Foiled Snowflake

I have a new pile of Deco foil on my desk thanks to Dharma Trading Co and their bulk rates.  I buy my fabric dyes and scarf blanks here too.  Love!  Why do I have such a pile, you ask?  Um, hello?  It's shiny and blingy and fabulous!  LOL.

Snowflake clipart laser-printed onto cardstock then foiled.  The scalloped foil layer was cut from a foil cardstock pack I've had for ages.  Love that the colors are the same.  Simple sentiment and a few sequins finish her off.  Debating whether I should have embossed the sentiment but I like the matte contrast against the bling.

The Details:  Deco Foil Teal, VersaFine Onyx Black, Doodlebug sequins, Inkadinkado Holiday Expressions, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Waltzing Mouse stitched scalloped rectangle die, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base and foil cardstock, Hammermill 80lb color copy cardstock

I'm entering this in Addicted to Stamps and More #178 Holiday, Fab n Funky #289 Christmas, 52 Christmas Card Throwdown Foil/Gilding, Jingle Belles Bling on the Holidays

Wishing for a Meadow

For this card I randomly stamped Distress Inks on the stencil and spritzed with water before placing it on the cardstock.  The resulting print reminded me of a meadow gone wild so I added tiny little flowers in pink and yellow.  So sweet.  Then I added little berries with a Copic multiliner.  This tied in so nicely with the embossed sentiment and ribbon.  Btw, don't forget about the HLS Mixed Media stencil challenge going on; here I've used watercolor, ink, embossing, pen, stencil, ribbon.


The Details:  Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Distress Ink Mermaid Lagoon and Mowed Lawn, Memento Rose Bud and Dandelion, Copic Multiliner 0.8, VersaFine Onyx Black, Ranger Super Fine clear embossing powder, Memory Box Garden Leafy Branches, PTI Choose Joy mini flower, Meadow Greens sentiment, and kraft cardstock, Hammermill Digital Color Copy 80lb coverstock, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base

I'm entering this in CAS(E) this Sketch #156, Addicted to Stamps and More #177 Make Your Mark, Seize the Birthday CAS, Fab n Funky #288 Buttons and/or Bows

 

Friends Warm the Heart

It's so not cold here in the Pacific Northwest but with the blizzard forecast for the opposite coast, this card seems quite appropriate.  Brrrr!  Sending warm wishes, friends!


The Details:  Lawn Fawn Making Frosty Friends, Copics, Memento Tuxedo Black, VersaFine Onyx Black, We R Memory Keepers wave embossing folder, Memento Love Letter, Brilliance Pearlescent Ice Blue, Hammermill 80lb color copy cardstock, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base, Waltzing Mouse stitched scalloped rectangle die

I'm entering this in Holly Jolly #63 Designer Paper, Simon Says Create with Critters, and Simply Create Too #101 Something New (the LF set and embossing folder)

Stamplorations CAS January Mid-Challenge Reminder

We're a bit more than half way through the Stamplorations January Anything Goes with the Optional Twist of Silver challenge.  If you haven't joined in yet, please do!  You don't have to use Stamplorations products but it would be wonderful it you did!

For my card, I sponged Picked Raspberry Distress Ink over the Flourishes stencil, blending out to nothing on the edges.  The heart vellum diecut continues the soft look.  But maybe too soft so I went bold with a black banner embossed with a sentiment from the Patchwork Frenzy Graphic Squares set and a sprinkling of enamel dots.

I'm entering this in Mod Squad Love is in the Air, CASology #181 Clear, Paper Players #278 CAS Valentine

Organizing Craft Supplies in Ikea Alex Drawers

On Facebook I've talked about my worst crafty purchase of 2015.  Now let's talk about my best.  Oh, I love so many of the other crafty things I collected, but the Alex drawers transformed my workspace and work style.  That's a lot of goodness in one box!

Picture 1:  I'm going to show you the contents of my short and wide Alex.  I've had the tall one for a long time but it doesn't get nearly as much use.  I've thought about that a bit and have decided it's because of shape.  The tall one has lots of drawers and has a small footprint; this is great!  BUT, the small footprint means narrow drawers that, in Ikea style, don't pull out all the way so it's difficult to get to anything in the back so I just don't put anything back there which means wasted space.  No such difficulties with the Alex wide.  Although, again, the drawers don't pull out all the way, they're wide enough I can more easily shift things around to store less used stuff behind more used stuff.

Notice I have my Cameo on top.  This is wonderful.  I'm more apt to use it now plus I still have room to put a bin on top which is where I put things that need to be put away.  It's helping me reduce craft sprawl.  To protect the surface from my inky messes, I added an Ikea deskpad.  Also note there are 3 short drawers and 3 tall drawers in the unit.  It's a great use of limited space.

