Stampin' Mama: A mama that stamps

Bleach Wash, Fall colors and True Friend....oh my!

I promise that this will be the last card with fall colors for at least a few days. ;) The colors here in northern Vermont are changing and I can see some of them from my window above my craft desk, so it has me in the mood for using colors like rust, mustard and olive.

Even though you see mustard on this card, I didn't actually use any mustard cardstock.

The look of the mustard color came from using a bleach wash on this card. I really am in love with this technique and I especially love it with the True Friend set in the Holiday Mini Collection catalog. The fall colors just complete it. To be honest, I wasn't going for a fall look....it's just that the colors and designs work together so well to give it a bohemian look. I just can't get over how much these colors and designs remind me of Moroccan and Turkish henna designs.

The bleach wash technique is really easy to do and you'll never get the same results twice. I created a Tutorial not that long ago to show you how to do it. You can see that tutorial by clicking here ---> Bleach Wash Tutorial  There's some links at the bottom of the tutorial to show you some of the other cards that I've done using this technique.

I popped up the greeting with pop-dots for some extra dimension. For some added texture, I used my distressing tool from the Cutter kit on the Old Olive cardstock and the patterned paper (the Apple Cider pack of Designer Series paper).

Tomorrow, I promise to have a card using a different color scheme and a different set. ;) But I just might STILL play with this set anyway and save the card I make for a later date.

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

Supplies:

Stamps: True Friend and Sincere Salutations (both Stampin' UP); Cardstock: Old Olive, Really Rust; Apple Cider patterned paper; Versamark ink; Clear embossing powder; embossing gun; bleach; flat wide paint brush; distressing tool from the Cutter Kit; pop-dots; Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon

"Stamp Class in your Inbox"

As promised, I've just uploaded a new page on my blog with pictures and descriptions of the classes that I have available to those that live far away and can't come to them....or even those that DO live close by and can't come to them.

I've been offering my classes in the  "Stamp Class in your Inbox" format since April and it's been a HUGE hit.

If you're familiar with the Stampin' Mama Tutorial Program, then you know all about how I put my tutorials together. The "Stamp Class in your Inbox" is set up the same way, except that you get 4 GREAT PROJECTS IN ONE EMAIL!

You can click on over to read more information about these classes by clicking here: ---> "Stamp Class in your Inbox" or by going to the little side bar category: Awesome Upcoming Events

It's right under my picture, below the little mailing list sign-up box... near the top of my blog.

Also, to make sure that you never miss out on any of the fun stuff that I have going on outside of my blog, make sure you sign up to be on my mailing list (not to be confused with the FeedBlitz email updates that come when I update my blog).

You can find the little sign up box right under my picture, at the top of my blog, where it says, "Join My Mailing List."

I sent out newsletters, tips, techniques, etc. I let you know of company specials and promotions, as well as my own promotions. I also keep you up to date with all that's going on with the Tutorial Program, classes, events and more.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

My 300th post.....and some extra tidbits

Wow.....Time sure has gotten away from me today. I had planned to answer some of your questions and have part of that post finished, but it's not quite ready to put up yet. I have a few more things to add to it, so I apologize that you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see it.

Also, tomorrow is Friday.......and you know what that means! Another "Groovy Give-Away Friday" will be here! Have a mop handy because I think you just might pee your pants when you see what I have up for grabs! I was totally JAZZED when I realized what I could give away for this give-away! You're going to LOVE IT!

I just realized that this is my 300th post! WOW! (and I started this blog only 13 months ago.....I must talk a lot! heehee)

In the meantime, I wanted to post a couple of pictures of something I got in the mail last week! I was so excited to open the envelope and pull this out!

Remember the Gift Card Tutorial that I created for all of you? Well, Joyce Taylor from Ontario, Canada, sent me HER version of the gift card holder! She used the same color scheme, but just changed out the stamp set and a couple of the accessories. Isn't this adorable? I love how this looks with this stamp set!

Thank you, Joyce, for this wonderful surprise in my mail box!

If you're interested in making one of these Gift Card Holders, you can click on over to here ----> Gift Card Holder Tutorial and download the pdf file that I created with a full step-by-step, full color tutorial that will walk you through this project from start to finish and also includes a full supply list to create the project.

Make sure you come back in the morning for "Groovy Give-Away Friday!"

Have a wonderful night!

