sunflowers

Pinkfresh Studio July Release Blog Hop+Giveaway!

July 27, 2022

Hi there! Today, Pinkfresh Studio is releasing their newest collection of stamps, dies, washi tapes, and stencils, and we are hopping along to inspire you with all of the new goodies! This month’s new release has a wide variety of styles and multiple seasons, and I’m super excited to share a new autumnal color variation for the previously-released Sunflowers washi tape set, which I designed and painted for Pinkfresh Studio earlier this year. This new Autumnal Sunflowers features deeper, richer colors that are perfect for autumn and Thanksgiving cards. I have a mini slimline project to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

I began by adhering the Autumnal Sunflowers Washi to plain white cardstock. I used a scraper from my old Cricut days to make sure that the washi was adhered tightly to the paper and that there were no air bubbles. I used the coordinating die to die cut the images. (I love that it is all one piece, so you can run your die through your machine one time and get a ton of pieces to use on your project! There is also a coordinating stamp set, also in one piece, so that you can use the washi tape or the stamp set and color with your favorite medium in whatever color combo you choose!)

When I first saw the images for this month’s release, I immediately knew that I was going to be pairing this new Autumnal Sunflowers washi tape with the new Dainty Plaid Stamp and coordinating Dainty Plaid Stencil. I think plaid epitomizes autumn fashion and style, like a big chunky plaid scarf! I heat embossed the Dainty Plaid Stamp on some white cardstock using gold embossing powder, then used blending brushes to blend Marigold, Clementine, and Sunshine inks to create a sunny yellow plaid background. I die cut a large circle from the plaid panel using the Nested Circles dies. I also die cut a gold foil Blanket Stitched Circle frame and adhered it around the edge of the plaid circle.

Once I had the die cut components complete, I trimmed down a coordinating deep purple mini slimline card base (3.5″x6″) to help make those purple berries in the washi tape pop. I arranged the floral washi die cuts around the edge of my plaid circle in a bouquet, adhering them with liquid adhesive and single and double layers of foam tape for tons of dimension. I adhered the entire piece to my mini slimline card base with foam adhesive, allowing some of the pieces to spill over on each side. (You can easily mail this in an A7 envelope, even with the overhanging bits!) For the greeting, I wanted to highlight some of the beautiful foiled accents on the Autumnal Sunflowers washi tape, so I used one of the Foiled Sentiments 3 from last month’s release, the edges of which I lightly blended some Marigold and Clementine inks to help it coordinate further. I popped the greeting up on the plaid circle using foam adhesive, then added a few Espresso jewels for one last element of shine!

Well, that’s all for my project today. To celebrate this new release, Pinkfresht Studio has lots of giveaways! They will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel. They will be giving away a total of TEN $25 gift cards along the hop. As per usual with blog hops – the winners will be picked from the comments. The winners will be selected and posted on August 5, 2022 on the GIVEAWAY PAGE. Winners must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks.

Here’s the full hop list:

Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy hopping!

Pinkfresh Studio March 2022 Washi, Stamp, Die, Stencil, and Hot Foil Release!

March 28, 2022

Hi there! I’m super excited to be a part of the Pinkfresh Studio March 2022 release blog hop today! You can find the full hop list at the bottom of this post. It’s always exciting to me when I am helping to introduce product that I designed, and in today’s release, I have a new washi tape product suite being released, with Hibiscus stamps, dies, washi tape, and stencils! I shared a video on the Pinkfresh Studio YouTube channel last week sharing a sneak peek of the stamps and dies, which you can watch here in HD or below:

For my project today, I am using the washi tape and coordinating die. I love that the Hibiscus stamps, washi tape, and stencils all coordinate with the dies, so that you can use the products interchangeably. Such an incredibly clever concept! The Hibiscus washi tape and Sunflowers washi tape are my first foray into creating washi tape, and it was so exciting for me personally as an artist and such an honor to have Pinkfresh use some of my original artwork for washi tape. (Reminder: if you purchase the Sunflowers stamps and stencils before 3/31, the generous folks at Pinkfresh are donating all of the profits of the sale of this suite during the month of March to Save the Children, which is providing direct humanitarian aid to children in Ukraine!) You can see some inspiration on how I used the stamps alone in this blog post.

