- Nicolle 6 Comments

Color Fusers Blog Hop for August 2019

Today’s color combo is one of my absolute favorites so far! Greens, blues, and purples are my favorite colors, so I just LOVE this color combo! These colors remind me of tropical seas, so I decided to feature the Seaside Notions stamp set in my card today.

For this card, I used Shimmery White cardstock for the base, the seahorse, and sentiment piece. I stamped the seaweed image in the corners in Pretty Peacock ink, then stamped the seahorse in StazOn black ink on a separate piece, and watercolored it with both Pretty Peacock and Blackberry Bliss ink. Once it dried completely, I carefully trimmed around the image using Paper Snips. I then stamped the sentiment in VersaMark ink, heat embossed it in Shimmer Black Embossing Powder, and punched it with the Story Label Punch. Hopefully, you can see the shimmer in the embossing powder in the picture below:

I used the Sprig Punch to punch the sprigs on both sides of the sentiment, and cut them from Blackberry Bliss, Pretty Peacock, and Vellum Cardstock. They are adhered with Mini Glue Dots, and the seahorse and sentiment piece are adhered over the sprigs with Stampin’ Dimensionals (both regular and minis).

Once the card was fully assembled, I used a stamp from the Artisan Textures stamp set to give the appearance of bubbles just above the seahorse. I added a few Pretty Peacock sequins from the Woven Threads Sequin Assortment to dress it up a bit. I got a little too much glue behind some of the sequins, so I sprinkled a little bit of Dazzling Diamonds Stampin’ Glitter over the “bubbles”, just to cover up the glue, as well as add a bit more shimmer! (Cause really, what’s a little more shimmer at this point? 🙂 )

Measurements for this card are as follows:

Shimmery White cardstock base: 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (scored at 4-1/4 inches and folded in half)

Coastal Cabana cardstock middle layer: 3-5/8 x 5 inches

Bermuda Bay cardstock top layer: 3-3/8 x 4-3/4 inches

Shimmery White seahorse piece: 1-1/4 x 3 inches

Shimmery White sentiment piece: 1-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches

Sprigs: 1-1/4 x 2 inches each (approximate size)

And now it’s time for a confession: this card was case’d from a card I made for a swap last month. I didn’t have as much time as I had hoped to work on my project this month, so I needed something quickly! I loved my original and thought this month’s colors would work well for the design, so I just changed up a few things and now I have two versions to share! I love them both! Here’s my original card for comparison:

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Please continue on to Bonnie’s page! I have seen her cards for this month, and they are GORGEOUS!

Have a great day!

Nicolle

To Bonnie O’Neill’s page
Back to Melanie Hockin’s page

Here is the full hop line up for August:

Tami Hewlett

Jo Anne Hewins

Melanie Hockin

Nicolle Belesimo (YOU ARE HERE)

Bonnie O’Neill

Melissa Kerman

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A Butterfly Gala Birthday Card

My sister’s birthday was this past Saturday. She LOVES butterflies, so I definitely wanted to make her a card that featured them! This card was cased from a card by demonstrator Mary Fish. You can see her original card HERE.

My version features the Butterfly Gala stamp set and coordinating Butterfly Duet punch. The sentiment is from the Perennial Birthday stamp set. Colors are Merry Merlot, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, and Very Vanilla.

The Designer Series Paper I used for the script background is from the Pressed Petals Specialty Designer Series Paper. I also used the Subtle #D Embossing Folder on the Sahara Sand layer. I love the added touch of the script and the texture!

Measurements for this card are as follows:

Thick Very Vanilla cardstock base: 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (scored at 4-1/4 inches and folded in half)

Sahara Sand layer: 4 x 5-1/4 inches

DSP piece: 3-1/4 x 3-1/4 inches

Merry Merlot cardstock piece for butterflies: 3 x 4 inches

Very Vanilla piece for sentiment piece: 1 x 4-1/4 inches (before punched)

The banner piece was adhered with Stampin’ Dimensionals to make it pop a little, a few pearls were added to dress up the butterfly, and the card was complete!

This card could definitely be use for many different occasions just by switching up the paper and sentiment!

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!

Nicolle

- Nicolle 5 Comments

Color Fusers Blog Hop for May 2019

Hello, and welcome to our May Color Fuser’s blog hop! This month’s color combo is so pretty: Pear Pizzazz, Night of Navy, and Grapefruit Grove!