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

Covering Chipboard .....a Tutorial

My recent post for the Friday Groovy Give-Away had you asking questions of me. Well, the first one that I had intended to answer for today was also the one the winner that got pulled out of the hat today. Talk about bizarre!

The question asked was to show how to cover chipboard. This is SO incredibly easy, so I created a step-by-step tutorial to show you how you can do it all by yourself!Trust me....it isn't hard. :)

I had no idea, until I ran the pictures through my resizer and watermarker,that this tutorial includes 23 pictures! Part of the reason is because I wanted to show you how to cover a piece of solid chipboard with patterned paper, as well as how to cover a piece of chipboard with a negative space inside of it with regular cardstock and then how to embellish on top of that.

***As always, you can click on any of the pictures to have a larger view pop up.***

Enjoy! And don't hesitate to ask questions.

Covering a solid piece of chipboard with patterned paper

Supplies:

* Patterned paper of your choice (I used the striped side of one of the papers in the new "Apple Cider" pack, which comes out in the new Holiday Mini Catalog on Sept. 1st)
* Piece of chipboard (I used a 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch rectangle from Bazzill Chips)
* Scissors
* SNAIL adhesive (aka: Mono Adhesive)
* Fine grade sandpaper

Step 1: Apply a thorough coating of adhesive over the entire surface of the "right side" of the chipboard. You'll notice that one side of most chipboard pieces are completely flat, while the other side has a little bit of curved edges. The curved edge side is the "right" side of the chipboard.
   

Step 2: Place the "right side" of the chipboard face down on the "wrong side" of the patterned paper (meaning: if you chose Double sided paper, place the chipboard on the side of the paper you DON'T want to see). I like to put the edges of the chipboard right along the edges of the paper so that it's less cutting to do in the next step, as well as less paper waste.

Step 3: Use a pair of scissors to cut he paper around the edges of the chipboard. Try to get as close as you can.

Here's a view of the front of the chipboard after I cut it out.

Step 4: Use a piece of fine-grade sandpaper to sand the edges of the paper flush with the edges of the chipboard.

Here's a view of the flush sanded edges.

The finished chipboard piece. I really like how the sandpaper gives the edges a little bit of a roughed-up and distressed look. Of course, I love that look anyhow, so I usually go in a little farther on the paper to make it look this way on purpose.

Covering a piece of chipboard with a negative space with regular cardstock and embellishing on top of that

Supplies:

* Cardstock (I used Summer Sun)
* Piece of chipboard (I used a circle with a punched out star from Making Memories)
* Scissors
* SNAIL adhesive (aka: Mono Adhesive)
* Fine grade sandpaper
* Ruby Red ink
* Stamping Sponge
* 2-Way Glue Pen
* Dazzling Diamonds glitter
* Hobby blade and Cutting Mat

Step 1: Apply adhesive to the entire surface of the "right side" of the chipboard circle.

Step 2: Place the chipboard circle on the Summer Sun cardstock, adhesive side down.

Step 3: Use your scissors to trim around the outside of the chipboard, getting as close as you can to the chipboard.

Step 4: Place the chipboard onto a cutting mat and use your Hobby Blade to cut along the inside edges of the star inside the chipboard, being careful not to cut into the chipboard.

Step 5: Pop out the star that you cut with your Hobby Blade.

Step 6: Use fine-grade sandpaper to sand around the outside edges of the circle, as well as the inside edges of the star.


Step 7: Ink up a stamping sponge with Ruby Red ink and sponge around the outside edge of the circle, as well as the inside edges of the star.

Step 8: To embellish the chipboard further, apply some 2-Way Glue to the chipboard in different designs.

Step 9: Sprinkle Dazzling Diamonds glitter over the chipboard, shake off the excess and pour it back into the container. Give the chipboard a good "flick" to get any "clingy" glitter off the chipboard.

Here's a card I made using the finished piece of chipboard:

I used the Make-a-Wish stamp set by GinaK Designs for this card. I am just IN LOVE with the star burst stamp in this set. And for those of you that are fairly new to my blog, the Make-a-Wish set is a fantastic 10 piece set that benefits the Make-a-Wish Foundation.....$7 from each set sold goes directly to the Foundation and helps to grant wishes to children with terminal illnesses.

I used some red crafting wire to go along with the Ruby Red ink I sponged on my Summer Sun cardstock and it tied in really well to the starbursts going on all over the card. The Ruby Red sponged onto the Summer Sun cardstock really helps to warm things up a bit.