For this first project, I used the Hibiscus washi tape and dies to create this clean card with a pop of bright tropical color! I began by adhering the Hibiscus washi tape to clean white cardstock, then die cut the images with the coordinating dies. I love the washi tape/die concept; it’s like having an almost-endless supply of stickers!

For the card base, I wanted to create something that was simple and clean that provided a bit of texture but still allowed the vibrant tropical flowers to be the star of the show, so I die cut the Diagonal Stripes with Window die from some crisp white cardstock and adhered it to a white A2 card base. The subtle texture of the white on white creates a great backdrop for the bright flowers! I layered the large Hibiscus bouquet with some of the smaller elements to create a huge floral swag, then adhered them to the side of the window using both foam and liquid adhesive for lots of dimension.

For the greeting, I used one of the Fancy Script Words hot foil plate and coordinating dies that I’d previously created using white cardstock and shiny graphite colored foil. I adhered it to the card front with a double layer of foam adhesive to give it tons of height, then added some Matte Silver Pearls for a touch of shine and to coordinate with the charcoal foil!

For my second card, I used the graceful and lovely new Rainbow Floral Stamps, layering stencils, and dies. I began by heat embossing the Rainbow Floral Stamps on some super pale pink cardstock using white embossing powder. I then used the Rainbow Floral layering stencils with some pretty pinks and greens to create the lovely roses. The pink of the cardstock is so pale that it doesn’t interfere with the green ink blending! I die cut the finished images with the coordinating dies.

Next, I did some hot foiling using the fantastic new Nested Hexagons Hot Foil Plates and coordinating dies. This new group of nested dies is going to become a staple in my craft room; the frames that the hot foil creates is so incredibly classy and are the perfect foil for the beautiful floral images from Pinkfresh! I used the same shade of blush pink with some beautifully shiny rose gold foil to create this tone-on-tone effect. Hot foil+colored cardstock is a winning recipe in my book!

I layered the foiled Nested Hexagons frame on an A2 card base of the same blush pink cardstock using foam adhesive, then arranged my stenciled floral die cut images. I did some selective trimming and arranging to create a cascade down the one side of my card. “Waste not, want not” is my philosophy in my craft room. The little pieces that I trim off of the edge are almost always used somewhere else on my card peeking out from behind a die cut or dripping off of the edge of the card base. I adhered the die cut pieces using liquid and foam adhesive, then added a coordinating rose gold foil/blush cardstock greeting that I’d created using the Brushed Sentiments Hot Foil Plates and Coordinating Dies. Finally, I added a few shining Ballet Slipper gems to add just a touch more sparkle to this pretty-in-pink card.

Well, that’s all for my projects today! Now, for some fun giveaway information:

The folks at Pinkfresh Studio will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog & YouTube channel, so be sure to check those out! They will also be giving away ten $25 gift cards along the hop. The winners will be selected from the comments, so the more comments you leave along the hop, the more chances you have to win. The winners will be posted on April 5, 2022 on the Pinkfresh GIVEAWAY PAGE. Winners must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks.

Here’s the full hop list:

Thanks so much for stopping by, and happy hopping!

Hero Arts Support Ukraine Collection and Blog Hop

March 12, 2022

The blue and yellow of the Ukraine flag symbolize the beauty and calm of the skies above and the joy and prosperity of wheat fields throughout the country. The national flower, the sunflower, symbolizes motherhood. To honor Ukraine, and help counter the devastation and destruction, we are donating 100% of our net profits from sales of this Support Ukraine collection. Funds will be donated to the Ukrainian Red Cross for immediate, on-the-ground help. We will continue our fundraising efforts to also support the long-term rebuilding that will be required to restore schools, roads, homes, and the spirit of the Ukrainian people.

The folks at Hero Arts have created a beautiful digital stamp available for purchase in the Hero Arts shop, which you can check out here.

