Hello Summer ...

Good morning! Today is my last post as a Designer for Great Impressions Stamps. I've had an amazing time being on the Design Team for the past 2-yrs, as a Designer and then the Design Team Coordinator. I've worked with many amazing designers while on the Design Team. Shouting out a BIG Thank You to all of the Designers and our awesome Owner Deone. It has been a blast being here and sharing my creations with all of you.

Mabel & Vera Beachin' (J118) was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink on Neenah Solar White cardstock, and colored with my Copic Markers. I also used a White Gelly Roll Pen for the swimsuits. Once colored I pulled out my Tim Holtz Distress Inks and created the sand, water, and sky with a dauber. I then added the Hello Summer Sentiment (C366).

I will be back on Sunday, July 2nd, to announce the winner of our LAST Great Impressions Challenge. You still have time to join in the FUN ... we are going Masculine this month! Hop on over for all of the details! We can't wait to see what you create for our FINAL Challenge!

Happy Birthday ...

Good morning! I'm re-sharing a masculine card today that I created last year that features Great Impressions Stamps.

My card features the adorable Seashore Buddies (G488) and Happy Birthday Sentiment (B247). I had an awesome time coloring up the Seashore Buddies with my Copic Markers, and did a bit of paper-piecing to add dimension to the stamped image. A bit of distress ink was applied behind the seagull which adds a bit more dimension to my stamped design.

Have you checked out our Great Impressions June Challenge yet ... we are going Masculine this month! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Golf ...

Good morning! I'm re-sharing a masculine card today that I created last year that features Great Impressions Stamps.

I started out by stamping the Vintage Golf Bag (E503) three times. One I cut out with my Nestabilities Circle Die, colored the other two with my Copic Markers, did a bit of fussy cutting and layered the image together to add a bit of dimension. I layered the panel on my background and added a red pearl to the pocket on the bag. I then stamped the What Else is There Sentiment (D297), layered it on navy cardstock, and added it to the card with 3D Foam Square. The final step was to add some Glossy Accents to the golf ball and clubs.

Have you checked out our Great Impressions June Challenge yet ... we are going Masculine this month! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Sailing Away ...

Good morning! I created a masculine card to share with you today featuring Sail Away (E418) from Great Impressions Stamps.

Using Marvey LePlumme II Markers I colored the image with three (3) different colors and stamped it on my panel. I then colored the image again with the same markers, and made each sail a little different. A combination of Distress Inks and Gelatos were used to create the sea and sky, and then applied Copic Opaque White with a brush to create the whitecaps. I then framed the scene with a Scalloped Frame Die, and layered it on my blue card. No sentiment was used, but you can always add it to the inside for any occasion.

The Great Impressions June Challenge went live yesterday! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Thank You ...

Good morning! I created a Thank You card to share today in honor of the men/women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Today's card features the Cowboy Boots with Flowers (G528). The image was stamped on Kraft cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. A variety of  Faber-Castel Art Grip Pencils, Pastell Pitt Pencils, Silver Pen and a White Gelly Roll Pen were used to color the image. I put lines of White Opal Liquid Pearls around the image, and layered it on red cardstock. Using Vintage Cream cardstock I applied distress ink around the edges and added it to my card. I only used a portion of the Being You Sentiment (D509) which I cut out with a stitched rectangle die, applied distress ink around the edges, and used 3D Foam Squares to add it to my card.

You have 1-more day to enter our Great Impressions May Challenge! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

You are in my thoughts ...

Good morning! I hope you had a marvelous weekend. Today's card is thoughtful and sweet.

I stamped the Little Girl in Springtime (F466) with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, and used Copic Markers to color her. A White Gelly Roll Pen was used in the center of the flowers, and for the band on the hat. Distress Ink was applied to create ground cover and sky. I chose the Thoughts Sentiment (B176) to go with this lovely girl. I then create the border around the image using a 0.35 Copic Multi-Liner.

Our Great Impressions May Challenge is live! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Happy Birthday ...

Good morning! I have a birthday card for a little boy to share with you today.

I stamped the Dump Truck (E636) with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. Using a 0.8 Copic Multi-Liner I drew in a road for the truck to drive on. Copic Markers were used to color in the truck, along with a Silber 1.5 PITT Faber Castell Artist Pen for the fender and grill. I then added the Happy Birthday Sentiment (C340) with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, and applied distress ink above and below the road to represent dirt. Glossy Accents was added to the windows of the truck to make them shiny, and White Opal Liquid Pearls was used for the headlights.

Our Great Impressions May Challenge is live! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Graduation Times Two ...

Good morning! I have two nieces that graduated from college yesterday and made these graduation cards with the Diploma (D309) and Congratulations Graduate Sentiment (E325).

I pulled the colors from their Graduation Notice and made each card a little different, because they are different ladies. No coloring was required for these cards. I paper-pieced the stars and sponged on some Seedless Preserves Distress Ink on the cards with a tissue.

