Reflections of water lilies

I’m a huge fan of impressionism as an art form, and among my favorite impressionists are Van Gogh, Degas, Pissarro and Monet. Last year, I was especially excited to view some of the beautiful works by these artists during a trip to New York City.

One of the most breathtaking exhibits was Monet’s “Reflections of Clouds on the Water-Lily Pond.” Painted on three canvases and taking up an entire wall at the Museum of Modern Art, I was so moved by the beauty of this art that I could have spent hours marveling at it.

So, when I saw Stampin’ Up’s take on impressionistic water lilies, my mind went back to the thrill of seeing Monet’s works in person. While nothing can replicate Monet, I appreciate the nod to his art that has inspired so many.

For my card today, I used the Lily Pad Dies, the Sending You Thoughts stamp set and the Lily Impressions Designer Series Paper, all free with qualifying purchases.

I used a sheet of the beautiful DSP featuring a small water lily pattern and adhered it to a Grapefruit Grove cardstock base. The texture of the DSP is so realistic I had to touch it to see if it felt like an oil painting! I kept my border small — just an 1/8″ so as not to cover too much of the beautiful water lilies.

I opted to use the dies alone, cutting out a small and large lily in Grapefruit Grove and Flirty Flamingo cardstock. I used the lily pad die on the green side of a sheet of the same DSP and adhered my lilies to the lily pad.

This card is going out to a sweet woman who is recovering from an injury, so I chose the sentiment: If loving thoughts could heal.. and stamped it in Grapefruit Grove ink on a rectangle of Whisper White Thick Cardstock, then attached the lily pad with lilies beneath the sentiment.

I backed the entire rectangle with Grapefruit Grove cardstock, again leaving a 1/8″ border, and adhered it with Stampin’ Dimensionals to give it an extra lift.

I remembered that Grapefruit Grove is one of the colors in the Gingham Gala Adhesive-Backed Sequins, so I scattered three of them on my card to finish it off.

By the time you read this, this card will be on its way to our dear friend, accompanied by wishes for a speedy recovery!

~Denise~

It’s the sentiment that counts

Welcome to the Pals’ Blog Hop!

We’re so glad you’re here because we made some great projects for “It’s the Sentiment That Counts”  – our way of showcasing new or favorite sentiments as the focal point of a project.  You may be starting the hop here or coming from a previous Pal’s blog. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find the full line-up below to help you move, or “hop” along from Pal to Pal.

Denise Hoepfner | The Mountain Magpie

I love creating cards — from picking out the different elements and paper then deciding how everything is going to be laid out. But, to me, the heart of the card is in the sentiment. That’s why this month’s theme really “spoke” to me.

For my project, I knew I wanted to use the wreath from the Seasonal Wreaths stamp set. I also wanted to use the stunning Come To Gather Designer Series Paper. I think the two pair beautifully.

Denise Hoepfner | The Mountain Magpie

I used three coordinating designs from the paper and covered an Early Espresso card stock base. Because the paper looks textured, I didn’t need to do anything else to it.

Next, I cut out my wreath with the All Around Wreath Dies and colored it with Stampin’ Write Markers in colors that remind me of fall — Pear Pizazz, Call Me Clover, Crushed Curry, Merry Merlot, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Terracotta Tile and Soft Suede.

I then looked through my stamp sets to find just the right sentiment to go with my design. I decided on “Gather Together” from the Gather Together stamp set because to me, the best part of fall is coming to-gather (together) with loved ones.

To highlight the simple two-word sentiment, I stamped it on a slice of wood from the Tags and Feathers Elements. I used Memento ink to stamp the sentiment, then tied the wood piece to the wreath with the orange ribbon in the Come to Gather Ribbon Combo Pack. I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to adhere the wreath to the card base.

I love that even a simple sentiment can make a statement!

Thanks for stopping by today!

~ Denise ~

More inspiration awaits! Use the Blog Hop line-up below to visit the rest of this month’s Design Team. My fellow Pals are excited to show you what they’ve created! Don’t forget to show us some love by commenting on our creations. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 9, 2019 when our Hoppin’ Pals will share “My Favorite Season” projects. Don’t miss the fun!

