This week the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge is a sketch.

I had a tough time with this one and am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the design team created.

I used the You're a Peach DSP (Designer Series Paper) and the 2021-23 In Color 6" x 6" papers for the sketch.  I fussy cut the happy birthday from the Biggest Wish stamp set.  I have been using this stamp set a lot.  I really like the font and wish there were dies for this set.  Fortunately armed with my Paper Snips it isn't  difficult to cut out the words.  

I added some tiny flowers cut using the Peach dies in Calypso Coral and Balmy Blue.  I added the Artistry Blooms Adhesive Backed Sequins to the centers of the flowers.  I like the little bit of shimmer that the sequins add.  

Product List

Biggest Wish Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [155052]	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [147105]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229]	Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131201]
You're A Peach 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [155686]	Peach Dies [155829]	Pale Papaya 3/8" (1 Cm) Open Weave Ribbon [155672]	Artistry Blooms Sequins [152477]

Thanks for stopping by!

Today, June 10th is the last day to register for the Hand-Penned Stamp Camp!  Be sure to sign up before it closes!

How do you register for the event? 

Simply head to my store  and purchase the Hand-Penned Suite (Item 155503 $66.25)--or an equivalent amount of product if you already have the Hand-Penned Suite.  You must use the Host Code 3M9KUB3Y when you purchase the Suite or equivalent.  You will need the Hand-Penned Suite to complete the projects.  If you have any questions please email me: sharon@astheinkdries.com.  Registration ends June 10th.

Thank you for joining us for the Around the World on Wednesday Blog Hop!  We are an international group who have joined together for this fun hop.  The are a total of 24 stops on the hop!  The theme for this month's hop is Step It Up.  There are so many ways to interpret this theme.  It is going to be fun seeing everyone's take on it.

I chose to prepare a card progression.  I started with a very simple idea and  "stepped" it up.  Have you heard of SIP?  It stands for Stamps, Ink, Paper.  My first card is exactly that. Just the basics.  It is one that anyone.

I started with Thick Basic White  Cardstock cut at 4-1/4" x 11", scored at 5-1/2".  I stamped the sentiment from the Biggest Wish stamp set in Early Espresso ink.  Have you noticed that I use this stamp set a lot?  I am currently obsessed with it.  Next I used the Plentiful Plants set and stamped the pot using Cajun Craze ink.  The greenery was stamped in Evening Evergreen.  It took me longer to cut and score the card than it did to stamp it.  

For the next step I again started with a 4-1/4" x 11" Basic White (Thick) CS card base.  I also die cut a tag using the Tailor Made Tags dies.  Instead of stamping directly on the tag, the plant and pot were stamped and then die cut using the Perfect Plants dies.   I assembled the plant and pot and attached them to the tag using Stampin Dimensionals (both sizes).  I fussy cut the sentiment and attached them to the tag using dimensionals.   The ribbon is the Early Espresso 1/4" Faux Suede Trim and also the Linen Thread.   i also attached a few Gold Metallic Pearls.  This card is still easy to make but it has a few more elements.

This card is basically the same card as the prior one except I added the Paper Lattice.   I was thinking that I could have made at least one or two more step ups.  I like each of the cards for different reasons.  It was a good challenge for me and I plan to do this more often.

Now it is time for you to check out how Teri West interpreted the theme. 

Here is the list of all the stops on the hop!

Jan Clothier - NZ

Leonie Stuart - AU

Rochelle Laird-Smith - AU

Cazz Boylan - AU

Cheryll Miller - AU

Danielle Kassing - NL

Satomi Wellard

Pia Gephardt - DE

Ximena Morales - DE

Aurélie Fabre - FR

Emma Goddard - UK

Mikaela Titheridge - UK

Annette Ball - CA

Angie McKenzie - US

Wendy Lee - US

Shel Anderson - CA

Chris Smith - US

Anne Marie Hile - US

Brenda Nelson - CA

Tricia Butts - US

Elaine de Montmorency - CA

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert - US- you are here!

Teri West - US

Cheryl Hamilton - US

Thank you for stopping by and  enjoy the rest of the hop!

