Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Gnome for the Holidays Fall Card - The Spot Challenge #130

 Have you wondered what else you could do with the Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set in the Stampin' Up! August-December Mini Catalog?  Have you looked at it and thought that's a cute little Christmas set?  Or have you quickly turned the page because Gnomes freak you out?  

Well, I am hopefully going to change your mind a little about Gnomes and the Gnomes for the Holiday Stamp Set today!  The Gnomes for the Holiday Stamp Set can be used for more than just Christmas!  It all depends on how you treat them, and how you color them.  

Have you wondered what else you could do with the Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set in the Stampin' Up! August-December Mini Catalog?  On my blog today I turn this cute little Christmas Set into a Fall Card.  Visit my post to learn how!

Tips & Tricks on Turning the Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set into a Fall Card: 

Really and truly this is not as hard as you may think.  It all depends on what you pair the stamp set with and how you color it.  When I saw this stamp set in the August-December Mini Catalog I fell in love with the cute little line art images of the Gnomes and the Gnome Home and it was just begging to be colored.  I know that Gnomes are not everyone's cup of tea, and some people are down right scared of them, but I think they are super cute and couldn't wait to get my hands on them.  

This week's sketch Challenge over at The Spot gave me the perfect opportunity to pull out this set and add ink to paper.  But, I wasn't quite ready to make it as a Christmas Card just yet.  So I paired it with the Gilded Autumn Speciality Designer Series Paper and the Beautiful Autumn Bundle to create a fun little Fall themed card.  Here's the inspiration for this week's challenge at The Spot.  

You can play along with us at the Spot with this week's challenge by clicking here.  


I started my card with a Thick Whisper White card base that was cut at 4 1/4" x 11" and scored in and folded in half at 5 1/2".  I then added a large strip of the Gilded Autumn Specialty Designer Series Paper to the center.  I also added a small strip of the reverse side in the center also.  Next I stamped my Gnome on a piece of Whisper White Cardstock in Tuxedo Black Ink, and stamped the it again on a post it note.  I cut the gnome from the post it note and added it over the gnome on my cardstock to create a mask.  
Have you wondered what else you could do with the Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set in the Stampin' Up! August-December Mini Catalog?  On my blog today I turn this cute little Christmas Set into a Fall Card.  Visit my post to learn how!

Once I had the gnome masked I could stamp the background.  I stamped the Gnome Home in the background in Tuxedo Black ink.  I removed the mask and I could start coloring everything with my Stampin' Blends.  When I color with my Stampin' Bends (which are alcohol markers from Stampin' Up! and are great for those that may want to get into using alcohol markers in your crafting because they come in a light and dark of the same color to make blending easy) I fill in the area I am coloring with the light Stampin' Blend first then add the dark and then blend it out with the light again.  
Have you wondered what else you could do with the Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set in the Stampin' Up! August-December Mini Catalog?  On my blog today I turn this cute little Christmas Set into a Fall Card.  Visit my post to learn how!

I used the following color Stampin' Blends today:  
  • Cajun Craze
  • Mossy Meadow
  • Soft Suede
  • Just Jade
  • Magenta Madness
  • Misty Moonlight
  • Highland Heather 
  • Daffodil Delight 
  • Cinnamon Cider
  • Crumb Cake 
  • Gray Granite
  • Seaside Spray
  • Ivory 
  • Bronze
I started out by coloring my gnome first.  I colored his suite and hat in Cajun Craze. His beard with a little of the Gray Granite Stampin' Blends leaving a little white area where I wanted the highlights to be.  When coloring white areas you want to only add color to the shadow areas of the object.  

Next I colored in the Tree Home and the door.  I colored the ground of the pathway with Crumb Cake, and the stones with Gray Granite. After that I colored in the background behind the tree.  I used Misty Moonlight and Seaside Spray to do this.  Now I know what you are thinking if you have used Stampin' Blends you are sitting there saying that these colors are to far apart to make blend.  But it can be done! And here's how; take the darker of the color you want to blend and color some on a block.  Then take the next color that you want to blend out to and pick up a little of the color from the block and start coloring out until it starts to get lighter and back to where it should be.  Repeat until you have the entire area blended out.  Then color as normal.  

Have you wondered what else you could do with the Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set in the Stampin' Up! August-December Mini Catalog?  On my blog today I turn this cute little Christmas Set into a Fall Card.  Visit my post to learn how!

