Tonic Studios Stamp Club Release, Video and Giveaway: Compassion and Poppies

Hey everybody and welcome to the release of Tonic Studios newest Stamp Club release! This month's release is called Compassion and Poppies and it is a beauty! The stamps are packed with gorgeous florals and heartfelt sentiments and the dies add a ton of extra versatility to the bundle! If you like what you see you'll want to head to the shop (Tonic Studios USA  or Tonic Studios UK) now and pick up a bundle because once they are sold out they are gone for good.  

I've got ten different cards and a video to share with you today so let's get to it! For my first card I stamped the largest floral image in Black Shadow ink and watercolored it.

I used the rectangular frames from the coordinating dies to cut my panel. Then I used the larger rectangle to cut a black mat to easily frame out my image piece.

I added this to a lightly watercolored card front and finished it off with a heat embossed sentiment.

If you'd like to take a closer look at how I put my cards together here's a video to show you in more detail...

If you are having trouble viewing this video please CLICK HERE to watch it now.

For my next card I used alcohol markers to color three of the poppies from the main image. One of the cool things about the dies in this set is that they cut the large poppy stamp into two flower groupings. I used this group of three as a focal point for this card.

I used paper from the Winter Wonderland pack and created a frame using the rectangle dies.

To finish my card off I stamped a sentiment in blue and put everything together using foam adhesive.

I used the second flower grouping from the main stamp along with another poppy strip to create my next card which happens to be a shaker card.

I used the medium rectangle to cut the center out of some white cardstock. Then, I used the medium and large rectangles to create a black frame and glued that on. I added acetate to the back of the panel and then glued my flowers to the front.

I ink blended a panel for my background so that inside of my shaker card would be blue. I splattered it with Glitter Gloss for some added detail. 

Next, I added sequins and glitter on top of my background and then I adhered the front panel on top using foam tape. If you do this make sure that you completely seal all of the gaps so that none of the shaker guts fall out. Here's a picture to show you what the card looks like when you can see the guts through the acetate window.

For my next two cards I did the same technique for each but used different background colors for totally different looks. I used the two leaf frond dies to cut out a bunch of die cuts from some ink-blended paper. I also cut out a bunch of die cuts in white. I glue two white ones underneath each colored die cut to create thick pieces.

I die cut a heart from white cardstock and layered the colorful die cuts on top. I had to cut some of them to make them fit. Once they were arranged I glued them down.

I added a sentiment and glued my heart to a watercolored background piece.

This next card was created exactly the same way. This time I used a square layout and a darker color scheme.

I used the same sentiment because I thought it was perfect for the heart shape.

I added sparkle to the die cuts and flecks of black to the background for some added detail.

This next card uses another of the stamp images to create a focal point. I stamped the image in black and colored it using alcohol markers.

I placed a piece of low-tack tape below the image and used a blending brush to gently ink blend some blue onto my cardstock. I added a very light layer of ink so that it didn't affect my colored flowers.

I stamped my sentiment below the flowers and used a deckled die to cut out my panel. You could also use the Tim Holtz deckle trimmer to do this.

This nest card uses a bunch of the twig looking dies cut out in both white and silver. 

I arranged them over a gray background that was splattered with glitter gloss and added some of the smallest flowers from the stamp set.

I added a sentiment and put the whole thing on lighter gray cardstock to finish it off.

This card is a really simple one but sometimes that's just what you need when you have to send a sympathy card. I started out by masking a circle off on my card panel.

Then, I used a blending brush and Nuvo Hybrid ink to blend the background. I stamped my flowers and removed the mask.

Finally, I colored in my flowers with gray markers and added a sentiment.

The large poppy stamp can very easily be used to create a slim-line card. All you need to do is to stamp it repeatedly from one side of the cardstock to the other. I show how to do this in my video above.

I stamped my poppies repeatedly onto watercolor paper using black shadow ink.

Then, I watercolored using Karin markers and a paint brush.

I added a heat embossed sentiment....

...and some sequins to finish off my card.

My last card is probably the easiest one of the bunch. Like I said before, sometimes you just need an easy (but pretty) card when someone's heart is hurting.

I heat embossed the poppies in white onto some textured, gray cardstock. The image is so pretty that it didn't need coloring for this type of card but I did add some dream drops to the centers of the flowers.

