Cat Tales and Paper Trails: January 2017

Welcome to The Ton Stamps' 2017 Anniversary Release Blog Hop!

I'm thrilled to have been invited to participate as a guest designer and help celebrate the second anniversary of The Ton Stamps! I've been a huge fan since I learned of The Ton, and Effie has definitely outdid herself with this release! The Ton has 26 amazing new stamps for their 2017 Anniversary Release which include three free gifts with qualifying purchases. For more information on The Ton’s inventive products, head over to The Ton’s blog. All new release products are available now!

Today I am showcasing just a few of the new sets. My first cards use a new 6" x 6" rubber cling background stamp called Fountain Terrace. This is an amazingly detailed stamp, and it's beautiful.

I stamped the Fountain Terrace stamp on watercolor paper and painted using my Dr. PH Martin watercolors, then added Daniel Smith Iridescent Copper watercolor to the fountain. I added the sentiment from Fresh Cut Poppies Outlines. I stamped and colored the take charge girl from Born Classy onto watercolor paper and fussy cut her carefully out. I decided she needed a stunning glittery dress, so I chose to cut one from Silver Adhesive Glitter Paper. (A tip for paper piecing with this glitter paper, is to cover your glitter paper with 3M Post-It tape. then stamp the image onto the Post-It tape. You can use the stamped lines as a cutting guide, then peel away the tape, leaving your glittery dress ink free.) I added a black frame, cut with the Double Stitched Squares dies and adhered everything to a card base.

I wanted to try a night scene with this stamp for this 5" x 7" card. I stamped in Versamark ink onto navy blue card stock and heat embossed in silver. Isn't it amazing how the details really stay crisp even when embossed? I used the Pyrotechnics set, to add some embossed fireworks in the sky. I then used Polychromos pencils to add a bit of shadow and reflection of the fireworks in the trees and water. The sentiment I chose to use is actually just a portion of a sentiment from Shoe Wardrobe 2nd Edition (Solid).

The Ton has some seriously amazing floral stamps in their collection, and this release adds Poppies to the line up. And I love them!

These two cards are created using the Thoughtful Poppies set. This card was stamped in Caviar Hybrid ink and colored with Copic markers. I heat heat embossed one of the thoughtful sentiments in gold.

When I think of poppies, I immediately think of reds and oranges. This time I did some no line coloring with Prismacolor pencils. I stamped my image using the pale Crystal Pewter dye ink onto Strathmore toned gray paper. I colored and burnished with a colorless blender pencil, then using my MISTI, stamped the sentiment in Caviar Hybrid ink, and again in Versamark so I could add clear embossing powder. I then used the Double Stitched Squares dies to cut both my panel and a mat, and used black fun foam to pop my focal panel up on a black card base.

The next cards use the Fresh Cut Poppies Outlines set. I love the versatility of these. I love to color. And almost always do. But this time I chose to paper piece the single bloom.

I stamped the flower onto a piece of pink cardstock and twice more on little miscellaneous scrap pieces of paper from my stash. (yes, I hoard pretty papers... and I save small leftover pieces - just for uses as this!) I fussy cut the various petals and adhered them to my pink flower. I also stamped the leaves and bud onto little leftover pieces of papers and card stock and fussy cut. For my card panel, I wet a piece of watercolor paper and added some green ink and let it move across the paper. Once dry, I trimmed the area I wanted, and stamped the sentiment and stems and bud in Caviar Hybrid ink. I carefully added just a bit of green to the stems with a Copic marker. I then spattered a light and a dark green watercolor droplets to the panel and let it dry before adhering my bloom, bud and leaves. And assembling my card with a green mat.

This card is my Wizard of Oz card. Remember when Dorothy and her friends had to cross the poppy fields? This sentiment from The New Pretty set were the perfect addition to make a red poppy encouragement card.

I stamped several of the poppies on watercolor paper and wet the paper then just dropped in vibrant red and orange watercolors and let them move and blend. When dry, I added some yellow to the center as well as purple, then cut out the blooms when dry. I used a sponge dauber to sponge in some Everglade Moss ink to a card base made with Bristol smooth paper. I added the sentiment also with Everglade Moss ink, and laid out where the flowers would fit. I then lightly added a marking with pencil of where the flowers would be with pencil, then stamped the stems with Caviar Hybrid ink, and used a Zig marker to add more green to the stems and buds. Then glued the flowers in place.

Thanks for visiting the hop today, please make your way through the hop participants' blogs and be sure to comment for a chance to win one of five gift certificates to The Ton's shop: One $75, two $50 and two $25 gift certificates will be given away to random commenters on all the hop participant blogs. To qualify, you must leave a comment on The Ton Blog Hop post. The comment period will close on Monday, January 16th at 11:59pm. Winners will be announced thereafter.

Here are today's Blog Hop Participants:

Emily Midgett

Laurel Beard

Eunji Jung

Chris Dayton - you are here

Vera Yates

Lisa Harrolle

LauraJane Head