Cards

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Missing Creativity

Pretty Pink PoshHello and Happy Friday!

Today I have a set of cards I created using the brand new Color of Fun release from Simon Says Stamp. I was so giddy to receive a package from them and let me say, the promo picture with all the new inks had me drooling. The fun thing about getting a package from the team at SSS? I never know what will be inside!

I’ll admit, my creativity has been lackluster lately and after a frustrating six hour craft session, I decided to take a break and come back. The stamps are so fun and easy to use, but my coloring, layouts and finishing touches always made the end result “off”. Thankfully, I was determined to make something worthy of posting and the idea of using the leaves from the Explore Nature set came to mind. Perseverance is key when creativity is missing!

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This release didn’t have any critters and I felt like these cards needed a cute animal. I pulled out the adorable monkey from Baby Party Animals, which was part of the last Simon Says Stamp release. I think he is darling and this set has definitely found a place at the top of my go-to stamp sets.

Previous cards using this set can be found HERE and HERE.

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I had so much fun stamping out these leaves and coloring them all sorts of colors. Whenever I create a duo, trio or set of cards, I stamp all of my images out and then color them all in first. This allows me to pull out the markers just once and then I can easily see which colors I want to use for the cardstock, embellishments, etc…

In the middle of the wreath I felt a sentiment was necessary, so I masked off one from the My Sunshine set, which you’ll see below. It’s easy to forget how a simple technique like masking can really change the way your sets look!

Pretty Pink PoshTo finish up the card, I added some Aquamarine, Marigold and Sparkling Clear sequins for a little dimension and sparkle.

Tip: whenever you add embellishments to cards, a trio or odd numbers are a great way to go!

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These cards are really easy to create and with a simple change of coloring on the leaves or switching out the animal and sentiment. I can’t wait to play with the new SSS sets a little more and share those cards with you soon!

Until next time…

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Superhero Thanks + News

Today I wanted to share a card that I made several months ago and never got to share. Both my work computer and camera have been on the outs for a while, so the photos I took of this card previously never looked decent. Thanks to the gorgeous weather here in Seattle recently, I’ve been able to take some better photos and am “stocked up” for upcoming posts.  Sadly, my computer has completely crashed from old age and I’m going to need to purchase a whole new one, for those who have been asking why I haven’t done any videos recently. I tell ya, I have a love/ hate relationship with technology…

Now back to the card for today. When I made this card, I was going through a phase of needing a break from pink and purple, so I pulled out some boy-ish colors that I think look darling with these superheroes.

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One of these days I’ll have to share a snapshot or video of how I decide which stamps to use on a card. I typically pull out 5-6 stamp set that I want to use and then I’ll use a little of this set, a sentiment from another set and maybe some little elements from a different set. I always like trying to use the sets I have in new and creative ways and this is a great way to do that!

As I was putting together the pieces of the card, I needed a background and the  Teeny Star Background fit the bill perfectly. I have a thing for background stamps and this is one of my absolute favorites. To finish off the card, I used the thanks sentiment from the Stitched set by Impress and colored it in so it had an ombré feel. Such a fun sentiment that can be used in so many ways!



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For my customers in Japan, I have some exciting news- the store Crop Party (located in Osaka) will be carrying Pretty Pink Posh sequins and dies very soon! They placed their first order and I’ll be shipping it later this week and that means you can order right in their store! I am so very excited about this amazing opportunity and it wouldn’t be possible if you didn’t continue to share you love of PPP with your local stores.

I wanted to update you all on my sequins. I’m getting a HUGE restock shipment of the sequins that have been out of stock for quite some time. I know there are quite a few that have been waiting for this restock, so I’ll be doing a special 3 day coupon once they arrive. Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping in and spending some time with me today. Until next time…

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Party Animals + Updates

Hello, hello!

Today I have a card to share with you all. I’ve been sneaking in craft time here and there, some more successful than others. As I’m writing this, I just had to step away from six hours of crafting time with NOTHING to show for it. It’s funny, whenever I don’t have time to craft, I have these great card ideas and then when I finally get time to play, nothing turns out. Does this happen to anyone else?

This card is from a previous productive craft session. I used the adorable Baby Party Animals set from SSS and created a birthday scene. As soon as I saw all the different sized presents, I knew I wanted to create a present tower and the rest came together quickly. I mean, who could resist giving that little monkey gifts, right?!

