Love Live Local

Seashells and Sandy Feet – Cape Cod Resilience Fund

Posted on by Lynn Hill

Hi Everyone! Today is my last project for the Cape Cod Resilience Fund. It is a quick and simple post because I just wanted to wrap the week up. If you haven’t read any of my previous posts, the Cape Cod Resilience Fund was created to help small businesses on Cape Cod who are facing financial difficulties because of Covid-19. My friend, Jenn Shurkus, who lives on Cape Cod, created an exclusive set of photopolymer stamps to sell and raise money for the fund. Jenn is donating $10 to CCRF for each set sold and she has already sent out nearly 300 orders…Her donation is nearing the $1,000 mark with the orders she has received. To learn more about the Cape Cod area (15 quaint, small-town communities with beaches and fabulous ocean views) visit Jenn’s site here: https://shurk.us/CCRFj – Reading her post will make you want to visit the area!

Cape Cod Stamp Set ($20 – includes shipping)

Today’s card started out as a plain piece of white cardstock (Neenah Solar White). I used the the Brush Spatter Background stamp by My Favorite Things to create the sand with three colors of Distress Oxide Ink (old paper, gathered twigs, and vintage photo).

I then used a Taylored Expressions blending brush to give the sand a background color (Distress Oxide Ink – old paper, gathered twigs, and scattered straw). I made sure to leave the background very light at the water’s edge so that the sand could extend into the ocean water. I found footprints in Jenn’s stamp set and placed them on the card using Memento tuxedo black dye ink then colored them with a Copic marker (E35).

To create the water I again used a Taylored Expressions blending brush and various shades of blue Distress Oxide ink (tumbled glass, peacock feathers, salty ocean, and blueprint sketch). I really like using Distress Oxide ink because it glides onto the paper and it leaves a smooth feel while it is still fresh. It also blends easily. I finished the card with one of Jenn’s sentiments and this turned out to be one of my favorite cards for the week.

Products used:

I have attached links where you can buy some of the products used in Today’s project. I do happen to be an affiliate of My Favorite Things so if you click to purchase an MFT item from my blog I may receive a small residual. I am not an affiliate with the other companies and receive no money or products in return for your click; but, i wanted to make it easy for you to purchase any items you might have gotten inspiration for on my post.

If this is the first card/project you have seen of mine this week, please scroll down in the blog to my other posts and see all the ways I have used Jenn’s exclusive Cape Cod stamp set. This was a fun week of creating for me. I hope you will forward this post to friends and crafty people you know so that they have the opportunity to learn about this fundraiser for the small businesses of Cape Cod. A percentage of profits for the sale of the stamp will be donated until July 1, 2020, so there is plenty of time to spread the word. And, if you have enjoyed my posts, please scroll to the bottom of this page and click the subscribe button so that you will know when I have new crafty posts.

I hope to see you again soon!

Lobster Bake Invitation – Cape Cod Resilience Fund

Posted on by Lynn Hill

Hi everyone! How many of you miss getting out and being with friends and family? As long as we feel the need to stay in and properly distance ourselves from other people the small businesses in our country will continue to struggle. This week I have been participating in a project that is helping to raise funds to help many of the small businesses on Cape Cod.

Again, why in the world would someone in middle America get involved in such an effort? Well, my friend, Jenn Shurkus, is an avid crafter and artist and lives on Cape Cod. She knows first hand the difficulty small businesses are facing and decided to create stamp set that she could sell to help raise money for the Cape Cod Resilience Fund. Jenn sent me a set of the stamps for free and asked me, in return, to make a few cards or projects to show how the stamp set could be used. I hope the cards I have made this week have at least made you think about purchasing a stamp set or at least forwarding my blog, Instagram, and Facebook posts to some of your friends who enjoy crafting and who might buy a set themselves.

Cape Cod Stamp Set ($20 – includes shipping)

Mister (that’s what I call my husband – unless I call him “Man”, which he thinks is funny and he likes) and I are still pretty much staying home all the time and aren’t getting around people. We visit his mom and she comes to our house because she hasn’t been getting around either. We have found that InstaCart and Shipt have been suitable substitutes for going to the store – and in some cases it is much preferred!

We both have great imaginations so we decided to host a big backyard party full of friends, family, and fun – all in our heads. Today’s project is an invitation to our imaginary party and one of the favors our guests will take home with them after getting their fill of buttery lobster, corn, and hush puppies – throw in some pink lemonade pie and our party could be something people will talk about all summer – especially since I gag at even the thought of eating any kind of fish!