I added a pop of color to my card by using colored cardstock for my sentiment strips and added them with foam adhesive for dimension.

Now that you've had a look at all of the cards I made, here's a look at both the stamp and die sets that are included in this bundle. It's an incredible value for $34.99!

Ok, you guys, that is it for today. I hope you enjoyed my cards and will love playing with this bundle as much as I have. Check out the giveaway below and keep on hopping along with us for more amazing inspiration using this bundle!

Have an awesome day!

Maria

GIVEAWAY:

-One lucky winner will win a £50/$50 Giftcard to Tonic Studios and the Compassion & Poppies Bundle!

-To enter comment on every blog in the hop by 11:59pm PST on March 3, 2021/ 7:59am GST on Feb. 4, 2021

-Winner will be announced on March 5th, 2021 on IG and FB so make sure you're following all Tonic accounts!

BLOG HOP LIST: 

Channin Pelletier

Dilay Nacar

Emily Midgett

Erica Andersson Burke

Janette Kausen

Jen Kray

Kelly Taylor

Maria Willis

Mindy Eggen

Seeka

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST:

Hero Arts: Black History Month Blog Hop

Hi everybody! The crew from Hero Arts is celebrating Black History month with an Instagram Hop! To head to instagram and check that out CLICK HERE. We are using the Unity line of products and I decided to use this gorgeous Color Layering Flower Power stamp set. I started out by ink-blending my background using Splash, Blue Hawaii and Grape Slush. Then I used the Script Bold Prints stamp to heat emboss the background using Sand Embossing powder. I wanted this to have a grungy, mixed media style look so I did not use an anti-static tool and I allowed a lot of powder to stay stuck to the edges.

 

I decided to use the outline stamps only from the Color Layering Flower Power set and watercolored them with the Hero Arts Liquid Watercolors. I used Cocoa, Art Print Brown and Strawberry for the skin and lips.

I used the coordinating dies to cut this beautiful lady out and adhered her to my card using foam adhesive. To finish my card off I heat embossed a sentiment in white on black cardstock and popped that on with foam adhesive as well.

Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope you'll head over to Instagram to check out the whole hop. 

Have an awesome day!

Maria

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST:

Hero Arts and Reverse Confetti Blog Hop

Hello everybody! Thanks for stopping by today. I'm glad you did because today Hero Arts and Reverse Confetti are teaming up with a fun collaboration stamp set called Better Together! This stamp set was designed by Ellie, the daughter of Reverse Confetti owner Jen del Muro. If that isn't cool enough, the proceeds from this stamp set will be donated to the Human Rights Campaign!

Now, this set is intended to be used for stamping flowers but I really felt like doing a little mixed media today. Lucky for me there are some fun patterns included in this stamp set and I was able to use two of the stamps to create this background. I started out by using glossy spray paint to coat my background in color. Once the paint dried (it dries quickly) I used the dotted stamp and some black ink to stamp repeatedly on my background.

Next, I grabbed my Delicate Petals Stencil and used it to stencil on some white acrylic paint. When it was mostly dry I added Puffy White Embossing Powder to the wet spots and heated it to add some fun texture to the edges of the stenciled areas. Then, I took the stamp that was intended to be a stem and used it to heat emboss stripes in Brass Embossing Powder onto my background. I wanted the edges to be a little bit darker so I inkblended them with some dark blue hybrid ink so that it would be permanent. After that, I splattered the background with more white acrylic paint. When my background was dry I adhered it to a top folding A2 cardbase.

I wanted a big, bold sentiment to finish off my card so I decided to use the new Happy Thanks Stamp & Cut XL. I cut the "thanks" three times out of black cardstock and glued the layers together. I heat embossed my stamped sentiment in white and cut it out. I added foam adhesive to the backs of the die cut and stamped sentiments and adhered them to my card. The final touch was to add some enamel dots in yellow and white. 

That is it for today you guys! Thank you so much for stopping by to check out my make with this fun Better Together  stamp set. Before you head over to Mindy's blog make sure you check out the awesome giveaway below. There is also a full list of today's blog hoppers as well as a list of products I've used today if you'd like to check out any of those.

Have an awesome day!

