Fresh Squeezed Stamps: A Moose for all Seasons

The Stamps

For my final December guest designer project with Fresh Squeezed Stamps, I'm working once again with the woodsy themed stamp set entitled, "Winter Wonderland." I thought the moose stamp was super cute so I wanted to feature him on a card or two or four. 

The Reveal

I ended up designing a series called, "A Moose for all Seasons". I drew out a simple sketch for the card layout and kept the placement of the embellishments, sentiment and background in basically the same place, but just changed up the themes with a few modifications. You can easily use the moose and create a card for any other occasion that you'd need. 

The Details

I started by creating the woodsy background on all my cards. I used the reverse side of the tree stamp. The front side of the stamp will give you a tree outline, but if you use the reverse side that normally clings to the block, then you can get a filled stamp. Here is the same tree stamped using the reverse, front and combined sides of the same stamp. 

Next I colored in all the moose using Copics in the same color scheme and added some black enamel on the eyes and nose. Now come the variations on a theme. 

For my Father's Day card, I hand drew a tie and mustache on the moose. I wrote in the sentiment because I didn't have a stamp for that holiday. I wanted more of a summertime look since Father's Day is in June so I dabbed on some blue ink in the sky and yellow on the ground. I wanted more of a masculine feel so I added some black and white buttons and natural jute for the final touches. 

For my Valentine's Day card, I drew a dotted bow tie and added some Stickles heart garlands on the trees. I wanted a more feminine look so I added a ruffled border strip, rounded tab, twine bow and rounded one corner to soften the look.

For my birthday card, I wanted a more playful tone. I drew a little party hat and hung it on one antler since the moose couldn't get it onto his head. I used some Sassafras felt stickers I had for the embellishments. 

For this winter card, I added some liquid appliqué for snow on the trees and a red Stickles nose reminiscent of Rudolph on the moose. This Christmas card is actually the genesis for the entire series. I was imagining a string of Christmas lights intertwined among the moose's antlers. Then I started imagining what else he could hang, like shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day, and that's how I ended up with "A Moose for all Seasons". 

If you could only have one stamp set, Winter Wonderland would be a great one since it is so versatile and you can adapt it for any holiday.

The Fun and Games

Fresh Squeezed Stamps is hosting fun games and contests with free stamps as prizes all month long. This week's game called "Christmas Bingo" is to pick 12 words from a list of 30 words. This game ends at midnight tonight and is the last one for the month. But don't worry if you can't participate in this one, there is still Squeeze-A-Palooza to look forward to on Sunday. If you want to keep up with the latest news, check out their Facebook page or Twitter feed.

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: Root Beer Float

Hello scrappy friends! Today I have an altered frame up on Paper Made Bakery's blog that I want to share with you. I wanted to incorporate a stamp with a photo to make it into one scene. It turned out to be a fun project. Kevin and I took lots of photos to capture the perfect angle, then I placed the stamped image onto the photo. Here is a sneak peek. 

Please hop on over to today's post at Paper Made Bakery to see the complete project in all its glory. Haha. 

Thanks so much for stoppin' by, 

Fresh Squeezed Stamps: Mardi Gras World

The Stamps

For my second guest designer project with Fresh Squeezed Stamps, I'm working with a feather themed stamp set entitled, "Tickle My Fancy." When I first saw this set, I was reminded of Mardi Gras since feathers are used in a lot of the parade masks and costumes. I just happen to have visited Mardi Gras World in New Orleans a few weeks back, so I knew this set would be perfect on a layout. 

The Reveal

I visited the warehouse where a lot of the styrofoam props for the Mardi Gras floats were made. Artists carve the styrofoam, papier-mâché over it and then paint the sculptures. There were a lot of heads and body parts lying around as the parts are recycled, repainted and reused over the years. 

The photos were so colorful I ended up only using black and white cardstock for my papers. I added a hint of Mardi Gras colors in the alphabet stickers of my title and in a few adhesive bubbles that look like beads. For my main embellishments, I made my own stamped feather transparencies. I toned down the colors of my supplies, so they wouldn't compete for attention with the photos. 

The Details

I decided to stamp the feathers on a sheet of acetate so they would blend better into the layout. Also I wouldn't have to fussy cut around each individual barb on the feather. I used a solvent ink pad, Staz-On metallic silver, so it would create a permanent image that wouldn't smear on the acetate. I stamped all three designs multiple times and cut out the ones with a clear image. 

The silvery outlines shows up well on the black background and give just the right hint of Mardi Gras flavor.

The Fun and Games

Fresh Squeezed Stamps is hosting fun games and contests with free stamps as prizes all month long. This week's game called "Dear Santa" is to write a letter to Santa. If you aren't sure how to start, there is a template you can use here. This game ends at midnight tonight. But don't worry if you can't participate in this one, there is one more new game next Monday on their blog. If you want to keep up with the latest news, check out their Facebook page or Twitter feed. If you are interested in being on their design team, check out their design team call that is going on now through Sunday, December 16. 

I'll be back next Thursday for another new reveal.

Thanks so much for droppin' by,

Paper Made Bakery: A Rainbow of Flavors

Hello scrappy friends, happy Thursday! Here is a sneak peek of my latest creation for Paper Made Bakery. Since my hubby is a physics teacher, I tried to get the refractive index correct with the straw. 

I've really enjoyed working with this month's Sodas in Soho stamp set. I like the shape of the soda bottle in the stamp set so much that I stamped it seven times on one card! Since I had 7 bottles to color, I used a quick and fun technique that I will share in today's tutorial.

To see the whole project with the coloring tutorial, please see today's post on Paper Made Bakery's blog. The card turned out super cute so I hope you go and take a look. 

Thanks so much for poppin' by,