This morning I couldn’t sleep!  So what’s the cure – stamping, of course.  It certainly helped that my insomnia came on the same morning of the Mojo Monday challenge.  I hoped up to my office, and wouldn’t you know it, it was so early (3:45 am…yikes!), that the challenge wasn’t even posted yet!  I read some email, got caught up from all the friends and family Easter fun yesterday on facebook and twitter, and finally the challenge was up.  Here’s what the sketch looked like:  

I thought about it for a second, and finally settled in with Blooming with Kindness .  I grabbed some extra pieces of cardstock that I had prepped for a previous project (nothing like using already cut cardstock!) and grabbed my color coach to pick my remaining colors.  I’ve been in this white/vanilla kick lately and have decided that it’s my new favorite thing – so naturally it’s on this card too!  I hope you love the end result just as much as I do.  I’m excited, because my good friend Sherry’s birthday is coming up and I just know she’ll love to get this card in the mail. 

Creative Tips:

• I wanted the stamp to be the star along with the color combination, so I chose a neutral backdrop for the Flower to be stamped and popped up. 
• I stamped my flower in Cherry Cobbler first, but it wasn’t dramatic enough so I added a little highlighting with my Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write Marker on top of my rubber image to really add some depth in the same shade.
• Before I stamped my flower, I used my Blender Pen to remove the red that had gotten onto the stem.  I then added the Early Espresso color with a Stampin’ Write Marker.  I LOVE this process – you can alter any stamp with a Blender Pen!
• I ran the Early Espresso cardstock (2.5” x 4”) through my Big Shot using the Woodgrain TIEF folder and enhancing the depth of the color by using the Bisque Pottery Technique.  Be sure to stop by later this week for a video on how to do this technique!
• I added a little strip of First Edition DSP and a partial Doily for a little feminine flair in addition to the Pearl Basic Jewels. 
• I made my banner flag for my greeting with a 1” Square punch and popped that in addition to the flower up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. 
• The card needed a little something so I added something I haven’t used in forever – my Color Spritzer Tool!  I just love this tool and can’t believe how long it’s been since I picked it up. 
• To perfectly get just the right splat, make sure you like up your Stampin’ Write Marker completely up with the plastic end.  Be sure to hold the marker straight and play with the height of the marker end to the project.  Give it a firm squeeze.
•  Best tip – And always, always, always do a few on your grid paper first – it doesn’t matter how good you are at it.  I’ve been using one for 11 years and still do this.  It’s about whether or not the marker is aligned properly.
• Be careful with the splat too, sometimes a lot of ink gets deposited and you will need to place it to the side to dry or run a Heat Tool over it so that it doesn’t smear. I just love this end result.  I hope you do too.  Have fun making yours and see you back here soon for some more Mojo!

 

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Stamp Sets – Blooming with Kindness (126422) Paper – Whisper White (100730), Early Espresso (119686), Pool Party (122924), Cherry Cobbler (119685), First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP) (121878), Paper Doilies (129399) Ink – Cherry Cobbler (126966), Early Espresso (126974), Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker (119680), Cherry Cobbler Stampin’ Write Marker (119681) Cool Tools – 1” Square Punch (124094), Stampin’ Trimmer (126889), Paper Snips (103579), Stamp-a-Majig (101049), Woodgrain TIEF (127821), Brayer (102395), Blender Pen (102845) Color Spritzer Tool (107066) The Perfect Finish – Pearl Basic Jewels (119247), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)