What's Up Wednesday ~ Color Variations

With  so many beautiful colors in this Berry Botanical Velum and how different it can look when paired with colored card stock, how do you choose? The translucent nature of Vellum makes it change so much at times! Let's take a look at how that can affect our design choices.

The Berry Botanicals Vellum is our May Product of the Month. It's an exclusive product you can buy for only $5 with a purchase of $75. This is a 12 pack of 4 different designs that are all gorgeous and fun. Below is photo of the 4 patterns in the pack. Can you just imagine what you'd make with these patterns?

For my project today I used the pattern in the lower right. It has an all over floral design with more white space in the background than the other floral. Let's take a look at how this floral can change and adjust when paired with different card stock colors.

The colors below are all 9 of the listed colors on the pack label. These are the colors in the patterns and I'm pairing each one with the Velum sheet I chose.

In the left column top to bottom is Flirty Flamingo, Hydrangea Hue, Strawberry Slush and Misty Moonlight. Right column top to bottom is Fresh Freesia, Peaceful Pine, Golden Glow, Soft Sea Foam and Bubble Bath. 

This is how the same pattern of Vellum looks layered on each of the card stock colors above.

1. Strawberry Slush  2. Misty Moonlight  3. Bubble Bath

4. Fresh Freesia  5. Peaceful Pine  6. Golden Glow

7. Flirty Flamingo  8. Hydrangea Hue  9. Soft Sea Foam

Wow! What a difference, right? The darker ones I feel are more Fall like or dramatic. The lighter ones feel like Spring. Fo they feel that way to you?

Which ones are your favorites? I'm still deciding. Come back tomorrow to see which 3 I've created with as my favorites!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

MichelleLoncar.stampinup.net

Images©Stampin' Up!®

#showandtellwithmichelle #berrybotanicalsvellum #productofthemonth

What's Up Wednesday ~ Embossing Folder Fun!

What's Up this Wednesday is some ideas for using different papers with an embossing folder. Sometimes we get in a rut and forget about other ways to create with an item. Let's see if these ideas spark some creativity!

I decided to use our New Fern & Flora embossing folder with the coordinating papers and dies. I love the rich tones in the paper and the beautiful detail in the 3D embossing folder. I* also added Vellum to the mix to take it up a notch.

Below is a photo of the embossed papers. I did a couple of the DSP patterns, vellum and cardstock. That should give a nice variety for some projects!

When embossing vellum it's a good idea to do 2 layers at the same time so the vellum doesn't show cracks. When embossing cardstock, to avoid cracks you can lightly spritz with water before embossing.

The first project is a Z Fold card that uses pieces of embossed DSP and vellum. The card base is easy to do. Cut the cardstock down the middle the long way and fold in half. Then fold back the card front to the right edge meets the fold. Use your bone folder to crease it really well. Now you have a Z Fold card base! 

Using various die cuts from the Fern & Flora dies I accented a label from the New Classic Labels Ephemera Pack. These labels will be a go to item ad there are many shapes and sizes and all have a pretty gold-like outline. 

Bringing in more of the gold I added a Mossy Meadow & Gold ribbon and some Gold Drusy Gems. the label is popped up for dimension and ease of tucking accent pieces under it.

When open you can see the multiple panels of the card...all just asking to be decorated! I added a DSP panel without embossing to the 2nd space and a white panel to the 3rd space for writing on. The far left panel id the embossed DSP you also see when closed.

Here is a very different look using the same embossed pieces. this time the card base is white. The embossed vellum is on the left and the cardstock on the right. This time I used the other side of the embossed cardstock. This means the side with the design going "in" is showing. This is call the de-bossed side. 

I die cut elements from metallic paper this time to give it a fancier look. The tag has the same ribbon as before but it's looped through the hole and tacked down with a glue dot to keep it in place. The tag is popped up here, too. A few metallic gems ties it all together.

Here is a close-up showing the de-bossed side of the green cardstock. Using this side can be fun, too! 

I hope you enjoyed these ideas! I have another embossed piece of vellum to use yet. Come back tomorrow to see what I do with it!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

MichelleLoncar.stampinup.net

Images©Stampin' Up!®

#showandtelwithmichelle #embossingfolder #fern&flora #cardmaking #techniques

What's Up Wednesday ~ Berry Botanical Vellum

Have you seen the May Product of the Month yet?  It's a real WOW! Three sheets each of four beautiful patterns. Rich colors! It's really gorgeous! Let's take a look!