It just so happens that today is my birthday, so I decided to go with a fun, balloon themed birthday card for this month’s hop! I used Night of Navy ink and an Aqua Painter to make a watercolor wash on the top layer, and then used the Aqua Painter to add some ink spatters as well. Next, I cut two balloons (one Grapefruit Grove and the other Pear Pizzazz) using the Balloon Bouquet Punch, and used the Well Said Bundle to create the Happy Birthday sentiment. The “HAPPY” is stamped in Pear Pizzazz ink and the “birthday” is cut with the coordinating cutting dies. I finished the card with some baker’s twine and Gingham Gala Sequins, stamped a simple sentiment on the inside, and my card was complete!

If you look closely at the picture below, you’ll notice that the dot on the I in “birthday” is a rhinestone. The birthday die cuts a very small dot for the I, however, it is SO tiny, I couldn’t find it anywhere! So I took out my rhinestones and Night of Navy Stampin’ Blends, and colored one of the small rhinestones to dot my I with instead. I love the little bit of extra detail the colored rhinestone adds to this card!

Speaking of added detail, I used the Subtle Embossing Folder to give some texture to the balloons; the Stitched Rectangle Framelits on the top layer to add some detail around the edge; and Stampin’ Dimensionals on the balloons to make them pop off the card a bit. It’s easy to add fun, extra details when you have such great products to work with!

Measurements for this card are as follows:

Thick Whisper White cardstock base: 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 (scored at 4-1/4 inches and folded in half)

Night of Navy cardstock middle layer: 3-1/2 x 4-7/8 inches

Whisper White cardstock top layer: 3-3/8 x 4-3/4 inches

Night of Navy die cut sentiment piece: 1-1/4 x 3-1/4 inches

Grapefruit Grove balloon: 1-1/2 x 1-5/16 inches

Pear Pizzazz balloon: 1 x 1-3/8 inches

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you will continue to the next stop on our hop: Barb Mullikin’s page! I’m sure she’s got something gorgeous to share! 🙂

Nicolle

Here is the full hop line up for May:

Tami Hewlett

Jo Anne Hewins

Melissa Kerman

Melanie Hockin

Bonnie O’Neill

Kelly Acheson

Nicolle Belesimo < YOU ARE HERE

Barb Mullikin

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Simple Stamping Sunday: All That You Are

For my Simple Stamping card this week, I used the All That You Are stamp set. To dress up my card a bit, I used an Uninked Spectrum Pad so that the main image was a blend of five different colors! The color combo I used is shown below:

This week, I used a Very Vanilla note card and envelope. I used Crumb Cake ink to stamp the sentiment. And that’s it! Super simple and QUICK to make!

I sent this card as a swap to members of my upline’s team. All of the cards were Simple Stamping cards, and once I know everyone has received them, I will post them all here! Please check back in the next week to see them!

Thanks for visiting today!

#simplestamping

Nicolle

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A Bold Butterfly Birthday and the LAST DAY to order from the Holiday Catalog

Today’s card features one of the FREE Sale-a-Bration items from this year’s Sale-a-Bration brochure! The Occasions Catalog and Sale-a-Bration brochure for 2019 both go live TOMORROW, so I wanted to share a couple of new products from them in today’s post!

The butterfly background paper on this card is from the Botanical Butterfly Designer Series Paper. This paper is a full sized package of twelve, 12 x 12 inch double sided sheets, and can be earned as a FREE item with a $50 purchase (before tax and shipping) between January 3rd and March 31st! Like all regular DSPs, there are six double sided designs in the paper. It is absolutely gorgeous! Notice that half the prints are black and white and the other half are a mix of colors! Check it out:

For my card today, I paired one of the black and white designs with Petal Pink. I love how the black and white contrasts with the softness of the pink! I also used Shimmery White Cardstock for the middle layer, as well as the NEW Petal Pink/Whisper White 5/8″ Variegated Ribbon. The Happy Birthday die cut was cut using the Big Shot, and I went over the whole sentiment with a very light layer of Clear Wink of Stella.

I tried to get a close up of the shimmer from the Wink of Stella, but I’m not sure how well you can see it in the picture above. But it’s really subtle and pretty in person!

Measurements for this card are as follows:

Petal Pink cardstock base: 5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (scored at 4-1/4 inches and folded in half)

Shimmery White cardstock middle layer: 3-7/8 x 5-1/8 inches

DSP top layer: 3-3/4 x 5 inches

Petal Pink piece for the sentiment die cut: 3-1/2 x 3-1/4 inches

The card was embellished with the ribbon and a few rhinestones, and it was done! Hope you like it!

Also, don’t forget that TODAY is the LAST DAY to order from the Holiday Catalog!

Although I’m sad to see some of my favorite products retiring, I am excited about what’s coming in the new catalogs! Be sure to visit the online store to get your favorite retiring holiday products before it’s too late!

