Coloring Craft

This is a different technique for me. I kind of did what Frances calls Black Magic for this card.

I stamped the solid image with white craft and set with my heat gun, then colored with Crayola colored pencils. Fancy, eh? lol I blended the colors with a Prismacolor blender pencil, then I stamped the white outline with white craft and embossed with white instead of outlining with the white gel pen. Close enough to Frances' technique, don't you think? The sentiment is stamped with white craft. For the background, I cuttlebugged it and then ran the white craft pad over it. I also sponged the white craft around the edges a bit more and hit it with the colored pencil to bring that color to the edge. Then I used my sponge to blend that in. It's very subtle, but I like the look. I added a little organdy and taffeta ribbon and heated it. What do you think?

I'm working on my house

So I have been finding more goodies and putting things together in my house. I need to hurry! I'm having several get togethers here soon and it should look like a home, right?

Here is a wall in my eating area that just begged for family photos, don't you think? I hear you saying, oh yeah! I picked up the wooden "family" piece in Utah when I was visiting with Wendybell one time. I love it, so that was the beginning. Well I finally found some of my favorite family photos in one of those many boxes still in the garage, so I pulled them out and hung a few up. I know there are more of my favorites out there. I still have room on that wall, so that is fine. The bad part is, every time I move I change how and where I display my photos. Do I need to go out and buy all new frames that match? Arrrgghhhhh, I don't want to have to do that, but this is bugging me. I know I need to reframe a few of them - for sure. Oh well, for now those happy faces are looking at me, and I like that much of it.

Flutterby!

I just love butterflies and pink, white and black together, so this card was so much fun to make. I followed the sketch challenge on SCS (thanks Roxie) for the layout.

Want to know how I did it? You can probably guess, but just in case you can't figure it out, or just don't want to think . . .

I stamped the solid butterfly image onto the white cs with pink pirouette. This is one of the new SU! in colors and is such a nice, soft pink. Then I over stamped the polka dot part and the sentiment with black craft ink and clear embossed. I think I've mentioned a time or two how much I like that clear ep stuff! I use it on almost everthing I make. Is that an addiction? lol I matted that with black and pink cs. Now for the background, I stamped the white cs with black craft ink and didn't even emboss those dots. Then I stamped the black piece with versamark and clear embossed so you could actually see the dots on the black. Yep, that worked. I mounted that black piece onto a bit more of the pink, which I punched with the scallop edge punch. I thought about piercing it, but decided against that. I think it would have looked good if I had, but it looks just fine without that step. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you that I outlined the butterfly with my pretty in pink marker, and then went over that with a glue pen and added dazzling diamonds glitter. Oh yeah, that is the sparkle it needed. So pretty! So there you have it. Now go stamp something and feel great all day!

BWC#20

Hi there! Happy Wednesday! Time for another Brain Wave Challenge from Ashley's blog. It is a sketch challenge today.

I inked the pumpkin stamp with markers, huffed, stamped, clear embossed and then colored it with markers. I shadowed it a little bit, but I think I need some work on that. I used creamy caramel, really rust and pumpkin pie on the leaf stamp before generation stamping it on the top of the main panel. The bg is pumpkin pie card stock and stamped using tangerine tango ink. I like these colors together. The sentiment is stamped with chocolate chip craft ink and clear embossed.

Now head on over to Ashley's blog to see who else made a card for this challenge. You can find the link at the top of the main page.

AND there will be a new stamp released on Sept. 5th. It is the Friends and Lattes stamp set, so keep an eye on my blog for a sneak peek, or visit the other Treehouse design team members blogs or SCS galleries. They have already made some darling cards using it. Their links are at the top of the main page too! Now go, go see!

Getting krafty with basic black and rose red!

Today's card features the colors rose red, black and kraft. I really like these colors together, don't you? For my card today, I used the same stamp on the card base as I did on the main image. This is for Sharon's challenge found on her fabulous blog http://notimetostamp.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ I want to be Sharon if and when I grow up. I love her style, and she really has style!