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Lately I have been loving the edger shaped die that I added to the Stitched Borders 3 die set. It’s a unique shape and you can use it in a variety of ways. I’ve been loving adding it to the bottom of cards giving the card a little more depth.

With all the fun colors of sequins I’ve been adding to the shop, I forget how striking a gold or silver sequin can be. I pulled out the 4mm and 6mm Metallic Silver sequins on this card and really love how they stand out against the pink and green.



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I’ve received a few questions asking when the winners of the Watercolor Blog Hop will be announced. Since there are so many prizes and I want to make sure it’s done as organized as possible and nothing gets overlooked, I’ll be working on the post over the weekend and the post will go live next week. Stay tuned!

The second question I’ve been getting frequently: how can you be part of the Boxes of Cheer program I’ve put together. (I’m using the word program loosely… it really is me just trying to bring a little bit of joy and cheer to those who need it). I recently put up the option for you to be able to donate to future boxes and the shipping of them. I’ll be sharing the pictures of the boxes I’ve sent in the near future- just putting together the last few touches.

And the final question: when are you going to post more videos? Well, I’m sad to say that my editing computer has crashed and so I’m having to start from scratch with a new computer, programs and then re-create graphics to include in the video. I’m not sure when all of that will happen exactly since I’ll need to build a computer from scratch. If/ when I have updates, I’ll let you all know!

borderThank you all for continuing to share my site with others. It’s been so neat to see the PPP family grow and I’m excited to continue bringing cards, products and other fun things to this site.

Until next time… XO

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Watercolor Products + A Card

Hello and Happy June 1st!

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend. I finally got to get in some crafty time in, which I am SO happy about. After not crafting for almost a month, my creativity took it’s time coming, but it finally arrived towards the end of the night. Thankfully, I did get a couple of cards made and even managed to work on samples for the new release next month!

With the Watercolor Blog Hop just days away, I wanted to show you a super easy card that is perfect for a watercolor beginner (like myself). I created my main panel and thought it needed a bit of color, so I brought out my first set of watercolors and voila! If you’re just testing out the watercolor trend, I would suggest getting the set I show below (#2). It’s very inexpensive, but is great for beginners to get a feel for this pretty technique.

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The great thing about watercolors is you can just add a little bit to a card, or you can go all out. Since I’m still just a beginner, I usually only add a little bit to my cards. However, I’m going to try my hand at getting into this gorgeous trend a little more, so hopefully I can use them more often!

On this card, I pulled out the adorable elephant from WPlus9 and created a mini scene. I wanted to try to create a flowering tree, so I used the Simple Tree from DeNami Design and then added some of the sequin flowers from the Lilac Garden Flowers Mix.

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If you are like me, you might be a little overwhelmed by the amount of watercolor options out there. I compiled a list of some of the top options available and broke them down into different sections. It’s not super comprehensive, but I wanted to show just some of the different products available that are popular.

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  1. Derwent Watercolor Pencils: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp
  2. Simple Art Watercolors: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp // Ellen Hutson
  3. Tim Holtz Distress Cubes: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp
  4.  Zig Clean Color 48-pk: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp // Ellen Hutson // PPP
  5. Kuretake Gansai Tambi: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp // Ellen Hutson
  6. Distress Markers 49-pk: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp // Ellen Hutson
  7. Peerless Watercolor Bonus Pack: Amazon //  Ellen Hutson
  8. Detailer Water Brush: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp // Ellen Hutson
  9. Watercolor Cardstock: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp // Ellen Hutson
  10. Tsukineko Fantastix:  Amazon // Simon Says Stamp
  11. Ranger Brushes: Amazon // Simon Says Stamp // Ellen Hutson

Also, I wanted to remind you all that some of the coupon codes provided by the Watercolor Blog Hop sponsors expires today! Here are the sponsors that still have valid coupon codes available.

codesCLICK HERE to get the coupon codes, details, etc…

Thanks for spending some time with me today! I hope that you enjoyed today’s card and that the info I provided was helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll do my best to respond!

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Sending Smiles

I hope that you all are getting excited and prepared to participate in the Watercolor Blog Hop…. only a week until it’s here! I hope that you have been able to take advantage of some of the savings coupons and are all ready to create some beautiful watercolor cards!

