Texture Challenge's Last Week Hurrah

The designers have one last Saturday hop for the February Stampendous Challenge, which by the way is to ADD TEXTURE, before we move to a new challenge month (current challenge details are at the end of my post today).

We sure have enjoyed seeing all your project posts so far this month on the inlinkz Tool. We’d love for you to share it with us on Stampendous Facebook page. Or however you share your Stampendous projects, let us know on Facebook!

For my texture today, I pulled out dimension and fragments from my bag of tricks. Dimension is showing up in a sketchy style scoring around the edges of the card base and the other is the layering on the stamped image.

Scoring the base was done with a scoring board and I eye-balled 1/2-inch away from the corners. It wasn't exact because I wanted the corners to overlap and I even went over them a few times to exaggerate the sketch style. The DaVinci Horse Cling Stamp from the January Stampendous catalog is stamped twice with one image trimmed smaller than the second one. I glued down the whole image onto the center of the card base with foam dots. The second image was cut away in three pieces and sponge distressed then adhered with foam adhesive dots.

I grabbed some new (to me) glue called Zip-Dry and spread it around the image. I sprinkled Tea Stained Mica Fragments over the glue and let it set for 10 minutes. I brushed off loose fragments with a soft brush before I threaded some May Arts Faux Suede String through the back of the DaVinci panel and tied in a knot. I added a bit of sponge distressing on the string just because the sponge was close and I wanted to see if it would take some ink. You heard, right? Stampendous and May Arts partnered this week and had a smashing good time. You can still be involved. There will be winners come Monday morning on both the Stampendous blog and the May Arts blog. Go check it out!

If you like the fragments I used on my card today, you can get them either as an individual jar or inside a kit of five (5) beautiful shades, and I mean beautiful.

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We want YOU to play along with us!  Just add your direct link to your card (make sure you've loaded it up with tons of TEXTURE) to the linky tool at the end of this post (or on the Stampendous blog) no later than March 1, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST.  You do not have to use Stampendous products to play along, but we sure love it when you do!  And as an extra incentive for playing, one lucky person (drawn at random from all the entries) will receive this gorgeous Corset Ladies Perfectly Clear Stamp Set:

Due to shipping restrictions, the winner must have a US address. 

So glad you could stop in and see my creation today. Browse over to the other designers with the links below to see what they might inspire you with texture!

Stampendous Impressions

Janelle Stollfus - you're here -

Kristine Reynolds

Melinda Gleissner

Suzanne Czosek

Taylor Usry

Wendy Jordan

Wendy Price

Now it's your turn to play along!

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Details: 
Stamps: DaVinci Horse Cling Stamp (Stampendous)
Paper: Teal  and cream cardstock
Ink: Tea Stained (Ranger), Vintage Photo (Ranger)
Accessories: Tea-Stained Mica Fragments (Stampendous), Glue (Zip-Dry), Faux Suede String (May Arts) 

Ducky Hope

It's the last Friday of the month and Viva La Verve Challenge has gone CAS!

Today's splashing sketch is from super diva Tosh. The last sketch of the month means there's only a few days left to play along for this months prize. You can play along anytime but to be eligible for the prize, all four (4) February Viva La Verve Challenge's sketches need to be uploaded to your SCS gallery with a VLVFeb2012 tag. This month the deadline is March 1, 11:59pm CT. Have all four (4)  of your cards in gallery in time and you will be eligible to win a $100 gift certificate to the Verve Shop. How cool is that!!!! Now, here's how I took this weeks challenge...

About this time last year I was introduced to a few feathered friends when I guest designed with Verve. Now that spring is approaching, at least in my wishful mind it is, I figured it's time to get out Lucky Duck and ink him up.  He was perfect with this sketch and because last years card with him was so much fun, I thought I would CASe the idea. I kept asking myself why I was putting a water fowl in grass yet again and I supposed it was because I just love making grass.  Doesn't a bird need some idle time?

I hope you'll join in on the sketch today. I had so much fun with it and I can imagine there are quite a few more cards I need to make with it to finish off my feathered friend collection.

It's Friday and sometimes by now we just want things to be a little bit easier for us, right? Well, here's all four (4) sketches with links for you!



