Hello!

I had the pleasure of working with some of Great Impressions new release stamps a few weeks ago, and I was especially drawn to the Bicycle with Flowers stamp. Line art images are perfect for coloring, but I wanted to try a gold, yellow, and berry color combo with gold embossing powder for the main image. The bike is very detailed so I used gold filigree embossing powder on Melon Berry cardstock.

 (Supplies - Stamp: (Great Impressions) Bicycle with Flowers. Ink: VersaMark. Cardstock: (PTI) Melon Berry. Patterned Paper: unknown. Buttons: Papertrey Ink. Letter stickers: Fancy Pants)

Have you tried embossing on colored cardstock? I can't wait to try out the gold embossing powder on dark blue and aqua cardstock next... I love embossing powder! 

 

I hope everyone has a great week & thanks for stopping by! 

 

Erin.

It Stinks...and the rest of the story!

Jammie Day Sunday!

Okay-I know I have a lot of explaining to do about this card. If you remember my last week's post, I told you I had this other card ready to post and decided it was not "pretty" enough to post on Mother's Day-and now you see why LOL!

I am not sure if you remember this card I made with the cute skunk and stinky sentiment-

At the first of the year I sent this card to a dear friend struggling with serious health issues.

Last week he was telling me that after his latest surgery  he was sure the meds were making him have very strange dreams. One night he said there was a skunk chasing him and "got/sprayed" him good. So...I had to make him another 'stinky' card! LOL.  We both work at a cherry processing plant, so not only did I get a skunk on this card, but a sparkly cherry tree too! I hope when he  gets this card  it will give him a big smile.

This  is a reminder just how much your special hand made creations are appreciated-so keep on sending your creations-they do make a difference!

Thanks for stopping in to say Hello-I always look forward to your visits!

♥ Sue

card details:

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Great Impressions Stamps:

B220 It Stinks

Cardstock: Doodle bug skypaper-solid cardstock SU!

Misc: Crystals, dimensionals

Silhouette files: 
5 grass Shapes
5 Clouds
Sun is a flower from 3 layered flowers file
Echo Park Tree & Tire Swing
Skunk
Fence

Vintage Cameo

Happy Friday and thanks for taking the time to visit the Great Impressions Blog. Another weekend is upon us and I hope you have a chance to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring time days.

Today, I am showcasing 3 Great impressions Stamps. The lace frame - H212, Cameo -  C414 and little hello - B151, and they are all available in the online store.

I wanted to make a vintage looking card card to send to my friend who just moved to Virginia. She loves cameos and has cross stitched quite a few. These stamps worked perfectly for my card idea.

I stamped my frame and cameo in black ink and then embossed for a more dramatic look. A Sizzix embossing folder helped complete the vintage look I was after.

My sentiment was stamped and punched out with an oval punch. I added some black lace and a bow with a button center to complete my card. Well, that's it for me for this week. So until next time.........inky hugs.

Mary Marsh

Easy Background...

Hi everyone Monica here with another hump day Wednesday post.  I just love Wednesdays because it means the week is almost over woo hoo!!  Today I am sharing a tag I made by using a background stamp from Great Impressions for an amazing look.  I made the background by using the Scroll & Leaf  stamp.

 I colored the leaves in with Stickles to give them a nice glittery look and also added the  Tags stamp you get 4 phrases with this set and I used You're Special for my tag.

Hope everyone enjoyed my post for today and remember to Create, Share and Inspire!!

Hugs

Monica

Swirly Thanks

Happy Monday, friends!! This week's card uses a beautiful swirl stamp (that I've used before) that I layered with a doily, buttons, and a felt flower & leaves to create an elegant thank you card.  I stamped the swirl with Scarlet Jewel ink onto Sweet Blush cardstock... a lovely combination:

 (Supplies - Stamp: (Great Impressions) Simple Elegance. Ink: (PTI) Scarlet Jewel. Cardstock: (PTI) Sweet Blush, Autumn Rose. Patterned Paper: Dear Lizzy. Dies: (PTI) Headline Alphabet. Other: Doily, felt flower, buttons, twine, gems.)

