Secret Agent

The new Kindred Stamps "Secret Agent" stamp set was so fun to work with! I made two cards to show off this set, I hope you enjoy!

I colored up the Secret Agent using Copics. I decided to color him different ways to show off how he fits well in different skin tones and colors, he stands out because he's handsome, but he blends in because he fits into any crowd. (Okay, I overthink things...) 

My first agent is colored as a blonde, who fair skinned, I really hope he wears sun block so he doesn't burn! For this card, I wanted to used the martini glass stamp that comes with the set, you could fairly easily mask the gun out of the agent's hand and put the martini glass there instead... but masking isn't my favorite thing, heat embossing is. So, I used Ink on 3's Juicy Clear Embossing Ink, and a green embossing powder from Lindy's Gang to heat emboss a patterned paper and created a side panel for the card. I finished the panel off by adding a small amount of Nuvo Claze to each glass, making them appear to be filled with liquid. 

I used a black cardstock for the base and added my panel, then layered my "Stay Classy" sentiment (LOVE that font!) which was stamped on some silver, mirrored paper that my grandma found at a garage sale. The silver paper is highly glossy, so I used my MISTI and stamped it out using Stazon Pigment ink in blue, to match his suit. I cut the sentiment down to a long strip using my My Sweet Petunia Cut Align and a Pen Blade to make sure it was nice and even. 

After placing my agent in the middle, I felt like I needed a few embellishments, so, I reached for my Silver Love From Lizi Peel Offs, and added 3 to the side that didn't have the panel to balance it out. Last, I added a couple gunmetal/silver embellishments that I got from CTMH years ago. To get a clear picture of the sentiment, the picture lost a lot of the luster and shine that the martini glasses have, but this was a really fun card to make.

Playing with EZ Lights

I am SO excited to share with you my project using Pear Blossom Press's new EZ Lights; I absolutely LOVE these little guys and think you will too! Pear Blossom Press invited me to participate in a blog hop to help introduce EZ Lights, and I was completely honored and thrilled!

The EZ Lights, are a set of 3 pre-strung LED lights attached to the base of the Power Packs by Pear Blossom Press. They make doing a light up card so simple, and they last for such a long time.

I started my card by blending some Catherine Pooler inks, focusing on a dusk/sunset palette, after I had it blended I used a hole punch to create a space for the lights to shine through. I wanted lots of layers on this card, I used die cut trees directly on top of my dusk sky and added grass die cuts to the bottom. 

I mapped out my EZ Lights after punching the hole, a simple pencil mark on the card base so I know where the lights go, then deciding where the best space for my button is. It's almost error proof, honestly. 

For my images, I used the Kindred Stamps "Kindred Camping" stamp set and colored up the tent, campfire, and two of the campers using Copics.  I wanted a scene that would be beautiful on it's own, and stunning lit up.

The awesome thing about the EZ Lights is how powerful they are, they shine bright even though I don't have any transparent vellum or acetate to help them.  My campfire is on XPress It Paper which is a nice heavy cardstock, then my campfire is colored with Copics, adding another layer. As you can see below, the lights still shine through perfectly, lighting up the campfire! In fact, the light shines through in the background as well, giving my dusk sky, a bit of a more realistic feel and look.

I stamped my sentiment onto a scrap of kraft cardstock using Ink On 3's Juicy Clear Embossing Ink. I heat embossed in a nice dark brown embossing powder. I arranged my girls and the tent onto my card and added the sentiment to the top right. My EZ Light button is on the top left, so I used a Lawn Fawn stamp that says "Push Here" stamped in a dusky blue to mark it.

Now... Who wants to win an awesome prize from Pear Blossom Press?? Two prizes will be awarded to two separate winners, chosen at random, from comments left on participating blogs and videos. 

No purchase necessary. Comments must be posted by 11:59 pm PST on March 25, 2020. Only one comment per blog or video will be counted, but you can comment on multiple blogs and videos in the hop for additional entries. (This is to prevent spam.) Contest open internationally to participants over 18 years of age. Void where prohibited by law. Any personal information collected will only be used for the purposes of contacting winners, your information will never be shared or sold. Comments left on YouTube videos must not violate community guidelines. This contest is not sponsored by YouTube. Winners will be announced on April 1, 2020 at pearblossompress.com and prizes must be claimed within thirty days of announcement, or new winners will be drawn.

