Colors of Summer!

Hi all and happy Thursday! Today is the day for yet another fun-filled Impression Obsession Design Team Challenge and this one is about capturing the colors of summer..... right on your cards or creations!

For my creation today, I decided to pick up some of Impression Obsession's latest stamps. These images are much too fun and I think are PERFECT for teens and tweens!

This card was so incredibly fun to create because I just started by taking those graphical shapes, picking out ink colors and going to town! I started by stamping the Dot Border down one side of my card font in Versafine Black Onyx. From there, I reached for my Orange Vivid! ink and stamped the Grunge Circles. Above and below, I look some Vivid! Yellow ink and stamped using the stamp Splatter 2.  Add the Bike Silhouette over top using the Versafine Black Onyx ink and then, grab a scrap of white card stock for a strip of the Sketchy Chevron Border using red Vivid! ink. Trim it up, add a bow with some twine.... and to finish it all off? I stamped the sentiment "Amazing" in the lower right corner, matted this piece on a piece of black and then on the front of my bright yellow card stock card!

So there you have it! Nothing says summer like shades of red, orange and yellow! Reminds me of a hot summer day! Want to play along in our Colors of Summer Challenge? All you need to do is grab your IO Stamps or Dies and click HERE to find out about all the official rules. You have until next Wednesday, June 26th to enter! Just click on over to the IO blog and link up your creation!

Need some more summery inspiration? Be sure to hop on by and see what these fine ladies have in store!

Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

Thanks for stopping by! I'll see y'all back here real soon!

~Julie

Bloom where you're planted!

Hi all and happy Thursday! It's time for another fun-filled Impression Obsession challenge and this one is all about the beauty of flowers! So, grab those IO stamps and join us for the "Bloom where you are Planted" Challenge! You can read up on the challenge details HERE but know, if you play along, you have a chance at a $25 gift certificate to the Impression Obsession store!

On to my creation.....

I picked up an oldie but goodie stamp for my creation and used Twin Tulips. I thought this image from Alesa Baker was super sweet. I started to color the tulips and realized that the color was going to be a bit more vibrant than I expected! ;-) I used Copic markers and used RV21, RV23 and RV25 and then added a splash of color to the outer part of my vase with G0000 and then added a little flick of color with C00 and C01. The leaves were colored with YG21 and YG23. Add a little sparkle with some glitter glue and... that's pretty much it!

And, the sentiment is just called Bloom,   which I thought was perfect for the challenge! I stamped it on a panel of white and then ran it through my die cut machine with a chevron design -- so that the sentiment would be part of the embossed area. And, because the coloring was a bit bright, I decided to keep the colors low key for my card. I added a splash or pink and light blue and then green for my mat. Here's a peek at the sentiment....

And that, my friends is it! Add a bow, a button and a little bit of twine and you have a card that could be good for any occasion! Need a little more inspiration that you can watch blossom? Just head on over and see....

• IO Blog  
• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you decide to join us in the challenge -- find a flowery stamp and get those fingers inky! See you back here soon!

~Julie

You Stand Out!

Hi all and Happy Thursday! It's my turn over on the Impression Obsession blog to host DT Thursday and I have a fun creation to share. A while back Impression Obsession released a series of Zenspirations stamp sets and THIS one called What a Hoot is my fave! Just love those owls.... See?

I chose just one of those little owls and had an idea! My daughter's teacher is leaving her school after twenty-some years of teaching to pursue a dream of teaching abroad. She'll be leaving later this summer to teach English in Saudi Arabia. What a big change from the wild west! This teacher is an amazing woman and she will be seriously missed - such a tender heart and love for education! So, with her going away party in mind, I created this little number below...

So, to make this fun creation... I used THIS sentiment called In a Crowd as the "theme" for my creation! And then... the masking fun began!

I started by drawing a light pencil line across the bottom of my card. Then, I stamped the owl on a Post-it Note and cut him out to create a mask. Then, I stamped my main owl in the center and then, placing my mask over top, stamped the next two owls. I kept moving my mask until I had all five on the front of my card. I erased the line and then stamped the sentiment in the lower corner.

After all my owls were in place, I colored them up with Copic markers in shades of brown and then -- my "stand out" owl in pinks! See? If you look close, you can see I did add a wee bit of sparkle to the main owl thanks to a glitter pen.

I added a few matching ribbons, a button and... ta da!! Done! I hope my daughter's teacher likes it and gets a chuckle out of those cute little birds! We'll miss her big time!

