We all need a little encouragement...

Hello! And thank you for joining us for the next round of Let's Get Hopping! You've likely just hopped over from my dear friend Tracy Bish. It's hard to believe, but it has been almost a year since I've been able to hop with these ladies. Who am I kidding? It's been almost a year since I've actually been able to blog! I have missed these ladies more this time than my last absence. What's amazing about this creative group is they understand and let me "hop" in after some time away. This is what everyone needs... a little bit of understanding and encouragement. 

I absolutely love this sentiment! Let hope be your anchor through the storms of life. It seems we are going through a storm right now, but I'm holding out hope that our modified normal will go back to... well, our real normal.

Our theme for this month's hop is Sharing Positivity and Uplifting Thoughts, which is quite appropriate for what's going on in the world today.  It certainly is a treasure when you have a friend (or more) who know just when you need a little pick-me-up. I have a few who have sent me cards over the past month since my company has temporarily closed and I have been furloughed (I may blog about that later this week).

My friends really are the best... not only do they send cards, but they loan me stamp sets when I don't have what I need... like my close friend Pam who loaned me the Sailing Home bundle so I could create my card for this hop! It's been on my wish list but it's now going on my next order since I love it so much (and I have to give this one back LOL!).

This card is really easy to make, but it takes a little time to add stripes to the white bakers twine, tie knots, cut words, and die cut the lighthouse then "bump it up" with dimensionals. To create the beam of light, I just used a piece of paper to mask the rest of the card, then I sponged the background "sky" to create a "fog" effect.

I'm looking forward to next month's hop... and yes, I am committed to it! I'm furloughed from work so I'll have more time for stamping!!

I hope you enjoyed my card. I appreciate you hopping by, but now it's time to hop on over to the next blog. Click the arrow below and see what the sweet Mikaela Titheridge has created!

Happy hopping!

If you want to recreate this card, these are the items I used. For your convenience, clicking on a picture takes you to my online store.

Sailing Home Bundle [151066] $50.25	High Seas 3D Embossing Folder [149577] $10.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100730] $9.75	Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100867] $8.75	Basic Gray 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [121044] $8.75	Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad [149165] $7.50
Seaside Spray Classic Stampin’ Pad [150085] $7.50	Night Of Navy Stampin' Blends Markers Combo Pack [144040] $9.00	Pineapple Punch Classic Stampin' Pad [147141] $7.50	Pineapple Punch Dark Stampin' Blends Marker [147030] $4.50	Whisper White Solid Baker's Twine [124262] $3.50	Stamping Sponges [141337] $4.00
Sponge Brayers [141714] $8.00	Snail Adhesive [104332] $7.00	Black Stampin' Dimensionals Combo Pack [150893] $6.00

Let's Get Hopping - Favorite Technique

You have just hopped over from the sweet and talented Nina McMillan. I always love her projects!!

In case you're starting here, the theme for this month's hop is My Favorite Technique. I have to say... my favorite technique has always been - and will always be heat embossing - it's the reason I fell in love with cardmaking. But... it's hard to show just how amazing it is to have a raised image on a piece of paper when looking at a picture on a computer (or phone), so I decided to go with my second favorite: watercoloring. Why is watercoloring my favorite? Because it is SO relaxing! You know me... I love quick and easy cards, but when I actually have time to sit down and do something "not so quick," I turn to watercoloring. In fact, I decided to take the time to make two cards using two different watercoloring techniques - just watercoloring and (new-to-me) no-line watercoloring.

What's the difference? Just look!

The above card is watercolored. I stamped the outline with Soft Suede and used ink and an aqua painter on shimmery white cardstock - which is nice and heavy and can withstand water saturation. The Designer Series Paper is from Garden Impressions. I think it adds such a nice touch behind the watercolored truck. Who knew such a beautiful paper could be used on a handsome card? (wink)

This card uses the same tools, colors, and technique... except you may notice the colors look a bit more muddled or muted. This is because the line disappears when it's watercolored - hence the name no-line watercoloring. To achieve this effect, just stamp off your outline image twice before stamping on your shimmery white cardstock.