Pals Blog Hop Line-Up
  1. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
  2. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
  3. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
  4. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin’
  5. Mary Hanson at Up North Stampin’
  6. Tricia Chuba at ButterDish Designs
  7. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
  8. Rae Harper Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
  9. Karen Hallam at Karen’s Stamping Habit
  10. Lori Pinto at LollyPop Paper and Ink
  11. Su Mohr at Aromas And Art
  12. Debbie Mageed at Secrets to Stamping
  13. Debra Simonis at Deb’s Stampin’ Grounds
  14. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
  15. Jeanie Stark at Just Stampin’
  16. Rosanne Mulhern at Heartfelt Stamping
  17. Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery
  18. Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
  19. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
  20. Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin’ Hoot!
  21. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations

Believe you can for the Pals Blog Hop

It can sometimes be hard to create a card that celebrates occasions like a new job, going to college, embarking on an adventure or taking on other challenges. So when I saw the Believe You Can stamp set in the annual catalog, I knew it was one that I wanted in my collection.

For this card, I decided to use a feather patterned paper from the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper. Feathers symbolize flight, which I thought was appropriate for someone preparing to leave the safety of their nest to fly toward something new. 

 

I trimmed the paper to 4 1/8″ x 5 1/4″ and mounted glued it to a card base cut from Calypso Coral card stock. Next, I used the sentiment based on a Teddy Roosevelt quote that reads: “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” I stamped it in Basic Gray ink on Thick Whisper White card stock that I cut out from the Rectangles Stitched Framelits Dies. I did a light coloring with my Stampin’ Markers in Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight and Pool Party. I mounted that rectangle onto a larger one cut from Calypso Coral. I then used Stampin’ Dimensionals to mount the sentiment to the card base and make it the focal point of the card.

For a little extra embellishment, I used my Stampin’ Blends in Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray and Pool Party to color feathers from the Tags & Feathers Elements. I used Glue Dots to adhere the feathers to each other and to the card. My final touch was to tie a small bow of Linen Thread and adhere it to the feathers with Glue Dots.

And there you go — a special card for those times when someone needs a little encouragement.

Happy Stamping!

~ Denise ~

Mixing it up for the Pals blog hop

Welcome to the Pals’ July  Blog Hop! We’re so glad you’re here because we made some great projects that are “Mixing It Up” by adding texture that will really take your projects up a notch — or two! You may be starting the hop here or coming from a previous Pal’s blog. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find the full line-up below my post to help you move, or “hop” along from Pal to Pal.

I love lace, so when I saw the Stitched Lace Dies in the 2019 Annual Catalog, this set was high on my list. I think the die is so beautiful and can be used as a whole piece or trimmed to accent any paper project.

For today’s card, I decided to use the die to add texture to my card base. I cut the die out in Thick Whisper White card stock and glued it to a card base in the same card stock.

Next, I sponged it using Flirty Flamingo ink to add a little color — mostly in the center of the card.

Lace reminds me of weddings, so I cut out a pair of lovebirds from the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper using the smaller circle in the Stitched Shapes Die set. I then cut out a circle of Pool Party card stock using the largest circle in the Stitched Shapes dies and glued the patterned paper on top of it.

Next, I tied a bow around the card front using the Whisper White Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon, which seems to be my go-to ribbon these days. I added Stampin’ Dimensionals to the bottom of the cut outs to make it pop off the card a bit and adhered it to the left side of the card.

My sentiment is from the A Little Lace stamp set and is stamped with Pool Party ink and adhered with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

I’m looking forward to doing more with this beautiful lacy die!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Denise~

More inspiration awaits! Use the Blog Hop line-up below to visit the rest of this month’s design team. My fellow Pals are excited to show you what they’ve created! Don’t forget to show us some love by commenting on our creations. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, August 14, 2019 when our Hoppin’ Pals share their “Special Occasions” projects. Don’t miss the fun!

Pals Blog Hop Line-Up

  1. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
  2. Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery
  3. Mary Hanson at Up North Stampin’
  4. Jill Killeen at Killeen House Studio
  5. Tricia Chuba at ButterDish Designs
  6. Su Mohr at Aromas And Art
  7. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
  8. Rae Harper Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
  9. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
  10. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
  11. Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin’ Hoot!
  12. Rosanne Mulhern at Heartfelt Stamping
  13. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
  14. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
  15. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin
  16. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
  17. Karen Hallam at Karen’s Stamping Habit
  18. Jennifer Michalski at Stamping Serenity
  19. Terri George at Stamp Me Crafty
  20. Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
  21. Leah O’Brien at Stamping By The Bay
  22. Debbie Mageed at Secrets to Stamping

Of dandelions and wishes

Welcome to InKing Royalty’s June Blog Hop! This year’s Blog Hop themes are inspired by a single word, and this month our projects are centered around the word, “NEW.”