For the main image, I colored the stamp with markers, huffed and stamped then quickly added clear embossing powder. It worked! Then I used a white pencil to highlight the image. Doesn't that look cool? It almost makes it look dry embossed as well. I think you can guess what I did for everything else, but if you have any questions, please ask. I'm happy to share what I know.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Faux dry embossing

I love using techniques, but forget about them from time to time. I know I've done this one before, and I really like the results.

It's really easy to achieve this look. First, stamp your image using white or vanilla craft ink - I used white. Wait for it to dry, or speed the process with your heat gun. Use a stamp a ma jig and offset your image just a little bit and stamp it onto your card with a dark color of ink. I used the same ink color as my card stock, which is ruby red. It really does have a 3D/embossed look to it. I stamped the sentiment with chocolate chip ink, distressed the edges, added some brads and ribbon, and there you have it. Hmm, I wonder who I will send this one to?

New bedding

When I asked my dh what he wanted for his birthday, he wanted this bed set we had seen at Bed Bath and Beyond. I couldn't stand to pay their price for it, so I came home and found it online for a much better price. It really is nice, and he loves it, so . . . enough said!

My Stamping Space

I finally got my stamping space cleaned up a bit so thought I should take some photos - quickly! The walls are kind of a soft sky blue color, but you can't really tell in the photos. It works for me, and I am so happy to have a whole room for my hobby/madness. lol

This is how I think!

It's true. This card is an insight into the way I think sometimes. Sometimes I crack myself up! lol

For this card I stamped the bear and the mosquito with chocolate chip ink and clear embossed, then I masked them before adding the forest using generation stamping (that means stamping the same image without reinking it), and sponging. I added a little blood under the mosquito, cuz . . . that's what they do when you squish them. Can you see the movement of the bear? He is supposed to look like he is jumping on the skeeter. lol Okay, enough of this nonsense. I hope it brings a smile to your face. Have a smiley day!

Tearing it up!

Today's challenge was so fun. Remember when everything we created had a torn edge? That's so five minutes ago, but today, we did it again. I really like the cards I created. Take a look and let me know what you think.

When I saw the challenge, I immediately thought of this bear tearing his way through the paper. lol Isn't he the cutest scary looking bear? So, I stamped the bear using chocolate chip craft ink on kraft paper and clear embossed. I then colored him with my SU! markers! Then I layered the woodgrain paper onto black cs before tearing out the center and layering it over the bear. I sponged the inside of the paper, which was just white and way too stark. Then for a little more interest, I stitched around the edge too. I like that look, especially because it doesn't have to be straight. Now that's my kind of sewing. I stamped the sentiment with black craft ink and clear embossed before tearing around it and the black it is matted on. I used a big dimensional to really pop it up.

Well these two cards are about as different as night and day, don't you think? This one is so pretty. I love the new stamp set snow swirled and stamped the snowflakes with versamark and embossed with white onto vellum card stock. I then tore the edges before mounting it onto a white card, using the red brads to hold it in place. The sentiment is stamped with riding hood red and mounted it onto the riding hood red embossed scallop oval. Nesties are superb! I used the old stitched cranberry crisp ribbon, which really matches quite well irl. So, what do you think of this look?

Isn't this a fun ribbon rosette?

We used this technique to make a ribbon rosette on one of the make and takes at convention this year, and I just love it. Isn't the glitter on the edge of the ribbon just the bomb? So, there wasn't much stamping on this card, in fact, just the sentiment. What a quick card to make. The card base is riding hood red with bella rose dp on top and that was run through the cuttlebug and sanded a bit. The rosette is so easy, you just run a thread of glue on the edge of the ribbon and add glitter. How easy is that? Then gather the other edge and form it into a rosette. The center is a rub on and then a rhinestone brad. The sentiment is from the All Holidays set and then the cs cut like a banner.

