Monthly Archives: September 2014
Simon Says Stamp October Kit; Card 2
Here is my 2nd card for the October Simon Says Stamp kit. I used the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club sketch #195 with My Favorite Things “All Star” stamp set that I received in the OWH bundle purchase a few months ago. I also used the circle die from My Favorite ThingI like the design of the sketch for this masculine card. What do you think?
Simon Says Stamp October Kit; Card 1
My October Simon Says Stamp card kit came in a few days ago, but I haven’t had a chance to start playing with it because of my other design team commitments. The colors are very rich and vibrant using Basic Grey’s Grand Bazar collection. I used a digital image from A Day For Daisies and colored her with Copic Markers. I then used the Sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges #254 and a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp’s “Happy Every Day” set. The card base is from the small Lawn Fawn stitched frame sets and I finished the card with some faux stitching and a My Mind’s Eye enamel dot. Thanks for stopping by, happy MONDAY!
Entered in:
Exploring Art Journaling 4: Day 26, 27 & 28
It’s coming to the end of the month and I only have a few more days of this great Art Journaling Class by Christine Urias at Scraptime.ca.
For Day 25 we made some collage sheets which we used on Day 26 to create a puzzle patterned page. Once cut up we decorated them with the Molotow Markers and colored them with Sakura Glaze and Moonlight pens.
Day 27 called for Silver Molding Paste colored with Archival inks, however, I didn’t have Silver paste, so I used my Ferro in dark silver and some pearlized modeling cream, which I did color with some Archival Inks. I finished it off with some Tim Holtz rub-ons.
Day 28 was also a substitution. It called for Oil Pastels, however, not having any I used some water-based wax pastels that didn’t create the resist that was intended, but still worked okay. I’m trying to play with lettering because I really dislike my hand writing so I created this title using Sakura Glaze Pens and Molotow Markers. I also used some Car’an’dache’ Neo II Crayons and Lindy’s Stamp Gang Spray to create the background.
Open-Minded Crafting Challenge #20: Fall/Autumn
Happy Saturday my friends! I don’t know about you, but this is my absolute favorite time of the year! As I was driving yesterday in Upstate New York, I noticed that the trees are already starting to turn their gorgeous fall colors. The local farms are having U-Pick apples and the cider is flowing. In a few weeks, the backdrop will be vibrant oranges, rich reds, royal purples and luscious yellows. This time of the year is the one thing I really love about the East Coast compared to my California roots – the change of seasons.
As we enter into fall, Open-Minded Crafting Challenges is having a Fall and Autumn themed challenge which will last until October 10th. As usual we have some spectacular sponsors for the challenge offering some very generous prizes. They are:
Prize: 2 Images
Prize: 5 Images
Prize: 5 Images
Prize: $5.00 Gift Certificate
Prize: 5 Images
You ready for some fall inspiration? I chose to use a QKR Stampede digital image called “Scarecrow”. I colored him in rich fall colors using Copic Markers and highlighted the edges with distress ink in Scattered Straw. To get that white edge, keep you die in place when you do your inking. The sentiment bubble is from Lawn Fawn and the paper pack is The Farmhouse “Sugar Hill” 6 x 6 collection. Across the middle of my card I placed a My Favorite Things stitched rectangular die and finished the card with a bit of twine for a sense of “scarecrow” stuffing.
I hope you find some great inspiration here and with the other talented designers at Open-Minded Crafting Challenge. See you soon!
Exploring Art Journaling 4: Day 22 & 23
Today is my 23rd Wedding Anniversary and WOW is that ever hard to believe. My sweet, sweet husband and I were in Las Vegas 23 years ago tonight getting hitched at the Candlelight Wedding Chapel.
Now, on to some art! Day 22’s page is a fun technique using multicolored bright paints under black gesso then running a tool through the black paint while still wet allowing the colored paints to show through. It’s super fun. I also took a picture from a magazine and cut her out. This one was actually from the show Scandal, but I liked that she was wearing a suit because today’s prompt was something you’ve done recently you are proud of and for me I completed my Bachelors in Science for Nursing. After cutting out the picture, I made it reusable, like a stencil, by placing packing tape over the top. I learned this from a podcast by Julie Fey Fan-Balzer Designs called “Adventures in Arting Podcast”.
Black Gesso over Colored Acrylic
Day 23 is a fun technique using up some of the rolls and rolls of Washi tape we all have hanging around. Okay – I’ll speak for myself – I have enough washi tape to last me until the next century. Once I applied the washi down, I lightly painted over some white acrylic on a credit card. I got some great ephemera from Little Yellow Bicycle my sweet friend Lynn Kirn sent me this month so that is where the flowers, banner and side strip is from. The tickets are Tim Holtz.
Washi Tape & White Acrylic
Try Stampin’ on Tuesday Sketch Challenge #86; Fall Trees & Leaves
It’s Tuesday and that means it’s time for Try Stampin’ on Tuesday Sketch Challenge! Today is a favorite theme of mine, fall! For this challenge you can choose to use the sketch only, or you can add the challenge theme, fall trees and leaves. For my design team inspiration I’ve chosen to do both – hope you like it.
The paper is from Authentique’s “Thankful” 6 x 6 collection. The leaves are an Impression Obsession leaves die stamped with the Hero Arts “Fall Memories” stamp. The square and circles are My Favorite Things stitched dies and the sentiment is also My Favorite Things.
The challenge is open until September 29, 2014, so I hope you will stop by and enter a card at Try Stampin’ on Tuesday Sketch Challenge!