Make sure to visit the rest of the hop for more chances to win, and to see some pretty amazing projects!

Amanda

Lynnea

Niccole

Justin

Carol

Tanna

Nicole

Alison

Sue

Rachel (You are here!)

Your next stop is Erin

Thank you for visiting me today, I can't wait to see what you dream up with EZ Lights!

Until next time,

~R. Winn

Family Additions

This set is SO special guys! Today, I am sharing the new Kindred Stamps "Family Additions" stamp set! We wanted a set that really encompassed the ways our family can grow. 

The first card I made, is one showing off how the adorable baby can be used in different ways. For this stamp set, I decided that paper piecing would be a great technique. I used a ton of different paper pads from Echo Park, Lawn Fawn, Sunny Studios, and I'm probably missing a few other. 

The twins, I decided to do in pink and green plaid. I stamped and colored the faces/hands first. Next, after cutting the onesies out, I shaded them with my Copics too, then cut them out and glued them onto the colored bodies. I placed these on vanilla cardstock that was die cut using Tonic dies.

For the card itself, I used more vanilla card stock, and layered a second sheet of vanilla cardstock onto it. Then I took a sheet of mint green card stock and used the Kindred Stamps "Skinny Plaid" stencil with Gold Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Kiss to create a simple, but beautiful background. 

I stamped the sentiment (which is buildable and makes me happy) on a large piece of vanilla cardstock in black ink and cut it down so it was the same width of the background, and centered slightly left on the card. I tied a brown sugar twine bow on the blank right side of the sentiment strip. The sentiment is popped up on some dimensional foam adhesive.

I colored up the pregnant momma a few different times. A fan commented in the Kindred Stamps Fan Club about how important she feels it is for different skin tones to be shown in cards. It really made me think, and gave me a push to attempt to diversify my coloring, darker skin tones are intimidating because they are more difficult to master. That being said, I am pretty pleased with how this momma turned out! I paper pieced her dress to have a rainbow on her belly.

I have several friends who have dealt with miscarriage, and it is so heartbreaking. So, rainbow babies are something so wonderful and magical, they represent love, purity, and hope. I used a sheet of Sunny Studios Bright Rainbow paper pad to create a background for this card. I used a scrap sheet of patterned paper that I die cut using The Stamp Doctor Oval dies, I popped the momma on that oval. 

For the sentiment, I decided a layer of clouds would be cute to stamp on. I used Rina K Electro Pop Raging Red ink and the rainbow sentiment. To finish the clouds off, I used some leftover Rina K Electro Pop Blaring Blue that was on one of my brushes to dust the edges of the cloud. After assembling the card, I added a few Doodlebug Sprinkles to the top right of the card. 

Next, there is an adorable adoption card, or step-child, or fostering, really anything that's a bit non-traditional I suppose! My family is big, and blended, and beautiful, so this sentiment REALLY hits my heart. 

I started by using the Kindred Stamps Star Stencil and some Metallix White Pearl Gel, I angled the stencil and just did the bottom left of the card with it. For this baby, I did a light blue, star onesie, again paper pieced and then shaded with Copics. 

I stamped the sentiments on gray cardstock, then die cut them using banners from The Stamp Doctor. The card was finished off with a few white star enamel embellishments. 

My last card, I used a stencil from A Colorful Life Designs, that had the negative of the stencil included, I created a sort of spotlight using the stencil negative and Rina K Electro Pop Blaring Blue ink. I put the momma in the spotlight, she was colored up and then paper pieced in a pretty blue dress. 

The sentiment was stamped in that same blue ink on a tag. I finished it off with a brad, normally I don't use brads... cause they're stabby, but it just was perfect for this card. 

The "Family Additions" set is just one of the awesome new stamps we are releasing this week, I hope you've enjoyed my take on it! The entire Kindred Stamps February release will be available Friday, February 28th at 8am PST/11am EST. Be sure to subscribe to the Kindred Stamps blog to see a daily line up of sneak peeks from our amazing Design Team and see the full product release on Friday! Come join the Fan Club and release event to be part of the release fun, and you may just win some Kindred Stamps credit!!

I will see you all next time!

~R. Winn