After coloring the sky I flicked in my grass.  I started by flicking in some of the light Mossy Meadow and then would come back with the dark Mossy Meadow.  Some of the ink will blend the part that has not dried but some will not.  You will get the perfect looking grass with both light darks and in between colors.  After the color was complete I cut out the image with my Layering Square Dies and cut a scalloped square with the next size up in Soft Suede Cardstock.  I layered the two together and placed on the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I then stamped one of the leaves from the Beautiful Autumn Stamp Set in Cajun Craze and stamped the inside in Bumblebee Ink.  I punched it out with the matching punch and added it to the Gnomes hat with a Mini Glue Dot.  I tied a tiny little bow with Linen Thread and added it to the hat and stem of the leaf with the Fine Tip Glue Pen.  

Have you wondered what else you could do with the Gnome for the Holidays Stamp Set in the Stampin' Up! August-December Mini Catalog?  On my blog today I turn this cute little Christmas Set into a Fall Card.  Visit my post to learn how!

I finished off my card by stamping the sentiment in Cajun Craze Ink at the bottom of the panel.  I used my Stamparatus to get the perfect impression and placement just right.  I then added a few of the Sequins for Everything to the card front to add a little sparkle.  Thanks for dropping by today If you need any of the supplies to create this card or other cards you can pick them up in my online store.  All the supplies that I used today are listed in the Stampin' Up! Shopping List below.  

Happy Stampin' 
Rick Adkins 


Host Code Closes on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 

Use the Host Code on any order of $35 (before taxes & shipping) and get the make and takes for my Three Halloween Treat Holders Projects that I did on my Facebook Live on Wednesday as a free gift from me.   Offer ends Tuesday September 8, 2020.  If your order is $150 or more, please do not use the host code.  You will forfeit your Stampin' Rewards if you do; and I want you to get those rewards.  



If you place any size order with me during the month of September, you will receive the September Creative Stampers Tutorial Bundle from me as a little thank you.  This month's tutorial bundle is a Mega Tutorial Bundle featuring projects for both Fall & Halloween.  There are 20 tutorials featured this month.    The Creative Stampers Tutorial Bundle can either be earned for FREE with any size order or Can be purchased for $22 from me.


I am very close to earning the 2021 Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Maui and your orders can help me get there.  I am running a few special promotions until the end of September to not only help me earn this trip but to help you save a little cash as well.   

With each $1000 I earn I will be cutting off a chain from my Maui or Bust Countdown Chain. 




Deadline to sign up for my Online Fall Retreat is October 3, 2020!  You still have time to join in on all the holiday fun.  Click here to learn more about my Online Fall Retreat.  Click here to register.  


It's a great time to join my team of Kinsmon Crafters and take advantage of the always great Starter Kit Deal!  The Starter Kit is always at a 20% discount.  Join today!  

Stampin' Up! Shopping List: 



Monday, September 28, 2020

How To Create a Sunset Card Background - Sending Sunshine Stampin Set Stampin' Up!

 Have you ever wondered how they create certain cards in the Stampin' Up! Catalog or just in general How they do that?  Well, I am going to share with you today how to create a sunset card background and I am going to show you how they made the Sending Sunshine card in the 2020 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog.  

I am here to answer your questions on how the Stampin' Up! Concept Artists and card makers create certain things in the Catalogs and on the internet.  Like today's card for example I am going to teach you how to create a sunset card bround that you can use on your cards the easy way.  I used the card from the Stampin' Up! 2020 Annual Catalog on page 111 that uses the Sending Sunshine Stamp Set as my inspiration today.  

How to Create a Sunset Card Background using the Stampin' Up! Sending Sunshine Stamp Set and ink Blending.  In this post I will show you how to create the perfect sunset ink blended background for your card making needs!

Tips & Tricks: 

In my post today I am going to share with you how to create the perfect little sunset background that you can recreate on your own projects.  I am going to give you some tips and tricks to make the process easy and so that you can recreate the perfect little sunset to share with others.  This process starts with as always in card making a cute stamp set.  Today, I am using the Sending Sunshine Stamp Set that can be found on page 111 of the Stampin' Up! 2020-2021 Annual Catalog.  

