Happy birthday, Lucas!

A good friend and local bartender turned 25 recently.  He just got a new truck, albeit a white one.  I just couldn't make this truck look good in white.

I used a Rollagraph stamp across an inkpad to create the tracks on the card.  (I was surprised he immediately knew what they were!).  The Dark Room Door image was stamped in Acorn archival ink onto watercolor cardstock and colored with General's pastel chalk pencils.  I did spray it with Krylon matte sealer to prevent smudges.

Inside I created a small pull out tag and envelope besides the traditional 'Happy birthday' wishes.  On the tag I stamped 'If it has tires or testicles, it's going to be trouble.'  He had a big laugh over that.  In his possession is a motorcycle, jeep and truck.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Prayer of thanksgiving sheet music (internet search)

Bazzill Yam cardstock; white cardstock

Ranger:  Orange Blossom archival ink; Orange Blossom embossing powder

Inkadinkado: 9514P (only used portion of image)

Tombow marker N35

General's pastel chalk pencils (orange, yellow, red, green, brown)

Krylon matte spray

My chocolate princess

My neighbor's chocolate lab is a teenager!  I've always called her my chocolate princess...she's such a sweetheart.

Maraschino Bazzill cardstock; white cardstock; mixed media cardstock

Provocraft embossing folder

Stampers Anonymous:  Crazy Dogs CMS271

Sizzix:  Crazy Dogs 661593

Unknown crown, primitive star punches

Glossy Accents, Jet Black archival ink, distress markers, Carnation Red enamel accents

Krylon gold leafing pen

A rose for you

Gold and white vellum; white cardstock; watercolor cardstock

Krylon gold webbing spray, gold leaf marker

Unknown rose die (cut 3 and layered for dimension) then covered with Glossy Accents

Distress oxide inks: Worn Lipstick, Cracked Pistachio, Peeled Paint

Martha Stewart border punch

Happy Passover

Blue Bazzill card stock, kraft card stock, mixed media card stock

Distress inks and markers, clear embossing ink, silver ultra fine embossing powder

Mini doily stencil

silver Krylon Leafing pen; Twinkling H2Os (seder plate)

The stamp is from Artist Stamps, a company no longer in business.

Altered puzzle - the last pieces

I can't believe another challenge has ended.  This one was for altered puzzle pieces.

13a

13b

13a
--Ranger:  distress paints (Dusty Concord, Milled Lavender, Shaded Lilac), archival inks (Jet Black, Potting Soil, Deep Purple), Glossy Accents
--misc.: cork paper, white cardstock scrap, Krylon 18kt Gold Leafing Pen
--Stamps: wine varieties background, cork (Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers), wine! (Ann-ticipations 9845E)

13b
--Ranger:  distress paints (Fossilized Amber, Abandoned Coral, Mermaid Lagoon), archival inks (Jet Black), watercolor paper, Glossy Accents
--stamps:  books (Anita's), text (Art Impressions P-2125)
--Martha Stewart: butterfly punch
--misc.:  white cardstock scrap, vellum, foam tape

My puzzle had 25 pieces so I used it as my title page.  On the last piece (lower right hand corner) I painted it with several coats of Antique Linen Distress Paint.  Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink was lightly applied around the edges then spritzed with water and dried.  Potting Soil Archival Ink was added around the edge and heat sealed.  I found an old Stampendous clear stamp (Journal Border SSC605) and stamped it in Cornflower Blue Archival Ink.  'Favorite', from an old Inque Boutique stamp set, was inked in Jet Black Archival Ink.  The rest of my title was handwritten using a Sakura Micron Black pen, #05.

It also came with its own frame so I altered it as well.  I applied a generous coat of gesso to seal in the bright, colorful colors then covered that with lots of brown distress paints (Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, and Gathered Twigs).  I used Tim Holtz' Woodgrain stamp and Potting Soil and Tree Branch Archival Inks to make the frame look like it was real wood.  IRL you'd think it was!  Success!

Finished puzzle

Before alterations

Happy New Year!

Red, white, black card stock/Sizzix weathered clock die, carnivale decorative strip die/Hero Arts LL240/American Art Stamp EM7109.G/Krylon 18kt Gold Leafing Pen/Sakura Glitter Jelly Roll pen/Ranger's Red Geranium, Jet Black archival inks, clear embossing powder/black brad

May the new year be a good one for us all!

