Theme Thursday - ATCs

For some reason, ATCs aren't really my thing. I'm not sure why...I just have a hard time fitting stuff on that little rectangle! I know some fantastic artists like Viola who can create incredible works of art in this 3.5" x 2.5" space...and I try, but I don't seem to have the touch. Nevertheless, I decided to join in with everyone over at Theme Thursday and see what I could come up with!

My background was created with the Watercolor Distress technique from the Feb/Mar '07 issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter. Instead of regular Distress ink, I used Broken China and Peeled Paint Distress Stains. On top of that, I stamped the background from Tim Holtz's Papillon stamp set using a Snow Cap paint dabber. The Wish stamp is from Tim's Stuff to Say collection and the flourish border is from his Nature's Discovery set.. The little girl is a rubber stamped image from Oxford Impressions' Heritage collection. Isn't she adorable?! She is stamped on glossy paper using Jet Black Archival ink. I really wanted to do stitching around the edges, but I was too lazy to change the thread color in my machine, so I opted to cheat a little and use the Drywall Stitching technique from the Apr/May issue of the TJ newsletter. Finally, I dyed a little rose from my Idea-ology Lavish Trimmings with Broken China Distress Stain and attached it to my ATC with an Idea-ology Long Fastener and a set of Idea-ology leaves.

Thanks so much for stopping by! :-)

Wednesday Stamper - The Last Hurrah

I was so sad when I checked the theme for today's Wednesday Stamper challenge and read that this week is the final week of the challenge. WS was one of the first challenge blogs I started participating in. It was always one of my favorites because they highlighted stamping, and the artwork was so varied.

For the final challenge we were instructed to use at least one rubber stamp, which has always been the minimum requirement for Wednesday Stamper. For my card, I used a variety of rubber stamps from both the Loverly London and London Underground stamp sets from Artistic Outpost. Again, the versatility of these stamps is amazing. If you'd like to buy them, please remember to use my discount code: stamptramp, and you'll receive 10% off your total!

Thanks so much to Belinda, Christine, Tina, Hermine, Patty, and Linda for challenging us to make the most out of using rubber stamps in our artwork!

Supplies used:
Idea-ology Plaquettes
Idea-ology Tiny Fastener
Core'dinations Distress Collection paper
Ranger Black Embossing Powder

Grungy Monday Meets Simon Says Stamp & Show

I absolutely love the Papillon rubber stamp set by Tim Holtz. I've seen so many great things done with it, but for some reason, I have not been using it much. After pondering the Grungy Monday alcohol ink challenge, I finally had a little 'aha' moment and found the perfect way to use it!

To create my tag, I first stamped the script background from the Papillon set on a plain tag using a Snow Cap Adirondack Dabber. When it was dry, I used my ink blending tool to apply Worn Lipstick Distress ink. I stamped the edges with the flourish from Tim Holtz's Take Flight stamp set, again using Worn Lipstick Distress ink.

Next, I stamped the butterflies from the Papillon set on acetate using black Stazon. I flipped them over and colored them following the directions from Tim's tutorial here. After the ink dried, I covered over the back with a Snow Cap Dabber, so that it would be more opaque. So pretty!

The label was cut from a scrap of chipboard covered with a French book page using the Sizzix Styled Labels die. I dabbed over it with the Snow Cap Dabber, so soften and hide the text a bit. I attempted to glitter the edge using Spiced Marmalade Distress Stickles and Cotton Candy Stickles. I say attempted because I just cannot wait for that stuff to dry, so I ended up smearing it all around, thinking I'd give it a shabby kind of look. Ha! Shabby or sloppy, not sure which! ;-) In the center of my label, I stamped the word 'wish' from Tim's Stuff to Say stamp set. I added a few roses from the Idea-ology Lavish Trimmings and then attached my butterflies using Glossy Accents. The trim along the bottom is dyed seam binding that I gathered using my sewing machine (thanks to my friend Becky for that great tip!) and adhered using Inkssentials Wonder Tape.