I used this gorgeous patterned paper to set the color combo for my card: Aqua Mist, Autumn Rose, Scarlet Jewel, Hawaiian Shores, and Simply Chartreuse. Sometimes a pretty piece of paper is all it takes to jump start creativity. 

That's it for me! I am off to get Evan ready for school... his starts his last full week of school today. Only 10 more days until summer vacation starts! 

Have a great week!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

 A Flower G455

Potted Flowers  C329

Jammie Day Sunday!

I hope as you are reading this that you are enjoying your day-taking it nice and easy-a bowl of oaties and a glass of milk and set to browse inspiration a wee bit this morning!

Today I am showing you two wonderful sentiment stamps. I actually had another card ready to go and then decided it wasn't very Mother Day-ish, so I am showing you this one instead...

I cut the card base with my Silhouette as well as the pretty flowers-a freebie template yesterday from Miss Kate's Cuttables. I thought this sentiment fit perfectly with the flowers and then realized I had the perfect "Designed by" stamp too! I also just got this new pastel Graphic 45 designer 6x6  paper pad---It was meant to be!

Thanks for stopping in today and Happy Mother's Day!

♥ Sue

card details:

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Great Impressions Stamps: A Flower G455

Potted Flowers C329

Cardstock: Graphic 45 Secret Garden 6x6 paper, So Saffron cardstock (SU!), White Bazzill

Misc: Crystals, dimensionals

Silhouette: Miss Kates Cuttables Flower Bouquet

Silhouette : 5 bracket labels with shadow

All About Men

Happy Friday and thanks for taking the time to visit the Great impressions Blog. Another weekend is upon us and this one is a very special one here in the U.S. We are celebrating Mother's Day. So I send inky hugs to all the Moms and Grandma's that may read this post.

Since my Mother's Day cards are all done and I showed them here, here, and here, I thought I would start making some Father's Day cards. I send a lot of cards for this holiday as well. My hubby, sons-brothers and friends always get a card from me.

For this one I used the Great Impressions Stamps - "all about men"- G266.  I stamped on my cherry cobbler pennant flag and on the image panel. I used my stamp-a-ma-jig for placement. This stamp is a great one that describes men in many different roles. I love the words and it is available in the online store.

My image is "old fishing truck - E502".   I colored it with prismacolor pencils and gamsol and cut it with a Spellbinders lables one die. I added some glossy accents to the wheels and the side mirror.

I liked the masculine appeal of my patterned paper and kept with that theme by adding  die cut chevrons in a dark espresso brown and blue to finish my card.

Well that's it for me for today. See you next Friday.

Mary Marsh

Best Wishes!!

Hi everyone! Monica here with my first official post as a Great Impression DT or GI Girl!  I am super excited to be on a team of such amazing women.  Today I am sharing a card I made with this Lace Doily stamp.  I love the design of this stamp.  I used it to make a background for my card with some Close to my Heart ink, a flower, sticker sentiment from Papercrafts and some ribbon from May Arts to dress it up. 

What I like about this stamp is that it is very versatile.  There are so many ways I can use this stamp. Happy stamping everyone and don't forget to join in on the challenges we have at Great Impressions Stamps!!

Blingy Happy Birthday

Good morning! Great Impressions Stamps has a lovely Happy Birthday sentiment stamp that I have used several times... and I worked with it again for today's card. It is swirly and feminine and a lot of fun:

 (Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions) Swirly Happy Birthday. Ink: (PTI) Raspberry Fizz (Stampin' Up!) Pretty In Pink. Cardstock: (PTI) White. Patterned Paper: (PTI) Raspberry Fizz Patterns Pack. Dies: (PTI) Sketched Shapes. Ribbon: Stampin' Up! Other: gems.)

I stamped the Happy Birthday sentiment several times in Stampin' Up's Pretty in Pink ink first, then added the same sentiment in PTI's Raspberry Fizz ink. The light pink shadows are really faint, but I like the look of layered sentiments. Three gems and a couple of die cut banners finish off the card.

