Babies, babies, and more Babies...

My extended families have been having babies recently, and a few friends are becoming grandparents. I was asked to share some baby care ideas, so my August stamp class will feature the Wildly Happy stamp set from the Stampin' Up! catalog. I want to thank Pinterest for being a great place to find ideas, and the Stampin' Up! Demonstrators, who share their great ideas. I did use some retired products with these cards.

Bunnies Baby Card

This first card was cased from a card made by Emma DiGennaro (UK). The measurements are below and the primary stamping was the bunnies on a small scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock using with Memento Tuxedo Black ink and then cut out, the Sentiment in the same black ink on the bottom of the stitched doily label from the Stitched Labels Dies, and a watercolor background that I stamped behind the area where the pieces would be layered in Blushing Bride ink.

• 4 1/4" X 11" Whisper White thick cardstock; scored in landscape at 5 1/2"
• 4" X 5 1/4" Whisper White cardstock; stamp watercolor image in lower right corner area in Blushing Bride ink
• 1" X 3 7/8" Highland Heather Designer Series Paper (DSP)
• 1" X 3 3/4" Blushing Bride DSP
• 3" X 3" Smoky Slate cardstock
• Largest Scallop Square cut from Highland Heather cardstock
• Stitched Doily Label cut from Whisper White cardstock; stamp the sentiment in Memento Tuxedo Black ink
• Highland Heather ribbon bow & heart shaped embellishments
• Scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock; stamp Bunnies in Tuxedo Black ink and color with Stampin' Write markers, Stampin' Blends, or Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pen (to smooth the lines without diluting the color)
• Highland Heather ribbon (tied in a bow) and Clear Heart embellishments (color with Stampin' Blends)

Pandas Baby Card

I saw a few other baby cards using the Tufted embossing folder, so I thought it would be a good background for the Pandas. I used the Layering Circle dies and the Label Me Fancy punch to create layers. 

• 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" Pear Pizzazz cardstock; score in landscape at 4 1/4"
• 5 1/4" X 4" (x2) Whisper White cardstock; emboss one with the Tufted embossing folder; the other is for the inside of the card
• Largest Scallop Circle die (Layering Circles) Pear Pizzazz cardstock
• 2nd Largest Circle die (Layering Circles) So Saffron cardstock
• 3rd Largest Circle die (Layering Circles) Whisper White cardstock; stamp Pandas in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and color with Stampin' Write markers, Stampin' Blends, or Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pen (to smooth the lines without diluting the color)
• Label Me Fancy punched from Whisper White cardstock; stamp with sentiment in Tuxedo Black ink and rubbed with Pear Pizzazz ink
• So Saffron/Daffodil Delight ribbon & So Saffron/Daffodil Delight dots embellishments

Foxes Baby Card

The little foxes card was cased from Julie Knight. I did change the layer behind the stitched oval shape from a layered scallop oval to the swirl label from Painted Labels. 

• 8 ½” X 5 ½” Thick Whisper White cardstock; score in landscape at 4 ¼”
• 4” X 5 ¼” Crumb Cake cardstock
• 3 7/8” X 5 1/8” Whisper White cardstock; stamp with Birch background stamp in Crumb Cake ink
• 2nd Largest Stitched Oval (Stitched Shapes dies) in Whisper White cardstock; stamp Foxes in Tuxedo Black ink and color with Stampin' Write markers, Stampin' Blends, or Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pens (to smooth the lines without diluting the color)
• Swirly Label (Painted Labels) in Cajun Craze cardstock
• Cajun Craze dots

Elephants Baby Card

The idea for this last card I saw on Pinterest; however, it was linked to a wrong website. The sentiment on the card appeared to be in a language other than English. Although I'd like to tell who inspired this card, I couldn't locate a name.

• 8 ½” X 5 ½” Basic Gray cardstock; score in landscape at 4 ¼”
• 4” X 5 ¼” Purple Posy cardstock
• 4” X 5 ¼” Whisper White cardstock (for the inside of the card)
• 3 ¾” X 5” Whisper White cardstock; stamp hearts from Heart Happiness in Highland Heather ink and sponge with Purple Posy near the center of the piece; stamp sentiment near bottom of right corner in Basic Gray ink
• Scrap Whisper White cardstock; stamp the Elephants in Tuxedo Black ink and color with Stampin' Write markers, Stampin' Blends, or Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pen (to smooth the lines without diluting the color); cut out
• Purple, White and Clear sequin embellishments

These were really fun and easy to make. You may view the videos for the cards below:

• Bunnies Card
• Pandas Card
• Foxes Card
• Elephants Card

Have fun stamping!

Forever Fern Watercolor Background

A great and easy way to create a watercolor background is by using ink, a clear block, and some water. There are a few ways to do this and each gives a little different look. 

My favorite way is to color the block with the Stampin' Write markers in the colors I want to use, starting with the lightest color, working to the darkest color in several areas over the block. Then I spray it a couple of times with water the Stampin' Mist. Some people like to use rubbing alcohol as it dries quicker. Once the color is a little fluid on the block (and not too wet that it drips) you will "stamp" the background where you want it on the cardstock. 

Another method to get ink onto the block is to use the Stampin' Classic ink pad or Stampin' Spots to apply ink in areas of the clear block. Always start with the lightest ink and work your way to the darkest. Then you will spritz this with either water or alcohol as mentioned above and "stamp" it on your cardstock. 

The last method that I'm aware of is using the Stampin' Classic ink refills. You would add small drops of ink, lightest to darkest, around the block, spritz it, and stamp it. This one can create more "blotches" of ink rather than the fluid watercolor look, but it is an interesting backdrop for stamping.

Once your backgrounds dry, you are ready to stamp images and sentiments over them. This technique allows you to create the color combinations you want for your stamping projects.

In my class we used this water coloring technique and created a set of notecards and envelopes to go inside of a clutch made from Designer Series Paper (DSP). The clutch idea I saw shared by Dawn Griffith from an idea she got from Kris Miller.

We used the Forever Fern stamp set to create the set of cards, the Forever Greenery DSP and Forever Flourishing Dies for the clutch. Check out the video here.