It's your day - crazy dog!

Mixed media cardstock, blue cardstock, white cardstock

Stampers Anonymous:
Dylusions - Around The Edge DYR34421 stamp set
Tim Holtz - Crazy Dogs CMS21
Tim Holtz stencils: 004, 006, 040

Ranger:  distress inks, Jet Black Archival, Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint

Wordsworth:  It's Your Day S032-1

Home

it's where I want to be in August.  School begins the middle of the month in my community.  While we don't have children and as such aren't affected, our lives are altered by the bus routes and parents taking and picking up their children in our neighborhood. 

Artistic Outpost 'Home' stamp; Jet Black Archival Ink; brown cardstock; black mulberry paper

Ranger distress watercolor cardstock; Dylusions sprays (Lemon Zest, Squeezed Orange, Postbox Red, Dirty Martini, Black Marble); green fiber; Sizzix 'Months' ShadowPress

paint chip strips

Faking it

Recently a challenge was issued on the Gingerwood bulletin board (must be a member to participate) to create a winter holiday card using non-holiday stamps or create a non-holiday card using winter holiday stamps.  I opted to create 3 holiday cards using non-holiday stamps.  There was an 'oops' moment when I created a fall card first but that happens.  Sigh.

 
 

White card base, gold vellum, white card layer

Hickory Smoke Distress Ink on music background (CMS048 Festive Sounds); overstamp 'Christmas Carols' (CMS048 Festive Sounds) with gold pigment ink, heat set with gold embossing powder

The Fake Poinsettia features a starfish (CMS194 Nautical Blueprints) stamped numerous times using red ink on red mulberry paper.  It was stamped in green ink on green mulberry paper.  Using a roller ball I furled the petals and leaves.  From a tag used to create a yellow-y background I punched a snowflake 3 times and layered it with pop dots.

Yellow card base, black layer, white layer left over from a previous project

The arrows are actually Christmas trees from a Dylusions border stamp (Christmas Borders DYR 35824).  I painstakingly covered each star on top of each tree with paper tape and inked up the stamp using Snow Cap Pigment Ink.  The tape was removed quickly but carefully so I could stamp the image twice, in two directions.  The second stamping was a bit light so I went over it using a white Gelly Roll pen.


My fall card features a flower (Lower Case Art LCS019) that was stamped three times in orange ink on three scraps of orange cardstock.  The images were cut out and layered with foam tape.  The fake leaves are a small butterfly (CMS123 Attic Treasures) stamped twice on green cardstock and cut out.

The background is a floral filigree stamp (Botanical Art LCS037) that I colored with Peeled Paint and Brushed Corduroy Distress Markers, huffed, then stamped onto the white card base.  The images looked bolder than I wanted so I made an outside card using vellum.  And here's a neat find...I smeared Ranger's Glue Stick all over the card front in a thin layer...and it does NOT show through the vellum!!!  except for that small spot on the lower right..oops! because I got it too thick.  sigh. 

Using black permanent ink I stamped 'Happy Halloween' (Spooky Stuff CMS068) and the spider (Botanical Art LCS037).

I hope these samples encourage you to look at your stamps beyond their obvious intentions.

                   

Still puzzled

It's week 8 of the Altered Puzzle Challenge hosted by Claudine Criner.  Her inspiration pieces were simple to create but pack quite a punch with color and texture.

Imagine...HVAC tape; Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'Bricked' embossing folder; Ranger distress paints (Fossilized Amber, Abandoned Coral); Ranger archival ink (Potting Soil); Idea-ology (hitch fastener, token, mini fasteners); All My Memories word tag; corrugated cardboard scrap

My puzzle piece was a bit thick for the hitch fastener so I carved a bit of the chipboard out of the back...now it will lay flat and screw on correctly.

By the sea...Dylusions Ink Sprays (Vibrant Turquoise, Calypso Teal); Jet Black Archival Ink; Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'Waves' embossing folder; lighthouse charm; black Sharpie

I inked up the embossing folder and used it like a stamp...pretty clever, huh?

I can't tell you how much I look forward to creating these mini pieces of art...just a lovely way to jumpstart my week!  Thank you, Claudine!

Little things...big things

Swaps without parameters can be difficult.  And everyone involved is so artsy-fartsy in their own rights.  The pressure was on.  I must say I struggled with this for quite a while but now I have some tag bases and ideas that won't go to waste!