That's it for me today! I am still recovering of Jack's birthday party... it was so much fun, but having that many kids at our house was crazy! Jack loved every second of it and that's what matters, right? 

Have a great week!

Erin

Our May Challenge is Here!

Hi there Crafty Friends!

Its a glorious day here in Wisconsin!  Spring has finally arrived!

I relied on all of you for my Spring fix with our last challenge of pastels and/or polka dots. (lol!)

What an array of talent out there.  Thank you so much for sharing with us!

Here we go with our Top Pix for April!

#108 Jen Z.

Design Team Member Sue said, "Love this cute card Jen!!  Lovely use of pastels, polka dots

 and such a wonderfully colored little bear!  This is sure to bring a smile!

#126 Denimo

Mary said, "I love this sweet card you created for your granddaughter!  Your coloring 

is amazing and the soft pastels are so perfect for a girlie card!

#125 Colleen

(Great Impressions Stamp - F448 When it Rains)

Jenny said, " Colleen I adore the design of your card.  The way you broke up the sentiment from the boot images is super creative!  I love the lace around the sentiment and the boots

 "marching" around the card!  Congrats on being my top pix!"

Congrats Ladies!

You may grab this badge for your side bar...

And of course we have to include our random draw winner!

She will take home $20 in Great Impressions Stamps free!

Remember if you use our stamps your name is entered twice in the drawing!

Hip Hip Hooray for....

#122 Wendy!

Please contact me (Jenny) at jjstucky@sbcglobal.net to claim your prize!

We have a fantastic challenge lined up for you for May!

If you are like me you have several important occasions coming up.

Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Graduations, Weddings, Memorial Day...just to name a few.

Our May challenge will be all about celebrations!  Even birthdays will do.   The Design Team has lined up some fabulous inspiration beginning with our newest team member Monica.  

G482 - Flower Girl 

 Mary

F18 - Wishing You Joy

Jenny

H241 - Floral Swirl Frame

E791 - Sweet Sentiments

My Mind's Eye Decorative Pins; Collectable "Hello"

Erin

B191 - Elegant Motif

Sue

E640 - Whimsical Potted Tulips

Our challenge runs the entire month and our rules are on the side bar.
Can't wait to be inspired!

Hugs,

Jenny

Life Is Art

Happy Friday and thanks for taking the time to visit the Great Impressions Blog. Another weekend is upon us. Hope you have something fun planned. I am hosting some good friends at my home so I have been busy preparing for them.

But I did take a break to make my card for my weekly blog post. I used one of this month's new stamps "life is art"- E792.  It's available now in the online store.
I also used the Great Impressions Stamp - "distressed background-K94" to create my "artwork". I used 3 different color inks on the stamp to create the distressed background. I really like how it turned out.

My designer paper is from the Echo Park pad "sweet girl" collection. It's also available in the online store. I thought the pattern I used had an artsy look and was perfect for my sentiment.

I added a die-cut arrow just for some interest. My music note is computer generated.

Well that's it for me for this Friday. Remember to stop by on Sunday. We have a new monthly challenge starting with a fun theme. See you next Friday........

Mary Marsh

Flying By

Good morning! This week I wanted to challenge myself to create a card using this stamp, but without Copic markers. I wanted to use a few different ink colors and create a fun patterned background:

 (Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions) Flying By. Ink: (Hero Arts) Soft Cantaloupe, Pale Tomato, Bubble Gum. Cardstock: (PTI) White, Melon Berry. Stickers: BasicGray. Other: Button, twine.)

I used an acrylic block with a grid to line up the stamp, and I alternated the three colors so the pattern was even. I popped up the white panel so the button fits nicely behind it. 

That's it for me today! Have a great week.

Erin.

Party Ducks

Hello!  This is Cheryl from Shestamps.

 

Today is my last day to post on the Great Impressions Stamps blog. Don’t worry, I’m not leaving the team! I will still be a part of the design team but my projects will be posted on the Great Impressions Stamps Facebook page.  Be sure to like the Great Impressions Stamps Facebook page so you don’t miss out on anything.

