Hooray for spring! SC218 AND OCCC doodling...

i have a twofer today yay!

We had GORGEOUS weather here in Northern VA for the last 4 days and this card is JUST how i have felt - all bright and happy and excited for some great outdoors!


my image is colored with copics and has some extra bling from spicas and crystal stickles (oh how i love the little inch worm-y). the green doodles edges are also spica and the white doodles on the patterned paper is my inkssentials white gel pen. the paper itself is gorgeous bo bunny paper from the ella collection and *might* appear soon in a little mini kit of goodies for spring :) i added extra bling to paper strips with the crystal stickles and doodled the edges of the borders too - done with one of the new ek success slim punches - best punches i have EVER used! you can punch thru cardstock with your fingertips instead of full body weight!!

Are you a Studio G *collector*?? want to become a Studio G USER instead???? be sure to tune in tomorrow to see my sample for the latest challenge in the papercraft planet studio G group - with a PRIZE from hampton arts!!!! Check the group for other samples submitted so far.

have a stampy day!

etsy inspired and totally tim!

***REMINDER***

DT call going on now - click HERE for the details and see how you can apply!!!!!

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i just love Ashley's etsy inspired challenges and i am SO happy when i am able to participate in one! the etsy shop this week is Expressing You and they sell fantastic vinyl wall decor. i don't know that any ONE piece inspired me it was sort of a combination of the modern one with big flowers and the branches and leaves and nature themes in general.....anyway - i had this wooden frame that has been on my table for more than a week that i wanted to make for my dad. it was all crackle painted and i had the digi page done and printed but i just could not decide what to do on the frame and then i browsed Expressing You and here is where it led me:

it is a gift for my dad for his bday *SHHHH Paula don't tell* - and yes it has flowers which is not manly but the focus of the picture makes it ok i think :)

the pics are my grandparents and my dad as a child back in 1940s Cuba before it all came crashing down. the digi elements are from flerg's strawberry delight over at scrapbook graphics - LOVE LOVE LOVE them.

i had SO MUCH fun doing this - a total first for me - i may just have to do more *hybrid* stuff!

i started by painting the entire wood frame from Michaels with a Mushroom paint dabber. Then i covered the front with a thick layer of Crackle Paint in Old Paper.

i crocheted the flowers myself and used a few Sands of Time Bead pops *AKA skittles* for the centers.

Then came the Grungeboard - i got the letters from the plain minis set and the ferns from the Nature Set, embossed the ferns with my cuttlebug and painted them all with a Lettuce Paint Dabber. Once dry I rubbed over the embossing with Tim's sanding grip and then sponged on vintage photo distressed ink to the exposed grungeboard.

now i don't know about anyone else but i NEVER seem to have enough grungeboard swirls. so i got a Hello Kitty sizzix bigz die that has swirls and flowers the last time i was in Joanns and it worked perfectly! i painted them with the mushroom paint dabber and then covered them with worn lipstick distress stickles and the letters with scattered straw distress stickles.

this bottom corner has my Butterflies A Flutter stamped in archival black ink which looks cool over the crackle paint.

and in a last flurry of tim holtz inspired creating i FINALLY finished this bday scrapbook title for one of the girls over on scrapping friends. they have a wishing well board which is just THE most awesome idea EVER and she was looking for a birthday item for a teenage boy - boys/men can be so tough once you can't get away with cutesy!

anyway i came up with this based loosley on a 12 tags of 2008 tutorial:

i started with black textured cardstock and stamped my pezadoodle cobblestone background all over in versamark. covered that with clear embossing powder and heated to melt. once it was cool i covered the whole thing with a lettuce paint dabber. when it was dry i wiped over it with a slightly damp paper towel so the paint would come off of the embossing. i punched out various style letters from the grungeboard alpha set and covered them really well with distress stickles in faded jeans, scattered straw and peeled paint. once dry i inked the edges with tea dye distress ink. the 13 is from the Seasonal grungeboard set and run through the cuttlebug distressed stripes embossing folder then sponged with faded jeans distress ink. the party shapes are cut with the celebrations cricut cartridge - the blue is SEI velvet paper which really adds to the overall look.


so what do you think???? does it work for a BOYS 13th bday page?????

~~DT CALL~~*~~DT CALL~~*~~DT CALL~~

MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PUH-LEAZE!!!

i have decided i MUST MUST increase the size of my Design Team and so i am holding an open call!

i am looking for FOUR new people - yep FOUR! the new peeps will fall into two different categories so be sure to read the details carefully and apply to one or the other.

2 Month Guest Spot
To Apply:
· Submit two items – can be cards, LOs, gift bags, Altered items, etc - can be done using any stamps.
· Short bio – How long you have been papercrafting, family, fave subjects, fave projects to do, etc. Why you want to be on the Pez-A-Doodle DT and what you like about the store.
· Links to any/all blogs, message boards, online galleries, etc where you are active and have posted your work along with your screen name(s).

