floral card ideas with the gray muse

Do you love making handmade cards? Me too! One of my favorite kind of cards to make is floral cards!

Recently I've been trying to stretch some of my cardmaking supplies (and just use the neglected ones) so today I'm excited to share some clean & simple floral cards that feature gorgeous stamps from The Gray Muse and backgrounds made with Nuvo Drops.

I'm also really excited to be joining in an inspirational blog hop for the The Gray Muse's Summer/Fall 2020 stamp collection. 

I hope you will join us for the hop! (And if you are hopping, you should be arriving from Amy Tsuruta's fantastic blog).

Creating these backgrounds is really easy and only slightly messy *wink*

Check out this quick process video to see what I mean...

my quick tips...

• low-tack tape is a great way to "contain" the Nuvo Drops when you spread them out because the clean up is so easy but the Drops are also awesome to use with stencils.
• allow the Nuvo Drops to dry completely before stamping. I don't personally recommend heat setting because I've had them bubble.
• try applying Nuvo Drops in different areas on the cardstock and moving the squeegee in different directions (down, diagonal, sideways) to change the appearance of the background.
• I've tested a few inks for stamping on the slick Nuvo Drop surface and I really like Versafine Clair, which will dry if you set it aside for a bit or it can be heat set if you are in a hurry. StazOn also works great or you can emboss.

Now before you hop on to Laura Jane's lovely blog, there are giveaways! The Gray Muse is giving away FIVE $25 gift codes to the shop so you can add some of these stamps (or enamel pins) to your collection. In order to qualify, leave comments on every post in the hop. The more posts you comment on, the greater your chances. The giveaway ends on Wednesday, September 30th at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. All winners will be selected at random and announced on The Gray Muse Blog within a week.  

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

Carly

supplies:

affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!

The Gray Muse Pretty Pansies Stamps

The Gray Muse Lovely Lotus Stamps

Nuvo Drops Orange Marmalade, Ripened Pumpkin, Strawberry Coulis, Rosewater, Carnation Pink, Sherbert Shimmer, Sweet Lilac, Pale Periwinkle, Crushed Grape & Purple Rain

Purple Tape

Squeegee

VersaFine Clair Nocturne

shaker cards to send while socially distancing

Are you missing your friends as much as I am right now? Socially distancing is tough when you miss hugging your pals!

My favorite way to let my pals know that I am thinking about them is to send handmade cards. And if you know me, you will already know how much I adore making shaker cards!

I love that shaker cards are interactive but easy, and you get to include sparkly sequins!

These cards are perfect for the times we are living in because of the fabulous & funny Essentials by Ellen Voices In My Head Vol. 3 stamps. 

I paired the sentiment stamps with die cut words created with the Essentials by Ellen Classic Block Alpha, using the negative die cut letters as my shaker windows. (If you've never made a shaker card, here's a quick video on my go-to steps for a shaker card with word die cuts.)

To create the background for the shaker window, I put some Nuvo Drops on the card front, smoothed them with a straight-edge squeegee and let dry. I love the bright, colorful & glossy finish!

Since the edges of the Nuvo are not visible through my shaker window, I didn't worry about creating perfect edges or even erasing my pencil guidelines.

Thanks for stopping by!
Carly

supplies:

affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!

Essentials by Ellen Voices In My Head Vol. 3 Stamps

Essentials by Ellen Voices In My Head Accessories Stamps

Essentials by Ellen Mini Voices In My Heads Stamps 

Essentials by Ellen Classic Block Alpha Dies

Nuvo Drops Ripened Pumpkin, Carnation Pink, Sherbert Shimmer, Crushed Grape, Caribbean Ocean, Aquatic Mist & Apple Green

VersaFine Clair Nocturne Ink

White Cardstock

Acetate

Glue Pen

Tape

Star Sequins

summer card ideas with avery elle + summer of stamping hop

Are you looking for some happy summer cardmaking ideas? How about cards with bright colors, a little glitter and some adorable Avery Elle Peek-a-boo critters?

How adorable are these camp critters from Avery Elle? They are part of Ellen Hutson's third Summer of Stamping release and we are having an inspirational card hop to celebrate today! Hopefully you are joining us for the hop and arriving from the Avery Elle blog (and you can find the whole hop list on the EH blog).

I wanted to create some bright & fun cards to go with the sweet stamp set so I chose a happy rainbow palette of inks & Copic markers.

For this card I used glitter paper as the sky background and a sentiment borrowed from another Essentials by Ellen set, You Should Know. Plus I did a little practicing with some Copic colors I rarely use...usually those critters would be pink & purple, LOL!

For this card, I cut a circle in the top card panel for the critters to be peeking out of. I gave them a little rainbow ring background with glitter clouds. And I couldn't resist doing one candy-colored critter...but how cute is a blue bunny?!

Copics used...

• Racoon - C0, C1, C3, C4, C6, RV13 & RV21
• Foxes - YR16, E95, RV13 & RV21
• Bunny - B01, B000, RV13 & RV21
• Bear - E33, E11, E01, G00, G000, RV13 & RV21
• Canoe - R14 & R22

Before you go, there is a fun prize! One random & lucky commenter will win $25 to the EH shop!!! To enter for a chance to win, make sure to leave comments at each stop along the hop! And don’t forget to comment here too for a bonus entry! Comment before Saturday, July 25th at 11:59pm PDT. The winner will be notified by email.

Thanks for stopping by!
Carly

supplies:

affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!

