Hello Sunshine - We Have New Releases!

A Jillian Vance Design released two stamp sets today. One of them is so fun and cheery, you just can't help but love it. Hello Sunshine features images hand drawn by Bunny Vance (Jillian's mom). I just love the sunflowers!! The sentiments are so happy and uplifting, too.

Edited to add: Want to win this set or the other new release? Go to A Jillian Vance Design blog, and leave a comment for a chance to win!!

Here is the card I created:

In addition to the Hello Sunshine set, I used sentiments from several other sets. First, I very lightly drew diagonal lines with a pencil. Then, using my Fiskars Stamp Press, I stamped various sentiments in different colors. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the stamp press is awesome. It really helps me control where to place the stamp.

I added washi tape and the sunflower image, which I colored with Prismacolor pencils. To create the Sending You, I did something I don't like to do, but I made an exception. I cut the stamp. Yes, I did. I wanted the Sending to curve around the top and you on bottom. It worked out great and I'll be able to stamp the sentiment the way it was designed, too. I just have guilt issues with cutting stamps! LOL!

Here are the other sets I used:

Guest Desiging for the Lawnscaping Challenge!!

I am thrilled to be guest designing for the Lawnscaping Challenge. When Laurel contacted me with the invitation, I was flabbergasted. The Lawnscaping guest designers are big names in the industry. What do they want with little 'ole me? Regardless, I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity.

The challenge is to make a one-layer project, which is difficult for someone who loves to add a little bling to almost every project! LOL! I do, however, like one-layer cards. Not only are they very clean and simple, but they easy to mail. No special envelopes or extra postage, and no worrying that your card will be destroyed before the recipient sees it!!

Before I go into detail about how I made this card, I want to share a story about the inspiration behind it. You see, I lost my grandmother on Thursday. She was 95. She and my grandfather were married for 73 years and knew eachother since they were five. Yes, my grandma and grandpa knew eachother for 90 years! Pretty amazing.

My grandpa holding grandma's hand

I thought about a sympathy card, but I decided to make something that would celebrate her life instead. She and grandpa lived on a farm. Grandma always had these beautiful flowers adorning the driveway. She loved her flowers. She loved her family, too. She had five children, 17 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. What a legacy she has left! I am so honored to be her granddaughter.

I have two go-to techniques I use when making one-layer cards. The first is masking. To give my card a little dimension without adding layers, I first stamped the word "love" using Quinn's ABCs on the card base. I stamped it again on another piece of paper, cut them out and adhered them on top of the word "love" on the card base using repositionable adhesive. Then I stamped the remaining images, peeled off the cut out letters and very carefully remove the adhesive from the card base using an adhesive remover tool. Now the word "love" appears at the front and the flowers and mushroom look like they're growing behind the words.

The second technique I use is coloring. The down-side of a one-layer card is there are fewer options for adding color to your  project. Ribbons, additional colored cardstock, bling and washi tape are very popular ways to add color, but they also add layers. To maintain only one layer, color must be applied directly to the card.

I personally chose to color the images with Prismacolor  pencils and Gamsol oil (odorless mineral spirits), but you could also use markers, watercolors, distress inks or chalk. I also distressed the sky using ink and a blending tool.

I hope you like my card. I'll be back in a couple weeks with another Lawnscaping challenge project!

New Releases at A Jillian Vance Design!

Hi everyone! Today A Jillian Vance Design is releasing tons of new goodies. I'm sharing a project I created using their new Daily Doily set and matching Doily Trio dies.

I used a few different techniques to create this card, including heat embossing, emboss resist, watercoloring, stamping die cutting! I wanted to show just how versatile these dies and stamps are! Here's how I did it:

Step One:
To create the background paper, first stamp the doilies onto watercolor paper with Versamark ink. Heat emboss it with white (or clear will work, too) embossing powder.

Step Two:
Stamp your ink pad onto a craft mat or another waterproof surface. Using a water brush (or a regular brush dipped in water) pick up the ink and start coloring onto the watercolor paper. The heat embossed area actually resists the ink, allowing the design to show through. The water color effect is very soft and subtle.

Step Three:
I wanted to brighten up the background a bit, so in addition to watercoloring, I used the Tim Holtz foam blending tool to directly apply the ink to the paper, which produces a bolder look. If you don't have a blending tool, a simple foam wedge - like the kind used to apply makeup - will also work.

