From The Heart Stamps – Midweek Design Team Inspiration

I’m here today with a little Mid-Week DT Inspiration for From The Heart Stamps!  My card today is colored with Copic Markers and Distress Inks using the “Friendship” image in the Faithful Friends collection.  I also used a Tim Holtz Embossing Folder and Coffee Stencil.

I hope you’ll stop by this week to check out both the Sketch Challenge and the Stamp of the Month Challenge at the From The Heart Stamps Blog. 

I look forward to seeing you over at the From The Heart Stamps Blog  and in the Facebook Community.  We really love to see your work.

Technique Junkies – Dog Lovers Unite!

Hey Fellow Junkies!

The Crafty Nurse here today with another card from our March 2017 release. Spring and sprung and as we appreciate the beauty of our surroundings, we here at the blog hope you find time to reflect that beauty in an artistic way.

This card is for our dog lovers in the group!  Sorry cat peeps!  You have to admit it’s pretty darn funny through…..

The focal image called “Can’t Afford The Cat SD764” is simply stamped with Versafine Black Onyx Ink using my MISTI tool, then heat embossed with an application of Distress Inks in Wild Honey and Gathered Twigs over the top.  I used “Paid In Full #P027”, a Palettini Collection stamp as way to add additional text for the background of both focal and background images.

Thanks for stopping by the Technique Junkies Blog today and as always we wish you lots of creative play today and always.

Discount Code for any Technique Junkie Stamp is:  TJ10Kathy

Bye, Bye for now!!

The Crafty Nurse

Technique Junkies – Sweet Baby Shoes

Hey Junkies!

The Crafty Nurse back with some inky inspiration for this wonderful spring day!  I hope you all get a chance to play in your craft room while you enjoy the coming of great weather.

For my card today I used the March Release stamp, Welcome Sweet Baby, Set of 4. which I colored using Copic Markers in “E” shades.  The background uses the Gessstencil Crayon Technique from the Technique Junkies December 2014 Subscriber Pages. I used Neocolor II crayons over heavy gesso through the Art Anthology Stencil called, “Bubbles”.

Thanks for stopping by the Technique Junkies Blog today and we all wish you lots of creative play today and always.

Bye, Bye for now!!

The Crafty Nurse

From The Heart Stamps Sketch #167

Hello friends!  Happy Monday!  I’m here with sketch #167 at From The Heart Stamps. Our challenges are simple, just use a From The Heart image and the sketch as a reference.  There is also an added option to use the provided colors as well as a twist.  The sketch challenge runs through Sunday, March 26th.

For my card today, I used “Coffee and Friends”  keeping with the twist “Easy Does It”.  I colored my image up with Distress Inks in Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo & Frayed Burlap.  I then added a coat of Art Anthology Dazzle Sorbet, which is sparkly and gold.

Sure hope you’ll join us this week for Sketch #167 at From The Heart Stamps.  Also, don’t forget to stop by and join the FTHS Facebook group.  Happy Monday!!

Cards in Envy Challenge: Black & White with a Smidge of Color

Happy Monday!  That means it’s time for a new Cards in Envy Challenge and this week we are celebrating Black & White with a Smidge of Color cards!  Please make sure your card fits into a standard A2 envelope.

The challenge will run through Sunday, March 30th and our design team will be choosing their favorite cards to feature on the The Cards in Envy blog.

For my card I started with Alte New’s “Adore You” stamp set which I stamped and copic colored with grey tones. My Smidge of color comes in the design paper by Glitz aptly called “Black & White”.  I added a sentiment, also from the same stamp set and a few sequins.

I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with this week for the Cards in Envy  “Black & White with a Smidge of Color” Challenge!

Technique Junkies – Strike a Pose

Hey Junkies!

The Crafty Nurse back with some inky inspiration for this wonderful almost spring day!  This is such a beautiful time of year filled with new hope and promise of beautiful things to come.

Along that thought, I wanted to share my favorite stamp of the new March 2017 release called, “Queen SD787”.  Such a striking figure, right?  To create her I used my MISTI.  Stampers, if you don’t have one of these tools, run, don’t walk.  I resisted for a long time but once I got one I wish I’d done so a lot earlier.  They really making getting good impressions so easy to achieve and the techniques that you can do with these are just amazing.

