The Ton's January Challenge - Cheers!

Hi everyone.   Happy New Year!! 

We're celebrating over at The Ton with our very first monthly challenge of 2018!
For the month of January we are saying CHEERS to all of you at

 The Ton's Challenge Blog 

We challenge you to make a card using the word CHEERS as your inspiration.   You have the whole month to enter as many times as you like, for a chance to WIN a $50 gift certificate  for  The Ton online store.  You can click on the link to head on over and check out the details any time.  But first I'd like to show you a card I made for this month's  
Cheers Challenge!

For my CHEERS card I started out stamping the front of an A2 size white, side folded card base using 
The Ton's Minor Stripes Cling Background stamp in Noir ink.  For the card front, I stamped a swirl of stars from the Star Trails stamp set using The Ton inks:  Soft Amethyst, Iris Blooms, Cali Blue, Cobalt Breeze.

I trimmed off 1/8 inches from the top and bottom of the stamped card front, then glued it directly onto the striped card base.  If you look closely you can see that I added little dots of Stardust Stickles to fill in the pattern of stars.  This does two things, it adds some sparkly fun to this card and it also fills in and defines the star patterns.

While the Stickles was drying, I worked on the sentiment.  I found the "cheers to you" sentiment in The Ton's Beer stamp set.  I stamped it onto some black cardstock using Hampton White Pigment ink then quickly heat embossed it with Ranger White Superfine embossing powder.  I love using the white pigment ink this way because it really takes that white up a notch in brightness.

For the "2018" I used the Sparklers Alpha stamp set and The Ton's Noir ink.   For a little extra shine I heat embossed the numbers with Ranger Clear Superfine embossing powder.  I cut them out with scissors, then adhered the sentiment strip and numbers with dimensional tape.

Of course I can't forget the focal point of this card is that adorable little panda from the Panda Can't Even stamps and coordinating die sets.  Such a fun and simple addition to this card.  And did you notice I added  the cute little star belly button?   I glued on a few sequins from my favorite Glass Slippers Couture Mix and me and panda are ready to par-tay!! 

That's all  for today my friends.  Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you'll make some time this month to join in this fun Cheers Challenge with us over at The Ton Blog.  We love seeing all of your creations and it's so fun to see everyone's interpretation of each challenge.  

Have a great day celebrating! 
(or recuperating!)  haha!

The Ton's December Challenge

Hi everyone. It's the first of the month and it's time for another awesome challenge over at
 The Ton's Challenge Blog
For the month of December we have a gorgeous winter/holiday mood board to draw inspiration from.  You have the whole month to enter as many times as you like, for a chance to WIN a $50 gift certificate  for  
The Ton online store (Merry Christmas to you, woohoo!).   You can click on the link to head on over and check out the details any time.  But first I'd like to show you a card I made for this month's Mood Board Challenge!

 

Isn't this a fabulous mood board?  While you can mix elements from each photo easily, the inspiration you can pull from each picture individually is endless.   Just by looking at The Ton's Challenge Blog you can see each designer was inspired by something different.  No two the same!  My inspiration came from the little photo on the right: the wooden board decorated with a white holiday greeting and embellished with white snowflakes. The pine sprigs as an embellishment really caught my eye too.

I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to put The Ton's new Vintage Christmas Block to the test.
I officially declare this my favorite Christmas stamp of 2017!!  Amazing details!

   Now with this stamp you are actually stamping the background, NOT the letters and images.  I started by placing the block stamp in the center of a white A2 size card front in my MISTI stamping tool.  For this technique it is best to use a stamping tool because you will be stamping many layers of ink onto your cardstock.  Your images must line up.  The cardstock I'm using for this card is 110 lb Neenah Solar White.

 I used three shades of The Ton's brown ink:  Found Topaz, Aspen Cocoa and Dark Roast.  I also used Noir for the darkest shadows.  First I swiped the lightest Found Topaz across the stamp from side to side and stamped it.  Since this will be your base color you may have to swipe and stamp two or three times to get your desired affect.  It's ok if there are some white streaks showing.  That will give the illusion of distressed wood.