With the launch of Stampin’ Up!’s 2019 annual catalog, “NEW” gives us the opportunity to showcase new products and play with new colors. There are also new occasions (babies, weddings, graduations) to celebrate, so you are going to see a variety of projects in this hop. We are excited to share our creations with you today! After you read my post, I hope you’ll hop over to the next person on the list at the base of this post.

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It’s always so special when a couple begins their life together filled with hopes and dreams for a long and loving partnership. For this reason, I chose to celebrate this NEW beginning of taking a big leap of faith and following the heart with the humble dandelion.

As the superstition goes, if you make a wish while blowing on the puffy seed head of a dandelion and all the seeds blow off, then your wish will come true.

Well, one of my wishes came true when I saw a dandelion die among the Sweet Silhouettes Stampin’ Cut & Emboss dies. I was already a big fan of the Dandelion Wishes stamp set and I knew I wanted to combine the two.

To make this card, I cut out three dandelions in Vellum Cardstock. To give the dandelions a little glimmer, I dabbed some Frost White Shimmer Paint here and there on the seed heads. I then colored the back of the stems using an Old Olive Stampin’ Blend and dotted the back of the seed head with the Soft Suede Stampin’ Blend.

Next, I cut my card base from Smoky Slate cardstock. I chose the sweet dotted paper from the Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper, ripped one end and glued it to my card base.

I embossed the “Wishes for a lifetime of love & happiness” sentiment from the Dandelion Wishes stamp set directly onto the card base and added a tiny pearl from the Pearl Basic Jewels to dot the “I” in happiness.

Then, I tied some Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon around the card and tucked the dandelions under it. I added a small strand of pearls where the stems meet.

I hope you enjoyed this card! I have a pasture filled with dandelions going to seed, which means I have a lot of wishes to make. Let’s hope I don’t run out of breath before some of them come true!

~Denise~

Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you’ll hop along to the next stop on the blog hop, Candy Ford at Stamp Candy. There’s a lot of inspiration to be found in this group and you don’t want to miss any of it!

Thank you for hopping along with us. If you get stuck during the Blog Hop, please use this line-up as a guide:
  1. Brian King at Stamp with Brian
  2. Jennifer Spiller at Westside Paper Creations
  3. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
  4. Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
  5. Pam Morris at Tap Tap Stamp
  6. Robin Myren at Songbird Designs by Robin
  7. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
  8. Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery
  9. Robbye Hamilton at Miss Hammie’s Crafts
  10. Julie DiMatteo at The Paper Pixie
  11. Linda Krueger at The Stamp Coach
  12. Shawn de Oliveira at Shawn Stamps
  13. Sue Jackson at Just Peachy Stamping

Bee-ing Thankful

Welcome to the Pals June Blog Hop! We’re so glad you’re here because we made some great projects using “Anything with Wings.” You may be starting the hop here or coming from a previous Pal’s blog. Either way, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find the full line-up below to help you move, or “hop” along from Pal to Pal.

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I love bees. So much so that last year I began keeping bees. It’s a fascinating hobby with a long history and no matter how experienced you become, there’s always something more to learn.

Here’s a look from one of my hives taken last summer:

So when I saw the Silhouettes Designer Series Paper with the colorful honeycomb pattern, I knew I wanted to incorporate it into some kind of “bee” card.

The watercolor pattern also reminds me of one of my favorite knitting bags made from this Bee Splat fabric.

To make my card, I chose the Bee Thankful stamp set that features a friendly bee and a simple sentiment.

First, I randomly cut around the DSP honeycomb pattern and glued the piece to a Mango Melody card stock base. At first, I was going to try to splatter some ink to color the image, but then I realized there is a splatter pattern on the reverse side of the honeycomb patterned paper, so I flipped the paper over and let Stampin’ Up! do the work for me.

I used Basic Black ink to stamp the bee/sentiment, using my Stamparatus so I could re-stamp the image several times to make it dark enough for the outlined “thanks” to show up.

Next, I freeform cut around the stamped image, then mounted it onto Whisper White card stock and cut around the image again. I sponged the edges with ink colors that coordinate with the DSP (Pacific Point, Mango Melody, Poppy Parade and Old Olive) and colored in the flower, bee body and leaves using Stampin’ Write markers.