I also made coordinating envelopes to go with the cards.

Our Great Impressions May Challenge is live! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Long to Be ...

Good morning! Today's card features the adorable Forever (G451) and Long To Be Sentiment (E780) stamps.

I fell in love with this image, and it truly shows how I feel when my husband goes out of town on business. That being said, this card will be tucked into his luggage for his next trip.

I stamped the Forever stamp with Jet Black Ranger Archival Ink on watercolor paper. Marvy LePlumme II Markers were applied to my pallet, and I proceeded to color the image with a paintbrush and water.  Once my panel was dry I cut the image out with my Nestabilities Large Oval Die, and layered it on another oval I cut from Kraft cardstock.

I pulled out some Rustic Cream cardstock and applied Tim Holtz Antique Linen and Vintage Photo Distress Ink around the edges, and layered it on my Kraft card. The Long to Be Sentiment was stamped with the same Jet Black Archival Ink as the image, and I added the image with 3D Foam Tape centered above the sentiment. I added some enamel dots to the corners to finish off my card.

Until next week ... Enjoy!

You are a Rare Bird ...

Good morning! Today's card features the adorable Birds of a Feather Flock Together (G370) and Rare Bird Sentiment (E892).

I simply adore these birds and couldn't wait to play with them. I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink along the edge of my card with the sentiment in the lower left hand corner. I also stamped the image a couple more times an extra cardstock. Coloring medium is a combination of Copic Markers, Faber-Castell Pit Brush Markers, with the background sky created with Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass and Stormy Sky Distress Ink.

I colored the extra birds only and fussy cut part of the birds out, and layered them on with  3D foam squares. It's a little hard to see in the photo's but the top bird is truly in flight and the 2nd bird is sitting on top of the branch.

Here's a closer look ...

There is still time to join our Great Impressions April Challenge! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Spring Flower Tub Revisited ...

Good morning! I revisiting a Spring card I made a year ago featuring the lovely G501 Spring Flower Tub.

This Spring Flower Tub is such a beautiful stamp, and can be used for so many different occasions! I chose to watercolor the image using my Marvy Markers. This time I added the ink to the stamp itself, huffed on the stamp to re-activate the ink, and stamped it on Strathmore Watercolor paper. Next I used my paintbrush, with water, to pull out the colors. Once it was dry, I used the markers to darken the outline of the tub and leaves, and layered it onto Kraft cardstock. I embossed cream cardstock with tiny bubbles, tied on some twine, added my colored panel, and layered all on a Kraft card.

Have you joined out Great Impressions April Challenge yet? Check out this beautiful inspiration photo for our April Showers bring May Flowers Theme Challenge.

Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

A Little Hello ...

Good morning! I created a FUN Spring card featuring the adorable Duck with Umbrella (F640), Springtime Birdie (E906) and A Little Hello Sentiment (B151).

When I saw these stamps I fell in love with them and had to have them in my stamp collection! The adorable duck and birdie are so sweet together.

Memento Tuxedo Black Ink was used for stamping, and the color medium used are my trusty Copic Markers. I stamped an extra copy of both images for coloring and paper-piecing the ducks boots, both umbrella's and the birdie. Tim Holtz Distress Ink was used to create the sky and ground cover prior to adding the frame. Once the frame was layered on my panel 3D Foam Squares and Micro Glue Dots were used to add the boots, umbrella's and the birdie.

I layered the final panel on a couple layers of cardstock and my cardbase. The final step was to apply Glossy Accents for my puddle and rain. I then stamped part of the Duck on my envelope.

Our Great Impressions April Challenge is live! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Frolicking Trio ...

Good morning! I created an elegant card for today featuring the beautiful Frolicking Trio (G342).

This is such a beautiful image, and I've had it for a bit. Today was the perfect time to pull it out for my clean and simple card. After stamping the Frolicking Trio I cut it out with my Pierced Rectangle Stax dies and did the same with black and white cardstock, layering it all together. To add a pop of color I applied a bit of blue distress ink around the image, added a Butterfly die over the butterfly in the image, and add some pearls in the center.

Our Great Impressions April Challenge is live! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Bunny with Eggs ...

Good morning! Ruza here to share one of my older cards that I created featuring the adorable Bunny with Eggs (J124) and Bunny Loves You (D518) available at Great Impressions Stamps.

I had a blast making this card. One of my water-colored cards that turns out a LOT better than I expected.

There are 5-more days to enter our Great Impressions March Challenge! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Happy Easter ...

Good morning! Today I'm sharing a lovely Easter Tag featuring Great Impressions Stamps.

I made a Double Layered Tag for Easter to share instead of a card today. To start I pulled out a retired stamp (G282) and stamped it on Cream cardstock in two different colors. I then used my Bookmark/Tag Dies to cut out the large tag. Next I stamped the Spring is Here (D385) in Memento Tuxedo Black Ink two times. I added the diagonal stripes on the egg with a Multi-Liner Black Pen, then proceeded to color the egg with my Copic Markers, and cut it out. I then colored the top part of the egg that lays on its side, along with the Chick with my Copic Markers, and fussy cut them out.

