4 ways to do the spotlight technique

 4 ways to do the spotlight technique:

Have you heard of this technique?

I love using different techniques on my handmade cards. Have you heard of the spotlight technique? It's exactly what it sounds like. You are simply spotlight an area of your card. I'm going to show you 4 ways to do that. 

Let's get right to it and dive into this technique. I know you're gonna love it. 

This first way to do this technique is for any level of cardmaker. You pick any stamp you have and stamp it all over a piece of cardstock. On my card sample, I used The Birthday Piggy stamp set. I stamped several pigs in Basic Gray classic ink. (*I stamped the piggy with the cake to the far right first, then masked the cake on the rest) I colored the piggy with the cake in with Stampin' Blends markers. This creates a spotlight on the one pig that's colored in. It's simple but effective. This card is a mini slimline and measures 6 1/2" x 3 1/2". 

The second way to do this technique is also very simple and great for any level of cardmaker. You can select any designer series paper (patterned paper) you have on hand that is black and white or has white space that you can add color. For this card I used the Abigail Rose paper that has an Early Espresso (neutral) background and white flowers. Then I picked a single flower and colored it with Watercolor pencils. I cut my patterned paper 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" and cut a colored cardstock mat just barely bigger at 3 3/8" x 4 5/8".  Everything is kept really simple so just that one area is spotlighted and draws the eye. 

The third way to do this technique is a little more involved. I still believe all levels of cardmakers can do this, however, this example does require you to have the cut & emboss machine and dies. You could use a punch if you have one that will reach into your card layer. For this card, I stamped one of my favorite floral images all over a piece of Basic White cardstock with Basic Gray classic ink. Then I chose an area to highlight and color. I picked a stitched circle die from the Stylish Shapes dies and ran it through my cut & emboss machine. I cut an extra circle of the same size to adhere to my die cut so it would pop up just a bit from the rest of the layer. I colored the die cut circle with Stampin' Blends markers. Then I adhered the layer to my card base and adhered the circle back where it fit. This is a great way to add a little more to your card but still keep it simple and spotlight one area.

The last way you can do this technique is similar to the third way except you add an additional die cut layer under your circle die cut. For this card, I used the Perfectly Penciled designer series paper and die cut it with the same stitched circle I used in my third sample. Then I used a scalloped circle from Layering Circles dies to mat behind my die cut. I used Basic Black for my card base and scalloped circle. By using a neutral color it helps keep the focus on the area you spotlighted. I colored the flowers on the patterned paper with Watercolor Pencils. 

To step up your cards even more, you could add in your favorite ribbons or twines and embellishments. I like to forgo these elements to keep the focus on the area I've spotlighted. There's not really a wrong way and I encourage you to give it a try with the supplies you have on hand. Experiment with different papers, patterns and die cut shapes.

Here's another version of the spotlight technique with a die cut shaped after I stamped a piece of cardstock. I made this card on my Facebook live video- Coffee and a Card. I give the participants choices and we make a card together. I love working through the creative process. You can check my Facebook page for upcoming scheduled lives. I used the Cottage Rose stamp set and Layering Diorama dies. To see how I made this card and here about the other techniques, watch the video below. 

Thank you so much for visiting my blog today and checking out the spotlight technique. I hope you give it a try and put your own spin on it.

Need Stampin' Up! supplies? Please visit my online store. 

P.S. This is the third week of September weekly deals so be sure to check out what's on sale.

Please comment and let me know if you tried this technique. See you soon!

~ Beth

How-to: One Sheet Wonder- notecard version

 Have you tried a one sheet wonder?

What is that anyway?

Here in the card making world it's simply cutting up your designer series paper (patterned paper) and making a set of cards with the full sheet. I love doing this to use up my patterned paper stash. 

I can then use the cards for myself or even better, make sets to gift. And since it's friendship day coming up this weekend, I'm making loads of gifts for all my friends who support me.  They support me in all aspects of life and in my business. Some are card makers and some just love to send cards and support me in other ways like watching my videos and buying handmade cards from me. 

So today, I want to introduce you to a one sheet wonder with notecards. I love notecards and if you've been hanging with me for very long, you know this. Notecards are great for quick cards and are mailable here in the US. They come in packs of 20, are pre-scored and have envelopes. Perfect, right?! 