Welcome to the Inspire, Create, Share Blog Hop.   This month we are hopping with the focus on the 2021-23 In Colors.   I think this group of In Colors are the best ones yet.  

I couldn't decide what color to use so I pulled the stamps I wanted to use, Kangaroo & Company.  I was happy to find in the stamp case the kangaroo all colored and even more surprisingly colored using Pale Papaya.  

The Kangaroo & Co bundle from the 2021 January-June Mini Catalog will be retiring.  I will miss this adorable bundle.   In addition to the Kangaroo & Co bundle I  used the cake and hat from the Party Puffins stamp set, the sentiment from the Artistically Inked set,  and the scallop edge was cut using the Scalloped Contours die (part of the Color & Contour bundle).  I cut the scallop from the front of the card positioning the die about 3/4" up from the edge.  

The cute little butterflies are also from the Kangaroo & Company stamp set.  I did have to use the Stamparatus to stamp a mirror image of the butterfly and fussy cut it out.  The ribbon is the Pale Papaya & White 1/2" Ribbon.   The DSP is from  the 2021-23  In Color  6" x 6" Assortments.

The Kangaroo & Company card did not take very long to create so I made another card using the In Color Polished Pink and the same layout.

This color just makes me smile!  It is a bright pop of color.  I am  sad that the Snailed It bundle is retiring.  I have used this bundle a lot.  These are snails I love seeing and playing with.  The hello is from the Biggest Wish stamp set.   I am a little obsessed with it.  I send a lot of cards and often it is just to check in with someone so the hello is the perfect sentiment.  

Don't you love those little envelopes?  I covered up the hearts on the envelope with the 2021-23 In Color Jewels (they are back in stock!). The ribbon is the Polished Pink 3/8" Open Weave that comes in all the 2021-23 In Colors.  

Now it is time for you to check out what the talented Joni Metras has created for you.

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the hop!

How do you register for the event? 

Simply head to my store  and purchase the Hand-Penned Suite (Item 155503 $66.25)--or an equivalent amount of product if you already have the Hand-Penned Suite.  You must use the Host Code 3M9KUB3Y when you purchase the Suite or equivalent.  You will need the Hand-Penned Suite to complete the projects.  If you have any questions please email me: sharon@astheinkdries.com.  Registration ends June 10th.

Here's a peek of the projects you will receive in the Hand-Penned Stamp Camp!

It isn't a secret that black & white with a pop of color is one of my go to color combinations.  When the True Love DSP debuted in the 2021 January-June Mini Catalog I was so happy.  This pack of paper has both pretty floral designs and lovely patterns all in black and white.  The black and white florals were so fun to color  which sometimes made it hard to choose which side of the paper to use.  

I colored the True Love DSP with Cherry Cobbler, Real Red, and Old Olive  Stampin' Blends.  I fussy cut the flowers out which fortunately was easy to do.  One thing I do after I fussy cut, is  run the side of the brush end of  a Stampin' Write  Black marker around along the cut edge.  This colors the edges and helps cover up some of my cutting mistakes and just gives it a more finished look.

The card base is 4-1/4" x 7" scored at 3-1/2".  The Stitched Rectangle is positioned so the top of the rectangle to the bottom of the card base measures a total of 5-1/2".  This means it will fit in the standard A-2 envelope.  

I just checked and the True Love DSP is still available.  Here is a list of all the items that are retiring from the 2021 January-June Mini Catalog.  There are some amazing deal so be sure to check the list.  If you find something you need, you can shop with me here.

Thanks for stopping by!

How do you register for the event? 

Simply head to my store  and purchase the Hand-Penned Suite (Item 155503 $66.25)--or an equivalent amount of product if you already have the Hand-Penned Suite.  You must use the Host Code 3M9KUB3Y when you purchase the Suite or equivalent.  You will need the Hand-Penned Suite to complete the projects.  If you have any questions please email me: sharon@astheinkdries.com.  Registration ends June 10th.

