On the Farm ~ My Lil Chicks

Today I'm bringing you a scrapbook page. I'm admitting right up front that these ADORABLE children are not my own. I'm still recuperating from my hard drive crash of 2012 where I lost almost all of my photos, so when I saw a few of these sweet pictures on my friend's FB album I asked if I could use them. They would be perfect with the new On the Farm Perfectly Clear set from Stampendous and now you'll see why.

I used different bottles around my workspace to "mask" off the circles one at a time sprinkling Aged Scarlet and Aged Black Embossing Enamels. Before heat setting the enamels I sprinkled some of the new Red Mica Fragments around so they enamel would act like an adhesive to the fragments when heated. Once it was cool I used my Prismacolor pen and drew some free-hand circle circles inside each embossed circle.

That was a fun technique! Oh and I also forgot that the top photo slides out of the manilla folder! I thought that was clever of me to add a secret place for journaling.

Thanks Em, for letting me scrap your cutie-patootie kids!

Details:
Stamps: On the Farm (Stampendous)
Paper: Cornmeal (Dotted Swiss, Bazzill Basics), manila folder, cream, red and blue scraps
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento by Tsukineko), black illustration markers (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Twill ribbon (May Arts), mini stapler (Ranger), edge punch (Martha Stewart), shaper scissors (Fiskars), font dies (Cuttlebug, Sissix)

Now this is a fine MIX with new Verve

It's been a happening kind of week around here and I'm just filled with inspiration over the Diva Sistah's projects. I really get a bunch of inspiration from all of them. .

So on Friday afternoon I had time to pull out my travel case of acrylic paints and my old watercolor tubes to play in two challenges. There are two awesome components to what I just said, PLAY and TIME. This is just something fun I made for me! Yay!

Today on Splitcoast Stampers Verve is hosting a challenge. It's all about getting back into spring colors using the Verve brand colors + one of either yellow or pink. I'm on the queasy side of pink right now so I went with yellow for my challenge card. Then I used a technique that Dina Kowal (dini on SCS) is challenging us to make our color move with water! Details are here.

One of these days my first supply on a Mixed Media piece will be a camera because I'm not sure you would believe me if I said that my background piece wasn't turning out. I didn't have an idea of what it should look like, but my art id was expecting fun and vibrant in about two minutes. I promise, it looked like mud with a few spots of teal. I decided I would keep playing since it was just going to be thrown away. So without picture proof I'll just give you the base plays.

Prep: Get all my paints and watercolors mixed and ready on styrofoam plates. Tear some watercolor paper down to size with my metal ruler as the guide and then taping it to my watercolor board. Any hard surface would be fine.

Base 1: I wet down some heavy watercolor paper with water and used equal parts of Cotman Water Colours' Intense Green and Cobalt Blue to create a Verve Teal. While the water was still on the surface (shiny looking) of the paper I quickly made long strokes of teal watercolor leaving some spots open to go back with Cotman's Burnt Umber  and Cadmium Yellow watercolor. Which I did after rewetting the paper with a clean brush and fresh water.

Base 2: As that was spreading and soaking into the watercolor paper I watered down some acrylics; raw umber and Phthalo Green + white. I have a cheap paintbrush that distorts when it gets wet. It's the weirdest thing I've seen, but it makes a halo with the bristles. I dabbed raw umber around in spots and sometimes made a swish to color in the halo. Then I did the same with the Phthalo Green mix plus did a few paint strokes of it in the corners.

Base 3: I watered down some white gesso and loaded it onto the clean paintbrush and tapped the handle on my opposite hand over the watercolor paper. I made "star" dots all over with this technique.

7th inning stretch: Can't wait so I used my heating gun to dry my watercolor paper.

Base 4: I used the two silhouette flower stamps from Surely Goodness and inked them with Chocolate Chip ink randomly onto the watercolor paper.

The last homerun: I stamped the Keep Shining sentiment onto some scrap yellow cardstock and die cut it out with a banner from Verve's new Banner Bundle die set and used up some of my leftover paints and watercolors. I also did this with a trim die from the new Verve Scalloped Trim Trio set.

I used Tombow's Mono Liquid glue on all pieces. That is all!