For the focal image, I began by selecting the areas I wanted brown and I used Distress Markers in Gathered Twigs to color just those areas.  I had to do this multiple times, but that’s okay because the MISTI allows for perfect alignment.  Once I did that, I repeated the areas I wanted black, coloring those with Black Soot and then the lips in Fired Brick.  Now, here comes the really cool part. Apply clear embossing powder to your entire image and heat set.  Now your entire image is resistant allowing for any application of technique over it.

The final step for my focal image is application of Faced Jeans Distress Ink through the Art Anthology Cracked Stencil cool, right? For the background I used a version of Distressed Stain Dip from the Artistic Effects CD also using Faded Jeans and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.  Finally, I added another TJ stamp to the edge of my background called, “Bubble Icicle #S573”, which I also stamped using my MISTI with Archival Ink.

Thanks for stopping by the Technique Junkies Blog today and we all wish you lots of creative play today and always.

Bye, Bye for now!!

The Crafty Nurse

From The Heart Stamps Sketch #166

Hello friends!  Happy Monday!  I’m here with sketch #166 at From The Heart Stamps. Our challenges are simple, just use a From The Heart image and the sketch as a reference.  There is also an added option to use the provided colors. Totally up to you.  The sketch challenge runs through Sunday, March 19th.

I love the clean lines of this sketch and was inspired by one of our sketch participants, Dandi, who “cut off the legs” of her Birdbrain and I thought this would work perfectly with this sketch too.  Thanks Dandi!    For my card today, I used “Hamlet Pigwit “Think Spring” which I colored using Copic Markers in R01, YR61 and R02. The paper pad and dies are My Favorite Things and an embossing folder adds texture.

Sure hope you’ll join us this week for Sketch #166 at From The Heart Stamps.  Also, don’t forget to stop by and join the FTHS Facebook group.  Happy Monday!!

Technique Junkies – Rainbow Ladies

Hello Junkie Friends.  I’m here today with a quick card using one of the March Technique Junkie release stamps, “We Pour #SD755.”

Rainbows are so inspiring to me and I used a new set of water-based markers I got on the “cheap” by Mozart. The entire set of 20 markers was under $25 bucks. They are like the Zig Clean Clear Markers and less expensive. The technique used on this card is called, Stencil Spray from the Sensational Stencil CD.

Thanks for stopping by and if you haven’t checked out the March release yet, come on over to the Technique Junkies site.  The sale offering 15% off all March stamps is ending in a few days!

Cards in Envy Challenge: Keep it Simple

Happy Monday!  It’s time for another Cards in Envy challenge .  This week our theme is “Keep it Simple.” These are cards you can make in about 10 minutes with some simple stamping.

As a reminder, Cards in Envy asks that your card fit into a standard A2 envelope for ease of mailing, but that doesn’t mean they have to be one layer or clean and simple.

For today’s card I used My Favorite Things “Beautiful Blooms” stamped simply and popped up for dimension. My sentiment is Simon Says Stamps “Friendship Messages” as designed by Kristina Werner. It’s all sitting on a nice kraft card base and Bob’s your uncle – it’s done.

Hope we’ll see your “Keep it Simple” cards over at the Cards in Envy challenge.  You have until March 19th to enter.

From The Heart Stamps March Blog Hop!

Welcome to our From the Heart Stamps blog hop. This month the theme is “Spring”.

As you hop along, please leave a comment on each blog. One random commenter will be selected on each blog to win an image of choice from the FTHS store.

If you have arrived from Kathy Curry’s website, you are in the right place, if not why don’t you start on the From the Heart Stamps blog, so you don’t miss anything.

My Spring card today features “Hamlet Pigwit in the Planter”, which I colored using a few new colors of Daniel Smith watercolors.  When I watercolor digital images, I used lightweight watercolor paper at 90 lbs and let your ink dry completely before you start.  You may get some bleeding, but that is okay to use for shading.

Now head over to Kelly Schelske’s and see what she has created.

Thanks for hopping with us today and may your spring days be thoroughly enjoyed.  Our hop will end on Sunday March 12th 2017 at 6 am, and the winners will be posted on Wednesday March 15th at the From the Heart Stamps Blog.  Please also visit us at the From the Heart Stamps Facebook group to share you cards and projects.