Good Morning Fellow Stampers -
TGIF!! Crazy Crazy fast week! So much going on -- and the month of June is just flying by! How are things in your world? Miss Sadie is learning about leashes, and walks, and where she should and should not go potty -- it's an awful lot for a little puppy. I think she's a little overwhelmed!! LOL She definitely is a handful right now! I'd say I'm looking forward to six months from now; but reality is that I know I'll miss her puppy weeks/months when they're gone, so how to enjoy this time despite all that's going on is my current focus.
In the meantime, I have to fit in "real life" including my job, cleaning the house (somewhere, somehow -- LOL), and keeping up with all of you :-)
It's Mojo Monday [MOJO403] challenge time. I've started to feel antsy to do some patriotic designs. Fourth of July is just around the corner, and I think it's time to pull out my Fourth of July decorations around the house this weekend, and design some fabulous cards and projects for the upcoming event. I do love a good old-fashioned 4th of July!
The nice thing about the Mojo Monday challenge, is that it is actually a Verve sponsored challenge (check out the Verve stamps website for their lovely collection of products all their own style) -- Which means I feel a little more freedom to use something other than Stampin' Up! products when designing for this challenge. And when it comes to patriotic themes, I personally think no one does it better than Taylored Expressions! I adore the products Taylored Expressions has created around this holiday. So -- yup! Today we're going to use "contraband" in this design :-) If you want any of the stamps or dies I list for this design, remember -- I don't sponsor or sell Taylored Expressions products. They just happen to be one of the companies I follow and get some fun things from once in awhile for my inventory. So if you want something you see, pop on over to their website and check them out!
Doggone Delightful Stampin' Design Tips:
- Layerothology. There are lots of fun varied layers to this design. The card base for this card is cut from Whisper White cardstock, 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4". The background mat is Real Red; topped with Night of Navy which has been cut a little bit different than I usually do to show some extra border and give a pop. It was also embossed with a really cool textured embossing folder from Cuttlebug called Stars. If you do a little searching online, you can probably locate this embossing folder. The criss-cross background layers are cut from Whisper White and two different patterns of Real Red designer paper from the Brights designer series paper color collection stack (SU).
- 4th of July Wreath. My fun focal point uses images from Taylored Expressions 4th of July Wreath stamp set. I inked the image with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then colored the stars with stampin' write markers from the Brights and Regals collections (Real Red and Night of Navy). The wreath is cut out with a Circles framelit, then has a Night of Navy frame cut with the 2 1/2" circle punch. It's been popped with dimensionals over a "banner" stamped with a fun image from the Taylored Expressions stamp set called Rocket's Red Glare, again stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black, and colored with Real Red and Night of Navy stampin' write markers. I free-hand cut the banner ends. The "celebrate" sentiment also comes form the 4th of July Wreath stamp set, and was inked with Night of Navy on Whisper White cardstock, and free-hand cut out then popped with dimensionals over the center of the wreath.
- Rockets Red Glare. The Rockets Red Glare set has just exactly that -- a bunch of fun and different "fire cracker" rockets. I picked one, stamped it with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, then colored it with Stampin' Write Markers. The great thing about this set from Taylored Expressions is that it has a coordinating die set called Firecrackers that allows you to cut out these great "rockets" using your Big Shot! Easy and fun!
I think this design turned out so fun! What do you think? Are you ready for the upcoming 4th of July holiday? The weather sure makes me feel like summer picnics, watermelon and fireworks! I hope you enjoyed my "contraband" design today :-) I think it's always smart to know what other companies are doing in this arena and what our competition is up to. And although I'm a staunch Stampin' Up! fan and supporter (obviously!), it can never hurt to have other fun things in your inventory :-) So enjoy! And have a little fun!
Wishing everyone a fabulous Friday and a great weekend ahead!! Stay cool!
Until Next Time . . .
Products used:
Card Stock: Whisper White, Real Red, Night of Navy,(SU!)
Patterned Paper: Brights Color Collection DSP Stack (SU!)
Stamp Sets: Rockets Red Glare, 4th of July Wreath (Taylored Expressions)
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Regals and Brights Stampin' Write Markers collections, Night of Navy classic ink (SU!)
Dies: Circles Framelits (SU!), Firecrackers (Taylored Expressions)
Embossing Folders: Stars (Cuttlebug)
Punch: 2 1/2" circle punch (SU!)
Adhesives: SNAIL, Dimensionals
Tools: Stampin' Trimmer, Big Shot, Simply Scored Scoring Tool (SU!)