These are the patterns in the pack. I love every one of them! There is so much you can do with each one! How about some ideas? Ok, here we go!

Create a box or cover a ready made box. Make a belly band and secure it with a ribbon and tag. 

Glue the vellum to white CS then die cut letters. Glue to a card base and embellish. You can even snip out sections around some of the letters for a unique look!

Die cut flowers and layer them to create a nice full flower. Add some leaves and embellish. Random stamp a card base to bring it all together!

How about a scrapbook page? Keep the base page simple with a tone on tone look then adding fussy cut flowers from the vellum around your photo. Lovely!

Here's a fun card to celebrate any occasion! Die cut some balloons. Layer the vellum on different colors of CS to create a fun background. Embellish!

Create a bouquet by fussy cutting flowers and leaves. Arrange them on the card base and embellish. 

Those are just a few ideas for this amazing product! I bet you can come up with a lot more on your own! Want a pack of your own to create with? The Product of the Month is only $5 with a qualifying purchase of $75. Stock up on supplies and get your pack now. It's while supplies last or May 31st.....whichever happens first! 

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

MichelleLoncar.stampinup.net

Images©Stampin' Up!®

#showandtellwithmichelle #productofthemonth #berrybotanicalvellum #whatsupwednesday

Products used for the above card ideas:

What's Up Wednesday ~ Cute As A Bug Diorama Card

Welcome to What's Up Wednesday! This week I have a fun What's Up project called a Diorama Card. I made this card as part of a Make & Take at our local Team Meeting. It's a 3D card that fold flat and is still the size of an A2 card (5-1/2" x 4-1/4"). Let's dive in.....

Card Base:

For this card we started with a CS base 7-1/2" x 4-1/4". This piece is scored along the long side at 1-1/8", 2-1/4", 5-1/4" & 6-3/8". 

You'll also need one front strip in matching CS 1" x 5-1/4"

DSP (Designer Series Paper):

• 7/8" x 5-1/8" (glue to front strip)
• 2 pieces coordinating DSP 1" x 4-1/8" (glue to opposite sides facing out)
• 2 pieces coordinating DSP 1" x 4-1/8" (glue to opposite sides facing in)

Basic White CS:

• 1 piece 2-7/8" x 4-1/8" (stamp and glue to center of base) *wait to glue if you want to write a message first.

Once you've done all the cutting and scoring glue the various pieces as shown in the photo above. Of course you can use any colors and DSP you like. This particular card has only a stamped sentiment. The rest of the decorations are die cut images from the DSP paper sheet with all the bugs. The coordinating dies fit the images on the DSP! 

When you're ready to add the band across the bottom add glue to the outside ends only and glue to the card. You want the middle space on the band to be free. Add your die cuts to the band and even tuck some behind the band for fun! For this card we used Mini Dimensionals to pop them up. 

A bow tied with Linen Thread was added with a glue Dot. Gems would make a nice addition, too. 

When you want to put it in an envelope gently flatten the card to the left or right. Now it's going to fit in the envelope!

I hope you enjoyed learning about this Fun Fold. I know I did. Give it a try and see what you think. 

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!®

#showandtellwithmichelle #cardmaking #whatsupwednesday #funfoldcards

What's Up Wednesday ~ Galway!

Welcome to What's Up Wednesday! What's up today is a layout I made using photos from my trip to Ireland. This layout features a river cruise in Galway. The scenery was wonderful and it was very relaxing, too. Our guide was informative and shared so much. 

I had some leftover pieces of embossed and inked card stock I knew would look great with my photos. To create this I simply embossed black CS with the Sunflower embossing folder. After that I used the white pigment ink pad to swipe across the raised side of the CS catching the details and bringing them even more to life. Because the white is a pigment ink I then used my heat tool to dry the ink rather than set it aside to air dry.

The photos were laid out on the CS so I could get a feeling for how it would all come together with the other elements. Next I cut 2-1/2" squares of the embossed and inked CS then cut diagonally to create the corner pieces. Because the embossed pieces are not flat I prefer glue to hold them in place. 

I used my Cricut machine to cut the letters for the title. The embossed/inked pieces again came in handy to give the letters more interest than plain CS. 

For the right page I added the corners and kept it simple since there were more photos.

