Thursday, August 28, 2014

Awesome Day!



At Summerfest – an annual vegan conference usually held in Johnstown PA – I have the privilege of working alongside some of the most wonderful people I have ever known.  My usual job centers around Registration where I get to work with Roz, a  remarkable young woman who really is one of the world’s truly irreplaceable souls.  As my husband’s health remains a little on the iffy side, unfortunately, I wasn’t  able to attend this year.  

I missed Roz as much as I missed the conference . . .


The background is one of those startling revelations that lurk within the stamping world and then pop up every now and then to surprise us all.  I used three distinct flower shapes for the background and I defy any of my readers to be able to actually pick out even one!  These were solid images which sort of morphed into becoming used as shadow stamps, so they wound up as soft areas of color rather than recognizable flowers.  I like the result, even though it wasn’t what I was after, and will probably drive myself crazy trying to make it happen again for other cards in future . . .

Cardstock:    Generic textured White, American Crafts Bright Pink,
                          Watercolor paper
Stamps:         Hero Azalea Blossom, Rubber Stampede Periwinkle Blossom,
                          Cosmos Blossom, Chicken Wire, Raindrops on Roses
                          Texture, The Stamp Bug Squiggles, Simon Says
                          Tilted Banners Hope your day is awesome!”
Inks:                Sea Shells Tropical Raspberry, Sea Brights Bikini Pink,
                           Adirondack Wild Plum, ColorBox Frost White
Emb Powder:  Judikins Opaque White, Stamp Zia White Sparkle
Dies:               Memory Box Prim Poppy, Simon Says Tilted Banners
Doo Dads:      Perfect Pearls spray mist



Monday, August 25, 2014

Wishing you . . .

This one was for my niece’s birthday in June – we’re on opposite coasts, hence the non-traditional text for her birthday card.  She collects wonderful palm tree images and loves Hawaii, so this stamp seemed tailor made for her . . .

For the background, I smooshed the two Distress pads on a wavy-edged acrylic block, spritzed twice, and laid it down on watercolor paper.  I loved the resulting texture but knew the stamped image would never show up against it, so I simply sponged the same two colors on a watercolor scrap and then stamped.  Before attaching the image with foam dots, I traced around the background with a stylus for a little added dimension and then cut it out freehand – really not difficult or time-consuming to do.  Of course it’s not perfect, but I’m hoping that counts for a little added charm . . . yes?   Say yes . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Jacaranda, Watercolor paper, Neenah Solar White
Stamps:        Great Impressions Palm Trees/Hut, all text from Simon
   Says Sketchy Banners
Inks:               Distress Stormy Sky, Antique Linen, Hero Black
Dies:              Spellbinders Classic Squares Large, Simon Says
   Sketchy Banner Greetings, Impression Obsession
   Tiny Flowers
Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star pen               


Thursday, August 21, 2014

A Day to Celebrate



Thanks to the recent Water Coloring for Stampers class from Online Card Classes, I have completely lost my fear of water coloring!  You will find me happily splashing about with my brushes and paint pots every day.  Here’s one of my maiden voyages from a class session early in the series . . .


Yes, we’ve got a long ways to go, but I am enjoying every single minute of the trip!  My itinerary includes more to come, so brace yourselves and hang tight:  this is not over with by a long shot . . .

Cardstock:              Watercolor paper, generic Turquoise, Textured
                                    White
Stamps:                   Stamp La Jolla Satin Flower Square, Hero “Day
                                    to Celebrate”
Inks:                           Distress Peacock Feathers, Dusty Concord,
                                     Mustard Seed, Wink of Stella Gold
Emb Powder:           Vippies Transcendence
Dies:                          Spellbinders Lacy Squares, W+9 Banner Trio
Emb Folder:             Cheery Lynn Burble
Doo Dads:                Gold mini beads, Viva Paper Pen Gold

Monday, August 18, 2014

Wishing the Best

 Tried a little artsy smudging on this one . . . not really sure I succeeded . . .


I sorta do, and I sorta don’t.  I plan to try this again and maybe next time, some new perspective will help me figure out how I could have improved on this one.  I’m thinking a lighter hand with the smudging for starters . . .