I'm also entering my tag in this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show a Word challenge. Speaking of which - did you see my fancy new blinkie? My tag was chosen as one of the Top Three for the Metal challenge! Woo hoo! Make sure you visit their blog and check out the fantastic work by their design team. They are truly amazing.

BTW, you still have time to enter Inspiration Emporium's monthly challenge. Read all about it here. You could win a $50 gift certificate!

Sunday Stampers - More Than Words

Today's Sunday Stampers gives me yet another excuse to trot out my new Artistic Outpost London Underground stamps*! This card is also an ode to my new found love for Ranger's Adirondack Dabber paints. I was slow to warm up to these, but now I don't think I can live without them!

For this piece, I wanted the Union Jack to be fairly neutral...I also wanted the aqua to be the main color focus. Since I was using the corrugated cardboard as a base, I knew I'd have to think of something clever, since there was no way that I was going to get the impression I wanted on such an uneven surface. My solution was to stamp on tissue paper using Adirondack Slate ink and then adhere it to my painted cardboard with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Matte Multi Medium. I used an Adirondack Cranberry Dabber to stamp the sentiment, and added other stamped images using a Snow Cap Dabber. I used my new Sizzix Pennants die to cut a cute banner from red and white ticking fabric. It's attached to a piece of string and then attached using the Idea-ology Tiny Attacher.

This is my favorite part! Again, more great examples of how versatile the Dabbers are. My flower was cut from Idea-ology Kraft Glassine using the Sizzix Tattered Florals die. I added a bit of Snow Cap paint here and there to soften it, and painted an Idea-ology Foliage piece with the Cranberry Dabber for the center. The flower is mounted over a frame cut from chipboard using the Sizzix Tag and Bookplates die. The frame was painted with a Snow Cap Dabber and the edges lightly sanded. I attached a Philosophy Tag that I painted with an Aqua Paint Dabber (loving this color so much right now!).

I'm also loving this view of all the layers! The bottom is chipboard, the red layer is a piece of the new Adirondack Core'dinations paper that's been embossed using Tim Holtz's Regal Flourish Texture Fade. The whole grungy sandwich is attached to the base using - what else? - the Tiny Attacher.

***Don't forget, you can use this code: stamptramp and get 10% off of your order at Artistic Outpost!***

Thanks so much for stopping by. Enjoy what's left of your weekend and have a wonderful week!

Theme Thursday, Stamping With Stain, and a Tiny Pillow

Today's Theme Thursday challenge is borders - this chunky tag's border might be tiny, but it adds a subtle little touch that I love. Another thing I love?  Both the London Underground and Loverly London stamp plates from Artistic Outpost (as if you couldn't tell). My favorite stamp of them all is the grungy Union Jack. I have been dreaming of this stamp for ages and am so thrilled to finally have one! Below is a quick tutorial showing how I created the border on my tag using the Union Jack stamp and Tim Holtz Distress Stains - another thing I am crazy for right now!

Supplies: Fired Brick and Faded Jeans Distress Stains, Inkssentials Mini Mister, plain white typing/computer paper, Union Jack rubber stamp from Artistic Outpost.

Begin by inking the red stripes with the Fired Brick Distress Stain. Don't worry if you get a bit on the area that will be blue; it gives it a nice blurred look. If it bothers you, carefully wipe it off with your finger.

Next, do the same thing with the Faded Denim Distress Stain.

To reactivate the ink (in case it dried a bit) spritz lightly with a water-filled Mini Mister -  three squirts is about right, depending on how 'watercolor-y' you want it to look. Side note: while I was doing this I wondered what it would look like if you spritzed it with some homemade glimmer mist. Hmmmm....need to try that!

Align your stamp with the bottom edge of your paper and press down. Oooooh! Very cool!! This is the best stamp in the world, is it not?

Now, you're going to repeat the process until you have a nice border. Don't worry about cleaning the stamp in between impressions. 

