Rain Puddles Design

 I have been a fan for a long time of the illustrations and stamps designed by Torico of Birdie Brown Stamps. I have a stash of digital files from a few years ago that are half colored, some of which are now stamp sets (yay for Jingle All the Way), but when I saw the latest Christmas theme stamps with coordinating dies it was a must have. I'm so excited to finally be able to create with them. This sweet helper was stamped and colored then die cut out. In true Torico style I added white highlights with my AC White marker pen. I repeated the stamping and coloring process with the gift at his feet. The background is such a popular style these days that I'm finding my own method with the tools I have and this is how I created it for this card. I taped down a white cardstock with low-tack tape (blue painters tape that I pressed into a paper towel for even less tackiness to the adhesive) and then used BV20 and BV29 in my Copic airbrush system and started from the center -...

Today is kind of a normal day, NOT! It is for our Stampendous design team leader, fairy stampmother and extraordinary friend, Laura Mann Weed who is having a birthday today. The team couldn't just sit around on this normal day without celebrating an extraordinary person, so we've put together a little hop to say our best wishes! Here's the hop list and you are starting at the very beginning, if you get lost along the way just come back to my post with the most updated and hopefully accurate list. I'll provide the next hop at the end of my post. :) Janelle Stollfus - this is here! Alison Heikkila Pam Hornschu Laura Drahozal Kristine Reynolds Pam Bray Wendy Price Jamie Martin Lea Fritts Tenia Nelson Amy Hurley-Purdie Louise Healy Asia King Here is my virtual card (it's coming in the mail soon, Laura, promise). I picked out some oldies AND goodies for this card from the 2013 October catalog to say a Happy Birthday. Sir R...

Today I'm posting with some talented ladies from the Stampendous design team. We are strolling along the theme week, celebrating the season with House-Mouse Designs and more! Here's my fun little card. Supplies: Stampendous: HMR38 Joyful Noise MWP811 Fran’s Mixed Media White Paper MEM01 Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko® DWLJ891 Holly Swirls Stencil DWETLG Large Embossing Tool Plus: Cardstock by Bazzill Basics Paper® Chameleon™ Pens Color Spritzer by Perfect Paper Crafting® Ribbon by May Arts Corner Rounder Punch Paper Edge Distress Tool Stylus Zip Dry™ Paper Glue by Beacon Adhesives™ Instructions: Fold a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch color cardstock in half for a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 inch finished size. Place green cardstock over Holly Swirls Stencil and with  the large embossing tool run it over and around the stencil. Optionally you can emboss paper through an embossing machine, make sure to use the proper plate sandwich with you machine. Distress edge...

Happy Friday! I'm posting today with a puzzling project! Hopefully I will explain it clear enough that it won't actually puzzle you, but that you'll want to try one on your own. This week the Stampendous team has been putting the pieces together with Stampendous products and these uniquely amazing puzzle sets by Patty Pop Ons® . PRIZES!!!! Comment along the hops that include Patty Pop On Blank Puzzle Pieces and you could be one of THREE lucky winners! A prize package that includes a surprise Stampendous Cling Stamp Set and a full set of puzzle pieces!   Here is the hop list (I'll give you the next person on the hop at the end of my post) so you can get starting hopping from here wherever you want to go! Stampendous Blog Janelle Stollfus Kristine Reynolds Pam Bray Lea Fritts Laura Drahozal Wendy Price Now for the fun part with a disclaimer. I did do a little testing with ink and pens and markers, but I didn't do a lot of thinking ...

Happy Thanksgiving week friends! A big shout out to all of you in the US who are having a holiday this week, for the gratitude to the community of my crafty friends and most of all my family, thank you for making my life her on Rain Puddles and out there in life so much richer for being in it. Have a wonderful week and I hope a safe and encouraging one. Now on to more inspiring crafty matters. Stampendous has an appropriate theme this focusing on our time with family and friends. Enjoying the times we have during the holidays and the season are always fun so of course there are some sweet stamps that will help us share our appreciation and memories with those we love. Today's card is a mix of catalog and non catalog supplies. I started this image for the catalog and wasn't able to put it together for the catty so over the weekend I added the sprayed background and embossed snowflakes. Here's just how I made this sweet friends card. Supplies: Stampendous: P2...

Today's post is loaded with a match up of a mixed media challenge, special tools and a holiday theme. It's a new challenge over on Splitcoaststampers Mix-Ability forum and I'm hosting! I would love for you to join us, it's any easy-peasy challenge! MIX147: In Abundance My teamies and I at Stampendous have played all week with these fun Action Wobble springs that were generous sent to us by Action Wobble, Inc. and even though the theme week is at it's end we are hooked on springing our projects in the future. For my card today I have a little squeaky, but steady helper for Santa that is balancing a load of presents that are sure to have a fun twist with a spring attached. Of course I've added one! Supplies: Stampendous: HM235 Gifts Galore SSC1231 Holiday Expressions Perfectly Clear Stamps Set VM01 Versamark Watermark Ink by Tsukineko® Plus: Cardstock by Bazzill Basics® Watercolor paper by Strathmore® Watercolor markers by Winsor a...

Hello crafty friends and fans! I have a sweet little action card to share today and NOPE it ended up not being a pumpkin card after all as my post title suggests, but it will wobble! I think I'm going to make them later this week and if I do I'll be sure to post them. I'm getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday this week and just might not have time until next week... so come back later to find out. Which reminds me I need to share an update on our Thankful Tree next week too, so you can see how the tree has grown! So today and the rest of the week the Stampendous designers are busy sharing some fun projects using various products. We are wobbling with Action Wobble springs on cards and they may also have a few jolly old man appearing on them as well. Here's my card today that has the spring made by Action Wobble and while it doesn't look related to the man in red, the stamp set I used DOES! Here's a little blurry video I made with my camera durin...