Learn how to create the perfect sunset card background for your card making needs.  Rick Adkins Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

To start off you are going to need a few supplies for this process; you will need the following supplies to recreate this card.  
  • Sending Sunshine Stamp Set
  • Stamparatus
  • Sponge Brayer
  • Ink (I used Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, and Terracotta Tile Inks) 
  • Cardstock (Pretty Peacock, Whisper White, and Vellum Cardstock) 
The Sponge Brayer is the key to create this soft warm sunset that you see on my card today.  It applies the right amount of ink to the surface of the Whisper White cardstock.  But I will tell you that you have to watch the amount of pressure you put down.  If you press to hard on the Sponge Brayer you will get ink marks on your project that are impossible to blend out.  So REMEMBER SUPER SOFT TOUCH as you're ink blending the background.  

Learn how to create the perfect sunset card background for your card making needs.  Rick Adkins Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

I started out by stamping the ocean and branch in Tuxedo Black Ink onto my Whisper White Cardstock.  I used my Stamparatus to get the best stamped image.  You don't have to use the Stamparatus but I thought it would be helpful to use and stamp both images at the same time and just in case my images where not black enough I could double stamp them since the magnets held my cardstock in place and there was no shifting of the paper.  

Learn how to create the perfect sunset card background for your card making needs.  Rick Adkins Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Next I started with the lightest of the three colors (Daffodil Delight) and started where I wanted the darkest part of that color to be.  I brayered the ink in one direction and just came back adding more layers of the same color and blended it down the cardstock into and over the dried black ink.  You will totally understand more as you watch the video tutorial below.  I then moved on to the next color which was Calypso Coral and started that where I wanted the darkest concentration on ink to be and blended the ink downward into the Daffodil Delight.  I repeated the process with the Terracotta Tile Ink, which is a darker shade of the Calypso Coral, until I had the background filled with color.  

Video Tutorial: 


If you are viewing this post by email you may have to click here to view the video.  Not all mail servers will show the embedded video.  


Learn how to create the perfect sunset card background for your card making needs.  Rick Adkins Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Thanks for dropping by today I hope that this will help you to create the perfect ink blended Sunset that you have been longing to create.  If you need any of the supplies that you have seen today you can pick them up in my Online Store from the Shopping List below by clicking on the items.  

Happy Stampin' 
Rick Adkins 


Host Code Closes on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 

Use the Host Code on any order of $35 (before taxes & shipping) and get the make and takes for my Three Halloween Treat Holders Projects that I did on my Facebook Live on Wednesday as a free gift from me.   Offer ends Tuesday September 8, 2020.  If your order is $150 or more, please do not use the host code.  You will forfeit your Stampin' Rewards if you do; and I want you to get those rewards.  



If you place any size order with me during the month of September, you will receive the September Creative Stampers Tutorial Bundle from me as a little thank you.  This month's tutorial bundle is a Mega Tutorial Bundle featuring projects for both Fall & Halloween.  There are 20 tutorials featured this month.    The Creative Stampers Tutorial Bundle can either be earned for FREE with any size order or Can be purchased for $22 from me.


I am very close to earning the 2021 Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Maui and your orders can help me get there.  I am running a few special promotions until the end of September to not only help me earn this trip but to help you save a little cash as well.   

With each $1000 I earn I will be cutting off a chain from my Maui or Bust Countdown Chain. 




Deadline to sign up for my Online Fall Retreat is October 3, 2020!  You still have time to join in on all the holiday fun.  Click here to learn more about my Online Fall Retreat.  Click here to register.  


It's a great time to join my team of Kinsmon Crafters and take advantage of the always great Starter Kit Deal!  The Starter Kit is always at a 20% discount.  Join today!  

Stampin' Up! Shopping List: 


Wednesday, September 23, 2020

24 Hour Stamp Sale Starts Today!

 Hello and welcome to my blog; I just wanted to make you away of the 24 hour Stamp Sale that has kicked off today!  


Stock up on stamp sets at a stellar price! For one day only, you can purchase select cling and photopolymer stamp sets at a 15% discount. This short, stamp-tacular sale only happens once a year—you won’t want to miss out on these super savings!  

You will want to act fast because of the short time frame of this sale!  

For 24 hours only - 23 September—from 12:00 AM to 11:59 PM (MT) online

THE HOTTEST STAMP SALE OF THE YEAR!: 



Shop Now!

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