All About the Horses...........

Hi and welcome to my blog.  Our Canadian "Victoria Day Weekend", better known as the "May Long Weekend" has just finished and this will probably be the quietest one on record with all the COVID-19 safety measures about social distancing still in place.  However it will also be a memorable one for other reasons.

On Sunday during the RCAF's "Operation Inspiration" flight over Kamloops a tragic air accident involving one of our beloved Canadian Snow Bird jets occurred.  The Snowbirds have been flying across Canada since taking off from the Maritimes at the beginning of May and the flight, dubbed Operation Inspiration, was supposed to boost morale for Canadians who have spent months in isolation in an attempt to flatten the curve of COVID-19. 

Canadians are now mourning the loss of Capt. Jennifer Casey of Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Captain Richard MacDougall, the pilot and lone survivor is now recuperating in hospital with severe injuries.  Our condolences to Jennifer's family, friends and co-workers, she'll be truly missed.  We are praying Captain MacDougall's full and speedy recovery.

Last Chance Products Review:  

We're getting closer and closer to the end of our catalogue year and so I thought over the next week I'd get back into blogging by sharing some of my favourite stamp sets, papers and dies that will be retiring for good on June 2nd.  

To kick off this review, I'm featuring two stamp sets that I've enjoyed immensely.  They are Let It Ride and Country Road.   Probably some of the best country images Stampin' Up! has come up with over the years.  Man, who doesn't love horses and country?   

Let It Ride item # 148765 is a 9 piece red rubber cling mount set that uses Stampin' Up!s Acryllic Blocks c,d,e, and g.  

Country Road item # 151356 is a 6 piece red rubber stamp set.  It also uses the c,d,e, and g Stampin' Up! Acryllic Blocks.  

 Here are some of the cards I've made with these sets 

Card One:

I was inspired by Dawn Griffiths to try out a new to me technique called the "Triple Panel Stamping".  Click on Dawn's highlighted name to see her great video tutorial on this technique. 

Card Two:

The images were stamped on Very Vanilla, Mint Macaroon and Soft Suede for this sample.  The card base is Early Espresso card stock.  What a difference when you use the three different pieces of card stock.  
These are such super simple and quick cards to make, but the end result is very impressive.  I think my favourite of the two is the white and black one.  What about you?  Which one do you like best - one or two? 

The next grouping of cards are my own own design and feature a combination of Let It Ride, Country Road, Very Versailles and Waterfront Stamp Sets.  

Card Three:  

The card base is Crumb Cake with Chocolate Chip (R) and Very Vanilla Layers.  I repeatedly stamped the horses head  from the Let it Ride stamp set for the background and the circle images.  The layered circles were cut out with the Stitched Shapes Dies and the Happy Birthday sentiment  was cut out and layered with the Stitched Rectangles Dies.  Once I decided how I wanted this card to look, it came together in about 5 minutes - inside and out.  

For the inside of this card I stamped the horses image in Crumb Cake ink and the "Take the Reins" sentiment in Early Espresso ink.  Once again the panels were in Chocolate Chip(R)* and Very Vanilla card stocks.  

*(R) stands for Retired.  I have an abundance of Chocolate Chip and other card stocks in my stash and use them, regardless of the fact they are retired.  In this case the Chocolate Chip is the perfect compliment with the Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla 

Card Four: 

I really enjoyed making this card for my brother who has Alzheimer's and is having difficulty with the COVID-19 "stay in place" rulings.  I try to send him a card every week to let him know we love him and are thinking of him.  This card features a combination of the Very Versailles stamp set, Country Road and the dotted stencil from the Basic Pattern Decorative Masks. 

The two stars were stamped in Early Espresso and fussy cut before adhering them to the panel with Mono adhesive.  To add a hint of colour I inked up the stamp with Sahara Sand and then lightly thumped it with a Mossy Meadow marker along the stems.  You can't do this with Blends as that it an alcohol based medium, but markers are a great tool for adding some extra detail in your stamping.   

I used second generation stamping to stamp the weather vane image from Country Roads in the center of the panel.  Second generation stamping is simple ink up your stamp then stamp it off on a scrap to get a lighter image and then stamp on your panel.   The sentiment "Always thinking of you" is from the Very Versailles stamp set.  I sponged the edges of the panels on both the front and inside with Crumb Cake and a sponge dauber before adhering them to the Chocolate Chip Panels.  

