365 Cards Super Sketchy Sunday Day 244

 I have to be honest, when I first saw this sketch, I was dismayed. I have never had success with repeated geometric sketches. Seriously, I simply can't make them work, except this once. Finally, after 14 years of stamping, I finally made an aligned shape card I actually like! So in the end, another successful sketch from the ever so talented 365 Sketch Designer, Wendi!

 I started by embossing the daisy from Gina K Designs' Spring Mix in SU! Light Pink ep. Then I colored them with my new Distress Markers, which I am having an affair with at the moment. I'm no talented painter by any means, but I have fun with these markers, and am generally satisfied with the results.

I love watercolor because of the sweet softness and unpredictability of it. It appeals to me in a way that rigid mediums don't. I also love pink and spring green. The paper here is GKD, except for the watercolor paper, which is Canson. That adorable polka dot organdy is A Muse Studio. Isn't it the cutest?

Super Sketchy Sunday with 365 Cards Day 237

 Here's this week's sketch from Super Sketchy Sunday over at 365 Cards! Isn't it a good one?

 I went pretty CAS with this one. I really like the layering of the same cardstock I've been seeing lately. It adds interest and texture without being fussy or busy. I thought I'd try it here with a hunter green Christmas card.

The cardstock, stamps, and ribbon are all from Gina K. Designs Holiday Cheer StampTV kit. The kit is long gone, of course, but you can still get the stamp set, which is one of my favorite Christmas sets. It's very versatile because it has elegant and traditional images like these, and cute images as well. There's something for everyone in that set.

I used my Ranger Gold Glitter ep, which is hard to work with, I must say. It takes about twice as long to heat up as regular ep, and it has a bit of a learning curve to figure out when it's done. I have not had good luck with glitter embossing powders, they always look a little messy to me. This powder does look better with larger, chunky images. What do you think? Have you had any success with glitter ep? Do you have any hints?  

Gina K is in tha house!!

 I recently stumbled upon a delightful pile of plastic containers in my stamp room. They each held a Gina K. Designs Stamp TV kit. I LOVE these things, but I forget about them. If they arrive when I don't have time, I look them over, then put them away, sometimes for years. All of these cards are from the Eclectic Summer Stamp TV kit. You can get the stamp sets still, but not the rest of the kit. (At least not all together. You can get the cardstock and some of the ribbon.)

 I stamped these little guys on patterned paper and colored them with copics. I enjoyed playing with my old kits so much that I ordered the new one, Days of Summer, and I think it will arrive tomorrow. If you want to see what comes in this new kit, go here. You can watch the video and see the exact contents before you buy it.

 I added a couple of A Muse Studio die cuts to this one. They go perfectly with this stamp. While I was ordering from GKD, I also ordered two sets from an old STV kit, Organize It! & Picture It!.  I like the projects Gina made with them and want to make them myself.

 I did not take a full front shot of this card. Isn't that the weirdest thing? I really like it that GKD stamps now come in pre-cut red rubber and clear. I hate trimming my own stamps, and I could not be happier that it is no longer necessary.

Although I love the stamps in this kit, I did not like the Basic Grey Lime Ricky paper collection it came with. Not one little bit. It's just too bright and grungy at the same time. Or something. This card practically gives me a seizure when I look at it. *grin* Maybe it's just operator's error, and these should not be mixed like this.

Happiness is a direction...

 All five of these cards are Unity cards. As I mentioned before, I have a lot of Unity because of my sister's obsession. It's funny, because I discovered Unity first, and was a member of their kit club. Back then, Noelle wasn't a stamper yet-she just scrapped. I kept telling her that the kit club was the best deal in stamping, and that it would be a great way to build her collection. She finally heeded my advice, and the monster was born. *grin*

 You will probably need to click on these to see the silver embossing well, especially in the top photo. Yes, that's some Blue Awning from K&Co peeking out there in the background. My old SU! ep has gone over. It has bubbles in it now. I don't know if it's because of our swamp cooler, or if it will still be bad after the house has dried out.

 I love this image. It's so perfectly vintage without being TOO shabby chic/Victorian. It really is a gorgeous rose stamp. That trim is antique. I have been hoarding it for years, but really, what good is it doing crammed in a plastic bag in my stamp room?

