Have you noticed this trend where crumpled and distressed flowers are popping up everywhere? There’s so many different ways to make these flowers, and here is my version. Gather up your supplies and you’ll be whipping out your own flowers in no time.

Supplies:
Daisy Chain Scrapblock
Blossom dies (Spellbinders Nestabilities)
inkpad (I used Watermelon Adirondack dye ink)
sponge
Simply Smooth White cardstock
button

Step 1: Cut your Simply Smooth White cardstock to 6″ x 6″ to fit the size of the Scrapblock. If you are using a backgrounder (see samples at the end), cut your cardstock to 5.5″ x 4.25″. Ink up the Scrapblock and stamp the image onto your white cardstock.

Step 2: Cut the stamped cardstock with dies from the Blossom Nestabilities. You could substitute with any other Nestabilities flower dies for different looks.

Step 3: Sponge the edges of each flower layer with the same ink that you used on the Scrapblock.

Step 4: Here is the fun part. Crumple up each flower layer and carefully reopen them.

Step 5: Adhere the layers to each other and then finish off with a button in the center. I have also used clear dew drops for the centers (see samples below), so don’t feel limited to just buttons. Look around and see what you have that would be fun to add to the flowers.

Step 6: Adhere your flower to a card or any altered project.

Here are some more cards in different colors. I have used different stamps on each one to give you more ideas. The blue card is stamped with the Fine Lines backgrounder, the green card is stamped with the French Script backgrounder, and the purple card is stamped with the Vintage Text Scrapblock.

Are you ready to make your own distressed layered flowers? How would you like a chance to win this versatile and fun Daisy Chain Scrapblock? Leave a comment below and tell me which card you like best of the four samples above. One name will be drawn on Thursday, March 18, and the winner will be announced on Friday the 19th. Good luck in the drawing!

Friday is finally here.  Hopefully, you are looking forward to a great weekend!

Before I share today’s great release I am please to announce that the winner of the Sweet Spring stamp set is  #5,  Tara D.  Congratulations Tara!  Please e mail Liz with your address and she’ll get your prize in the mail to you!  (Liz@cornishheritagefarms.com)

Today’s release is Thomas Kinkade Birthday Expressions.  Don’t be fooled by the name though.  These beautiful birthday sentiments can be used on any birthday cards…not just with the Thomas Kinkade images.

The design team cam up with so many great ideas that it was really hard to choose some to share with you but here are a few samples.  You can see the rest in the gallery!

I love the simple beauty of this card that Joanne made.

Joanne paired images and sentiment perfectly in this one.

And of course I have to share at least one Kinkade card with you.

Hoping this day brings you all things that make you smile as well!

Kristine

Today we have two new Sara England Labrador images being released.  These line art images are perfect for coloring and will get you in the mood for the upcoming (we hope) warm weather that is on it’s way!  The first one is called Best Friends (girl and dog).

The design team did a great job of creating that warm “beachy” feel with these cards.  I just love the way Laura’s large flowers mimic the flowers in the bathing suit. 

And Jen’s great mix of papers is terrific on this card.

Fishing with my dog is the second image that came out today.

I had fun paper piecing the little boys outfit with the same papers that I used on the card.

Jennifer found the perfect sentiment for this bright, fun card!

If you want some more fresh inspiration head over to the Sara England gallery and take a look around! We’d love to see your additions to the gallery too!

Kristine

With Easter just a few weeks away I thought it would be fun to do a technique featuring one of the cutest stamp sets ever, Sweet Spring.  If you are familiar with those fancy, sparkly, sugar coated candy eggs available at Easter time, here is a way to get the look on your holiday cards with out all of the calories!

Supplies used:  Sweet Spring stamp set, Tsukineko Memento Tuxedo Black ink and marker; CHF Simply Smooth White cardstock; textured green and white cardstock; Copic markers; Mod Podge for Paper; Martha Stewart Crafts Crystal Coarse Glitter; foam paintbrush; acrylic stamp block; dimensional adhesive; and microtip scissors.

First stamp 2 eggs and 2 of the bunnies on smooth white cardstock.  Color the eggs with markers.  They just need a quick coat.  Don’t worry about any uneven spots.

Now use the foam paintbrush and apply a coat of Mod Podge overtop of the eggs.

Mod Podge has become my favorite adhesive to use with glitter for a few reasons.  It dries in minutes vs the hours you sometimes have to wait for regular glue to dry.  The “Paper” Mod Podge will not cause ink to bleed.  It will not warp the paper.  And it only adds a thin, flexible layer that will not gum up your scissors when you cut through it.

