new stamps!

hi folks!

summer is in full swing at our house!  what does that mean?  it means school is out :P  i DO enjoy not having a schedule and not having our day broken in half BUT it leaves very little time for me.  however, we have a bunch of fun things planned so i plan to do my best to enjoy her as much as possible.  you know barring any jackassery on her part....   she had a little pre-school graduation thing - i don't remember the boys having that but probably because they were in daycare cuz momma WORKED!  anyway it is apparently a far bigger deal than i realized.  not only was the theatre jam packed with parents and siblings but also grandparents, close relatives and the guy next to me even brought the neighbor kid.  i know because he was introducing him to everyone.  the guy knew alot of people there.  i felt fairly pathetic sitting there alone - kevin has been working out of town again.  not only was i alone but i didn't have flowers and balloons and stuff like other folks.  the first time i remember something like that for the boys was graduating to middle school.

so i sat there by myself watching the slide show and listening to the music they paired it with and i swear i felt like i was suddenly at a funeral.  i wasn't sad in any way for her to be heading to :big school" - hell i am cheering - y'all know what i have on my hands.  plus big school is FREE!!!!  and i am not one of those people who wishes their kids would stay little forever.  i love them all and i do miss the boys but i would NEVER want to be stuck with a preschooler for the rest of my life.  so i wasn't sad about this apparently momentous event in our lives.  but the slide show and music and people lamenting how they are just growing to fast and i was getting real depressed!  probably didn't help that it was raining and i think i had PMS...anyway there is a picture of her in her little hat at the end of this post.  there would also be a video of her singing but i forgot to press record...really? and i do this for a living?????

ANYWAY - this is a super super super exciting post for me.  i am joining up with a close buddy of mine, susana from SCACD, to participate in her latest new release blog hop and boy oh boy is it a good one!  susana is really bringing lots of new fun things into the store and taking things in the direction of mixed media which is so ALL OVER THE PLACE right now.    well SCACD has been "die"ing to mix things up!  So, this month they have the launch of three awesome new Collections.

First is a fantastic new line of dies.  Susana has collaborated on a collection of dies with a timeless, classic feel.  Delicate and beautiful, the diecuts from these high quality wafer thin metal dies will be starring on your projects for years to come!

Second is a wonderful new direction for SCACD.  Susana is following her heart with a new line of Mixed Media stamps.  For those of you who are new to the concept, Mixed Media is a style that embraces creativity and experimentation. Let SCACD take you on a new creative adventure with the Blank Canvas Collection.  From the beginner to the mixed media enthusiast, these stamps will get the creative juices flowing! 

Each set in the collection comprises looks, perfect for mixing it up with different techniques.  Use the elements set to enhance the blank canvas silhouettes, or use them on their own for gorgeous effects.

In addition there is a fabulous set of word outlines, ready to be customized however you like!  Color them in, doodle, zentangle, paper piece - go wherever your creativity takes you.

Mix it up and most importantly - HAVE FUN!

so what have i been playing with in my own studio from all these new goodies?

first is the sets of seashells

OMGoodness these are must haves.  there are four altogether and they work really well separately OR together in a layered fashion like i did on this journal page.  and best of all - these stamps are done in such a way that they work really well with paint - not just ink.  so i used mine with some luscious Luminarte Silks!  

i took one of the shells and sponged on a thin layer of Sky Blue Silks and then stamped randomly around the page.  Next up i used one of the other solid ones with sunburst silks.  next i used Guatemalean green on the line art shell and stamped that on the page.  i took a sea sponge and lightly sponged more sky blue and guatemalean green across the page.  finally i took the detailed line art shell and stamped it over one of the sky blue shells using regular black ink.  let the layers dry in between stamping with the different colors!  i wrote out my journaling, ending it with one of the word art stamps - self.  i have so many more ideas for this set alone!  and the rest are just as awesome!

next i played with a couple of the dies.  i just love them!  i admit i was a little intimidated at first by the intricacy as bad memories of trying desperately to pick out all the little pieces in a spellbinders die came flooding back :P

these dies cut right through on the first try with very little fuss over the teeny pieces coming out.  i DO recommend being sure you are using good plates in your machine - thin dies like this need UN-WARPED plates to cut well.  personally, i will put just about anything through my cuttlebug and i use the thick sizzix dies quite a bit.  i keep one set of warped plates for that stuff and then i keep a super sweet pristine set for dies like these.

 

i cut my die cuts from white PTI cardstock.  i used one of the birdcages and one of the corner pieces as masks.  i began by laying down some Apple Blossom Silks randomly on the blank page.  once dry, i mixed up some gorgeous shimmering mist using forest green primary elements pigment powder, gum arabic and water in a mini mister.  i laid my die cuts down on my paper and misted from a distance then lifted them and dried them with my heat gun.  i did one with the corner and two with the birdcage.

Next i used the same birdcage die cut and laid it down again and this time i sponged on Harvest Sol Silks with a sponge dabber.  I also misted the other birdcage die cut heavily with the forest green and dried it.  Then I sponged Harvest Sol on the other two corner die cuts.  i took a natural sea sponge and dabbed a bit of harvest sol on the birdcage too.

i grabbed some gel medium and glass bead gel medium and mixed in some Mallard Green primary elements powder in both.  i used the gel medium to glue down the corners and then finished everything off with some texture by using the glass bead medium in a few areas.

your next stop on the hop is my fab friend suzanne!  if you want to start at the beginning head on over to Danni's blog.