 This one is Unity, 7 Gypsies, MM and MME Bohemia. They play well together, don't you think?

This one is Unity, MME, and the butterflies on the envelope are Gina K Designs. I use that butterfly all the time, probably more than any other butterfly stamp I have.

I hope it's not too boring when I do posts where everything comes from the same manufacturers. That's how I stamp, though. I get really focused on one company, and use just it for a few days. Right now, it's GKD. I have been stamping like a mad woman with my old STV kits. I even ordered the new one, and an old one that I missed. I have SO. MUCH. FUN. with those kits, I tell ya!

Homeowners!

So there you have it!! We had to move in the middle of the school year this year because the house we were renting sold. When we moved into this one, after we knew it was a good house without any huge flaws, we decided to buy. It's a good little house and will work well for us for a year or two. Most of all, no strangers parading in and out on a moment's notice, and no having to move in the middle of the school year while trying to direct a musical. That almost killed me, I tell ya.

We have started bending the yard to our will, and have fixed holes and filled paneling stripes. Next we paint and then tear up the nasty carpet. There's 100 year old hardwood under this carpet!!! Then curtains, some new miniature furniture, and the living room will be done! We are going to turn this house into the cutest little thing!
This is a Unity owl. Love it!
Gina K. Designs -all of it. Even the sketch!

Copper Sunflowers

I guess I forgot to post this. This card is almost all from Gina K Designs Signs of Autumn Stamp TV kit. The copper card stock, cord, and embossing powder are all SU!, everythings else is GKD. I guess we all know how much I love copper! The card stock looks a little darker than it actually is. It's GKD Chocolate Kiss Base Weight card stock, not black.

I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween!!!

Glitter Birds and Holidays

This card is for two challenges, GinaK's StampTV Color Challenge, and Verve's June release challenge. The colors were Bubblegum Pink and Aqua Blue, a combo I really love. I used Bazzill as the base, and I think the designer paper is Crate. It has the lovely thickness and texture of Crate paper, and it's double sided. It's not labeled, though, so I'm not sure.

The chipboard bird is Maya Road. I dabbed it with Aegean Blue Ancient Page, then sprayed it with Caspian Sea shimmer mist. I love Ancient Page pads for this type of thing because they are very soft and juicy. They have saturated and easy to apply color. I have the minis, and I just tap them onto my stamp instead of the other way around. It's gorgeous IRL!! I added some vintage seam binding, an adhesive gem and Aqua Stickles on its beak.

The gorgeous flower is GKD's latest StampTV set, Eclectic Summer. It's a hugely versatile set. I've only used two of the stamps, and I already love it to death. I stamped it on the DP with VersaFine Onyx, then embossed with Ranger Holographic. I finished the mulberry flower & frame off with a little Crystal Stickles and called it good!

This is Flourishes' Timeless Tuesday sketch challenge. This was my first time to use Patriotism on Parade, and I'm so glad I got it, I know it will be fun to have on hand. The journaling block is Sassafrass Lass, isn't it cute? The rest of the paper is Bazzill, and Cool Caribbean. The fireworks and flourishes were embossed with Ranger's Silver and Red Tinsels, two of my favorite sparkly embossing powders.

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! Blog Candy!!

New stamp from Shady Tree Studio!

Isn't this new gift box from Cornish Heritage Farm's Shady Tree Studio line pretty? Nancy, the artist who draws the STS line has been sending me some of her stamps to work with, and I honestly can't begin to tell you how much it means to me that she would trust me to show off her beautiful stamps! This present would work for wedding cards, baby showers, and even Christmas, if you truned the flowers into berries by making them red-with glitter of course!

Speaking of glitter, the day I made this, it was VERY hot in my studio, and my Crystal Stickles came galloping out of the bottle at an unheard of pace. It was very liquidy! Well, Stickles is easy to wipe off, I do it all the time when I make a mistake. But I didn't want to waste this much Stickles, and I don't like thick layers of it, so I grabbed a brush and painted it where I wanted it. My pics don't show it, but there is beautiful sparkle all over this image!

Tha paper is Basic Gray's Two Scoops, and the rubon is Making Memories.