Next I swiped the medium shade of brown, Aspen Cocoa.  But this time I tilted the pad to make thinner and more defined, multiple strips of color across the stamp.  This will give the illusion of shading between wooden boards.  You can add this to your stamp and keep stamping until you achieve the desired look.  I swiped a thinner layer of the darkest shade of brown: Dark Roast in the same way.  Then I added some very thin swipes of Noir to offer some deep, dark crevices in the wood.

For the folded card base, I did the same swiping technique only I took my ink pads directly to the paper.  This is very simple to do and it's fun to watch this plain white cardstock turn into what looks like wood, right before your eyes.  I would just like to point out the amazing details in this stamp. Even with all of the layers of stamping that I did, the images held their crisp shape and allowed the bright white cardstock to shine through.

I trimmed off the white edges of the stamped panel and adhered it to the finished card base using a piece of craft foam.  This gave it a nice pop off of the base.  Because this stamp is so large, there really isn't a lot of room for embellishments.  It could definitely stand alone on a card and still be gorgeous. But inspired by the pine sprigs in the mood board, I stamped some branches from The Ton's  Holiday Cones Coordinating Outlines, with some in Everglade Moss and some in Basil Mojito.   I used the coordinating dies to cut them out, then adhered them across the bottom of the card.  The pretty layered bow is stamped from The Ton's Christmas Wreath Builder stamp set using Lipstick Red, Grape Crush and Noir inks.  Finally some sparkly sequins were added from The Ton's Deck The Halls Couture Mix and a little shine on the branches using a clear Wink of Stella glitter pen.

That's all  for today my friends.  Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you'll make some time this month to join in this fun Mood Board Challenge with us over at The Ton Blog.  We love seeing all of your creations and it's so fun to see everyone's interpretation of each challenge.  

Have a great day and Happy Stamping!!

Important news from Catherine Pooler and StampNation!

Hey friends!  I'm stopping by today to announce a couple things that are about to take place over at StampNation and Catherine Pooler Designs.

   First, I wanted you to know that due to some revamping going on over at StampNation, they won't be able to accept new members thru the whole month of December. If you want to get in on the December Holiday Homecoming fun or you've asked Santa for a subscription you'll have to sign up before Friday, December 1st --->HERE<--- The doors will reopen to new members the first part of January. Current members can check in or check your email to hear all the latest news and upcoming events from StampNation and Catherine Pooler.

And get ready designers......Catherine Pooler is looking for some fun new talent!

Stop by her blog --->HERE<--- for more information on how to apply for a spot on this awesome team of artists and designers.  Good luck!

Paradise Found Release Blog Hop Day 2 - Catherine Pooler Designs

It's blog hop time!  Welcome to Day 2 of the Paradise Found Blog Hop featuring the newest release from Catherine Pooler Designs.  This release features:

• Plaid Background Stamp (rubber cling)

• Winter Woodland Stamps and coordinating dies.

• Wonderful Time of The Year Stamps and coordinating dies.

• Birds of a Feather Dies

• Small Doily Die

Of course the 8 beautiful new Spa Collection ink pads are also available NOW!

1. Royal Treatment
2. Mandarin Spice
3. Eucalyptus
4. Juniper Mist
5. Green Tea
6. Daydream
7. Sauna
8. Peppermint Scrub

 

I made a couple cards for the blog hop today using some of these great new products.  For my first card I used my personal favorite, Winter Woodland Stamps.  The die set is on my wish list but for this card I went ahead and did a little fussy cutting instead.

I stamped the trees, deer and Bunny using Icing on The Cake.  That ink is a little dark so I did some second generation stamping to achieve this lighter shade.  I used the rock and roll technique to add some shadow along one side of each tree.  Then I used the same rock and roll technique on the other side using clear Versamark ink and some white embossing powder.  This added a beautiful frosty snow affect to the trees.

