OCCC and SFYTT and still NO COLORING...

ok raise your hand if you are tired of seeing this flower stamp and purple and green *raises hand* - i was on a role this weekend and i love all the things i made but by the time i was through i was tired of seeing the same stamp and color combo (even tho it is my favorite color combo) BUT when your on a roll you go with it right? so here are my next two fun things~~

the challenge on Our Creative Corner was to use tags so both of these cards have grungeboard tags on them. Jen's SFYTT is the second one...

This first one is actually tag 2 from tim holtz's 12 tags of christmas 2008:

This card was quick and easy and uses a couple of the NEWEST colors in the alcohol ink line - purple twilight and cool peri - i cannot WAIT to get my hands on the rest of the colors - which should be here within the next week!! these open up SO many new possibilities and just in time for spring and summer (the original earthtone colors tend to make me think of fall and winter.) for the card above i used eggplant, purple twilight, cool peri and silver mixative on ranger's glossy cardstock to make the background piece. next i stamped my image using versamark and then embossed with black embossing powder. next i stamped the swirly image using black archival ink (which is cool because it fades out a bit where it is over silver.) next i added a few swirley white basic grey rub ons and the silver bird charm (from my friend Susana's Store). i inked the grungeboard tag with milled lavender, stamped my studio g image and used two glittery bead pops (thanks cat) as decorative pieces instead of brads. the black dots are just drops of espresso dimensional pearls (if you find you get *peeks* when using dimensional or liquid pearls just tap the underside gently a few times and they will disappear.)

i cannot stress enough how fabulous these tutorials of tim's are. if you have ever wanted to learn how to use all the cool products Ranger Ink has to offer his tutorials will show you ALL you need to know and are so clear and easy to follow!!!

next up i have more tim stuff. for this one i used Jen's Sketch For You To Try this week ->

and came up with this:
i stamped the image with versamark and then carefully sprinkled distress embossing powders on the different parts of the image to *color* it without coloring :) is that cheating??? for this one i used 5 embossing powders - mustard seed, milled lavender, dusty concord, shabby shutters and peeled paint. i just shake the jars well and take a little pinch at a time, hold it over the area i want colored and slowly move my thumb and finger just a tiny bit so i can control the powders. once they are all down i tap the underside a bit so the powders dance around and cover their areas well. dump off the excess and heat. these powders are different than your regular slick and glossy embossing powders. these have a flat sort of sandpaper distress look which is so cool. the edges are done with an ink blending foam tool and distress inks - first dusty concord and peeled paint and then barely edged with walnut stain. the grungeboard tag frame is painted with dusty concord crackle paint.

All of these items (including the new alcohol ink colors) are on sale right now but hurry! the sale will be ending very soon!!!!!! and then it is back to regular price.

i hope you are all having fun exploring some non-coloring options with me!

SFYTT ala clay embellies!

if you follow me regularly you'll remember really got into playing with polymer clay recently - well Jen's Sketch this week was just perfect for playing with a few of my new ones! SO good in fact i made TWO cards this morning!







the first one was fr Trev's bday - 16 today:

i used one of the Polkadot Pie Sprinkles background stamps and adirondack espresso dye ink for 3 of the circles and then put the clay embellies on with glue dots. on the last circle i stamped my fave ikadinkado bday stamp in adirondack sailboat blue dye ink. i edged them all in the sailboat blue too. the chocolate paper is from the DCWV sweet stack. this card was SUPER easy to put together!

Next up i have ONE clay embellie and three images:

the three images are pink petticoat - LOVE those!!! colored with copics and highlighted with liquid pearls (including bee's wings but couldn't get a good pic). the circle with the clay turtle was stamped with another Polkadot Pie Sprinkles background stamp using adirondack watermelon dye ink. i edged all four of them with a combination of adirondack clover and citrus inks. the square pink frosty acrylic embellies will be making their appearance at Pez-A-Doodles soon (you will NOT want to miss these!!!) the papers are bo bunny - ella enchanted and buttercup double dot paper and matching ribbon - those MAY show up in a mini kit.....SO perfect for springtime and easter......

remember ALL adirondack inks are on sale right now to make room for new goodies along with quite a bit of other things so be sure to check out the store!! While you're there grab that Polkadot Pie Sprinkles background stamp while you can. 4 stamp designs and new releases will coordinate with them just like our current release!!

some PCP winners and SFYTT with sweetie pie

********membership winners from the Paper Craft Planet Studio G group*********

A complete set of Series 26---Winner Sharon Bonnett

A complete set of the new Spring Ink Pad and glitter Glue set---Winner Candy Barnett

Please contact me!!