Once I was at this point I felt it was still a bit plain. But what could I add that wouldn't make it too busy and detract from the photos? Well, we have a new Gel Pen coming out in our May-August Catalog! I doodled lines and dots around the letters and photos! It adds detail without making things look busy and crowded. Some gems help guide your eyes around the pages. 

And don't forget the journaling! One thing left page I wrote a bit about the cruise and just for fun did it in Irish! On the right page I have the same journaling in English. 

Here is a close-up of the title and doodles. It really does add a lot to the overall look.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my layout. It was fun to relive the day as I scrapbooked it! That's one of the great things about scrapbooking. You get to relive the event again while putting the page together. Then again and again as you share your scrapbooks with others! One thing to keep in mind when journaling, tell enough of the story so anyone looking at the page understands the photos without having to ask what they're about. 

Thanks for dropping by. Come back often for more ideas and inspiration!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!®

#showandtellwithmichelle #whatsupwednesday #scrapbooking

Available May 5th:

Available now:

What's Up Wednesday ~ Pretty Vellum Look

What's up this Wednesday is a pretty card using Vellum as a panel for a soft look. The Vellum is translucent rather than see-through and creates a pretty and soft look in your design. This card was inspired by Lisa Stenz with a few of my own twists. 

I started with a 4.5" x 5.5" top fold card base in white. I wanted a clean and crisp look to counter the pastel pink. I cute 1" off the bottom front, then cut another 2.25" off. I saved the 1" piece for attaching later. The 2.25" piece was used for die cutting the flowers.

Using the Fragrant Layers Bundle (stamps & dies) I die cut the flower outline and trimmed off the ends. The tip and bottom border were glued to the 3" x 4.25" piece of Vellum then to the card base and 1" piece. A piece of pink card stock was glued to the back of the card front to make a nice smooth and finished look.

For the die cut flower accent, A sponge dauber was used to apply ink to the center. A few die cut leaves and a gem for the center finished the flower. Some random stamping softens the white space at the top of the card, white a sentiment did the same for the bottom.

Inside, the card is simple. Just a stamped flower in the lower right corner was all that's needed. I didn't add a sentiment yet. I'll do that so I can personalize it when I'm going to use it. 

This is such a pretty look and can be adapted to any color combo you like! Why not give it a try?

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up® Demonstrator 

Images© Stampin' Up!®

#showandtellwithmichelle #fragrantlayersbundle #vellumcard #cardmaking

What's Up Wednesday ~ More Gears

Hello there!  Yes, it's another gear card, BUT this is one super fun technique to use on the gears! 

Adding texture to a project is always fun because there are so many ways to do it! This technique uses texture paste and embossing powder for the texture! Let's dive in.....

This card was design inspired by Cheri's Stamps. The technique was inspired by Daveda Leppke.  Thanks for the inspiration, Ladies.

I started by die cutting tons of gears in Textured Metallic paper. Since I was die cutting why not make extra, right? The gears look good in regular cardstock but I really like them in the metallic best. 

Next up was the DSP and stamp distressing those elements of the design. Once ready the pieces were glued to the card front and I was ready for the gears.

 In the photo it kind of looks like a mess on the gears but in person it really looks great! I started with the large copper gear and the embossing paste. Since copper ages to a green patina I used a drop of Coastal Cabana re inker to tint the paste. I smeared it randomly in a few spots and called it good. The heat tool was used to set the paste since I was impatient to keep going with the assembly. 

Next up was the gold gear. I applied the paste, no tinting, then pressed it face down in the copper embossing powdered tapped off the excess. I did the tiny silver gear the same way using a bit of paste and gold powder. Now I heat set those tow gears. 

To assemble the gears I layered them using the Mini Stampin' Dimensionals. The large gear is glued directly to the card front.  The photo below gives you an idea of the dimension this creates.

I finished with the other elements and it was a win!

Here's a look at the inside of the card and the envelope. I randomly stamped images along the right to mimic what's going on in the front. I had a leftover piece of DSP and glued it to the flap of the envelope. Don't forget your envelope as it's always nice to decorate a bit there, too! 

What do you think? would you try this distressing technique? I hope you enjoyed seeing my project and it inspires you to give it a try. Have a crafty day!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #cardmaking #gears&textures #whatsupwednesday #distressingtechnique

What's Up Wednesday ~ Another Square Snippets Idea!