As you can see, I stamped three of the trees directly onto the card front along with some white embossed snowflakes.  I cut out two more trees and raised them with some dimensional tape.  This gave some awesome depth to the woodland scene.

I had the most fun with this cute little deer and bunny.  Because I used second generation to stamp their bodies, they were a nice light brown with great texture!  I added some shadows and depth by using a brown Prismacolor pencil.  This really brought them to life for me and was so easy.  The nose and bow were stamped with Peppermint Scrub.  The blanket is actually half an ornament that I stamped from the Wonderful Time of The Year stamp set with Daydream ink.  The little bird is also stamped with Daydream.

I just had to add some of that wonderful Plaid Background stamp along the side of this card using Eucalyptus ink.  One small strip really catches your eye.

For my next card I used the Wonderful Time of The Year stamp set.  The new inks worked wonderful with this card.   The combination of stamps and inks really gave this card a nice traditional feel.  I started out by stamping the sentiment in Midnight ink directly onto the front of the card base. The I stamped the pine branches all around the outside of the card base using Eucalyptus Ink.  I added just a touch of a green Kuretake watercolor marker to the stems and blended them lightly with a water brush.

I stamped and then cut the ornaments out by hand.  I don't have the dies for this set yet but the are definitely a must have!   I used Peppermint Scrub, Sauna and Juniper Mist for the ornaments. The hooks and snowflakes were stamped with clear Versamark ink and embossed with Metallic Gold Sparkle by Wow.

I popped the ornaments up with some dimensional tape and it's ready to mail!

Along with all of these new items, Catherine Pooler  has also added the Naturally Inspired Collection to her online store.  If you didn't have a chance to order this Stamp of Approval Collection last spring, now is your chance!  All of the items are available for individual sale over at the store.  Here are just a few samples of the cards I've made using this awesome collection of stamps and dies!

Naturally Inspired Collection




OK friends, you know the drill! 

• Click the links below to visit our Design Team blogs, get inspired and leave them some love!  
• If you missed Day 1 of the hop you can start that HERE.  
• Be sure to check in tomorrow over at Catherine's blog to hop along with Day 3!
• You’ll have through Friday, November 17 at 11:55 am eastern to leave comments.  
• We’ll randomly pick 3 winners for $25 gift certificates to our shop!

Before you head off to Chrissie's blog, be sure to leave a comment below for another chance to win!

Catherine Pooler
Ilina Crouse
Laurel Beard
Kristie Goulet
Jill Hawkins
Maureen Merritt
Lisa Harrolle <---you are here
Chrissie Tobas <---go here next!


 Thanks for stopping by. 
 Have a great day!!

Naturally Inspired by a new line of inks!!

It's Release Day over at Catherine Pooler Designs!!   Have you seen her new Spa Ink Collection?  Wowee!  I wanted to pop in today to share in some of the excitement.  These inks are a fabulous addition to her whole line.  8 brand new colors, wooohoo!  I can't even choose a favorite so I decided to use them all on this card!

Inks:   Mandarin Spice, Sauna, Green Tea, Eucalyptus, Daydream, Juniper Mist, Royal Treatment and Peppermint Scrub and Midnight.

Stamps:  Simply the Best, Birds of a Feather.  Dies:  Birds of a Feather, Circles.  Paper:  Premium White Cardstock

Here's a closer look!

  There are also some brand new stamps and dies being released today.  This Birds of a Feather die set is one of them!  It's made to coordinate with The Birds of a Feather stamp set that was included last spring in the Stamp of Approval Naturally Inspired Collection.

Well guess what?  The entire Naturally Inspired Collection is NOW AVAILABLE over at the Catherine Pooler Designs online store today!!   If you missed out on this previous Stamp of Approval Collection when it was released, you can now buy these items individually over at Catherine Pooler's store.  Yay!!

