One Nation Under God

 

Hi Friends!

Today I am sharing a Mixed Media Patriotic card designed with the new Red, White & Blue Bundle along with the Old Glory Bundle and other dies/supplies (from Stamp Simply)!

I fell in love with the Old Glory Bundle when it was released last spring and absolutely love the new coordinating Red, White & Blue Bundle, don’t you?  

The flag image, block sentiment stamp plus all of the other sentiments are perfect for so many summer cards!

This week we are celebrating the new Red, White & Blue Bundle release by sharing patriotic cards on the Stamp Simply blog!  I hope you have had a chance to check out the fabulous inspiration from the rest of our Design Team!

I decided to create an easel card since I wanted to use the patriotic map of the USA as well as the flag images. 

As many of you know, I love to participate with online challenges and will be linking this card to the Double D “Signs of Summer” Challenge (I was inspired by the red, white and blue stripes in the little girl's bathing suit as well as the celebratory theme of the parade in the inspiration photo).  

I am also participating in the  Simon Says Wednesday “Red, White and/or Blue” Challenge  and the Word Art Wednesday #497-#498 “Anything Goes” Challenge.  

If you have not had a chance to visit the Stamp Simply blog or the other challenge sites yet, I encourage you to do so- wonderful inspiration from all!

To create this card:

Ink the block image from the Red, White & Blue stamp set with Tim Holtz™ Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink and stamp at the top and the bottom of a 3 ¾” x 5” piece of white cardstock and onto another piece of white cardstock approx. 3 ¾” x 2 ½”.

Once the ink has dried, apply Tim Holtz™ Picket Fence Distress Stain over the entire panel to tone down the color a bit.  Allow to dry and distress the edges of the panels with a distressing tool.

Use a blending brush with Tim Holtz™ Pumice Stone Distress Ink to “age” the panels, mount each onto white cardstock, trim, and mount again onto red cardstock, trim and finally mount onto navy cardstock.

Ink the block image from the Red, White & Blue stamp set with Versafine Onyx Black Ink and stamp onto another piece of 4 ¼” x 5 ½” white cardstock (stamp near the bottom of the panel).

Ink the US map image from the Old Glory stamp set with Versafine Onyx Black Ink and stamp onto the top of the same panel as the flag image (this way you can die-cut both from the same piece of cardstock).

Die cut both images using the coordinating dies and watercolor the images with watercolor pencils (I use Derwent™ and a few Stampin’ Up! – see in the list below).

Create the banner flags from the Echo Park America 6x6 Paper Pad using the smallest banner die from the Fishtail Sentiment Banners and once die cut, split the banner in half (FYI- I used the little strips that you normally cut off the top of the 6x6 paper when you remove it from the pad.  There is a hole in the center, and you can get two of the smallest dies cut into banners, resulting in four when you split them in half).

Gently apply Tim Holtz™ Pumice Stone Distress Ink to “age” the banners with a blending brush. 

Use a glue gun to adhere the banners to a string of knotted patriotic twine and mount on an angle to the large background panel (FYI- I used a glue gun to add a drop of glue to each end of the twine as well as a small amount under the twine in the center to adhere to the panel).

Using Versafine Onyx Black Ink, stamp the “One Nation Under God” and “Always Remember Freedom Isn’t Free” onto white cardstock, apply clear embossing powder and heat set with a heat tool.

Once the embossing has cooled, carefully color the “Nation” in red (I used a sharp red watercolor pencil).  Die cut the “One Nation Under God” sentiment with a medium banner die from the Fishtail Sentiment Banners, distress the paper with the pumice stone distress ink, distress the edges with a distressing tool (or the edge of scissors) and trim off the left-hand side to mount along the main background panel (under the banner).

Cut the “Always Remember Freedom Isn’t Free” sentiment in half, distress the edges and set aside.

Create the easel base from a piece of 4 ¼” x 11” piece of heavy white.  Score at 5 ½” and on one side at 2 ¾”.  Fold along the 5 ½” score line for a tent fold, the fold the 2 ¾” upward to create the base for the main panel. 