Card Five:

Card Five was once again a mixture of the Let It Ride, Country Road and Waterfront stamp sets.  What fun I had creating this imagery.  Normally you would layer in your elements working from the top down, but I wasn't sure what kind of a scene I wanted to create so I began by stamping the small horses from Let It Ride in Momento Black ink on my Very Vanilla panel.   

The next  element I added was the meadow and to create this I used the pebble stamp from Waterfront.  I stamped it several times in Gray Granite, Old Olive and Crumb Cake inks.  I used a sponge dauber to add some Crumb Cake and Old Olive colouring to the meadow area and as you can see in the picture, I did this with the lightest of touches.  Then  I coloured the horses and grasses with Soft Suede and Old Olive Blends.   I stamped both the tree images from Let It Ride and Waterfront in Mossy Meadow and Old Olive. 

At this point I still had the top of the card to fill in but had to make a mask for the horses first.  I cut one from a post it note and then inked up the Mountain image from Waterfront with a mixture of Gray Granite and Soft Suede inks.  I stamped this image right over the masked horses and the tree line.  The sun from Waterfront was stamped mistakenly with Gray Granite ink and then I over-stamped it several times with So Saffron ink to correct my boo boo.  After all, we can't have a dark sun.  Anyway, this seemed to work okay so I went with it.  The final touch was to sponge in some clouds with  - Seaside Spray ink and stamp the sentiment "Friends Make the Good Times Better", sentiment from Waterfront. 

The finished 5" x 3 3/4" panel was adhered to a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Basic Black card stock.  The base of the card is also a retired card stock I have, called "Buckeroo Blue" (R).  It's very close to the Seaside Spray colour, which I was out of.   

Again, the inside of my card is stamped very simply with the sentiment and trees from Waterfront.  

Card Six:

I CASed this card from Francis Martin and it's called the "Silhouette Technique".  To see the video that inspired me to try this out click here.

This was a very simple card to make, mainly stamping and sponging.  The only changes I made to this card were the use of a black Sharpie pen instead of the recommended Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, simply because I don't own one.  As Frenchie explains in her post and video, the Black Stampin Blends and or the Black Marker pens simply aren't dark enough to create this silhouette effect. 

Card Seven:

There's nothing super special about this card it's simply stamping with the Let It Ride stamp set and colour added with Stampin' Blends alcohol ink markers. Like I said, nothing special in the way of techniques but all in all a pretty cool card.  Sometimes you don't need to have all the bells and whistles. 

This card show cases the beautiful galloping horse and the sentiment "Take life by the reins" which is stamped in Momento Black Ink.  I love that sentiment. 

I used Soft Suede light and dark Blends to colour the horse, Granny Apple Green blends for the trees and grass and a bit of Light Pool Party for the sky around the trees.  That's it.  The card base is Early Espresso and the first layer of the card is Pool Party card stock.  

Again nothing special about the inside of this card, simply some stamping with Momento Black ink.  Enjoy! 

Well that's the end of my post.  I hope you have enjoyed the seven cards that I've shown you.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.  

Remember if this post has inspired you to purchase either the Let It Ride or the Country Road stamp sets they are part of the Last Chance Product list and will no longer be available for purchase after June 2nd, 2020.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot 

Click here for Last Chance Products List

The May Hostess Code #JRJASCHJ is in effect only until May 29th, 2020.  Remember to apply it on On-Line Orders of less than $200.  If you do, you'll earn a free gift from me. Note: If you place an order of more than $200 (before tax, shipping and handling) you will earn your very own Stampin' Rewards. 

My On-line Shopping Link is open 24/7.  While you're there don't forget to check out the Clearance Rack and Last Chance Product List.  Click here to go to On-Line Shopping. 

Good Morning Magnolia

The Magnolias are in bloom in Abbotsford this month.  There are several different varieties, and their blooms are abundant.  

This is a Star Burst Magnolia, and was one of the first to bloom this season.  The tree is probably 25 feet tall and every branch is loaded with buds.  

