Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Let's Get Hopping Blog Hop: His and Hers

Hello Everybody! Today is an exciting day for me as it's my first time hopping with a new group of amazing stampers and crafters! If this is your first time visiting my blog- Hi, it's really nice to have you here. My name is Maria Willis and I live in a tiny mountain town called Boulder Creek in California USA. I have been stamping for about four years now and I absolutely love it... enough about me, let's get on to the fun part!

This hop is called Let's Get Hopping and is made up of a combination of well-know and very talented stampers (current and former Stampin' Up! Artisans-woohoo!) as well as some crafters who are new to blogging but are going to knock your socks off with their talent! So, when you're done with my blog, I hope you'll click the NEXT button below and hop on over to the next blog.

The theme for this hop is His and Hers which is a tough one for me... don't kick me for saying this... because I don't believe in "boy" and "girl" cards. I believe that both genders like all kinds of different colors and themes and that the best way to make someone happy is to make a card that is just for them (made of elements that you know they personally will like). I have female friends who prefer blues and greens and dinosaurs over pink and flowers any day of the week. I also have male friends who appreciate the artistry of water colored floral images and the texture that comes with layers of paper and twine and lace... So, today I've made two cards that I think can go either way and I'd love to have you chime in and tell me which one you prefer and why. 

My first card has a background of different blues and purple and pink. I splattered the background with water and lifted some of the color off to give the background a galaxy effect. The vellum heart and sentiment are both from the January 2018 Paper Pumpkin kit. The strip of DSP is from the A Sara Thing kit from 2016. The card base on this card is Basic Gray which softens the look a little bit.



This vellum heart is my favorite thing in the whole PP kit this month. The second heart was cut using the Sweet & Sassy Framelit dies. Those framelits are great because they have two different shapes of hearts in a variety of sizes.

For my second card I again used blues but then I added a bright green and sponged a little bit of purple around the edges. I did the same technique with water to create a galaxy background. This card has a Basic Black card base which I think it gives it a more striking look than on the first card.

Then I used the exact same pieces as on the previous card but I sponged the front heart blue instead of purple.

That's it for me today. I'd really love to hear which of these two cards strikes your fancy and why. If you have a moment, please drop me a comment and let me know. Thank you so much for stopping by today! For more inspiration from the rest of the Let's Get Hopping crew please click the next button below and head on over to visit the talented Diana Tillery.

Have an amazing day and enjoy the hop!
Maria.





Want to shop with me? No problem, just click the button below. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Email: mariawillis@hotmail.com


Want a great discount on Stampin' Up! Products and to have a fun new stamping family? Join me on this fun adventure! I can't wait to be your super excited Stampin' Up! side kick and support lady! In case you didn't know, you can join Stampin' Up! just for the discount and never sell a single product. If you want to know the details just let me know. If you're looking for a discount on your favorite hobby (stamping and paper crafting with Stampin' Up! products) and want to earn money doing it... let me know! I'd love to talk with you whatever your interest might be! If you want to see a little more info go ahead and click the button below. Looking forward to hearing from you!


Thursday, January 25, 2018

A Paper Pumpkin Thing: January 2018 Kit

Paper Pumpkin Kit: January 2018 - Heartfelt Love Notes


Hello Everybody and welcome to the first A Paper Pumpkin Thing Blog Hop of 2018! If you get Paper Pumpkin and are looking for some alternate ideas you have come to the right place! I am joining a bunch of talented Stampin' Up! demonstrators from all over the world to share some creative ideas for making both cards and projects from the contents of your monthly Paper Pumpkin Kit! 