At this point you can cut your strips in half and you have a cute border to use in your projects. I also used a strip to cut a rosette using Tim Holtz's Paper Rosette Die. VERY cool! (Not shown 'cause I used it in the collage I posted a couple days ago!)

If you like a more vintage feel, ink it up with a little Brushed Corduroy or Vintage Photo Distress ink.

Guess what? You can do the same technique on fabric! Is this the most adorable pillow you've ever seen? I love it so much! It is tiny...like a baby kitten would use it for a pillow, tiny. Too, too cute. I told you, I'm obsessed!

Have I convinced you that you need these stamps? If so, you can use this coupon code: stamptramp and get 10% off your order at Artistic Outpost. Sweet!

If you're looking for the rest of the supplies, be sure and check out Inspiration Emporium!

Supplies for tag:

Artistic Outpost London Underground and Loverly London Rubber Stamps

Idea-ology Film Ribbon

Idea-ology Sprocket Gears

Idea-ology Plaquettes

Inkssentials Manila Craft Tags

Idea-ology Tiny Attacher

One more thing - the red ribbon is from the batch I dyed awhile back and wrote about here. I love that I can easily make coordinating ribbon for my projects. I forgot to mention it in my earlier post, but the ribbon I used is actually seam binding that can be purchased very inexpensively here. Be careful, you might end up like my friend Bonnie! Now, that is a party I would love to go to. :-)

Grungy Monday #12 + Simon Says Metal

This week's Grungy Monday challenge was to work with Tim Holtz's resist technique from April of '08. I had a bit of trouble getting started, but once I did, I had a fun time with it. I added quite a few gears and sprockets...some cut using Tim's Mini Gears die, and some from his Idea-ology line. I also added a die cut metal clock for more texture. After I'd piled on all that faux and real metal, I realized it was perfect for this week's Simon Says Stamp and Show - Some Metal!

Supplies used:
Idea-ology Paper Stash - Lost and Found
Idea-ology Tissue Tape - Marketplace
Idea-ology Reinforcers
Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Stuff to Say
Artistic Outpost Rubber Stamps - Loverly London
Idea-ology Sprocket Gears
Idea-ology Memo Pins
Idea-ology Hitch Fastener
Sizzix Mini Gears Set
Sizzix Weathered Clock Die
Ranger Embossing Powder - Silver and Gold and Ultra Thick
Adirondack Dabbers - Pitch Black and Espresso
Idea-ology Tiny Attacher

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great week!

A Grungy Canvas for Sunday Stampers

When I saw that 'Hats' was the theme for Sunday Stamper, I was thrilled - I had another excuse to show off my new stamps from Artistic Outpost's London Underground collection! This is a little 6 x 6 canvas that I created using everything from Idea-olgy parts to Faux Rust to a Rosette Die that's been turned into a border.

Mostly, I just played and stamped and painted and messed around. Fun!

Supply List:
Artistic Oupost Rubber Stamps - London Underground,  Ephemeral Backgrounds, Generation Redux
Adirondack Dabbers - Red Pepper, Pitch Black, Snow Cap
Sizzix Die - Weathered Clock
Sizzix Die - Paper Rosette
Distress Crackle Paint - Picket Fence
Distress Stain - Fired Brick, Faded Jeans
Distress Embossing Powder - Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain
Idea-ology Kraft Glassine
Idea-ology Time Pieces
Idea-ology Game Spinners
Idea-ology Game Pieces
Idea-ology Corners

Artistic Outpost's British Invasion + a Challenge Reminder

Today I'm sharing a card using more stamps from Artistic Outpost's new London Underground stamp collection. The versatility of these stamps is amazing! Yesterday I used the Union Jack stamp as a resist, for this card I inked it with Distress Stains and created a border. I love the look of the stains with this stamp! My background was created using the Cuttlebug Highlights technique from the Oct/Nov '08 issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter.

My palace guards were bored with their uniforms, so I gave them a little extra sparkle with Fired Brick Distress Stickles. Some of the other guards teased them, but they didn't care - they knew they looked good!