The

Details:
Stamps:  Shining Star (Verve Stamps), Surely Goodness (Verve Stamps)
Paper:  Watercolor (Strathmore), Kraft (Wausau), yellow scrap, kraft (Hobby Lobby)
Ink:  Chocolate Chip (SU!), Acrylic Paint (Phthalo Green, White, Raw Umber), Watercolor (Burnt Umber, Cobalt Blue+Intense Green, Cadmium Yellow), white gesso
Accessories:   Scalloped Trim Trio Die Set (A Cut Above, Verve), Banner Bundle Die Set (A Cut Above, Verve), paintbrush

Release the Verve!

Today is the release! Today is the release! 

Today! Today! Today!

 (and I'm hosting the Viva La Verve CAS challenge today!)

It' s been a great week of inspiring/enabling hops and you have been so kind with all your comments on our projects that you deserve to SHOP! Yay! We have one more Spotlight Hop left in us for this release then the store will be open! Take up a comfy chair and favorite daytime bevvie for a a blast with the Divas.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

If you are already hopping through the spotlights then you just came from Christyne's blog and then you'll move on to Jen Shults blog for more! If you are just getting started on the hop the full list is right below. Have fun!

1. Amber 7. Julee 2. Andrea 8. Laurie S. 3. Charmaine 9. Laurie W. 4. Christyne 10. Marisa 5. Janelle 11. Maureen 6. Jen S. 12. Teresa

For this last day of hop spotlights I'm showing you my first project I made with this release! As I started putting things together I just kept grabbing stamps and dies until it wasn't going to fit on any one spotlight day without giving away something for another day! lol

Ever since Diva Sankari shared her spectacular coffee sleeve album to give her friend (I can't find it to link up for you, sorry) it has been on my Craftet List (my name for a Bucket List for crafters).

I'm enjoy the mixed media wave for crafters so much it's hard not to just swipe some paint or ephemera as a finishing touch. So here's my version of a coffee sleeve album junqued out on mixed media.

I've watched people join in on Project Life and One Little Word and been so successful that I felt silly not jumping in with them. The reality is I'm not a consistent scrapper, journal writer or resolutioner. It's just not in me. I love to jump from puddle to puddle in my crafts just as my blog was named. So this piece came from trying out One Little Word and Project Life together. I'll look at it often, carry it with me and add pages and papers and notes until it's just too full to be useful. Then it will be perfect for a journal page or a scrapbook element and it will have meaning  behind it.

 

Details:
Stamps: Calendar Countdown (Verve Stamps), Remember This (Verve Stamps), Sip and Savor (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Out of Print (Basic Grey), Anthologie (We R Memory Keepers), Soft Suede (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Jet Black (Archival, Ranger), Brown Bag (CTMH), color pencils (Prismacolor)
Accessories: Banner Bundle Die Set (A Cut Above, Verve), Scalloped Trim Trio die (A Cut Above, Verve), Vintage Oval die (A Cut Above, Verve), Classy Label die (A Cut Above, Verve), acrylic paints, gesso, black rhinestones (Kaiser Craft), paper clips (Stampin' Up), black polka dot tape (Smash Tape), black pens (Prismacolor and Sharpie)

A little more Goodness with Verve Sneak Peeks

Now haven't you enjoyed the sneak peeks so far? 

Well it's just about to get even better as we shine the Diva spotlight on Surely Goodness and Happy Anniversary Plain Jane. But wait, there is that fun announcement we've been making about some new Diva's in the house. Whoop-whoop! It's great to have them aboard, isn't it. And that reminds me to mention the hop  you just came from would have been Christyne, and, oh yeah, that other chatter about something shiny...

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.

I'm not showing you what I made for today's signature Verve flowers. I spent some quality time with my markers on those gorgeous stamps and then when I started up at my work surface I eyed the plain white die cuts I made when breaking in the coordinating dies. Eep! There are coordinating dies for some of the flowers in this set. Can I say, "Nēd IT!"

I hope you've enjoyed the Spotlights so far! The release is happening tomorrow, YAY! Jen S. is your next hop (and the whole list is right below for your convenience).