Maria

GIVEAWAY:

We are giving away $50 gift cards to TWO lucky winners, drawn from comments left across the blog hop. One gift code will be to the Hero Arts store, and the other to Reverse Confetti. Comment on the hop by Thursday, February 25th at 11:59pm pst. The more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances to win!

BLOG HOP LIST: 

Hero Arts
Reverse Confetti
Kathy Schweinfurth
Lisa Henke
Jeanne Jachna
Amy Tsuruta
Candice Fisher
Tricia Barber
Amy Kolling
Audrey Tokach
Channin Pelletier
Daniel West
Ilina Crouse
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson
Lydia Fiedler
Maria Willis
Mindy Eggen
Seeka
Julee Tilman
Nichol Spohr
 

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST:

Hero Arts Spring Catalog 2021 Release and Giveaway!

Hi everybody! The day so many of us have been waiting for is finally here! Today Hero Arts is releasing their new Spring Catalog and there is so much good stuff in it I cannot even tell you! You can click here to check out all of the new products if you're itching to see them right away. I've got five cards to share with you today so let's get to it!

My first card features the new Hero Florals Poppy Combo. These poppies are so gorgeous and I love them even more because they are the state flower here in California. I colored my poppies with copic markers, die cut them and set them aside.

Next, I ink blended a background panel in Splash and Blue Hawaii reactive inks. Then I heat embossed my background using the Script Bold Prints background stamp and White Sating Pearl Embossing Powder. I also splattered my background with white metallic ink. I heat embossed my sentiment from Handwritten Messages in white detail embossing powder on black cardstock and cut it into a rectangle.

I arranged all of my pieces and adhered them to my background using foam adhesive. I used the sentiment piece to hide the bottoms of the flower stems. To finish the card off I used white enamel dots.

My next card features both the Hoppy Day and Lily Pond HeroScape stamp sets. The Hoppy Day set is such fun and laid back set and it's also a lot of fun to color. The Lily Pond HeroScape set is perfect for building gorgeous scenes and worked perfectly with these zen frogs. I started out by coloring the frogs and the lotus flowers with my copic markers. Then I glued them together to create this zen-yoga tower of frogs. I saved a few flowers for the bottom of the card.

I used the Lily Pond HeroScape and reactive inks to ink up the background scene on the bottom of my card. Above that I ink-blended Splash and Thistle inks to create a soft background which I spritzed with shimmer spray. I also used the shimmer spray to cover my clouds which added a lovely, subtle sheen.

I used foam tape to add my background to a slim-line card base. Then I added my clouds, frogs, flowers and sentiment to my card to finish it off.

This card shares the Butterfly Garden Background Cling. This stamp set is so gorgeous and if what you're looking for is stamp one image only and end up with hours of mindless, fantastic coloring... then this is the stamp for you! I stamped it in INTENS-ified black ink so that I could use a variety of coloring mediums without having to worry if my ink would smear.

I spent a long, happy time coloring this and it was such a great escape to focus in on all of the tiny details as I added layers of color. I watercolored, copic colored, pencil colored, sharpied and gel penned all over this card until I was happy with it.

I finished it off with the new Big Hugs Stamp & Cut die. I cut it out of white cardstock three times, and, one more time out of sparkly white cardstock. I glued the layers together with the sparkly layer on top and then added it to my card. It was a great way to add a sentiment because after all the time I spent coloring I didn't want to cover up the background too much. Some sequins were the final touch for this card.

I used a new die for my next card. It's called the Sun and Waves Window Fancy Die and I cut it out of black cardstock. I used glimmer metallic inks in gold, white, blue and purple to paint the sun and waves. I was really impressed with how bold and metallic these look on the black cardstock. I heat embossed my sentiment in white onto my black cardstock and put this piece aside.

I ink blended a background using reactive inks in Lemon Drop, Creamsicle and Fruit Punch. Then I stamped some birds and a palm tree and spritzed it with shimmer spray. 

Finally, I added a strip of amethyst cardstock to the side of a white card base. I glued my inkblended background so that it would be visible through my die cut piece. Then, I added my black, die-cut pie card front to the card using foam tape for some extra dimension.

