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Friday, April 25, 2025

Art Alternative to Screen Swiping


I went on a little adventure for a few weeks and looked through websites and printables on how to make paint dots swiped on paper turn into a birthday cake with candles, and houses, ghosts or cats. I did so many swipes on my phone trying to find something that would work for the classroom I am an assistant in for free art. I decided I was done swiping on my phone and needed to just start swiping paint on paper!

Some of my first tries were fun and quickly got muddy because I kept trying to fill all the holes. In the end I stayed with primary colors so that wouldn't happen. It ended up looking like a glorious sky, so I went with a silhouette card.

This was definitely worth sharing in a challenge, so I made one! Come and play along, add it to your member gallery with the keywork in the challenge and we'll be able to see it in our challenge gallery.




Supplies
: I provide some product links that are through my Amazon Affiliate, and that means when clicked and purchased in the same session a few pennies are sent my way at no cost to you.

Featured Product(s):
  • Handy Art Tempera Paint (AZ)
  • Squeegee/Texture Tools (AZ)
  • White Cardstock (AZ)
  • Black Cardstock (AZ)
Plus:
  • I Love You S'more Stamp Set (AZ)
  • Nocturne Claire Ink Pad (AZ)
  • Pink VersaColor Ink Pad (AZ)
  • Clear Embossing Powder (AZ)
  • Sentiment stamps (mine is retired)
Instructions:
  1. Play with dots of tempera paint and a scraping tool, like a squeegee, either using up the paint on the squeegee or new dots of paint. Use lines of paint, just have fun with no method or end in mind. Let dry and then take a look at it to see what it reminds you of then create with it!
  2. I added black cardstock for a horizon and then stamped trees from the S'more stamp set.
  3. Stamp sentiment in Versacolor Pink ink and add embossing powder.
I'm a maker who receives goodies chosen by myself for design team work. To see a list of these companies just scroll to the bottom of my blog under FTC Declaration.

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Sunday, March 16, 2025

Leprechaun Lure Challenge


I'm dropping a fun challenge on the blog today, because it has been a while since I've been here and I wanted to share a fun mixed media card from the challenge. I hope you are all doing well, and still getting into the crafting space more than I have been.

If you are ready to jump into the challenge, here is the link. MIX633: Leprechaun Lure


I wanted to use the new (to me) Crocheted Mandala embossing folder on my project so I worked around it. Ironically I ended up with only a little strip of it on my card BUT I love the details of the folder.

The rest of the steps are down below in the instructions section. Hope you are inspired to try something like this card or even a technique I used. Have fun! 

About supplies;
Find what you have on hand for these supplies and always look for the best price for your needs, but for convenience to you, I spent the time linking products with my Amazon Affiliate account below. This means when clicked and purchased in the same session, a few pennies are sent my way at no cost to you.

Supply List
: I provide some product links through my Amazon Affiliate.

Featured Product(s):
  • Crocheted Mandala EF (AZ)
  • DecoArt Metallic Lustre Silver (AZ)
  • Gold Metallic Paint (AZ)
  • Paper Towels (thin - AZ, regular - AZ)
Plus:
  • Clair Nocturne Ink Pad (AZ)
  • Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide (AZ)
  • Picked Raspberries Distress Oxide (AZ)
  • Flower stamps (mine is a retired set) (alternate SBC)
  • Gelli Arts Monoprint Plate (AZ, alternate AZ)
  • Acrylic Paint in Viridian, White, Brown and Yellow
  • Rainbow Loom Rubberbands (AZ)
  • Nuvo Crystal Drops (AZ)
  • Watercolor paint (AZ)
Instructions:
  1. I wiped up a previous watercolor mess with commercial paper towel at work, and it looked so pretty I saved it. Mix a bit of red, and orange, and more yellow all over a nonporous surface and then lay the towel down on the wet surface. Dry and keep it handy for a project like this one!
  2. For the challenge it was a bonus to mix your own gold, green gold at that for leprechaun lure. Equal parts were suggested on the internet, of brown and yellow but it took a bit more yellow. I added a smudge of viridian green to give it the green gold.
  3. On a dry watercolor paper towel, make marks with the gold mixed paint. Add whatever else you want like I added white tinted viridian spatters all over and marks with leftover viridian on my palette knife.
  4. Add it to white cardstock card base cut for an A2 envelope, 8-1/2 x 5-1/2 inches folded to 4-1/4 x 5-1/2 inches).
  5. Glue and trim the paper towel to the card base.
  6. Emboss coral cardstock with Crocheted Mandala 3D embossing folder, rub with metallic wax or paint in gold.
  7. Use up the rest of the mixed gold paint on scrap of white cardstock and spatter with white tinted viridian paint.
  8. Monoprint a viridian background paper. Add white and viridian paint to monoplate with roller/brayer. add rubberbands randomly and pull a print on white cardstock, set aside. Add viridian and a few smudges of brown paint to plate and roll it out, laying the first pulled print over the plate and rub around leaving it to soak and dry a bit. Pull when the edge of the plate comes clean of paint.
  9. Start adding torn and cut pieces as desired to the card base. I chose a sentiment from a stamp set that had little flowers that I decided to use. Stamp them in coral and raspberry colors on home kitchen style paper towel ( it soaks in the ink better) and cut out or if you have a matching die that's even better.
  10. Add sentiment and flowers, adding small flowers around the card as needed in coral ink.
  11. Make flower centers with Pale Gold Crystal Drops.

