TSG99- Stand Out From the Background

Since this is Release Week, our challenge for today is being issued by our fearless leader, Jessica! She wants us to create a ONE LAYER card that has images stamped in the same color as the card base (monotone) to create a background scene, and then stamp the main image onto a separate piece of cardstock. The main image must then be colored, cut out, and added to the monotone card base to complete the scene. Here’s an example Jessica made using the cute mini set Bee Happy-

To be eligible for the giveaway, you are to create a card that utilizes the idea of standing out from the background, and then come back to the TSG Blog to add your name and a link to your project in the InLinkz that is located at the bottom of this challenge post. This challenge is open until the winner has been announced on the following Monday (Mar 28th). The winner will get a $5 gift certificate to use in the TSG Web store!


By participating in this challenge, you may also find yourself in the Trendsetting Spotlight that shines on the TSG Blog every Thursday. We will be on the look out to find challenge cards that stand out and show Trendsetting qualities. TSG stamps are not required to participate in the challenges but are appreciated :)


You do not need to have a blog to be able to participate in the TSG Challenges! You can simply add the URL link from your project after it has been uploaded to your online craft gallery. If you upload your card to an online craft gallery, please use the keyword TSG99 so we can check out your beautiful work!


Need some inspiration to help you get started? Check out these great cards made by the following Trendsetters!
~ Christine
~ Holly
~ Iwona
~Corinna
~Ann
~Tobi
~ Kim

Winner from last week's TSG98 sketch by Danielle challenge: Tracey Brossart

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:13

Timestamp: 2011-03-20 21:29:35 UTC

Congrats Tracey! Email me to find out how to claim your prize :)

Week In Review (Mar. 13 - Mar. 19) & Card Give Away!

What is Week In Review (WIR)?- WIR is where we showcase cards made by the Trendsetters and myself throughout the week. Not only to you get to see gorgeous projects made using TSG stamps, but you also have a chance to WIN one of these cards! Leave a comment on this post and next WIR I will choose a winner using a random number generator. That person will then get to pick out their favorite card and the Trendsetter that created it will send it to them :)

Last Week's Winner for Mar. 7-12: Tanya
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:2
Timestamp: 2011-03-20 20:23:35 UTC

Congrats Tanya! Email me with your info and which card

you would like and it will be sent out to you right away :)

Jessie


Jessie


Iwona


Iwona


Iwona

Corinna

Tammy

Tammy

Jodi
Ann

Angela

Kim

Karen

Jessica

Jessica

Danielle

Danielle

Stampbook Saturday - Iwona

Hello, TSG fans! Iwona here, with a Stampbook Saturday post.

I was inspired by this card by Jodi:

I love its rich colour palette, with greens & yellows, backed up with a dark brown. I swapped brown for black, and came up with this:

I used several stamp sets here, including Sentimental Thank You (Grateful For You sentiment), Spread Your Wings (butterflies & sentiments)& Love Birds (bird cage).

I hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by ~
Iwona (Chupa)

Dollar Find Friday - Danielle

Join us tonight right here in the TSG forum for our Friday Night Chat. The chat will officially begin 7PM Pacific time (10PM Eastern) but feel free to stop in at any time during the day to say hello. Everyone is welcome and we love to meet new people!

Hello everyone!

It's Danielle again! I'm popping in with a Dollar Find Friday project using clothespins. I've been addicted to altering these simple little clips into something fun. They can be used to clip tags to gifts, hold placeholders and even as decorations for the Christmas tree. :)

You only need a few supplies:
1. Strips of designer paper - I cut 3/8" wide strips from Stella Rose designer paper.
2. Adhesive - I used Perfect Paper Adhesive and a foam brush to apply it.
3. Clothespins
4. Sanding block - optional



I used a foam brush to apply the Perfect Paper Adhesive to the clothespins and attached the paper. Once dry I trimmed the excess paper and sanded the edges (sanding is optional). I then used more of the PPA to coat the paper and seal it for durabiltiy. I have also used Best Glue Ever (yes - that really is its name!) to adhere the paper and that also works quite well and is less messy.

Once the paper is adhered to the clips all that is left is a little decorating. For today's clips I used the Cattitude stamp set and more of the Stella Rose designer paper. After stamping the cat in Memento Rich Cocoa I trimmed the image and adhered to the clip with foam dimensionals.

For a little extra pizazz I coated portions of the image with Glossy Accents and dusted with glitter. I also added some green rhinestones. Now they are all ready to hold some place cards or to be used on a treat bag. :)

Hope you have enjoyed the project and have a great day!

Trendsetting Spotlight on Candace!

Hey everyone!  It's time for the Trendsetting Spotlight! Each Thursday we feature a card made by someone who has participated in a previous week's TSG Challenge. Would you like to be in the Trendsetting Spotlight?? Join in the fun by participating in our weekly challenges posted every Monday!  (Danielle has provide us with an AWESOME sketch challenge this week.)

Today's Spotlight is shining on...Candice!!

Candace is a frequent player in our Monday challenges and I just love her style! 

