One stamp - two ways

Here are the samples for my next class at Heather's Stamping Haven.  The class runs next Saturday, April 20 from 2-5 p.m.  It's called "One Stamp - Two Ways" and features a beautiful tag stamp from Memory Box.  We'll make one in rich beautiful jewel tones and another in softer, muted colours, with a bonus window feature.  Both cards showcase the wonderful hand-lettered calligraphy stamps from Quietfire Designs.  Call Heather at the store to register.

Thanks for stopping by!

Scrap Stash Sunday

Hello!  Here's a little something I whipped up yesterday using bits and pieces from the scrap and "things to save because they're too nice to throw out" box.  The focal image is a leftover from an ATC swap I joined, hosted by Darkroom Door.  It features stamps by Darkroom Door, and an embossed resist technique combined with a Tombow marker background in shades of red.  I matted it on black and added machine stitching.  It was an extra one for the swap, so it went in my "things to save" box and I pulled it out yesterday, added another mat in a different red, as well as an accent strip in yet another red.  I find this is a good way to "match" colours to a very colourful focal image.  By using a few different shades together, they are united, rather than looking like they don't match.  All these went on a confetti fleck card base that I stamped with a Hero Arts geometrical background stamp using Soft Granite Shadow ink.  I took a class last week at Heather's and the teacher got me hooked on light grey backgrounds.  Thanks for the inspiration, Meg!  The final finishing touch was a few dots here and there of black Enamel Accents (Ranger).  I will also note that all pieces except the ATC are edged in Memories Art Print Brown.

Thanks for stopping by!  I am hoping to make a few more dents in my box of treasures this afternoon.  I hope you get some stamping time too.

CASE Study Challenge #131

I came across this challenge and it was irresistible!  I was in the mood to do some colouring and some embossing and to try out something quick and easy.  Well, when a CASE presents itself like this, full of colouring and embossing and the thinking is done already, I had to try it out.  The inspiration image is by Julie Ebersole.  Isn't it pretty!  I loved it.  Now if only I could photograph my images like that!  Wow.  

As it is, I settle for Sauron the Scanner, who grudgingly translates my cards from real life to the internet.  You will just have to imagine a soft glow from the back, like Julie's has.  

I used a Sunshine Designs image and painted it with Twinkling H20s (how I do love my twinks!) and added a birthday sentiment (Stampin' Up!).  I volunteered to provide birthday cards for an outreach program my church is doing, so I think this will go in that little stash.  The background is a cover-a-card stamp by Impression Obsession.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sympathy Card

Sadly, from time to time a sympathy card is needed. I made this one this afternoon, using bits and pieces from my stash of Japanese paper and embellishments.  The card base is kraft, stamped with a sprig (Memory Box) in Soft Sand (Hero Arts Shadow Ink) and Brushed Corduroy (Distress ink). The sympathy sentiment is from Cornish Heritage Farms.

On a different note, I'd like to say a big thank you to the ladies who came out to my class at Heather's yesterday.  I had a great time and it was a lot of fun to see all your projects - beautiful work!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hello!  Here's a quick bit of stamping I did this evening for my sweeties.  I made two of the license plate ones, one for each daughter.  The other card is for my husband.  I hope they like their cards!

 Now for a bit about the cards themselves.  The license plate card is done with a Die-namics set (Vanity Plates I think) from My Favorite Things.  I stamped the plate with Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink in Arctic Deep and Berrylicious, and added Magenta stickles to the heart.  The background card is stamped with hearts (Stampin' Up) and the sentiment (Stampin' Up).

For the other card, I had a bit of fun spritzing some Dylusions and Adirondack Colorwash Sprays on some gorgeous Fabriano watercolour paper Heather just got in.  It's super smooth, which is lovely, and more economical than the Portofino (also lovely).  I haven't tried watercolouring on it yet, but it dealt beautifully with the colour sprays.  Once I dried the paper, then I stamped it with some chalk inks in various shades of pink, red and orange, using a Quietfire Designs nib-grid stamp and a Sunshine Designs heart.  I heat set it with an iron, then heat embossed in black the "I love you" alphabet message (Quietfire Designs) and accented with liquid pearls on the hearts.  A few other accents are the Memory Box hearts, which I coloured in with some Bruynzeel pencil crayons because I was really getting into the artsy vibe on this one.  I also tried out some new (to me) Viva Decor metallic paste in Platinum.  I just dipped in the old finger and swiped it on.  I got a bit more on than I would have liked, but that's ok.  Live and learn.  I also used it to edge the black linen card base (ditto on the overdose there too!).  In real life the platinum accent is more subdued and recedes a bit more against the embossed sentiment and the dimension of the heart frames.  However, Sauron the Scanner really emphasizes the platinum here, so you'll just have to take my word for it that it's nicer in real life.  I framed the focal panel with some intersecting lines in black fine tip pen, and edged it with the Barn Red chalk ink that I had used for some of the stamping.  It's a fun little card and I am going to enter into the Quietfire Creations Queen of Hearts Challenge too.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

Upcoming class

Hello!  Just a quick note to let you know about a class I'm doing next Saturday, February 16 at Heather's Stamping Haven.  We'll be making two all-occasion cards, and I'll be doing two more all-occasion cards the following week as well.  These will be great classes for building up your stash.  We'll be focusing markers in the first round with the fish and the tree card, and on the 23 we'll be doing a ton of different things!  Hope to see you there!

Call Heather at the store to register.

Classes on Saturday - Spritzing and Stamping!

Hello!  Just a quick note to let my local stamping friends know that I'm teaching a couple of classes on Saturday at Heather's Stamping Haven.  I'll be doing the calendar class in the morning and two cards featuring Dylusions sprays and twinks in the afternoon.  Check out the details on Heather's blog here.  The class is called Autumn Glory, not only because of my tenuous grasp of dates, but because of the rich warm colours.  Hope you can join us!  I'm working on more class samples right now for February.  Picture Magenta stamps, Copic markers, my Position-It and a touch of glitter magic.