I really enjoy the colourful blooms on this Magnolia.  The colours are so vivid and it reminds me of Lovely Lipstick and Petal Pink being combined.

We are blessed to have several yellow Magnolia Trees in Abbotsford, and they are stunning.   

I was inspired to return home and make some cards using the Good Morning Magnolia stamp set and dies from the Magnolia Lane Suite.  This definitely was high on my list of "favourite suites in the Annual Catalogue.

Click Here to see the Good Morning Magnolia Suite .  This suite will be retiring and is currently listed in the Last Chance Products in my online shopping.  

I made three cards and a Magnolia flower using these products.

For my first card I cased a card created by Eva Doblis a Canadian stamper.  I loved everything about her card, and wanted to recreate it so I followed her sketch and colour scheme.  I was really impressed with the finished card.  

The Magnolia flower image is quite large so for my first card I stamped the full flower across a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Very Vanilla card stock.  The card base was a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Soft Suede card stock.  

The Rococo Rose banner was embossed with the Layering Leaves Embossing Folder and measures 2" x 4".  I cut out three of the small  magnolia flowers and coloured them with Blushing Bride ink and an aqua pen.  I layered the flowers along with three leaves die cut from Pear Pizzazz card stock onto  the banner.  Using dies 3 and 4  from the Stitched Nested Label Dies I cut a Soft Suede and a Rocco Rose labels.  I stamped the "Thinking of You" sentiment with Soft Suede ink on the Rocco Rose label.  Once the labels were nested together, they were mounted across the flowers and banner with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Some opaque pink sequins were randomly added to finish the card front.

For the inside card panel I stamped two of the Magnolia buds with Soft Suede Ink and coloured them with Rocco Rose and Blushing Bride inks for the inside of this card.  I used a mask so I could overlap the two buds, and was really pleased with the way they turned out.  

For my second card I decided to design a stamped background panel.  I began with a 4 1/2 x 5 1/2" piece of Very Vanilla card stock and stamped the Magnolia bud, changing the direction of the stamping across this sheet.    randomly stamped an array of floral images and magnolia buds on Very Vanilla card stock and coloured them with Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz and Soft Suede inks.  What fun!  One of my favourite stamping things is creating background paper and this one turned out gorgeous! 

I stamped three additional Magnolia buds, coloured them and then layered them with dimensionals and leaves on the label.  

I added some Pearls to the label to finish this card. I absolutely love the stitched labels and how they add such a finished look to this card.  

My third and final card features another background paper I designed using the small buds this time and the starburst.  So feminine and sweet.  I embossed a 4 by 5" piece of Blushing Bride and then die cut the bottom using the scroll die from the Magnolia Memory Dies.  I used the same die to cut a 2" by 4" piece of Mossy Meadow card stock and layered that piece over top of the Blushing Bride.  I die cut a piece of cord using a die from the Sailing Away dies   

The small buds are from the Tea Together stamp set.  Even though they're rose buds, they look like the Magnolia blossom before the buds open up.  The small green stamped image is from Beautiful Bouquet stamp set.  There are many small flowers in this set that are wonderful for filling in the gaps when designing your own background papers. 

Isn't this sentiment a treasure?  I also really like the scroll work image from the Good Morning Magnolia set.  It added such a nice finish to the inside of this card. 

This flower was made with dies from the Magnolia Memory Die set and the Hot Air Balloon Punch, which is currently on sale in the Last Chance Products listing.  It's been reduced to $14.95 which is such a bargain.

To assemble the flower I began by stamping a base using the large Magnolia stamp image.  I stamped it on Whisper White card stock and coloured the leaves and steam with Mossy Meadow and Soft Suede Stampin' Blends, before die cutting it.  Using the petal shaped dies from the set I cut out two small and one large triple petal shaped flowers from Whisper White card stock.  Five larger petals were punched out of Whisper White with the Hot Air Balloon punch.  The edges and centers of the all the petals were sponged with Daffodil Delight ink. The flower petals were crumpled to soften them and then they were glued together to form the flower.  The five large balloon shaped petals were overlapped and glued together forming the base.  Next the large three petal flowers were added, then the small petal shapes and finally the stamen.  I used multipurpose liquid glue.  I added sprigs of white tulle between the layers and some additional leaves that were die cut from Mossy Meadow card stock. A large white rhinestone was added to the center of the flower.  