Do you like adding little shine and shimmer to your projects? Make sure you check out Inspiration Emporium's monthly challenge - Sparkle. Just create something using Sparkly Fluff or Stickles, upload it to a photo sharing site or your blog, and post a link on the Inspiration Journal page. It's that easy! You have until July 3rd to enter. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to Inspiration Emporium, where you will be able to buy all the sparkly treats (or anything else) your heart desires!

Supply list:
Artistic Outpost - London Underground stamp set
Idea-ology Philosophy Tags
Ranger Distress Stickles - Fired Brick
Ranger Distress Stain - Fired Brick and Faded Jeans
Ranger Distress Ink - Fired Brick
Adirondack Dabber - Red Pepper
Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black
Tim Holtz Texture Fade - Collage

Grungy Monday + Simon Says + New Stamps From Artistic Outpost!

Exciting news! Artistic Outpost has just released two British-themed rubber stamp collections: London Underground and Loverly London. Each collection offers a variety of unique and eclectic images that work well with each other, as well as with other AO stamp sets.

It's been a few months since I whispered into my friend Robyn's (owner of Artistic Outpost) ear, "I NEED a Union Jack stamp, and please throw in a vintage transport sign, oh, and probably one that says 'London Calling'." Thankfully, she didn't just look at me like I was insane, and instead, proceeded to create two amazing stamp collections that totally surpassed my expectations. How lucky am I to have friends who make stamps?!

The Grungy Monday challenge is to use Tim Holtz's Faux Batik technique. What's great is that, when you add a little stamping and inking, you also have the wonderful Faux Designer Paper technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter. I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show Distressed Edges - not sure I ever do anything that doesn't have those! ;-)

Supplies used:

Distress Ink - Faded Jeans, Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo
Distress Embossing Powder - Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain
Sizzix Die - Tag and Bookplates
Inkssentials Manila Tags
Idea-ology Philosophy Tags
Idea-ology Film Strip Ribbon
Idea-ology Pen Nibs
Idea-ology Charm Clips
Compendium of Curiosities

Technique Junkie Stampbooking Blog Hop!

Hi and welcome to the Technique Junkie Stampbooking Blog Hop! I was so excited to be invited to join the wonderful Technique Junkie design team as a Spotlight Designer for this hop. As you go from blog to blog, you will discover some fantastic techniques from the recently released TJ Stampbooking CD. The CD contains 75 inspiring techniques in PDF form. As you will see, these techniques are fun and versatile!

At the end of the hop, you will visit Jane Bosi's blog - it's her birthday today and she will be giving away one of the new Technique Junkie Stampbooking CDs. Make sure you leave a comment and give her lots of birthday wishes!

I chose to use the Glimmer Masking technique for my scrapbook page. I have to be totally honest with you....this is the first scrapbook page I've ever done. Two beautiful children and hundreds of photographs, but I've never gotten into scrapbooking. Who knows, maybe this will be the kick start that I need!

I snapped this picture of my daughter with my phone while she was sitting at the kitchen table, chatting with me. The light was so perfect I just had to capture the moment! To enhance the lovely Glimmer Masking, I embellished my page further with rubber stamped images from Tim Holtz (Papillion and Postcard collections). I also added a little Faux Enamel tag stamped with a sentiment from Tim Holtz's Stuff to Say stamp set. It's attached to the card with Idea-ology Charm Clips and  Long Fasteners.

If you've just joined the hop here, make sure you go to the Technique Junkie blog page and start from the beginning; you really don't want to miss any of the wonderful artwork from the TJ designers! If you're already on the tour, your next stop is at Beth Norman's inspiring blog - Sunflowers and Dragonflies. Enjoy!

TJ Designers Blog - Judy Jackson

Chris Dickinson

Ann Clack

Me!

Beth Norman

Tricia O'Bin

Hetty Sanders

Donna Duquette

Regan Seifert

Holly Brown

Pat Huntoon

Jane Bosi - the Birthday Girl!

New Inspiration Journal Challenge!