 Today I'm sharing another idea for crafting with the Square Snippets papers. I'm telling you this pack is SO versatile and fun you want......no you NEED to have it in your stash!

This idea is very simple for using two squares of the paper. The squares make the background for the die cut flowers to lay on. Offset from each other, you get to see both patterns. I kept the pink and more solid looking pattern under the floral pattern. This way you really "see" the pink layer with only tiny corners showing. 

The Square Snippets come in two sizes: 3" and 4" squares. My squares are a finished size of 3" that I trimmed down from the larger size. I picked two colors combos that would look compliment each other and work well with the flowers I planned to use. 

For the flowers I stamped in Secret Sea and used the fill in stamp image to color the flowers in 2nd generation ink. This made the ink match the pink square and flowers in the squares. 

 Then I die cut the flowers and placed them on the card. I purposely put the flowers in the lower right area so the squares would bee seen. 

After that I die cut leaves and tiny flowers to accent the larger ones. I simply tucked them here and there under the flowers to help give dimension. The sentiment was added on a banner die cut piece from the set.

The final step was to add some Glossy Dots to the flower centers. I love the shiny look they have drawing your eye right to the flowers, then allowing your eyes start roaming all over the design.

For the inside of the card I added a partial image of the flowers in the upper right corner. I only added the color to the flowers and left the leaves plain. I just wanted to have some color inside in a subtle way. The envelope has the same look but in the lower left corner. 

Doing this creates a cohesive theme from seeing the envelope, to pulling out the card and seeing the design, to opening the card to find the flowers. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing another idea for the Square Snippets paper pack. I'm not kidding when I say this pack is amazing! Add it to your stash now.

Have a crafty day!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #whatsupwednesday #cardmaking #fragrantlayersbundle #squaresnippets

What's Up Wednesday! ~ Color Lifter Magic

 Let's get busy with an idea I recently learned at the Virtual Card Retreat! It's so simple and easy it's mind blowing!

First we start with the card itself. It's a lovely look using the Forever Florals Bundle. The sentiment comes from the exclusive stamp set from the Card Retreat. However, with the tags in the die set you can use any sentiment you have and make it just how you like.

One unique thing about the large die is that we used it in halves. One half of the die was cut on each end of the DSP making for a very pretty design. 

Flowers were stamped and colored with Blends then placed around the tag. NOW here is the magic. The dots on the flowers and leaves were made with the Color Lifter Stampin' Blend. Using the bullet tip gently place the tip on your flower/leaf and hold it there a bit to create a dot. The longer you hold it there the more pronounced the dot becomes. Dots were added to the yellow flowers and the leaves. This carries the theme of the stamped dots throughout the design.

Note: The flowers are part of the Exclusive stamp set for the Virtual Card Retreat.

Here is a close-up of the Color Lifter dots. You can also make lines, squiggles or whatever you like. 

The Stampin' Blends Color Lifter pulls color from images you colored with Stampin' Blend markers to create additional highlights and dimension.

The inside of the card gets som love, too. This is in the upper right section inside the card. The sentiment will go to the left.

Don't forget the envelope! Don't send "naked" envelopes! Part of the fun is bringing a hint of what's to come. 

Forever Florals Bundle

I hope you like the idea of adding some Color Lifter Magic to your designs. Give it a try!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #cardmaking #whatsupwedneday #techniques #colorlifter

What's Up Wednesday ~ Snowy Days Layout

 It's mid-week so that means a new What's Up Wednesday. This is where I give you a more detailed project and this week it's a layout. 

My daughter sent some photos of a snowy cross country skiing day with their neighbors. The photos paired very well with the new Square Snippets DSP so I was ready to start the layout!

The Square Snippets DSP is a bit different than other pack of DSP we have. Here you get 12 sheets: 4 each of double sided designs. You get sheets with 4"squares and sheets with 3"squares. Talk about versatility! 

Square Snippets DSP

The Joyful Squares Bundle was also used and is made to coordinate perfectly with the Square Snippets DSP. The dies are so fun! Take a close look at the layout and see if you can find which dies I used, I also added some of the stamp images but with all the squares I kept the stamping minimal so as not to make it too busy.

Joyful Squares Bundle

Starting with the left page I knew I wanted a larger sized photo of all the kids lined up.  I started by cutting up a sheet of the 4" squares. I laid them out in a way that looked nice with the colors in the photo. After that I started playing with cutting shapes to created more interest. With the dies there are so many ways to alter the squares!

