN Clearly Swanky stamp set.  I only inked up the letters/words that I needed for the title.  {Another great selling point for those clear stamps!}  Again, all colored up with the Copics.  I airbrushed the sky and sea by tearing a post-it note and using it to mask off different sections.  The card itself is made using the Nestabilities Scalloped circle die and the life preserver is made by using two Nestabilities circle dies at the same time to create the donut.  Don't ya just love his "Club TCP" umbrella!

From the YOU SICK THING set, one of the little penguins is tending to the other.  How cute!  I paper pieced the comforter and the bed and love how those turned out.  All of the patterned papers here are also in the Cosmo Cricket Lil Man collection.  I love their deep colors and patterns!  Aren't these scallops fun too.  This idea came from THIS card by Dawn McVey.  {I'm a stalker of her blog! She's the queen of bold, bright color.}

Don't forget about the blog surf.  You wouldn't want to miss out on the chance to WIN ALL THREE OF THE NEW SETS!   What if you don't win?  Well all three sets are in the current KITTY KAT PACK at a special LOW PRICE!  You'll save $10 when you get all three in the pack!  And, TCP Tuesday is in full swing too.  Get info for both by clicking HERE.

NEW STAMPS FROM THE CAT'S PAJAMAS & BLOG SURF! - PLUS...TCP TUESDAY!

Not only are we round about to TCP TUESDAY again, we're participating in a CAT'S PAJAMAS BLOG SURF to share images from three brand new sets being released on Wednesday, July 22nd.  These fun new clear sets include some revamped old favorite TCP images and some new ones as well.  You'll find a Sprinkle mermaid in the BY THE SEA set and surfing Poochie in the FUN IN THE SUN set along with lots of other must-have images.  The YOU SICK THING set includes all of your favorite Cat's PJs friends so that you can cheer up/buck up/fix up anyone feeling a bit under the weather.  While you're surfing around the blogs, leave a comment on the new release post on each of the TCP design team member's blogs and you'll be entered to win all three new sets!  BONUS, right!

To make it easy peezy, here's the BLOG SURF line up:

Leigh (Me!)
Toni
Jen
Carole
Tracy
Amy
Susan
Ana
Alma

Again...you must leave a comment on each to be entered to win.  Alma will chose a winner on Friday, July 24th at noon and announce that person on her blog.  GOOD LUCK!

As for TCP TUESDAY, we're at an inspiration challenge this week.  The wonderful Toni, who normally takes care of these, is vacationing in Hawaii so I'm filling in.  Our inspiration comes from some colorful graphic fabrics by Waverly that my friend Holly bought to make some beach bags.  (They really turned out cute too!)  I chose to go with the repeat pattern in the one fabric and the stripes of the other.  My patterened paper is by American Crafts and they were part of a coordinating pack so they go together perfectly.  As always, the inspiration that each of us actually get from the photos can differ widely - you might be inspired by the colors, the shapes, the images...whatever.  There's really no wrong interpretation!  {Click on the inspiration graphic to see the images larger.}

I colored up the Floatie Penguin from the BY THE SEA set with my Copics, added a smidge of color with the airbrush, and then layered some Crystal Effects on the float for dimension.  I cut stars - and the oval - using Nestabilities dies.  I ran the orange star through the Cuttlebug in the Swiss Dot folder and then added Snow White ink from Papertrey to match the stars on the patterned paper.  The ribbon here is by Offray - although, Alma's got some more NEW ribbon that goes with these new sets - and the buttons are new at TCP too in the CANDY SPRINKLES collection.

In all of the new release excitement, don't forget to create a card for TCP TUESDAY.  Leave me a link to your creation here by midnight eastern time on Saturday, July 25th to be entered into this month's SWANKY STAMPER competition.  If you're uploading to Splitcoast or PCP, please use keyword TCPTUES68 so that we can find everyone in one place.

SURFING, ANYONE?!

Details coming on TCP Tuesday!

WHIPPER SNAPPER NEW RELEASE

I AM SUCH A LUCKY DUCK!  I was asked...again...to be a Featured Designer for ANNA WIGHT'S new sets from WHIPPER SNAPPER DESIGNS.  Not only am I sooo honored to be asked to be a part of Anna's team, I am thrilled to support someone that I am inspired by daily.  And I'm doubly lucky since one of the new release sets is a Halloween set and the other is a Western set...two of my very favorite themes in the whole wide world!  So, I present to you...HALLOWEEN FUN and COWGIRL UP!  AVAILABLE TODAY!

HALLOWEEN FUN

I'm a freak for Halloween...there, I said it out loud.  Well, if you've visited my blog before then you probably remember that from last year.  I can't help it!  I love Halloween images and you just can't go wrong with a cute little witch and all of her accoutrements in my book!  Here she's looking like Elphaba, right?! (Anybody see Wicked?  That is an awesome show...see it!)  My witchypoo is winging her way across a bright orange Halloween moon along with her little birdie friend.  I added some swirling wind by doing a little embroidery floss stitching.  The patterned papers are by Basic Grey (moon) and My Mind's Eye (background).

