Jody is da'bomb...

Seriously....seriously....

the other day I had some downtime and decided to look through my VERY long list of papercrafting blogs I have saved to my favorites....usually I only get to pop over to a few a day and I realized I hadn't looked at a few in quite awhile...

well I popped on over to Jody Morrows site - Confessions of a Ribbon Addict and started reading and looking and well salivating....and then I got to her post about Drunken Watercolor

OMG....

So I had an empty aquapainter and scrounged around for some rubbing alcohol to fill it and tried it out myself....

AWESOME!!!! simply AWESOME!!!!

Try it yourself.....you won't believe the difference

It's not the stamps that are expensive....

I am the first to admit - Stamping and it's cousin Scrapping isn't cheap...the multitude of paper, stamps, tools and embellishments that are crammed into my Craftin' Corner can attest to that.

I am a sucker for a cute stamp...but I have had to revise my buying stratgy over the years...being a demo for a stampin company I have access to order lots of cute stamp sets at any time...this can be an evil thing sometimes.

I am often enabled to buy things when I find they are cheap...how cheap...like $1 - cause really what crafter can't talk themselves into a stamp when it is $1...you say to yourself...I am sure I will use it sometime...and it only costs $1

Although I have found it is all well and good that you have a stamp for a $1 - unfortunately like any stamp it needs buddys - ink, paper, ribbon...sometimes a bling embellishment...and buddy's don't come cheap....

I have a whole container full of $1 rubber wood mounted stamps from Micheals (don't even get me started on the smaller acrylic $1 stamp sets...you just dont' want to know)

I needed to make some Easter cards and I don't have an Easter "set" and some of my other fall back sets I have used for previous years cards...so off to my Micheals stash...this is what I came up with...

Stamps: Some Bunny, Happy Easter (has a rectangle around it I inked just the words with marker) - $1 Micheals stamps
Paper: SU - Old Olive, Pretty in Pink, Shimmer white, Flowers for you DP
Accessories - Old Olive twill ribbon (from SU Occassions Mini), Marvy Giga Scalloped Punch






The next card...when I saw the line of bunnies I immediately thought PEEPS...and the more I thought PEEPS the more this card started filtering through my brain - thank goodness for Snap Stamps...The bunnies are colored over with a Stardust clear glitter pen. the bunny strip is popped up on SU dimensionals








Stamps: Bunnies, Wishing You Joy - $1 Micheals stamps "and Peeps" - Snap Stamps
Paper: SU So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Vintage Violet (Thought I grabbed basic grey...but guess not)
Accessories: MM pink brads, SU ticket Corner Punch, Stardust Glitter


The final showing...is not for Easter but I recently were able to snatch these cute Penguin Imaginisce Snag 'Em stamps from ALL THAT SCRAPS (ATS)- they were $1....they are clear Acrylic stamps...

So they were sitting on my desk...saying "ink me, ink me" and I wanted to do something simple...that would really showcase the stamp itself.. So I used SU Notecards...I love these notecards because they are so easy to use to make a fantabulous simple card.

So I stamped the Penguins and then used some Eclipse Masking - you can also get this at ATS - I LOVE this stuff...it is like a big roll of sticky post-it note - nice and thin to use for masking...it is a bit pricy ~$15 for the roll and I hemmed and hawwed about buying it and finally gave in - I am so glad I did - if I ever run out (Its a pretty big roll) I will definately buy more...

Anyway I masked the penguin and used the CC large solid shadow spot (also available at ATS) - I went ahead and spent the extra change to have it wood mounted before being sent to me because I figured I would use it alot...and I DO...I recently got the small shadow spot and can't wait to use that) to anchor the little penguins...

I colored them in -

for the gal I used a blender pen and some SU soft Sky ink - I added a small Prima with a self adhesive rhinstone. I used Stardust clear glittle pen on the skirt to give it some sparkle. Used soft sky ink for the shadow spot

for the guy I used some SU Apricot Appeal for the shorts - with some glitter pen on the swirls, pumpkin Pie ink for the popscicle and used Wasabi ink for the shadow spot

I used coordinating double stiched ribbon and outlined both with Copic Ciao warm grey 0 (you guessed it also available at ATS) just to give a slight shadow and make them pop a little from the card

I decided to use one of my SU SAB sets to put a small greeting on the side - so I used Lots of Thought to ink up just Happy Hellos and stamped away...

so as you can see - while stamps may be cheap....using them isn't :)

Hope you enjoyed...

Every once in a while...an idea hits me

So I have an Open house on Sunday and in typical procrastination fashion I am just now figuring out what to have my customers do for a make and take...

So trying to make it easy I came up with this card. Only the card isn't so easy...see first you stamp the scallop in So Saffron...and punch out the center with a 1" circle punch...then stamp the scallop again with Rose Red...layer the Saffron inner circle on the Rose Red Scallop and add a clear button which is backed by Designer paper and threaded with some natural thread.

So to make it easier and quicker for my customers I went ahead and stamped a bunch of saffron scallops and punched out the center...

BUT that left me with a bunch of stamped scallops...so I used my scallop punch to punch them out...now I have a scallop with a hole in the center...what to do with them...what to do with them.....

Thinking thinking thinking....humm I have lollypop sticks...some Valentine Hershey Kisses and a tin bucket from the Target $1 spot bought a year ago...

So this is what I came up with...

The tin has a Rub-on (from the SU SAB rub-ons) - went down very easily and adds a very nice touch to this simple $1 tin - don't ya think?