I added little dots of glitter because....well.......I just LOVE glitter and you can never go wrong with glitter when it involves stars and starbursts.

I use my circle cutter to cut out a Ruby Red circle to mount the chipboard on top of. Glue Dots work really well for mounting chipboard. Because I had the wire across my card, I used the Pop-Up Glue Dots to attach the finished chipboard/Ruby Red base to the card. This also helped to give a little more dimension to the chipboard.

I hope this helps to answer some of your questions about covering chipboard. To cover larger pieces, just do it on a larger scale and follow the same basic steps.

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

Bleach Wash Tutorial

After I posted my last 3 cards using a "bleach wash," I got a lot of emails and some comments asking if I could explain this technique a little more.

Yesterday, I took pictures to create a tutorial to show you how easy this is.

First off, all cardstocks are going to turn SOME kind of color when you add bleach to it. You should do a small swatch test on your cardstock when designing a card to make sure that the colors your cardstock turn will work well together for a finished project.

Or......if you're like me, you can just experiment and hope it turns out to be something cool in the end. ;)

For this card here, I chose my colors and liked the way they looked together before I put bleach to them. I hadn't yet bleached any of these colors out before, so I took the chance that they would still work together. I really like how the finished product turned out.

The colors that I started with are the new Bayou Blue and Wild Wasabi, along with Pumpkin Pie. The only places on the cardstock that you can that still retained these original colors is where the images were stamped. At first I wasn't sure about the colors when I was doing each of the cardstocks, but when I put them all together, I thought they looked pretty cool. I wasn't sure if I was gonna love or hate it, but wow! I love it!

So........what you'll need for this technique is:

* stamps (I used the Doodle This set and the Wonderful Words set)
* colored cardstock
* Versmark ink
* clear embossing powder
* embossing gun
* wide flat paint brush
* bleach (NOT the bleach gel, but straight bleach)
* small paper cup (Dixie cups work well)

Step 1:

Stamp your image on your cardstock with Versamark ink.

I stamped the long doodle stamp on the Bayou Blue cardbase, the large flower on the Pumpkin Pie cardstock and the "friends" image on the Wild Wasabi cardstock.

I did all my stamping at once for this project and then went to the next step.

The Versamark ink is sticky, but it will soak into your cardstock if you let it sit too long and then it won't hold the embossing powder. I worked pretty quick so I didn't have to worry about that with this card.

Step 2:Sprinkle clear embossing powder on the images, shake off the excess and pour it back into the container.

 

Step 3:

Heat the images with your heat gun until the images turn to a shiny liquid and rise. Let the images cool.

Step 4:

Pour some bleach into a small cup. I like to use the little Dixie cups that you use in the bathroom because they're small and I throw them into the recycle bin after use.

Use a wide flat paint brush to pick up a generous amount of bleach from the cup.

Step 5:

Apply a generous amount of bleach directly to the cardstock in small areas. Pick up some more bleach and apply again. Keep doing this until you have all of the cardstock covered.

The key to doing the bleach wash is to keep dipping into the bleach and keep applying. Bleach burns off quickly, so you'll find that if you try to use the same "dip" from the cup to cover a large area after more than 5 or 6 seconds, it won't have the same strength as it would if you applied it directly from the cup.

Here's a view of the finished "bleach washed" cardstock. Some of my bleach "pooled" in areas and those spots bleached out even lighter than the others. Because the stamped images were sealed with clear embossing powder, the original color of the cardstock was retained and pops through the bleached areas around it.

If you want some of the areas to bleach out a little lighter, you can also dry it with your embossing gun. If you want, you can even go over some areas with a little more bleach after the first application has dried and then dry it with an embossing gun. You'll get even more of a contrast.

You can see here on the close-up of the greeting that I applied a little more bleach to the cardstock and dried it with the embossing gun to create some more contrast and visual interest.

When I adhered the bleached pieces to another piece of cardstock (to have them matted), I realized that they really didn't look quite right because the color was just so bold. So, I picked up some bleach with my paint brush, but I knocked as much off as I could and then swiped it across the outside edges of the cardstock (Wild Wasabi was what I used for the mat behind the flower and Pumpkin Pie was what I used for the mat behind the greeting). By doing this, I only touched random areas of the cardstock, so some of the color remained, but some of it was bleached out. This brought in some of the color from the embossed images, but also some of the bleached look from the embossed pieces.