Once you have the easel base folded, I tend to trim a bit off the edges (approx. ⅛”).  This way when you mount your front panel and smaller piece at the bottom, the white cardstock will not show.   Please refer to this tutorial at Splitcoaststampers for more details and info on how to create an easel card base.

Adhere the main front panel to the small fold at the top of the easel (I use strong adhesive to adhere this panel).

Add the layered smaller panel at the bottom of the easel with dimensional foam (or chipboard).

Adhere the die cut US map image to the card front with dimensional foam and/or chipboard as well as the flag image at the bottom of the easel.

Adhere the “Always Remember Freedom Isn’t Free” sentiment layers with dimensional foam and/or chipboard onto the lower panel and finish off the card with a few silver rhinestones in the upper right-hand and lower left-hand corners of the flag panel.

Stamp Sets:   Red, White & Blue Bundle, Old Glory Bundle (Stamp Simply)

Ink/Mediums: Versafine Onyx Black Ink, Watercolor Pencils- Derwent® #19- Madder Carmine, #28= Delft Blue; Stampin’ Up! – Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Basic Black, Night of Navy; Tim Holtz™ Distress Ink- Chipped Sapphire, Pumice Stone, Picket Fence Distress Stain

Cardstock/Paper: White, Red, Navy; Echo Park America 6x6 Paper Pad

Accessories/Tools: Gemini, Jr., Stamp Simply Steel Dies- The Red, White & Blue Flag, Patriotic Stars & Stripes (Old Glory), Fishtail Sentiment Banners, May Arts Patriotic Twine, Distressing Tool, Blending Brush, Scoring Tool, Embossing Powder Tool, Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Silver Rhinestones

Also, don't forget that Stamp Simply still has the following special for June (also, a free shipping offer) :

Thanks again for taking the time to stop by and visit! I hope you are having a great summer so far and, for my US friends, as we approach Independence Day, I hope you are thankful for those in our armed forces (and their families) serving currently and in the past.  We know that “Freedom Isn’t Free”. May we always remain “One Nation Under God”.  

Hugs and God Bless, sweet friends!

God Bless America

Hi Friends!!

I hope all of you had a great 4th of July and I wanted to celebrate with a few more Clean and Simple (CAS) cards! This one was designed using the retired Stampin’ Up! a la carte stamp, God Bless America (circa 2001) and as much as I love this image, unfortunately, I have not inked up this stamp in years :-). 

I incorporated the Splitcoaststampers CAS436 “Show Your Patriotism” Challenge, the Simon Monday “Red, White and/or Blue” Challenge and the Less is More #335 “Colours of Your Country’s Flag” Challenge.

If you have not already had a chance to visit the above challenge sites, I hope you will do so- they all have fabulous Design Teams as well as inspiration in their galleries.

To create this card:

1). Using Stampin’ Write Night of Navy and Cherry Cobbler Markers, color directly onto the God Bless America stamp (omitting the sentiment) and stamp onto Whisper White cardstock.  Die cut the image with the MFT Stitched Square STAX die and mount onto Cherry Cobbler cardstock, trim close to the edge.

2). Using the Big Shot™, emboss a piece of Whisper White cardstock with the Cuttlebug™ 3D Stars Embossing Folder, trim and mount onto a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock, trim once more before mounting onto  piece of Night of Navy cardstock, then adhere to the Whisper White card base.

3). Clean off the God Bless America stamp, dry thoroughly and ink the sentiment only with the Night of Navy Stampin’ Write Marker, stamp onto a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock, trim and create the banner with the retired Hexagon Punch.  Mount onto a sliver of Cherry Cobbler cardstock, also creating the flag banner points with the Hexagon Punch.

4). Mount the flag image and sentiment with dimensional foam to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: God Bless America (retired Stampin’ Up! circa 2001)

Ink/Mediums: Stampin’ Write Markers- Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy

Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy

Accessories: Big Shot™, MFT™ Stitched Square STAX Dies, Cuttlebug™ 3D Stars Embossing Folder

Thanks again for taking the time to visit- I have one more quick and easy patriotic card to share, so I hope you will stop by again soon!  Hugs and have a great week, sweet friends!