This Little Piggy All Wired Up in the Mud

This little piggy is so adorable, 

standing with his feet in the mud and smiling up at you.

This was a fun card to make not only because of the images

but also from a construction and design stand point.

I wanted the sentiment layers to catch the eye but also blend in.
The black half-circle frame draws your eye to the word
but doesn't set it apart, it leads the eye down to the pig.

And the shape on the ends of the Classic Label Punch
matches the shape of the chicken wire fence stamp in the background.

The All Wired Up background stamp works with more than just chickens.
Although this farm girl is quick to point out
that a chicken wire fence will NOT contain a pig.

If you're going to fussy cut images like I did with this little piggy
and like I did with the birds from yesterday's post,
then be sure you have a really good pair of scissors. 

Check out this little piggy's nose and hooves. . . . eye-catching, right?
A little dab of glue from the Fine Tip Glue Pen gives the shine.

If you're a fan of pigs then be sure to
check out this other card with a flying pig!

This Little Piggy is a fun stamp set with 4 different pigs.
by the way, its also available in French

What's your shopping list look like?  Do you need any supplies?

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Shopping links are below  if you need supplies for this card or any other project. When placing an on-line order please use this Host Code Be sure you do NOT check "no contact" If you choose that option  I will not be able to see your name and address  but I will also not be able to send you a thank-you card.

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Thanks for stopping by the blog today - I hope this gives you some ideas for playing with your supplies.  And please leave a comment below  to let me know what you think of this technique. 

This Little Piggy Cling Stamp Set [151227] - $20.00	All Wired Up Cling Stamp [149262] - $16.00	Blushing Bride 8-1/2" X 11"  [131198] - $8.75	Paper Snips [103579] - $10.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" [100730] - $9.75	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" [121045] - $8.75
Fine-Tip Glue Pen [138309] - $7.00	1-1/2" Circle Punch [138299] - $16.00	Classic Label Punch [141491] - $18.00	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] - $5.00	Sahara Sand Ink Pad [147117] - $7.50	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708] - $6.00

Bird Ballad Designer Paper on Birch

Today's card features images from the Bird Ballad Designer Paper. 

There is very little stamping on this card, 

its just a fun way to use Designer Paper (DSP). 

Use a scissors to cut out one of the images from the paper and use it as your focal point.

The background however actually IS stamped. Its Stampin'UP!'s "Birch" Background stamp.

full product list and shopping links below

Here's a closeup showing detail of the birds on their branch

embellished with Burlap Ribbon and a Rhinestone in the flower

. . . because every card needs a little sparkle.

Are you headed to your craft closet to check out your designer papers?

The images in the Bird Ballad  paper pack worked well for this card.

Of course you can do something similar with lots of other papers.

I hope I've inspired you to check your supplies and find some time to play.

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Shopping links are below  if you need supplies for this card or any other project. When placing an on-line order please use this Host Code Be sure you do NOT check "no contact" If you choose that option  I will not be able to see your name and address  but I will also not be able to send you a thank-you card.

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Thanks for stopping by the blog today - I hope this gives you some ideas for playing with your supplies.  And please leave a comment below  to let me know what you think of this technique. 

	Birch  Background Stamp available in iether cling mount or wood mount Cling Stamp = [149256] - $16.00 Wood-Mount Stamp = [149259] - $20.00	Bird Ballad Designer Series Paper [149592] - $11.50	Paper Snips [103579] - $10.00
Petal Pink 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146985] - $8.75	5/8" (1.6 Cm) Burlap Ribbon [141487] - $7.00	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] - $5.00	Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad [147118] - $7.50

This Little Flying Piggy

Today's card is something totally fun . . . this little piggy is a flying pig! 

. . . bringing a bouquet of birthday balloons. 

What a great kids card!  Fun to give to a child  . . . and fun for children to make.

Do you craft with children?  If so this is pretty easy for kids to make.  The balloons are punched out and they get to color the pig.  The only challenging part for little hands might be when they have to cut out the pig with a scissors. 

One helpful tip, notice the strings for the balloon.  These are stamped (or you could hand draw them). Then the fussy cut pig is glued on top the stamped string image and you'll need to go back and draw the balloon strings over the one pig arm so it looks like the pig is holding all the strings.

When you layer the balloons it really adds dimension to the card. And mixing the colors of balloons and including some made with glimmer paper helps to make each balloon distinct.

Does this give you ideas for children's projects?  The pig stamp set is cute, the balloon punch I consider to be a "must have" in my craft room. Its a basic shape that is so versatile, not just for birthdays but for any celebration. And the punch actually has 2 different size balloons in the same punch.  Well worth the investment. A complete list of products used on this card is at the end of the post.

