Americana Love...with Joy Clair

Hello there inky friends,

Today I'm joining my fellow Joy Clair designers as we share a few new amazing sets with you. Today we're featuring two new Americana sets...Perfect for the Fourth of July or any USA loving holiday.

If you've arrived here from Steph's blog, you're on the right track. If not, just hop along using the hop order below...There's a prize in it for one lucky hopper!

Joy Clair Blog
Lindsay Adreon 
Martha Lucia Gomez 
Lori Kobular 
Donna Idlet 
LeeAnn McKinney 
Steph Ackerman 
ME! Kerry Urbatch

Grungy Flag is a fun flag background set with a bit of distress and a whole lotta love.  I love the distressed look and feel of this background and love that it is BIG, BOLD and BEAUTIFUL!

Happy Fourth (Stars and Stripes) is a festive fireworks set complete with bottle rockets, pinwheels and the most fabulous flag pattern sentiments.

I elected to create a card that incorporates both sets.  Take a peek:

To create this card, I rubbed Fired Brick Distress Oxide onto my Gelli Plate then stamped the stripes from the Grungy Flag onto the inked plate.  After that, I laid the paper over the ink on the plate to create my background.  I repeated this process using the Broken China Distress Oxide and the star pattern of the same background stamp.  When the design was complete, I stamped the star clusters using Vintage Photo Distress Oxide (directly from the stamp).  

I cut the flag stripes out and stamped the pinwheel pattern onto them using Vintage Photo Distress Oxide.  After that, I arranged the strips in a pleasing pattern using pop dots.

Next up was the embellishments.  I used my glue gun to create some hot blobs of glue, sprinkled a bit of gold embossing powder on them (it melts immediately in the hot glue) and then pressed the stamp into the glue to create an impression.  I let that dry and cool to the touch then peeled off the stamp. Since the stamps are polymer, they do not melt and pull clean from the hot glue.

The final steps were to apply a red satin ribbon and the stamped sentiment.  I popped this panel up onto a light blue sky...um...cardstock color.  

Thanks for popping in to see this creation.  I'll definitely be using these sets again real soon, so stay tuned!  

Happy 4th Of July USA!!!

Hello stamping friends.  I'm celebrating the Fourth of July at home with my pups this year.  Nearby family is away cruising the Caribbean so that leaves me home alone with the pups.  I've spent the day relaxing, sipping homemade cappuccino and stamping.

I wanted to share a few cards I made while tucked away in my stamping room today.  I'm determined to use my stash and play with much forgotten and unloved stamps...

Here's your traditional RED, WHITE, BLUE card...with some added bling and yellow.

Stamps Used:  Unity mini-year-o-graphy, time-and-seasons-no-echo-park, splatters and stars-all boy

Ink Used:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Ladybug, Dandilion, Danube Blue

Kraft Cardstock

Silver flatback beads

Silver cording

And for a little twist:

Stamps Used:  Unity splatters and stars all boy

Inks Used:  Hero Arts Neon Cube set

Sequins

Black satin ribbon

Silver Cording

Micron Black Pen

Stardust and Silver Stickles

Hope you have a fabulous holiday!!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Hello Stamping friends!!!  I'm sitting here ROASTING as I have no AC (I am avoiding the inevitable purchase of a new unit) and thought I would post a card I made for the Fourth of July.  I REALLY need to think about moving to a colder climate like ANTARCTICA or something because I can't stand this heat!!!  I'm definitely NOT a summer person!!!  

This year, I have not made any plans but will probably spend time with family down the road having a BBQ.  Sheesh, I haven't even checked to see if they will be in town.  Oh well, if not, I'll have my own little celebration at home.  I'm headed to my school library to read to the kiddos (open library this summer) on July 3 so that limits my travel a bit.  It's ok...  I'm kind-of enjoying the loafing around I've been doing this summer but its gotta stop sometime.   I've got a lot to do with my house, so I've got to get crackin'!  

I selected a Jillibean Soup stamp set from UNITY called Game day Chili.  It's a great set and I've used it on several different occasions.  I'm going a little bit CAS with this card too, stepping away from all the pizzazz (except for that sparkly star).

Other Products Used: Memento Ink:  Dandelion, Ladybug, Danube Blue, Martha Stewart Glitter (Sterling and Gold), Glossy Accents (as glue for glitter), White cardstock, Bazzill Yellow, Red and Blue papers, yellow ribbon from Michaels.

Hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July!!!   STAY COOL!