Step Four:
I stamped the doilies onto regular white cardstock in the same color ink I used to create the background. Then I die cut the them out using the matching dies. I stamped the sentiment onto white paper and cut it out into a banner before assembling them. Using dimensional foam stickers, I stacked the sentiment and doilies. I topped it off with some bling (which is a staple for me!! Love the bling, baby!)

Step Five:
Finally, I adhered the background to my card base, then I adhered the doilies/sentiment to the background. Voila! It's done!

Here are the new stamps/dies I used:

Happy Birthday, Ruby!

Today, Ruby Aleman, the design team coordinator for A Jillian Vance Design, is celebrating her birthday!! We're celebrating with her by posting cards on our blogs and then sending them to her.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I am horrible when it comes to sending cards. Yes, it's an oxymoron. Who ever heard of a cardmaker who doesn't send cards?

That's going to change. You see, I set a goal at the beginning of the year to get at least one card published. I'm happy to report that I met my goal! I am now setting another goal. I want to start actually sending the cards I make. So, Ruby, you are going to be my first victim recipient!!

I used the following products:

Brads - Eyelet Outlet

Ink - Memento

Stamps - A Jillian Vance Design

Two Nautical Cards

I made two cards today, both using the new Ahoy! set from A Jillian Vance Design. Though the stamps came from the set, the two cards are very different. 

 Let me preface the first card with this very important information. I am not pregnant. This card is not my way of announcing anything. It's just a card. I have two beautiful children and it's going to stay that way. I love my kids, but my days of bearing children are (thankfully) over.

Whew! Now that I got that out of the way, I can start telling you about this card. I was searching for nautical cards on Pinterest and found a baby announcement with the phrase "Ahoy! It's a Boy!" I thought that was so cute. I dug through my stamps and found the Baby Fotos stamp set. Lo and behold! I saw the It's, a and Boy stamps. What's better?! They fit perfectly into the life preserver. I stamped Ahoy!, laid down some striped paper from Down by the Shore by Fancy Pants, adhered the life preserver, which I had fussy cut, and then added the seashell brads from Eyelet Outlet. I love how this came together.

Supplies Used

Stamps: A Jillian Vance Design Ahoy! and Baby Fotos stamp sets

Paper: Fancy Pants Down by the Shore

Ink: Memento, Stampin' Up!

Eyelet Outlet: Sea Shore Brads

The second card is a little more difficult to make, but I love it, too. First, I masked off a circle. Using distress inks, I created the bright sun. I stamped the rays with the polka dot border stamps from the A Jillian Vance Design Stripes 202 set. I distressed the sky and the water, which was also done with masking. Then, I stamped the sailboat with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I adhered it behind the photo frame, stamped my sentiment and embellished it with seashell brads from Eyelet Outlet. For the base, I adhered strips of paper from the same paper pack used in the card above.

Supplies Used

Stamps: A Jillian Vance Design Ahoy!, Stripes 202 and Foto Frames stamp sets

Paper: Fancy Pants Down by the Shore

Ink: Memento, Stampin' Up!

Eyelet Outlet:  Fresh Flowers Brights

Happy Birthday Jillian!

Today is Jillian Vance's 14th birthday!! If you don't know who Jillian is, you should. She is an amazing young lady. At age 10, she started selling cards in her mother's beauty salon. Then at 12, she decided to start her own stamp company. Say whaaaaaaat? Yep, she started a stamp company at 12 and it's still going strong.

I admire this young lady's entrepreneurial spirit, her determination and her creativity. When she first approached her parents about starting a stamp business they (understandably) said no. Jillian didn't let that stop her. She researched the business and brought a very compelling case forth to her parents. They were so impressed that they coudn't say no a second time. Oh, and did I mention that in addition to owning a stamp company, she is also a straight A student?

This is why I've chosen to design for A Jillian Vance Design. I've designed for other companies with bigger names. Every company I've designed for has a special place in my heart, but I am extremely honored to be able to help make this young woman's dreams come true.

Oh, yeah, and her stamps are really cute, too. You really need to check them out. Here is a card I designed for her birthday with links to the products I used.

Correction: Jillian was actually 11 when she started the company and she's been in business for 2.5 years!! I was afraid I would mess it up!!

Double Duty

Hi folks. Now that summer is here, I've been hanging at the pool with my kiddos. It's the best solution I've found for keeping them from ripping each other apart!! Ha!

However, I managed to squeeze in a couple cards for my design team commitments. Both appear on other blogs, where you can get the deets!

Happy Birthday Pop
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U Make Me Smile
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