I was really pleased with how easy this Magnolia flower was to make and how beautiful it turned out.  I think I'll be making more of these in the near future. 

Supplies:

Stamps: Good Morning Magnolia, To A Wild Rose, Tea Together, Beautiful Bouquet 

Dies and Punches:  Magnolia Memory Dies , Stitched Nested Label Dies,  Hot Air Balloon punch 

Embossing Folders: Layered Leaves 3-D Embossing Folder, Wood Grained Embossing Folder (Retired)

Cardstock:  Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow, Soft Suede and Old Olive, and Whisper White 

Ink:  Blushing Bride, Old Olive, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, Mossy Meadow, Daffodil Delight

Well that's it for this post.  I hope you enjoyed these projects and I'd love to hear your thoughts on them.  

If you're interested in purchasing the bundle or suite now's your time to do it because bundles are not carried over into the new seasonal catalogue and the suite will be retiring along with it's beautiful paper and accessories.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

May Hostess Code:

Hostess Code JRJASCHJ

On-Line Shopping Link: 

Click Here for My On-Line Shopping Page 

Click here to see the Last Chance Products - Many of them are on for 60% off while supplies last. 

May Has Arrived

It's May the 1st and I'm looking forward to a fresh start.  The news is a bit better in regard to the COVID-19 pandemic so hopefully it will be over soon and things will return to some kind of normal.  

I'm itching to get out again and be with my friends on the golf course and around town, but I'm also feeling so blessed that all my family and friends have stayed safe and followed the precautions our Public Health system has given us.  

In the meantime I'm going to stay home, do some stamping and share my creations with you.   So stay tuned for a fun month ahead as I plan to post more regularly and get my Mojo back and working.   

Here's some pictures of a recent birthday card I made that I hope you'll enjoy.  

This is a Twist and Pop card I made for a friend's recent birthday.  I love mono chromatic cards and this one was absolutely stunning.  I used Flirty Flamingo and Whisper White for all the elements.  

I've used sentiments and imagery from the Beautiful You stamp set, which is retiring in June.  If you're interested in purchasing this stamp set it is on the Last Chance Products Sale list.  Use the link below to check it out.  

The addition of sequins and glimmer on the leaves really brought the card front to life.  For the leaf shimmer I used Wink of Stella.  

Get Retiring Products Before They’re Gone!

Time to stock up! From now until June 2, Stampin’ Up! is selling hundreds of retiring products and some discounted items from the 2019–2020 Annual Catalog and January–June 2020 Mini Catalog. These products are moving fast and will only be available until June 2 or while supplies last, so get them while you can!  

Click here to see Last Chance Products Sale.

Happy Stamping
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot 

MAY HOSTESS CODE:   JRJASCHJ

Don't forget to use the May Hostess Code on your on-line orders if you are placing an order under $200.00 this month.   By using the May Hostess Code you will be entitled to receive a gift from me based on a share of this month's Stampin' Rewards.  

Note:  If you are placing an on-line order of more than $200.00 you will receive your own Stampin' Rewards and a card of thanks for choosing me as your demonstrator.  

Giving Back during Covid-19

Through it's "Making a Difference" program Stampin' Up has just announced that it is offering a way of "giving back" during the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis, to support organizations that are helping COVID-19 frontline responders and communities vulnerable to the pandemic.  

Stampin' Up! has designed and is offering a 15 page PDF digital stamp set called "Share the Sunshine".  This digital stamp which is available for purchase by both demonstrators and customers, is packed with both lighthearted and thoughtful sentiments and imagery relevant to the unique COVID-19 and social distancing situation we are currently in.  

You can use this download in your cardmaking and papercrafting projects. Simply print the imagery on cardstock and cut it out using Stampin’ Up!’s Paper Trimmer, punches, or dies. Since we are physically distanced from each other, now is a perfect time to share sunshine with our friends and family by sending cards!

