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Week of Watercolor Day 1: Pre-planning for Success…

by Betsy May 28, 2019

written by Betsy

Good morning! I hope you all had a restful holiday weekend and had a chance to spend some time with family.

Are you ready to kick off our Week of Watercolor featuring the Hand in Hand stamp set?

In today’s video, I’ll be sharing some tips of things to think about before you even pick up your brush. I’ll be talking about different lighting effects and how they can affect your color choices. I also show you how to create some value sketches to help you determine light and shadow areas of your images — something you can refer to while painting. I’ll wrap up the video with a book recommendation!

Tomorrow we get to actually start painting! 😉

May 28, 2019 21 comments

All Hand in Hand Watercolor Week Video Tutorials

Join me for a week of watercolor!

by Betsy May 24, 2019

written by Betsy

I have some fun news today! Beginning Tuesday, May 28, I’ll be sharing a whole week’s worth of videos using the Hand in Hand stamp set. This set is absolutely perfect for experimenting with the no-line watercolor technique, which is one of my favorite things to do. I have had many requests for some video tutorials and I’m excited that I finally had a chance to get those put together for you!

The series will kick off on Tuesday, and I’ll be sharing videos showing how to watercolor each of the images in the set. We’ll take it slow and focus on just a single image in each video. I posted a question on Instagram yesterday asking for your opinions. The videos get a little long, and I was curious if anyone would even be interested in a 20-25 minute real-time video for coloring just a single image. Apparently the answer is (mostly) yes. 🙂 After we’ve gone through each image, I’ll also do a few videos on background techniques. I’m not completely finished videoing these, so who knows…we might go more than a week. 😉

Before we start digging into painting the images next week, I thought it might be helpful if I put together a video showing some of my current favorite watercolor supplies. I know it’s confusing if you’re just starting out – there are a million different paints, papers, and brushes. I am in no way an expert on any of these, but I’ll show you what supplies I have been using and will be using in the videos.

In case you’d like to get some supplies ready to go, below is a list of exactly what I will be using throughout the video series. Hopefully this will give you a chance to gather some supplies that you have at home (or need to pick up if you’re out and about over the long weekend!) if you’d like to paint along with the videos. You do not by any means need to purchase these exact supplies, but I just wanted to list them here in case you want to know! I will link these items at the bottom of this post.

Paper: In the video I show a few different papers. I will be using Arches for this series.

Paint: I also show a few different paint sets. In the tutorials I’ll be using the Mission Gold set the most, along with a few additional tube colors – Payne’s Gray by Windsor & Newton, and Mayan Blue Genuine by Daniel Smith.

Brush: For the Hand in Hand images I really like the small round No. 2 brush I show towards the end of the video and will be using it exclusively to paint these images. I will likely use a few larger brushes when we get to the background tutorials.

And for those who might be wondering, the Hand in Hand stamp set and dies should be back in stock soon – hopefully in a week and a half or so!

Have a great weekend and we’ll see you back here on Tuesday!

(The links below contain affiliate links, meaning if you click on one and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.)

Note that the links below contain affiliate links, meaning if you click on something and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.

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May 24, 2019 9 comments

All Project Ideas Video Tutorials

Project Idea: Terrarium Gift Card Holders

by Betsy May 17, 2019

written by Betsy

It seems like I’m always on the lookout for different ways of presenting gift cards. Today I have a simple idea for you using our Large Terrarium die!

These were simple to put together, and turned out so cute. It helps to start with a gorgeous gift card – I found these when I was picking up a bunch of gift cards at Target the other day and I knew they were just perfect for what I had in mind. (everyone else must like them too – I had to hit up several check-outs to find enough! 🙂 )

I started out with a solid terrarium diecut, and I stamped some blooms from the Fleur Impressions set using ink colors to match the flowers on the gift card. I left an open space in the center of the flowers where I could write a message. The gift card will cover it, making for a really nice presentation.

To attach the gift card, I used a handy little punch I’ve had in my tool collection for years. It’s a slit punch, which I believe is from Stampin’ Up — I got mine years ago, so I have no idea if they still carry it, but it is handy for sure! It punches half-circle tabs, perfect for things like gift cards.