Thanks for stopping by my place! Mark your calendar - the next IO DT challenge is coming your way a week from today and the theme is "Bloom Where You are Planted!" So grab those IO florals and get those fingers inky! You can read more about the upcoming challenge HERE!

Have a fun Thursday and I'll see you back here tomorrow!

~Julie

It's Up in the Air!

Hi all and happy Thursday! It's time for another Impression Obsession challenge and this one? It's up in the air! That's right -- all you need to do is use a stamp that represents something that is literally up in the air! Think butterflies, birds, airplanes..... you name it! So dig through those Impression Obsession stamps or dies and join us. You could win a $25 gift certificate to the Impression Obsession store!

On to my creation!

I have had this stamp for a while and only used it once (eek!) so when this challenge came up, I knew I could have some fun with this one! I paired the Fireflies stamp with a sentiment that I think is a perfect match! It's called You Light Up.  I started by stamping my image on white card stock and coloring up my fireflies with Copic Markers to match my decorative paper (My Mind's Eye). I stamped the top of the jar onto decorative paper so that I could paper piece that for some extra color. After I created my sentiment flag, I did add THIS die cut border called Border Duo 1 Die Set. And... don't forget the bling on those little bugs! See?

Add a die cut circle, a button with some baker's twine and that, my friends, is it! Need some extra inspiration for this Up In The Air challenge? Well, head on over and see these lovely ladies below!

• IO Blog 
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber  – You are Here!
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

You have until May 22nd at 10 PM EST to play! So click on over HERE for the official rules and to link up your creation when you're done! Get those fingers inky and I'll see you back here real soon! 

~Julie

I'm thankful for.......

Hi all and happy Thursday! Being the first Thursday of the month, it's time for the Impression Obsession  gals to usher in another DT challenge -- one where YOU can WIN! So.... stay tuned for more on that!! Today's challenge is one that can be interpreted any old way you like and here goes -- it's the "I'm Thankful For..." challenge.

So, without further ado, on to my creation!

You might look at this card and say... Oh, she's thankful for spring flowers! And, you'd be right. But, actually, there's more to this card than that! It was actually inspired by a couple designers in blog land. So, you can say I'm thankful for the coffee I brewed before I sat down at my computer to be inspired by all the art out in the blog-o-sphere! 

When I saw THIS card by Jill Foster, I gasped. It had been so long since I had used watercolors and so after seeing her beautiful daisies, I knew I needed to get out IO's Double Daisies Large and get to stamping. Keep in mind, I am no where near as talented as Jill is. Her water coloring skills are amazing. I know now where to find her however, and so... she might actually get me to "practice" thanks to her fabulous creations!!  I stamped the daisies using Versamark Black Onyx Ink and then went to town using watercolor markers, and a water brush to spread on the color. While my daisies didn't look anything like  hers, I did keep the orientation and color scheme somewhat like hers! 

Before I was done, I was influenced by another fabulous designer -- the one and only Dina Kowal -- I loved the way she colored and then embossed her main image in THIS card. After I embossed using a honey comb embossing folder, I did go back over some of the image to let the blue watercolor sink into the "holes"... see?  

Once I was done laying on the color, I decided to keep my card clean and simple! Wrap it with some yellow gingham ribbon, tie a bow, add a button, squeeze on some glitter glue and put it all on a white card stock card! And that, my friends is it! I'm thankful for flowers, coffee and ever so talented card makers!

Speaking of talented card makers, you should hop on over to these fine ladies to see what they whipped up in this "I'm Thankful For..." challenge!

Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett


And, if you play along, you should know that there is a $25 gift certificate on the line to the IO store! Just click HERE for all the official details!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll see you back here real soon! 

~Julie

Flowers for YOU!

Hi all and happy Thursday! Today, I have a bit of floral fun for you courtesy of Impression Obsession! The first and third Thursdays of the month, the design team ushers in a new challenge that could have you walking away with a $25 shopping spree to the IO store! So, this week's challenge? It's called Flowers for You! So, pick up those IO stamps, get them inky and let's see some flower power!

On to my creation....

Not too long ago, Impression Obsession released a darling clear set called Spring Medley and it's got four fun florals that are just begging to be colored! I picked the rose for my creation! 

 

I started by first cutting out my shape using the companion die called Flower Trio. After I cut my shape, I stamped my clear stamp with Tuxedo Black Memento Ink over top -- so easy with clear stamps! And then, I went to town coloring up my rose. I used these Copic Markers -- R00, R30, R0000, YG61, YG63 and G20. After I was done coloring, I added a sentiment using Versafine Smokey Gray, punched it using a 1" circle, add some gold cording and.. ta da!