Purchase the Share Sunshine PDF Download for $12.00 US (the download will be charged in US dollars; your financial institution will convert the charge into your currency based on current exchange rates). Here is the link:  Share The Sunshine Downloads

Stampin' Up! will donate 100% of the proceeds raised from these sales to COVID-19 efforts through these organizations:

• The World Health Organization’s COVID-Solidarity Response Fund

• United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund

Note:  
The Share Sunshine PDF Download is a "non-shareable PDF and is for personal use only. Order the PDF and print your own.  When you purchase the PDF download, please remember not to share it with others, as this takes away from the organizations Stampin' Up! is trying to support!  Help Stampin' Up! make a difference today!

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot 

Two Ways to Say It With Love

Hi Stampers.  Today I thought I'd share a couple of projects I made at Cheryl LeFore's Stamp Camp the other night that use the new "All My Love Suite" from the Occasions Catalogue.

This beautiful and practical product suite on pages 4-9 of the Occasions Catalogue is all hearts and flowers and can extend way beyond Valentine's Day  covering you for anniversaries, weddings, birthdays and other love filled occasions.  

Product Preview Video:  All My Love Suite

Here Are The Projects We Made at Stamp Camp:

Both the card and treat box are simply gorgeous.  These projects were quick and easy to assemble. 

The card is a combination of die cutting and stamping using the Forever Lovely Bundle.  The bundle includes the Forever Lovely Stamp set which has 13 photopolymer stamps and the coordinating die called Lovely Flowers Edgelits Dies. 

Look at the beautiful detail achieved by overlaying the die cut panel on top of the stamped one.  Cheryl showed us how to set up the two coordinating stamp images using the Stamparatus and then stamping them with Flirty Flamingo and Soft Sea Foam inks.  The Subtle Dynamic Textured Embossing Folder created the beautiful texture on the white panel.  This is the first time I've used cardstock that has been embossed with this folder, and I was sold on it.  It was one of the first items to go on my 2019 Stamping Wish List.  

I also really liked the All My Love designer paper used on the bottom panel.  The floral images flow beautifully and the combination of Lovely Lipstick, Flirty Flamingo and Soft Seam Foam is such a soft romantic mix.  This paper pack works for both the Meant to Be and the Forever Lovely bundles.  The coordinating 1/8" cotton ribbon was fun to work with too. 

The "Wishing You a Lovely Day" is one of those timeless sentiments that can be used for so many occasions and the font simply flows.  Love it!

A simple flower was stamped on both the envelope and the inside of the card.  The stamps in this set are called "distinctive" images.  To achieve a clean clearly layered image don't over-ink the stamps, just tap lightly against the ink pad to add colour to the stamp.  Also whenever you're stamping with Photopolymer stamps use a foam mat on your stamping surface to absorb the pressure on the stamp.   

Our second Project was this adorable Valentine's Treat Box made using the "Meant To Be" bundle.

  

Make sure you check out the video above to see how these dies cut out.  They are amazing and would make a great addition to your stampers "must have tool chest".  

The treat box was easy to assemble using a template that was provided in the class.  It measures 3 3/4" x 3" and is about 1" deep and was big enough to hold 4 chocolate Valentine Hearts (Hersheys) in the small cello bag.  

Well that's it for today.  I'm going to be sharing more bundles with you over the days ahead.  If you have questions about this post, or would like to see more samples using the All My Love Suite let me know.  

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin Spot

Click here to go to Online Store

Cling Stamps - A Change You're Going to Love

Hi stampers. Yesterday I introduced you to the new Occasions Catalogue and Sale-a-bration flyer and I hope you've had a chance to explore them. 

If you did, did you check out the exciting news and "Introduction to Cling Stamps" on page 3 of the Occasions Catalogue? If you're like me you probably looked at the awesome samples on that page and breezed right by the note.  

What's All the Hype About?

• Cling Stamps are now available for purchase with the release of the Occasions Catalogue! 
• Stampin’ Up!’s classic red rubber stamps are great for detailed imagery. 
• No more frustration with clear blocks....the new Stampin' Up! Cling Stamp Sets come with adhesive image labels that will cling like crazy to clear blocks or Stamparatus plates  each time you use them.
• Unfortunately for those who love Wood Blocks you'll see these phased out in the 2019/20 Annual and Occasions catalogues, with the exception of the large background stamps. 

To see more information about Cling Stamps please watch Natalie's informative video:

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot

To see which sets are available with Cling Adhesive, click here.