1st drawer:
Adhesives and acrylic blocks.  The white narrow organizers are XXX brand and very inexpensive.  The wider one on the right is a an InterDesign Fridge Binz.  There's just enough room between to store my Ranger craft mat.  Note this is as far as the drawers will pull out; there's another 4" or so remaining.

2nd drawer:  
Mostly embossing stuff.  There are 2 narrow Fridge Binz in the center.  I could move the first white bin with punches as I hardly use those.

3rd drawer:
Mixed media--gelatos, watercolors, pastels, 2 layers of acrylics

4th drawer:
Sponging supplies, alcohol inks, powder dyes, costco gloves, my giant roll of double-sided Scor-tape

5th drawer:  
Ink pads I don't use as often, gouache, box of mixed media pens, Stamping Majig.

6th drawer:  
Glittery bits and bobs.  Really just a drawer waiting to happen because I could easily move most of this stuff into the tall Alex and not miss it.

Curtain Call GD

I'm excited to be guest designing over at Curtain Call this round and it's all about being girly.  I was immediately drawn to the flowers and foiled bits and bobs, not to mention PINK!

1.   I designed the lay out for the foiled bits of my card.  Note you'll either need to scan in your stamps or use your phone to take a photo.  I used Photoshop to make sure the design was nice and crispy b/w for optimum foil results.

2.  I placed the Art Deco gold foil over the portions I wanted to be gold and ran it through my Amazon laminator on the 5mm setting.

3.  Notice how the foil flattens out and you can see the impression of the foiled stamp?  Gently peel away the foil.  If you are too eager and rip away your foil sheet in a fit of glee, part of the foiled stamped image may come off like it did on the 't' in birthday below.  Patience is key!

4.  I next placed the pink foil where I wanted it and ran it through the laminator.  The gold foiled sections were unaffected.   Isn't it pretty and shiny?  After this I filled in the rest of the floral section with regular inked flowers.  Girly and blingy and happy!

The Details:  Hero Arts Flower Garden, Hammermill 80lb color copy cardstock, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base, Waltzing Mouse stitched scalloped rectangle die, Papertrey Ink linen impression plate, Deco Foil (gold), Minc foil (pink), Memento Inks

Welcome to my Craft Room

Quite a few people I know are in the midst of reorganizing their craft spaces.  How about you?  I do that periodically as I try to find the optimal configuration and new organizers (and new products!).  I think I'm getting there finally.  I can't even count how many times I've moved things around in this space but I bet my partner could--LOL.

I thought I would share what my space looks like currently.  Well, not currently because these pics do not show the tornado that has hit the space but I'm sure you'll have no problem imagining that part.

Picture 1:  Looking into the room which faces east.  I especially love working here in the mornings.  The tables are from Costco--lightweight and fold away if when I change my mind.  Also, this room is an extra guest bedroom so it was important to make it adaptable.

There is a leftover piece of drywall making up the work surface which I covered in brown packing paper just in case.  The work surface in front of the monitor is also covered in a chair floor mat cut to size; it was brand new and I found it by the cardboard recycling at work--can't believe someone was throwing those away--tsk, tsk.  You can see I created an L with the table section so Frankie would have a window perch and would stay off the rest of the table.  Ha!  I love his little bed--it's African and made from rolled paper.  What else?  Oh, love my Copic marker storage to the right of the chair.  Unfortunately the couple that made them no longer do.  Next to that is a repurposed shoe rack acting as a printer stand.  It's so new I haven't even had a chance to fill beneath it with crap!  The paper storage to the right of that is a mail sorter that was being tossed away--the fools!

Picture 2:  Moving clockwise around the room.  An Ikea bookcase someone gave to me.  I turned it sideways and added wheels so it can be moved around very easily.  I keep my stamps, dies, and binders in it.  On top I have another repurposed shoe rack and on top of that my beloved Michael's organizer which I don't think they sell any longer.  I took out the ribbon storage bar on the bottom to store my Distress inks there instead.  I used plastic poster board I found at Home Depot to make the ink pad shelves above that.  Super easy and economical.  (Notice the theme?)  Other things that go here are my glues, cleaners and such.  Frankie has another perch in the corner that is his favorite.  He likes to sit and watch me craft.  And snooze.  Him, not me.

Picture 3:  I have short and tall Alex drawers from Ikea.  All are on wheels for portability.  The short Alex replaced the black rolling drawers next to it.  My crafting life was transformed.   I roll the short Alex over to make a u-shape workspace when crafting.  I use the black drawers for storing wood stamps.  On top of it is an organizer I got at Costco.  I think it needs to go since I keep moving it from place to place and it's not quite right.  