The rest is just matting it all up! I mat it on THIS die cut frame. While the frame was still on my cut shape, I sponged on some Adirondack Peach Bellini ink. I also sponged some of the ink around my card base and the tag as well. Add some bling, a doily and then pop up the image with some foam tape and... voila! That, my friends, is it! 

If you want to play along in the challenge, just click HERE for all the official details! Do you need a little more floral inspiration? Just pay these fine designers a visit!

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

Hope your week is going well! It's been downright cold here in my neck of the woods, not feeling much like spring at all when snow flurries hit! UGH! Hopefully a little sunshine will hit this weekend in my neighborhood -- and YOURS! See you back here soon!

~Julie

Time to ..... Think Spring!

hi all! It's Thursday, which means the Impression Obsession gals are ushering in another fun-filled challenge and this one is all about --- "thinking Spring!" You can interpret that how ever you like! Outdoor fun? Flowers? Sunshine? It could be all of those things! If you want to know more about all the challenge rules, just click HERE!

On to my springtime creation!

When this stamp was released at CHA, I made THIS creation and I wanted to use this beautiful stamp again (it's called Poppy Bouquet). I had heard about Blue Poppies, but I don't think I've ever seen one in real life. Thanks to Google -- I saw inspiration like this....

I grabbed my Copic Markers and only used a handful of markers - B60, B63, B66, G43, G40 and G20. I did use RV00 and RV0000 to give a little bit of shading around my flowers. Add some decorative paper (Stampin' Up), May Arts wrinkled ribbon, a doily and some fun shapes courtesy Spellbinders (Grand Labels One and Labels One) and... ta da! Done!

Need a little more inspiration? Hop on over and see these fabulous IO gals!

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher

So, think spring, pick up some IO stamps and get those fingers inky -- did I mention that the winner gets a $25 gift certificate to the Impression Obsession store? What fun! You have until Wednesday, April 10th at 10PM EST to enter!

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back with some more creative fun tomorrow --- so see you back here then!

~Julie

All About The Dies Challenge!

Hi all! Well, the Impression Obsession Design team took a few days to show off some of the fun creativity you can have when you pair a little paper with some of the brand new dies from Impression Obsession. Hope you had fun seeing all the possibilities! If you want to take a peek at all that is in the store, just head HERE!

If you have some of IO's dies, well, today is FOR YOU! The DT is ushering in a challenge that is ALL About The Dies! If you play along, there is a $25 gift certificate on the line! Don't have any dies? Well, stay tuned, coming up later in this post, I will tell you how you can win some!

On to my creation! Oh goodness -- do these dies have a TON of potential!

Do you see which ones I am talking about? They look like this...

And, can create things like this.....

After you cut out the flowers, you take the end that does not have the circle on it and you roll the flower inward, making sure that the color you want to be your main color is in the center. Take a glue dot, place it on the circle end and that is secured at the bottom of the flower and holds it all together! Easy peasy! I used the Spiral Daisy and the Spiral Flowers and then paired them up with the Leaf Cluster and the Branch Die. I actually cut apart the branch die cut to serve as my larger leaves. See?

I added a sentiment -- This Day -- in black ink on a sponged die cut frame and... almost finished! I know you would never know it but this was really a quick card. I had rolled some of the flowers as I watched TV one night. So, that part was already done. Add some patterned paper, some washi tape, a bit of stitching and.. ta da! Done!

And that, my friends is it!  Now, for some more creative inspiration, hop on over and see the rest of the IO DT!

Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

How to Win!

• Start at the IO blog HERE and hop to visit and comment on each designer's post. 
• One lucky winner will be drawn from those comments by 10PM EST. Winner will get 3 die sets of their choice and will be announced the next day!
• You can also participate in the All About the Dies Challenge! Simply use all IO Dies or stamps - you have until Wednesday, March 27th at 10PM EST! Winner gets a $25 Gift Certificate for use in IO's on-line store. You'll have to link up your creation on the IO blog on March 21st using the linky widget!

Hope you had fun with the IO gals this week seeing all the fun things you can do with Impression Obsession's new dies! See you back here soon! 

 

~Julie

All About The Dies Day 2!

If you're just joining in on the fun -- today is DAY 2 of the All About The Dies blog hop with the designers of Impression Obsession! If you've never taken a peek at all the dies IO offers, my goodness! You need to! And, all you need to do is click  HERE to see!

So for the hop, all the designers had to do was pick up some of their favorite dies and.. CREATE! Stay tuned, later in my post I am going to tell you how to win some!

On to my creation!

