Februrary Sneak Peeks Begin!

Good morning! Today I am previewing a Clear Dollar Stamp Set called "Zoo Critters" to be released on February 1st. This set is supercute and has many elements included: a Lion, a Toucan, a Panda, and Penguins! I love this Walrus - I just had to get him all inky! When I first saw him I knew exactly what I wanted to do! I love that when that happens! Using Copic coloring and blending, I was able to bring him to life and had so much fun creating this card with "Zoo Critters!" Before I forget, I want to thank my friend, Vicky Yeasley for the very cute red little heart-shaped brads that I used on this card. Below, you'll see another card that I created with this set, using the Toucan. I know that you'll just want to get your ink on these stamps! Ordering and pricing details may be found HERE. Be sure to see my team members' blogs, Monique Hawrelluck, Alysabeth Johnston, Stacy Morgan, Kim Teasdale, Tori Wild and Laurie Wilson for some other samples to view using "Zoo Critters".

Stamp Sets Used: Clear Dollar Stamps "Zoo Critters", "Critter Messages", "Winter Eskimo", "Pretty Little Scriptures" & "Monkey Madness" Stamp Sets
Cardstock & Papers: Strathmore Watercolor Paper, Colormates Light Berry and Dark Pretty in Pink Cardstocks, Paper Trey White Cardstock
Inkpads: Stampin' Up! Rose Romance & Real Red Inks, Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
Markers: Copic Sketch Markers - RV11, C1, C3, C5, W1, W3, W5, Signo Red & White Gel Pens
Accessories: Nestabilities Regular Round Die & Scalloped Round Die, Cuttlebug,Heart #1 Dies, Stampin' Up! Mat Pack, Piercing Tool, Stampin' Up! Small & Large Oval Punches, Fiskars Heart Border Punch, Derwent Watercolor Pencils, Watercolor Brush, Karen Foster Click-It Hole Punch Set, Tsukineko Sponge Daubers, Martha Stewart Ribbon, Adhesives, Sewing Machine, Thread, Dimensionals, JoAnn's Heart Brad.
Coloring Medium: Copic Coloring
Special Techniques: Basic Stamping, Dry Embossing, Machine Stitching, Paper Piercing

INSTRUCTIONS:
A 4,25 "x 11" card base was cut from Paper Trey White Cardstock and set aside. Using Strathmore Watercolor Paper, I cut a piece to size: 4.25" wide x 5.5" high. Using various Stampin' Up! Ink colors (listed above), I created a handmade designer paper background using the fish from the Clear Dollar Stamps "Winter Eskimo" set, the heart from the Clear Dollar Stamps "Monkey Madness" set, as well as the other heart from the "Pretty Little Scriptures" set. I colored the fish and some hearts randomly with Derwent Watercolor Pencils and blending with a Watercolor Brush.

The red heart-shaped bordered bottom panel was cut from Colormates Light Berry Red Cardstock to approximately 4.25" wide x 1-5/8" high. Using Fiskars Heart Border Punch, I created the scalloped heart border. I paper pierced a double row on the bottom of the red panel (but later, regretted that I did it, since it would interfere with my plans to machine stitch around the card...learn from my mistakes! LOL). I cut a matching piece of white cardstock to lay behind the heart scallops so that the watercolor, stamped image wouldn't show through the heart scallops. I had to trace carefully around the punched heart-scalloped edge to align the top of the border. The white panel was glued to the back of the red panel and set aside.

The main image was stamped onto Paper Trey White Cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink, and colored and blended with Copic Sketch Markers. The stamped image was then cut out using Nestabilities Regular Round Die, and lightly sponged around the image using Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink Ink and then more heavily on just the tip of the edge, using Stampin' Up! Real Red Ink. I paper pierced by hand around the stamped image circle edge and then, using a Signo Red Gel Pen, doodled "x's" three-quarters of the way around the same area. A red mat was cut from Nestabilities Scalloped Round Dies to frame the stamped image, and using a Signo White Gel Pen, I dot-doodled on each red scallop edge for interest. The two circular mats were glued together. The sentiment is from Clear Dollar Stamps' "Critter Messages" stamp set, and was stamped onto Paper Trey White Cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and punched out using Stampin' Up! Small Oval Punch. I made a larger oval mat out of Colormates Dark Pretty in Pink Cardstock, cutting it with the Stampin' Up! Large Oval Punch and then paper piercing by hand around the larger oval. The two ovals were then glued together, and a heart-shaped JoAnn's decorative brad was added to the sentiment oval for fun.

After gluing the bottom red heart-scalloped border panel to the handstamped card background, and using my Janome Hello Kitty Sewing Machine ; ) I machine stitched around all 4 sides of the card. The scalloped, matted stamped image was then popped up on American Crafts Dimensionals, adding the matted oval sentiment along with another American Craft Dimensional, to keep it even. A two-layer die-cut heart was made using the Cuttlebug and a Heart Die, out of two different Colormates Cardstock: Pretty in Pink and Light Berry Red and glued together over the bottom red panel. A white We R Memory Keepers Jumbo Eyelet was secured to the bottom of the die cut two-layered heart and a pretty Martha Stewart Pink Ribbon was thread through the eyelet and around the back of the card and tied in front with a sweet bow. To finish the card, the card front was glued to the white cardstock base.