With a new month comes a new challenge over at the Inspiration Emporium blog. This month we're challenging you to get your 'sparkle' on by using either Sparkly Fluff or Stickles in your creations.

For my inspiration piece, I created a tag using images from Tim Holtz's Haberdashery stamp set and various torn papers. Everything is held in place with a generous coating of Melt Art beeswax. When it was cool, I stamped the flourish from Tim's Reindeer Flight stamp set, using a Cranberry Adirondack Dabber.

To create the gorgeous velvet-looking flower, I cut several flowers from black cardstock using the Tattered Florals die. I coated them with a layer of Glossy Accents and then sprinkled Eyeliner Black Sparkly Fluff over the whole thing. While it was still a bit damp, I shaped the petals to give them some dimension. When dry, I layered them and secured the flower to the tag with an Idea-ology Long Fastener and a Washer.

To finish off my tag, I attached an Idea-ology Hanger Clip to a Swivel Clasp and stapled the chain to the tag using my Tiny Attacher. Finally, I hung an Idea-ology Adage Ticket from my hanger, again using the Tiny Attacher (my favorite tool!).

I hope you are inspired to get sparkly and create something for this challenge! Did I mention you have a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the Inspiration Emporium store? You don't even have to have a blog; you can post to an online gallery like Splitcoast, or to a photo site like Flickr or Photobucket. Just make sure you come back and post a direct link to your creation on the Inspiration Journal blog. Good luck!

Girly Grunge + a Distress Stain Ribbon Sampler

This week over at the Grungy Monday challenge - where we pay homage to a different technique or product of the great Tim Holtz - we were asked to use Distress ink. My card shows how you can use Distress ink in a very subtle way, to make a pretty, feminine card. This is also my 'better late than never' submission for Theme Thursday's Pink and Brown challenge. Oh, and after seeing Evelyn's fantastic Center Step Card, I had to try one!

 

After coveting this birthday girl stamp from Red Lead for ages, I finally got it last week. She is so sweet! Her dress is colored using Spun Sugar Distress ink and a piece of Cut-n-Dry foam. The background was sponged with Antique Linen Distress ink and the edges were frayed with a Tim Holtz Paper Distresser, then inked with Vintage Photo Distress ink. See - lots of 'Distress'ing, but it's still very feminine! I mounted it on a panel of the new TH Distress Core'dinations paper that I embossed using the TH Sizzix Collage Texture Fade. If you look very closely, you can see that the stamped image is covered with a thin layer of Rock Candy Distress Stickles. I also added just a bit of vintage sparkle with some Antique Linen Distress Stickles.

The sentiment was created using the Faux Enamel tag technique found here. LOVE the look of it with the Wish stamp from Tim Holtz's Stuff to Say stamp set. It's attached using Idea-ology Long Fasteners, Idea-ology Charm Clips and a length of ribbon that I dyed using Distress Stain. So pretty and it coordinates perfectly!

Speaking of coordinating, the flowers on the top of the card were also dyed with Distress Stain. To see how it's done, check out this post on the Inspiration Emporium blog. I guarantee you will become addicted to making these in every color!

While I'm on the subject of Distress Stain (my choice for most awesome new product of the decade!) - a few days ago, I decided to cut a bunch of ribbon and dye it in every color of Distress Stain I had. I also wanted to see what it would look like if I diluted the stain just a bit. As you can see from the picture above - it's gorgeous!! What was so surprising was how pretty the colors were when diluted. Here are the colors, from left to right, front to back (click for the larger version, it looks much better!):
Fired Brick, diluted Fired Brick, Peeled Paint, diluted Peeled Paint
Wild Honey, diluted Wild Honey (love this color!), Spun Sugar, diluted Spun Sugar
Vintage Photo, diluted Vintage Photo, Faded Jeans, diluted Faded Jeans
Walnut Stain, diluted Walnut Stain, Broken China, diluted Broken China
Antique Linen, diluted Antique Linen

YUM! 

I thought about doing a little tutorial, but wasn't sure if that was really necessary. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll do a quick one!