I made 20 notecards with my template for a 12" x 12" piece of designer series paper. Wow that's a load of cards. I'm dividing them up into gift sets and making cute gift bags too. Isn't this a great friendship gift? Check out my video below to see how I made these and the gift bag from start to finish. 

Feel free to copy my template:

You can use a 12" x 12" sheet of patterned paper or 4- 6" x 6" sheets. I show how to do all the cutting in the video.

Feel free to change the diagonal cut and cut that in half either way. You'll end up with these pieces:

• 4- 3" x 3" pieces (I cut one up into 1" x 3" strips)
• 4- 2" x 3" pieces
• 4- 1" x 5" pieces
• 4- 1" x 1" pieces (You could cut this a little different- I go over this in the video. These are used on one card.)
• 2- 4" x 3" pieces
• 1- 4 1/2" x 3" piece
• 2- diagonal pieces (Cut piece 4 1/2" x 3" then place dots at 1/2" from bottom right and top left. Line up dots in trimmer and cut diagonal)
• 2- 1 1/2" x 3" pieces

Here's some more close-ups of the finished cards. I used different colored cardstock for mats but you could use all one color. Have fun with it and mix and match.

I used Basic Black, Basic White, Basic Gray, Pool Party and Rich Razzleberry cardstock. The black and white pattern design allows for many color choices. You can also add color to the patterned paper with watercolor pencils, markers (blends or stampin' write), ink pads and water painters, whatever you like. The cardstock layer is 1/4" bigger than the patterned paper. You can adjust this if you want a smaller border.  

I designed these cards for beginners or any level of card maker. You'll need patterned paper, notecards, one ink color, cardstock if you want to mat your patterned paper, a trimmer, some favorite greetings and basic stamping supplies (clear blocks and cleaning tools) and cardstock strips. I cut loads of Basic White cardstock and end up with piles of strips that are 1/2" and 1" so I used those on the cards I need to add a space for a greeting. The gift bags are available in my online store too. All you need to do is decorate it. 

I hope you've enjoyed these cards and give this one sheet wonder a try. Here's another set that I made that is a little stepped up. I used die cuts instead of cardstock strips. For the gift bag I used a blending brush and added some Merry Merlot to the bottom of my bag. 

Need some Stampin' Up! supplies? Head on over to my online store. 

If you need any help deciding what to get for this project or what you need to get started, please email me at stampandcreatewithbeth@gmail.com.

*It's Saleabration time here at Stampin' Up! so you'll earn free, exclusive products from our Saleabration brochure with a minimum $50 order before tax and shipping (US). 

Watch this how-to tutorial video for this project from start to finish. 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and checking out my cards. Please let me know if you try this. I'd love to see how you use it.

Take care and happy stamping

~ Beth 

Week 10 of the 12 weeks of Christmas: another fun color scheme!

 

 I decided for this week to use the color scheme listed for the November 2021 Paper Pumpkin.  Aren't these colors gorgeous together?! I've used Pool Party, Flirty Flamingo and Poppy Parade together before but I don't recall ever adding in a green. Wow! I love these. I've been having a ton of fun with these colors all week. I'm making the most out of my time leading up to gift giving. One thing you can do is give card sets as gifts. Many people often need cards at the ready for any occasion. 

Today I'm going to share a few cards with you that I've made featuring these colors. I hope you give this color scheme a try. It's not just for the holidays!

I started pulling all kinds of stamps off my shelf to try with this color scheme. I think it will work for many occasions as well as the upcoming holidays. I decided to focus on gift sets that I could use this color scheme on. It's been a ton of fun playing.

This card uses Artistically Inked. It's simple stamped with just inks, stamps and paper. I stamped on a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Basic White cardstock. Then I adhered that to my Poppy Parade card base (5 1/2" x 8 1/2" folded in half). Don't forget a piece of Basic White cardstock for the inside too. You can stamp it as well as stamp your envelope. I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to receive a beautiful envelope and handmade card in their mailbox. 