Have a fabulous weekend and find some time to kick up your feet and rest. Maybe after you've played along with a sketch? {me: smiling}


Details:
Stamps: Lucky Duck (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Kraft (Wausau), texture pattern paper (Color Basics Radiant, K and Company)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento, Tsukineko), Copics
Accessories: Cloud scissors (Fiskars), circle die (Spellbinders)

May Arts Week

Late post today folks. I've been working hard on some projects and it's keeping me away from my crafty projects. When it's all done I'll share a bit about it.

Today I've got a card that has some REALLY cool ribbon... or is it braided twine...????? Well, its best-selling Woven Burlap from May Arts! Stampendous and May Arts are partnering this week to bring you lots of fun and yes.... giveaways! Keep informed of all the fun {and giveaways} by heading over to Stampendous' blog and May Arts blog.

My square card has two different Stampendous images. All three ribbon wrapped layers were stamped with the new Garden Background stamp in brown and embossed with Detail Clear Embossing Enamel, then one was colored with paper chalks. It looked too new so I spritzed it with some coffee spray (Fran style - water and instant coffee mixture) and quick dry with a heat gun.

The other side is stamped with the Carte Postale cling stamp. Everything, really, was spritzed with coffee and then heat dried. I glued them all together leaving the edges free for curling. The base of the card is spritzed, why not, then run through my Cuttlebug with a Sissix texture plate and heat dried and spritzed some more and heat dried. I think I'm getting addicted to the coffee spray. It's makes the card smell sooooo good.

When I glued it all together, it looked like it needed something extra so I grabbed the Shaved Ice bottle and put that coffee spritzed post card on ice!

Did I really mean to say that I stamped all three carte postale's on both sides? Yes, I wanted the recipient to be tickled when viewing the curled postcards edges and see they were like a real one. Not that most people investigate a card that way, but you never know.

How about this! I've been asked to continue on with Stampendous as a regular designer! Let's celebrate with y'all going out and getting a Stampendous product!!!!! I am in love with all of the fun Essentials and you are going to drool over the new stamps coming out in a few months. I'm honored to wear this blog badge!

Details:
Stamps: Garden Background (Stampendous), Carte Postale (Stampendous)
Paper: Kraft (Wausau), Cream (Wausau)
Ink: Brown (CTMH),
Accessories: Shaved Ice (Stampendous),  Detail Clear Embossing Enamel (Stampendous), Woven Burlap ribbon (May Arts), texture plate (Sissix), Spray/Splatter bottle (Stampendous)

Life is Good

Yesterday was such a great day. I don't know if you were able to go with me on the surprise blog hop for Julee and Mark, but I thoroughly enjoyed all the hops with advice on being a parent. It brought up so many good memories of when my little ones were born. So I feel like Life is good! It really is even though we have the pains of life with them.

My card is using the Splitcoast Stampers sketch 372 for this past week. My sweet friend, Taylor Usry, surprised me with featuring this card as the inspiration for it. I just wanted to say thank you, it was a thrill to be a part of the SCS sketch week.

It's taken me a whole week to get a card ready. It's not that the card was hard to put together, but the time I needed to get it together was sparse. I think I finally got a card done in time for a challenge at By Lori Designs, too!

#BLD24

So here's my card for these challenges...

This little cutie was already colored up and all I needed to do was get her on a card. She's from By Lori Designs and her name is Suzy. She's a Puddle Jumper if you didn't already know and I love that name too. It's the whole reason behind my blog name.

The Jenni Bowlin pattern paper is from the discount bin at my LSS that caught my eye a week or two ago.

I didn't have my favorite see-thru ruler handy so I tried freehand drawing an outline... I hope I find my ruler soon! LOL

That's it for today...


Details:
Stamps: Puddle Jumper Suzy (By Lori Designs), Treetops (CTMH)
Paper: Saloon (Jenni Bowlin), white (Neenah), Tangerine Tango (SU!), scraps of olive green, tan, pink
Ink: Laserjet, copic markers, cocoa (CTMH), brown permanent marker (Bic Mark-it), black multiliner pen (copic)
Accessories: Corner rounder (Corner Chomper, WRMK)

Mojo Monday 229 Surprise!

It's time for a fresh new Mojo Monday sketch. There's something more to it this week because we are having a

Surprise Baby Shower Blog Hop

for Julee Tilman.