 

Today I have a birthday card using Party Ducks (G458) and Sweet Sentiments (E791) from Great Impressions Stamps. These ducks certainly look like they are having a good time. Aren’t they cute?

 

 

Have a great day! Thank you for stopping by!

 

Supplies:

• Stamps: Party Ducks (G458) and Sweet Sentiments (E791) from Great Impressions Stamps
• Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Papers: Neenah Classic Crest solar white CS, Papertrey kraft CS, Echo Park Sweet Day 6x6 paper pad
• Tools: Fiskars edge punch, sewing machine, Copic markers
• Embellishments: Sakura white gelly roll pen, Spica clear and lipstick glitter pens

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Home is Where the Heart is!!!

Welcome to:

Jammie Day Sunday!

Home is Where the Heart is.

There really is no place like home, is there?  

I cut this step card  and all the embellies with my Silhouette and  added in the sweet stamp Home is Where the Heart is. 

This would be a great little card for a new neighbor, someone returning from a trip or maybe even a school mate!  I really wanted to color this house pink-but I have lived in a pink house for years and years, and decided I needed a change! I mean who lives in a pink house.....

Just a wee reminder that our April challenge is almost over-you have just a day or two to join in!

 ♥ Sue Kment

card details

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Stamps:
J99 Home is Where the Heart is. by Great Impressions
Sentiment computer generated
Cardstock: Kraft, choc Chip, Green, Green polka dot all from  SU!
Ink: Memento Black
Misc: Martha Stewart grass punch
Silhouette file: This was a freebie from the Silhouette Store-House Step Card

Welcome New Design Team Members!

Hello Crafty Friends!

It's been a long time coming and thank you for your patience as we 

took on the difficult task of adding to our team.  We had a tremendous response

to our call.  Wow!!  So many wonderfully crafty peeps out there!

Thank you again to everyone that applied!

We have three new designers joining the team!  All are amazingly talented

 and bring different fun styles to the table. 

 Let's welcome Monica who will be joining us in May!

Monica's forte is altered media.  Like the name of her blog, she turns scraps to treasures! 

 I can't wait to see what she has in store for us!

You will have to wait until July to see the fabulous shabby chic designs by Mary Anne. 

That girl knows how to layer and color!

Last but certainly not least Giovana will be back with us in July too.

I think she just can't resist our stamps and of course our friendly team. (grin!)

Giovana has a style that is uniquely her own.  Watch for her soft beautiful bows, 

sewing, and over the top coloring!

Welcome Ladies!

We are honored to have you on our team!

Hugs,

Jenny

Warmth and Love

Happy Friday and thanks for taking the time to visit the Great Impressions Blog. I don't about your area of the world but here in Pittsburgh- Spring has sprung!!! We are having warmer days and cooler nights. This has been a boost for our tulips and daffodils.
We have a robin that built a nest underneath our deck and there are 3 blue eggs in it.  Drop over to my blog because I have posted pictures of the nest.

My card today is using the Great Impressions Stamp-"Warmth and Love"(D388). The stamp is available in the online store.

I wanted to make a very special Mother's Day card for my daughter-in-law. This card is a 6 x 6 square. I don't usually make one this big but my lattice background is 5.5 ".

Used the Martha Stewart garden trellis border punch that I angled and taped together to form a square. Saw this video on You Tube that showed me how. Layered it over some designer paper. My card colors are early espresso, pear pizzazz and lilac.

I cut a labels 16 die and sponged while still in the die and then stamped my sentiment. Added some seam binding, lace and pearls to complete my card.

Well that's it for me for this week. See you next Friday.

Mary Marsh

Get Well

Hello! Giovana here bringing you a cute card using Lilly's Garden Time image. I have to confess that I had a lot of fun coloring this image :)  I used Spectrum Noir Markers to color it. This card is a 5.25" x 5.25" square. I added stitches (I love to sew on my cards!!) and die-cut a fence and grass to make it more like a little scene.
The sentiment is one from Sweet Sentiments.

If you love to color as much as I do, you will love this image.

Hope you like it!!
Have a fantastic day!

