Good Sunday to YOU! I hope that you are having a wonderful Holiday Weekend and here is your “stepped” up version for our 2 day fun that we have on the weekends. This is a card that I wish was in your hands because darn…the camera is just not giving it the love that it sooooo deserves!

I adored yesterdays card as it was sooooo clean and simple but it is that wonderful sentiment that just makes this card. I will say that today I let my “Inner Picasso” have fun and I thought that it was a fun “take” on the sentiment…

We ALL are truly artistic so don’t be afraid to shine!

This was super easy and super fun! If you are looking to change things up and have some FUN…than do this technique. All I did was take scrap piece of paper and cut our 2 circles from our nesting circle dies. If you have some punches, they would work great as well – I just had Mr. Big out for the other pieces.

I like to blend with Tim Holtz Blending tool, just a personal preference as the foam/sponge piece just velcro’s on the base. The link that I shared also has a pack of extra sponges…I like it this way because I put my used sponges in a small zip bag and label the color so I can easily grab and blend away.

I think the reason that I prefer the “tool” is the handle. I tend to be very “heavy handed” with color and I think that this blending tool allows me to have a more even pressure.

After I tap it into the ink, I tap it on my grid sheet and tap…tap…tap some of the ink off so that when I bring it over to the circle stencil there will not be a blob and harsh line. You can see that there appears to be some shading int he circles but there really is not – it was just the amount of ink I put down.

Work in a circular motion to give you the most natural results and also try many colors….you will love the blending of “new” colors when you play. I chose to stick with Pacific Point to keep the monochromatic look!

After I had the FUN of playing and blending with ink…I added the clear Wink of Stella over the pacific point Circles. It is super hard to see the beauty in the pictures but trust me, it is a perfect amount of subtle BLING without being too fussy.

The Wink of Stella Clear is a product that is a must have. It is a secret weapon to pull out to add that little “something-something” to a card.

If you have never watched this video…please watch it before you fool around with your Wink of Stella – once you follow the “how to’s” in getting your Pen primed….you are good to go! A great product for a little cost! It also comes in gold…but I rarely use that one, the clear does the trick for me!

I just think that this is a super FUN card! Just look at the layers and the textures. I added some “Droplets” to the card for a fun feel. I love these little accents and I do have them in colors as well but I tend to use the clear ones often.

Stampin’ Up! does not have these and you can pick them up at craft stores….here is link to Pretty Pink Posh – while you are there – check out this area where you can see how to help you store your BLING….do you remember I blogged about that on a Tuesday Tip last year? – It truly is a game changer! A container that you can GRAB and GO!

Here hopefully you can see the glimmer on the circles from the Wink of Stella Brush Pen. I thought that the droplets would be perfect as I knew that I had dimension on the card because of the layers and face it – there are times that a bit of bulk is WORTH IT!

Yesterday I received a card that was “extra in dimension” like this card would be to mail and even before I opened it up I knew that it was special….and trust me it was! I ask you….We take the time to create….we put our time and love into it – why not spend some extra on postage if you have bulk – the recipient will LOVE IT!

One more look with the fun envelope! I knew that this paper with the FUN polka dots would be a favorite for me. It would be super cute to make a background like I did here with the colors that are in the DSP. I hope that you can see that there are so many different ways that you can mix up techniques and come out with a fun card that is clean and simple!

You all are going to just go bonkers over the new ribbon in this catalog. Stampin’ Up! really….REALLY out did themselves and it was sooooo hard for me to “pick & choose” what to add to my Ribbon Share as I just could not include everything….but I think that the ones that I picked will be keepers for you! Look at the variety of colors that I chose…if you which to participate in a share, email me.

Hopefully your weekend is going great! Yesterday was a full day but a fun and rewarding day. After the strawberry fun we went to a Memorial Day celebration and I will say – I walked away feeling so blessed and proud. The speaker was amazing and truly was able to communicate how special this Holiday Weekend is and how we need to be proud and thankful for all of the men and women that have served our great country.

Thanks for popping in and taking a peek! I can’t wait to hear how you liked this weekend post. Sometimes it is fun to do something a bit different – isn’t that what all creative people do – they try new things to see if they like them….or if they don’t! I just love the fact that you can take simple products that we all have….(our stamp pads) and then use them with shapes and HAVE FUN!