***********************************************************************************

HOLY COW i got to Jen's SFYTT in time - that hasn't happened much lately!!! here is her awesome sketch ->















and my take on it:

i realized i had yet to use this awesome checkerboard background stamp from the Polkadot Pie launch so i stamped in memento bamboo leaves. then i filled in the empty squares with the various little mini chocolates from the two chocolate treats sets plus the little heart from the valentine pezzy set. i stamped the treats with Angel Pink and Rose Bud mementos. i highlighted the stamped background and the patterned paper with cotton candy stickles. paper, buttons, flower and polkadot brad are ALL from the pezzy's picks sweetie pie mini kit!

so what do y'all think????

couple sketches for ya - studio G and SHIMMERZ - yummo!

hi! i am so behind on my sketch challenges so i am posting a two in one for ya today! the first card uses Jen's sketch from last week ->





AND incorporates a new challenge i stumbled across that i just LOVE (tho i find it VERY challenging)! Ashley over on heart hugs designs does an etsy inspired challenge. now this is cool! features a new etsy artist each time and then you browse the site and base your project on something there. the one posted last saturday featured the artwork of autumn russell - she draws fashion type stuff which is totally hot right now AND her work is FABBY BUT not really my thing.....so i had no idea what i was going to use....



and then i realized why i love studio Gs so much!! there's nothing i don't have!! so i pulled down my binder, flipped through and sure enough it came to me! there were some incredible pics of high heel shoes and i remembered seeing some in the studio Gs (and thinking how i would NEVER EVER use them) so i found an assortment and picked out two shoe stamps, a purse and a sentiment and here is what i ended up with:

i think it is kinda cute even! i stamped in poppy, then orchid, then lightening black brilliance inks on each panel. Placed a prima for the embellishment and added a few bead pops from the cupid mix.

next up is the sketch from OCCC last saturday (hey i told you i was a bit behind....) ->

i decided to ink up another FABBY stamp - fairy with rose - from my friend susana's shop:

as soon as i saw it i knew i wanted to do faux watercolor with it and i love the result! i inked up the stamp with memento dew drops - the little dew drops are perfectly sized and shaped for precision inking in a hurry. once it was all inked i held it at arms length and misted lightly with water, then stamped onto watercolor paper.

i painted her dress and winges with opal SHIMMERZ from susana's shop - i tried to capture it in this photo.....

IRL it is awesome and shimmery in just the right spots.

i finished it off with some little clay flowers i made to match.

well i am back to work on some things i am planning.......

have a stampy weekend!!

SFYTT and Cupcake challenges (from last week...EEK!)

WOW!!! have i really gone all week without posting!??!?!?!? i hope y'all missed me - hee heee! i have some cute stuff to share today - both are based VEEEEEERRRY loosley on these two sketches - the first from Jen over at i{heart}2stamp and the second one from Taylor over at Taylored Expressions. Taylor recently launched her own stamp line and oh how i ADORE them - well christmas cupcakes were released and i just couldn't WAIT to ink them up and play!!! here are two projects done with more to come - i URGE you to run over a take a peek at them - talk about FUN!!!


I am making gift sets for my mom's open house right after Thanksgiving so these are my first two installments.









i apologize for the poor pic quality - not sure what happened........

Images are colored with copics and accented with LOTS of liquid pearls...

Again images colored with copics and highlighted with LOADS of stickles!

Close ups of both are below. i have a TON of these acrylic boxes - more than i could probably use - if you want to purchase just a few instead of the full packs like i found contact me...

SOOOOO in love with the Cuppies!!!!

Sorry for such a short post but I am runnin'ragged these days!! stay tuned tomorrow for a really cool T!m holtz inspired gift bag and new product announcement!

more halloween gift bags! SFYTT and WOJ sketch challenges

My last two Halloween bags are done!! YAY!! i based them both on sketch challenges meant for cards but you know how i like to change them up! one was Jen's SFYTT ->






and the other was from the WOJ challenge blog->










And here are the bags:

The first one for WOJ uses one of the new releases - it is not a halloween stamp but i tried...
i painted the bags with crackle paints. the shimmery background pieces are done with shimmery mist made with perfect pearls, water and distress reinkers in a mini mister.

both bags have prima flowers

the images are colored with copics and highlighted with spica glitter pens. the second stamped image is from SUINK.

stay tuned tomorrow for my first CHRISTMAS TUTORIAL!! christmas ornaments using alcohol inks.

