Just Be

How about a little stamping?  Simon Says Stamp and Show this week is challenging us to do a little stamping.  You can interpret it to mean using little stamps, only doing a little stamping or stamping in small spaces.   I love my stamping so for me this was a real challenge.  I used the little spaces in Journal tags to capture images hence my little stamping.

I had to create a little holder for my journal tags and I created a pocket tag with a large manila tag.

The Kudzu Kafe has "Be" sentiments and I paired them with the images on the tags. I think they are fun sentiments and perfect with the images.

I stamped the image on the Journal tag using black ink. I then added the sentiment in different areas of the tag. I colored the images and journal tags with a mix of red and blue watercolor pencils.

I created the pocket to hold the mini tags from a large manila tag.  I folded the tag up and added two strips of  which was folded up to form a pocket. To emulate the journal tags I added a strip of black ink on the top and bottom of the pocket. I stamped a row of rulers along the top.  I added a few buttons on either side.

Products: 7 Gypsies Journal Tags, Artistic outpost - Kudzu Kafe, Artistic Outpost - PaperBoy, Ranger Archival Ink - Black, Ranger Archival Ink - Vermillion Maya Road - Measure Twice, Prima Buttons, Black Hemp, Koi Small Waterbrush,     Manila Tag     STAEDTLER Karat Aquarell Watercolor Pencils 

Come join in and use a little stamping on your project for a chance to win a gift certificate from  Simon Says Stamp.

Thanks for stopping by!

Suzz

Happy 4th of July!

Wishing everyone who is celebrating today, a wonderful 4th of July!

Suzz

Voyage and Dream

Time for July's tag with Tim.  Tim's Tag is a patriotic celebration which is very appropriate as we are celebrating our country tomorrow.  Unfortunately I didn't have the dies that Tim used so I created my own versions using a new die I just purchased.

I actually created my second tag first. This was my second version following Tim's techniques.  I brayered my background on this one. 

 I used the Silver Distress Paint for the left side and the Peacock Feathers Distress Stain for the right side of my tag.  I just purchased the Eiffel Tower Die about a month ago and hadn't had a chance to use it. I die cut a chipboard tower and a piece of an old book.  I then Stamped the harlequin pattern in versamark and heat embossed to form a resist. I sponged with the silver stain and then added a layer of the peacock feathers distress stain over that.  I repeated several times to get a darker shade of blue.  I stamped over the background of my tag the map to tie into my dream / voyage theme.

My second tag started with an alcohol ink background:

I used crackle paint on my stars and my bird die.  I then layered in the stamping in the background with black ink and then embossed the flowers along the side.

Products: Stampers Anonymous - Simple Sayings, Stampers Anonymous - Air Travel, Stampers Anonymous - Artful Artifacts, Stampers Anonymous - Tiny Things, Hero Arts - Flower, Impression Obsession - Harlequin, Versamark, Ranger Archival Ink - Black, Ranger Distress Stains - Peacock Feathers, Ranger Distress Paints - Silver, Alcohol INks - Citrus, Stream, Spellbinders - Star, Sizzix Paris Die Cut, Tissue Tape, Sizzix - Birdcage

Thanks for stopping by!

Suzz 

Celebration

Mojo Monday is having a celebration. This week is their 300th post!  Julee always has inspiring sketches and I love to use the Mojo Monday sketches to help my design skills. I used the Mojo Monday sketch to help kick-start one of my many birthday cards needed for this month.

 My nephew loves wildlife and nature. I had Mr. Owl sitting on my desk and thought he might be okay for a masculine card.  I stamped him up on a glimmer misted glossy cardstock. The La Blanche stamps with the fine details work best with a Versafine ink on a glossy cardstock. I ended up actually heat setting the ink to get it to dry.  La Blanche also has some beautiful cardstock which works wonderfully with their stamps and distress inks.  I just can't keep my cardstock straight and it was easier to identify my glossy cardstock. :)

I glimmer misted coordinating pieces of regular cardstock in the background and ran them through the embossing folder. They received a sponging of colors and a tiny bit of stamping of script over the surface.  I stamped the Happy Birthday using black ink on a coordinating piece of scrap cardstock.