My last card for today shares a fun and colorful background with a bold die cut sentiment that pops right off of it. I started by stamping the Script Bold Prints stamp onto my background using Taffy, Creamsicle and Lemon Drop inks. After I was happy with the amount of color I had layed down I stamped again with VersaMark ink and heat embossed the background in clear embosssing powder. This sealed the ink in and allowed the color to show through. 

Next, I ink blended the background in Splash and Blue Hawaii inks. I went right over the top of the my heat embossed background which resisted the ink. I added this panel to an A2 sized card base.

To finish my card off I added the Love You Stamp & Cut XL to the front of my card. It was cut three times and glued together to add dimension to my card. I polished the whole thing off with some black enamel dots and called it a day!

Thank you guys so much for stopping by today! This catalog is so amazing and you can see even more of the new product if you continue on with our blog hop. You can either head right over to Mindy's blog or check out the full list of bloggers below. Remember to enter the giveaway for your chance to win! I've also got links below if you'd like to check out any of the products that I've used today.

Have an amazing day!

Maria

GIVEAWAY:

Comment on the hop by Wednesday, February 24th at 11:59pm pst for a chance to win one of three $50 gift certificates to the Hero Arts store. The more blogs you leave comments on, the more chances to win!

BLOG HOP LIST: 

Hero Arts
Channin Pelletier
Dana Joy
Daniel West
Debi Adams
Emily Midgett
Ilina Crouse
Jessica Frost-Ballas
Libby Hickson
Lydia Fiedler
Maria Willis
Mindy Eggen
Pocono Pam
Seeka
Amy Kolling
Jennifer McGuire
Julee Tilman
Laurie Willison
Mariana Grigsby
Nichol Spohr

PRODUCT SUPPLY LIST:

Lucky Star Light-up Card!

Hi everybody! I'm so glad to have you here because today I am sharing a light-up card! I used to dread making interactive cards because they can be so fiddly... but, never fear! Pearblossom Press is here to make light-up cards easy for us. I used one set of the Pear Blossom Press EZ-lights to make this card. Each set has a small battery, three small lights on wires, and, a button to turn the lights on. 

Looking at this card you wouldn't immediately know that it's a light up a card. I think that's part of the magic because it's such a great surprise to press that button at the bottom and see the card light up. I started out by ink blending my background using Hero Arts reactive inks in Splash, Blue Hawaii, Grape Slush, Green Apple and Blue Raspberry. I splattered the grass with black ink and the sky with both white iridescent shimmer spray and silver metallic ink. Finally I heat embossed the stars and constellations from the Lucky Star stamp set onto the background using White Detail Embossing Powder.

Now that my background is ready I can start prepping it to add my EZ-Lights. I selected three places to position my lights and used my craft pick to poke holes through my cardstock. I placed two holes in stars and another in the middle of the night sky.

Next, I placed clear enamel dots over each of the holes. This will hide the light bulbs, prevent them from poking through the front of the card and softly diffuse the light.

I turned my card face over so that I could attach the EZ-light unit. The first thing I like to do is to insert the battery into the unit. Then I press the purple button to make sure my lights all light up. If they don't you may need to flip your battery over. The light bulbs are located at the ends of the wires. I carefully placed them on the holes that I punched through my cardstock and taped them into place. Next, I decided where to position the battery/button unit and adhered that with some double sided tape. 

HOT TIP: position it so that you can remove your battery from the side of your card. That way you can remove the battery and preserve it until you give the card away. Next, I gently coiled the excess wiring and taped it to my cardstock so that it was secure.

The EZ-lights aren't very big but they are thicker than one layer of foam tape. So, I added a double layer of foam tape making sure I avoided my lights and the wire connections. Here's what that looked like...

When I flipped my card around the lights were totally hidden and this is what it looked like...

When I pressed the button my card lit up and looked so cool. I took this picture on a sunny day so you can't tell how bright these lights really are but they are bright!

I used copic markers to color this sweet image of star-gazing kids. I cut them out with the coordinating dies and added them to my card using foam tape for a little extra dimension.

I hand-wrote "push" in the bottom, left corner where I positioned the button so that the recipient would know where to push to activate the lights. If you have a stamp set that has "press," or, "push" it would be really great to use that with these light-up style cards.

Ok, that's it for today! I hope you'll check out these EZ-lights from Pearblossom Press for yourself as they are so easy to use and can really take your cards to the next level!

Have a great weekend everybody!

Maria

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