cupcakes, bling and a good idea....(SFYTT & OCCC)

hi all!!! todays card combines two challenges - SFYTT -->
and OCCC - use some bling. my friend Suzanne *waving* was s o sweet to give me some images to color so today i have a tilda holding a little cupcake:

I think she turned out cutie patootie! i tried some experiments with shimmering mists over the weekends (will be reporting back on others as they are used) but on this particular one i made shimmery mist simply using brilliance pearlescent orchid reinker and encore metallic teal reinker and water in a mini mister. the colors are very good and the shimmer is wonderful! tilda is colored with copics. i added frosted lace stickles to the patterned paper as well as painting some pearl perfect pearls on in spots with an aquapainter - also did this for her wings. finished off with some liquid pearls dotted around the edges. LOVE LOVE those liquid pearls!!

one last tip for you from my experiments - dimensional pearls and water DOES NOT work for making shimmering mist!!!

be sure and check in tomorrow for an exciting announcement (it's from studio G.....) and don't forget i have big & juicy rainbow ink pads on sale!!!

SFYTT - but bags - studio G blitz!!

in honor of all of the stdio G goodies i FINALLY finished shipping out (with the exception of a few) i decided to do a Studio G project using Jen's SFYTT (before the new one hits tomorrow - sheesh i feel like i have been under a rock). So instead of a card i used the sketch to make two gift bags for our neighborhood "BOO" games. each year our neighborhood does a little game where you get a surprise goody bag on your dorrstep and you have to make two goody bags and secretly pass them on to two other neighbors without getting caught. once you have been boo-ed you hang a sign in your window so you don't get boo-ed twice. and so here are my two bags:

This one has a piece of paper from the DCWV halloween glitter stack. the black piece is stamped with a spider from Inkadinkado All Hallow's Eve set using winter rust and golden mist opalite ink - i wish i could have gotten a better pic of the shimmer......the three squares are stamped using studio G stamps from various series and they are stamped using the studio G inks which work wonderfully! i edged each square with orange ink using a foam blender. the pumpkin cut out is done with cricut paper dolls cartridge and then covered in studio G halloween glitter - i did the black and green details first, let dry and then filled in with the orange.

next up - background is also from the DCWV stack. the next layer was done by little miss pezzy herself - yep that's right - not even two yet and already crafting (OK with a BIT of help from mom....see below). Again the stamps are various Studio G stamped using studio G inks. I highlighted a bit on the hat and the "poof" with my spics pens. potion jar is cut from the cricut paper dolls cartridge and covered in studio G halloween glitter glue.

for the background i took a piece of black cardstock and cut it in half. i helped Pezzy squeeze winter rust, emerald and orchid opalite reinker randomly around one side. layed the other side on top and then let her smoosh it with her hands and roll it with my brayer. then pulled them apart. the shimmer is much better in person.

Pezzy made quite a few backgrounds recently so they will be showing up here and there :)

Now that the market has been flooded with studio G stamps i have seen a lot of posts about being unable to get a clear image with these. yes they are only a buck but i have ALWAYS gotten crisp clear images by using the following tips:

1. sand your stamp LIGHTLY with fine sandpaper before initial use (some people use emery boards, others use erasers but that has not worked for me consistently.
2. USE PIGMENT inks - the best i have found are versamagic, brilliance and versafine as well as the studio G inks. DYE inks do not work as well on alot of acrylics and i have noticed SU inks are especially bad with studio Gs.
3. Place a piece of foam/cusion under your paper - i use the piece that comes in the CTMH sets.
4. PRESS LIGHTLY - these stamps are soft - acrylics generally need a lighter touch than traditional red or gray rubber.

i hope you all are having fun with your studio Gs as well - and for those who have not received theirs yet i hope they arrive SOON!!!!

stay tuned - you'll want to see my post tomorow!!!

SFYTT card and others

i was busy with cards this weekend! this first one is for the sketch over on Jen's blog:






And here's the card:

how cute is she???? the panels are done usig the bandana technique from the technique junkies newsletter. the white dots are the ranger inksentials pen which i finally got in stock not long ago. die cut is covered in ruby slippers and tiara glitz stickles.

next up - the sketch challenge over on SCS last week:

i got the scarecrow from peachy keen stamps. b oth images are colored with copics.

fianlly a card i did for the current challenge over at paper patch crafts:

the owl is from one of the inkadinkado sets i recently added to my website called birds galore. he is stamped with brilliance chocolate pearlescent ink - also available on my website. primas have sands of time bead pops.

and now i am off to bed as i have had a long day and expect another one tomorrow!! i will have some cute LOs to share tomorrow.