Lastly, I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to adhere the piece to the card base to give it some lift. Then, I sat on my hands so I wouldn’t try to add anything else because the DSP is really the star of this show.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Denise ~

*** More inspiration awaits! Use the blog hop line-up below to visit the rest of this month’s design team. My fellow Pals are excited to show you what they’ve created! Don’t forget to show us some love by commenting on our creations. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, July 10, 2019 when our Hoppin’ Pals share their “Mixing It Up” projects. Don’t miss the fun! ***

  1. Mary Fish at Stampin’ Pretty
  2. Stesha Bloodhart at Stampin’ Hoot!
  3. Peggy Noe at Pretty Paper Cards
  4. Lori Pinto at LollyPop Paper and Ink
  5. Mary Hanson at Up North Stampin’
  6. Rosanne Mulhern at Heartfelt Stamping
  7. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
  8. Debbie Mageed at Secrets to Stamping
  9. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin’
  10. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
  11. Debra Simonis at Deb’s Stampin’ Grounds
  12. Jill Killeen at Killeen House Studio
  13. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
  14. Rae Harper-Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
  15. Su Mohr at Aromas And Art
  16. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
  17. Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
  18. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
  19. Tricia Chuba at ButterDish Designs
  20. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
  21. Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery
  22. Karen Hallam at Karen’s Stamping Habit
  23. Jeanie Stark at Just Stampin’
  24. Brian King at Stamp with Brian

Begrudgingly green

This year’s Blog Hop themes are inspired by a single word and this month that word is — GREEN!

We are super-excited to share our creations with you today! There’s a wonderful variety of styles and occasions celebrated in this hop. After you read my post, I hope you’ll hop over to the next person on the list found at the end of this post.

GREEN.

It wasn’t until our fearless leader threw out the challenge of highlighting the color green that I realized how little I really use green in my cardmaking, except during Christmas.

So, at first I was like: Huh. Green.

Then, I was like: YOU WANT GREEN? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE GREEN!

(Apparently green brings out my aggressive side.)

To (begrudgingly) make my card, I chose one of the greeniest in-your-face green papers I could find in the Happiness Blooms Designer Series Paper package.

Then I realized that the big flowers on the paper I chose were pretty busy and bold and I was about to admit defeat until I came up with the idea of recreating one of the flowers from the paper design and keeping the sentiment simple.

Cutting out a simple flower like this should be easy, but I had a hard time relaxing enough to make this freeform design. It took a shot of whisky to loosen me up before I finally got one that was OK.

Just kidding.

It took two shots of whisky.

Anyway… I layered the flower I made from Night of Navy, Call Me Clover and Whisper White cardstock onto a circle I punched from Night of Navy cardstock.

I then cut out a piece of Whisper White cardstock using the Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies and stamped “BIRTHDAY” on it in the top left corner using Call Me Clover ink. The stamp is from the Well Said cling stamp set, which has ALL THE WORDS.

Next, I cut out the word “wishes” (also in Call Me Clover because GREEN) using the the Well Written Framelits Dies, which coordinates with the Well Said stamp said and has ALL THE WORDS to go with those other words.

I glued “wishes” under the word “BIRTHDAY” and dotted the “I” with a yellow Happiness Blooms enamel dot.

The card base is Night of Navy with a 5 1/4″ x 4″ layer of Pineapple Punch cardstock glued onto it. On top of that is a 5″ X 3 3/4″ piece of the floral paper.

Next, I cut a 5 1/2″ strip of a coordinating design from the same paper pack and a piece of Call Me Clover cardstock that was the same length, but a little wider, and layered the patterned paper on top of the cardstock. I then glued the strip across the card.

Finally, I placed my handmade flower on the left side of the strip using Stampin’ Dimensionals and tucked the sentiment under the flower to finish off the card.

And there you have it!

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Thank you for stopping by today! I hope you’ll hop along to the next stop on the blog hop, Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery. There’s lots of inspiration to be found in this group – and you don’t want to miss it!

~ Denise ~

Thank you for hopping along with us. If you get stuck during the Blog Hop, please use this line-up as a guide:
  1. Brian King at Stamp with Brian
  2. Shawn de Oliveira at Shawn Stamps
  3. Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
  4. Sue Jackson at Just Peachy Stamping
  5. Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
  6. Jennifer Spiller at Westside Paper Creations
  7. Pam Morris at Tap Tap Stamp
  8. Julie DiMatteo at The Paper Pixie
  9. Robin Myren at Songbird Designs by Robin
  10. Robbye Hamilton at Miss Hammie’s Crafts
  11. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
  12. Lynn Kolcun at Avery’s Owlery