BWC19

I created this card for Ashley's Brain Wave Challenge. The nursery photo is gorgeous, isn't it? I guess I'm a girly girl, as I love pink and fluff, so this card certainly went that direction for me. I inked the stamp (Simply Organic from Treehouse Stamps) with markers (Regal Rose and Always Artichoke) before stamping it onto the white cs. Then I used the Fiskar edge emboss/punch. I then inked that scalloped edge with regal rose ink before mounting it onto the regal rose cs. The card base is white, but I inked the negative side of the embossing folder with regal rose ink before embossing. Isn't that pretty? I then mounted the card onto a regal rose base. Oh yeah, I did add a bit of pink taffeta and white organdy ribbon to give it even more femininity. Pretty in pink, don't you think? lol

Rub ons are fun!

I haven't really used my rub-ons very often, but I used one today. What fun to put onto ribbon!

For this card I stamped the image with chocolate chip craft ink and clear embossed before punching with the curly label punch. Isn't that a great shape? I then punched another one out of the chocolate chip cs and cut it in half so I could move those halves out a bit to create a shadow. I then mounted that onto the layered ribbons onto which I used the rub-on. That sentence sounds goofy. lol The blush blossom layer behind it is stamped with versamark before mounting onto more ruby red and chocolate chip. So go try a rub-on. It's fun!

Layers of dreams

I made this card for the color challenge on SCS. I love trying new color combos, and sometimes they surprise me. This one is a great one, I think. I've really taken to Ruby Red lately.

I inked the stamp with markers and stamped onto blush blossom cs. I embossed and punched the bottom edge with a Fiskars punch before mounting it onto ruby red and chocolate chip cs. I have such a hard time typing chocolate. I mis-type and correct it every time! hee hee. The butterfly is stamped with versamark and clear embossed before being cut out and mounted onto the satin ribbon. All this is mounted onto a panel of blush blossom which was cuttlebugged with swiss dots and mounted again onto ruby red and chocolate chip cs. I hope you like this one.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

I've often told anyone that will listen (and that isn't very many people) that I think it would be great if it would snow a few times during the summer, when we could really appreciate it, rather than all winter long when we begin to hate the sight of one more snowflake. That occurs in February and March, don't you think?

Well now I am back in Phoenix, and I won't be having that problem . . . EVER! lol Today Jeanne challenged us to make a snowman card to help cool off. I got a new order today, so I had to use some of my fresh goodies so I made two cards for my amusement and hopefully for yours.

For the blue card, I inked the cuttlebug embossing folder with white craft ink, ran the Baja Breeze cs through the folder and then embossed with Irredescent Ice. I mounted that onto the Pacific Point card. The hi stamp was inked with versamark and Pacific Point ink, stamped onto white cs and then embossed with irredescent ice ep. I punched that outand mounted it with dimensionals. The snowman was made by embossing white cs with the snowflakes cb folder and punching out different areas for the body. The face is just a white circle I drew the face onto. The hat is just scraps of black cs. The arms are actually the hemp twine. I think it looks a big twiggish, don't you. After he was finished, I inked the whole thing with versamark and embossed it with the irredescent ice ep again. How do you like him?

For the white card, I embossed just the bottom portion of the white card with the snowflakes folder, then attached the gingham ribbon and added two small bows. The images were stamped with versamark and clear embossed and punched out. The snowman face was colored with my markers, stamped and cut out, mounted onto the red circle, dotted around the edge and mounted onto a Handsome Hunter scallop square. I added some faux brads, and there you have it. Oh yeah, the entire thing is mounted onto Handsome Hunter. I'm lovin' these new hostess sets. What do you think of them?