It's New Year's Eve

and the 5th anniversary of this blog was yesterday!  Wasn't sure I would ever start one let alone keep it up for 5 years with 700 posts to date.

I want to thank you for stopping by to see what I've been creating.  Please come back as you never know what you'll find.  It might be a card or it might be a 3-D project.  It might be clean and fairly simple or it might be dark and grungy.

It's been a typical year...full of ups and downs, curve balls and wild pitches.  But I'll carry with me all that I've learned and experienced into the new year.  I wish you much health and happiness in 2015!

Red, white, black card stock/Stampers Anonymous CMS156 Worn Text, CS154 Mini Blueprints 4/Jet Black Archival Ink/Krylon Gold Leafing Pen/Sakura Glitter Jelly Roll Pen/Sizzix mini movers &  shapers numbers

Holiday dominoes

Over on the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group Lori gave us a month-long challenge.  Each week that you add some Studio 490 holiday artwork to the challenge album, your name will go into a drawing.  Wait, it gets better!  She'll leave the names in the drawing each week so the more times you enter means you increase your chances of winning.  How about that?!!!!??  I won last week..woot woot! 

Here are the dominoes I created for the 3rd week of the challenge.  The words from 'Just Word Art' were stamped in Jet Black archival ink.  The blue domino was colored with Adirondack markers (blues, purples) then overstamped with a tiny pine branch from Rubber Stamps Tapestry.  I removed the ink and left a ghostly image.  Cool, huh? I admit, it's a bit hard to see in this photo.  The domino was edged with the silver paint dabber.  The gold domino was colored using Butterscotch and Gold Mixative alcohol inks.  Once both dominoes were thoroughly dry I sprayed several light coats of Krylon clear gloss to seal them.

These are the perfect things to leave where you'd least expect to find art...a friend's window sill, on a counter at the doctor's office, etc.

Wait until you see what I did for the 4th and final week of this challenge!

Holiday cheer

Lori has issued a rather unique challenge over on the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group.  Throughout the month of December any holiday items we make that have Studio 490 stamps or products can be entered into the challenge.  Each week a name will be drawn randomly for a goodie package.  Your entry is also good for the rest of the month so your chances grow to get that weekly goodie package.  I don't do much decorating for the holidays but having a few items scattered about is just fine for us.  How about finding one of these gems on a bedside table?  Or by your dinner plate?  Maybe leave one at the neighbor's?

Guess what they're made from?  Give up?  Dominoes!  I applied red, gold and green alcohol inks to them before stamping.  The red one I stamped the flourish from the poinsettia stamp in Jet Black archival ink then carefully wiped the ink off before it dried.  See how it looks white?  Then I stamped the message in JBAI.  Around the top edge of the domino is a gold rim.  On the green one I stamped the holiday background stamp but didn't wipe off the ink since the font was so small.  The tree was stamped on white shrink plastic, colored with distress inks and markers.  The message was stamped in JBAI.  To preserve the inks I have lightly sprayed the dominoes with a Krylon sealer.

Hope your holidays are the merriest and best ever!

Sewing two-fer

Haven't made a two-fer in quite some time.  While I really prefer to have different entries for challenges, often you can make one work for several.  This not only saves time but if your mojo is lacking it's a great way to enter more challenges with not as much work.

Here's the tag I'm submitting to the CCCv2 challenge over at Studio L3 and Simon Says Stamp and Show.  It features Tim's technique called 'Whitewash Stamping' and can be found on page 47 in the book.

When you participate in these challenges you'll be entered into drawings for gift certificates.  This week's sponsor at Studio L3 is The Funkie Junkie Boutique and they're offering a $25 shopping spree; Simon has a $50 shopping spree.  Both challenge winners are chosen randomly.  I really like this way of doing things because it doesn't pit newbies against those who have been creating art for a long time.  And there's always so much inspiration.  Look at a piece of art and see if you can't use that idea for another challenge but twist it to make your own. 

TH:  Haberdashery stamp set, Sewing Edge Sizzix die

Ranger:  #8 kraft tag; Picket Fence Distress Stain; Picked Raspberry, Ripe Persimmon, Squeezed Lemonade, Antique Linen, Pumice Stone, Black Soot Distress Inks; Coffee, Vermillion, Jet Black Archival Inks

Silver leafing pen (Krylon), chipboard circle, twine

Other projects are calling my name...see you later!