When I finished the design I realized my Owl needed a party hat.  Mr. Owl declined a party hat but said he was willing to wear a crown.  I obliged with a crown stamped on the same misted glossy cardstock.

Here is the wonderful sketch:

Hope your day is wonderful!

Suzz

Enjoy Simple Things

I know I don't stop often enough to enjoy the simple things. We recently took a family road trip which gave us plenty of family time and lots of time looking out the window and seeing all of the natural beauty and enjoying the simple things.  This week at Simon Says Stamp and Show the challenge is Anything Goes!  Easy enough and there is the wonderful $50 gift certificate for one randomly selected participant.

I have been holding onto a Assemblage Clock waiting for a chance to create something special.

I painted the outside with a mix of white acrylic paint and pink acrylic paint. I put flower trim on the inside to cover the inside walls. I covered the back of the clock with pattern paper and smeared a touch of white paint over the surface. 

I trimmed out the outside with lace trim.

I painted the banner white and stamped the sentiment in teal. I added the white flowers to the side and stuck the little banner in with some white ribbon.

Inside the clock I stamped the large clock face using StaZon onto acetate. I did the same with the Eiffel Tower and painted on the reverse side with the pink paint. I added a highlight to the flowers.  The little broken doll earned a set of butterfly wings stamped with versamark on tissue paper and embossed in light pink embossing powder.

Products:  Snow Cap Dabber, Claudine Hellmuth Pink Painterly StudioPaint,  Tim Holtz - Idea-Ology Assemblage Clock, Banners, TIm Holtz Worn Lipstick Embossing Powder, Versamark, StazOn - Teal Ink, Hero Arts Big Clock, Stampendous I Love Paris SStampendous Jumbo Butterfly Trio, Idea-Ology Fractured Doll, Stazon - Black, Prima Flowers, Trim, 
Artistic Outpost - 

Don't forget to play along with us for a chance to win a gift certificate from   Simon Says Stamp.

Thanks for stopping by!

Suzz

Just Celebrate

How about a little red, white and blue?  Ranger Ink posted up a fresh summer color palette and I used that to inspire a 4th of July card.  July has quite a few birthdays in the family and many of them happen right around the Fourth of July.   This will go off to one of our nephews for his birthday.

The images are from a variety of sets including: Artistic Outpost - Hero, Darkroom Door - New York Volume I, Stampers Anonymous - Simple Sayings, 7 Gypsies - Very Beautiful, Artistic Outpost - Ephemera,  The inks used: Ranger Distress Ink - Fired Brick, Versafine - Majestic Blue

Have a lovely day!

Suzz

Domesticated Bliss

My project this week for the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge highlights a skill I am sadly lacking in....  Cooking!  I can do the basics but when I try to do more you can never tell what the outcome might be. The challenge is stripes.  You can use that inspiration anyway it strikes you. My project is Wendy Vecchi inspired and started with her stencil and her silver embossing paste.

 I started with a plain piece of corrugated cardboard:

 I painted the background with a mix of white acrylic paint and light blue paint. I than laid the stencil over the surface and added areas of silver embossing paste.

I punched two holes in the top and attached an old fork purchased at the antique mall using blue metallic wire.


































I stamped the images from the various sets and colored them with a touch of watercolor. I layered the images over the doily. I accented with a few flowers. I can't wait to hang this up in the kitchen as my family will get a chuckle out of it!

Products:
 Wendy Vecchi Domestic Arts ,  Stampers Anonymous Vecchi Yikes Stripes Stencil  Metallic Silver Embossing Paste ,  PaperArtsy Chalk Fresco Paint - Inky Pool , 
Ranger Archival Ink - Black, Artistic Outpost - Country Life

 

Come show us your stripes for a chance to win a gift certificate from the ever generous  Simon Says Stamp.

Thanks for stopping by!

Suzz