I stamped the Open Happy Easter Sentiment (D346) with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, cut it out with a smaller die, then colored in the sentiment. Using the same ink that I used for the circles I used a dauber to apply it around both tags. I cut some grass with my Grassland Border Die, and double layered it at the bottom of my tag. Using thin and thick 3D squares and 1/4" Scor-Tape I added the egg and chick in the grass. The final step was to pull pink ribbon between both tags.

Our Great Impressions March Challenge is live! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

While the Designers take a break until April, we'll be sharing projects from previous designers. I hope you enjoy the inspiration this week and next week.

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Bunny in Egg Balloon ...

Good morning! Today I'm sharing a lovely Spring card featuring Great Impressions Stamps.

Today's card features the lovely Bunny in Egg Balloon (F439). I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink several times. Copic Markers were used to color the image, all except for the balloon which is yellow cardstock. Once I colored the bunny and basket, I fussy cut all the pieces and layered them back together.  I pulled out my cloud dies and inked the white clouds with a bit of distress ink along the bottom edge. Using my pierced dies I cut out a rectangle in white and applied distress ink to create a sky background. I then cut out a square in pink, and layered all of the pieces together to create my design.

I left off the sentiment since I'm not sure if I'll use this for Easter or a child's birthday card.

Our Great Impressions March Challenge is live! Hop on over for all of the details, and join in the FUN! We can't wait to see what you create this month!

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Happy Spring ...

Good morning! Today I'm sharing a lovely Spring card featuring stamps from Great Impressions Stamps.

Today's card features the lovely Happy Spring Tulip (E442). I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. Copic Markers were used to color the image. I masked off the area and applied Distress Ink around the image. I stamped a couple extra copies of the image, color the tulip and leaf and paper-pieced them on my design to give my card some dimension. I then added a couple of enamel dots around the image.

We have a NEW Challenge that started yesterday. Stop by for all of the details and then join in the FUN for a chance to win an awesome prize, and for a chance to be our Guest Designer in April.

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Happy Spring ...

Good morning! Today I'm sharing a lovely Spring card featuring stamps from Great Impressions Stamps.

Today's card features the lovely Happy Spring Squares (G415). I stamped the image with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink. Copic Markers were used to color the squares, and then I cut them out. I embossed some white cardstock with Cuttlebug Swiss Dots, tied on some yellow ribbon, and added it to my Lemon Whip card with 3D Foam Tape. I then added the squares to my design with 3D Foam Tape. The final step was to add White Opal Liquid Pearls to the center of each flower.

Here's a closer look at the Happy Spring Squares (G415) ...

You only have 1-more day to join our February Sketch Challenge. I hope you'll take some time to join in the FUN for a chance to win an awesome prize, and for a chance to be our Guest Designer in April.

Until next week ... Enjoy!

Revisiting Spring Projects: Day 1

Good morning! This week we are Revisiting Spring Projects that were created by various Designers. Why Spring you ask? Well, we've been have Spring-like weather here in Northern Illinois - like 60-degrees.

Today's card was created by Ruza and features the lovely G364 Spring Special Thanks available at Great Impressions Stamps.

The colors are perfect for Spring, and Ruza did a beautiful job coloring the flowers.

Have you checked out our February Sketch Challenge yet? It's a lovely sketch and very versatile. Stop by for all of the details, and then join in the FUN!

Happy Birthday ...

Good morning! Today I'm sharing a Birthday card featuring stamps from Great Impressions Stamps.

I wanted to create a Birthday card to put money inside. To start I took a 6-1/2" x 8-1/2" piece of cardstock, scored the long side at 3-1/2" and 7", folded it and put it on the side. Next I cut a panel for the cover, stamped the Stacked Presents (H178) with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, and colored the image with my Copic Markers. I then stamped the Wishes Sentiment (D361), masked off the Stacked Presents, and used a dauber to apply a variety of Tim Holtz Distress Ink around the image and sentiment.

I then cut out 2 more panels. The first panel is for the cover of the inside flap of the card. I stamped the Sparkles Sentiment (F312) with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, and applied distress ink to match the cover.

For the second panel I stamped the Fun Balloons, which is a Retired GI Stamp, in three different colors. I added distress ink after masking the image leaving room to write a personal note inside.

Here's a picture of the card partially open.

I then added the Stacked Presents to the envelope to coordinate with my card, used twine that matches one of the presents to tie the card closed. It slips off and on very easily for easy access to the inside.

Our Great Impressions February Sketch Challenge is up and running, and I hope you'll take some time to join in the FUN for a chance to win an awesome prize, and for a chance to be our Guest Designer in April.

Until next week ... Enjoy!