If you have any questions about today’s project or the catalogs, please let me know! Thanks for stopping by!

Nicolle

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It’s a Birthday Card for Merry Monday!

My mom’s birthday was yesterday and she LOVES cardinals!  So it only made sense that I would make her a card with a cardinal on it.  And while I realize this card is definitely NOT a Christmas card, I think it could very easily be changed to make it one!  Just add a few green sprigs, some red pearls or rhinestones, and switch out the greeting and DSP, and it would make a great Christmas card instead!  (And I plan to do just that very soon!)

For this card, I used the Best Birds stamp set, along with the coordinating Birds & Blooms Thinlits.  I used DSP from the Regals 6 x 6 Designer Series Paper for the background, as well as Real Red cardstock for the bird.  As the cutting dies do not actually cut the proper shape for a cardinal, I had to add a small piece that I cut with Paper Snips to make the crest on the top of the bird’s head.  The branch and flowers were stamped in Memento black ink and colored with Soft Suede, Old Olive, and Real Red Stampin’ Blends.

The Happy Birthday sentiment comes from the same stamp set, which has a number of stamps for different occasions, including birthdays, congratulations, anniversaries, and more!  This is definitely a great set to have in your collection, especially if you have bird lovers in your life!  Here’s a peek at the full set as well as the thinlits:

 

Measurements for this card are as follows:

Thick Whisper White card base:  5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (scored at 4-1/4 inches and folded in half)

Polka Dot DSP background layer:  4 x 5-1/4 inches

Whisper White stitched circle:  2-15/16 inches in diameter

Real Red bird:  2-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches

Whisper White scrap used for branch and flowers: approximately a 2 x 4-1/2 inch piece

 

Other products used on this card include the punch from the Darling Label Punch Box, Linen Thread, and Pearl Basic Jewels.

I cannot WAIT to redo this card for Christmas!  Stay tuned for the updated version coming very soon!

If you have any questions about my card today, please feel free to ask.  Thanks for checking in!  🙂

Nicolle

 

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Check out the New Frosted Floral Specialty Designer Series Paper!

If you think the card in the picture above looks a little shiny, that’s because it IS!  I used a brand new paper from the Holiday Catalog called the Frosted Floral Specialty Designer Series Paper!  Not only does this paper have absolutely gorgeous colors and designs, all of it is coated with a beautiful, shimmery sheen.  It is absolutely stunning!  You can see the full array of designs in this paper below:

For this card, I used a floral design from the paper along with a birthday sentiment from the Picture Perfect Birthday stamp set.  I also used the limited time only Stitched Seasons Framelits as well!

Other products used on this card include Shimmery White card stock for the base and sentiment, Soft Sea Foam card stock for the middle layer and some accent leaves, Silver Baker’s Twine, and a new embellishment called the Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets.  I colored the droplets with my Dark Mint Macaron Stampin’ Blends marker to add a hint of color before applying them to the card!  Here’s a close up of the sentiment piece and the embellishments.  I hope you can see the hint of green on the droplets.  It’s very, very subtle!

 

Measurements for this card are as follows:

Shimmery White cardstock base:  5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (scored at 4-1/4 inches and folded in half)

Soft Sea Foam middle layer:  4 x 5-1/4 inches

DSP top layer:  3-7/8 x 5-1/8 inches

Shimmery White sentiment piece:  2-1/4 x 3-1/8 (approximate)

Vellum and Soft Sea Foam leaves: ranges from 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide x 2 inches long (approximate)

 

This card is so pretty in person!  I wish you could see the shimmer of the paper.  It’s very subtle and not at all glaring!  This paper would make a great accents on cards, tags, scrapbook pages, and so much more!  It will be available September 5th when the Holiday Catalog goes live for customers.  I hope you will check it out!

Please feel free to contact me with questions about this card!  Thanks for visiting!

Nicolle

 

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CASE the Catty Day 1: A Tropical Escape Birthday Card

So I am not sure what has been happening with the weather where I live, but it’s been really crazy!  We have been getting torrential rains on and off for the last couple of weeks.  It’ll get cloudy really quickly, then downpour for 20-30 minutes, then stop and the sun will come back out for a bit.  This has been happening a few times a day for the past few weeks, and it’s very weird for where I live!  Yesterday, it just rained all day, and it rained A LOT.  So much so, that an emergency alert came on my phone about flash flooding!  I don’t know about you, but when the weather is really dreary and yucky, I get very distracted and tired, and I just want to sleep all day. So yesterday, even though I wanted to make some cards to share for this week, I just did not have the desire or energy to try to come up with anything original.  So, I decided to go to the Annual Catalog for inspiration!