Giovana

Wishing You

It was only a matter of time before sequins took over the paper crafting world. Oh yes. I am on board with this trend. Sequins are cheap, come in a plethora of beautiful colors, and are easy to apply. Many, many years ago I purchased several hundred thousand sequins in a variety of colors and I love pulling them out to use on my cards. My favorites are definitely the plain old clear sequins in small, medium, and large. I use a tiny dot of clear liquid adhesive to adhere them to my card, and so far that method has worked like a charm. 

I used two Great Impressions Stamps on my card: Wishing You and Twirly Background (one of my faves!):

(Supplies - Stamps: (Great Impressions) Twirly Background and Wishing You. Ink: (PTI) Simply Chartreuse, Melon Berry, Hibiscus Burst, Smokey Shadow, and Hawaiian Shores. Cardstock: (PTI) White, Hibiscus Burst. Patterned Paper: (PTI) Simply Chartreuse Patterns Pack. Twine: (Stampin' Up!). Other: Sequins.)

A bright a cheerful card to match the fun sentiment. And this color combo is going into my "must use again" file. 

Have you jumped on the sequins trend yet?

Have a great week! 

Erin.

Happy Birthday using Lace Doily

Hello!  Happy Monday!  This is Cheryl from Shestamps.

When I first started on the Great Impressions Stamps DT I warned you that I love the Lace Doily (J101) stamp and had a bunch of ideas on how to use it. I shared a couple ideas with you but then I put it away so that I could give some of my other new Great Impressions Stamps some attention. Well, this week I am back to using the Lace Doily stamp.

 

 

I stamped the doily four times using different colored inks. Then I used square Nesties to cut out a portion of each doily and attached them to a panel. I LOVE how this looks!

 

 

This would look great in other combinations and could be used for any occasion. I’m thinking about reds and greens. Add a Christmas sentiment and you would have a beautiful card.

 

I think this is still my favorite Great Impressions stamp. There are just so many beautiful ways you can use it. If you would like to see some of my other projects using it, you can click HERE or HERE. I’m going to put it away for awhile, but I know I will be pulling it out again soon.

 

Thank you for stopping by! Have a great week!

 

Supplies:

• Stamps: Lace Doily (J101) and Sweet Sentiments (E791) from Great Impressions Stamps
• Inks: Memento Rich Cocoa, Close To My Heart New England Ivy, Juniper, Sweet Leaf inks
• Papers: Papertrey Dark Chocolate & Kraft CS, Stampin’ Up Vellum, Close To My Heart Wings DP
• Tools: Sewing machine, Big Shot, Spellbinders square Nestabilities die, Taylored Expression woodgrain texture plate, Martha Stewart butterfly punch
• Embellishments: May Arts burlap twine, misc. button

 

Click image below to purchase Lace Doily (J101) from Great Impressions Stamps:

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Go Duckies!

Welcome to:

Jammie Day Sunday!

Go Ducks!

I am chronically late with baby gifts--I know it is so bad... My goal is to acknowledge the new baby before they graduate from college LOL! I am somewhat proud that this is a baby gift for a little baby boy just a few months old!!!

I found this mini album on Pinterest and the video on You Tube. Very fun!!! I did use SU! cardstock and I think it is too heavy for this mini-or I need to adjust the gussets to be a wee bit wider.  I would suggest maybe Bazzil cardstock as the perfect weight to use.   Because my cardstock was thicker, I had to use ribbon to close this little mini album, otherwise I would have used magnet closures. Each pocket has a square photo mat that pulls out.

I actually envision this mini as an  Oregon Duck "Gwamma" brag book-imagine that!?!  I stamped the Duck In Tow stamp several times and used the complete image on the front, and then cut single duckies to add inside.

I cut the letters and little feet with my Silhouette.  The designer paper is Teresa Collins Chic Bebe Boy.

I hope you enjoyed this little duckie project!

Please take a few minutes and check out our polka dot and pastel challenge-you could be a winner!


See you next week!