To turn it into a standing card, I simply attached a detailed terrarium diecut by gluing it to the solid one, just by the top ring. Since the Larger Terrarium dies are approximately the size of an A2 card, I simply tucked them into an envelope, and they were ready to mail to some very special people!

I put together just a real quick video of the assembly, for those of you who like to have a visual! 🙂 Enjoy!

Please note, the links below contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.

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May 17, 2019 23 comments

All Video Tutorials

Layered Stamping with Fleur Impressions + Distress Oxide Inks

by Betsy May 14, 2019

written by Betsy

Good morning, everyone! I’m so excited to be back creating things that I can share with you! I’ve been busy creating…but it’s all stuff that I can’t show you just yet. It wouldn’t be fun to spill the beans before it’s time. 😉

But today I have a video for you using the Fleur Impressions stamp set along with Distress Oxide inks. I used these inks on almost all of my projects for our first release, and so many of you have asked about them, and commented on the vibrant colors. So I thought I’d put a video together for you, showing you the technique I use for stamping with them.

If you haven’t tried them, Distress Oxide inks are a little different from what you might be used to, if you’re used to stamping with dye inks. They are more opaque as they are a hybrid of dye and pigment inks. They work wonderfully for ink blending and creating backgrounds, of course. They might not be the first thing you reach for when stamping BUT, the results can be really beautiful if you change up your stamping technique just a bit as I show in the video.

To stretch your colors for working with layered images like those in the Fleur Impressions set, you can use a combination of direct pad to stamp inking, and applying indirectly with a sponge. Using the two techniques can give you a broader range of colors and intensity of color, perfect for layered stamps.

Here’s the video for you!

I hope you get a chance to try it out, and if you do, I’d love to see it. I’ve seen so many pretty Fleur Impressions projects on Instagram! If you’re posting, be sure to use the hashtag #thegreetery so we can see what you’re up to!

(Please note the links below contain affiliate links)

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May 14, 2019 43 comments

All

Happy Mother’s Day!

by Betsy May 11, 2019

written by Betsy

Just popping in to wish you all a very Happy Mother’s Day tomorrow! I hope your family spoils you with all of your favorite things, cooks you some delicious food, AND cleans up the kitchen when they’re finished. That’s probably my favorite treat…what about you?

I also wanted to let you know that the promised videos will be starting to come this week! It’s been quieter here on the blog for longer than I had hoped, but we were busy getting everyone’s packages out, and then I wanted to take some time to get everything ready for our next release, which will be taking place in late June if all goes as planned. Many of you have been asking, so I just wanted to pop in with a little update for you! It’s been fun…I love designing product and I’m so excited about what’s coming for our next release, but now my stamps are calling again. I’ll be back in a few days with some details – I hope you’re ready to pull out your new goodies from our first release and start crafting! I know many of you have already been busy…I’ve been seeing so many wonderful creations on Instagram! Thanks so much for sharing – make sure to use our hashtag #thegreetery so we can check them out.

One last note about out of stock items. Many have asked when, or even if, items will be restocked. The answer is yes! Everything is on order, some things are starting to arrive, but we will wait until stamps and dies are both in hand before we restock the store, making it a bit easier for everyone to get matching items all at the same time.

Have a wonderful rest of your weekend! Moms, put your feet up, relax, and enjoy your day. You’ve earned it. 🙂

May 11, 2019 24 comments

All

Thank You!

by Betsy April 27, 2019

written by Betsy

I just wanted to take a minute to express my gratitude for your overwhelming response to our grand opening! You have blessed us with your enthusiasm and encouragement (and orders!) and we are so grateful.

So, about those orders! They are starting to go out and we are working hard at getting everything packaged and on its way to you as quickly as possible so that we can get to creating together!

It’s going to be quiet here on the blog for the next week as we work on getting your orders out. I’ll also be working on preparing some videos, and hopefully by the time I have those ready, you’ll have your new goodies in hand, ready to play along.

Also, a note on out of stock items. Everything will be re-ordered first thing Monday morning, and restocked as quickly as possible. In the meantime, you can fill out the form on each product page if you’d like to be notified when the product comes back in stock.

Again, our deepest gratitude for all you have done to make our launch of The Greetery a success! <3

April 27, 2019 48 comments

All April 2019 Release Giveaway Winners Release Day Website Info

Grand Opening Day is Here!

by Betsy April 26, 2019

written by Betsy

Thank you so much for an amazing last few weeks of sneak peeks, product reveals, and projects! I hope you had as much fun as I did!