1. Amber 7. Julee 2. Andrea 8. Laurie S. 3. Charmaine 9. Laurie W. 4. Christyne 10. Marisa 5. Janelle 11. Maureen 6. Jen S. 12. Teresa

Details:
Stamps: Surely Goodness (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Sunny Side (Pebbles), kraft (Wausau)
Ink: Brocade Blue (Stampin' Up)
Accessories: Goodness Flowers die set (A Cut Above, Verve), Flag It die set (A Cut Above, Verve), olive green seam binding (Spring Fling, Verve), Clearly Crystal embossing powder (Stampin' Up), hemp twine, sewing machine and black thread, Rhinestone brad (Stampin' Up), rhinestones (KaiserCraft), Mel's Diner Glimmer Mist (Tattered Angels)

Spring is on it's way with the new February Verve Release

Today's hop is all up in the air!

As we're shining our Verve spotlights on the new stamps So Fluttery, Shining Star, Beautiful Plain Jane. Each of the release team Divas below (including 4 brand new talented designers) has posted her first look at these new stamps today. As you hop through the list below, you just might see some super sneaky peeks of new coordinating dies, so keep your eyes peeled! Everything you see previewed along today's hop will be available in Verve's online store on Friday, February 22.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines.


I'm a little bit excited about the Spotlight Hop List as I'm sandwiched between two of our new Diva's Extraordinaire! Welcome aboard ladies! Christyne's blog was your latest hop if you have been hoping along with us today. If not, you can see the full list towards the bottom of my post to start at the beginning. Woohoo! Let's get started...

I'm simply tickled about this Beautiful Plain Jane stamp! It evoked the most artsy card out of me and I can't wait to see what all of you make with it. And it doesn't need to be said but I'm doing it anyway. That beautiful font is, well, ... BEAUTIFUL!

1. Amber 7. Julee 2. Andrea 8. Laurie W. 3. Charmaine 9. Marisa 4. Christyne 10. Maureen 5. Janelle 11. Teresa 6. Jen S.

Details:
Stamps: Beautiful Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Loolah (Creative Imaginations), Tuscan Sun (Wausau), Rose Red (Stampin' Up)
Ink: Jet Black (Archival Ink), Brushed Corduroy and Peeled Paint (Ranger)
Accessories: Classy Label Die (A Cut Above, Verve), Fuchsia Seam Binding Ribbon (Spring Fling Set, Verve), Leafy Tree embossing folder (Darice), burnt sienna, brilliant yellow green, leaf green and light green acrylic paints (Liquitex and Daler Rowney)

A Bird's Song and a Mirror

If you walked the floor at Winter CHA 2013 and happened to stop by the Stampendous Impression booth you might have seen a collection of wonderful mirrors. If not you can see them over on Asia's blog post here (she has THE coolest framed mirror to show you).

So here's my entry on the wall. It looks subtle and it is, but the detail is just not as cool in any photo I took. So this will just have to do. :)

I embossed Botanical Blooms on tissue paper that I creased around the inner and outer edges of the mirror frame. I needed those creases as guides for stamping. Then I sponged around sections with Spun Sugar and Tea Dye Ranger inks. The last bit of distressing is done with thick cold coffee on a paint brush.

I colored Garden Gal with colored pencils and fussy cut her and three butterflies which were stamped in walnut ink stain distressed ink. I added A Bird Song sentiment by stamping on a tall rectangle and rolling the top and bottom edges to create a scroll and sponge distressing over the sentiment. Everything including the ribbon is  either glued or decoupaged with Beacon Adhesives.

Love Is in the Air...

The monthly challenge is coming to an end soon, but there is still time to link up your Love Is in the Air projects! Take this link for challenge details on the Stampendous blog! If you have one done and want to link up now... here you go!

Details:
Stamps: Botanical Blooms Background Cling, Garden Gal Cling, A Bird Sing Cling set and Butterflies Perfectly Clear Stamp Set (Stampendous)
Paper: white cardstock (Neenah), white tisue paper, cream cardstock (Wausau)
Ink: Versamark Watermark ink (Tsukineko), Spun Sugar, Walnut Ink Stain and Tea Dye (Ranger)
Accessories: Shabby White Embossing Enamel, Detailed White Embossing Powder (Stampendous), lace ribbon (May Arts), cold coffee, Beacon Fast Finish and 3-in-1 adhesives

Verve's February Spotlight Hop is ON!

Verve's February Spotlight's have officially started and it's going to be awesome!!!!!!

Today we're shining our Verve spotlights on the new stamps Remember This, Calendar Countdown and Smile Plain Jane. Each of the release team Divas below (including 4 brand new talented designers) has posted her first look at these new stamps today. As you hop through the list below, you just might see some super sneaky peeks of new coordinating dies, so keep your eyes peeled! Everything you see previewed along today's hop will be available in Verve's online store on Friday, February 22.