Here's a quick shot, again, of the finished card (so that you don't have to scroll all the way back up again.

I added a piece of black gingham ribbon around the greeting in a double knot as the finishing touch. It was a nice bold touch to give a bit of contrast to the bleach wash.

And here are the links to the other "bleach wash" cards I created:

* True Friend card
* Be happy card 
* Thank U card

Hope you all enjoyed this and learned something new. It's a lot of fun to experiment with different colors and see how they all mix and match.

Let me know if you have any questions about it.

Have a lovely weekend!

Happy Creating

-Stampin' Mama

Watercoloring......a mini tutorial

Yesterday was our 10th wedding anniversary and I wanted to make a special card for my Davy. Something that would have our personalities show through. I love the couple stamp image from the Summer by the Sea stamp set. And the word stamp from this set was perfect for an anniversary card.

I love to watercolor and this stamp set lends itself SO well to watercoloring.

I've gotten quite a few emails asking how I watercolor, what stamp pad I use to get a clean and crisp image, etc.

I decided to do a little mini tutorial to walk you through the stages of my watercoloring process. Everyone does their's differently, but at least you'll be able to see how I do mine.

First off, I go back and forth between using the Classic Ink pads and the Watercolor Wonder Crayons for my watercoloring. They each give a little differently of a look. It's not that I like one over the other, it just really depends on the mood I'm in. For this card, I used the Watercolor Wonder Crayons.

I started off with a Creamy Caramel card and swiped it with my Creamy Caramel ink pad. I just ADORE this look.

Then I cut a piece of watercolor paper and stamped the image with my new favorite permanent black ink pad.....the Palette Hybrid Black ink pad. I have found this pad works the BEST for watercoloring. It doesn't bleed and it creates a very vibrant and crisp image. I used to use the Basic Black pad (Stampin' UP) for watercoloring and then the Jet Black Staz-On, but I'm finding that they just aren't as permanent as I like, or they just don't give me that crisp, vibrant image that I'm looking for. The Palette Hybrid pad works the best for me. When using watercolor paper, though, you have some texture on the paper and to get the crisp image, I just make sure to give some hard, even pressure when I stamp the image onto the paper. This pad hasn't failed me yet.

After I stamp the image on the cardstock, I let it sit for a few minutes. This gives the ink time to settle into the paper and dry.

Then I start adding color with my  Watercolor Wonder Crayons. I don't completely color the images. I usually follow the lines of the image, the creases, the shadowed areas, etc. This is where the colors run a little darker when you look at things in real life. I go a little heavier on the ink in these spots, since I'll be using that color to "pull" from when I start the watercoloring process.

For the sunset in the background, I went lightly over the area with the crayons, since I didn't want the sunset to be too bold, but just soft and subtle in the background.

(You can click on ANY of these pictures to bring up a window with a larger view. This will help to see the details even better.)

I use a small watercolor brush so that I can work with the detail easier. Some people swear by the Aqua Painters, and while I like those for some techniques, when it comes to watercoloring, I'm a brush type of girl. I've loved to paint since I was a wee girl and getting a new paintbrush was almost like winning the lottery at that young of an age.   

I wet my brush just a little and start by getting the crayon  marking really wet. When I've gotten the color wet and fluid, then I start to "pull" the color towards the white areas. This helps to leave most of the heavy shading towards the edges and bring in a lighter shade of the color to fill in the white area.

And yes, I really do use little Disney paper cups for watercoloring. Every once in a while, I feel generous and let me kids use some for juice. ;) They're really great for quick watercoloring and they're easily thrown into the recycling bin after I'm done with them. I like that they're small and convenient and there's not a lot of water in them if I do happen to knock one over (though I try really hard not to do that......you'd be surprised how much of a klutz I can be sometimes). And.......the best thing about those little cups is that you never know which one you're going to get when you pull one off of the stack! It's a surprise every time! :)

This picture shows the shirt completed.

It also shows a close up of starting the watercoloring on the jeans. You can see how I get the blue crayon on the jeans started and blended before I start pulling the color towards the white area. By doing this, it takes away the harsh crayon line.

I always keep a paper towel handy when I'm watercoloring....not just because I'm a klutz and I might spill the water, but also just in case I get a little more water on the watercolor paper than I really wanted. I use a corner of the paper towel and VERY lightly touch it to the extra water and it soaks it up without worrying about bleeding the color into another area or having a splotchy look on the paper.