The day is finally here for the store portion of our site to go live. As noted yesterday, we decided to go ahead and open up the storefront right away this morning so you can check it out and get familiar with our site! All of the products will be marked with a “coming soon” label so you won’t be able to add anything to your cart until that label is removed at 10am ET. In the meantime, you can take a look around, create an account, etc.

Before I get into lots of other information that I want to share with you, we have some winners to announce! Ladies, send an email to customerservice@thegreetery.com and we’ll get your codes emailed to you ASAP!

Day #1 Winner is Kim’s Stampin Patch from Lizzie Jones’ blog!

Day #2 is Dawn Y from Laurie Schmidlin’s blog!

Day #3 is Tona from here on The Greetery blog!

Day #4 winner is Emma Sleppy from Keeway’s blog!

New Products!

Here are all of our new products that have been introduced throughout the week!

Hand in Hand 4″ x 6″ stamp set – $15
Hand in Hand Die – $21
Fir & Foliage No. 1 – 6″ x 8″ stamp set – $24
Fir & Foliage No. 1 die – $18
Fir & Foliage No. 1 3-step stencil – $9
Pathway Stencil – $6
Fleur Impressions 4″ x 8″ stamp set – $18
Fleur Impressions die – $18
Comforting Commands 4″ x 6″ stamp set – $15
Comforting Commands die – $23
BotaniCuts Succulent die – $19
Terrarium Large die – $22
Terrarium Small die – $11
Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You 4″ x 6″ stamp set – $15
Sentiment Suite: Basics die – $19
Katie’s Cuties: Panda 3″ x 4″ stamp set – $7
Katie’s Cuties: Panda die collection – $11
BotaniCuts Bamboo die collection – $19

Shipping

Understandably, we’ve had quite a few questions about shipping. You can view our shipping policies and rates on our FAQ page. We are starting here, and may tweak things after we get a good feel for things down the road.

Bundles

We’ve had lots of requests for product bundles. It is something we are working on and will be implementing in the future. Due to how the system works and inventory is updated, we were not comfortable having it in place for our initial release. Once we have a better feel for supply vs demand, we will definitely be incorporating some one-click bundles.

Next I wanted to share some fun things about our site that we’ve put into place to make it easy for you to find what you’re looking for – in both product and inspiration!

Homepage

The homepage of our site will be filled with the latest release products. You will find a section for each product category – stamps, dies, and stencils. You can add to your cart using the small shopping bag icon that appears in the lower right corner when hovering over a product.

There’s also a “Shop the Look” section on the Homepage. Here I’ll be sharing a few of my favorite projects from the release, and they’ll be linked with their products – just click on the small circles to see the products used in the project. You can click to view more details, or add them to your cart right from the pop-up window!

We’ll be linking the latest blog posts on the store homepage too, so you can always see what’s new on the blog!

Lookbooks

You may have noticed the “Lookbook” tab that’s located at the top of the blog. It wasn’t active before today, as it links to our store. It is now live and ready for you to check it out! Each stamp set or stand-alone die set that we’re releasing has a Lookbook page. You can visit the main page for the month, where you will see all of the sets linked, or each set can be found in the drop-down menu at the top of the store for easy access.

Lookbook Product Pins

Looking through the Lookbooks, you’ll probably notice some small blinking circles on the images, like this:

Just like the “Shop the Look” section of the homepage, these are product pins! Click on them and the product used in that project will open up in a pop-up window. You can add products directly to your cart from this window. Note: you may need to refresh the page for it to show up in your cart. You can also click to view the details for that product and it will take you to the product page.

Please note that when a project uses a stamp set and matching die, most often only the stamp set will be linked. If there are too many pins on an image it gets difficult to navigate, especially when viewing on a mobile device. So in an effort to keep things looking neat and working well, most times only the stamp sets will be linked, unless it’s a project that uses minimal supplies. You can easily find the matching dies for a stamp set by clicking on “details” on the pop-up box – the coordinating dies for each stamp set will be linked towards the bottom of each page.

If there is a video tutorial for a particular project, that will be linked via a video camera icon, like shown here on the Terrarium Treats. Click on that icon to go directly to the Youtube video for that project.