I used to store dies on weak magnetic sheets on the tall Alex.  They kept falling off when I would close a drawer or Frankie would investigate so I gave up on that.  Someday I will find a new purpose for them.  On top of the tall Alex used to be my picture-taking station.  I now take them right next to my chair on top of the shoe rack.  So much easier.

Picture 4:  The closet of doom.  The shelves are great.  Love how much I can stuff in there.  And that's the problem.  It's mostly filled with stuff I hardly use. For me, if I can't see it, I don't use it.  Looking at this pic I can already see where I can improve it.  Notice the colorful box at the bottom which my acrylics came in?  I could put all those loose bits of paper on the 3rd shelf in that.  I wouldn't go through the loose bits, mind you, just move them.

Picture 5:  The space behind the door. Document filing systems from Ikea.  I'm thinking of moving my paper back there and repurposing the found mail sorter from Pic 1.  I love having the pegboard there.  It's like having my own store.  Mostly embellishments.  At the top are repurposed wood corner molding from Home Depot or Lowes.  It's the perfect depth for wood stamps and card display.   On the back of the door right next to my Big Shot (see Pic 1) are my most used basic dies mounted on magnetic vent covers.  I have no problems with the dies falling off of these and they're inexpensive. 

There you have it.  Next time I'll share what I have in my short Alex drawers.  Like I said, that thing has transformed my ability to find stuff.  AND I put stuff back in it.  That never happens unless someone is pointing a gun at me and even then I'd think about it.

Some day projects for this space:  crown molding (we do it ourselves, about 1 room each summer) and replacing existing molding, painting, a vertical Ikea shelf, new flooring, more artwork

Japanese bird

I am still loving yellow.  And you will see more birds . . . eventually.

The Details:  Hero Arts Navy shadow ink, Memento Luxe Dandelion, Hampton Art clear embossing powder, PTI Mixed Messages sentiment, Crafty Individuals CI-248 Bird

I'm entering this in CASology #179 Simple,  Seize the Birthday Anything Goes

Second Generation Stamping

This is the second generation stamping of the Zig-colored background stamp from yesterday.  Why waste ink, right?

The Details:  Hero Arts Renaissance Heart die and Leaves and Flowers background stamp, Avery Elle Peace Love Joy die, Doodlebug sequins, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Waltzing Mouse stitched scalloped rectangle die, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base and silver foil cardstock, Hammermill 80lb color cardstock, Zigs

I'm entering this in Fusion, Just Us Girls #325 Use Metal/Metallics, Addicted to Stamps and More #175 photo inspiration

A proFUSION of flowers

O.M.G.  I may have to change my tune about Zigs.  In our local crafting group we were talking about our most regretted purchase of 2015 and I mentioned Zigs (although to be fair, the horrible Reeves guache won out).  I know--blasphemy!  Now it's not that I don't like them, I just hadn't used them as much as I thought I would.  Well, it never occurred to me to use them to paint rubber, mist and then stamp.  Duh, right?  I don't have any other water-based markers so I used these.  Wow, wow, wow.  I love the brightness and how well it worked.  AND, this stamp just arrived this past Wednesday AND AND was on clearance AND AND AND I bought local.  Now where are those Chilean avocados I just bought?

The Details:  Avery Elle You die and So Happy sentiment, Hero Arts Leaves and Flowers background stamp, Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Recollections black and white 110lb cardstock, VersaFine Onyx Black, Paper Source Sunshine cardstock, Zigs

I was inspired by Fusion, Penny Black and More One for the Girls, and Simon Says Something New

Stamplorations CAS January Challenge!!

Today marks the first Stamplorations CAS challenge!!!  Are you as excited as I am?  This month is Anything Goes with the optional twist of Silver.

I immediately thought of pink and gray together.  I love that combo so so much.  I used one of the Patchwork Frenzy Graphic Squares, the first I'm using of my new Stamplorations stash, overlapping as I stamped to create an ombre effect with various Distress Inks.  The stamp was so easy to align by eye!  I stamped the Dogwood sentiment in gray in keeping with the overall soft look.  I added a sprinkling of hearts on top of the embossed panel which is inlaid with a gray border.  I 100% heart this!

The Details:  Stamplorations Patchwork Frenzy Graphic Squares and Dogwood sentiment, Distress Ink Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, and Festive Berries, Hero Arts Soft Graphite, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Recollections 110lb white cardstock, Simon Says stitched rectangle and square dies, Bazzill Fig Swirl cardstock

I'm entering this in Mod Squad Ombre and Fab N Funky 268 Something New, Shopping Our Stash 233 Monochromatic or Pink

Stencils in Mixed Media

This month at Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media we'd like to see you use a stencil somewhere on what you make.  You could layer them to give greater depth to another stencil or add texture as I've done here.  The sky's the limit!