Here's a close up of the finished jeans.

I repeated these steps for each area I needed to watercolor, except for the sky.

For the sky, I started at the top of the paper with a REALLY wet brush and blended the crayon with the water in an ovular motion. As I did this, I worked my way down the cardstock, blending the colors together. This process gave the sunset a cohesiveness....it looks like each color bleeds right into each other. There's no line break in the colors.

After the watercolor paper was dry, I mounted it on a piece of Apricot Appeal cardstock, which I lightly swiped around the edges with Creamy Caramel. This got mounted on top of a piece of Pretty in Pink cardstock, which I also lightly swiped with the Creamy Caramel ink pad.

I mounted this on top of the Creamy Caramel card front.

I used my Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker to ink the first two lines of the greeting and stamped that in the upper left corner of the watercolor paper. I cleaned off the stamp REALLY well and then inked up the third line of the greeting stamp and stamped it on a scrap of Pretty in Pink cardstock. I then trimmed down the Pretty in Pink cardstock (which I swiped with Creamy Caramel cardstock) so that it would fit under the small metal frame from the Antique Brass Hodgepodge Hardware. I adhered this to the card in the bottom right corner.

Before I put the Antique Brass brads (also from the Hodgepodge Hardware kit) in the holes on frames, I cut a piece of ribbon from one of the 5 spools that comes in the Uptown Khaki ribbon from American Crafts and tied it with a knot and trimmed the edges. I then used the paper piercer and mat to pierce holes through the Creamy Caramel cardstock and pushed the brads through.

And yes, my Davy loved the card. :)

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

Just a little clarification....

I've gotten some emails in the past couple of days......and realized that I needed to make a clarification here.

The clarification refers to the new Stampin' Mama Tutorial Program that I'm now offering.

I just want to assure you all that  I'll still be offering my card designs and instructions for other projects here on my blog for free, like I always have. The tutorial program is something that I'm offering in addition to my blog, to those that are interested in purchasing them. The program is much more intensive and extensive than what I provide on my blog. There really isn't enough space to offer something like the tutorials in the programs on my blog (for instance, the class I offered by email for April was a file 27 pages long and the tutorial that was offered yesterday was a file 14 pages long). It's important to know that these tutorials are not like the ones I offer on my blog.

There are currently a couple other tutorial programs on the market but this one is different, in that I'm offering a much more comprehensive and exhaustive program.

Think of this program as no different than if you were to go to a class at a craft store or a privately taught class.

My blog will not be scaled back in any way and I hope that you'll still come back to visit on a regular basis to be inspired by what I've always offered, and will continue to offer here.

I hope that this will help to answer any questions that you may have. :)

Have an awesome day!

-Erika

And the winners are......

Thank you to everyone that commented on my Groovy Give-Away post.

It seems that the overwhelming response is that people LOVE ribbons, primas, brads and eyelets. Ribbons and Primas were at the TOP of the list. :)

I picked a name out of the hat this morning and I have two winners! Each of these girls will receive a FREE one-month subscription to my new Stampin' Mama Tutorial Program (<---Click there to find out how to sign up for my mailing list.....which will update you on what's going on with this new Tutorial Program)!

So...........the two winners???

Allison Fillo

and

Diane Lapointe

Congratulations girls! You'll be getting an email from me momentarily to let you know! :)

And this picture will give you just a little teaser of what all the hype is about.

Click here ----->  Stampin' Mama Tutorial Program for a little bit more of a teaser.

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama

A Groovy Give-Away!

It's been a little while since I've done one of my Groovy Give-Aways. I think it's high time for one, how about you?

Just last week, I launched my BRAND NEW Stampin' Mama Tutorial Program. Because of limitations and policies put in place (not by me, I can assure you that), I can't share much more with you than that. Okay, I can share my new header for my program, created by none other than the wonderful Jen, from Jots & Pixels. It was SO very cool to have her here last week and take pictures of my supplies and then watch her do her magic to create this!

So, what's this Groovy Give-Away all about?

I want to give away a free one-month subscription to this program to TWO WINNERS!

To enter this Groovy Give-Away, there's just a couple things you need to do:

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me what embellishment you're totally digging right now.