At the top of each Lookbook page is a banner that you can click to see the introductory blog post for that set. If the project is from one of our guests, you can visit their blog and read more about their project by clicking the book icon, as shown here in Wanda’s amazing Hand in Hand project!

QR Codes

For easy access to our Lookbooks, the majority of our product will come packaged with a QR code on the back of the packaging insert. These small labels are removable so that you can peel them off and store them with your stamps and dies! To read the QR code, you will need a QR reader on your phone or tablet. There are many free QR reader apps available. Simply scan the QR code to take you directly to the Lookbook for that product for instant inspiration!

Wishlist

You will also notice that we have a wishlist enabled in our store. This is located by clicking on the heart in the upper right corner of the site. This feature works best if you connect your list to an email address. Please note that if you purchase an item from your wishlist, it is not automatically removed from your wishlist. You will need to go ahead and remove any items you’ve purchased and no longer need on your wishlist.

I think that’s all for now! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment here, or drop us an email. I hope you enjoy checking out our store! Happy shopping — and more importantly, happy CREATING! Thank you SO MUCH for making this week so amazing!

April 26, 2019 65 comments

All April 2019 Release New Product Meet & Greet

Black and White and Cute All Over

by Betsy April 25, 2019

written by Betsy

Welcome to our final day of product reveals and projects for our first release! The store will open tomorrow and everything that we’ve been showcasing will go up for sale at 10AM ET.

Let’s dig into today’s products!

Katie’s Cuties: Panda Stamps & Dies

Everybody needs a little cuteness in their lives! The Katie’s Cutie’s collection of stamps brings you just that. This adorable panda bear is ready to be stamped and colored. The matching branch is the perfect place for him to hang out. Color this cutie with your favorite coloring method, such as colored pencils, watercolors, or markers! Try pairing this cute Panda with our BotaniCuts Bamboo dies!

BotaniCuts Bamboo Die

The BotaniCuts collection is a series of stand alone dies for cutting various botanical designs. The BotaniCuts Bamboo set consists of two different sizes of bamboo shoots, plus lots of leaves for creating a layered look. The two shoots are sized perfectly for A2 cards. Stack a few shoots for a simple design, fill your card front to create a jungle, or create a frame! Keep it simple by cutting them from colored cardstock, or have fun experimenting with your favorite coloring method, such as ink blending, watercolor, markers, and more!

To aid in your planning and list making, below you will find the prices for today’s products.

Katie’s Cuties: Panda 3″ x 4″ stamp set – $7
Katie’s Cuties: Pand die collection – $11
BotaniCuts Bamboo die collection – $19

Now I’m excited to show you some projects using these new products!

For my first card, I watercolored a couple of the pandas and branches from the set. They’re just hanging out, munching on their bamboo. 🙂 The background was done by sponging some Distress Oxide inks, and then spritzing with water.

TIP: Pandas are black and white, but to make your colored images more interesting, add highlights and shadows using other colors. Just like in the real world, black is never just black, and white is never just white! If you look closely here you can see that the white portions has subtle gray/blue and yellow shading, while the black areas have lighter gray, and also a bit of blue!

My next card was not created by me! As I said in the sneak peek of this set, the images were based on drawings by my daughter Katie. She made this card for you today, using the panda she helped design! Can I just say that I’m excited to have finally converted one of my family members over to the dark side! 😀 I think she did a great job on this card. She created a little jungle for the panda using the new BotaniCuts Bamboo die, which were sponged with some Distress Oxide inks and also spritzed with a bit of gold shimmer mist. The panda was colored with colored pencils.

My next card uses that sweet panda paired with the Fir & Foliage No. 1 stencil to create a tree-top home for him. I cut an oval window from a cardstock panel to create a space for my scene. Then I perched him on the branch from the set, and added a sentiment from the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You set. I used the Fir & Foliage stencil around the edges, sometimes turning it at an angle to get the areas of the tree where I wanted them. The panda was colored with Copic markers.

One last panda card for you! This one was colored with colored pencils and nestled in some bamboo, which was watercolored. I wanted to create a fun background for this card, so I sponged some polka dots. I used one of my small finger blending sponges, which worked perfectly! They almost look furry…perfect to pair with the panda. The sentiment here is a combination of the sentiment from the panda set, paired with a sentiment and some dies from the Sentiment Suite set.