12 Tags of 2014; September; Tim Holtz
The September tag uses a alcohol inks with a resist technique. If you look at Tim’s example below, you will see a great resist pattern, but I tried multiple times but couldn’t really get that achieved. I also didn’t have the stamp, dies or any bright alcohol inks. What, me, not have supplies, I know, crazy, huh? So I improvised and used a lovely stamp from Sweet Pea with flowers from I am Roses. I stamped the image with Archival inks so when I went to use copics on the image, it smeared. I totally forgot those two don’t mix. I then tried the distress markers which worked, though didn’t really blend well over the alcohol ink background. As an improvise, I covered it with Wink of Stella, which also didn’t work and puddled over the top. Plan C, or was it Q, who knows – this tag was a lesson in NEVER GIVE UP. I ended up putting stickles over the flowers, which looks okay. I finished the tag with some rub-ons and a “journey” stamp from my stash.
Exploring Art Journaling Pages 17, 18, 19, 20 & 21
Wow – this is a lot of pages! I’ve had a great weekend catching up on my 30 day Art Journaling Challenge using Christine Urias’ “Exploring Art Journaling 4” class at Scraptime.ca.
Day 17’s page uses Tim Holtz’s Distress Paint Daubers to make flowers. I topped all of them with a TON of stickles because I have lots of them and can’t really use them on my Operation Write Home cards. I got that idea from Joggles U-tube channel.
Day 17 Dauber Flowers with Stickles over watercolor base
Day 18 uses a lettering technique to make large statement words. The pages starts on a base of Gelatos and I used Sharpie Paint markers for the colored letters. I have a LONG way to go and A LOT to learn when it comes to hand lettering, but I have to say it really interests me and found a great book on Amazon called “The Art of Whimsical Lettering” by JoAnne Sharpe.
Hand Lettering w/Sharpie
Day 19 is a fun page I really like and uses some watercolor paint and salt to make some fun background texture.
Watercolor & Salt
Day 20 uses die cuts collaged on the page and then using the new Dina Wakely Acrylic Paint over them. If you haven’t tried her paints I would highly suggest it. They are FABULOUS. I have a ton of paints and I tell you the vibrancy and texture of this is like using butter. It’s fabulous. Hobby Lobby is now carrying the line so I’ll be there to pick up the other colors very soon.
This page felt chaotic to me, so I came up with the theme “lost ?”, because as humans, we all feel that way and I’m sure most everyone can relate. It’s life and that’s what Art Journaling is meant for, expression.
Die Cut Collage
Last, Day 21 is a favorite so far. The technique is stamping into transparent molding paste for texture. To do this you apply a fairly even, thin layer of translucent molding paste, then simply stamp into it, letting it dry and painting over it with distress paints in shaded lilac and picked raspberry. I cut out some of the newsprint collage sheets for flowers and the butterfly and used some old stamps from my stash. I like that the little girl in the top right corner almost looks like me when I was a little girl. I hated that pixie, but that’s what I was given. I did some hand patterning around the edges that I learned from the Sakura website. They have some great video’s, so I’d check them out.
Stamping in Translucent Gel
Send a Smile 4 Kids Challenge #87: Fall Colors For KIDS!
Hey friends, it’s Saturday and time for another Send a Smile 4 Kids challenge. This is such a great cause that supports hospitalized children by providing them cheerful cards in times of need. I encourage you to join us in both our challenges and in sending in some cards, especially during the up coming holiday season when being away from home is extra difficult.
Fall is my favorite season and I am just in thrilled to offer some inspiration and see what you create using Fall Colors with kid twist. As you know our challenges are supported by some great sponsors and this week is no different so let me tell you all about them.
Jelly Park: Prize is 4 Images of winners choice
DRS Designs: Prize is a $10.00 Gift Certificate
Sassy Studios: Prize is 4 images of winners choice
WOOHOO, let’s get to some inspiration – oh, and don’t forget, the design team will also choose their favorite and the winner is offered a guest design team spot for the next challenge!
My first card for inspiration is from Jelly Park. This sweet image is colored with copic markers and cut out with a Sizzix frame die. The leaves are an Obsession Impression die and the paper used is from Farmhouse “Sugar Hill” 6 x 6 collection. I also used a My Favorite Things stitched die across the card and finished her off with ticket from Tim Holtz.
Jelly Park “Jumping in the Leaves”
My second card for inspiration is from DRS Designs. I just adore coloring pumpkins and used my Copic Markers in Y04, Y07, Y09, R08, and Y38 for some highlight. The fall sentiment is from “Into the Woods” and the thankful sentiment is from “So Thankful”, both Lawn Fawn.
DRS Designs “Pumpkin Patch”
My last card for inspiration is from Sassy Studio’s. This “Bewitched” image was colored with copics and highlighted with distress inks to make the sky. The stars are from Simon Says Stamp and paper is K & Company. Sentiment is paper smooches and embossed with white powder.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my inspiration and would love to see you over at Send a Smile 4 Kids!
Sassy Studio “Little Honey Bewitched Betty”
Exploring Art Journaling 4: Day 15 & 16
Day 15 is one of my favorites…..ZENTANGLING! I have a lot to learn with this technique, but was pleased with the outcome because I cased Christine’s page from class almost exactly. The pages starts with the zentangle design, then colored with Inktense pencils softened with water.
Day 16 is not my favorite. I just couldn’t fix it no matter how I tried. The color is bad and the design isn’t better. The technique is embossing through a stencil. You win some and you lose some.
The Crafty Nurse 