2) Sign up for my mailing list (it's the little box under my picture at the top of my blog.....the one that says "Join My Mailing List." Remember those limitations and policies I mentioned?  Well, I can't share the details of the program here, but you can find out all about it through my mailing list. If you've already signed up, you can skip this part.)

EXTRA BONUS: Send your friends over to enter, too! Have your friends tell me who referred them and you'll get an extra ticket in the drawing for each friend you refer that leaves a comment!

I'll pull a name at random out of a hat on Wednesday morning, the 23rd of May, at 11:00 AM Eastern time. And send your friends over to enter, too!

Have a groovy and creative day!

-Stampin' Mama

Tutorial Tuesday on a Wednesday.....Emboss Resist Watercoloring

I had a lot of fun playing with this card......all for you, kids! :)

Okay, well, not COMPLETELY for all of you, as I plan on mailing it out one of these days. But you know what I mean. :)

I used the Emboss Resist Watercoloring technique for this card. I wish I could find more images that have "negative space" like this stamp does because this technique is just SO much fun and SO bold.

And you won't believe how easy it is!

I'm also having a lot of fun playing with making my ribbons the color I want them. And one of these days, I'll do up a quick picture tutorial to show you how I do that.....without reinkers and water.

And to let you know.....I love when you send me pictures of things you've created from the inspiration you find here. I always enjoy seeing what others have created!

(Click on any of the images to see a larger and more detailed view.)

Supplies:

* Stamp with "negative space" (I used one of the image from the Mostly Flowers set)
* VersaMark Pad 
* Black Embossing Powder
* Embossing gun
* Small Watercoloring brush
* White cardstock
* water for watercoloring
* Classic (dye-based) ink pads (I used Mellow Moss, Cranberry Crisp and Marigold Morning)
* 1 3/8 inch square punch (you don't NEED this for this technique, but I used it to punch out the image since it fits the punch perfectly)
* piece of paper towel or tissue

Step 1) Stamp your image on white cardstock with Versamark ink.

Step 2) Sprinkle Black embossing powder over your image, shake off the excess and return it to the container.

Step 3) Emboss your image using your embossing gun.

Step 4) While your ink pad is closed, squish the lid of your ink pad against the pad itself. When it's open, you'll have a pool of ink on the inside of the cover. Dip your paint brush into some water and then put your brush to the ink in the lid. This will create your own custom color of ink.

Pull some color off the lid with your paint brush and start color in your images with a light wash. The nice thing about the embossed finish is that you don't have to be extremely careful about staying in the lines because the embossed finish will resist the paint.

Step 5) After you do the first wash of color on your images, pick up a little more color (without as much water) and paint your ink onto your images in places where a little more dimension is needed (such as the veins on the leaves). Repeat these steps on the other images with different colors of ink.

Step 6) I used my 1 3/8 inch square to punch out the image since it fits perfectly in the punch.

Step 7) With a piece of paper towel or tissue, lightly blot the finished image. This will soak up any ink that is sitting on top of the embossed finish.

Here is my finished Embossed Resist Watercolored accent.

To put my card together, I stamped the Burlap background from Stamping Freak with Mellow Moss ink on Mellow Moss cardstock. I swiped my ink pad around the edges of the cardfront to give it some more texture. I cut a strip of Mellow Moss cardstock and ran my Mellow Moss ink pad directly over it about 5 or 6 times to create the dark weathered look. I mounted this across my cardfront.

I cut a piece of Marigold Morning and Cranberry Crisp cardstock and swiped my ink pads in the same colors around the edges. I mounted my emboss resist watercolored accent on top and then on top of the Mellow Moss strip.

I stamped the words, "thank you," from the Wonderful Words set, across the bottom of my card with Always Artichoke ink.

For the ribbon, I used White Grosgrain ribbon and changed the color to match my inks and cardstocks. I did this by holding down the ribbon against my ink pad and running the ribbon under my finger. I did this 3 or 4 times on both sides of the ribbon until I achieved the shade I wanted. I used a long piece for the Cranberry Crisp and tied that around my card front with a double knot. I dyed smaller pieces with Mellow Moss and Marigold Morning and then tied those around the Cranberry Crisp ribbon with double knots and trimmed the edges.

The best thing about having all the ink colors and a spool of White Grosgrain ribbon is that I can make ribbon to match over 50 colors of ink and cardstock!!! That's almost as good as chai tea and chocolate!

Happy Creating!

-Stampin' Mama