Now for something a little different! The BotaniCuts Bamboo die can definitely be used for more than just cute projects. It can also be very elegant. Here I used the bamboo die to emboss my front card panel. I ran them through my diecut machine with an embossing mat several times across a cardstock panel, then sponged over them with some Oxide inks. Then I diecut the bamboo from black cardstock, and cut the leaf details from gold shimmer cardstock. The sentiment is from the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You set, stamped onto a die from the matching die set, and heat embossed with gold.

One more project using the BotaniCuts Bamboo that’s more on the elegant side – this time combined with one of the sentiments from the Comforting Commands set. The two sizes of bamboo shoots in the die set are sized just right to fit on an A2 card so that you can create a pretty frame. I did just that here and surrounded the pretty “Be still…” sentiment. I cut the bamboo from green cardstock, then just sponged some ink to add a bit of shading. I also added some gold to the scored details with a gold pen. The inside is finished off with the matching sentiment from the Comforting Commands set and a few more bamboo shoots.

Well, you have officially met all of the products for our very first release! Now you can greet today’s products with a comment, and a chance to win…

Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person)
Comment on our guests’ blogs for more entries (one comment per person, per blog)
Comments close at Midnight ET on Thursday, April 25
Winners will be posted at 7am ET on Friday, April 26th here on the blog

A note about tomorrow

Tomorrow is the big day! The products will go live at 10am ET in the shop! We have decided that in an effort to make everything go as smoothly as possible, we will open the storefront at 7am ET – the same time that a blog post will go up here on the blog. The products however, will be marked with a “coming soon” label and you will not be able to add them to your cart. You will be able to take a look around, get familiar with our site, create an account, etc. As advertised, the “coming soon” label will be removed at 10am ET and you will be able to shop!

And now for a special shout-out to our guests today! Click on the images to visit their blogs and see what they’ve created with today’s products! Leave them a comment for an extra chance at winning that gift card!

DAWN MCVEY

HEATHER NICHOLS

KAY MILLER

KEEWAY TSAO

LAURA BASSEN

LAURIE WILLISON

Thank you SO much for joining me this week! I hope you had as much fun as I did! And I hope to see you back here tomorrow for the big day! A post will go up here

April 25, 2019 236 comments

All April 2019 Release New Product Meet & Greet

Succulent Gardens – No Green Thumb Required

by Betsy April 24, 2019

written by Betsy

Are you ready to meet more of our very first collection? Welcome to today’s Meet & Greet! Let’s meet today’s new products…

BotaniCuts Succulent Die

The BotaniCuts collection is a series of stand alone dies for cutting various botanical designs. This BotaniCuts Succulent set creates two sizes of layered succulent blooms. Keep it simple by cutting them from colored cardstock, or have fun experimenting with your favorite coloring method, such as ink blending, watercolor, markers, and more!

Approximate measurements:
large assembled succulent – 2.7″ x 2″
small assembled succulent – 2″ x 1.5″

Terrarium Dies

These stand alone dies cut adorable miniature terrariums. Fill them up with flowers, succulents, or any number of other things from your collection. The outer terrarium shape and the inner design are separate dies, allowing you to cut a solid terrarium-shaped layer, or use both dies to cut the more detailed design. These are perfect for creating shaped cards or shaker elements!

Small measures appx. 2.9″ x 3.7″
Large measures appx. 4.2″ x 5.4″

Sentiment Suite Stamps & Dies

Do you ever find yourself hunting for the perfect sentiment to finish your card? The Sentiment Suite series of stamps will cover the most popular card making occasions, with sentiments in many different layouts. You’re sure to find the perfect fit for your project, whether it’s a one-line sentiment that spans the width of the card, a small sentiment for a tag, or even the perfect saying to stamp on the inside!

The Sentiment Suite Thinking of You set has stamps for many different occasions, including birthday, get well, encouragement, and more.

Pair these sentiments with the Sentiment Suite Basics dies for a variety of layering options! The different banners can be flipped, turned, and rotated for lots of different applications. The set also includes a couple of small tags for even more options!