Now as soon as you’ve painted on the Mod Podge sprinkle the top of the eggs with Crystal Coarse Glitter.

Tap off the excess and let dry.  It will only take about 10 minutes for the eggs to dry and then you can cut them out.

These are simple 3 1/4″ square cards that I’ll tuck into my kid’s Easter baskets for them to find on Easter Sunday!

I stamped the sentiments on 3″ square textured white cardstock and then drew a line with the black marker around the perimeter.  I added a little shading and coloring to the bunnies, cut them out, and adhered them to the face of the card.  The card on the left has the egg adhered to the face of the card and the bunny overlapping with dimensional adhesive.  The one on the right has the egg overlapping the bunny with dimensional adhesive.

I hope these fun, sparkly cards have brightened your day.  If you would like a chance to win a Sweet Spring stamp set just leave a comment on this thread.  We will do a random draw and the winner will be announced on Friday 3/12.

Happy stamping,

Laura

We’ve got 2 new releases today from the B&O Railroad stamp line, and both are must haves.

First up is the Toyland Train.

It’s fun, whimsical, and guaranteed to deliver a smile.

Kristine did a great job coloring and paired up the image with some bold patterned paper and cardstock for this card.

And Joanne went with pink for a little girl’s birthday card!

Next up is the Train Map Set.

This set is a great mix of vintage images, ephemera, and text.  Perfect for guy cards, which we all could probably use more of.

Tracy did some masking to make her own patterned paper for this fantastic monochromatic card.

And look how good the map looks colored in.  What a creative idea to make a pocket to hold a tag!

Please go and take a look at the other samples in the gallery.  You will be inspired!

Happy stamping,

Laura

Well…here at CHF we are absolutely NUTZ for the newest Tom Fun releases.  The are so fun and perfect for so many different occasions!  The first release is called Soccer Nutz.

I wish this set would have been around when my kids were still playing soccer.  The first thing I thought of when I saw it was how perfect it would be for making cards for those hard working coaches.

Tracy is so very creative and came up with this fabulous peanut card! How fun is that???

Don’t have a Soccer Nut in your life?  Maybe you have a Golf Nut?  If so, you’ll love the second set being released today which is called Golf Nutz.

Tracy knocked it out of the park again with her creative shaped cards.

You can see many more samples in the Tom Fun Galleries.  Go Nutz!

Kristine

A new month brings a new featured stamp, and this one is a cutie.  Meet Western Bear.

He’s designed by Tom Allen, who also draws the Friendly Critters and Tom Fun stamps.  This image is perfect for boy cards, baby cards, guy cards, and more.  Who doesn’t smile at a teddy bear?

Tracy made this card that is full of texture with Western Bear taking the spotlight.

Kristine paired up Western Bear with some felt stickers, star brads, and a sentiment from the For The Men stamp set.

During the month of March Western Bear is sold at a 20% discount and comes with stepped out instructions for a sample card.

And for more inspiration check out the Western Bear Sample Gallery.

Happy stamping!

Laura

Brrrr! We have a Nor’Easter barreling down on us, dumping quite a bit of snow. The kids got their wish for a snow day.

Today’s release from Tom Allen Friendly Kritters line is right at home with the cold temps. This cute new stamp is called “The Waiter“. Just a little fish between friends!

As with all the Friendly Kritters stamps, this one is wonderfully detailed. Here are just two of the samples our team created. This first one Kristine designed, the greens provide a vibrant frame for her colored image.

I made this one, chosing to do a bit of spot lighting. I added lots of glitter to make the ice sparkle. I paired it with a sentiment from the Friendly Kritters Scripture set.

All this cold and snow makes me want a cuppa hot chocolate, lol!

Check out the rest of the creations in the gallery here.

We have a winner of the this weeks “On the Desk” blog candy. Drumroll….

Post #2 Cammie!!

Congratulations Cammie, please e-mail liz@cornishheritagefarms.com with your details and she’ll get your stamps sent out to you.

Thanks for visiting, have a wonderful weekend!

-Tracy

The art selected for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post was certainly varied. Following the last release which featured Asian-inspired art, today’s SEP release comes a whole lot closer to home – Wild Turkeys Roosting!

Available as either cling mount or wood mounted, this is a lovely big stamp that lends itself to dramatic projects without spending ages on them.