I created the invitations for the “party” using my Silhouette and a few pieces of cardstock. It was simple to cut a few circles of black, red, and white cardstock and use my Jelly Roll pens to write the invitation details (with my Silhouette sketch function, of course). After the invitation pieces were cut I placed two lobsters (the small lobster from Jenn’s set) facing each other to give the invite a little bit of eye candy.

Of course those invitations also would need to be sent out so I created an envelope using my We R Memory Keepers 123 Punch Board (they have a new All-in-One tool that will make envelopes too). I wanted the recipient to know they were getting “fun” mail when it arrived so I stamped an Adirondack chair and a small sentiment (from Jenn’s Cape Cod stamp set) on the outside of the envelope.

The favor boxes were created using the Essentials By Ellen Two-In-One Box die set. I began by stamping two pieces of 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 cardstock with a random pattern using the large lobster stamp in the Cape Cod stamp set. I then used the die to cut the box pieces.

When I am making boxes or any other type of container I generally try to use American Crafts Sticky Thumb Red Line Tape because it will permanently bond just about anything. It is really sticky and double sided so the folds in a box will not come apart when it is filled with goodies. When folding the box pieces it is a good idea to use a bone folder to get the folds nice and crisp, especially on the lid because it won’t stay closed without a good stable fold.

The sentiment on the front of the box was created using the tag from the Two-in-One box die set as was the tag on the top of the favor box. The sentiment on the box is part of Sunny Studio’s Best Fishes stamp set and the lobster came from Jenn’s stamps. For the tag on top of the favor box I typed the sentiment onto cardstock and cut the shapes using my Big Shot.

I filled each box with a few Swedish Fish and tied them up with red baker’s twine. One would think that we would open the boxes and nibble the candies while we were watching Jaws on Netflix – Ohhh, big Saturday night party. However, I am thinking the favor boxes will go in the mail to my daughter and son-in-law who enjoy the candies – and neither my husband or I do.

Tomorrow I will have a quick recap of the week’s posts along with one last card from Jenn’s exclusive Cape Cod stamp set. If you have enjoyed these posts at all, I would love for you to join my email list so that you can be informed each time I publish a new post. Don’t forget that $10 of the purchase price of Jenn’s stamp set (between now and July 1, 2020) will be donated to the Cape Cod Resilience Fund. To learn more about Jenn’s endeavors you can visit her website here: https://shurk.us/CCRF.

Products used:

I have attached links where you can buy some of the products used in today’s projects. I am not an affiliate of any of the companies represented and I do not receive product or funding for any of your clicks, it is just an easy way for you to purchase any items you see and like.

To subscribe to my blog scroll down to the bottom of the page and click subscribe. You can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram using links at the bottom of the scroll. I hope to see you again tomorrow!

Three Cards, One Design – Cape Cod Resilience Fund

Posted on by Lynn Hill

Hi everybody! I am exited to share today’s cards because even though they are all basically the same, they have three completely different looks. This is Day Three of my four (or maybe five) day blog posting project to generate interest in an exclusive set of Cape Cod themed photopolymer stamps.

This isn’t just any stamp set though. Jenn Shurkus, an artist/crafter who lives on Cape Cod, created the stamp set as her contribution to help raise funds for the Cape Cod Resilience Fund. Jenn sent the stamp set to me and asked me, in exchange, to make at least three projects and share them on social media with the opportunity for my viewers to purchase the stamp set for themselves. Each time someone purchases one of these stamp sets Jenn will donate $10 to the CCRF (through July 1, 2020). So, whether you buy the stamp set or simply share this post with your friends who might choose to purchase the set, you are helping to fill the coffers that will give financial assistance to the small businesses of Cape Cod who have been experiencing difficulties due to Covid-19.

Cape Cod Stamp Set ($20 – includes shipping)

I love the Adirondack chairs in Jenn’s stamp set so I decided to make a card featuring them. For each card I placed three Adirondack chairs within the My Favorite Things Tall Tag die. Both chairs in the die set are attached but I snipped them apart to make stamping easier. I aligned the two stamps within the tag die, stamped the image, then moved one of the chair stamps to the top portion of the tag shape and stamped it before cutting the die from my cardstock.

For the first card, I used watercolor paper and stamped with a VersaMark ink pad. I used black embossing powder to give the Adirondack chairs a raised appearance on the surface of the paper. I then dabbed a swatch of Catherine Pooler dye ink in the lid of the stamp pad and added enough water to lighten the ink. I chose Rockin’ Red, Grass Skirt, and Fiesta Blue to dab across the surface to give each chair a colorful background of its own. I then used the background color and swiped my brush across the ink pad undiluted to fill in each Adirondack chair. I got this idea when I saw a watercolor tutorial that Sandy Allnock did on her blog. Hers was much more fluid than mine but I wanted to give the idea a try and I thought this stamp would lend itself well to the technique.