BotaniCuts Succulent die – $19
Terrarium Large die – $22
Terrarium Small die – $11
Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You stamp set – $15
Sentiment Suite: Basics die – $19

I put together a video for you, showing you how the BotaniCuts Succulents dies are assembled, as well as how you can add color using ink blending. I’ll be sharing some more videos in the coming weeks, including one on how to watercolor the succulent dies!

Now for some projects! I’ve been about to burst waiting to show you today’s projects! 🙂

One of the first things I was dying to make with the BotaniCuts Succulents and Terrarium dies were shaped notecards. Here I used the small terrarium die along with the small succulent from the die set. Aren’t they just the cutest? They are simple to put together, too. I diecut one detail terrarium from white cardstock and attached it to a solid terrarium cut from acetate. I also cut a solid terrarium from white cardstock. I attached the two layers together by gluing the two top rings together to create the notecard. So fun! They *just* fit inside a gift card envelope (4″x2.7″ envelopes). The small tags at the top are from the Sentiment Suite: Basics die set. Some were stamped with a sentiment from that set (with a coordinating sentiment stamped inside), and some were stamped with the “for you” sentiment from the Hand in Hand set that was introduced on Monday. I also added a few leaves from a Bamboo die that you’ll be seeing more of tomorrow.

Next I have a few more shaped cards, this time using the Large Terrarium die. This first one is filled with a couple of the BotaniCuts Succulents dies, which were watercolored. I’ll be sharing a video in the coming weeks! Again here I used some leaves from the Bamboo die we’ll be showcasing tomorrow to fill in around the succulents. The sentiments and the diecuts they’re stamped on are from the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You set and the Sentiment Suite: Basics dies.

This next one again uses the large terrarium die to create a shaped card. This time I filled it with blooms from the Fleur Impressions set we showcased yesterday. Again the sentiment and diecut it’s stamped on are from the Sentiment Suite collection. I love that there are lots of options in the Sentiment Suite set for how and where I want to place my sentiment.

This next project is one that I was really busting to show you! It’s one of those that once you finish, you walk around the house and show all of your family members, and then text a couple of crafty friends, because you know…you just can’t help it! 🙂 I turned the Terrarium dies into treat boxes filled with diecut succulents and…chocolate rocks! Ah! The succulents here were cut from colored cardstock (shades of green) and then sponged with ink to add some shading. The succulents are super quick to put together when you do them that way! I purchased the chocolate rocks from Amazon. They are so real looking (and taste really good too!)

I put together a video showing you how to turn the Terrarium dies into boxes. It’s pretty simple to do just by adding a side panel!

My next project for today shows how you can use the Terrarium dies on a card front. Here I used just the detail portion from the small terrarium die to cut a window in my card front. Then I diecut a separate small terrarium and layered it over the window cut-out. I filled it with flowers from the Fleur Impressions set. The sentiments are from the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You set. One of the things I’m most excited about with the Sentiment Suite is the sentiments that are designed to go on the insides! I like to have something stamped on the insides of my cards when I give them, so I’m excited to have these. I like that you get just a peek of that inside sentiment through the terrarium cut-out.

And one last card for you today using the BotaniCuts Succulents dies. If you’re not into coloring, that’s ok! They look great cut from colored cardstock too. Here I cut them from shades of green, then just sponged some deeper green ink around the edges of each layer. I used them to surround an oval cut-out on the front of a card. The woodgrain patterned paper from my patterned paper stash was the perfect complement. The sentiment is stamped on the inside of the card, and it’s from the Sentiment Suite: Thinking of You set, of course. A few little sprigs from the Bamboo die being showcased tomorrow were used as bits of filler between the succulents.

Now that you’ve met today’s products, it’s time to greet them with a comment! Tell us what caught your eye today and you’ll be entered to win a $50 Gift Card! Read on for the rules…

Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person)
Comment on our guests’ blogs for more entries (one comment per person, per blog)
Comments close at Midnight ET on Thursday, April 25
Winners will be posted at 7am ET on Friday, April 26th here on the blog

Now it’s time to meet today’s guests! Click on the images to visit their blogs! I think you’re going to love what they created today!

DAWN MCVEY

HEATHER NICHOLS

KAY MILLER

KELLY LUNCEFORD

LAURA BASSEN

LIZZIE JONES

Tomorrow is our last day of projects and product reveals before the shop opens on Friday! I hope you’re enjoying the week!