Holly and I were obviously on the same wavelength and thought that the spectacular colors that Nature sometimes gives us would complement this scene perfectly. My thoughts turned to sunrise though while Holly had her focus somewhat later in the day!

I airbrushed my sunrise sky with Copic markers and the airbrush system – a great way to make graduated color backgrounds. I found a dark shell button in my stash that picks out some of the color variation and gives a cool finishing touch. The sentiment is from the Encouragement Expressions set.

Holly used Distress inks to create her gorgeous sunset and chose a sentiment from the Thomas Kinkade scripture set to celebrate the beauty portrayed here. She used a dark brown ink (Adirondack Espresso by Ranger) for a softer look to the silhouette image.

There are a couple of more vintage takes on this stamp for you to enjoy in the gallery, too!

Winner Alert! The winner of the Fruit Basket stamp set featured in last week’s tutorial is Diana (comment #5). Congratulations Diana, please e-mail liz@cornishheritagefamrs.com with your details and she’ll get your stamps sent out to you. Don’t forget to check the  journal tutorial Tracy did yesterday and leave a comment for another chance to win some great stamps!

Thanks for stopping by today, happy stamping!

Joanne

Journals make a wonderful gift…to yourself or a friend.  Today I am sharing an inexpensive and fun way to make a journal. Let’s gather our supplies:

On the Desk stamp set (Rummage Bin)

Tree Sparrows stamp (CHF)

1 Composition notebook, cut in half

1-2 pieces of designer paper (I used Ancestral Bird Brocade by TPC Studio)

scraps of cream card stock

Distress inks in Antique Linen and Frayed Burlap

paint (I used Making Memories scrapbook paints)

Spellbinders Labels 4, Labels 8 dies

Hobby blade and cutting mat

ribbon (I used May Arts)

Scor-Tape or Zip Dry glue

Corner Findings by Tim Holtz

The one step you will have to do ahead is to have your composition books cut in half. This is best done at an office supply store. I had mine cut at Office Max. They can cut a few at a time so make the most of the small cutting fee they charge and you will have a small stash of journals ready to go.

Paint your black binding to match your project. I had to mix a touch of green with some blue paint to get the right match. Allow to dry.

Tip: there are several ways to dress up the binding…cover it with a wide ribbon, velveteen paper, card stock, or fabric; paint it or leave it alone since some bindings come in colors these days.

While you are waiting for the binding to dry, work on the stamped image to go on the front. The paper I was using had this lovely script design on the back.  Use the second largest Spellbinders Labels 8 die to cut out your piece. Stamp the Tree Swallows  in Frayed Burlap ink. Stamp the postcard and lined image stamps from the On the Desk set in the same ink. Distress the edges with Antique Linen ink.

Stamp the sentiment onto a scrap of cream cardstock and cut out with the smallest Labels 4 die. Distress edges with Antique Linen ink.

Now that the paint is dry, cut your paper for the cover slightly larger than your journal (This eliminates any uncovered edges). Adhere your paper with a strong adhesive like Scor-Tape or Zip Dry glue. Cover both the back and front covers. Use a hobby blade and a cutting mat to trim the paper on the covers.

For a really finished look, cover the inside of both the back and front covers as well. In my case I used the reverse side of my designer paper with the script.

Distress all the edges of your covers with Antique Linen ink. If the paint on your binding is too stark distress the paint with ink too.

Adhere your stamped image to the front of your journal.  Adhere the stamped and die cut sentiment onto the panel. See how the lined image I stamped first adds a nice frame? Add a length of ribbon along the edge where your binding and paper meet. I used a cream lace ribbon which looked too clean against my journal so I added a touch of Antique Linen ink to it as well. (Yes, my hands got quite inky on this one, lol)

Stamp on the inside of the front cover. I used the two images in the set with pens and the date stamp so the recipient can mark their journal when they start using it.

Add the two corner findings by crimping the backs down.

Here is my finished journal.

Tip: Composition notebooks usually come with rounded corners and when you have them cut it leaves you with one corner that has straight edges. The corner finding will cover the look of the front corner. Another option is to use the Corner Chomper (by We R Memory Keepers) to not only round the covers but the pages as well. The Corner Chomper can handle a stack of pages at once making the entire trimming process quick and painless.

The half size books are fun to work with and can be used for more than just journals. Keep one for your sketch/card ideas or just as a notebook in the car. What do you think??

This week you can win your very own set of “On the Desk” just by leaving a comment on this post. A winner will be drawn on Thursday at noon and announced on Friday.

Hope you enjoyed today’s project!

-Tracy