Personally, I am not a huge fan of the color pink so I swapped out the Flirty Flamingo that the kit was designed with for some Bermuda Bay. The envelopes in the kit are a dark Crumb Cake color so I added some Crumb Cake ink to stamp my background. The background is layered over Bermuda Bay and a card base of Basic Black.
One of my favorite things in this kit are the vellum hearts-they are so fun and I'm a fan of the elongated shape! I layered mine over a piece of striped DSP that I cut off of a card base from the PP Kit. Then I heat embossed the same "LOVE" sentiment in white on black cardstock. I cut it out and layered it on top of the heart and off set it just a bit. This card was so easy to make thanks to all of the Paper Pumpkin supplies that I had to work with. 




I am really excited about my project today! I tried something that I've never done before and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I used four of the envelopes from the Paper Pumpkin Kit to make an envelope book with pockets and tags and pull tabs. It was really so much fun to decorate! Here is what the cover of the book looks like...

And here it is about to be opened up!

Here's the first inside layout. I've used stamps and paper pieces from the PP kit to make just about everything you see here. I did add some Bermuda Bay and Basic Black cardstock to keep with the color theme of my card. The Bermuda Bay piece is a pocket and the little little black tab peeking out is a secret message... fun, right?! The note on the right is slipped into the pocket and comes out easily as well.

The second spread looks like this, it's pretty simple but has nice room to write and the tag on the left pulls out. The striped DSP on the left and the fun scalloped paper on the right are both from the PP kit as is that gorgeous white ribbon with copper edges.
One of the most fun things about this project was adding fun details. This vellum banner was from the PP kit and I layered a stitched circle and small Crumb Cake heart over the top. I didn't use dimensionals because I wanted the book to close as flat as possible.

This is the third and final layout... I think it's may favorite one. I edged the pocket on the left with some copper washi tape then made a tag to fit inside. Those splatters I've used are from Swirly Bird and did a good job of grunging up this project a little bit. On the right I've used the Pick a Pattern washi tape and done some more layers.

This embellishment was so easy as it is just simple layers. The heart is layered on a circle and placed over a DSP flag and a strip of copper foil washi. Fun!

Here's one last look at this cool little love book... 

I had such a good time putting this together but didn't have time to make a tutorial. If you're interested in a tutorial please let me know and I will make you a video ASAP! For now, I hope you'll continue on this fun blog hop by clicking the next button below and heading off to visit my crafty friend Audra Monk!

UPDATE! I had so many requests for a tutorial that I have made a video for you to follow along with. Happy crafting!



Thanks for stopping by my blog today-It was so great to have you! If you have any questions for me please shoot me a message or leave me a comment. If you'd like to sign up for a Paper Pumpkin kit of your own you can shop below or message me for help.

Have an awesome day!

Maria Willis
mariawillis@hotmail.com





BLOG ROLL:
Maria Willis: You are HERE!
Audra Monk: NEXT UP!


Want to shop with me? No problem, just click the button below. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Email: mariawillis@hotmail.com


Want a great discount on Stampin' Up! Products and to have a fun new stamping family? Join me on this fun adventure! I can't wait to be your super excited Stampin' Up! side kick and support lady! In case you didn't know, you can join Stampin' Up! just for the discount and never sell a single product. If you want to know the details just let me know. If you're looking for a discount on your favorite hobby (stamping and paper crafting with Stampin' Up! products) and want to earn money doing it... let me know! I'd love to talk with you whatever your interest might be! If you want to see a little more info go ahead and click the button below. Looking forward to hearing from you!


Monday, January 22, 2018

Mermaid!

Hey everybody! Thanks for stopping by today. Today I've got this funky mermaid card to share with you. A while back I made this background by spritzing mixtures of alcohol and reindeer onto watercolor paper. I used Lemon Lime Twist, Island Indigo, and, Berry Burst.

Then I watercolored the mermaid from Magical Day on a piece of Shimmery White paper and used the coordinating framelits to cut it out. While I was doing that, I noticed these awesome seaweed sprigs. I cut out a few of those in Pool Party and added them to my layers. I also added punched pieces in Lemon Lime Twist and vellum with a length of Berry Burst Ribbon and some washi tape.