So all of the cards I made for this week are CASE’d from the catalog. CASE means “Copy And Share Everything”, and it’s a term that crafters use when heavily borrowing ideas from something made by someone else.  Today’s card was based on a sample on page 44 in the Annual Catalog.  Here’s the picture so you can see it here:

The card I CASE’d is the blue one all the way to the right.  I love the layout of this card, plus I love using DSP, banners, and doilies, so this was one I knew I could easily recreate!  For my version, I decided to use the Tropical Escape 6 x 6 Designer Series Paper.  I used the same stamp set shown in the picture, though I used a different stamp.  And I went with a little less embellishment than what’s shown on the original!

The Tropical Escape Designer Series Paper is definitely the showcase product on this card!  I love the combination of different greens, along with pink, black, and white.  The package includes 12 different double sided designs, and contains 4 of each sheet, for a total of 48 sheets.  The full array of designs in this product can be seen below:

 

Another product featured on this card is the Darling Label Punch Box.  This product includes a multi-occasion stamp set and coordinating punch, as well as two Stampin’ Spots, and a clear block!  And it all comes in an beautiful, floral tin:

The stamp I used is the Happy Birthday one, but there are also Hello, Thank You, Thinking of You, Best Wishes, and Congratulations stamps!  This item would also make a great gift!

 

Measurements for this card are as follows:

Shaded Spruce card base:  5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (scored at 4-1/4 and folded in half)

Striped DSP layer:  3-3/4 x 5 inches

Banner Piece:  2 x 4-1/2 inches

Doily: 3 inches in diameter

Blushing Bride sentiment backing:  1-3/8 x 1-3/8 inches

Whisper White circle sentiment piece: 1-1/4 inch in diameter

 

This card was fun to recreate, and I love the colors!  I hope you like it too!  I also hope you’ll check back in tomorrow for another project CASE’d from the catalog!  Thanks for visiting!  Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Nicolle

 

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Abstract Impressions Birthday Card

Last weekend, my grandmother turned 94 years old!  She has thirteen children, almost 40 grandchildren, and (I believe) 48 great-grandchildren!  She is amazing!  This is the card I made for her.  Her favorite color is purple and she loves flowers, so I thought the new colors Highland Heather and Gorgeous Grape would be perfect!  I also used the Abstract Impressions stamp set to make the flowers, and the Perennial Birthday set for the sentiment and inside greeting!

 

Measurements for this card are as follows:

Highland Heather cardstock base:  5-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches (scored at 4-1/4 inches and folded in half)

Gorgeous Grape layer:  2-15/16 x 5-1/2 inches

Whisper White Top Layer:  2-3/4 x 5-1/2 inches

Gorgeous Grape Banner piece: 1 x 3-15/16 inches

Whisper White Inside Layer:  4 x 5-1/4 inches

 

This card is embellished with a few pearls, Pearlized Doilies, and Wink of Stella!  The Wink of Stella was applied to each of the flowers, and gives just a hint of shimmer and shine to this card! I tried to get a good pic of the shine.  Here’s what I was able to get:

Hope you can see the shimmer!  Wink of Stella really does make everything prettier!  🙂

Please check back later this week for information regarding some fantastic promotions coming in July!

Thanks for visiting today!

Nicolle

 

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Zachary’s 7th Birthday Gift

My son and his friends are all turning 7 this year.  One of his friends, Zachary, had a birthday this week and his birthday party was today.  When I asked his mom what he wanted for his birthday, she mentioned that he would like cash to put toward a new baseball bat.  That worked for me, but I didn’t want to just put it in an envelope, as he’s still kind of little.  I wanted to come up with a fun, colorful way to give it to him!  So I cut some letters out of some old paper I had and made this poster, then adhered rolled up one dollar bills to it.  I then rolled up the whole thing and tied it with a bright green ribbon, put it in a bag, and gave it to him.  He loved it!  🙂

While not all of the products used on this are from Stampin’ Up!, many are.  I have listed them below.

Stampin’ Up! products used on this include:

Pick a Pattern Washi Tape (wrapped around the bills)

Daffodil Delight Cardstock (for the stars)

Wood Crate Framelits Dies (to cut the stars)

Mini Glue Dots (to adhere the rolled bills to the poster)

Snail Adhesive (to adhere the letters and stars to the poster)

 

This was a fun way to give a gift that is normally just placed inside a card or envelope!  Just something a little different!

Thanks for stopping by!

Nicolle