A few friends taken over today's Mojo Monday sketch and we would be tickled if you joined us! Just create a card or project and link it up on the Mojo Monday blog.

If you've been hopping with us you will have come from Marisa's blog to be here.

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Here's my take on this week's sketch!

There's always a game to play at a shower, right? So when I saw that my antique BINGO card had the same amount of columns as the Mojo Monday sketch, I had my inspiration for today's shower!

I scraped white gesso across the whole card with a fake credit card. I get two or three of those in the mail a month, so I'm never without a scraper. The corners were brushed a bit more with gesso on a dry brush. The card was spritzed with cold espresso water for an aged look and quick dried with a heat gun.

The bottom panel was punched out with a Martha Stewart Around the Corner punch using Andrea Ewen's tutorial (thanks Andrea!). Another layer using Verve's Rounded Scallop Frame on green dotted paper. Everything got a good sponge distressing using Brushed Corduroy and Lettuce Dye Ink with a little bit of Walnut Stain on the bottom mat..

The ribbon is from a sweet little shop I found in town. They have some amazing products for your home, but the variety of hand-dyed silk ribbon was calling my name. I swoon over the ones I didn't get a yard clipping. I'll be going back for more. I added a corduroy button to the bow.

I stamped the sentiment from Hope Blooms in Bashful Blue onto the bottom mat and added some Zva Creative adhesive pearls (colored with YG03 copic marker) at the bottom of the frame and complemented them on the other side of the sentiment.

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Congratulations Julee and Mark! I'm so happy for the both of you.

Now the blog hop is pinned at Teresa's blog. That's where you can see the master list and get started from the beginning or in case their's a hiccup you can find the next hop. You're next hop is to the creative Tosh where you'll see her shower surprise!

UPDATED: I guess I was a hiccup in the hop today! Sorry about that folks.

Details:
Stamps: Hope Blooms (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Antique Bingo Card (RAK), cream text paper (Wausau), green dotted cardstock (Where the Heart Is, MME)
Ink: Brushed Corduroy (Ranger), Lettuce (Ranger), Walnut Stain (Ranger), Bashful Blue (SU!)
Accesories: Rounded Scallop Frame (A Cut Above, Verve Stamps), Around the Corner punches (Martha Stewart), pearls (Zva Creative), hand-dyed silk ribbon, corduroy button (SU!)

Fancy a Light?

Good morning!

It's a Sunday so I'm off with my family in real life, but for those sitting around browsing blog land I thought I'd bring you a project that hasn't made in to my Stampendous posts.

I created a tea light candle holder from some basic supplies around the house. You might have seen these around the Internet before and it's actually a project I did last spring with the mom's from my MOPS group.

The original instructions came from this site. I love the simplicity of the sample they provided, but I wanted to venture out into making it more of a decor item.

Ready to create one? Here's the supplies and directions:

Stampendous Supplies:

CRR119-R Cling Bandanna

EP100-R White Embossing Powder

VM001-R Versamark™ Watermark Stamp Pad

 

Other Supplies:

18 – 23 wooden clothespins

Clean and dry tuna or chicken can

Acrylic paints (1-3 different colors)

Ribbon

You can opt to paint the can like I did, but the clothespins should be long enough to cover the whole can. For my can I started with a red acrylic paint, the same that's on the clothespins, and then dry brushed brown acrylic paint over it. Now we can move on to the clothespins.

1. Start out by clamping the clothespins to some cardboard, and paint one color around the front and back. Let dry completely and then move them as close as you can to each other.
2. Ink the Bandanna stamp with VersaMark and peel off of the acrylic block. Gently press the stamp onto the clothespins making sure all the clothespins are getting the design.
3. Sprinkle white embossing powder over the whole thing and tap off excess. Carefully heat the embossing powdered Bandanna on the clothespins. Be careful not to burn the paint!
4. Add the second (and/or third) paint to the inside of each clothespin and let dry.
5. Put all the clothespins in order of design onto the ridge of the can. I placed mine higher up the side of the can so I could have the painted base show.  Tie a bow around the clothespins with a coordinating ribbon.

Have some fun with this project and think weddings with all the Fran-tage embossing enamels and Pearlustre  powders. 

Details: List is in the post above

Everything's Okay

Hello!