This card uses Hand-Penned Petals and the fun texture stamp from Tasteful Touches. I used the same sizes as the other card. You could make several different cards with different colored card bases or mats and wrap them up as a gift set. 5 to 6 cards simple stamped with a few layers and envelopes fit nicely into an acetate box. You can even decorate the acetate box.

Want to shop for these products? Visit my online store here.

I hope you'll play along with this week's color scheme and have some fun. You can find a place to share your creations on my Facebook page here.

Happy stampin' and have a great week! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

~ Beth

Hand-Penned Petals stamp set

 Hello Crafters! I hope you're all well. I've been busy playing with one of my favorite tools by Stampin' Up!®- the Stamparatus. Do you own this tool? If so, how often do you use it? I love to use it to stamp greetings and do fun techniques. 

For this card I used it to create a pattern that I could stamp on each corner of my Basic White cardstock piece. This technique is great for creating a batch of cards. I love to give card sets. This is a quick way to make coordinating cards. You can stamp as many as you want and then color them any way you like or choose a few colors and make coordinating sets. Fun, right?! 

I placed my Basic White cardstock piece (5" x 3 3/4") in the corner of my Stamparatus. Then I lined my stamps up where I wanted them on the opposite corner. I stamped one in the landscape position and then turned my piece 90 degrees and stamped the other flower in the portrait position. Once they were in place, I just kept rotating my cardstock piece 90 degrees until I had stamped all the corners. I stamped in Basic Gray classic ink.  To finish off my stamped layer, I used Stampin' Blends Markers to color my images. My flowers are light/dark Pale Papaya and light/dark Calypso Coral and the leaves are light Old Olive and dark Granny Apple Green.  Hello (Biggest Wish stamp set) is stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento ink right in the middle of my flowers. When using the Stamparatus you can reink your greetings and stamp as many times as you want. I stamped hello twice to make it really stand out. I added my stamped layer to a piece of Pale Papaya cardstock (5 1/4" x 4") and that is adhered to a Basic White card base (5 1/2" x 8 1/2", scored at 4 1/4").  This card can be for any occasion. You can stamp some flowers on the inside and write a personal message. 

I've had a ton of fun making sets of cards with the Hand-Penned Petals stamp set and the Stamparatus. You can make a variety of cards in all different colors. The stamp set is a two-step stamp set if you want to stamp the flowers instead of coloring. It has a watercolor feel to in and there are some white space left on the flowers and leaves. 

I hope you get your Stamparatus out and give this a try. Thanks for stopping by my blog! 

Would you like to purchase the Stamparatus, stamps or blends? Please visit my online store here. If you need any help ordering, email me at stampandcreatewithbeth@gmail.com or message me on Facebook by searching @StampingwithBethRoy

Happy Stampin' ~ Beth

Snailed It! New bundle from Stampin' Up!®

 The new Snailed It bundle by Stampin' Up! ® is oh so cute. You'll find this new bundle along with the Snail Mail suite are must haves. These products have been on my desk and in use for weeks. I just can't quit playing with them! 

I have been making tons of notecards with the White notecards and envelopes. I'll be sending this cutie out to brighten someone's day. Die cutting your designer series paper (dsp) is a great way to add fun elements to your card and use up that paper stash. 

I cut some Flirty Flamingo dsp (polka dot, Brights dsp pack) with a stitched rectangle (Stitched Rectangles, #6 wide stitched rectangle counting from the largest) and Smoky Slate dsp (wood grain, Neutrals dsp pack) with the stitched circle (Stitched Shapes, #2 from the largest). I also die cut a few hears from Flirty Flamingo dsp (wood grain, Brights pack) using the hear in the Snail dies.

My snail and mushrooms are stamped in Basic Gray classic ink. I colored the images with Stampin' Blends markers (light/dark Flirty Flamingo, light/dark Smoky Slate, dark Real Red and color lifter). To add some bling, I colored my snail and some of the leaves with the Wink of Stella glitter brush. I die cut them with the coordinating dies.

I adhered my elements to a Basic Gray cardstock piece (4 3/4" x 3 1/4"), I stamped a greeting from Lovely You stamp set in Flirty Flamingo classic ink on a scrap strip of white cardstock.  I added this to the bottom of my Basic Gray layer and then adhered it to the front of my notecard. Don't forget to stamp the inside of your card or handwrite a personal message. You can decorate your envelope with a stamped image or add some extra dsp to the flap. Everyone loves getting a card in the mail with a little note. 