I finished the card off with a birthday sentiment from Fairy Celebration and some sequins. The sequins were really the perfect mix of colors to help pull this card together.

I'm also entering this card in this week's Global Design Project Challenge. They've got a great sketch challenge this week and the design team has knocked it out of the park with some fantastic inspiration. Check them out at the GDP Challenge Blog if you have a chance. Here's what the sketch looks like...



Ok, that's it! Short and sweet for today. Please let me know if you have any questions or if there is any way that I can help you on your craft journey!

Have a terrific day and I'll see you soon!
Maria



Want to shop with me? No problem, just click the button below. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Email: mariawillis@hotmail.com


Want a great discount on Stampin' Up! Products and to have a fun new stamping family? Join me on this fun adventure! I can't wait to be your super excited Stampin' Up! side kick and support lady! In case you didn't know, you can join Stampin' Up! just for the discount and never sell a single product. If you want to know the details just let me know. If you're looking for a discount on your favorite hobby (stamping and paper crafting with Stampin' Up! products) and want to earn money doing it... let me know! I'd love to talk with you whatever your interest might be! If you want to see a little more info go ahead and click the button below. Looking forward to hearing from you!


Friday, January 19, 2018

#TGIFC143 - Awesome Friends

Hey Everybody! Welcome back to another fun TGIF Challenge! This week is a theme challenge and the theme is... Awesome Friends! What better way to let a friend know that they are awesome than to send them a card letting them know it. I chose to use a tall and tiny card from the Occasions catalog. These cards a super fun size and make decorating the whole card front quick and easy to do.



I used the sentiment from the Charming Cafe set and some flowers from the Lovely Friends stamp set to stamp the flowers around it. The sentiment was stamped in Old Olive and the flowers are done in Berry Burst with the bolder part of the flower having been stamped off first. The background of my cards have tiny flowers from Lovely Friends stamped in Powder Pink. Then I used a Soft Sky marker to spatter some ink onto the background for a bit more interest.

I made six of these cards with matching envelopes. Right now I am making card packs with a variety of different cards inside. I'll be sending the card packs off to some friends who signed up under me for a pay-it-forward act of kindness deal. Hopefully they'll all like this card.


If you've got a few minutes and want to see more cards that have been made with the "Awesome Friends" theme in mind then I suggest heading on over to the TGIF Challenge Blog to see what the rest of the design team has made to share this week. If you've got a great idea of your own we'd love to see it! You can add your own card or project to the gallery on the challenge page.


That's all for today folks! Thanks for stopping by.
Have an amazing day!
Maria


Want to shop with me? No problem, just click the button below. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Email: mariawillis@hotmail.com


Want a great discount on Stampin' Up! Products and to have a fun new stamping family? Join me on this fun adventure! I can't wait to be your super excited Stampin' Up! side kick and support lady! In case you didn't know, you can join Stampin' Up! just for the discount and never sell a single product. If you want to know the details just let me know. If you're looking for a discount on your favorite hobby (stamping and paper crafting with Stampin' Up! products) and want to earn money doing it... let me know! I'd love to talk with you whatever your interest might be! If you want to see a little more info go ahead and click the button below. Looking forward to hearing from you!


Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Fat Unicorn!

Not long ago I spent a little time having fun making backgrounds. I sponged, I spritzed, I watercolored... I just had fun creating without any purpose besides having fun. This is one of the backgrounds I made and it seemed just perfect for one of these fat unicorns from the Myths & Magic set.

I used just two colors (plus Daffodil Delight on the horn) for this whole unicorn. I used Tempting Turquoise and Melon Mambo. I love how these two colors blend so beautifully together to make such a range of colors. I used more ink on the main and tail than I did on the body of the unicorn. On the body I started out with a very light wash of Tempting Turquoise and and then add a small amount of Melon Mambo to the areas that I wanted some highlighting in. It gave a pinky-purpley color that I like.