Inspired by Eastern Blooms

Today's card is a mixture of two of the new stamp sets I received at convention this year, Eastern Blooms and Inspired by Nature. I stamped the grass with versamark on the chocolate chip cs and then inked up the leaves and stems with my chocolate chip marker and stamped those. I inked up my flower stamp with Pink Pirouette and then used markers in Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose to shade the flowers before stamping on white cs. I cut them out and curled them a bit before attaching them with dimensionals. I then added a little two way glue and dazzling diamonds to the centers of the flowers. I stamped the sentiment with chocolate chip ink onto the pink pirouette cs and punched out with the small oval punch. I distressed the edges and then attached it to the taffeta ribbon with a dimensional. I then gathered it on each side with brown brads before attaching it to the card front. Of course you can see the chocolate chip layer is also distressed before attaching it to the pretty in pink card. I really like our new stamp sets and combining two of them was such fun on this card. I hope you like it!

Hay, Happy Wishes

I created this card for the sketch challenge on SCS today. I had wanted to use this cute little farm set and I thought this was the perfect opportunity. I tried different techniques to get a good red barn and finally settle on this one. I stamped the image with versamark on real red card stock and then embossed it with white embossing powder and cut it out. The fence was part of that and so I had to cut that out too. Ouch! I don't really enjoy the detail cutting - it's HARD to do! lol But do like the look I got. Though next time, after I cut it out, I might go over it again with my versamarker and add more ep to get a really really white fence. I love the look of the white fences on the rolling hill farms. I cut out the piece of green for the grassy hill and stamped it with the watercolor minis stamp. Then I needed a tractor, and it just had to be a John Deere, so I stamped it twice with versamark and clear embossed - once on yo yo yellow and again on Garden Green. I cut out the yellow . . . what? . . . hub caps? and added them to the green tractor and layered it over the yellow tractor for the smoke stack thingy and the steering wheel. I think it gives the illusion of a John Deere. I stamped the clouds from the Treehouse set, Go Green, and filled it in with my versamarker and again embossed with white. I love the look of the clouds. The red layer is pierced for a little more dimension. I like my happy little farm. What do you think?

What a color combo!

I didn't know about this color combo, but I really like the result on this card.

I stamped the grass from the new stamp set Inspired by Nature with versamark on the Old Olive cs, then I stamped the stems and leaves from the set with Old Olive Ink over the top. Next I inked up the flowers with craft ink to get the coverage on the darker cs and stamped those on. I like the result. I stamped the sentiment on the very vanilla cs with Elegant Eggplant craft ink and clear embossed, added the rhinestone brad and distressed the edges. I mounted it onto the scalloped and plain ovals made by using my nestabilities. Of course I had to add just a touch of ribbon. I hope you like it and will give a new color combo a try. The results might surprise you. Have a great stamping day!

Check this out!

Oh my goodness, this is one of the ideas I got at Convention. This is a spiral pop-up card, and it is so easy. I made it for my dh and tucked it into his suitcase when he went on a business trip. Whenever I hand him a card I make, he is always looking for the trick and "what it does". Well, this card actually does something, just for him. He loved it btw. The outside isn't too exciting, but when you open it up - look out!

If you want to do one yourself, all you have to do is take a circle shape and cut it with your scissors into a spiral. You want it to be about 1/8" thick. Then you adhere one end to the front of your card, and the other to the back of your card. Be sure it doesn't show around the edges when it is closed. Then attach shapes or whatever you wish to the spirals. Be sure they are right side up. I had it wrong and had to re-do it. Sheesh, I hate it when that happens. Give it a try. I think you will like it.

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Everyone attending convention this year received the new Ronald McDonald house stamp set from UPS! Isn't that awesome? Yeah for UPS, and yeah for Ronald McDonald! Be sure to buy this stamp set and help support that charity! I think it is a really cute stamp set too!

I inked my stamp with versamark and then Pacific Point, stamped onto Baja Breeze cs and clear embossed. I then cut it out and popped it up onto Pacific Point cs, the layered that onto another layer of Baja Breeze and another of Pacific POint. I added two jewels to the corners. The bg is made by inking the negative side of the embossing folder with Pacific Point ink and then embossing. I added some taffeta ribbon which I dyed with the ink pad. Yes, that is very messy, but I didn't have any ribbon that matched these new colors! I added a jewel to the knot on the ribbon too.