On this page more of the squares are in the upper left corner with just a few opposite in the lower right corner. I kept areas free of squares so it didn't look too busy but then those areas look unfinished. Stamping the corner and adding a few gems solved that issue!

For the right page I just mimicked the left page but I reversed the corner placement. Now most of the squares are in the lower right corner. I kept the same idea with laying out fun squares to create a nice pattern. then I started altering some of the squares and added the stamped corners, arms and a couple of the stamped sentiments.

Scrapbooking these photos was so much fun. I felt part of the day even those I was a thousand miles away! that's why I love scrapbooking. When you create the pages you get to relive the memory of the occasion. With this layout I also get to share with my family when I send them this layout for their albbum!

Thanks for stopping by! Come back often for more ideas, information and inspiration. Have a crafty day!

Michhelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up!® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up!

#showandtellwithmichelle #scrapbookinglayout #squaresnippets #joyfulsquares

What's Up Wednesday ~ Scrapping Black & White Photos

Today I want to share with you how to use Black & White photos in scrapbooking. Since there are no additional colors to use for inspiration you can go in a lot of directions with color. For this layout I decided to use pink to accent the photo for two reasons: I like how pink looks with black and gray tones and I needed a project using pastel colors for a Color Dare Challenge going live on Friday. Some other colors to go with black and white could be red, blue, yellow or even just stay with a black and white theme!

Before I even sat down I envisioned this photo with a half circle of flowers on one side. the base is a piece of 12" x 12" Two Tone Pretty in Pink cardstock. I used the lighter side to create a contrast with the ink.

The stamped and die cut flowers are in two sizes from the Petals of Beauty Bundle using  the same Pretty in Pink but on the darker side of the cardstock. I also die cut some Vellum leaves to tuck around the flowers. I love how Vellum is such a great supporting actor in a design. Some of the flowers are popped up on Dimensionals and all the flowers have a pretty, sparkly Rhinestone in the center.

I used a Mini Alphabet die to cut a title which fit perfectly along the right edge of the 5" x 7" photo. My journalling was printed on Pretty in Pink cardstock.

After all of this the layout still looked plain and unfinished. There was so much pink space! I thought about stamping some flowers around the out area but I thought that would look to busy and take your eye away from the focal point...the photo. As you can see I ultimately decided to shade around the outside with a blending brush, this time using Flirty Flamingo ink as there wasn't enough contrast using the Pretty in Pink ink. By shading around the outside of the page it created a vignette effect where there is a shadowed perimeter going into a brighter center. It naturally draws your eye to the center!

The quality of the photo isn't the greatest since it's so old, but sometimes you have to work with what you have. The important part is getting the photo in a scrapbook so it can be enjoyed and passed on to future generations.

Right now I'm working on the right page for this double layout. Come back Friday to see the completed double layout and how I scrapped 3 black & white photos for page 2.

Close-up of a flower cluster

Thanks for dropping in for What's Up Wednesday!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stmapin' Up® Demonstrator 

Images© Stampin' Up

#showandtellwithmichelle #whatsupwednesday #scrapbboking #blackandwhitephotos

What's Up Wednesday ~ Gift Bag

 What's Up this Wednesday? I have a pretty Christmas Gift Bag to share with you. A gift bag is a lot like making a card. It's just on a larger "canvas". I recently made a purchase while shopping and it was packaged in this pretty green gift bag. I tend to save things like this in case I need them alter. My husband laughs at me but it doesn't stop me from saving things. haha. Anyway, a week later I needed a gift bag for an occasion and guess what was a perfect thing? You guessed it....the green gift bag!

There was a logo on the bag that is now hidden under my decoration. I basically made a card front in a size that would cover the logo. The image was colored with our Stampin' Blend markers then die cut and layered to make a pretty focal point. 

Here is a closer look at the focal layer. It's layered on gold Foil and plaid DSP with a piece of Secret Sea CS. A few embellishments gave it a finished look. Then it was adhered to the gift bag itself.

These are the colors I used for the image.The colors are taken from listed colors on the DSP paper pack. 

I hope you like this gift bag idea. You can take any kind of gift bag and dress it up with a pretty image. Give it a try this Holiday season!

Michelle Loncar

Independent Stampin' Up® Demonstrator 

Images©Stampin' Up

#showandtellwithmichelle #whatsupwednesday #giftbag