I added some die cut stars or "magic bursts" cut out of silver glimmer paper. Then I added White twine and some washi tape and called this card done. Sometimes when you have a pretty background and a fat unicorn it's a good idea to stop before you overdo it. 

I hope you like my card today. Thanks for stopping by. I'll be back tonight with a card for this week's TGIFChallenges and I hope you'll come back to check it out. That's it for now but thanks so much for stopping by. As always, if you want to make your own fat unicorn cards and need to buy the stamp set... I'm your girl. Let me know if you need some help or have any questions. Otherwise, if you prefer to shop on your own, feel free to click the link below and have some fun!

Have an awesome day!
Maria





Want to shop with me? No problem, just click the button below. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Email: mariawillis@hotmail.com


Want a great discount on Stampin' Up! Products and to have a fun new stamping family? Join me on this fun adventure! I can't wait to be your super excited Stampin' Up! side kick and support lady! In case you didn't know, you can join Stampin' Up! just for the discount and never sell a single product. If you want to know the details just let me know. If you're looking for a discount on your favorite hobby (stamping and paper crafting with Stampin' Up! products) and want to earn money doing it... let me know! I'd love to talk with you whatever your interest might be! If you want to see a little more info go ahead and click the button below. Looking forward to hearing from you!


Thursday, January 11, 2018

OSAT Blog Hop - Sale A Brate the Occasion

Hello, hello! It's the third Thursday of the month and you know what that means, right? It's OSAT Blog Hop time! 

Our theme this month is Sale A Brate the Occassion. It's a bit of a play on words because Stampin' Ups! new Occasions catalog has just launched and along with it we've got the biggest Stampin' Up! sale of the year: Sale-A-Bration (SAB)!  For every $50 USD you spend you get to pick a free gift from the SAB catalog. I like Free stuff so I think that's pretty awesome! On this card I've used a new bundle from the Occasions catalog called the Magical Day Bundle (clear mount). It has a dragon, unicorn, mermaid and more! I watercolored the dragon with my aqua painter using Lemon Lime Twist, Emerald Envy and Tempting Turquoise. 
I used lots of layers on this card but do you see that striped DSP in the background... FREE. Yes, really. I spent $50 and I picked the Bubbles & Fizz Designer Series Paper from the SAB catalog as my Free gift. I also added layers in Berry Burst (punched with the Starburst Punch), Pool Party, Silver Glimmer Paper, Silver Metallic Doily, Silver Metallic Thread and Lemon Lime Twist Ombre Ribbon. The fun little magic bursts in Silver glimmer were cut using the framelits from the Magical Day Bundle. I also used my Clear Wink of Stella to spatter the background and give it a magical, galaxy look.





For my project today I've done something completely out of my norm as I have made a scrapbook page. If you know me at all then you know scrapbooking is not my thing. I forget to take pictures, I never print the ones I do take... makes it kind of hard to scrapbook. Anyhow, I came across this photo of myself as a baby with some of my family looking over me. It's just such a sweet moment that I had  to preserve the photo. Enter the Petal Passion Memories & More Card Pack which made it so darn easy for me to quickly put this page together. The "lovely memories" die cuts, "this makes my heart happy,"Love Big & Love Much," 'Together," and grid paper card all came from this card pack! 

I really appreciated this card pack bc of the black and white designs. Not only is not "girly" or feminine, it is so easy to pair with any DSP, cardstock, or color combo that you choose to work with. I also added strips from the Pick a Pattern Washi Tape, and plenty of embellishments. Look closely, do you see those shiny little dots? Those are the Glitter & Clear Epoxy Shapes and they are my absolute favorite embellishment! They are smaller than all of our other epoxy embellishments and I love tiny!

Something else that's really cool about the Petal Passion Memories & More Card Pack is that has such a wide variety of things inside. You saw the big letter die cuts on the top of my page and the fun variety of cards but it also has this great piece of designer window sheet. It made it so easy to layer and add interest without covering up my whole background.

