May 1 Release Blog Hop!

Hello friends!  Welcome to the May Release Blog Hop!  Here in the US, May flowers are in full bloom, and the earth is singing the praises of it's Creator! We hope you are too!

I am the first stop on the hop, but if you did not see the release, you might want to start at the ODBD Blog so you don't miss anything!  Here are the basic details of the hop:

• Hop will run from 8:00 am EDT May 1 to 8:00pm EDT May 2
• Winners will be announced May 3 on the ODBD Blog
• There will be THREE prizes:  a $20.00, $30.00, and $40.00 Gift Certificate toward stamps in the ODBD Store.  *Must be redeemed within the month of May!
• To qualify to win all you have to do is hop to each designer's blog, leave a comment, and return to the ODBD Blog to tell us you completed the hop, and if you had any difficulties along the way!  Easy Peasy!!!

Our hop this month focuses on two different themes.  I think you'll find lots of different possibilities with these two themes!  For my samples, I have decided to share one of each.  First, I created a special masculine "gift" card... a card that actually houses a little box that holds a fishing lure.  Depending on the requests I get I may do a tutorial for this card later on... but for now, here is my "gift card".

For this card, I used Waves on the Sea, Fishing, and Fishing Net Background, as well as the anchor image from a past release, Anchor.  I cut my image panel with the ODBD Custom Elegant Ovals Die, and matted with Spellbinders Labels 4 in black.  The image itself is colored with Copics.  I stamped the sentiment from the Fishing set,  and cut it with a Spellbinders Back to Basics Tag die.  I added some burlap, twine around the anchor, and I knotted some twine for the tag.  The tag is colored with Copics as well.

The card itself looks more like a book from outside, because there is a surprise inside.  I created a custom sized "box" to hold a fishing lure as a gift for my husband, who loves to fish. 

The inside of the card is stamped with the Fishing Net Background on River Rock, and then lightly spritzed around the edges with my Airgun, using a B91 Copic Marker.

Here are the stamps I used on this card:

My second sample is much more formal and uses the Cathedral Window Wood stamp, and the ODBD Custom Cathedral Window and Border Die.

 

 For this card, I wanted to create a wedding card, and I decided to try to create the feel of a wedding chapel.  I stamped the Cathedral Window Wood with VersaMark and heat embossed on vellum using a midieval metals embossing powder. (It is basically copper colored).  I lightly colored the back of the vellum with  blue and violet Copic Markers and my airgun, but it's hard to see the color in the photo.  I then cut the window with the Custom Cathedral Window and Border Die from both vanilla and Prism Antique Bronze card stock.  I used the bronze window pane cut to give a little shadow to my panes, and then adhered the vanilla window pane over top, offsetting just a little bit.  I adhered my window on to a vanilla base which I had cut with my new Spellbinders 5 x 7 Elegant Labels 4 die.  As you know, you can't get a top fold from standard card stock when working with this large a die, so I had to create a hinge by scoring the top fold, and cutting part of the design a second time.  I then matted my card front on that partial cut, and backed it with still another die cut.  This completely hides the hinge and allows a top fold card even when 12 x 12 card stock isn't long enough.  My sentiment is from a past release, All Occasion Sentiments, and it is cut with Spellbinders Fancy Tags 1. I added some Cheery Lynn mini Fanciful Flourishes and little flowers punched with a CarlCraft punch.  The greenery is punched with a Martha Stewart bough punch, and I added tiny pearls to the centers of the flowers. 

To add to the fun I stamped the Flourished Cross Samped by Mini on the back and signed it.  I'm so excited that ODBD is now offering these special little stamps!!!

Here are the ODBD products I used for this card:

 Just in case you missed my sneak peeks, here's a look at a couple that are posted just  below this one, if you want to scroll down for more info on them:

Thanks so much for stopping by!

From here, you will hop to the super talented Julie!

Blessings,