Gretchen Barron: Awash with Flowers and a New Weekend Sketch Challenge -- No Foolin'!

Happy Thursday and Happy April's Fools! it's a brand new month at Stampin' Up! and some special deals are ripe for the pickin' -- No Foolin'! It's called "Two-Step Into Spring". Have you used Stampin' Up's! Two-step stamps before? They are so much fun and give such wonderful results -- you will love them! During the month of April, you have an opportunity to purchase a brand-new Stamp Set called Awash with Flowers or earn it for FREE with a qualifying $350 workshop (ask me how). In addition, you can purchase some of our most popular two-step stamp sets at a 20% discount! WOW! How great is this! Click on the flyer on the left to view it larger and read all the details. Please contact me if you have questions or are interested in placing an order or scheduling a workshop (catalog parties count as workshops also so even if you don't live in my area, I can set you up with all you need to host a catalog party with your family, friends or co-workers).

In honor of this new Stampin' Up! promotion, both of my sample cards today for the Weekend Sketch Challenge use this great new set with two different and fun techniques.

I've designed a square sketch for you today which makes it really easy to use for a card or scrapbook layout. So great creative with this one, friends, and play along by leaving your name and the location of your project on the Mister Linky widget below. I can't wait to see what you create this week! Remember, you have until noon next Wednesday to submit your challenge projects. If you post them in a public online forum, please tag them with "IA123" so they can be identified in a search!

Look at this sketch -- isn't it fun! The possibilities are endless for this one and I hope you enjoy it as much as I am!

OKay, on to my projects. I've got two for you today ...

Here's my first card, using the Spreading Reinker Technique that has been so popular for the past several months. Since Awash with Flowers is a two-step set, if you use the outline images only, it works great for this technique that needs to flow through the open areas of a stamp. I stamped on Glossy White Cardstock using Versamark Ink and embossing with Clear Embossing Powder. Then I went wild with fun, bright, spring colors and my aqua painters and reinkers. Once the images were dry (overnight), I cut them out and applied them to this card with Stampin' Dimensionals!

Colors are Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Only Orange, Apricot Appeal. I used the Eyelet Border Punch, Scallop Oval Punch and Large Oval Punch. The Lilac layer is embossed with an Texturz Plate and the big Shot. And I used some of the fabulous 5/8" Organza Whisper White ribbon.

Okay, here's card Number 2 -- this time using the Black Magic Technique. Isn't this fun and dramatic.

For this technique, you need a solid image stamp so the two-step stamps are again perfect! I stamped the floral images on Basic Black Cardstock using White Craft Ink. I used my Heat Tool to set it just a bit and then colored over the images using Watercolor Wonder Crayons. If you enlarge the detail photo on the right, you can see that I used a lighter and darker shade for each flower. Then I blended them with a blender pen and burnished them lightly with a tissue just to make sure the color wouldn't come off. Such fun!

The colors are Basic Black, Summer Sun, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion, Only Orange, Green Galore and Whisper White. I used the Scallop Border Punch, Scallop Circle Punch and the 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle punches as well as a bit of 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon and a Rhinestone Brad. I also embossed the orange layer with the Big Shot and the Elegant Bouquet Impressions Folder. The sentiment is from Wow Flowers. And these are WOW flowers, aren't they?

Okay, now it's your turn! Remember, I'm waiting to see what you create with this sketch! I'll be watching!

Just a reminder that the Garden Giggles kits are available and ready to ship off to you! What a great way to usher in Spring! More information can be found HERE.