{*Click on the image above to see a larger picture of this set.*}

And then there's this one...from my warped mind!  For whatever reason, the idea for drunken frogs popped into my mind when I was thiking about my card design ideas for this set.  These froggies have definitely "brewed up some fun"...maybe a little TOO MUCH!  All but one are down for the count and they've gone and thrown their bottles right into the kettle too.  Some people just can not handle the hard stuff!!

COWGIRL UP!

Jeesh!  How could you even think of resisting these?!  The COWGIRL UP! set includes the cutest little lady and a bunch of really fun images and sentiments to go along with.  I especially loved her cherry pie and the "I sure hope you like it!" sentiment.  Check out her knobby little knees....ack!...they crack me up!  The patterned paper on this one is in the Cosmo Cricket Everafter collection.  I added a bunch of vintage buttons across the top...really, vintage!  I bought them at the antique store!

{*Click on the image to the left to see a larger picture of the set.*}

Wanna see more?!  If you head on over to ANNA's BLOG you'll see her amazing cards - WOW! - and a list of the new design team members.  You can visit each of them from there OR you can go right on over to SPLITCOAST STAMPERS and enter WSFD into the search feature of the gallery to be taken right to a whole page of cards using these new sets.  I'll make it easy...click -->>HERE<<--.

SUINK - WEEKEND SALE!

ALL 4x6 STAMP SETS ARE 33% OFF THIS WEEKEND ONLY

Yep, that's right... in keeping with their birthday celebration, STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! is offering a 33% discount on ALL 4x6 stamp sets this weekend only.  Some sets have limited quantities left so hurry up and order somethin'!

Yep, that's right... in keeping with their birthday celebration, STORAGE UNITS, INK & MORE! is offering a 33% discount on ALL 4x6 stamp sets this weekend only.  Some sets have limited quantities left so hurry up and order somethin'!

CAUGHT UP IN THE FRENZY?

Did anyone else get caught up in the frenzy of those new Copic Marker colors last week?  I mean, I got an email a few weeks ago from my LSS and they were taking preorders for the 12 new markers but they weren't even supposed to arrive until late summer at the earliest.  I decided to resist.  I'd wait until they weren't new anymore and get them then.  "What's the hurry, right?"  That's what I said to myself. 

THEN, last week, more emails...this time from ELLEN HUTSON's store and from ECLECTIC PAPERIE.  Jeesh...those daggone markers were in NOW!  LIMITED SUPPLY!  Could I really resist?  I had them in my cart and then I'd walk away.  But then it looked like they might already be gone...ALL SOLD OUT...at one of these places.  The frenzy took hold of me.  I had to order...AND NOW!  Did I get the best price?  Um...maybe not.  But I do have to say that when I got home from my vacation my special package from EP was right there in the mailbox.  YES!  NEW MARKERS IN MY HOT LITTLE HANDS!  (And did you notice that I couldn't resist the new Basic Grey paper pads too?!  I've got a lot of problems....sheesh!)

GNOME WISHES

Here's a birthday card the I whipped up this weekend for my mom.  And when I say "whipped up" I mean that it took me ALL day to make it.  Ha!  It was another of those never ending projects but I'm thrilled with the way it turned out!

When you start with great images you really can't go wrong.  This adorable guy is from the FOREST FRIENDZY set in The Kim Hughes Collection at Cornish Heritage Farms.  (I purchased my set from ELLEN HUTSON LLC.)  I picked up a few of Kim's sets a while back but haven't had a chance, until now, to ink 'em up.

The other day I read a blog post where the stamper detailed the creative process for her card.  I wondered how that would look for this card so here goes...

•  stamp gnome and mask to stamp grass and clouds
• airbrush grass and sky - masking where necessary
• color image with Copics - use Copic multiliner and white gel pen to give him plaid pants - draw circles on his hat - use Copic blender to "lift" color off of clouds and bring them back to "white"
• mat gnome with Chocolate Chip SU! cardstock
• create green mat with Papertrey Leaf Green cardstock
• using Anywhere Hole Punch and three different sized tips - punch frame and mat to gnome layer
• stamp "wood" strip with wood background stamp from All Night Media and French Roast dye ink from SUINK - layer with green cs
• adhere framed stamp layer to wood layer to card front with foam tape
• layer buttons and tie with button twine to stamped sentiment banner

Et voila...you're done!  See how easy that was?!  Now I'm wondering why it took me all day...could have been the nap that I had in the middle....

BIG SALE AT THE CAT'S PAJAMAS!