Are you a fan of the Hand-Penned Suite?  I am a big fan of the suite,  so much so that I am participating in an International Stamp Camp featuring the Hand-Penned Suite Collection which includes the Hand-Penned Petals bundle, the Hand-Penned Designer Series Paper (12" x  12") and the Genial Gems).   

Let me tell you about the Hand-Penned  Stamp Camp.  The camp features 9 projects (one project from 9 different demonstrators),

•  PDF for each project
• video tutorial for each project
•  make and take packet for each project (the materials provided are for items not in the Hand-Penned Suite Collection) These will be mailed to you June 14th. 
•  a bonus Facebook group featuring additional projects using the Suite. (the lives will take place June 25-26)  

Wow, that is a lot!  What does it cost?  All you need to do is purchase the Hand-Penned Suite Collection (155503) using the Host Code 3M9KUB3Y from my online store.  That is it!  So for the price of the Suite Collection you are getting a 9 project stamp camp+make and take packets+PDFs+video tutorials+Bonus private FB group content!  It is VERY important that you use the Host Code, i will be using that list to  see who has registered.  If you do not live in the US please contact me: sharon@astheinkdries.com and I can refer you to someone in your market.  

Here are a few projects some I have shared before featuring the Hand-Penned Suite. 

Here I used the beautiful dies to create a background and did a little coloring of the flower from the Hand-Penned Petals.

Stamped the image multiple times and colored the flowers using Stampin' Blends.

This one I haven't shared before and uses all of the items in the Hand-Penned Suite Collection.  Love how versatile the Hand-Penned Suite is.  

Hope you will join me for the Hand-Penned Stamp Camp.  The last day to register is June 10th.  Please contact me if you have any questions, sharon@astheinkdries.com.

Thanks for stopping by!

Every Thursday I participate in the Create with Connie & Mary Challenge.  The weekly challenge alternates between sketches and color combinations.   I like both types of challenges.  This week it is a color challenge.

Love this color combination.   Right from the start I had an idea of the products i wanted to use, which makes things so much easier.  I just received the Stitched Greenery die and was looking forward to using it.  The Stitched Greenery Die is a standalone die in other words there is not coordinating stamp set.  There are a few samples in the catalog showing the die (page 82 & 83).  I was intrigued by it so I had to order it.

Isn't it a great background?  It is subtle and yet adds so much texture and interest.  I used the You're a Peach DSP and framed it with one of the Stitched So Sweetly dies.  This pack of paper offers a lot of great peachy, floral, and  basic designs in a pretty and fresh color combination.  The striped paper is also from the You're a Peach DSP.  I added a few flowers and leaves cut using the Pierced Blooms dies.   These are my current favorite flower dies.  The flower centers were simple punched from Pale Papaya CS and covered using the Shimmery Crystal Effects.  The glossy lacquer contains flecks of glitter for a subtle sparkle.  

The only stamping on this card is the hello from the Biggest Wish stamp set.  I stamped the hello using Versamark ink on Calypso Coral CS and heat  embossed it using white embossing powder.  I fussy cut it out and popped it up using dimensionals.  Love how it turned out.   You can also see that I decorated the inside of the card using a strip of the DSP and another flower.

This color combination is so pretty and fresh and definitely one to use again.  Be sure to check out what the other members of the design team created using these colors.  

Thanks for stopping by!

How do you register for the event? 

Simply head to my store  and purchase the Hand-Penned Suite (Item 155503 $66.25)--or an equivalent amount of product if you already have the Hand-Penned Suite.  You must use the Host Code 3M9KUB3Y when you purchase the Suite or equivalent.  You will need the Hand-Penned Suite to complete the projects.  If you have any questions please email me: sharon@astheinkdries.com.  Registration ends June 10th.

Product List

Biggest Wish Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [155052]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131201]	Calypso Coral 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [122925]
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Pale Papaya 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [155668]	You're A Peach 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [155686]	Stitched So Sweetly Dies [151690]
Pierced Blooms Dies [154312]	Stitched Greenery Die [155451]	Basics Embossing Powders [155554]	Pale Papaya 3/8" (1 Cm) Open Weave Ribbon [155672]
Shimmery Crystal Effects [150892]