Clear Artistic Stamps

I'm lucky enough to have been asked to be August Guest Designer for Clear Artistic Stamps, and this is my first project! (Sorry about the two nearly identical pictures, I can't figure out how to delete a picture!)

I used Blackberry Fields on this card, it such a pretty set! The little vining border stamp is so much fun to use, it looks great in corners, and as a background. I loved it everywhere I used it!

Summer Afternoon, Summer Afternoon

I mixed Scenic Route and Basic Gray paper DP (designer paper) here. The colors are perfect together, and I loved the way the very crisp SR looked behind the oh so nostalgic Artistic Outpost stamp from the Keeper plate. I added a little bling to this rather simple card with some Stickles in Patina, some gems, and Holographic EP in the left corner.

Acetate Birthday

It's hard to tell from the picture, but the sentiment is on acetate. It's from one of those ready to use acetate sheets, and I have to say, they are pretty easy to deal with. I've done some acetate stamping, and it isn't the easiest thing in the world. Acetate is slippery! With pre-printed acetate, your only trouble is hiding the adhesive!

Clown Card (Shudder)

Two things I'm bad at: Bright & Cute. Plus, I think clowns are creepy, and I'm not the only one who does, either!! Why do I have this stamp, you ask? It was one of the stamps in my huge eBay win. I thought I'd have a go at it, but I think it got the best of me! I still have this stamp, I think. I know I've sold some of that haul already, but if I have this one, I'm going to try and make a better card. Maybe if I did it in pastels, then I'd only have to battle one of my weaknesses. My sister gave me the cupcake die cut. She has about a million dies. I'm not into the dies, but this one is pretty cute. I think this card is about a year and a half old. This card does have Stickles on it, that's pretty good! This is Aqua. You can get great deals on Stickles at Creative Play Stamps. They always have something on sale!

Dragonfly

This is another stamp from my huge eBay win. I think I made it about two years ago. I stamped the SU! background in Radiant Pearls, then colored the dragonflies in RPs as well.

Penny Black Flower

I made this card a couple of years ago. Back then, I didn't feel like I had to put at least one of everything in my stamp room on a card! Now I feel that this card is naked. I'm sure I could add four or five layers and several embellishments, but I think I'll leave it. It's painted with Radiant Pearls, so it has a lovely shimmer in real life. My photography skills are improving, but I still have a hard time capturing subtle shimmer like this.

Big Happy Birthday

Michelle W., who has been leaving lovely comments here lately, said she wished I'd give more details. It made me realize how lazy I have become about my posts. I just throw some pix up, and off I go! Well, Michelle, your wish is my command! This card is very simple, especially compared to yesterday's, but I'll still tell ya all about it!

The small flower is an old DOTS stamp I won in a huge lot on eBay. I still haven't used all those stamps, and it was over a year ago! I embossed it in SU! Detail Black, and colored it in Bashful Blue re-inker. The button is SU! Soft Subtles. I used my white Inkssentials (the BEST!) gel pen to make it look like it was sewn on. I embossed SU!'s Big Blossom in the blue from the retired pastel stack. SU! has always had such nice quality embossing powders, but every catty for the last eight years has had less ep than the one before, it seems. Oh, well, I love Ranger and Judikins ep, too! Plus, I know everyone isn't as crazy for embossing as I am. I'm just mad for it! I emboss on probably 95% of my cards.

I cut the big flower out and glued it down to Chocolate Chip. After I did it, I wondered if the light blue ep would have covered well right on the CC card stock. I never tried it, so I still don't know. Those of you who have been stamping for a long time will remember the Happy Birthday stamp from good ol' Button Bear. I sold mine years ago, but that stamp was in the huge eBay haul.

Finally, I rounded the corners, mounted the CC on Kraft, and doodled some dots. The inside and the matching envelope are stamped with ColorBox Ice Blue. (ColorBox pads are on sale! Click the link if you need ink!)

Hero

Artistic Outpost's fabulous Hero plate. I've mixed it with Basic Gray, Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Faded Jeans, and some Red Stickles. Did you know that Ranger has come out with Stickles to match the Distress Inks? Who loves Ranger? I do! I do!! This is another remodeled card. The original is around here somewhere!

Happy Birthday!

This card is mostly about the adorable paper! I love the colors, the whole thing reminds me of an ice cream shop. Of course the cupcake is cute, too. Hi Carolina! I'll never be able to work with cupcakes for the rest of my life without thinking of you!

Big Hello

Not everybody looks good in red, you know! This Big Hello from Creative Play Stamps does though! I added some doodling with my indispensable Stardust pen and Christmas Red Stickles.

The Stardust pen is without a doubt the quickest way to add shimmering detail to your art. If you don't want to wait for Stickles to dry, or bother with separate glue and glitter, this is the pen for you!

Christmas Red Stickles is a true, pure red. If you want red and gold, get the Candy Cane. I, of course, have them both. That's the old crow in me, sparkles are irresistible!!

Let's Party!!

I went on the Dollar stamp rampage a little over a year ago. Or should I say my little sister went on the Dollar stamp rampage and dragged me along with her!!? I only have 10-15, I think she probably has a hundred. She'll read this and set me straight if I'm wrong;)! It turns out that I almost never use them. I don't know if it's because I don't have them all out where I can see them or if it's because I just don't like them as much as my other stamps. They do look pretty cute with this MME paper, though, don't they? MME makes everything look good!

Hitch Your Wagon!!

This is a redo of a card I did a couple of months ago. I wasn't entirely pleased with the first one, so I did several things to jazz it up. I stamped the wagon again, once in Dusty Concord and once in Black Soot, and embossed both in Holographic EP. I cut out the wagon and popped it up off the original, then cut out the wheels, and popped those up as well. I added the top on top of where it used to say, "friend." I had outlined the word in Black Diamond Stickles and I thought it looked a little goofy. I'm happier with it covered up! I also stamped, stitched and layered the inside. This really takes a card up a notch from, "Wow!" to "WOW!!" I stamped and sponged a matching envelope as well. All of these stamps are from Artistic Outpost's Playtime set. Isn't it fun?

With Deepest Sympathy

No one likes to make a sympathy card, but unfortunately, we do need them. I try to keep them relatively simple and soothing. I did a little bleach stamping and stamping off. I love the look of organdy ribbon and metallic cord. I stamped the inside and made a matching envelope.