Tracey Stamps

Loving Embrace Life

I just love Embrace Life and Ginger Blossom DSP! I've had to order another pack of Ruby Red paper I'm using it so much... and it's made me like River Rock. I confess. I didn't like that color at all, but it is growing on me. Of course it's nearly May and it will retire in June...

So for this card, I knew I wanted to use the cute little ribbon sliders we demos could buy in bulk a few months ago. I added a Ruby Red accent to it using the trick Patty shows here. That little trick is so fun and makes such a difference to those sliders.

The flower accent was fun too. I stamped it on Very Vanilla in Ruby Red. Then I used my sponge daubers to add color. I cut it out and used my bone folder to curl the petals. So easy.

Hopefully I will have something else for you soon. Clara is still fighting a mystery fever and wants to sit on me pretty much all day. Makes it hard to stamp! Poor baby. Have a good day!

Stamp Sets: Embrace Life Paper: Very Vanilla, Groovy Guava, River Rock textured, Ginger Blossom DSP Ink: River Rock, Ruby Red, Groovy Guava Accessories: Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Groovy Guava Double Stitched Ribbon, Crystal Effects

Labels: designer paper

Blocks of texture

Several times recently, my attention has been grabbed by something very simple on a card... a color-blocked strip! Always on the quest for a good male card, I thought this would be a great element on a simple thank you card. This card isn't so "manly" that a woman wouldn't enjoy getting it, but it also isn't "girly". Very important to guys. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just send a flowery pink card to every man you need to? Hehe... but then how would we stretch ourselves and grow as artists?

Sorry for the short post, but I'm taking care of a baby with a mystery fever... I just wanted to post something so I didn't disappear again. As always, TFL!

Labels: designer paper, male cards

Ewe ok?

I just love this poor little sheep. This is from the retired set Farm Fever. I've kept that one around as it's such a cute little happy get well set. Did I use enough adjectives for you?

The main technique on this card is basic paper piecing. I stamped the little sheep 3 times - once on the main piece for the card, once on a scrap of white, and once more on a scrap of Blush Blossom. I cut out the fluffy parts of the sheep from the white and his little face from the blush. I glued the pieces down. To add a bit more depth I used the blender pen to add shadows with Bashful Blue. Oh... I also gave her legs a little tan with Blush Blossom. :-)

I finally did a little faux stitching on an actual card. I've tried it on scraps plenty, but never found a place for it on a card I've made. Well, here it is! Exciting, huh? I finished up the card by distressing everything.

I guess that sums things up! Have a great day and TFL! ~:-)

Stamp Sets: Farm Fever, Sanded Paper: Bashful Blue, Really Rust, Whisper White, retired DSP Ink: Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Blush Blossom, Really Rust, Basic Black marker

Labels: designer paper, faux stitching, male cards

Really I am alive...

no really... hehe. It was spring break here in lovely Connecticut and the boy was home every. single. day. all. day. What am I going to do come summer? Thank goodness for his preschool's summer camp in August. ;-) Of course, we had so much fun this week, with planning the summer will be great too!

I thought I would post a scrapbook page in honor of the boy today. I took this photo last year on the first day I had my camera. I got such good pictures that day, simply because I was willing to play around with the features of my camera. Hmm... maybe it's time to do that again. Anyway, here's the page.

I totally love Heather Nichols' style of stamping using kraft paper and I wanted to go for that earthy feel with this page. I wanted the layout to be very simple, so I played around with elements for a while and decided on the twill tape and book turns.

The leaf was fun to make. I used sponges to apply craft ink in various greens to the stamp. I stamped it on Very Vanilla. After I let it dry, I used more sponges to apply classic ink to make it really look like a fresh spring leaf. Then I trimmed it out. Easy as pie, just required a little patience.

I was most surprised by the vanilla mat I used... I always grab a dark piece of cardstock to mount my photos, but after about a 15 mins of playing I knew that just wasn't working. I sat there wondering what to do (I couldn't just have an unmounted picture *gasp*) when I looked over my messy desk and saw a scrap of Very Vanilla. "It couldn't be that easy," I thought. But it was!

Well, for those of you who are still looking, thanks! I'll try to be around a little more often! TFL!

Stamp Sets: With Gratitude, Art by Design Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla Ink: Versamark, Garden Green, every green I own for the leaf, Garden Green marker Accessories: Twill Tape, Hodgepodge Hardware Antique Brass

Labels: family, markers, not a card, scrapbooking

She lives!!!

Although I sure was wishing to die a few times last week! I had a killer sinus infection... now I have a few days left on antibiotics and I'm feeling great. Fortunately I got to the doctor before I followed my normal sickness path of brochitis/ear infection. That really would have sucked.

Anyway, I'm sure you're here more for cards than for blabbering, so here is a card! One of my lovely downline did a great job recruiting in March, so we welcomed 2 more to the SU! family. I wanted to welcome them with a cute little card. Tart and Tangy makes just that... cute little cards!

I love the way the fruit stamps look when inked with markers. The slight variation you get in the color gives it an organic feel. I also love how well they lend themselves to bright colors. I can just feel summer when I look at this card (never mind that it is rainy and blowing outside). To add texture to this very simple card, I stamped the Old Olive and Summer Sun papers with stamps from Itty Bitty Backgrounds and also ran the Summer Sun through the paper crimper. I always forget I have that tool, but it adds a lot to the right card. I tend to crimp the paper and then flatten it again slightly with my fingers or bone folder. I finished with a knot of ribbon and that was that!

Have a great day, stay well, and thanks for looking!

Stamp Sets: Tart and Tangy, Itty Bitty Backgrounds, Warm Words Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Summer Sun Ink: Real Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write markers, Real Red, Old Olive, Summer Sun Accessories: Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Labels: markers