Here's one more card I made using the beautiful new colors and some pretty stamps and dies from the

Naturally Inspired Collection.

Inks:  Daydream, Eucalyptus, Green Tea and Midnight

Stamps: Wild Garden, Simply the Best and Winter Woodland (for the dots).  Dies: Best Die, Wild Garden Dies.  

Paper: Premium White Cardstock.

The Wild Garden stamps and coordinating dies are beautiful!

Head on over to Catherine Pooler Designs for a closer look at all of the new stuff!!

Don't miss out on the 3 day blog hop for more of these items in action!!   And of course there will be prizes!!!   Day one is today starting over at Catherine Pooler's blog!  Click HERE!

I'll be participating in Day 2 of the hop so I'll see you all tomorrow!!

Have a great day and Happy Stamping!!

The Ton's November Challenge

Hi everyone. It's the first of the month and it's time for another awesome challenge over at
 The Ton's Challenge Blog: The Season.
For the month of November we are channeling our Holiday spirit.  We know so many of our cardmaking friends will be busy making their Christmas cards this month.  So, as long as you're making them, why not enter this challenge?  You have the whole month of November to enter as many times as you like, for a chance to WIN a $50 gift certificate  for  
The Ton online store.  You can click on the link to head on over and check out the details any time.  But first I'd like to show you a card I made for this month's Holiday Challenge!

.

I mixed up a whole bunch of  The Ton's stamps and dies to create this fun but simple card. 

Background
I stamped a tone on tone pattern using the Holly Branch stamp set and The Ton's Hampton White Pigment Ink.  Then I heat embossed the images with some Recollections Glitz embossing powder.  It creates a sparkly soft background that I diecut using the Large Double Stitched Rectangle dies.  I added this panel to the center of a horizontal A2 side folded card base with dimensional tape.

Stamps, Coloring & Dies

I stamped a this large Brushed Merry stamp in The Ton's Ballet Slippers Dye ink, then diecut using the Brushed Merry Coordinating Die.

The girl and tree image from the City Girls Winter Edition stamp set was stamped in The Ton's Copic friendly Noir ink.  Then I had fun coloring in some pretty Christmas colors.  I also used the Coordinating Dies to cut this image out.  Super easy!

To add just a little more color to this card I stamped some holly and berries from the Holiday Flourishes stamp set using The Ton's Lipstick Red and Bright Fern dye inks.  Then I fussy cut around the images to make one piece. 

Assembly

The snow hill on the bottom of the card was cut out by hand and glued directly to the raised embossed panel.  Then I adhered the Brushed Merry centered just above the hill.  I glued the City Girl and holly in place then added some clear sequins from The Ton's Glass Slippers Couture mix.

That's all  for today.  Thank you so much for stopping by.  I hope you'll make some time this month to join in this fun Holiday Challenge with us over at The Ton Blog.  We love seeing all of your creations and it's so fun to see everyone's interpretation of each challenge.  

Have a great day and Happy Stamping!!

The Ton's October Release Blog Hop!

Hello everyone and welcome to The Ton's October Release Blog Hop!   Today we're showcasing some of the new stamps and dies from The Ton's release earlier this month.   These gorgeous floral stamps were designed by Effie Cho and one of our awesome design team members Eunji.   All of these items are available right now over at The Ton shop so you can click on any of the links below to check them out anytime!

But first......I have a couple cards to show you and of course some information below on how you can win a stamp set of your choice so keep on scrolling!!

For my card today I used The Ton's beautiful new stamp set:

Rose Bouquet

These stamps are absolutely gorgeous!  The roses are so delicate looking and you have the option of building onto your bouquet with extra blooms and leaves.   I decided to do some no line coloring so I stamped a cluster of roses at the bottom of my card using The Ton's Warm Hazelnut dye ink.   This color is light enough to color over with Copic Markers.  I didn't have to do any masking for this card, it stamped easily using all the different stamps in the Rose Bouquet.  There are also dies that go along with this set but I didn't use them today.