 ♥ Sue Kment

card details

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Stamps:
F294 Duck in Tow by Great Impressions
C373 Tiny Yawns
Cardstock: SU! and Teresa Collins Chic Bebe Boy
Ink: Versafine Onyx, Memento Black
Copics:
Yellows- Y08,17,38  YR68

Blue-B41
Misc: SU!  ribbon, popdots
Silhouette-Baby Feet

Take Time

Happy Friday and thanks for taking the time to visit the Great Impressions Blog. Spring has finally come to the Pittsburgh area.

We have had a beautiful week of sunshine and warmers temps. I have flowers blooming in our gardens. And, I was able to cut some hyacinths and bring them indoors.
Looking at them in the vase reminded me of this Great Impressions Stamp -"jars of flowers" F262.

So I decided to create my card using this image. Love it when I get inspiration from what I see around me.
I stamped and then colored the image with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol. I cut the image with a Spellbinders oval die.

The background paper is from the fab Echo Park collection "sweet girl". We are now carrying it in the online store. If you like bright colors as I do, this collection is definitely for you.

My card sentiment is the Great Impressions Stamp - "little pleasures" C402.

Well that's it for me for this week. Hope to see you back here again next Friday.

Mary Marsh

Happy Birthday

Hello my friends! Hope you are having a great day!! I have a birthday card for you today. I think the image is adorable!!  A little bit of coloring and you have  the perfect card for a cute girl.Since I have a daughter who is always invited to birthday parties, this image is just perfect!!

Details:

• Card size: A2.
• Panel was dry embossed with small and large circles embossing folders.
• Image was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and colored with Spectrum Noir Markers. Die-cut, embossed and stenciled with Oval Nestabilities.
• The die-cut ballons were covered with Star Dust Stickles.

Great Impressions Stamp:

• E527 Happy Birthday Paper Art

Other Products:

• Cardstock: White, Yellow, Orange, Green Pink (GKD)
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Spectrum Noir Markers.
• Accessories: Oval Nestabilities (Spellbinders), Ballon Dies (Sweet 'n Sassy), Twine, Star Dust Stickles.

Hope you like it!!
Have a fantastic day!!
Giovana

Floral Happy Birthday

Good morning! 

I had so much fun working on this card. I used striped washi tape on the base cardstock... am I the last person to discover washi tape? I received a few rolls in my Simon Says kits last year, but I'm starting to use it on a regular basis and I LOVE it! 

I used two Great Impressions stamps: Whimsical Happy Birthday and Fun Flower Background. I stamped the flower background with Papertrey Ink's New Leaf ink then colored in the flowers, leaves, and mini circles with Copic markers. I stamped the Happy Birthday image on a die cut frame before adhering it to the tag. 

The leaves were die cut from New Leaf cardstock and the beautiful yellow buttons are Doodlebug.

I hope you have a great week! And make sure to check out our monthly challenge... I've been hopping along to the projects already submitted and they are gorgeous!

In the Dog House

Happy Monday!  This is Cheryl from Shestamps.
There is something about this little pup in his dog house that makes me smile. I have had him for a while and I don’t know why I haven’t inked him up before now. Well, I guess now is as good as a time as any.

I really love all the fun Polaroid frames that are out right now. I have to admit, I am too cheap to buy one so I decided to experiment with creating my own Polaroid frame with supplies that I had on hand. This one was created by using a square die and a rectangle die (both from Spellbinders). If you don’t have the dies, I’m sure you could mark it off on the back side of the paper and cut it out using your paper trimmer.
Don’t forget you have time to join in the April challenge at the Great Impressions Stamps blog. Our challenge is all about polka dots and/or pastel colors. You can find the details on the post HERE.
I hope you have a fabulous week! Thank you for stopping by!
Supplies:

• Stamps: A Cute Dog Lives Here (F370) and A Little Hello (B151) from Great Impressions Stamps
• Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black
• Papers: Neenah Classic Crest solar white, CS, Papertrey kraft & Dark Chocolate CS, Pebbles Cats & Dogs DP
• Tools: Sewing machine, Big Shot, Square and Rectangle Nestabilies, C.C. Designs clouds dies, Copic markers, Provo Craft Seeing Spots embossing folder
• Embellishments: May Arts burlap twine, misc. button & dog bone charm

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