Isn't this little Paper Cone adorable? It's a die! All you need to do is run it through your cutting machine and the lines are embossed letting you know exactly where to fold -- how fun! Pair it up with THIS stamp set and you have a quick and easy creation that's perfect for spring thank yous! There are even dies to match the Clear Spring Medley Stamp set HERE!

After I was done matting up my image and adding some bling and a bow, I did stamp the sentiment - Heartfelt Thanks -- and embellished with a tiny pearl! And for the bottom? I added a fancy border thanks to the Border Duo 1 Die Set.

Here's a close up of the cute flowers in the little Paper Cone!

And that, my friends is it!  Now, for some more creative inspiration, hop on over and see the rest of the IO DT!

Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

How to Win!

• Start at the IO blog HERE and hop to visit and comment on each designer's post today!
• One lucky winner will be drawn from those comments by 10PM EST each day. Winner will get 3 die sets of their choice and will be announced the next day!
• You can also participate in the All About the Dies Challenge! Simply use all IO Dies or stamps - you have until Wednesday, March 27th at 10PM EST! Winner gets a $25 Gift Certificate for use in IO's on-line store. You'll have to link up your creation on the IO blog on March 21st using the linky widget!

Thanks for stopping by my place today! I'll be back tomorrow with one final All About The Dies Day! So, be sure to stop back and say "hey!"

~Julie

All About the Dies... Day 1!

If you're a fan of Impression Obsession, you know IO has been up to some creative fun with so many new dies! If you want to take a peek at all that is in the store, just head HERE!

Today the design team is showing off a bit of what you can do with these new dies.For the next three days, in fact, you can get a ton of ideas with out All About The Dies Hop! You'll even have chances to win three dies of your choice... so stay tuned to find out how!

On to my creation!

 

I have no idea why but when I see a butterfly, I see orange! I guess to me, there are only monarch butterflies in the world! ;-) I knew though, when we had this hop, I had to make my first card with this beautiful die set called Fancy Butterfly. It's a two layer die -- one for the base and one for all that fabulous detail!   I also used THIS die called Circle Shaker Frame Die as my "frame" for my main image. I layered it up with a cut circle that I had embossed and then.... matted it all up with different scraps of decorative paper. The lacy bottom that you can see below is also a die called Border Duo 1 Die Set -- yes you get 2 dies for just $15! I love these border dies because you just run it through your machine and there is nothing to line up like you have to do on a punch -- so easy!

 

And, here's a close up of that pretty butterfly!!

 

And that, my friends is it!  Now, for some more creative inspiration, hop on over and see the rest of the IO DT!

Daniela Dobson
Dina Kowal
Jeanne Streiff
Jenny Gropp
Julie Koerber -- you are here!
Kittie Caracciolo
Laura Fulcher
Vicki Garrett

How to Win!

• Starting today through March 21, start at the IO blog HERE and hop to visit and comment on each designer's post. 
• One lucky winner will be drawn from those comments by 10PM EST each day. Winner will get 3 die sets of their choice and will be announced the next day!
• You can also participate in the All About the Dies Challenge! Simply use all IO Dies or stamps - you have until Wednesday, March 27th at 10PM EST! Winner gets a $25 Gift Certificate for use in IO's on-line store. You'll have to link up your creation on the IO blog on March 21st using the linky widget!

Thanks for stopping by my place today! I'll be back tomorrow with.... All About The Dies Day 2! See you then!

~Julie

What's Your Hobby?

Hi all! It's Thursday and it's time for another Impression Obsession challenge! So, grab your IO stamps and get ready to "show" us what your favorite hobby is! That's right, this challenge is called What's Your Hobby!

Stick around to find out a little bit more about the challenge. But first, my creation!

Ok, I will admit -- I don't have a ton of hobbies! LOL! I stamp. I quilt and I knit and I love planting flowers! Since I didn't have any knitting or quilting stamps, I decided to show my two other hobbies -- stamping and flowers! How's that for an easy way out! HA! I did take advantage, however, of using some of my newest IO stamps. I just love this flower called Wildflower -- it's a sweet stamp that could be colored like a coneflower or a daisy! I picked up my Copic markers and colored it up in shades of yellow and brown and highlighted around my flower with a little light blue. The sentiment, Blessed, is also a new one and I love those small sentiments that fit on little tags. That's my fave!

Here's a close up!

Add some die cuts, some fun decorative paper, a ribbon, dash of lace and a button and.. ta da! All done! And that, my friends, is it -- a card that shows off a couple of my favorite hobbies!

