MORE MULBERRY BATIK...

What can I say? I love Mulberry Batik!

I made this card after several attempts to use one of the new SU! hostess sets, Garden Silhouettes. It's such a beautiful set, but I felt like I wasn't doing it justice until I decided to use it with the mulberry batik. I like the way it looks so delicate... the way cherry blossoms always do.

I also tried my hand at faux stitching, which I used the petal pink marker for. Using this technique is a snap when you have Stampin' Up!'s paper piercing template!


STAMPs: Garden Silhouettes, Warm Words
INKs: Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, Versamark, Petal Pink
PAPERs: Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White
EMBELLISHMENTS: Clear EP, Antique Brads

SU!'s WATERCOLOR WONDER CRAYONS...

This is a detail of an image stamped with Watercolor Wonder Crayons.

I cannot tell you how "a-m-a-z-i-n-g" the Watercolor Wonder Crayons by Stampin' Up! are... they are fun, and easy & they make beautifully delicate images!

I recently got a set of the Earth Elements (now I wish I had bought all of the sets), and after using them all weekend, they hardly look touched! What a great value! I've had a hard time trying not to use them on EVERYTHING!

I bet you're thinking you've seen this color combo before... okay, I admit it! I L-O-V-E these colors together!

STAMPs: Baroque Motifs
INKs: Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa
WATERCOLOR CRAYONs: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral
PAPERs: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Cameo Coral
EMBELLISHMENTS: Glue dots, chocolate grosgrain

GROOVY GUAVA...

This stamp set "Blossoms Abound" by Stampin' Up! is my current favorite for showing off " 2-Step Stampin' " .

For this card I also used the French Flair background stamp, inked with really rust on the groovy guava paper. The stem & leaves are inked with almost artichoke & certainly celery, and the flowers are really rust & groovy guava on vellum paper, which is only attached to the base at the top, under the celery ribbon.

I embossed the sentiment.

6x6 SCRAPBOOKING...

This is a 6"x6" layout I did for a swap recently. I used SU! chipboard (a first!) as well as a new to me ink pad by Jacquard, called Castaway. Here's an official description:

When the stamped image is heated with an iron, the color of the paper is magically altered. Instead of adding color to the surface of the paper, the color of the paper itself is transformed! The result is a marbled or dappled antique look which is similar to batik fabric.

It's pretty cool & no two images are alike. It makes an image look somewhat batiked & bleached... I stamped the swirls on the top right with it, let it dry minutes & then ironed it.

Sometimes I feel really inimidated by scrapbooking... partially because I never feel like my pictures are good enough~ which is crazy, since I majored in graphic design & photography.
I guess what I mean is I never like pics of myself... that would be more accurate!

But I guess the most important thing about scrapbooking is:

• you do it for yourself
• there is no wrong way (at least that can't be fixed)
• it's more important to do it, than NOT do it!

I like 6x6... it's quick, as simple or elaborate as you make it, and you can conserve on supplies!