I've had this card on my work space all week just waiting for the finishing touches. It was pushed aside for Valentines production, a sewing project for the 100th Day of School and the general business of my life. That's how things go for us sometime's and that's okay. Just like this new sentiment says, you know, everything is going to be okay. The layout has a makeup artist called Viva La Verve and comes from the first week sketch by Amber.

I went with a grunged and distressed look for my card. I was in the mood to make it look well worn. The basic steps were to sponge distress, scissor distress and darken the edges straight on the ink pad. I used different embossing folders on all the mats for more distressing. The sentiment panel is distressed and popped up with the company of a flag and some Verve's A Cut Above Dies (All Aflutter and i heart u). I tucked some vintage ribbon under the butterfly for some eye movement around to the sentiment.

Did you catch the "new" attached to the word sentiment earlier in this post? This little darling Be Okay Plain Jane from Verve is being release today! Yea, a Verve release! It has some company too! There is a sale on now for all those wishing it was spring. Go take a look today and find some spring inspiring select stamps and dies 15% off!

Have a great weekend and I'll see ya around soon!



Details:
Stamps: Be Okay Plain Jane (Verve Stamps), Text Objects (Verve Stamps)
Paper: Random (Crate Paper), White (Neenah), Chocolate (Wausau)
Ink: Brown Bag (CTMH), Crushed Corduroy (Ranger), Colonial White (CTMH)
Accessories: All Aflutter (A Cut Above from Verve Stamps), i heart U (A Cut Above from Verve Stamps), edge punch (EK Success), oval and scalloped oval dies (Nestabilities), embossing folders (Sissix, Ranger and Quickutz), tracing wheel, vintage lace edging (RAK from Lori Bowerman)

Colored Fragments Blog Hop - Winners!

Very late post today, so sorry. I'll explain later all that's been keeping me so busy, but for now I want to let you know that the Stampendous Prize Winners have been announced from our blog hop last Saturday!

Head on over to Stamendous blog and find out if you are a winner!

Valentine Round Up

This week is going to be filled with generosity. Well, that's what we hope to find in our children as they skip along to school this week with their valentines for classmates.

I have one set of valentines under my belt with three more to go in the next two days. They might not get as creative as the one I'm showing you today. I was helping my son with his maze valentines, which started out as an adventure with the new electronic cutting machine, when I remembered we signed up for the "surprise snack" as well. It doesn't have to be edible and we all appreciate less sugar and more creative play, so I created a valentine activity booklet for my son to hand out.

To make up for a big change in our design with the maze part, I suggested that my boy go and asked his clever daddy to make a heart shape maze and bring it back to me. Boy, did daddy ever deliver! Isn't that just the sweetest looking maze ever! I traced the pencil lines with a black marker and scanned it in and then did a little CorelDraw magic to clean it up.

Sticker fun

The maze was already printed and folded by my enthusiastic son before the epiphany about the surprise snack happened. Next time I think I'll put the to and from page as the cover. I printed out a heart sticker on some Invent It label paper and hand trimmed it with a bit of white space around it just to make it a bit more fun.

Heart Tic Tac Toe

I couldn't resist adding a tic tac toe game with a sleeve of heart markers. I stapled a small cello bag into the spine so there would be a storage place for them. I hope they don't slide out of the bag when my son hand delivers them, but if not there's always the old fashioned pencil version.

There was also a little image for coloring and a dot-to-dot in the middle of the book, too. Just enough to complete by the time his classmates get home from school.

What was your favorite valentine when you were growing up? Mine was definitely those little 4 chocolate candies in a heart box. Sweets are my favorite any time though.

Have a wonderful Monday... as best as Monday's can get! : )

Stampendous Catalog Texture Blog Hop - CLOSED

The day is finally here, Saturday! The Stampendous team has a great blog hop for you!!!!  I've been excited all week to get to today because I've been playing with more Color Fragments from Stampendous and I think your gonna like it.

We are bringing out all the goodies from the new Stampendous 2012 catalog and playing! You get to play along TWO WAYS as well and here they are...