Would you like to see what some of the other designers consider their hobbies? Head on over and see....

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Kittie Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

And... if you want to know more about this fun-filled challenge, just click on over to the IO Blog HERE for the official rules! You have until February 27th at 10 PM EST to enter by linking your creation up to the Inlinkz widget and remember -- there's a $25 gift certificate that goes to the winner! Hope you join in the fun!

See you back here soon!

~Julie

Shades of Green!

Hi all and Happy Thursday! I am back with another Impression Obsession Challenge and this one will have you seeing green! Shades of Green is the challenge - so pick up those IO stamps and get those fingers inky! If you play along, you could win a $25 gift certificate to the IO store!

On to my creation!

I have to say, I don't use a ton of green when I create, so this was a bit of a stretch for me -- in a good way! Instead of making the majority of my card green, I decided to just make that my pop color. I stamped the Daisy Dress Form in black on white card stock (I used Memento Tuxedo Black). Then, I picked up my Copic markers in shades of green and used G40, G43, G46 and G20. After I was done coloring it up, I cut my image out with the Spellbinders Labels Fourteen Die and while the die was still on, I sponged some light green ink around my image. I matted it onto a green piece that I cut with one of the larger dies in the same set. After embossing, I sanded the edges to reveal the paper's white core. Add a little flower, a rhinestone, some soft green lace, a rhinestone button and -- almost done! You can see I matted up my image onto some black and ivory decorative paper that I grabbed from my stash. I also added this sentiment called A Sweet Note.

And, here's a close up of my main image.....

Want to see what the other IO ladies did for the Shades of Green Challenge? Hop on over and see...

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett
• Kittie Caracciolo 

Keep in mind, you have until February 13th at 10PM EST to enter. Just click HERE for more details! Thanks for stopping by everyone! I'll be back tomorrow with some more creative fun!

~Julie

Dogwoods in Bloom

Hi all! It's DT Thursday over on the Impression Obsession blog and I'm sharing a creation that is an oldie but goodie! It's one I made forever ago and never blogged. What was I thinking?

On to my creation....

 

I just love this trio of dogwood flowers called ---Dogwood 3 -- and I decided to make the flowers just a soft splash of color. After stamping, I did use the "Out of the Box" technique where you cut out portions of your image that would otherwise be cut off by the die and you pop those portions of the image above the die so that they are kept intact. (I hope that makes sense!). After cutting out my image, I colored the blooms up with Copic Markers. I used YG03, YG05, YG00, RV34, RV32, RV02, RV00, YG63, YG61 and R0000.

Here's a close up....

As you can see, I did stamp the flowers a second time on ivory card stock, cut it out and raised it up on my card. After that, it's just matting it all up! I added some light brown decorative card stock that I scored and sanded along the embossed lines. Add some ribbon and bling and... ta da! All done!

Thanks so much for joining me today! I'll be back tomorrow with some more fun from my stamp room, so be sure to stop by!

~Julie

Sweet Thoughts!

Hi all! Happy Thursday! I'm back today with more fun from Impression Obsession and today it is all about "Sweet Thoughts!" That's the focus of this week's challenge, so grab your IO stamps and get those creative juices flowing! You can find out more about this week's challenge by clicking HERE and heading over to the IO blog!

On to my creation!

 

When I first set eyes on this darling little fruit and veggie container, I knew that I wanted to stamp off some of those sweet strawberries to set inside! And, to add dimension, I stamped my container and then stamped over top using the Cover-A-Card background called Distressed Lines.  I stamped using Vivid! Taupe ink and then, while the ink was still drying, I went over the lines with a blender pen to add a little shading in places.I stamped the stamp Three Strawberries a handful of times, colored them up with watercolor pencils and then cut them out layering them behind my little berry basket. The rest is adding a sentiment on a strip of paper -- the stamp used is called You're a Sweetie. I made my circle card thanks to a large circle die cut and matted it up with smaller shapes and a little doily. Add a ribbon, a button and OF COURSE some glitter glue and... ta da! All done!

Here's a close up of my berries -- too cute!

One thing I forgot to mention is -- if you play along with us -- the randomly drawn winner gets a $25 shopping spree over at the Impression Obsession store! All you need to do is link up your creation over on the January 17th post there.

Need some inspiration? Hop on over and see these IO designers and their "sweet" creations!

• Daniela Dobson
• Dina Kowal
• Jeanne Streiff
• Jenny Gropp
• Julie Koerber--- you are here!
• Kitti Caracciolo
• Laura Fulcher
• Vicki Garrett

Thanks for stopping by! See you back here soon!

~Julie