DT Expectations:
· Two items/projects per week using Pez-A-Doodle stamps with one being one of the SCS challenges.
· One project with each new release during your term if any are released.
· Participate in any challenges I may post including Studio G challenges.
· Actively comment/support other DT members’ blogs/galleries
· Actively participate on the 2 Paper Craft Planet groups – Studio G and Pez-A-Doodle Designs

What you get:
· Choice of 4 stamps/stamp sets
· $15 in products each month
· 25% discount for additional purchases
· All new stamps released during your term


4 Month Guest Spot
To Apply:
· Submit two items – can be cards, LOs, gift bags, Altered items, etc - can be done using any stamps.
· Submit 1 item based on one of Tim Holtz’s blog tutorials – can be from either 2007 or 2008 12 tags or one of his monthly tutorials.
· Short bio – How long you have been papercrafting, family, fave subjects, fave projects to do, etc. Why you want to be on the Pez-A-Doodle DT and what you like about the store.
· Links to any/all blogs, message boards, online galleries, etc where you are active and have posted your work along with your screen name(s).

Expectations:
· Two items/projects per week using Pez-A-Doodle stamps with one being one of the SCS challenges.
· One project with each new release during your term if any are released.
· Two items/projects demonstrating advanced techniques using products available in the store such as Tim tutorials, technique junkies, etc. each month (may be combined with other posting requirements).
· Participate in any challenges I may post including Studio G challenges.
· Actively comment/support other DT members’ blogs/galleries
· Actively participate on the 2 Paper Craft Planet groups – Studio G and Pez-A-Doodle Designs

What you get:
· Choice of 6 stamps/stamp sets
· $25 in products each month
· 25% discount for additional purchases
· All new stamps released during your term

SEND YOUR ENTRIES TO:
marti {at} pezadoodle {dot} com
BE SURE to put either 2 month DT or 4 month DT in the subject line
DEADLINE: Midnight EST Sunday March 15th

bday tea

well my day has certainly not gone as planned - i meant to have this post up this morning! i used this sketch from the high hopes blog and paired it with this adorable rachel anne miller stamp (anxiously awaiting my first high hopes stamps).

the sketch ---->





and the card:

i colored the image with copics and accented with spica glitter pens.

i used lots of layers of bo bunny ella papers and edged everything with rose bud memento ink. the centers of the primas are puddles of glossy accents covered in seed beads.

be sure to stay tuned here - an exciting announcement coming on wednesday that you will NOT want to miss! also be sure and check out the blogs of the other DT girls and leave them some love!

flower soft friends!

we had a baby shower of one of the ladies in Pezzy's playgroup (more are pregnant than not right now in that group) and so of course i made a bag for our gift! and Julee's Mojo sketch was perfect for some thing big - lots of fun layers and things going on!!

i decided to experiment a bit with an idea i had for the flower soft and i am quite pleased! FUZZY ADORABLE LITTLE BABY ANIMALS!!!

the paper is from DCWV - nana's nursery baby boy stack and SU Rainbow Sherbet and solids are SU. i punched the border design with one of my new EK success slimline punches - OH what a dream! not onle are they cute and not only do they store flat they punch SUPER easy too.

The baby buggy is one of my first stamp sets and is from doodlebug and the buttons are SEI.

i cut these little cuties out using the new arrival cricut cart that i just HAD to have and have not used. the first thing i learned is that it works ALOT better to do the pearl accents first - i used liquid pearls and dimensional pearls - and let them dry. next i just covered them in flower soft glue (not over the pearls of course) and then dumped on the flower soft and tapped it gently into the glue.

LOVE them!!

i used colors from the pastel flower soft kit for these.

what do y'all think????

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!

Vase full of flowers - tutorial

hi all! i finally have another flower soft tutorial for you!!! this gorgeous vase full of flowers AND it fits into my no coloring week pledge too!

some close ups:




These are SUPER easy to do - several kits come with everything you need - the Starter Box and the Lavender & Lace Box OR you can buy various vase sheets, wires and glue to go with the other kits.

make your flower stems first so they have time to dry. place some flower soft in the jar lids so you can fluff it up. cover about 2/3 of the wire with the PVA glue. sprinkle flower soft all over the wire and then prop it up to dry. some kits come with sponges or you can use a piece of styrofoam.

cut out your vase - i left a little tab on each side to make it easy to glue down. cut your wire into pieces sized for the vase or pot you are using.

roll your vase around a pen to round it out a bit.

add a dab of glue to each tab and glue the vase to your base piece of cardstock being careful to slightly round it so you can place your flower wires inside.

Once the flower stems are dry group them together in a bunch arranging them how you want and add glue to the bare ends.

here is the vase with the newly added stem. press down a bit on the vase to be sure the glue and wires are touching paper. let dry.

once it is dry you can bend and twist the wires anyway you want. the flower soft glue holds the sprinkles on really well. i bent these with my fingers but you could also use a pair of needle nose pliers to really curl them into a fuller bunch. if you have any noticeable bare spots on your wires just add a bit more glue and flower soft.

i had seen these for the last year on the flower soft website but thought they were much more complicated until i sat in the booth at CHA and made some myself - SO easy!!!!!

we have lots of fun flower soft items in stock - what can you create? watch for another tutorial next week!