Camp Wanna Stamp Peek-a-boo Pals Stamp & Die Set
Essentials by Ellen You Should Know Stamps (for sentiments)
Essentials by Ellen Clouds Dies
Essentials by Ellen Essential Circle Dies
Catherine Pooler Inks It's A Girl, Coral Cabana, Bellini, Garden Party, Mint To Be & It's A Boy
Copic Markers C0, C1, C3, C4, C6, RV13, RV21, YR16, E95, B01, B000, E33, E11, E01, G00, G000, R14 & R22
Delicate Pastel Glitter Paper

floral cards ideas with essentials by ellen

Do you love making floral stamped cards? I do! And when I made these cards, I was in a glittery mood too!

These gorgeous floral stamps by my very talented friend Brandi Kincaid are part of the second Essentials by Ellen Summer of Stamping release and hopefully you are joining us for a very inspiring blog hop! (If so, you should be arriving here from my sparkly friend Carissa Wiley's awesome blog and you can find the whole hop list on the EH blog.)

Now should we talk more about glitter cards? I know not everyone loves glitter like I do because it can be really messy. For these cards, I used two different glitter mediums - glimmer paste & loose glitter - and the loose glitter is definitely the messy sister!

For crafters who think they don't like glitter, I would definitely recommend trying the glimmer paste. 

Basically it is glitter mixed into a gel medium that you can spread with a palette knife and when the paste dries, the glitter stays put! I love to layer iridescent glimmer paste over ink blending like this...

Now if you don't mind having a few stray sparkles on your face for a few days, good ol' fashioned loose gliter can create some really fun cards too! For these cards, I covered an entire stamped panel with double-sided adhesive and then glitter.

The photos really don't do the sparkles justice plus you can see more about both of these glitter techniques in my quick cardmaking process video...

Since I was on a glittery roll, I also made one more card. I did a little ink blending on the card front and then added glimmer paste on top. The I stamped a panel with the flowers from the Essentials by Ellen You Should Know set, and die cut "friend" with the Essentials by Ellen Block Words set. The negative die cut word let's the glimmer paste show through. And then I finished the sentiment with "what would I do without you?" from the Essentials by Ellen Thank You For Being A Friend set.

Your next stop on the hop is Laurel Beard's lovely blog but before you go, make sure to leave me a comment (about any ol' thing) because it will enter you in a giveaway to win shopping $$$ to the EH shop! One random & lucky commenter will win $25 to the EH shop!!! To enter for a chance to win, make sure to leave comments at each stop along the hop! Comment before Saturday, July 18th at 11:59pm PDT. The winner will be notified by email.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a fab week!!!
Carly

supplies:

affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!

Essentials by Ellen Mondo Pansy Stamps

Essentials by Ellen You Should Know Stamps

Essentials by Ellen Thank You For Being A Friend Stamps

Essentials by Ellen Classic Block Alpha Dies

Essentials by Ellen Block Words Dies

Moonstone Glimmer Paste

Prisma Glitter

Purple Tape

Be Creative Adhesive Sheets

Distress Inks Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral & Carved Pumpkin

Palette Knives
Spreader

how to make easy emboss resist cards with reverse confetti

One of my favorite stamping techniques is emboss resist, where you emboss over a lighter color and then layer a darker color on top. It's easy and I think the results are always fun!

Embossing the image lets you create beautiful layers of color because the embossed image will resist the ink you add on top. 

For these cards, I created a simple border with the emboss resist technique.

I started by masking off a border with low-tack purple tape. Then I applied two colors of Distress Oxide ink (to get the perfect green) with a blending brush.

When the ink was completely dry (because I don't want the embossing powder to stick to everything), I stamped the some cacti in clear embossing ink and embossed with clear powder.

Then I layered a darker Distress Oxide ink on top with a blending brush.

I used a clean paper towel to remove the excess ink from the embossed images and then pulled the tape away to reveal my border.

I love the clean & simple look and it pairs well with the fantastic sentiments from the Best Sentiments stamp set! I am going to use those sentiment stamps sooooo much!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Carly

supplies:

affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you! 

Reverse Confetti Cacti Builder Stamps

Reverse Confetti Best Sentiment Stamps

Reverse Confetti Honey Bear Stamps (for the clouds)

Distress Oxide Inks Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers & Salty Ocean
Purple Tape
Blending Brushes
Clear Embossing Ink
Clear Embossing Powder

cards with reverse confetti + blog hop

Are you looking for some cheerful card ideas? I think I can help!

Reverse Confetti has some of the sweetest and most cheerful designs around! Their Background Builder stamp set is also an easy way to add some happy rainbow color!

(BTW, if you are joining us for the Reverse Confetti hop today, you should be arriving from the Reverse Confetti blog.)

For this little hello card, I used the solid circle stamp from the Background Builder set to stamp circles in a random pattern. I also used a slightly larger circle die cut to make one circle opening for my minty-colored Honey Bear (one of my favorite RC sets).

The solid circle stamp also makes a fantastic stamp for swatching inks!

For this card, I used the solid stripe from the Background Builder set to stamp rainbow stripes with varying spaces in between. I'm pretty sure I had a striped shirt just like this in middle school and I would still wear it today if I found it in my closet. Haha!

I love how the bold sentiments from the Best Sentiments set go with the background images and I think I will be using them a lot!

Keep hoping with us for more Reverse Confetti ideas! Your next stop is Amy Kolling's amazing blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Carly

supplies:

affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. thank you!

Reverse Confetti Background Builder Stamps

Reverse Confetti Best Sentiments Stamps

Reverse Confetti Honey Bear Stamps & Dies

Catherine Pooler Inks It's A Girl, Coral Cabana, Bellini, Garden Party, Mint To Be & It's A Boy

Copic Markers RV21, RV23, BG05, B01, B00, BG34, G00 & G000