Thinking of You :: Stephanie Washburn

Happy New Year's Eve!

 

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to move away from the holiday projects for a little while... haha! I had so much fun working on something that wasn't red and green!

 

It's always great to have cards like this one on hand to send out to friend- I like to keep a little basket with "thinking of you," "hello," "get well," and "missing you" cards in case I never need or want to send them out quickly!

 

I used the bold sentiment from Growth as the focal image of this card. I really love how the MSS background stamps easily dress up card elements, too! Check out how I used Funky Herringbone layered behind the sentiment panel to really draw attention to the sentiment. LOVE this background.

 

 

I'd love for you to stop by my blog

Sweet Steph Card Creations

for more information about this card!

 

Have a happy New Year, everyone! Be safe and have fun tonight! :)



Tutorial- Rock & Roll Stamping :: Stephanie Washburn

HI! Good morning!

 

Stephanie  here today with a quick little tutorial on how to get some more use use out of your solid stamps! Today I'm going to show you how to achieve a soft, gradient look by using the rock & roll technique!

 

Today I'm using the Two Step Butterfly stamp set and three blue pigment inks from A Muse Studio. These inks work beautifully to create a really soft look- if you want a more distinct color difference you can use dye inks for this technique! I wanted a soft pastel look for these butterflies so I chose pigment ink. Have fun with it and experiment to see what inks give you the look you want!  

I started by inking the solid butterfly image with my lightest of three colors - Sky A Muse Studio pigment ink.

 

Then, I added some of my middle color - Blueberry A Muse Studio pigment ink - by hovering my stamp right above the ink pad and gently rocking and rolling the stamp onto the ink. The ink is distributed more heavily towards the outer edges of the stamp leaving the center light blue.

 

I repeated this process with the darkest of the three colors - Navy A Muse Studio pigment ink - concentrating the darker colors along the outer edge of the butterfly wings.

 

You can see in the background that some of the lighter ink transferred to my darker ink pads. Not a huge concern at all- I simply rub the whole ink pad on a sheet of scrap paper when I'm finished and that layer of lighter ink comes right off!

 

After stamping a couple butterflies using the rock & roll technique, I added some of the outline butterfly stamp to create movement on my card. I think this panel makes it look like the butterflies are flying from the bottom left up to the top right.

 

I added a rock & roll butterfly (that I cut out with scissors) to the panel to add some dimension. I think it looks really cool- like the butterfly is taking flight off of the card!

 

 

Here's the finished card! I added a sentiment from Growth and some pearls on the top butterfly to pull it all together. I love the soft look of the butterflies!

 

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial!

August 2012 Reveal and WINNERS!

Hello friends! TODAY is THE day! 

I am honored, amazed, and undeniably EXCITED to share the new August Release with all of you! As you know, we have three designers jumping into an illustrating role here at MSS, and I am so thrilled with each new set they've designed.

Each of our new illustrators have done an incredible job focusing on what makes THEM unique and sharing those qualities in their designs. I truly feel each of them has showcased their personality in this first release. 

CHANGES you may notice

We've enhanced our packaging to include a small shadow where the back of the stamp is. We hope this will help envision our product even better from your side! Thank you to everyone who offers valuable feedback, we appreciate it SO SO much!!

We have some OTHER enhancements coming up this fall, so please do keep watching our blog and checking in on our Facebook page. We have amazing things in store for you guys, and with a small team, it just takes us a little bit longer. ♥ Thanks for being patient! 

EXPERIENCES translate to GROWTH

This summer has taught me SO much about myself, about our business, and about our industry. I will continue to use those experiences and the knowledge I've gained to provide the VERY BEST customer experience we can, and to provide the VERY BEST quality in a stamp that you'll find. Did I mention that we ONLY use photopolymer that's been made to withstand thousands of impressions? Now, we know you probably won't be stamping an image 1,000 times or more... but if you wanted to, you totally could. I look forward to sharing more about our product and what makes it as special as each of you are!

INTRODUCTIONS

I know you're ready to check out the new stuff, so let's get to the intros and the details! Each of the new releases are marked 15% off as an intro price through Sunday. All new releases will go back to their regular price after 8/19, so get them at this price while you can! 