When I finished coloring the roses, I stamped this sweet sentiment that is included in the Rose Bouquet set with Noir ink from The Ton.   And because I just can't seem to quit with a one layer card I decided to add some dimension to the sentiment using dimensional tape and the large circle from The Ton's Bokeh Burst Round die set.  Before adhereing the card front to the card base  I  diecut a stitched border around the edge with The Ton's  Large Double Stitched Rectangle dies. 

I added some finishing touches of sparkle with clear sequins from The Ton's Glass Slipper Couture Mix.  This is my favorite mix and I find myself reaching for it for just about every card I make.  I love that this package includes 5 different sizes of sequins.

Since this is October, what better way to celebrate than with some autumn greetings made possible by this beautiful new stamp set:

Autumn Wishes

This set is so pretty and super easy to color.   After blending the entire card front with some of The Ton's dye inks: Beach Blondie, Amber Citrine and Peach Blossom,  I stamped the largest branch twice and filled in with the smaller branches using The Ton's Caviar black ink.  Then I used my Kuretake watercolor markers to add a mix of vibrant colors to the leaves.

Check out those adorable little birds!!  I have to be honest, the birds are what drew me to this stamp set.  I love all the sweet little feathered beauties that this set offers.  I also think the sentiment options are great!  On this card I embossed white on black cardstock using The Ton's Hampton White Pigment ink and white embossing powder.

There are also coordinating dies available for the Autumn Wishes stamp set.  I didn't have them yet so I decided to add some depth to this card by using some other great dies by The Ton.  The outside frame was diecut with the Double Stitched Rectangle (Large) and the center was cut with the Modern Labels dies.  I popped up the outside frame and the inside label with dimensional tape.

For a limited time:
To celebrate our blog hop, The Ton  is offering a shipping discount for domestic orders.
All  U.S. orders, receive free shipping on orders over $75.*

Use code "USOCT17" at checkout.

 *This shipping promo ends on November 1 at 11:59pm. This promotion does not apply to prior purchases. The threshold amount is calculated before taxes and shipping.

Comment to WIN!The Ton is giving away one stamp of choice from the October Release to one lucky commenter!
 To qualify, you must leave a comment on each blog on the hop.
The comment period will close on Sunday, October 29 at 7pm EST. The winner will be announced on The Ton blog thereafter.

 Thanks so much for stopping by today! Be sure to leave a comment down below before you hop on over to see my friend Janette!  Good luck!


The Ton
Olga
Anna
Lisa <---you are here
Janette <---go here next!
Brenda
Tae Eun
Jenny
Laura Jane
Vera
Eunji
Mayline

Have a great day!!

Watercolored Peony

Well happy Friday!!  I just thought I'd share a pretty little birthday card I made, coloring with my Kuretake real brush watercolor markers.  This is one of my favorite ways to add color to The Ton's gorgeous  floral designs and these markers really make it easy.  

Today I'm using the Dearest Peony stamp and die set from The Ton. I stamped and heat embossed it onto some 140 lb watercolor cardstock using Noir black ink and clear embossing powder.   I also stamped some Noir  Minor Stripes onto a piece of  white cardstock, then diecut a label using the Modern Labels die set.  Then I cut the striped label in half using one half for the top of the card and one for the bottom. The sentiment is from the Modern Labels stamp set and embossed in white on black cardstock.

After wrapping some natural twine around the peony stems, I added it to the card with some dimensional tape.  The sentiment banner is also popped up with dimsional tape.  I topped this card off with  my absolute favorite Glass Slippers Couture Mix from The Ton.

Well, that's all for today my friends.  Be be sure you come back on Thursday October 26th when I join in on The Ton's new release blog hop and I'll be showcasing some new stamps here..  The Ton has released a gorgeous array of florals designd by both Effie and Eunji.  And of course, there will also be a chance to win a free set!!  Want a peek at the new sets that are available now? ----->go here

Have a great weekend!  See you Thursday!!