For this notecard, I used all the same colors and elements. The only thing that's different is I used the other snail stamp. This one had presents on top of the shell but I trimmed those off with my snips. I switched up the layout a bit making it a mirror image of the first one. I trimmed my greeting a bit shorter and tucked it in at the top. 

I added Wink of Stella glitter to the shell and leaves again as well as putting a few of the new Opal Rounds on. The opal embellishments are fantastic and go with any project. So gorgeous! 

I used a mini dimensional on my one heart toward the top of my card. 

I really love how these notecards turned out. They're so fun. I'll be posting more examples of this bundle with a variety of color combos and the color family dsp packs. 

All of the new products can be found in the January-June mini catalog. This suite has many fun elements for all ages. The Snailed It bundle includes the stamp set and coordinating dies. When you buy the bundle you save 10%! The Snail Mail suite includes the bundle as well as Snail Mail dsp, Snail Mail twine combo pack and resin hearts. You can now buy the suite with one product number. So convenient! If you need any help ordering, please message me. I hope this new suite makes your list. I know it's been a definite favorite of mine. It also coordinates with the January Paper Pumpkin kit and add-on. 

Check out the Snail Mail Suite collection, the Snailed It bundle and the January Paper Pumpkin Little Love Boxes. You must be a paper pumpkin subscriber to buy past kits, refills or the add-ons. Want to receive the monthly paper pumpkin? You can subscribe here.

Thank you for stopping by and checking out my snail notecards. 

~ happy stampin', Beth

Fun all occasion cards with Brights designer series paper

 

Do you hoard your beautiful designer series paper? I must admit, I’m totally guilty of this. I’m trying hard to use it instead of leaving it uncut on my shelf.  One of my favorite designer series papers currently available is the color family packs. You get 48 sheets in a variety of colors based on the Stampin’ Up!® color families.

For my cards today, I used the Brights designer series paper pack. I picked four colors- Poppy Parade, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Green and Pacific Point. I love the pop of bright color against Basic Gray. I love using a couple of card layouts and making a set of cards. For this set, I used Basic Gray cardstock for my bases as well as my layer behind my Whisper White stitched square.  It was time to give some love to my stamps sitting on my shelf. I pulled out Waterfront. It has a great watercolor look that goes with any occasion. Just pair it with any of your favorite greetings.

Which color combo is your favorite? Get out that designer series paper and try one of these layouts. Don’t have a Cut & Emboss machine? No worries. You can simply cut squares the size you need with your paper trimmer. If it’s on your list, I have a great way for you to get it and a future discount of at least 20% on all your orders. Ask me about the starter kit!

You can share your creation with this layout on my Facebook post. I'd love to see what products you use and how you change it up. 

Measurements: 

• Basic Gray card base: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" folded in half
• Basic Gray layer (used with ribbon only): 5 1/4" x 4"
• Designer Series Paper layer: 3" x 4" or 3" x 5 1/4"
• Scalloped Square: #2 from largest
• Square: largest die or cut with trimmer 2 7/8" x 2 7/8"
• Stitched Square: largest die
• Banner: approximately 1/2" x 3" and hand cut bannered edge.
• Stitched Rectangle: smallest narrow die
• Ribbon is approximately 4 1/2" band. tape to back of layer. Cut a piece long enough to slide under band and tie a knot. 

I used Waterfront, Lovely You, Free as a Bird, and Art Gallery stamp sets. Art Gallery will be available January 5, 2021. Embellishments used are Whisper White faux linen ribbon (Flowers for every season ribbon combo pack), 5/8" Polka Dot Tulle ribbon, Frosted & Clear epoxy droplets, and Elegant faceted gems. Use what you have on hand to bling up your cards. Inks used are Pacific Point, Melon Mambo, Poppy Parade, Granny Apple Green and Basic Gray.

Need a quick gift? Pair these with Stampin' Up!'s Acetate card boxes and gift a set of cards and envelopes. 

I hope you enjoyed these ideas for your designer series paper stash. ~Happy stampin', Beth