Want to win some shiny new Verve? We'll be picking a random commenter on one of the hop spots below to win today's featured products! So be sure to leave a little comment on all the blogs below to increase your chances! Check out the Verve Blog for all the prize details and deadlines. Woohoo! Let's get started...

I'm scared to death of scrapbooking! There I said it, maybe for the second time on my blog, but I think I might just like this revived way of doing it. I used Remember This and Calendar Countdown to create a layout with Doodlebug's Storybook Album and the photo/recipe protector sheet. I've left it blank so that I don't mess up the pretty clean lines of the stamped and coordinating dies (squeal!), but it will soon be written on to tell my first child how she came to my life, "one fine day" and changed who I am forever!

Sentiment from Remember This and new banner die with an old favorite Rounded Scallop Frame Die.

 Sentiment and banner stamp (completely love this one and you'll see me use it again in the week) from Remember This. Numbers are from Calendar Countdown and that slash is just an inked portion of the Scroll Plain Jane.

1. Amber 7. Julee 2. Andrea 8. Laurie S. 3. Charmaine 9. Laurie W. 4. Christyne 10. Marisa 5. Janelle 11. Maureen 6. Jen S. 12. Teresa

Details: 
Stamps:  Remember This (Verve Stamps), Calendar Countdown (Verve Stamps), Scroll Plain Jane (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Madeleine (Prima), blue (Wausau), notepaper
Ink: Old Olive, Soft Suede and Rose Red (Stampin' Up), Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters (Ranger)
Accessories: Banner Bundle Die Set (A Cut Above, Verve), Rounded Scallop Frame die (A Cut Above, Verve), sewing machine, paper tape (Martha Stewart), corrugate board, wish ticket, embroidery thread (Sullivans brand)

Every Thought of Love Apart

My first hostess gig is up on Splitcoast Stampers today! I'm challenging us to use text on white paper and then add RED. I'm sure you all have your reds still out after the Valentine's you've been mass producing, right? So leave them out for one more project and join in the 

Mix-Ability Challenge forum.

The watercolor paper was measured and marked with a pencil and then the ruler became my tearing guide along each side. Here's a tip for tearing. Keep the ruler on the paper you want to keep and tear away from the outside. You will get a "line" tear at the ruler's edge, but then some of the paper will split and leave rugged edges. I love that about watercolor paper the most because it is thicker paper and shows more of the tear.

I used a Verve Stamp set, Always on my Mind, that is mostly sentiments and in this great font style to create a collage of text. I placed them onto my Fiskar Stamp Press as it lay over my paper. I was able to organize where the sentiments would go and then I could ink them all up and flip it over to stamp. Since I was stamping on watercolor paper I also used my Darice Stamping Mat to be able to get a good impression. I should have practiced on a scrap paper first because some of the stamps were still new and never inked before, but I just flipped over the watercolor paper and stamped again. Oh, I almost forgot, I used a sweet little filigree stamp from Small Celebrations above and below one of the sentiments for focus.

I grabbed three reds from my acrylic carrier (see photo below) and dabbed just a little bit on a styrofoam plate. Why? Because I don't have a full sized reusable palette, that why. Then I started watering down the paint one at a time with a flat brush and went in all sorts of directions. Each time cleaning and drying my brush to use a new red. Some of them were mixed on the plate so I have more than three reds, but I started with three. :)

My border is another trick I use and I've mentioned it before here on my blog. I have a grid ruler that was originally bought for quilting. You can see through it and allows you to line up from the edge with no need to make guide marks. I just position the rulers measure marks for 1/4-inch over the edge of the paper. Then I use a pencil to draw my line across the paper. I go around each side like that and then use a permanent or opaque marker to freehand my lines. Once dry I erase the pencil marks. Sometimes I leave them.

Details:
Stamps: Always on My Mind (Verve Stamps, Small Celebrations (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Watercolor paper (Strathmore), Kraft (Wausau)
Ink: Jet Black (Archival Ink, Ranger), acrylic paints (Naphthol Crimson, Naphthol Red Light, Transp. Red Medium)
Accessories:   grid ruler, water, paint brush, scrap of seam binding colored with Copic Markers, Black Fine Tip Marker (Sharpie)

Big Boots!

