New job has started.

It is so good to be back in my own store. I will be doing some training here now before I will be on my own but so happy to be back. I want to update you on this infection I have. Ladies protect yourself. Wash wash wash your hands. Watch out for people at work borrowing your pens etc. Sanitze anything that doesn't move. Shopping cart handles, menues, doorknobs etc. There are some nasty bacteria out there and I'm here to tell you it is kicking my butt. I have improved and will be retested again in 3 weeks hopefully hearing it is gone. So I haven't been able to get in my stamping but I try. Today I worked on my Feb. swaps and The Speedy the Cat Friends Challenge " Make a sympathy card". I combined it with a Mystery item swap at my SSSD yahoo group. Ladies if your in the swap can you find the Mystery item?

 

I'm not sure what the background is. My guess it's one of those that didn't quite turn out but it works. The image is embossed with black EP right on top of the background. Then I colored it in with pencils. The sentiment is from My Sentiments Exactly. 

I found this image in my stash. I received it in a swap. It is from Stampscapes. It was stamped on glossy card stock. I swiped some ink around it.

I think it turned out well. The sentiment is from Inkadinkado.

Little Hearts

Every Feb. it becomes a problem for me when challenges and swaps come up because they are always Valentines or Heart themed. I just don't do hearts or Valentines. This year is no different. At Speedy the Cats Friends this week the theme was Hearts. I found the small heart stamp I used on my background at the back of a drawer. You can barely see it but it is behind the bling and around the edges. Found a few gold heart blings and after dumping out my Die cut box of shapes people have sent me I found that tiny little lone heart. So there are my hearts for this year. The theme at The Stampin Bs is use a die cut so I am entering this in that challenge also. The image is from I Brake for Stamps.

Playing catch up

My plan for the new year was to make time for stamping but this last week I just wasn't able. Trying to keep up with my job training and being ill with an infection of some sort I did absolutely nothing since my last writing. The week started out with a trip to the doctor because my nose was twice its normal size, bright red and caused great pain. I went to work and then to bed. But this week is starting out way better. Training is finished finally and I will be back in my own store next week. My nose is normal size once again and tomorrow I go for a follow up and lab results so maybe I'll find out what caused it. So it's back to card making.
This first card was actually made last week but I never got it posted. It's for The Stamping Vacation challenge " Use an animal embellishment ".

 

Animal Stamp is from Whipper Snapper. I used Prisma pencils and Gamsol to color. Sentiment is Great Impressions.

The next one is also for a challenge at The Stamping Vacation. A Monochromatic card "BROWN".

 Stamp is Penny Black. It is also colored with Prisma Pencils and Gamsol. Paper is from SU except for the top piece behind the image. That is a scrap of a background technique sprayed with gold webbing.

This last one is for a funny Stamping Vacation challenge  " an animal with eyebrows".

 

The chicken is from Art Impressions. I used Copic markers to color it. The sentiment is from Great Impressions.

Embossing Challenge

That's what the challenge is at Speedy the Cats Friends. I used a SU embossing folder for my background. Embossed the sentiment from My Sentiments Exactly with black ep. The butterfly is also embossed with a SU butterfly embosslit.

 

Another technique and the first Let's Ink It Up challenge of 2011

First welcome to the first Let's Ink It Up Challenge for 2011. Anything goes was the theme for challenge #8 so I decided to do another tutorial. But first we need to get the business out of the way.

The Sponsor for Challenge #8 at Let's Ink It Up is:
- Make It Crafty - http://www.makeitcrafty.com.au

Prize Package - their choice of one rubber stamp

Sponsor Blurb - Make it Crafty - Think it. Make it. Love it!
Make it Crafty is a dream come true for Zoe who has loved making projects from paper from a young child. Whether it be drawing, making cards, colouring, or her absolute favourite 3D mechanical projects; Zoe is always trying to think about new ideas to play with!
For a number of years Zoe has wanted to share her ideas and love for craft products with you and so Make it Crafty was finally born where she sells some of her favourite products as well as her own range of both digital and rubber stamps.
Zoe only sells products she uses personally so she is always ready to help you where she can. You may also like to stop by the Make it Crafty Blog to see the latest projects, news and tips!
Be sure to add your project by Feb. 3rd Aussie time.
Now head on over to Let's Ink It Up and see what the rest of the team has come up with.