My Thoughts Exactly

• Artist: Steph Washburn
• 8.5" x 5.5" set
• Retails: $19.50
• Intro Sale Price: $16.57 (valid thru 8/19/12)

Growth

• Artist: Steph Washburn
• 8.5" x 5.5" set
• Retails: $19.50
• Intro Sale Price: $16.57 (valid thru 8/19/12)

ABC Background

• Artist: Steph Washburn
• 5.5" x 4.25" background set
• Retails: $12.50
• Intro Sale Price: $10.62 (valid thru 8/19/12)

Teacher Notes

• Artist: Steph Washburn
• 5.5" x 5.5" set
• Retails: $15.00
• Intro Sale Price: $12.75 (valid thru 8/19/12)

Baby Basics

• Artist: Julie Day
• 5.5" x 5.5" set
• Retails: $15.00
• Intro Sale Price: $12.75 (valid thru 8/19/12)

Nuts about Nature

• Artist: Julie Day
• 8.5" x 5.5" set
• Retails: $19.60
• Intro Sale Price: $16.57 (valid thru 8/19/12)

Dreamcatcher

• Artist: Brenda Weaver
• 5.5" x 5.5" set
• Retails: $15.00
• Intro Sale Price: $12.75 (valid thru 8/19/12)

Hit the Mark

• Artist: Brenda Weaver
• 5.5" x 5.5" set
• Retails: $15.00
• Intro Sale Price: $12.75 (valid thru 8/19/12)

Great Big Greetings

• Artist: Angelica Suarez
• 5.5" x 5.5" set
• Retails: $15.00
• Intro Sale Price: $12.75 (valid thru 8/19/12)

Aren't they AWEsome!? Our Design Team did a FANTASTIC job of showcasing these sets this week, and if I could, I would give them all a great big hug because they really do amazing work and we're so grateful for them.

Speaking of AWESOME - thank you ALL for your Tweets, comments, entries, and all around GOOD VIBES surrounding this release. Our customers and friends are our biggest motivators and without you guys cheering us on, getting excited about our designs, we just wouldn't be able to do what we do. THANK YOU! It is our pleasure to do these giveaways with each release because of the incredible support we receive from you all EVERY DAY. 

WINNING ENTRIES

Our NINE lucky winners were randomly drawn from our Rafflecopter widgets and are listed BELOW:

1. Great Big Greetings - Sharon H.
2. Teacher Notes - Susan
3. ABC Background - Jean M.
4. Baby Basics - Jennifer
5. Growth - Amanda K.
6. Nuts about Nature - Felicia
7. Hit the Mark - Colleen D.
8. Dreamcatcher - Jen W.
9. My Thoughts Exactly - Vicki

On the list of winners? CONGRATS! We should have your email address and will be sending you an email within the next 12 hrs with further instructions to claim your prize (i.e. we just need to collect your address. ;)) 

Not on the list? Don't worry - our new releases are 15% off thru Sunday, 8/19! Snag 'em while you can! 

Not sure if that's you on the list? We will email you, so there is no confusion. If we have any unclaimed prizes, we will draw a new winner and announce on our blog next week!

Thanks so much for stopping by!! We'll see you back here soon! xo Angelica 

August Release :: Sneak Peeks :: Day 2

Hey Stampers!

Welcome back to DAY TWO of our August Release!

If you just happened upon today's post, don't miss DAY ONE here!

I am thrilled to share today's peeks from the ever-so-talented

JULIE DAY!

Julie brings her most fantastic CAS style to stamp design and I was so excited to see how effortlessly that translated from design to illustration. 

I can't wait to show you her incredibly versatile, packed sets, "Baby Basics" and "Nuts about Nature"!

We're also showcasing another set from Sweet Steph Designs - "Growth". 

This sets is elegant, serene, and simply Steph!

I can't wait to share what our team has for you today! Here's how our release weeks work (in case you're just joining us!) :

• We'll be sneak peeking August Release sets today and tomorrow (and yesterday, too)!
• Posts go live at 7 a.m. CDT.
• Releases will be available at 7 a.m. CDT on 8/16.
• You have chances to win each set! Be sure to check "Giveaway Details" on the bottom of each post for specific info on how to win!

Stephanie M
How incredibly sweet is this card by Stephanie?! I adore the primary colors and paper-pieced teddy bear from "Baby Basics".

Stephanie W 
Doesn't this look just like a painting? Absolutely gorgeous card created by Steph using "Growth".

Julie
Be still my heart! This "Welcome little one" card is beyond sweet! "Baby Basics" is truly the last baby set you will ever need!

Jinny
I love the way the cattails are embossed against a gorgeous sunset sponged by Jinny! This card designed with "Growth" would bring comfort to any recipient. 

Julie
Oh.my.goodness. What else can I say about this "Nuts about Nature" card except that I'm absolutely NUTS about this fun design! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ok guys, we're halfway through the giveaway week! Be sure to enter each day and let your friends know, too! We're super stoked to share all nine sets with you and they will be revealed bright & early Thursday morning! See you here tomorrow - same place, same time.