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to craft, so I haven’t been able to play with my new watercolors yet. However, you could totally use watercolors instead of markers on today’s card and the results would be stunning! I’m dying to experiment with some watercolor techniques… crossing my fingers I get some crafty time this weekend!

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For this card, I used the Gleeful Gardens set from Lawn Fawn and created my own little scene. I still love how my Picket Fence die looks with these images- it’s the perfect way to add dimension to a card without making things seem too busy.

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I know it’s been a while since I filmed any sort of video and I apologize. Typically, the PPP orders and day-to-day correspondence and office work take priority, which leaves only a little time to craft and fit in filming/ editing. I have a HUGE haul to film and there’s a few other videos I’ve been wanting to film for a while. I’m almost caught up on all my retailer orders, so I’m hoping to sneak in some filming very soon. Thank you for being patient on the video front. Oh and a HUGE thank you to everyone who has subscribed to the Pretty Pink Posh YouTube channel– we now have over 5,000 subscribers!

That’s going to wrap up today’s post. Big hugs to you all…


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Animal Thanks + Giveaway Winners

Hello, friends!

As promised, I have a new card to share with you, along with the winners of the Product Release Blog Hop. I had hoped to do this post earlier in the week, but I got the 24 hour flu and I just didn’t make it into the studio. Thankfully, I’m feeling much better now and have been a busy little bee the rest of the week.

In my recent hauls, I’ve shown the newest Avery Elle paper packs- I’m utterly obsessed with them. I decided to go with a much subdued color palette for this card and as I was flipping through  my paper packs, I thought this color suited the animals perfectly (it’s from the Zen paper pack). I ended up creating four of these cards in one sitting and since it’s a simple card layout, I was able to whip them out in an hour or so. Not bad for a notoriously slow crafter!

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Right now I am just plain obsessed with animal stamps. I love pairing new animals together- my most recent addition is the lion. How cute is he?! It’s a little hard to see in the photo, but I stamped the thanks onto one of the Stitched Labels 1 dies and had it peek out from the animals. It’s the perfect size for a card and I love how it adds just a little more stitching to the card as well.

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Just in case you missed the Watercolor Blog Hop announcement, I wanted to remind you that there are some fabulous coupon codes in that post as well. I took advantage of some of them already (you’ll see what I got in my May/ June Craft Haul video). Whether you need some basic craft supplies, stamps or products for the watercolor theme, you’ll be able to get all of this and more from the variety of coupons!

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Okay, now onto the winners of the $25 pretty Pink Posh gift certificates. A giant thank you to everyone who hopped along and left comments. Not only did you make my day, but I know that the design team loved hearing from you as well! Here are the two lucky winners for this month:

Thank you all so much for stopping in and for continuing to share about Pretty Pink Posh. It’s been so neat to see the numbers grow and finding more and more of your creations featuring PPP. I’m so grateful that you all are allowing me to live my dream!

Until next week… have a wonderful holiday weekend!


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Special Feature + Sneak Peek

Happy Wednesday!

I’m so very excited to tell you all that Paper Crafter’s Library will be featuring Pretty Pink Posh today. I created a special card just for them using the new Stitched Banner Duo 2, along with some of my favorite sequins and products.  Be sure to head over to the Paper Crafter’s Library for the card details AND a great prize pack that I’m giving away!

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excitingnewsMark your calendars for June 5th. It’s been a little while since I had the last blog hop and many of you have been requesting for another one. I’m lining up some wonderful sponsors, special guests and coupon codes that you can take advantage of before the blog hop. I’ll be making the official announcement very soon- stay tuned! Here’s a teeny peek at the graphic- any guesses what the theme might be?

BH3I hope that you’ll be able to join along in the fun- whether you’re a participants, hopper, or both. These are always a ton of fun and it’s always so amazing to be able to team-up with some of my favorite companies and brands for these sorts of events.

Well, I better get to packing up these orders. Until next time…

 

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A Winner + Color Blocking

Thank you all for your guesses in the matching game and for welcoming the three new designers with open arms. I am so very excited to see their first official design team projects soon and getting the opportunity to work with them over the next few months.

It’s time to announce the winner of the $50 gift certificate from that post. Those who guessed correctly were put into a raffle and I randomly selected one winner. Congratulations to Francesca in Italy on being the winner this time!

franborderToday I’m using one of my current favorites- the Falling Rain cling stamp from Simon Says Stamp. I’m telling you, this stamp is so fun and versatile.