For my cards, I followed a Gelli plate technique video by Barbara Gray.  My result was nothing like hers but, hey, that makes it uniquely my own.  I laid down my paints in the order she prescribes but I'm using the lift print from layer 3 for this card (you'll see my layer 4 results in a moment).  This is just upcycled used printer paper that I adhered to 80lb cardstock.  I then placed the trellis (first) stencil back down and randomly spread transparent texture paste down--check the upper right corner, eg.  I struggled a bit with the sentiment, finally deciding to go simple with a navy ink so the fabulous background wouldn't get lost.

I'm entering Card 1 in Seize the Birthday Anything Goes and the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #20 Time Flies  

For the second card (really the first card if you watch the video), I used the 4th layer result.  The colors are duller but there's a LOT of shimmer since I used silver acrylic for the last layer.  I liked the grunge effect so made a bit of she art out of it with new Ranger stamps.  So two totally different cards and looks from my Gelli plate experiment.  Love!

I'm entering Card 2 in Mixed Media Card Challenge #19 Beginnings and Simon Says Wednesday Something New

The Details:  Cameo-cut trellis stencil, PTI Happy Hexagons sentiment, Hero Arts Shadow Navy, Ranger Transparent Gloss Texture Paste

Ranger Handwritten Sentiments and Clearly All the Gals, Mama Elephant Arctic Penguins, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Recollections 110lb white and black cardstock,  Versamark, Hampton Art clear embossing powder, Stampendous black embossing powder,  Stazon Blazing Red, Versafine Onyx Black

Acrylics:  Phthalo Blue, Light Blue, Burnt Umber, Gelli Plate, Crafters Workshop Peacock Feathers stencil, PTI white cardstock base

Foiled Valentine

I just got an Amazon laminator to use with foil; it was so easy to use!  I printed the Valentine clipart onto kraft with my laser printer and ran it through the laminator with gold foil on the 5mm setting.  Works fab and only cost $22 with Prime.  The foil really makes the card so I just added a couple of hearts cut out of a gelli print and covered in Glossy Accents.  The larger one is popped up.  A pretty pretty border and twine finishes it up.

The Details:  Deco Foil Gold, Glossy Accents, Lifestyle Crafts heart dies, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Waltzing Mouse scalloped stitched rectangle die, PTI kraft cardstock, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base, Valentine clipart from online, Amazon laminator

I'm entering this in CAS(E) this Sketch! #153, Mod Squad At Least One Die Cut  

Happy Smooshing

Did you all have a nice holiday?  Don't know about you but I'm so ready for some non-holiday cards. At Happy Little Stampers we're easing into the New Year with a smooshing technique challenge that you can do in so many ways.  Be sure to check out the video tutorials.

For my card I chose to do acetate smooshing with Distress Inks in peacock colors.  I did it in 4 parts--first Mermaid Lagoon, then Mowed Lawn followed by Mustard Seed and finally Peerless Liquid Gold.  Turned out amazing.  Since I wanted to keep the card CAS I trimmed down the colorful panel into a strip and added a thin black border to tie in with the b/w stamping.

Now shake your tail feathers and join in the fun!

The Details:  Distress Inks, Peerless liquid gold, VersaFine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Recollections 110lb white cardstock, Clearly Besotted Fancy Feathers

Update:  I'm entering this in Seize the Birthday Anything Goes, Mixed Media Monthly Challenge #20 Time Flies   

House of Cards January Challenge!

We're back after a holiday break and hope you're as ready as we are to start crafting again!  This month at the House of Cards we have a picture inspiration and/or embossing challenge for you to have fun with. 

I colored up my card with Copics in as close to the challenge colors as I had--methinks I need some grayer tones in the green/blue-green family.  What, buy more Copics?!  Well, if I must. . . .  LOL.   I colored the green first then applied some blending solution on burlap to achieve the appearance of a tweedy coat.  For the trim I wanted shearling.  I squiggled to get that effect.  Squiggle--that's a fun word.  Around the fire I played with creating flame highlights on the rocks.  Tried anyway!  An embossed snowy background and sentiment were next. 

Confession time:  When I first took this pic, I hadn't added the snowflakes on the right.  It looked a bit too empty in that space so I added them and promptly dropped the block next to the flames with the last snowflake.  Story of my life, I swear.  Well, I Photoshopped that out but it's so there in real life.  Argh and ick!

I'm sure you won't have any such troubles when you join our challenge.  LOL!