Cardstock:            Generic textured Blue, Burgundy, Beckett Iceberg
Stamps:                 Stacy Stamps Ivy Geraniums, Simon Says Tilted Banner 
                                     Sayings “Wishing you . . .”
Inks:                       ColorBox Gold, Distress Aged Mahogany, Mustard
                                   Seed, Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans
Emb Powder:         Ranger Detail Gold                         
Doo Dads:              Gold stickers, bow


Thursday, August 14, 2014

Sparkle

I don’t know what it is about bicycle images that always brings a smile to my face . . .


. . . maybe it’s the happy memories of my own bike-riding childhood?  Then again, maybe not:  my first and only bike was a two ton, fat-tired behemoth that took a great deal of effort to propel downhill, let alone on the flat.  Going uphill was absolutely out of the question.  Still, I have a nostalgic grin on my face – maybe I should go borrow a bike somewhere and climb on for a ride?  But this time, I’ll take one with gears, please . . .

Cardstock:              Marcos Jute, Wausau Firecracker Red, Generic
                                   Oatmeal
Stamps:                    Hero Joy Ride, Envelope Pattern, Viva Las Vegas
                                    “Don’t let anyone . . .”
Inks:                          Distress Brushed Corduroy, Memento Tuxedo Black
Colored Pencils:     Prisma Scarlet Lake
Dies:                        Simon Says Sketchy Banner Greetings
Impress Plate:        Dies Direct Cement
Doo Dads:               Crystals

Monday, August 11, 2014

Hope

My dear friend Sandy has been wallowing through some heavy trials lately – both the financial kind and some of the emotional variety as well, especially with the death of her beloved dog Maggie.  She was in need of a more supportive kind of birthday card than the usual, so I came up with this one . . .


She loves African art, so I paired an African carved border strip from Magenta with a couple of feathers I still had on my worktable from my current feather fixation.  Along with some gently wise and timeless words from Emily Dickinson, I think she’ll be happy to get this . . .

Cardstock:   Paper Cut Bark Variety Pack       
Stamps:        Magenta African Carvings, Serendipity Hope, The
                           Artful Stamper Leaf Flourish
Inks:               ColorBox Chalk Dark Brown, Hero Black, Adirondack Espresso,
                           various Brown-sprayed cardstock from my Scrap Stash
Dies:              Spellbinders Feathers on the Wind           
Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Gold, Tattered Angels Gold Glimmer Mist        


Thursday, August 7, 2014

Soar, Discover, Fly

Were I to write down my Top Ten Tools for Stamping, color sprays would have to be up high on the list . . .


 . . . quick, easy, economical, and so far, fail-proof.  I’ve yet to come up with bad results.  Plus, with an easy-to-make spray booth (made from a cardboard box with one end cut off), the job is nowhere as messy as it sounds.  Other than wiping off the sprayer, cleanup is non-existent!  Love it . . .   

Cardstock:   Generic Black, textured White, watercolor paper         
Stamps:        Close to My Heart Feathers, Starving Artistamps
                           Mini Words            
Inks:               ColorBox Black, Stamp Zia Color Wash Malachite,
                           Sapphire, Obsidian
Emb Powder:   Vippies Transcendence, Judikins Opaque White
Dies:              Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangle         


Monday, August 4, 2014

It's Your Day!

Today is my middle brother’s birthday and for the background, I used this wonderful stamp of an old Almanac page.  It shows the actual month and year of his birth.  What a serendipitous find that was!  The dates below the heading may be too small to see, but the listing for the 4th shows that he was born on a Wednesday . . .


I used one of Tim’s stencils to get the aged/splotchy look for the page.  It was the maiden voyage for my new mini ink pads and applicators and I am ever so glad I invested in these wonderful, smaller-sized tools.  They are so much easier to use in small spaces . . .

Cardstock:               Bazzill Bon Bon, Paper Cut White Matte, Marcos
                                      White Linen
Stamps:                    Above the Mark Almanac Page, Creative Catalyst
                                      Herringbone Border,  Stampin’ Up It’s Your Day
Inks:                           Hero Black, Distress Antique Linen, Gathered Twigs
Emb Powder:            Judikins Detail Black
Dies:                          Spellbinders A2 Curved Matting Basics A, Ribbon
                                       Buckles, Shoot!, Die-Versions “TH” from Hint
                                       of Lime die
Stencil:                      Tim Holtz Speckles
Doo Dads:                 Black Jute, Gelly Roll Clear Star pen