Pretty cool, right? I love that they are SO different! And of course, I had to change each slightly and chose different ribbons for each card. I also decided to not have a greeting... it's not often I design a masculine card, so I wanted to be able to add a sentiment for a specific occasion - when it happens.

Which version do you like best? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Thanks for stopping by! Now hop on over to my creative friend Tracy Bish and see what she's created with her favorite technique.

Country Livin' Clear-Mount Stamp Set [141925] $15.00	Cajun Craze 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119684] $8.50	Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [119686] $8.50	Garden Impressions 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [146289] $11.00	Aqua Painters [103954] $17.00
Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad [147115] $7.50	Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad [147085] $7.50	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [147111] $7.50	Balmy Blue Classic Stampin' Pad [147105] $7.50	Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad [147087] $7.50
Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad [147118] $7.50	Basic Gray Classic Stampin' Pad [149165] $7.50	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [147116] $7.50	Copper Metallic Thread [141696] $3.50	1/4" Copper Trim [144179] $6.00
Stampin' Trimmer [126889] $30.00	SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332] $7.00	Paper Snips Scissors [103579] $10.00

Let's Get Hopping: Small Stamps

Welcome! You just arrived from Nina McMillan's blog... if not, be sure to hop on through so you don't miss it... you'll be glad you did! I'm honored to be a part of a blog hop with such talented artists!

This month's theme for the Let's Get Hopping Blog Hop is Small Stamps. Have you ever thought pretty cards need a large focal point to be interesting? I used to... and it certainly makes cardmaking easier, but small stamps can pack a big punch! Okay... pun intended, since the set I'm using has a coordinating punch.

I decided to do another sneak peek from the 2018 Occasions catalog (I seriously think this catalog may be one of my favorites). At November's OnStage (convention for Stampin' Up! demonstrators), we created this project using product from the Tutti Frutti suite. I'm not usually one who goes for "fruit" sets because I just don't know how to use them, but this bundle is adorable! Tiny fruit... you can't get much cuter than that!

What I like about the Fruit Basket stamp set is the tops and bottoms of the fruit are separate, which makes it super easy to have different colors and not have to break out the markers.

Another thing I like about this set is I get to break my stash of scraps. Even the smallest scraps get used to make strawberries and are perfect for the sweet sentiment.

Did you know Stampin' Up!'s archival ink stamps on plastic? It does take a while to dry (I don't recommend using a heat tool to speed up the drying process) so patience is a must. And did you know Stampin' Blends color on plastic?? It's hard to see the Pool Party color on the bowl, but it's there... I ended up using the dark Pool Party (instead of the light pictured below) because I wanted a subtle tint to the fruit bowl - but the light PP was too subtle. LOL!

Mini dimensionals are perfect for mini fruit! My tip... put the dimensional under the stem, then use a glue dot on the bottom of the strawberry - it gives the illusion that the strawberries are plump!

And now... the finished project!

What do you think? Sweet, huh? Looking at the list of supplies below, it seems I used so much to create the simple card, but truly... you could create this card with what you have at home and just add the Fruit Basket stamp set and Itty Bitty Fruit Punch Pack.

Now let's hop on over to Verity Biddlecombe and see what small stamps she's used!

Thanks for hopping by!

Fruit Basket Photopolymer Bundle [145977] $35.00	Fruit Basket Photopolymer Stamp Set [145833] $16.00	Itty Bitty Fruit Punch Pack [145657] $23.00	Tutti-Frutti 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [145606] $10.00	Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack [144177] $10.00
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272] $7.00	Window Sheets [142314] $5.00	Pool Party Dark Stampin' Blends Marker [144594] $4.50	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad [140931] $7.00	Emerald Envy Classic Stampin' Pad [141396] $6.50
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949] $6.50	Clear Block A [118487] $4.00	Clear Block H [118490] $8.50	Banner Triple Punch [138292] $23.00	Stampin' Trimmer [126889] $30.00
Paper Snips Scissors [103579] $10.00	Fast Fuse Adhesive [129026] $10.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108] $4.00	Glue Dots [103683] $5.25