April 24, 2019 302 comments

All April 2019 Release New Product Meet & Greet

Fabulous Florals and Soothing Sentiments

by Betsy April 23, 2019

written by Betsy

Thank you so much for joining me again today as I reveal more of what’s to come for our first ever product release! Just a reminder, the store portion of our website will open at 10am ET on Friday, April 26th and all of our new products will be available for purchase!

We’re revealing two more sets from our very first collection today!

Fleur Impressions

The first set is called Fleur Impressions. Bring the look of watercolored flowers to your projects without picking up a paintbrush! The Fleur Impressions stamp set was adapted directly from watercolored images. You’ll love watching these images come to life through stamps and ink. Have fun playing with color on the multi-step blooms. Create beautiful one-layer cards, or pair these images with the matching Fleur Impressions dies to create dramatic layered bouquets. This set is one you’ll reach for again and again for beautiful, elegant projects!

Comforting Commands

The second set being showcased today is called Comforting Commands. The Comforting Commands set is perfect for those occasions when finding the right words can be difficult. There are four main sentiments, and a smaller companion sentiment for each, perfect for stamping on the inside of a card. An optional scripture reference stamp has been included for each of the main sentiments. Three of the sentiments in the set can be used to send comfort or encouragement, while the fourth in the set is more celebratory, perfect for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and so much more!

Fleur Impressions stamp set – $18
Fleur Impressions die – $18
Comforting Commands stamp set – $15
Comforting Commands die – $23

I’m so excited to share my projects using these new sets, as well as what today’s special guests have created! So let’s get to it…

My first card takes a little different approach to using a floral set. I typically use the different flowers to build bouquets and clusters. For this card I decided to create an all-over design to cover my entire card front using the Fleur Impressions set! I love stamping multi-step images using my stamp positioning tool. I set it up and just stamp away using all sorts of different colors. After spending most of an afternoon doing that, I had a whole pile of gorgeous color! I had fun arranging several of those onto this card front, and then topping it off with the “let us rejoice…” sentiment from the Comforting Commands set. The inside is finished with a few more blooms and one of the smaller coordinating sentiments from the Comforting Commands set. Wouldn’t it make a perfect wedding card?!

My next card uses the Fir & Foliage No. 1 trees that were introduced yesterday along with some ink blending to create a dramatic sunset. I omitted the solid base layer for the tree-tops and only stamped the middle step to give the trees an airier look. They were inked with mostly black ink, but the edges of the tree stamp were sponged with some orange to mimic the way a sunset can set the trees ablaze. The hill at the base was done using the solid portion of the Pathway stencil that was showcased yesterday. I added some white ink splatters to look like stars, and finished it off with this perfect sentiment from the Comforting Commands set. The inside was sponged with the same inks, and stamped with the complementary sentiment from the Comforting Commands set.

As you can see, the Fleur Impressions set is perfect for creating pretty bouquets, too! This card came together so easily. I love the way the large peonies on this one turned out. They were stamped using Distress Oxide inks in shades of yellow, orange, pink, and coral. I like to apply the ink with sponges so that I can blend it directly on the stamp before stamping it. Once again the inside is finished off with a smaller sentiment from the set and a few more blooms.

The smaller flowers and leaves from the Fleur Impressions set can be used to create pretty wreaths, too. Here I created a wreath of diecuts around the pretty sentiment from the Comforting Commands set. I stamped leaves in various shades of green all the way around the edges of the card front as well.

Now that you’ve had a chance to meet today’s products, you can greet them by leaving a comment, telling us what caught your eye in today’s post! Your comment is your entry for a chance to win. Read on for details…

Comment here on the blog for one entry (one comment per person)
Comment on our guests’ blogs for more entries (one comment per person, per blog)
Comments close at Midnight ET on Thursday, April 25
Winners will be posted at 7am ET on Friday, April 26th here on the blog

Here are today’s special guests! Click on the graphics to visit their blogs and see what they’ve created with the Fluer Impressions and Comforting Commands sets – you’re in for a real treat!

AMY SHEFFER

DAWN MCVEY

HEATHER NICHOLS

KEEWAY TSAO

LAURIE SCHMIDLIN

I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for Day 3 of products and projects!

April 23, 2019 354 comments