I wanted to create a card that was different than the others I made, so I did some color blocking- a technique I haven’t done in quite a while. I cut strips of cardstocks using a color palette I’ve been loving, adhered them to a white card base and then stamped the rain image using Versmark ink. While the ink was still wet, I sprinkled some clear embossing powder on and used a heat gun and then it was time to dress up this piece. I was pleasantly surprised to see the circles from the Stitched Duo 2 fits the hello there sentiment from the Circle Sayings set. A Stitched die + this darling sentiment= a perfect matching!

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If you’re a long-time reader, you’ll probably notice I go through phases of crafting. Whether it be using specific colors, sets, or dies, if I like something, I’ll use it a whole bunch. (You have to make it worth the purchase, right?!) My current go-to favorites: the Falling Rain stamp and the scallop from the Stitched Borders 1 set. LOVE!


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That’s going to wrap up today’s post. I’ll be back tomorrow with info on a special feature and some other news. See you then!

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Love You + A Fond Farewell

Before I start with today’s post, I want to say thank you to everyone who left comments on my last post and video. I’m sure that just about every card-maker goes through phases of feeling like their work isn’t “up to par” and feel like they’re in a slump, but after receiving all the love I did in the post, I feel like I’m back in the card-making game (so to speak). Thank you, sweet friends.

Today have another card to share featuring the Circle Sayings from the newest Simon Says Stamp release. I typically stick with A2 size cards, but I thought it would be fun to change it up a bit and create a shaped card. I obviously had to use the Falling Rain background again (because I’m obsessed with it at the moment).

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As most of you know, I’m all about getting the most out of the stamp sets that I purchase, so I try to find unique occasions and uses for my stamps. Lately, I’ve been all about this little lion from the Cosmic Stars set from Mama Elephant. I have two other cards that I created with it recently and I cannot stop using it!

Once I was placing the animals, I realized it needed some more color, so I added a patch of grass using some watercolors. To finish it off, I adhered some Silver Star sequins and my favorite yellow chevron ribbon.

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borderIt’s just days away from a new release (mark your calendars for May 1st) and I’ll be welcoming three new designers to the team. Sadly, that means it’s time to say a fond farewell to three very special gals- Maureen, Stacey and Leigh. These ladies have been so supportive of PPP and I’m grateful for all the love, encouragement and inspiration they’ve provided.

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I’ll be back tomorrow with the announcement of the three new designers, along with a game that could win you a $50 PPP gift certificate! Thanks for spending some time with me today!

 

 

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Falling For You Blog Hop

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Hello, hello!

I am so very excited to be participating in my first Simon Says Stamp Blog Hop. They just had a new release yesterday and today a huge group of us are sharing inspiration using some of the new stamps, dies and stencils! If you are hoping along, you should have arrived from Kelly Booth’s blog.

I was giddy with excitement when I was asked to join along and equally as excited when I opened up my package and saw the new Falling Rain cling stamp. I live in Seattle (where we get LOTS of rain) and this stamp is simply perfect. Plus, it’s such a unique design and I don’t have anything else like it.

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I wanted to create a fun scene highlighting the Falling Rain, so after playing with a few options, I decided to make that the backdrop for my little critters. For my focal point, I started off by creating a little water puddle using the Peacock Feathers distress ink (yes, I actually did a little watercolor!). I stamped, colored and die cut the umbrella and birds and then I added some extra touches to finish off the card.

Have you tried the Clear Wink of Stella yet? Oh my goodness, I’m kind of obsessed with it at the moment. It’s the perfect balance of shimmer, without the hassle and mess of glitter.

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I’ve been getting a whole lot of requests for my card and tutorial videos again, so I thought today would be the perfect day to bring one. I’m a little rusty at crafting while filming, but I hope that you still enjoy the video!

Question: do you enjoy seeing people color images in? I was editing this video and realized I spent 20% of it coloring. Not sure what you all think about that…

Watch the video above   I Watch the video on YouTube

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Whew! That was a whole lot of info in this post. I know there are lots of other stops in this fabulous blog hop, so I’ll let you go. Be sure to leave a comment on each stop- Simon Says Stamp is giving away a prize pack on each blog!

Your next stop is Pretty Pink Posh designer, Amy Kolling’s blog!


I hope that you enjoyed today’s card, video and you’re leaving inspired. Thanks for spending some time with me today!