I completed the card by adding a yellow ribbon a the top of the tag and a strip of the same ribbon near the bottom for balance. The background paper is from My Favorite Things Fun in the Sun paper pad. The rainbow sparkle rhinestones by Trinity Stamps came from a goodie bag I received when I participated in Sandy Allnock’s fundraiser for the World Central Kitchen.

For the second card I wanted to give the project more of a Cape Cod feel so I used traditional colors that associate with the air, sea, and shore. I used Memento tuxedo black dye ink to stamp the images and colored the background the same way as the first stamp except this time I used Copic markers (YR01, G00, and BG01). I then used a slightly darker, coordinating tone of Copic marker to fill in each of the chairs (YR02, G02, and B02). I thought these color combinations were much more successful than the colors I had used in the previous card. I added a sentiment from Jenn’s stamp set by stamping a piece of Lawn Fawn Spiffy Sprinkles paper with VersaMark ink and topping it with Ranger white super fine embossing powder. Since I was using the same color of paper for the background of my card I decided to lift the sentiment just a bit with adhesive foam dots. The “explore” metal embellishment came from my long-time stash of embellishments. I think the company was All My Memories. To tell you the truth, the metal piece was stuck to the bottom of my embellishment box and when I saw it I thought it would be fun to use it. The paperclip is from Tim Holtz Idea-ology.

For the third card I again used Memento tuxedo black ink for the stamp and then colored the background of the tag with a rainbow of Copic markers from top to bottom (R01, YR02, Y00, YG11, BG000, B21, V20). I then coordinated the colors of the chairs with a darker shade of the same Copic colors (R05, YR04, Y02, YG63, BG01, B26, V09). The striped background paper is from the Fun in the Sun paper bad by My Favorite Things. I used the “Sunnier days are coming” sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Greeting Mix 1 stamp set. I just love the fonts included in that stamp set. It has lots of fun sentiments too. I propped the sentiment up using foam dots and finished the look with three red enamel dots. I originally had a red border around the tag die but didn’t like the way it looked so I sliced the border off and my trio of cards was finished.

Of the three cards, my favorite is the rainbow-colored card. It makes me think of summer and the sun. I really like the colors in the second card because they are muted and relaxed. The first card, to me, was basically a throw-away but since it was the first attempt at this design I wanted to keep it so that I could check on my design progress as I went along. Which card is your favorite?

Tomorrow I am planning on doing a project “how-to” using Jenn’s Cape Cod stamp set. I haven’t finished it yet but I think it is going to be really fun so I hope you will come back and check it out.

Don’t forget, $10 of the purchase price of Jenn’s Cape Cod stamp set sold between now and July 1, 2020, is being donated to the Cape Cod Resilience Fund. This morning Jenn sent me an email saying that she has already donated over $700 to the fund through the sale of this set of stamps. That is so fantastic! Congratulations Jenn – and hooray for the fund! To visit Jenn’s site click here: https://shurk.us/CCRF.

Products used:

I have attached links where you can buy some of the products used in today’s project. I do happen to be an affiliate of My Favorite Things so if you click to purchase MFT items from my blog I may receive a small residual from your purchase. I am not an affiliate with the other companies and receive no money or products in return for your click; but, I wanted to make it easy for you to purchase any items you might have gotten inspiration for on my post.

I would love to have you as a regular visitor to my blog. If you don’t want to miss any of my future posts, please scroll to the bottom of this page and click the subscribe box. Finally, I would love for to to follow me on Instagram and Facebook (just click the links at the bottom of the page) and would be thrilled if you would share this post with your friends and other crafty folks so that the Cape Cod Resilience Fund will have the opportunity to become more well known to others.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cruising Cape Cod Card – Cape Cod Resilience Fund

Posted on by Lynn Hill

Hi everyone! Today’s project in my four-day blog-posting spree is another card promoting the Cape Cod Resilience Fund. Each day this week I am posting projects made from a set of exclusive stamps made to generate interest in Cape Cod and the small businesses that make it a thriving vacation area.

Cape Cod Stamp Set ($20 – includes shipping)

My crafty and artistic friend, Jenn Shurkus, sent these stamps to me and in exchange asked if I would create cards/projects to demonstrate how they could be used. Jenn’s stamp set features some of the things that come to mind when one thinks of Cape Cod, where she lives (lobsters, Adirondack chairs, sand, etc.). But they aren’t exclusive to Cape Cod, most of them would also send your mind to any beach destination or even to a backyard party with a beach theme.