Saturday Challenge

Catalog Blog Hop

Play along with us in our monthly challenge!  Just add a direct link to your card (make sure you've loaded it up with tons of TEXTURE) to the linky tool at the end of this post (or on the Stampendous blog) no later than March 1, 2012 at 11:00 PM EST. You do not have to use Stampendous products to play along, but we sure love it when you do!  And as an extra incentive for playing, one lucky person (drawn at random from all the entries) will receive the gorgeous Corset Ladies Perfectly Clear Stamp Set.

Comment ALL along the way… it really only increases your chances at all the prize packs being given away from Stampendous! Comment if you like, but if you want to win make sure your email is in the comment. Sunday, February 12th at 8:00 PM EST Winners will be announced on Monday, February 13th. Due to shipping restrictions, all winners must have a US/APO/FPO mailing address. (See the prize pack photos on the Stampendous blog.)

For my loads of texture projects I used the new Color Fragments and a few other goodies. Fair warning, I have a few (TONS of) photos because I really wanted you to see the texture of these fragments! Both projects are using the same Taupe color, but I mixed it up a little bit as you can see in the photo below.

The new catalog Stamp Set Corset Ladies embossed with Aged Black Embossing Enamel is a beauty. I sprinkled Detail Clear embossing enamel, Shabby Pink Embossing Enamel and Crystal Glitter Mix (from the Treasures Glitter Kit) over the bottom of the card and then added my DIY color mixture of Taupe Color Fragments and red alcohol ink that I mixed up in a snack zipper bag. It's a fun flowing image of flowers and rice from the wire dress frame, don't ya think?!?!?!?

 Click on the close-up so you can see all the texture!

My second project is a card using the Wonderland set. LOVE-it!  I stamped out the Alice image onto a scrap of watercolor paper with a water-based brown ink. I wanted to watercolor the whole thing...oops!... but thankfully I tested on a scrap with the same ink and reset myself with some pastel Copic markers.

The image is surrounded by Fran-tage techniques. I sprayed some brown water from a mister and immediately dried it with my heat tool. I sprinkled Shabby White Embossing Enamel, Aged Gold Embossing Enamel and my second mixture of Taupe Color Fragments and green alcohol ink. All those areas were heat set from the back of the card front so it wouldn't take flight off the page.

Embellished with some random piercing and embroidery floss, fancy masking tape and a knotted silk ribbon. All this is layered onto a Graphics 45 paper with the Wonderland tea pot and cups pattern. The sentiment is from the Cherub Wishes set.

Two spots on the card that use those fun new fragments. Look at the photos below (click them to make them larger) and tell me if you don't  think these look a lot like dried oregano!!!! LOL It would be great for a garden card wouldn't it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with me on my post. You can go on in two different ways! Take our blog hop and comment on all the designers projects before the Sunday, February 12, 8:00 pm ET deadline..... OR go create some super texture project and link it up!



Last weekend's super star Scrappy Bowl hostess is in the house! Make sure to give Kathryn from The Scrap Beach a welcome when you stop off at her blog. She's got an egg-cellent project to share! Here's the list of hops! Have fun...

Stampendous Impressions	Suzanne Czosek
Wendy Price	Krissy Fossmeyer
Cyndi Bundy	Kathryn Krieger
Janelle Stollfus – You're here!	Stephanie Lee
Wendy Jordan - next!!!!	Kristine Reynolds
Jennie Lin Black	Pam Hornschu
Taylor Usry	Melinda Gleissner
Jennifer Ingle	Jennifer Dove

Details: Best Wishes card
Stamps: Corset Ladies (Stampendous), , Cherub Wishes (Stampendous)
Paper: Kraft and Cream (Wausau)
Ink: Versamark (Tsukineko), Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)
Accessories: Aged Black Embossing Enamel, Shabby Pink Embossing Enamel, and Crystals Glitter Mix (Stampendous), Taupe Color Fragments, red alcohol ink

Details: Wonderland Card
Stamps: Wonderland (Stampendous)
Paper: watercolor paper (Stratmore), Alice's Tea Party (Graphics 45), kraft (Wausau) 
Ink: Vintage Photo, Tea Dye (Ranger), alcohol markers (Copic)
Accessories: Aged Gold Embossing Enamel, Shabby White Embossing Enamel, Taupe Color Fragments (Stampendous), paper piercer, embroidery thread, masking tape (7 Gypsies), green silk ribbon (Martha Stewart)