I took the packaging from inside a Tim Holtz stencil and cut it in the tag shape using the Tag & Bookplate die*.  It was covered with gesso.  Through the Numbered stencil I sponged yellow, orange and red distress inks.  Through the Clockwork stencil I sponged a brown distress ink.

Across the bottom I stamped the Dylusions border in Fern Green archival ink.  The Hero Arts tree was colored with distress markers.  The mini movers & shapers bird was cut from black card stock and overstamped with Picket Fence distress paint and a text stamp.

At the top I positioned the Studio 490 Lovely Leaves stencils and filled it with Studio 490 Crackle Embossing Paste that I had colored with Fern Green re-inker.  Let dry then replace the stencil and color with darker green and brown distress inks.


Around the edge of the tag I scribbled a graphite pencil then smeared the lines with my finger.  The same was done under the leaves to provide shading.

On orange Bazzill card stock I stamped the Dylusions sentiment in Jet Black archival ink.  Cut out and edge with brown distress ink.  The strips were adhered and Black Enamel Accents created 3 drops that I pulled away from the...just to be different.

* I use this die a lot and it shows.  The die separated from the base plate.  Oops!  Called Sizzix and after a brief description of the problem and a photo to back up the description a new on is on the way.  Thank you Sizzix!  By the way...now I have an extra base plate to use with my movers & shapers.  I'm doubly happy now!

Smile

A simple card made more interesting with the use of a stencil and a sentiment that was cut apart.

I created a dozen of these in varying colors.  They'll make a nice RAK, don't you think?

Products used:  Ranger (distress and archival inks); Bazzill card stock; decorative paper; Studio 490 (Lovely Large Flower stencil WVSFA024); Dylusions 'The Right Words' stamp DYR34520

Day 3 - Stencil resist

As soon as I saw the lesson's video I knew immediately I wanted to use this stencil.  I love it when a plan comes together all by itself!

Ingredients:  Studio 490 Translucent embossing paste, watercolor paper, Dylusions stencil, Cornflower Blue Archival Ink, Tim Holtz/Sizzix mini baroque label, blue distress inks, Tim Holtz/Sizzix snowflakes movers & shapers dies, Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Hero Arts sentiment

Day 3 - Translucent paste

I love the tone-on-tone look!

 

Ingredients:  Dylusions stencil, translucent embossing paste, green card stock, Spellbinders dies, Sugar Cookie Bazzill card stock, distress inks, Crackle Accents, Renaissance Art Stamps, Fern Green Archival Ink, Moss Adirondack Embossing Powder, vellum

Yes, the one leaf in the lower left hand corner just wouldn't dry.  Sigh.

Stencils, stencils and more stencils! Day 1

I'm taking an on-line card class with some super teachers...you can find out more about it here.  I figured the timing was perfect...it's snowing, blowing, polar vortex, and no football.  What's a girl to do?  And who doesn't enjoy spending more time in their art room, playing with stencils, trying new things, etc.?  I made 6 cards to go with each bit of today's lesson.  However, rather than sharing them all at once I'll do separate posts...all brief.  And you want to know the best part about this class?  The fee is great and you'll have lifetime access to the class!

First up is a card that I sponged through the mask. 

Ingredients:  white card stock, Dylusions stencil, distress ink, vellum, Ann-ticipation stamp, embossing ink, white embossing powder, jute, black thread, red mitten buttons, foam dots

Winter tag box

I attempted to create a winter tag box but I am afraid I do a lot better with fall colors and themes than I do Christmas and winter.

The box is created from 4 #8 tags.  Here's what I used on the finished box:
Ranger:  Gold, Pearl Paint Dabbers; blue, purple, green, brown distress inks; Jet Black archival ink; Distress Stickles Dry Glitter (clear rock candy); distress markers; Crackle Accents

Sizzix:  deer, branch, cardinal, poinsettia, flourish, holly mini dies; Vintage Noel Bigz die; Paper Rosette, Stacked Words: Christmas decorative strip dies; Holiday Words, Seasonal Stuff, Christmas Background 3 embossing folders

Stampers Anonymous:  Mini Holidays 3 Tim Holtz stamps

Dylusions:  Let It Snow stencil

Sakura:  white gel pen

Miscellaneous:  Seasonal Paper Stash, Vintage Shabby Paper Stash, Kraft core'dinations scraps; vellum, shrink plastic, chipboard, Martha Stewart Chestnut Flocking Powder, modeling paste, pinecones, berries, greenery

I'll keep trying my hand at winter art...it isn't here yet so I have some time to perfect my techniques.