I used the gorgeous Sunflower Heroscape to create this faux watercolor framed picture as the focal point for my card. I began by trimming a rectangle of Arches watercolor paper into the approximate size needed to fit inside the Museum Frame Fancy Die. I stamped each layer using Hero Arts Pigment inks, then used a damp paintbrush to soften the edges into an almost Monet-ish painting.

I die cut a Museum Frame Fancy Die from some Pitch Black cardstock and placed the sunflower painting inside, then turned my attention to the card front.

I cut the Magnolia Branches die from some more Pitch Black cardstock, then trimmed a few of the whole pieces and added them to a black A2 card front to add some subtle texture to the background. I popped up the sunflower painting, then added a greeting from the Sunflower Heroscape heat embossed in white on a strip of black cardstock.

You can check out the rest of the blog hop here:

Hero Arts
Lydia Fiedler
Seeka
Ilina Crouse
Mindy Eggen
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Michelle Short
Emily Midgett
Channin Pelletier
Libby Hickson

Sunflowers for Ukraine from Pinkfresh Studio!

March 10, 2022

Hi friends. I know that the events happening in Ukraine are weighing on people’s minds. New horrors emerge in the news daily. As a momma of four, the atrocities affecting the children are weighing on my heart so heavily, as I’m sure they are weighing on many people’s hearts. Seeing daily reports of children’s hospitals and maternity hospitals being bombed, evacuation corridors being shelled, and the other countless horrific reports make me yearn to offer those poor babies solace and safety. I have been trying to figure out how I can help them, and I have donated money and formula and diapers, but helping these innocent people seems like such an impossible feat. To that end, I am very happy to announce that I have designed and painted my very first washi tape set for Pinkfresh Studio, the Sunflowers Suite, and Pinkfresh Studio is donating 100% of the profits from the sale of these pieces to the Save the Children organization.

The powers-that-be at Pinkfresh had already planned to release these products during our March release, but decided that in light of the fact that Ukraine’s national flower is the sunflower, they would release the set early and donate the profits from the entire month of March. (Wow, right?) The product suite was released Monday, but I was quite ill over the weekend, and just had the opportunity to do some work with them yesterday. I have four projects to share with you today, so let’s get started with the details!

These first projects use the Sunflowers Washi Tape. These washi tapes are especially exciting for me to see in the final product, as it’s the first time that any of my paintings or coloring have been printed in any form. The tape comes on a large roll 4 inches wide by 10 meters long, and coordinates with a matching die to make a seemingly endless supply of floral embellishments. Both of my cards today have been created with Sunflowers washi tape that has been adhered to vellum, the translucence of which I think lends an airiness to the overall feel of the projects. I simply adhered a section of the washi tape to some heavyweight vellum, then used the coordinating die to cut the pieces for some incredibly quick embellishments.

My first project uses a soft watercolored background to allow the sunflowers to be the focal point. I taped down a panel of watercolor paper to my watercolor board, then added a very subtle pastel rainbow wash at a diagonal across the front of the card. Once it had dried, I trimmed the Sunflowers Washi Tape die cuts and adhered them to the corner of the rainbow background, adding them with both clear foam tape and liquid adhesive.

I matted one corner of the watercolor sunflower panel with some matte gold foil cardstock to help enhance the gold foil accents on the washi tape, then butted both pieces into the corner of an A2 card base. I added a greeting from Incredibly Grateful, gold embossed on a square of white cardstock. I popped it up with some foam tape, then added a few gold pearls for one more accent of shiny gold.

The second project again features the Sunflowers Washi Tape and matching die. To conjure the image of a sunburst or sunshine, I die cut the Radiating Background 2 die from some white cardstock and layered it on a full A2 card base using foam adhesive.

I arranged the larger sunflower wreath image and some of the individual pieces of foliage around the opening in the center, popping some up with foam adhesive and adhering some with liquid adhesive. I added a greeting from Always Uplifting, heat embossed in gold on a strip of heavyweight vellum. A few more metallic gold pearls completed the card and added a touch of shine.