I'm a maker who receives goodies chosen by myself for design team work. To see a list of these companies just scroll to the bottom of my blog under FTC Declaration.

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Friday, November 17, 2023

A Grateful Time and a Challenge


It's been the same amount of weeks between my last two posts. It seems my time in the studio is still being swallowed up by the other hats I wear in life, but I'm hoping I can say that will change soon!

I'm posting today because, yes, I have a Mix-Ability challenge that I'm hosting, but I'm so excited to also have different news to share! First the challenge and a little bit about my card.



This vibrant card, maybe a little exaggerated from my photo editing tool, is used entirely from my stash. Pretty cool when I think about it. I made a bunch of backgrounds way back when I designed for Technique Junkies using Shimmering Bliss sprays and some even more yummy products, a background stamp. The flowers were made up for my design team days with Stampendous which were extras that I couldn't use on a project. The only thing I needed to do was add a sentiment and then make it work for the challenge. Easy peasy.

I chose the Stitch Effort direction and it was fun adding details to the flowers and then making a large stitch border. I'm so glad I did that so it wouldn't take so long to hand stitch.

Stop on over at Splitcoaststampers Mix-Ability forum to check out the challenge.

Supplies and where to find them are at the bottom of the post and now for my little bit of news!

I have recently been added to the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen Team! This has been a dream come true for me and I couldn't be more excited and grateful at the same time. The SCS community nurtured my love for stamping and being a positive contributor to not only that wonderful environment but also to the every day around me.

I'm still figuring out the ropes, but expect to see some more activity from me while I do my best to encourage all those who call papercrafting their homeostasis.😀


Supplies: I provide some product links that are through my Amazon Affiliate, and that means when clicked and purchased in the same session a few pennies are sent my way at no cost to you.

Featured Product(s):
  • Laurel Burch Flower Blossom Stamp Set (website)
  • Arabesque Background Stamp (website)
Plus:
  • So Kind by Avery Elle (no links to share, sorry)
  • Memento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad (AZ)
  • Moonlight White Marker (AC website)
  • Size 10 Bedspread Thread
  • Paper Piercing Tool by Fiskars (AZ)

I'm a maker who receives goodies chosen by myself for design team work. To see a list of these companies just scroll to the bottom of my blog under FTC Declaration.

Friday, September 22, 2023

100 Days to Go in a Challenge!


The weather is getting cooler and while I don't drink Pumpkin Spice Latte's anymore I can certainly make a likeness to it on a card!

I'm hosting the challenge again on Splitcoaststampers. While I was looking through my inspiration list for challenge options, I decided to see what may coincide around the world, or at least closely, and I found out that September 22 is 100 days from the end of the year!

There are more things on my to-do list than just cardmaking, but I had decided it was far too long since I did some prioritizing of my list and put creating in my studio closer to the top. Well, I was on a deadline to host the challenge so I did have it high on my list, but I intentionally did things that were personally something I wanted to try or do. And that's how the 556th challenge was born. 




My cards checkmark off my list 1) doing a video tutorial, 2) making a stamp set worth of sentiments to have handy, 3) having seasonal backgrounds ready for last minute cards, 4) using some brand new months ago embossing folders, and 5) using some coffee dies!

The background on the "Thankful for You" card was made using Distress Inks and a tutorial by Vicky Boutin during SBF 2023 in September. Go check out that festival. It's full of ideas and supply must-haves (my package is coming!)

The stamp and die-cut sentiments all at once have appealed to me for quite a long time, so when I saw a Hero Art set at my favorite liquidation store (which has closed everywhere, I think) that included both stamps and dies you know I had to get it! The set is called Friendly Messages.


Then it was time to use some supplies I've had so long I don't remember when I got them, but I remember where! My beloved Tuesday Morning store that now no longer exists.


The Fabulous Day Latte card was easy and so much fun! Run a piece of kraft cardstock through the embossing folder and gently rub smoke and citron inks over the raised areas. Make a unique pattern paper for the cup with Marmalade Distress inks and spattered water patted away then add some Forest Moss spatters by watering down ink smudged on a glass surface or nonporous palette with a paintbrush. Blend Forest Moss and Twisted Citron to die cut into the cup sleeve. Die-cut a lid and you're ready to assemble. Oh yes, the sentiment? It was already done when making the first card!

If you want to start mixed media in a simple and approachable way, stop by the Mix-
ability challenge forum and start with any challenge, any time! Here's the challenge for these cards.

MIX556: 100 Days




Supplies
: I provide some product links that are through my Amazon Affiliate, and that means when clicked and purchased in the same session a few pennies are sent my way at no cost to you.

Thankful for You, card


Featured Product(s):

Plus:
  • Momento Tuxedo Black Ink Pad (AZ)
  • Sakura 0.4 Black pen (AZ)
  • White cardstock (AZ)

Have a Fabulous Day, card


Featured Product(s):
  • Coffee and Tea Die Set (SB)
  • Leaf Embossing Folder (AZ)

Plus:


I'm a maker who receives goodies chosen by myself for design team work. To see a list of these companies just scroll to the bottom of my blog under FTC Declaration.