Here's a little about Candace:

Hey y'all! I'm Candace. Most importantly, I'm a Christian. I'm a 20-something, very blessed Mississippi girl. I have an amazing family, and I'm engaged to Andrew. We are busy planning our April wedding and renovating our home-to-be. I teach 8th grade English. In my spare time, I love paper-crafting!   

Candace posted two entries For Jodi's "Get Krafty" challenge. :D 

I love the circle theme carried out on this anniversary card using the Loads of Fun stamp set. 

And look at the beauty of this card using the Garden of Friends. Candace channeled her inner "Julie Lacey" and got krafty!

 I love learning more about our fellow crafters so here are a few tidbits about Candace.

1. Favorite trendy embellishment - I'm not sure if it's "trendy" or not, but ribbon goes on just about every card I make. I practically hoard the stuff. I have tons of ribbon!

 

2. Favorite/Go to coloring medium - Copics! When I first started, I used watercolor pencils. I desperately wanted to try Copics, so I bought just a few at a time. Now, I've built up a decent collection of them. Love them!

 

3. How/when did you start stamping - I originally started out as a scrapbooker back in the summer of 2008 when I wanted to make an album to document the first year of my relationship with my boyfriend. After I finished that album, I found myself struggling as a scrapbooker. It was like there was way too much paper to fill up! I discovered card-making and began to try my hand at that, and my first card was made with a stamp from the dollar bin at Michael's and some paper I found at Big Lots. I had no idea there were all these amazing stamp companies out there! About a year later, in 2009, as I discovered more products, my stamping evolved, and I began to seriously start stamping. Since then, I have had the opportunity to serve on several design teams, meet many wonderful friends in the paper-crafting community, and share my love of this craft through my blog. I've also begun to try my hand at other crafts. I get such a joy out of creating something myself and also sharing those items with others. There's something so special about putting a smile on someone's face with something handmade!

 

4. My favorite type of challenge - My favorite type of challenge is definitely a sketch challenge. I love them because you can make any theme of card. I actually hardly ever make a card without starting with a sketch. They are a real creativity booster for me.

You can find Candace's work on her blog Candid Candace!

Wednesday Trends - Danielle

Hello everyone! It is Danielle here and I thought I would share some tips on using one of my favorite embellishments: Liquid Pearls from Ranger!

Before breaking out the Liquid Pearls I stamp and color. In this case I used the new Flying By stamp set and after stamping in Memento Tuxedo Black ink I colored Copic with markers. I added some ground/shadow using PrismaColor pencils and colored the butterfly body with a green Copic Spica pen.



For my first use of the Liquid Pearls I decided that a little painting was in order. You can create a pearly wash by mixing Liquid Pearls with a tiny amount of water... like a drop or two... don't use as much water as I show in this picture. Use less... a lot less. ;)



After mixing the Liquid Pearls and water apply to your image with a paint brush. Here you can see how I painted the wings of the butterfly.

Next up... is my second use of the pearls and the one I use a lot. As dots around a focal image. Here are a few tips that might help:

1. Make the first few dots on a scrap piece of paper until you have worked out any air bubbles in the bottle. Otherwise... SPLAT!!

2. I apply a half dozen to a dozen dots and then rotate the piece I'm working on. This way I'm apply the dots to the paper at the same angle and therefore they have a more uniform appearance when I am done.


3. Finally, if you smurf the pearls (fumble fingers) before they dry just scrape the bad ones off and redo. Paper snips can be useful for this or a thumbnail.

Once finished with your Liquid Pearls (and you have waited for them to dry) assemble your card. It might look something like this:

And a closeup so you can see the pretty shine once everything is dry.

Hope you found my tips helpful. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Trendsetter Tuesday-Danielle!

Hey everyone!  Today I have the privilege of introducing you to one of my favorite stampers...Danielle!

Danielle, a Senior Trendsetter, is a fabulous stamper and paper crafter.  Here are some very trendy goodies I spied on her blog, Fat Cat Stamper.

Danielle, beautifully layer up the dp and then random stamped the butterflies from Back In 10 stamp set on the pink cs layer.  It ties the butterflies from the the focal image to the rest of the card perfectly. Add a hand-rolled rose with just the right amount of glitter. Oh so adorable.  And look at how she ties her twine! I love, love, love it!

Next up is a yummy card!  Another trendy trademark of Danielle's is the use of Liquid Pearls and Glossy Accent.  Danielle told me last month about her obsession with "no naked edges"! This is a perfect example of how you can take a card up a notch: Liquid Pearls along the edges and Glossy Accent to shine up the candy in the bucket from the enormously popular Buckets of Love stamp set.

On this pretty card, Danielle shows how the accents of a card can really make a card "sing".  She used glossy accents and glitter on the dangling hearts from Love Birds.  Bling around the focal point and two tiny heart pins at the ribbon knot tie it all together. So pretty!

This week, Danielle has challenged us to use her "go to" sketch.  Hop on over to her blog, Fat Cat Stamper, to see the absolutely GORGEOUS card she created using her sketch and leave her some love!