Okay here we go. For this background you will need Dye ink pads and if you have small pads like these you can work directly to the paper with the pad. If you don't use a sponge to add the colors. I have become a fan of Memento Inks and am busily collecting all the pads in mini version. Great colors.

 For this project I used Sweet Plum, London Fog and New Sprout inks. You will use regular card stock for this also.

 Swipe the pads over the card stock or use a sponge to add your ink in any pattern. No right or wrong here. Each one you make will look different. If you used Distressed Ink Pads you could blend your colors with a sponge for a smoother looking background.

                                               This is mine.

 Next I sprayed it with Pearl Glimmer Mist. After it dried I sprayed with Silver Webbing. The Pearl Glimmer Mist gave it a real sheen.

 Here it is after I sprayed the webbing. Webbing comes in 4 colors. White, Black, Gold and Silver. I normally spray everything with the black. It makes the colors really pop. But for this project I decided I wanted a softer background and used the Silver. The one color I never pick up.

 I used an image from I Brake For stamps from the Rick St. Dennis Co. I used Gamsol and Prisma pencils to color my clown. Glitter on his little puff ball decoration. Stamped my sentiment with a Rainbow Pad. Inked all the edges with Sweet Plum. The square behind him is sponged with the New Sprout and sprayed with the Pearl Glimmer Mist. I wish you could see how shiny it is. One tip about the webbing. I always do it outside in the grass and be sure you spray in a sweeping motion.  If you don't move your arm you will get big blobs.

Build a Sketch

The Stamping Vacation is a great source of challenges. My favorite is the Build a Sketch. There are 16 pieces right now and you are given the the number of the pieces you are to use. This month they are 1-2-3-8-14-15. You can play with your scraps and try the different pieces in different order of placement. Did that make sense? Here is my card.

I used 3 different brown backgrounds scraps to make my card. Stamp is from I Brake for Stamps. My resolution is starting off quite well. This is my 4th challenge in 7 days plus I have a swap card made as well as my project for Lets Ink It Up. Watch for that tomorrow. There will be another tutorial to go along with it.

A New Years Resolution

The challenge at Paper Craft Star this week is to make something depicting your New Years Resolution so I have combined it with the Pals Paper Arts. Their challenge is to use these colors. 

 

 I don't have those particular colors but I got close.

Now onto my New Years Resolution. I've got a new job at the old job to start out the year working 4 days a week instead of 5. More hours. More pay. More time to myself. So I am going to devote time to card challenges and swaps and try to do a challenge a day or at least 5 a week. We'll see how I do. This covers 2. Stamps are from I Brake for Stamps.

My first challenge of the year and a few vacation pictures

The challenge at Speedy the Cats Friends was to use something new. I used a new Fairy stamp from I Brake For Stamps the Embossing Arts line. I colored her with Gamsol and Prisma Pencils and added Iridescent Medium to the wings to give them some sparkle. Flowers are from Sky Blue Pink.

Here are a couple of pictures of my son having fun over New Years. He was visiting from Ohio. We went to the Zoo in Tampa. Great fun.

Let's make a background

I haven't done a tutorial for awhile so decided to do a couple to start the new year. This one is a fun background which uses your dye ink reinkers, glossy paper and salt. Table salt will work but Kosher salt works the best. You can use it as your background layer or you can stamp right on it. Here we go.

 I used Adirondack colors Denim, Sail Boat Blue, Pool and Mountain Rose. You need glossy card stock for this along with a water brush and a spray bottle filled with water.

 Squirt out a little of each color onto your non stick craft sheet and spray your glossy card stock with the water.

   Now pick up each color and swirl it around in any pattern. Have fun with this. Try going in all different directions.  Add another color. No two will look the same when you finish.

                              This is mine all filled in with each color.

                                         Sprinkle with salt.

               Leave to dry over night or speed it along with your heat tool.

 When it's dry take a paper towel and wipe all the salt off. This is what you are left with. Table salt will make smaller and fewer spots.

 I used my Cuddlebug to cut out the center and a white rectangle to fit behind it. The piece I cut out of the center of the background I used for the inside and matched it with a smaller white rectangle to stamp my sentiment on the inside of the card.

I used Mountain Rose to stamp leaves all around my card base. Attached my larger white rectangle to the center of that. Stamped the Sentiment from Inkadinkado. Used Pop Dots to attach the background over this. Added a piece of pink border punched with a Martha Stewart punch to the inside of the opening. Flowers are from Sky Blue Pink and the leaves are a punch. Here's my card. I hope you give this a try.