"Last Thursdays": Watercolored Best Thoughts

►►Select A FREE Gift With Your $50 Online Order!◄◄

Now thru June 29. Use Hostess Code R2RVR72Z. See Complete Details.

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Current Classes & Special Promotions!

5 Ways To Get A FREE Catalog—Request Yours Today
"Help Me Get On That Ship" Special—FREE gift with online order thru June 29.
Big BOGO Bash Event—Buy one retired item, get one NEW item FREE! June 28.
Starter Kit Promotion—Join & receive Two FREE Stamp Sets. June 2-30.
Super Stamping Saturday—Featuring Two Cool Card Kits! July 18.
SPECIAL: Weekly Deals—New specials announced every Tuesday!

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Hi Stamping Friends!

This week, I'll be furiously organizing and pricing for my Big BOGO Bash clearance event! You are not going to want to miss this! It's been awhile since I've had a big sale, so I have 100s of retired stamp sets, and a huge selection of Designer Series Papers, embellishments and tools! And, since you're earning FREE new items* for every clearance purchase—dollar-for-dollar—I'm essentially GIVING AWAY my retired items! You can't beat that deal!

If you're in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area, please come & bring a friend!

*Shipping & tax still applies for your catalog order.

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"Last Thursdays" Card Class—Thursday, June 25, 6:30pm

Early-Bird BOGO Shopping Starts at 5:30pm. RSVP by Wednesday, June 24, 2015, at 5pm

RSVP by Wednesday, February 25, 5pm

Create 4 cards using simple, Too Cool techniques, plus envelopes. This month, our cards will spotlight several brand new catalog items, including two of my favorite Host sets!

June's "Last Thursdays" Projects

Whole Lot of Love Thank You—Use markers to try out this sweet sentiment stamp set.
Happy Hello English Garden—Beautiful new papers combine with the greetings from the Tin of Cards set for a happy note card.
Watercolor Best Thoughts—Watercolor the gorgeous flower from the Best Thoughts Host set with Aqua Painters.
Birthday Blossoms Label—Soft flower images punched and layered on the new Lots of Labels die-cut.

Class Fee—$10 OR it's FREE with a minimum order* placed at the event!

Class-To-Go Kits Available—Supplies are pre-cut—just add stamping & adhesives, per Stampin' Up! policy. PDF instructions will be emailed. To-Go Kit Fee: $10, plus $5.75 for Priority Shipping. OR, get the kit for FREE when you place a minimum $50 order at my Online Store by June 24 at 5pm using this Hostess Code: R2RVR72Z

*Fine Print: Minimum $20 order for FREE local class; $50 minimum order for a FREE Class-To-Go Kit with FREE shipping on your kit. Order may not be combined with other workshop, class, special events, or incentive orders. US residents only.

Early-Bird BOGO Shopping—My "Last Thursdays" class officially starts at 6:30pm on June 25, but I'll be opening my doors up at 5:30pm for some early-bird shopping at my BOGO Clearance sale! You must attend the class to shop that night. RSVP by Wednesday, June 24.

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Let's take a look at one of my favorite cards from this week's "Last Thursdays" Class!

One of my favorite stamp sets from the new catalog is the exclusive Host set called Best Thoughts! You can select this set as part of your Stampin' Rewards when you host a private stamping class with me!

CASEd from Sarah Klass.

Background Basics—I started with a simple Perfect Plum card base.

Watercolor Focal Point—I stamped the gorgeous Best Thoughts blossom in Memento Black Ink onto Shimmery White card stock measuring 4" x 4-1/4". I love using this paper for watercoloring, because it has a pretty, glistening specks throughout, and it's smoother surface allows the colors to blend easier than traditional white card stock.

I used Aqua Painters and Refill Inks to do the coloring. I'm no watercolor artist, as any watercolor artist can see, but I did have fun playing with color! I like to start with the lightest colors first, then add in the darker colors to shade and define. Here, I started with Pink Pirouette, then added Perfect Plum and Elegant Eggplant to the flower centers. Look closely and you can still see the shimmer from the card stock through the colors!

I added Old Olive ink color to the stem.

Silly Me! I was having so much fun with the coloring and blending the purple petals, that I colored what where supposed to be the leaves at the bottom of the flower! Ooops! You might want to color your flower differently….just sayin'!

Sweet Sentiment—I added a Best Thoughts greeting along the bottom with Memento Black ink. I absolutely adore that font!

Finishing Touches—I'm still having an obsession with adding stripes to my cards, so this 1/4" pop of black-striped Typeset Designer Series Paper was the perfect touch! After matting the stamped layer onto a 4-1/4" square of Elegant Eggplant card stock, I wrapped some Silver Baker's Twine around it and popped it up on the card front with Dimensionals.

Two-Cool—For my second version, I tried to step up my watercoloring, but I'm not sure I like how it turned out.

Watercolor Woes—I started with Soft Sky over the flower tips, then added Wisteria Wonder for the flower centers. Then, I added some Perfect Plum to the flower centers, but I didn't like the results. I ended up adding more Wisteria Wonder until the colors started getting muddy. Not the look I was hoping for, but I still had fun experimenting!

Accent Shading—I gave this image a more vintage look by adding some shading around the flower in Sahara Sand ink. I like this look, but I definitely need some practice!

Come to class, put on your artist hat and try your hand at watercoloring! I know you'll love playing with the colors, too!

Complete Supplies List

Stamps—Best Thoughts Host set (clear, wood)
Ink—Memento Black Ink; Pink Pirouette & Elegant Eggplant (card #1), Soft Sky & Wisteria Wonder (card #2), Perfect Plum Classic Ink
Paper—Shimmery White Card Stock; Typeset DSP; Perfect Plum & Elegant Eggplant card stock
Accessories—Silver Baker's Twine
Tools—Aqua Painters, Dimensionals, SNAIL