This card uses the Pullin' Pastels technique. GinaK showed this technique last week over on STV, and this was my take on it. I've known about the technique for years, but had never tried it. It's really a lot of fun. I have really been enjoying StampTV. Everyone over there is so nice, and I love to play the challenges. The stamp set I used is called Take Flight. Everything else is from the Floral Frenzy Stamp TV kit. Have you tried this Chocolate Kiss base weight paper from GKD? It's my new favorite! Chocolate Chip has been my go to brown for NINE years, but now it's only Chocolate Kiss for me!!

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! blog candy!! This week it's Mostly Flowers from 2003!

More flowers and another butterfly!

I used two GinaK sets here, Bold Flowers and Sweetest Blessings. This was for a challenge over on SCS. We were to make a card for a child, and I made this one for my sister's daughter. Now, if I could just remember to mail it today! The background paper is GKD, the shaped paper is Making Memories, I cut the banner myself. The biggest flower is from GKD. It was white, and I gave it a good spray with my Black Cherry Glimmer Mist. I love these flowers, they take ink so beautifully. I like things that can handle a little working over, as I rarely leave things alone. I added bits of Crystal Stickles to the edges of my flower.

Here's my Sweet & Sassy butterfly again, and Basic Gray Perhaps, AGAIN! This is for this week's sketch challenge over at PCP. Cool sketch, huh?

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! blog candy!

Boots and Butterflies!

I made this using a GinaK set called Out West. I liked the images a lot, but I was a little nervous about working with it because scene cards really aren't my strong suit. I have to say that I was so pleased with how easy it was to create this. It's not on the level with GKD scene crazy DT, but it was good enough for lil ol' me! All I did was mask the boots and stamp away. I used Memento Tuxedo and Prismas/Gamsol. I think the cacti are the best P/G coloring I've done so far, I hope I can continue to improve. I see the m ost incredible coloring out there every day!

Don't forget to scroll down for Stampin' Up! blog candy!!

Here is my favorite Sweet & Sassy digi butterfly again! He's just so cute and easy to color, I can't quit using him! I hope you're not tired of him yet, because I have another card using him to post tomorrow! Also coming up soon is a graduation card I made using a S&S digi set designed by Chris Dickinson. It's very cool, and just right for graduation. Chris is a designer and DT member for S&S, and guest designer for Creative Cuts and More this month, so pop on over to her place to see what she's got going on there!!

Crafty Secrets and GinaK

I made this pocket for the weekly Crafty Secrets challenge over on SCS. Marcy challenged us to make a pocket of some sort. I have had these library pockets for years and years. I guess they are one of the many things I have been saving. For what, I don't know, but there it is.  I first stamped the lily of the valleys in VersaMark and embossed them in clear. Then I sprayed the pocket with Black Cherry Glimmer Mist. I added the trim with a line of Diamond Glaze, and added Crystal Stickles on top. The hanger is from a package of CS Sweet Chips. I love these things. They are white. I dyed this one with a pink pad, then painted with glue and followed that with a generous dusting of Miss Muffet Art Glitter. Miss Muffet also had her way with the roses. I stuck the frame into the pocket with one large glue dot. I feel that this is a strong enough bond. Anything too heavy for that would rip the pocket anyway. 

The sweet butterfly is a DoubleMates diecut from Creative Cuts and More. I got a bunch of them because I knew I'd love using them this summer. The cool thing about having them cut from DoubleMates, is that you have two color choices on every butterfly! I have been on a butterfly kick, which you will see in the next few days if you check back! I followed the same steps on the butterfly as I did on the pocket. I added a tinsel pipe cleaner for the antenae, a few adhesive gems, and outlined it in Pink Stickles.

I made this card for a color challenge over at GinaK's StampTV. Have you been over there? I love that place. BTW, I saw a card over there made with the new summer set and a circle die cut card that was WAY cooler than my version. As soon as I saw it, I thought, "Wow! Now why isn't mine that good?" I'll try to find the link and link it here so you can see it, too. Isn't it wonderful that we can share the way we do? I am so inspired by the stamping that I see every day. It's truly amazing! FOUND IT! Here it is buggin2stamp's fish card.