Ok, everybody, that's it for today. I'm so glad that you stopped by and I hope you'll keep on hopping along to check out the rest of the hop (just click the next button below). If you are interested in taking advantage of the epic sale that is Sale-A-Bration please feel free click the Shop Online button below. You can also shoot me an email so that I can help you out or answer any questions that you might have. It's also the best time of year to join my team so feel free to ask me about that as well!

Bye for now. Have an amazing day!
Maria Willis
mariawillis@hotmail.com



BLOG ROLL:
Maria Willis: You Are HERE!
Jessie Holton: NEXT UP!




Want to shop with me? No problem, just click the button below. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Email: mariawillis@hotmail.com


Want a great discount on Stampin' Up! Products and to have a fun new stamping family? Join me on this fun adventure! I can't wait to be your super excited Stampin' Up! side kick and support lady! In case you didn't know, you can join Stampin' Up! just for the discount and never sell a single product. If you want to know the details just let me know. If you're looking for a discount on your favorite hobby (stamping and paper crafting with Stampin' Up! products) and want to earn money doing it... let me know! I'd love to talk with you whatever your interest might be! If you want to see a little more info go ahead and click the button below. Looking forward to hearing from you!


Friday, January 5, 2018

#TGIFC141 - Color Challenge

Hey everybody! I'm back with another fun challenge from TGIF today! If you missed my announcement last week... I am thrilled to say that I have been invited to join the amazing design team over at TGIF Challenges and this is my second week joining in the fun!

This week's challenge is a color challenge... Yikes! I usually shy away from color challenges because they are often colors that I don't usually reach for. I guess that's why they call it a "challenge," right? Well, this color scheme of Night of Navy, Island Indigo and Fresh Fig was no exception. Fresh Fig is a color I tend to steer clear of. When I do use it I like to add bright colors to it to change it up a bit. I decided to watercolor so that I could mix the three colors to get shades of color that I really love. Here's what I came up with...

I used Fresh Fig, Island Indigo and Night of Navy with my Aquapainter to watercolor in this image from a new stamp set called Lots of Lavender (147194). During Sale-A-Bration/SAB (happening now) you can get this set for FREE with any $50 purchase! I like free stuff so I find this to be pretty amazing. After watercoloring the image, I used my Fine-tip Glue pen to add a thick layer of adhesive to the image. It added some nice texture and shine without hiding the watercoloring. That strip of DSP is also in the new SAB catalog and is another one of your "freebie" choices.

These framelits are also new and in the SAB catalog (yep, FREE with a $100 purchase!) and they are "amazing." Those beautiful little embellishments are actually clear (new in the Occasions catalog) and I've colored them with my Night of Navy Stampin' Blends alcohol marker. My background is Shimmery White Cardstock spritzed with an alcohol and Island Indigo ink mixture.


That's it for today. Please let me know if you have any questions. We would love to have you play along with #TGIF141 for this week's color challenge. If you'd like to play along, or, just check out what the rest of the Design Team has made then head on over to the TGIF Challenges Blog to see some other fun projects. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. It's always great to have you! If you're interested in purchasing any of the supplies I've used in today's project please let me know or click the "shop online" button below. I'm here to answer any questions that you may have.

Have an amazing day!
Maria

mariawillis@hotmail.com


Want to shop with me? No problem, just click the button below. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Email: mariawillis@hotmail.com


Want a great discount on Stampin' Up! Products and to have a fun new stamping family? Join me on this fun adventure! I can't wait to be your super excited Stampin' Up! side kick and support lady! In case you didn't know, you can join Stampin' Up! just for the discount and never sell a single product. If you want to know the details just let me know. If you're looking for a discount on your favorite hobby (stamping and paper crafting with Stampin' Up! products) and want to earn money doing it... let me know! I'd love to talk with you whatever your interest might be! If you want to see a little more info go ahead and click the button below. Looking forward to hearing from you!


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