Today’s card is very simple but it was fun to create. A while back I purchased the AlteNew window sphere die. I bought it for a specific purpose but didn’t ever actually use it. So, when I saw the canal cruiser on Jenn’s stamp set I knew I was finally going to get to put the sphere window to use. To me, it evokes a bright sunny view through a ship’s window.

I could have used plain blue paper but decided to start with some white cardstock and blend various colors of blue Distress Oxide Ink to create a more varied color as the card’s background. I used a combination of tumbled glass, peacock feathers, salty ocean, chipped sapphire, and blueprint sketch. Lots of people question whether one should use sponges or blender brushes. I have used both and I think it depends on how big of an area you are going to work on. I have a set of Taylored Expressions Blender Brushes and love them because they come in a rainbow of colors, they blend ink really well, and they are SO soft!

Once I was happy with the coloring I had achieved on the cardstock, I cut the window using my Big Shot and then glued it to a yellow card base from Hobby Lobby. Let me be honest, I HATE trying to glue small strips of paper because I can’t ever seem to keep the glue from smearing everywhere. A while back I bought some Elmer’s Craft Bond spray and gave it a try and it really solves that problem. The glue is acid free so if you plan to keep your project around it won’t affect the quality of your heirloom. One problem with the glue is that it’s a spray so it does hit EVERYTHING in its path and it’s pretty sticky. So, I usually walk out my front door, hold the paper out, and then spritz it with the glue. While I’m at it i turn the can upside down and spray until no product is coming from the nozzle. That way the can won’t be clogged the next time I use it. The glue is very light but really tacky so once you have it in place it isn’t going to move.

To create the ship, I stamped the image on Neenah Solar White cardstock using a tuxedo black Memento ink pad. After coloring the ship in with Copic YR02, G02, and C1, I fussy cut the image then topped it with Glossy Accents to give it some shiny dimension. (I purchase a lot of my Copic markers from Ellen Hutson because she almost always has them on sale. And, if you are a regular customer of hers she sends monthly discount codes for an additional reduction in price. But, if you are in the market for some Copic markers and don’t care if they are Ciao style, Michael’s has a lot on clearance for 97¢ right now – better hurry because at that price they won’t last long. Both the Sketch and Ciao markers work the same and are refillable. The Ciao holds about half the amount of ink as the Sketch so you might find yourself filling them up more often, but for 97¢, that was an inconvenience I was willing to accept.)

The sentiment, Welcome to Cape Cod, is part of Jenn’s set and the “Make a Splash, Splash, Splash” sentiment came from a goodie bag I received the that I received when I participated in Sandy Allnock‘s fundraiser for the World Central Kitchen (Sunny Studios Best Fishes stamp set).

I used a set of BloPens to create the yellow background on the Make a Splash sentiment. When my kids were young we bought a set of BloPens and they were still usable long after their interest in them subsided. I eventually moved the pens to my craft stash and have been using them ever since. The ink began to run low last year so I ordered another set from the U.K. I looked the link up today and noticed that the shipping is CRAZY now but if you should want to try them out I will attach a link below. Of course, if you have an airbrush system for your Copics that would probably work wonders as well.

I did add a few enamel dots to finish the look and I love how the card turned out!

A little bit more information about the Cape Cod Resilience Fund

The Cape Cod Resilience Fund was created to immediately help small businesses on Cape Cod who are experiencing difficulties due to Covid-19 and is expected to be a lasting fund that will continue to help small businesses of that area for the long haul.

Remember, YOU can help this fund by purchasing one of Jenn’s exclusive Cape Cod stamp sets. For each set sold between June 15 and July 1, $10 will be donated to the CCRF. Another way you can help is to share this blog post with your creative friends and help spread the word. More details can be found on Jenn’s site.

Tomorrow, I look forward to sharing a cute set of cards that were all made with the same general design but each one has a completely different vibe. If you would like to see other cards that have been made using Jenn’s Cape Cod stamp set you can search #shurkusstamps on Instagram or @LoveLiveLocal on Facebook.

I have attached links where you can buy some of the products used in today’s project. I am not an affiliate with any of the links and do not get any financial benefit if you click. However, I wanted to make it easy for you to purchase any times that you might have gotten inspiration for on my post. Thanks for stopping by today!

Products used:

I would love to have you as a regular visitor to my blog. If you do’t want to miss any of my future posts, please scroll to the bottom of this page and click the box where it says, “Subscribe to Blog via Email” and click the orange subscribe button. I will eventually learn how to add a subscribe button and a menu at the top of my blog but until then I know this will work. I would love it if you would follow me on Instagram and Facebook too (just click the links at the bottom of the page). Finally, I would be thrilled if you would share this post with others so that the Cape Cod Resilience Fund will have the opportunity to become more well known to others.