Stamp of Approval Winterhaven Collection - Release Day!

Hi everyone!  Release day is finally here for the awesome new holiday box:

Stamp of Approval Winterhaven Collection!!

click on the "Available Now" for a fast link to order NOW!

Wait List:

Everyone who is signed up for the wait list should receive their emails at 9am this morning, east coast time, so be sure to be on the lookout!  The early bird link will be in your email.  If you really want this collection, don't wait too long to get your order in.   Ordering is on a first come, first serve basis and these boxes sell out crazy fast sometimes.  NO rainchecks, NO backorders, when they're out they're out!   We don't want you to miss out so get your order in quick!

Not on the list?

For those of you who are not on the wait list but are excited to get the SOA Winterhaven Collection, all remaining boxes will be be available for purchase in the Catherine Pooler Designs store at 6pm tonight.

Still time to hop!

Entries close on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11th at 9AM EST and will be announced on Catherine Pooler's blog later that day.

THREE commenters will be chosen at random from all the comments on all the blogs (one each day). The more blogs you comment on, the better your chance in winning!

Purchase your box today though because they may be sold out by tomorrow.  Don't worry, if you win and  have already purchased a box, you will receive a $100 gift certificate towards your next purchase. 

Here are the hop links to get you started:

Day1     Day2     Day3

Good luck peeps!  I hope you all get a chance to add these awesome stamps and dies to your collection!

In the mean time, I have one more card to share with you using the Stamp of Approval Winterhaven Collection.

Today my card has a ton of stamping using all Catherine Pooler Design inks.  I stamped all the way around the edge of this card front with the new Tis The Season stamp set from the Winterhaven Collection.  I only had to do some minimal masking to achieve this look. I stamped the large poinsettias first in Rockin' Red and Tiara ink then masked them off.  I then filled in all around the card front with the greenery, pine boughs and berries.  I gave the pine boughs some depth by first stamping them with Grass Skirt ink and then a lighter Lime Rickey over the top but just a little offset so you can see both colors.  I think this double stamping helps to make the pine boughs look more realistic.  The berries are a mix of Rockin' Red and Icing on The Cake. 

When I was finished stamping I heat embossed this whole card front with a layer of clear Versamark ink and some of Catherine Poolers exclusive Wanderlust embossing powder by WOW!  This gave the card an amazing amount of sparkle.  Once this glittery embossing powder is heated, it adheres really good and you don't have to worry about any of that glitter flaking off.
 Tip:  heat the embossing powder from underneath the cardstock.  It will keep any loose powder and glitter from blowing off and will also help ensure you won't scorch it with your heat tool.

For some added dimension I diecut the center of this finished card front using the inside tag from the Good Stuff Tag Dies.  Then I adhered both pieces onto the card base, popping up the center piece with fun foam. 

I did some selective inking on the Santa's sleigh from the Here We Come A-Caroling stamp set by masking off parts of the stamp so that I could make it multiple colors.  I touched up the face with a flesh color copic marker and  the white on Santa's suit and beard with a gray copic.  

The deer were stamped with Icing On The Cake and then the whole piece was diecut and stacked in three layers to give them some height and dimension.  It's a lot easier than adding dimensional tape to images this small. (Note:  the coordinating dies for the Here We Come A-Caroling stamp set is not included in the Winterhaven Collection but is available in the store as an add-on).  I am so in love with this cute little sleigh and reindeer!   I diecut the "Joy" sentiment from the Joy Wreath Die set and Catherine Pooler's Premium white cardstock.  Do you see how well all of these Winterhaven products coordinate?  It's so awesome!

Thank you so much for stopping by today and for hopping along with myself and all of the design team the last three days.  I really appreciate the kind words you left for me on my blog hop projects.  I'm looking forward to seeing all of your cards around the internet in the next couple weeks using the
Stamp of Approval Winterhaven Collection.

Have a great week!!