PINKFRESH STUDIO APRIL 2020 RELEASE HOP

Pinkfresh Studio is hopping for the April 2020 Release and thanks for stopping by way of Ivana’s place!

SEE THE ENTIRE PINKFRESH STUDIO APRIL 2020 RELEASE HERE.

This release has an awesome assortment from sentiment sets to florals, graphic backgrounds to versatile color block dies—I have some samples to share with a few of my favorites from this April collection!

Feat. Whole Lot Of Awesome Stamp Set | Color Block Diagonal Stripes Die

When you have a gorgeous range of colorful card stock to choose from, it’s pretty easy to make the perfect striped background with the Color Block Diagonal Stripes Background Die.

Feat. Whole Lot of Awesome Stamp Set

Whole Lot of Awesome has a lovely clean cursive style to it and the extra flourishes and accent images are wonderful way to accessorize the script for a full card front. I think it looks quite stunning just gold embossed!

Feat. Simply Sentiments Hello Stamp Set | Color Block Rainbow Die

I couldn’t resist meshing the sayings from the Simply Sentiments Hello set (there’s so many combos and possibilities with this set!) and the Color Block Rainbow Die—watercolored the stripes individually this time, instead of using colored card stock!

GIVEAWAYS:

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-Pinkfresh Studio will be giving away the full release on the Pinkfresh blog, their IG feed & YouTube channel.

-Each hopper will be giving away a $25 gift card on our blog post. The winners will be picked from the comments, so be sure to leave some love at every stop along the way to maximize your opportunities!

Winners will be pulled and posted on May 8, 2020 on their GIVEAWAY PAGE. You must check that page & claim your prize within 2 weeks.

Your next stop is Kay’s place!

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SHOPPING PROMO:

Pinkfresh Studio is offering free US or discounted international shipping on all orders $35+ from April 30th to May 7th. Please reference the graphic below ↓ - there are 2 codes based on location.

Enjoy the hop—so much gorgeous eye candy to purvey! (all the heart eyes)

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Disclosure: Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, which I can use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas.

MODIFYING A DIE CUT WORD

I love, loVE LOVE the Mondo OMG die—it is proving to be even more versatile than I imagined—YAY!!! (fist pump)

Flowers are usually the standby for my mama for her Mother’s Day card; she is an avid gardener (among her many other talents). But this year, I wanted to try something different and unexpected . . .

FYI: there’s a little “enbiggan” button on the video player, lower right corner; if you click on that, you can watch in full screen. Just sayin’ . . .

A short cut would have been to use patterned paper, but I didn’t have any in exactly the colors I was wanting, so I DIY’d it. Paper crafters gotta do what paper crafters gotta do, eh?! It turned out pretty slick, if I do say so m’self! (monkey clapping)

SIDEBAR/TIP???: I’ve noticed that Glossy Accents works pretty well for gluing little bitty things onto vellum card stock, meaning it holds well. Also, when I first got the needle nose applicator tip and installed it on the bottle, it clogged up within short order. Annoyed, I quit using that particular bottle for, like, a whole year +. (insert bulging eyeballs)

A few weeks ago, I had a brawny handy man (a.k.a. The Mister) use his brute strength to twist that applicator tip off the bottle (I have tendinitis and didn’t have the strength to grasp and twist it myself). I then plunged the whole tip thing into a bowl of almost-boiling hot water, and put something on top to weight it down and keep it submerged under the hot water for a while. This dissolved a lot of the clogged material, but not all of it. It did soften it, however, so I removed the needle nose from the main plastic housing (using some pliers) and then took a pin and essentially "pushed” the remaining clogged/dried material inside, out the end of the needle nose. This took a little patience and persistence, but eventually I got all of it out and have been able to use it once again without issue—I was surprised at how much had gotten stuck inside there (!). But, I may have to do the whole soaking thing every now and then to really keep it clear/unclogged.

What themes do you do typically gravitate towards for Mother’s Day cards?

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SUPPLIES:

• Mondo OMG by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Instant Photo Frames by Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies

• Oyster Gray 100 lb - 25pk, Essentials By Ellen Cardstock

• Solar White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Lollipop, 10 pk

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Candy Hearts, 10 pk

• Hero Hues Peony, Hero Arts Cardstock

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Sour Lemon, 10 pk

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Juicy Pear, 10 pk

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Easter Grass, 10 pk

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Robin's Egg, 10 pk

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Candy Necklace, 10 pk

• Gold, Crafter's Companion 6 X 3 Luxury Cardstock Pack

• 40 lb. Vellum - 25 pk, Bazzill

• X-Press It Tape Runner

• Chisel Tip, ZIG 2 Way Glue

• Glossy Accents, Ranger Accents

• 2 oz. (Pink), Ranger Fine Tip Applicators

• Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape, White

• Magnetic Cutting Mat & Ruler, Heidi Swapp Tools (my work surface)

• Tonic Comfort 8.5 Inch Guillotine Paper Trimmer by Tim Holtz

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools

Disclosure: Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, which I can use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas.

SPREAD JOY NOT GERMS BLOG HOP

We’re doin’ our part, staying home to stay safe and keep others safe and so that others on the front lines, my younger sister among them, can fight the good fight.