Bejeweled witch's hat

Today's SCS challenge was to put jewels on our creations. Well, even witches need jewels, don't they? I stamped and embossed the hat on three different color card stocks and cut out the band and brim and added them to the purple hat. I added jewels to the hat and then a little stickles to the hat and to the spider's eyes. You can't have enough sparkle, can you? I stamped the stars in the bg with versamark and clear embossed. The sentiment is clear embossed on the Kiwi Kiss cs and layered on more squares of the other colors, and a few jewels added to that as well.

How do you like it?

Leafy Scarecrow

Is anyone else wishing the weather would think we were in fall? lol It is HOT, HOT, HOT here in Phoenix. A little cooling would be appreciated!

Anyway, I stamped this cute little guy and then colored him with a blender pen and ink from the ink pads. I stamped a leafy frame around him to add more fall flavor. I layered the bg layers and ran them through the cuttlebug for texture. Looks like fall to me. What do you think?

Ashley's BWC18 Challenge

Here is the card I created for Ashley's Brainwave Challenge. Check her blog for more details.

I used the leaves from the Happy Fall Y'all set which is being released August 7th. I rock n rolled the stamp and repeatedly stamped it in a wreath shape and then cut it out. It seemed like a good idea when I started, but I lost that lovin' feelin' by the time I finished it. lol Instead of putting the sentiment on the lower circle, I stamped more leaves and cut and popped one up. I like how it looks mounted on the Chocolate Chip. I used Very Vanilla, So Saffron and Tangerine Tango, along with the chocolate chip cs.

So, who's ready for fall? I wouldn't mind the weather cooling just a bit.

Look at all these friends!

Wendy had an SCS dinner Friday night with some of her other friends as well. What a great time we had. Look at all these fun ladies. I'm so glad they are my friends!

Isn't she lovely?

My computer has a slide show of my family photos going over on the side and I just saw this one of my daughter. Isn't she gorgeous? I thought I would give you the opportunity of seeing her. AND she is just as beautiful on the inside, if not more so.

The new Decor Elements are awesome!

Phase two of the decor elements line is coming in the fall, and in some of our exclusive 48 colors! Are you screaming with delight? I am! I love what you can do with this wonderful new product! Take a look!

Memento Mall!

And look what I got in Memento Mall - this great project tote and matching camera case. They are so cute! It is the pattern of one of the new designer papers, Maine Blueberry!

And look who I got to meet!

Brent Steele! An SU! Rock Star! hee hee hee And of course, Melissa! She's the bomb! Stamping has helped me meet such wonderful friends! My heart is full!

He usually does something with birds on a card, but this year his demo was the cutest dang bear you ever saw - and he made his arms flap so he could fly like a bird. It is so stinkin' cute! You might be able to see that catalog page, if I take a photo of my messy, messy desk! wink wink

Look at what you can do!!!

Look at what you can do

with the new SU! Big Shot!

I am so excited to have this fun die cutting system. The projects they showed us were real wows!!!!!!!

My wonderful roomies!

Here are my wonderful roomies - Kelly and Debi! I love these ladies!

I'm home from convention!

Oh my, I had such a great time at convention! I met so many of my SCS buddies, and they are all so much fun. It's funny how you have preconceived notions of them from chatting online and looking at that tiny little one inch square photo. Most of them surprised me, they weren't quite what I had pictured in my mind. In fact, around most of them, I felt rather tall - LOL - and I am only 5'3". They were so considerate and kind to their elder stamper! lol What wonderful women! Anywho, here is a photo of some of my friends!

Left to right back row: Debils, Me, Wendybell, BevMom
Front row: ToKnighton, Kellyh, Kellyjg

I roomed with Debils and Kellyjg, not knowing them before hand, and I was so pleasantly surprised at how well we got along! I hope they had half the fun I did!

Well, for some reason this thing will not upload my photo. I'll try again in a bit.