Lobster Wreath Card – Cape Cod Resilience Fund

Posted on by Lynn Hill

Hi everyone, this week I am happy to be posting four cards (one each day Tuesday – Friday) to help promote vacationing in Cape Cod and the small businesses of that area. If the idea of seaside cottages, lighthouses, and sailboats peak your interest you might want to consider a trip to the New England paradise. You can also consume more than your share of lobster and other fantastic seafood creations while you’re there.

You may wonder why someone in middle America would be “advertising” for Cape Cod. Well, the Cape Cod area, like so many other communities, is experiencing financial difficulties due to Covid-19. So, I have partnered with Jenn Shurkus to create themed cards using her new Cape Cod clear stamp set and, in turn, to help raise money for the Cape Cod Resilience Fund.

Jenn lives on Cape Cod and created this exclusive stamp set to raise money for the benevolent fund that will help small businesses on Cape Cod. The Resilience Fund will immediately help small Cape Cod businesses who are experiencing difficulties due to Covid-19; but, will continue to help these businesses in the future as well.

Cape Cod Stamp Set ($20 – includes shipping)

YOU can help by purchasing one of Jenn’s exclusive Cape Cod stamp sets. For each set sold between June 15 and July 1, $10 will be donated to the CCRF (That’s half the cost of the stamp set)! Another way you can help is to share this blog post with your creative friends and help spread the word. More details can be found on Jenn’s site.

For today’s card, I decided a lobster theme would be the way to go. I began by cutting a piece of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80 lb cardstock into a 4-inch square. I then used the 4-inch Gina K Designs Wreath Maker template. This template takes the guess work out of making a perfect circle (wreath) when stamping a small image.

I put the Wreath Maker template into my Misti and then placed the 4-inch pre-cut cardstock into the template.

I began to build the wreath by placing the lobster stamp in the center of the top portion of the slot on the template. After I inked and pressed the stamp with Catherine Pooler Rockin’ Red Premium Dye Ink, I rotated my cardstock one position and reinked the stamp to make a second impression with the stamp.

I continued rotating the 4-inch cardstock until it had been placed in each of the eight positions on the template.

When the image was stamped eight times I ended up with a wreath of lobsters that were evenly spaced and in a perfect circle. I then used a Sizzix Framelits Die Set and my Big Shot to cut the square card into a circle.

I cut a slightly larger circle with 80 lb Rouge cardstock (American Crafts). For the plaid background, I used a sheet of cardstock from the Echo Park Celebrate America collection kit and, finally, a larger square of 80 lb Storm cardstock (American Crafts).

I made the card base out of 80 lb Neenah Classic Crest Solar White cardstock cut into a 10×5 sheet. I used my scoring board to make a fold halfway across the 10-inch sheet and folded it to make the 5-inch square card.

For the sentiment, I used the Cape Cod set to stamp the sentiment onto a piece of the navy cardstock with a VersaMark stamp pad and embossed it with white super fine detail embossing powder by Ranger. I also cut the sentiment tag using Queen & Co Foundation Dies.

I assembled the card and added the finishing touches with Echo Park navy enamel dots. I thought the inside of the card needed an extra touch so I added a strip of the plaid paper I had used on the background of the card and a smaller stamped lobster which is also found in the Cape Cod stamp set.

I enjoyed making this card and I hope that you can imagine ways these stamps would be useful in your crafting stash. A purchase of this stamp set would definitely be a great way to make some creative cards or scrapbook pages of your trip to Cape Cod – or any other beach locale and it would help the small businesses of Cape Cod while you are at it.

I look forward to sharing another card with you tomorrow with another how-to of ideas I have come up with. If you would like to see other cards made using this stamp set you can search @LoveLiveLocal on Facebook or #shurkusstamps on Instagram.

I have attached links where you can buy some of the items I used in today’s project. I am not an affiliate with any of the businesses that I have linked and do not get any financial benefit from any links I have posted. I just want to make it easy for you to purchase any items that you might have gotten inspiration from on my post today.

Products used:

I would love to have you as a regular visitor to my blog. If you don’t want to miss any of my future posts, please scroll to the bottom of this page and click the box where it says, “Subscribe to Blog via Email” and click the orange subscribe button. (I will eventually learn how to add a subscribe button and a menu to the top of this page, but until then this should work). I would also love it if you would follow me on Instagram and Facebook.

I hope to see you again tomorrow!!