But, we CAN stay connected—a bunch (understatement) of us have joined together for a massive creative hop, designed to spread a lotta JOY, no germs. (wink)

Typically I reach for watercolors, colored pencils or alcohol markers to color in my images but this time I wanted to try ink blending over the top of some white embossed images. This is more of a “resist” effect/way of doing things.

In hindsight, I think I probably should have grabbed even smaller brushes, but I think it still turned out OK—smaller brushes just would have better enabled me to achieve the shading I was going for in specific areas. Note to self: Keep practicing. (wink)

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SPONSORS AND PRIZES!

THIRTY ONE companies are offering more than FIFTY prizes on this hop! Comment on the blogs on the hop to be entered. No minimum number of comments required, but the more blogs you comment on, the greater the chances of winning.

Deadline to enter is April 24 and winners will be announced on Monday, April 27 on the Catherine Pooler Designs and Hedgehog Hollow blogs. Please check there on that date to see if you won!

Full details and hop list are available here:

Catherine Pooler Blog

Hedgehog Hollow Blog

If you get lost along the way, please visit the Catherine Pooler or Hedgehog Hollow links above to see the full roster.

Thank you for commenting, and may the odds be ever in your favour! (wink)

Your next stop along the hop is Vicki Ditcher’s blog, All I Do is Stamp

Stay safe and healthy, folks

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SUPPLIES:

• Modern Succulents by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Modern Succulents by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Succulent Sentiments by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• High Five By Julie Ebersole, Essentials By Ellen Designer Dies

• Solar White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• Desert Storm - 25 pk, Neenah Environment Cardstock

• Ebony Black 100 lb - 25pk, Essentials By Ellen Cardstock

• VersaMark Ink Pad

• Stampendous Embossing Powder, Detail White, 0.76 oz.

• Grass Skirt, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Spruce, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Mandarin Spice, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), My Sweet Petunia

• Life Changing Blender Brush Set, Picket Fence Studios (LCB-full)

• Embossing Magic Bag, Inkadinkado

• Dual Speed Heat Tool, WOW

• Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape, White

• X-Press It Tape Runner

• String by the Spool - Natural Burlap, May Arts

• Craft Tweezers, EK Success

• Uni-ball Impact Gel Pen, White

• Magnetic Cutting Mat & Ruler, Heidi Swapp Tools (my work surface)

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools

Disclosure: Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, which I can use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas.

SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES

Two amazing women and small business owners, Jamie Gracz and Ellen Hutson, are supporting each other in a very unique way during this extremely challenging time and I wanted to share. Now through April 24th, you can save 20% using code ELLENHUTSON at Avery Elle.

I’ve also got a quick share of one of my favoritest (so not a word, but should be) Avery Elle Stamp Sets:

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Feat. Phonomenal Stamp Set | Phonomenal Die Set

I LOVE pho —and yes, it is one of my all time favorite meals and one of the best comfort foods evvvah! This set was illustrated by the talented Caryn Davies, of Glitter Me Silly. Caryn has a crazy good sense of humor—if you ever have the good fortune to meet her, she’ll make you laugh sooo soooooo hard!

All the images were stamped with Gina K’s Amalgam Jet Black Ink and colored in with Copic Markers. Used a mini score board to make the background—I wanted it to look like all the yummy goodies were raining down into the bowl. Mission accomplished! (fist pump)

This card is making me hungry—I could just swim in a good bowl of pho, I love it so muchly . . .

Hope this card sparked an idea or two for you!

Stay safe and stay healthy!

CREATE FOR YOURSELF

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Crafting, just for me—for the fun of it—is a rare and elusive event. Nowadays, working as a creative within the industry involves a hellalot more than just “making a card”. Truth.

But, when you get the chance to make, just for the sake of making, for yourself—without restriction or parameters, without a million other things and deadlines looming over you or interruptions . . . oh my, how refreshing that is for the creative soul and your inner well-being. Ask me how I know . . .

I filmed myself making the above card and gave myself permission to NOT spend an hour in the master bedroom closet and possibly 25 gazillion takes on a voice over (pollen + allergies have been driving me nuts)—just me making a card from start-to-finish, with some relaxing music. Uploaded to my IGTV channel so you can see it there or here. ↓

Thanks for stopping by and hangin’ with me for a few minutes out of your day.

Stay safe, stay healthy!

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SUPPLIES:

• Modern Succulents by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Modern Succulents by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Succulent Sentiments by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Solar White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• Watercolor Paper Pad 9x12, Canson XL

• VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne

• Clear Fine, Avery Elle Embossing Powder

• Gold, Hero Arts Embossing Powder

• Dual Speed Heat Tool, WOW

• Embossing Magic Bag, Inkadinkado

• Mini Media Mat, Waffle Flower Tools

• Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), My Sweet Petunia (pink)

• Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), My Sweet Petunia (black)

• 36 Color Set, Gansai Tambi - No.s 51, 54, & 59 on the plant leaves / 46 for the terra cotta pot/ 36 for deep magenta tips on the plants / and 20 for the black band around the tall plant pot

• Large Fine Point (23637), Pentel Arts Aquash Water Brush

• Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape, White

• 4mm Clear, Pretty Pink Posh Droplets

• 6mm Clear, Pretty Pink Posh Droplets

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior

Disclosure: Just so you know, this post contains affiliate links; if you see something you like, want or need, and purchase via my links, I receive a small commission, which I can use to buy coffee, which fuels my creativity and provides energy to make more card ideas.