YNS Sweet Birthday Card Featuring Gumdrops (Challenge)

This post is part of the Your Next Stamp (YNS) Gumdrop Challenge. The challenge is to use YNS Gumdrops on a project. As a special bonus to you, if you visit the Your Next Stamp blog and leave a comment, you will have a chance to win a YNS stamp set of your choice! Comments must be left by May 12, 2017; the winner will be announced on May 14, 2017.

I chose to use the Total Sweetness stamp set. I colored it with Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils on Neenah Desert Storm cardstock. It didn't have quite enough "pop" to go with the brightly colored Gumdrops so I added extra bling with Stickles and a Wink of Stella glitter pen. It's difficult to see all the glitter and shine in the photos but it looks very pretty in person. The result is delicious!

Affiliates links may be included in this post. See Notice at bottom of blog.

Making the Card

1. Cut Desert storm cardstock 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches; fold in half to form a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card base. Cut another piece about 4 x 4 inches. Note: you may trim to the dimensions in step 2 if you have a stamp positioned - I left extra space in case the stamping was off, plus it is easier to color on a larger piece. Stamp the little girl sitting on the banana split sundae in black ink.

2. Color image with your favorite colored pencils. I used Faber-Castell Polychromos. Hint: use a light touch, color in circles, and layer the color. If you press too hard, you will get shiny spots and the tooth of the paper will be destroyed (i.e. it won't take any more color). Trim to 3 x 3 1/4 inches, centering image.

3. Add Wink of Stella to the ice cream, the girl's shirt, and her shoes. Add Glossy Accents to the cherries. Mix Turquoise and Star Dust Stickles then paint on main part of sundae bowl as shown. Add a dot of Thistle Stickles to the center of the daisy in the girl's hair. Set aside to dry.

4. Stamp sentiment on Desert Storm. Punch with 1 1/4 inch circle. Punch pink cardstock with 1 1/2 inch scalloped circle. Add Thistle Stickles all around the edges, be sure to cover the parts that will show. Set aside to dry.

5. Cut pink cardstock to 4 x 5 1/4 inches. Cut smiling tea cup paper (YNS Hugs and Kisses) to 3 7/8 x 5 1/8 inches; adhere to pink cardstock. Adhere these to card base.

6. Cut pink cardstock to 3 1/8 x 3 3/8 inches. Adhere image to this piece then adhere to card as shown. Use dimensional tape to adhere sentiment to scalloped circle with Stickles. Add to card with dimensional tape where shown.

7. Add Gumdrops as shown.

Supplies

• Stamps: Total Sweetness (Your Next Stamp CYNS562)
• Patterned Paper: Hugs and Kisses 6x6 Paper Pad (Your Next Stamp YNSPP007)
• Gumdrops (Your Next Stamp)
• Cardstock: Desert Storm (Neenah), Pink
• Colored Pencils (e.g. Faber-Castell Polychromos)
• Punches: 1 1/4 inch Circle, 1 1/2 inch Scallop Circle (e.g. EK Success)
• Wink of Stella
• Stickles: Turquoise, Star Dust, Thistle
• Glossy Accents
• Dimensional Tape

Follow my blog with Bloglovin so you won't miss any of the gumdrop fun!

Your Next Stamp Good Vibes Toucan Thank You Card

I'm one of the May guest designers for Your Next Stamp! Today is preview day. Please visit the Your Next Stamp blog for a full list of participating blogs.

For this card, I used the brand new Good Vibes set, featuring an adorable toucan (along with several sentiments). Toucans are colorful birds. I chose to color this one with Copic alcohol markers to really show off those colors. I modeled mine after the Keel-Billed Toucan (or Rainbow Billed Toucan) whose habitat includes south-eastern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. I used Distress Oxide Inks (with a little help from the old Distress Inks) for a fun background.

Affiliates links may be included in this post. See Notice at bottom of blog.

Making the Card

1. Cut bright green cardstock 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches. Fold in half to form a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 inch card base. Cut bright blue cardstock 4 x 5 1/4 inches. Adhere to card base.

2. Stamp toucan on Copic friendly cardstock (I used X-Press It Blending Card). Color image. Hint: do a Google search for "toucan" and click the images tab; find an image you like to use as a model. See Supplies below for the list of markers I used. Fussy cut around image (you may want to use detail scissors for the small areas).

3. Cut white cardstock 3 7/8 x 5 1/8. Use a blending tool with Broken China Distress Oxide Ink starting in the bottom right corner and moving up towards the upper left as shown. Blend each color in order with the one before it (you may have to go back and forth): Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide, Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide, Mustard Seed Distress, and Squeezed Lemonade Distress. Keep in mind where you would like the toucan. Once you are satisfied with the blending, flick some water over the area, wait a few seconds then dab with a clean paper towel. Repeat as necessary to get a dappled effect. Adhere to card base as shown.

4. Stamp sentiment on yellow cardstock. Cut in a strip and add tails to one side as shown. Adhere to a piece of bright green cardstock that's slightly larger, cut around as necessary (I usually line it up in one corner then trim around). Adhere using dimensional tape. Adhere toucan using dimensional tape.

5. Add Gumdrops as shown. Optional: add a dot of white with a gel pen to the toucan's eye as a highlight.

Supplies

• Your Next Stamp: Good Vibes (CYNS550)
• Your Next Stamp Gumdrops
• Cardstock: White, Bright Blue, Bright Green, Yellow
• Copic Friendly Cardstock (e.g. X-Press It Blending Card)
• Copic Markers Used: C1, C4, C6, C8, C10, Y04, Y08, YG01, YG03, YG05, B04, FBG2, R27, R29, YR04, Colorless Blender
• Distress Oxide Inks: Broken China, Cracked Pistachio, Fossilized Amber
• Distress Inks: Mustard Seed, Squeezed Lemonade
• Dimensional Tape
• Optional: White Gel Pen

Follow my blog with Bloglovin so you won't miss any of the colorful fun!