Decorative Candles

Using your favorite rubber stamps is such an easy way to personalize those inexpensive plain white candles into a one-of-a-kind piece of  artwork.  I often turn to this technique when I’m looking for that perfect item for someone special who already seems to have everything.  I can choose images and color combos that fits into their home décor, making it a heartfelt gift that is definitely for them alone.

For this candle I used my current favorite Stampin’ Up! stamp set Just Believe.  To add a bit more interest to this solid image, I used markers to color in the flowers and stems before stamping.  I added a coordinating greeting card, masking off a horizon line and sponging in various hues of greens and blues.

I finished this gift by wrapping it in a clear cellophane bag and adding a quick gift tag and piece of ribbon.  Who wouldn’t love receiving (or giving!) this wonderful gift!

PROJECT RECIPE:

STAMPS:  Just Believe, En Francais, French Filigree
PAPER:  Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist
INK:  Not Quite Navy, Wild Wasabi, Certainly Celery, Garden Green, Bashful Blue, Marina Mist
ACCESSORIES:  Basic Pearls, Taffeta Ribbon, sponges, dimensionals, XL Oval punch, Two Tags die, cellophane bag, tissue paper

Occasions Mini Blog Tour, Stop #15

Welcome to the Stampin' Addicts SU! Occasions Mini Blog Tour. We're kicking off the year in grand style, showcasing many of the products in Stampin' Up!'s newly released Occasions Mini brochure. These items will all be available from your demo on January 5.

You may have arrived here after visiting Dawnmarie's site, didn't you just love all the wonderful creations she made using the gorgeous Shades of Spring designer series paper! If you are starting the tour at my blog, you can continue on to visit all 23 participants via the link at the end of my post. If you get lost anywhere along the way, you can find links to all the participants on Stampin' Addicts website. All links will remain live until Sunday evening, so sit back, take your time, visit often and ENJOY!

I am showcasing the stamp set Vintage Vogue, available in wood mount and NEW clear mount. I decided to be brave and try the clear mount set, must admit I was totally thrilled with how easy they are to work with.

The first project I'm sharing is a stamped picture frame. I purchased this several months ago with the intention of altering it - this stamp set seemed perfect for this project. I used Brocade Blue and Soft Suede inks, and the "rock and roll" technique to get some variation in coloring; then stamped randomly all over the frame. Since these were the clear mount stamps, I was able to eyeball the placement. What a super easy project and I love how it turned out!

RECIPE:

Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Paper: Bashful Blue
Ink: Brocade Blue, Soft Suede

 

 

 

 

 

Next I chose to try my hand at stamping on a tumbled tile. This was totally new to me and a fun learning experience. The distressed look of these tiles just seemed to go wonderfully with this stamp set.

RECIPE:
Stamps: En Francais, Vintage Vogue
Ink: Pale Plum, Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant, Mellow Moss

 

 

 

For my last project I decided to make a stair step card. This was once again my very first attempt at this so please excuse my imperfections! I discovered (by mistake!) that the new Beautiful Wings butterfly embosslit layers PERFECTLY with the Bigz Beautiful Butterflies diecuts. I had so much fun making this card and it seemed to continue to grow with each and every step. I finally had to call it quits before it became too busy.

RECIPE:
Stamps: Vintage Vogue
Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Pretty In Pink, Mellow Moss, Sweet Pea DSP
Ink: Bravo Burgundy, Pretty In Pink, Versamark
Accessories: White EP, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Modern Label Punch, Pretty In Pink Corduroy Button, Regal Rose brads, Little Leaves Sizzlet, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die, hemp twine

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting, I hope you enjoyed my projects as much as I did creating them. Please continue on the tour by visiting Marie who will be showcasing the brand new stamp set "Tiny Tags".

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch; SSC102

It seems I've been having a bit of a creative slump lately, and I've really been wanting to play with all my new "toys" from the recent SU catalog preview. I thought maybe trying my hand at the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge would be a great place to start ... instead of sitting at my desk staring aimlessly at piles of paper, ink and stamps.

I started by using versamark on this wonderful wildflower image from the Asian Artistry hostess set, colored over the versamark with the new In Color markers (are you as excited about them as I am???) then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.

I tore a strip of paper to mask the background for the main image and sponged in some color. The tag is also an image from the same set, heat embossed and colored with blender pens.

The card base is one of the new In Colors ... Soft Suede. I LOVE this color, such a great addition! Sponging around the base gave it just a bit of added depth and the softness I was hoping for.

Stamps: Asian Artistry, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Sanded (background), En Francais (background)

Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango

Ink: Old Olive, Crushed Curry, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango

Accessories: Clear EP, markers, blender pen, circle punch, small and large tag punches, hemp twine, distressing tool, sponges