My next set features some watercoloring using the Sunflowers Stamps. The stamps include a variety of smaller bouquets, individual foliage, some sprigs of berries, and a larger wreath-just like the washi tape, except that with the stamps, you can use your choice of coloring medium to color them or “color” with the layering stencils! I chose to stamp them on some watercolor paper using no-line coloring ink, then used my Holbein watercolors to add lots of vibrant yellow, jade green, and sky blue. I die cut them with the coordinating dies, which are the same dies that are used for the washi tape. The entire suite coordinates, which I think is just splendid and makes the products incredibly versatile!

For my first project, I layered the watercolored images on top of a circular frame die cut from white cardstock, arranged to create a swag. I adhered them to a panel that I’d created using some silver holographic foil and the Arch Backdrop Hot Foil Plate.

I trimmed the hot foiled panel down slightly to mat it on a coordinating blue cardstock base. I white embossed a sentiment from the Sunflowers Stamps on a smaller strip of that same cornflower blue cardstock, which I matted with some holographic silver foil cardstock. I added it to the card front with some more foam tape, then added a few shiny silver pearls for even more shine.

My last card allows the large sunflower wreath to be the focal point of the card. I die cut an Ornate Oval Frame die from some iridescent white glitter cardstock, then die cut another from some navy blue cardstock. I ran the center oval through my die cut machine using the Tulip Love cover plate die to add a little texture and interest to that piece, which I then layered back inside the white glitter die cut. I adhered it to a coordinating navy blue A2 card base with foam tape. The pattern in the center is super subtle with that very dark blue cardstock, but it adds just enough texture to the background to add a touch of visual interest!

For the greeting, I used the Phrase Builder: Hello dies and Simply Sentiments: Hello stamps to die cut and heat emboss an uplifting greeting. I layered all of the die cut pieces on top of the sparkling die cut frame using another layer of foam tape, creating tons of heigh and dimension on this project. The final touch was to add some sparkling jewels for a bit of sparkle.

Well, that’s all for these projects. I hope that you will consider purchasing one (or all!) of the elements from the Sunflowers Suite from Pinkfresh Studio. It’s a great way to make your crafty dollars go farther and help those children whose lives have been upended by this horrifying war. I am honored to be a very small part of these donations to help the Ukrainian children. When Kinnari and I were brainstorming product ideas, we could not ever have planned that something like this would happen, but I am so honored and so grateful to work with such a wonderful company. As of yesterday afternoon, the crafty community has purchased enough of these sets to donate $18,000 to the Save the Children organization, and I am just astonished and speechless at the generosity of our community.

Thank you so much for reading, and have a wonderful day.

Simon Says Stamp Stamptember with Honey Bee Stamps!

September 18, 2021

Hi there! I’m back again with another Stamptember collaboration, this time with Honey Bee Stamps! This lovely sunflower set is so beautifully detailed… I did some saturated ink blending to create a summery sunset sky as the backdrop for the beautiful sunflowers. Let’s get started with the details!

I began by doing some colorful ink blending using a variety of Simon Says Stamp inks: (from top to bottom) Deep Sea, Hydrangea, Doll Pink, Sunshine, Fern, then Deep Sea again. I used blending brushes from Hero Arts-they have such incredibly soft bristles and make blending a breeze!- and went over the entire panel twice to make sure I had vivid color and a smooth, saturated blend.

Once my ink blending had finished, I used Altenew’s Obsidian pigment ink to stamp the beautifully detailed field of sunflowers from the Honey Bee Stamps Stamptember collaboration set. The pigment ink lays beautifully over the vivid blended background and picks up so much detail from the stamp set. I made sure to place the stamp where the flowers laid mostly in the yellow blended area, the leaves in the green blended area. They look like they’re almost glowing!

Finally, I spritzed some Hero Arts Iridescent White Shimmer Spray over the top to create the look of stars and add to the magical feel of the sunset background.

Well, that’s all for my project today! These collaboration sets sell out super fast, so if you love this collaboration stamp set from Honey Bee Stamps, don’t hesitate to purchase, because it might be gone when you come back! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and Happy Stamptember!