I hope you've been inspired to play. I'd love your feedback in the comments and I'm happy to answer any questions about this project or any others you have planned.

If you haven't browsed the Stampin'UP! store I encourage you to spend a little time there. This is a great company with wonderful product. I do receive commission on sales and I appreciate your business - thank-you. My commission is paid by the company, you pay nothing extra when purchasing product through me.

Because I do appreciate your business, you can earn extra rewards when you shop with me
Just be sure to use the Rewards Code for the month (found in the left pane of the blog) when you place your on-line order.

This Little Piggy Clear-Mount Stamp Set [143922] - $20.00 Wood-Mount Stamp Set [143919] - $28.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" CardStock [100730] - $9.75	Balmy Blue 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146982] - $8.50	Flirty Flamingo 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141416] - $8.50	Balloon Celebration Photopolymer Stamp Set [140675] - $26.00
Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [147278] - $9.00	Twine Baker's Whisper White [124262] - $3.00	Balloon Bouquet Punch [140609] - $18.00	Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker [100082] - $3.50	Silver Glimmer Paper [146960] - $5.00

Lily Pad Lake Color Combo Blog Hop

I am part of a group that does a monthly color challenge.  As a group we're given a trio of colors for our monthly project.  We then share all the projects with all our readers in a Color Combo Blog Hop.

This month's trio of Shaded Spruce, Pool Party and Flirty Flamingo conjured up all sorts of images involving flamingos and water. So it was a natural choice to use Lilypad Lake as my stamp set for the project. I love the simple beauty of the Lilypad Lake stamp set. The sun, bird, boats,  water lines and lilypad allow for some fun creative play stamping water scenes. 

2-Ways to color an image: Since this is a color combo challenge I thought I'd focus this project on different ways to color an image. (1) The flamingo is colored with markers and (2) the lily flowers and lily pad were stamped on colored paper and cut out with scissors. That gave a nice layering effect.

Did you notice the sparkle on the water? The Lilypad Lake stamp set does contain the ripple lines for water but I carried the imagery a little further. Those glistening water ripples are Dazzling Diamonds glitter adhered with liquid glue. Glitter is an easy way to add a visual suggestion of water for an image like this.

The set also has lots of sentiments to choose from, but none of them were exactly what I needed for this card. My solution was to ink only some of the words on the stamp.

The end result is a beautiful card with sparkle and a nice balance of color. The Lilypad Lake stamp set has lots of potential for creative play with water scenes. A complete list of products used on this project is at the end of the post.

Please take a few minutes to check the rest of the blogs in today's hop.  Next up is Tricia Butts.

Here's a complete list of all the blogs in today's hop. The hop goes live at 10am Central European Time.

1. Pia Gerhardt - (DE) 
2. Sandra Herzog - 
3. Silke Trapani (DE)
4. Nadine Hößrich (DE) 
5. Katie Johnson (USA) - YOU ARE HERE
6. Tricia Butts (U.S.A.) 
7. Sandra Roberts (UK)
8. Rene Guenther (DE)  
9. Sue McDonald (UK) 
10. Anastasia Radloff (US)
11. Birgit Heßdörfer (DE)
12. Tracy Marie Lewis - (US)
13. Janey Backer  (US)
14. Dorothee Felicitas Buhn 
15. Cheryl Taylor (UK) 

I hope I've inspired you to get creative with how you apply color . . .  markers on the paper, colored paper fussy cut, or inking only part of the stamp. I'd love to hear your comments on how you apply color to projects or what you think of these ideas. Thanks for stopping by.

If you haven't browsed the Stampin'UP! store I encourage you to spend a little time there. This is a great company with wonderful product. I do receive commission on sales and I appreciate your business - thank-you. My commission is paid by the company, you pay nothing extra when purchasing product through me.

Because I do appreciate your business, you can earn extra rewards when you shop with me

Just be sure to use the Rewards Code for the month (found in the left pane at the top of this blog) when you place your on-line order.

Lilypad Lake Clear-Mount Stamp Set [146496] - $22.00 Wood-Mount Stamp Set [146493] - $30.00	Shaded Spruce 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146981] - $8.50	Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [122924] - $8.50	Pool Party 3/8" Shimmer Ribbon [144152] - $7.00	Rhinestone Basic Jewels [144220] - $5.00
	Dark Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends Marker [147032] - $4.50	Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter [133751] - $5.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755] - $4.00