Naturally Inspired Stamp of Approval

Hey folks!

I'm super duper excited to be a guest designer the Catherine Pooler Naturally Inspired Stamp of Approval blog hop today! If you don't know what this is, it's a collection of hand-picked, specially designed box of exclusive stamps, dies and accessories for a great price! Plus you get a PDF with loads of inspiration! Woot! Be sure to add your name to the WAITLIST so you get the first notice of the sales link when the collection is available for purchase!

Also, there will be a BLOG HOP PRIZE! One winner will be chosen at random from each day's comments and announced on June 9th on Catherine's blog. All you have to do is to tell me what Naturally Inspires you! The winners will win their box and if they already bought it, they will be issued a Gift Certificate worth $100 towards a future purchase.

So, for my first card today I used the Wild Garden Stamp Set from the Collection. These are solid stamps, but no worries peeps, we're doing some no-line coloring today!

To start, I trimmed down a panel of Neenah Bristol Vellum White Cardstock to 4.25" x 5.5". Using a T-Ruler and a pencil I lightly traced a rectangle on to the panel. Then, using using Post-It Labeling Tape, I taped off the bottom of the panel, up to the line.

Using Catherine Pool Garden Party Ink, I stamped each of my images from the Wild Garden Stamp Set on to the panel using second generation stamping and removed the tape.

For this card, I used Prismacolor Colored Pencils, and I chose a lighter more "springy" color palette. Watercolor would be groovy too! In fact, a lil FYI folks. You can watercolor with Catherine Pooler Inks!!

After I was done coloring, I attached the card panel to a Neenah White Cardstock card base. Then I added a lil bit of Clear Wink of Stella and called it a day!

For my next card, I went a different direction completely! First, I trimmed down a piece of Neenah White Cardstock to 3" x 9". Then using the Swirly image from the Birds of a Feather Stamp Set, I stamped the first image starting with Catherine Pooler Party Dress Ink. Next, I moved to the other end and stamped the same image with Catherine Pooler Flirty Fuchsia. I continued to go back and forth with each color until I reached the middle.

I also used the lil birds in the Birds of a Feather Set, but I stamped those guys in Catherine Pooler Midnight Ink. While I had the black ink out, I stamped a scrap of Neenah White Cardstock with another image that's in the same set. It only needed to be wide enough for the bottom edge of the card and long enough to fit the length of the card so it was really easy to line it up.

I also heat embossed a strip of cardstock with Wow Pearl Gold Embossing Powder to add a lil bling. Then, I decided it need some embellies so I added some crystal clear sequins as well.

I layered all of my pieces on a 4"x9" card base and called it a day. 

That's it. Easy peasy.

So, what keeps me Naturally Inspired? If we're talking crafty goodness? It is literally a completely organic process for me. I simply see a stamp (or stamps) and my brain starts to build on those shapes, very much like a puzzle. It's like I can hold a three dimensional view of it in my head. As I fit the pieces together the inspiration just keeps growing until I see the shape/s I want. Then I put it to paper, figure out how I want to add depth and color to it and voila I have a card! Outside my creative brain? Hands down. My Girls. My Squirrels are the greatest inspiration of ALL. From how they fill me up and drive me to go bigger and do better as a mom and a person. To how they drive me to the nuthouse and inspire to get creative in how I parent. THAT inspiration is all wrapped up in two very amazing and lovely people. 

I told my girls if they didn't want me to post something of them that was totally outrageous, they should get me a picture STAT. This is what I got. Bwahahaha! They were using their smarticles!

If the is your first stop on the hop folks, do be sure to start at the beginning by clicking on Catherine's name in the Blog Hop List below:

1. Catherine Pooler

2. Taheerah Atchia

3. Laurel Beard

4. Lydia Evans

5. Ingrid Blackburn

6.  Heather North

7. Cynde Whitlow - You're here!

As always, I hope you enjoyed my cards today and THANKS so much for stopping by to see me!

Until next time!

A hand picked collection of exclusive stamping supplies delivered right to your door!	Neenah Exact Index, 110 lb, 8.5 x 11 Inches, 250 Sheets, White, 94 Brightness	Neenah Bristol Vellum White	Party Dress Ink Pad and Refill
Rockin Red Ink Pad and Refill	Orange Twist Ink Pad and Refill	Tiara Ink Pad and Refill	Garden Party Ink Pad and Refill
Lime Rickey Ink Pad and Refill	Something Borrowed Ink Pad and Refill	Flirty Fuchsia Ink Pad and Refill	Midnight Ink Pad and Refill
Tsukineko Full-Size VersaMark Pigment Inkpad, Clear	Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils, 150-Count	Zig Clear Wink of Stella Brush Glitter Marker	Pearl Gold Sparkle Embossing Powder
Post-it® Labeling and Cover-Up Tape	Scotch 085 ATG Acid Free Advanced Tape Glider	Simon Says Stamp SMALL TEFLON BONE FOLDER Tool	Lawn Fawn 4 x 5 Inch Acrylic RECTANGLE Grip Block with Grid
Precision Heat Embossing Tool Gun Hero Arts	Fiskars 12 Inch SureCut Deluxe Craft Paper Trimmer

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