At Christmas time, I decided to take my kids out independently to shop for their gift exchange. While my youngest (son) needed some direction, my oldest (daughter) new exactly what to get for her brother. "BIG BOOTS!", she exclaimed when we turned the corner of the special toy display shelf. A dinosaur helicopter with three characters that had weighted big boots. A newer version of weeble wobbles, but regardless it was new and the most played toy on Christmas Day. She did good.

Here is another big boot wearer from Stampendous, Boots Kiddo. Isn't that cute? I really went with muted colors and I'm not sure that this girl in boots should be muted, know what I mean? I suppose I was inspired by something and that just wasn't going to be different.

Boots Kiddo is NEW! Look in your local stores and online stores for her and many other Kiddos, too. There is something else new from Stampendous and it's a fabulous array of colored Mica Fragments. I've used white on this card, yes muted, but there are also lively red, blue, yellow and green. Five in all and so much fun to add texture to any project.

To see all the new products from the January Catalog just go to the Stampendous online store and scroll to the bottom and look for January 2013 catalog (are make it easy on yourself and take my link here).

If you want directions on how I created this card you can also see them on the Stampendous website here. There are tons of projects to look through so it's a good idea to have a beverage in hand and some time to spend getting inspired.

And just one more thing, I feel like I'm talking your ear off today, this months challenge is Love is In the Air. Get all the details by taking that link!

Details:
Stamps: Boots Kiddo (Stampendous)
Paper: White, Green, Light Blue & Yellow Cardstock (Bazzill)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento, Tsukineko), alcohol markers (Copic), colored pencils (Prismacolor)
Accessories: White Mica Fragments (Stampendous), Odorless Mineral Spirits, Paper Stump, Cotton Swab, or Blending Pen / Pencil 
Ribbon By May Arts, Corner Rounder, Foam Adhesive Squares, 3-in-1 Glue by Beacon Adhesives

Valentine made from Scratch

Good Monday to you all! I've got a tutorial linked up at Paper Craft Planet today. Come see an old favorite children's craft updated yet again!

Paper Craft Planet Monday Tutorial

Viva La Mix-Ability and sunshine

It's Friday and I'm going to be quick in my post today!

Two talented and fun ladies are hosting challenges over on Splitcoast Stampers. Jeanne is making it hard not to resist for her challenge and you'll need to hope on over to that challenge thread to get more detail.
The always amazing Maureeen has the spotlight in the Verve sketch challenge with a sweet inspiration photo.

Come on over and hang out this weekend with us! There are so many wonderful challenges you have a lot to choose from, but I'm making it easy by already pointing you to the two that are near and dear to me!

Details:
Stamps: Brighter Days (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Chocolate (Wausau), white (Neenah), Kraft (Hobby Lobby)
Ink: VersaMark Watermark (Tsukineko), Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up), 
Accessories:   water soluble oil pastels (Binney Smith), edge punch (Martha Stewart), Clear embossing powder (Stampin' Up), acrylic paint, white seam binding (Snug Hugs), white pearl pen (Viva Decor)

So much Stampendous and not enough posts...

 ...from me that is!

So here is another sample I created for the catalog to use for those who travel and want to stamp about it. Or those who love travel and destination stickers.

I created some extra wide homemade washi tape with the Baggage claim stamp set and aged with some acrylic paints smudged around on it. The sentiment stamp, Suitcase World, is stamped on white paper. It was too white so I distressed with reconsitituded instant coffee and a paintbrush then let the edges sit in the coffee puddles to darken them up. It's all wrapped up with a lightly colored luggage strap from Baggage Claim.

The whole card base is splattered (with a spray bottle filled with coffee spray) and sprinkled for distressing. The finishing touch areound the sentiment is a bit of my favorite glue and NEW BLUE mica fragments.

Details:
Stamps:  Baggage Claim, Suitcase World (Stampendous)
Paper: Blue and white cardstock
Ink:  Jet Black (Archival Ink, Ranger), Colored Pencils (Prismacolors)
Accessories: Blue Mica Fragments (Stampendous), Aged Bronzed Embossing Enamel (Stampendous), Spray/Splatter Bottle (Stampendous), instant coffee, White and Ochre acrylic paint, medical paper tape, paintbrush, heating tool, 3-in-1 glue (Beacon)