Next I punched a 1 3/8 circle out of coordinating cardstock and a 1 1/4 circle out of designer paper...used that to back the scallop so ti showed through the hole...I attached a lollypop stick using basic tape and added a Hershey kiss in the middle (used Craft Glue Dots) - tied some wide green gingham ribbon to act as leaves...

I also had some floral foam (cause a crafter has a little bit of everything) stuck that down inthe tin and stuck my Hershey pops down into the foam at differing heights...

Covered the foam with some Green Galore paper that I ran through the crimper and then cut in small slivers...

Personally I think this is simply ADORABLE...what about you?

Back to Simplicity....

Now granted I haven't been doing this craft blog thing for very long...and I am no where near talented as other crafters with blogs...but I do what i can...

As I have mentioned before at my core I am a simple stamper...I like clean lines...

So when I got my NEW Stampin' Up Set "A Little Birdie Told Me" - it just screamed out for some simple cards....

and this is what I came up with....

So FREAKIN CUTE...and how much time did it take me...practically NONE at all...

I grabbed an SU white folded notecard (LOVE THOSE THINGS) - my set and my black stamp pad.

Now the half oval stamped in Going Grey under the birdies feet is a stamp from ALL THAT SCRAPS - you can find it HERE . I bought it with it already mounted on wood because I had a "feeling" that I would be using it alot... BUT if you don't have an oval or half oval stamp - let me tell you what you can do if you have the SU Oval punch...simple punch an oval out of scrap paper...then put it on your card and use a sponge to sponge in an oval to anchor your image.

I simply used a blender pen and some ink (I like to take my marker and scribble on a CD case and then pick up the color) to color in the birdies and the umbrella - I also added white dots to the umbrella with the Signo white gell pen.

Added a piece of SU gigham black ribbon and BAM...a super cute clean line card that only takes a few minutes to do...

And what I like best about this card is that it is very easy to switch out - need a bithday card - well change out the "under the weather" for the "celebrate" stamp and add the hats on the birds...many different possibilites with one little set, a pack of notecards, a roll of ribbon and a few markers....

Time to stop being a HOR

-DER that is...

Yep folks it is 2008 and my New Years Crafting Resolution is....

to stop being a HORDER!!!!

I have all types of accessories - brads, gems, chipboard, flowers, glimmer mist, twinklin' H20's, etc.....

I have tons of pretty printed paper - Stampin' Up, Around the Block, Basic Grey, Reminensce, etc....

I have all sorts of tins and chipboard coasters and alterables

I need to stop HORDING and start creating...

I need to let go and put a Rhinestone brad on that card...to cut that beautiful paper...to go ahead and alter that cute wooden box...

I just need to DO IT...

...cause when I use it that means I get to buy more :)

My first tutorial...Watercolor Sparkle

Well at least on my blog...I actually have a tutorial over at SCS...Stamping on Candles

But this one...well I am not sure if I came up with it - I do know I discovered it myself soon after getting my Water Color Crayons and having an "accident" while crafting...I accidently grabbed the Versamarker instead of my Aquapainter

I have used this particular technique ALOT when I do swaps because I personally feel it is a little beyond ordinary...

So I give you - Watercolor Sparkle...(hey if anyone can come up with a better name let me know)

So what do you need....


Watercolor Crayons
Versamarker
Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder
Permanant Ink (I used Basic Grey)
Stamp set with open design
Embossing Gun
and of course Cardstock




Stamp your image using a permanent ink











Use Watercolor crayons to add color to the stamped image - it doesn't have to be fully colored in...in this case I used a lighter yellow (So Saffron) in the middle, a rose color (Regal Rose) ringing the yellow and finally a Coral (Cameo Corel) on the outside






Use your Versamarker to blend the crayon together - I work from the middle out using circular strokes







Dump your Iridescent Ice EP on the image...you want to do this fairly quickly after you have blended your colors with the Versamarker. Shake or tap off any excess - the EP will only adhere to the areas you have used the versamarker on.

Use your embossing gun to melt and set the EP






Finally put your card together...now you have a card with a beautiful, colorful sparkle image.











Side view to see the sparkle...





I have used the technique a number of times you can see samples

Sparkle Birthday

Ornament Card

Sparkle Butterfly

I {heart} stampin' gal val

If she ever reads this blog she is going to think I am a big stalker...and I am of her BLOG

She comes up with the cutest ideas...so do a lot of people but what I love about her is they are uncluttered, simple and well fabulous...

She had a posting one day about using Junkitz paper to create easy beautiful cards with no stamping involved... and another one where used preprinted cards she and very little stampin'. I will tell you that after i saw the Junkitz cards I HAD TO buy that paper and recreate them...

I have pitures of her completed projects in a little folder (yes I obsess much) and whenever I need a quick card and I am not in a creating mood I usually find one of hers to CASE because they are fast quick and simple - but STUNNING...

So I was wandering around a LSS in my parents hometown and back in the corner were some holiday Around the Block papers...I thought to myself "self these are cute" and my self replied "yes they are you MUST buy them"... so I bought them, brought them home and put them away...


Yesterday I decided to clean up my workspace since I had finished most of my holiday crafting and I came accross the paper...so I decided to whip up some cards...they took me all of an hour from start to finish....


Cards I dub - "Val style"...

I used Around the Block "Seasons Sayings" "and "Christmas ribbons" - I simply cut the word blocks out...on the dark red ones I swiped the edges with a little white craft ink...on the green ones a bit of SU Pomegrante ink. I used prefolded white cards I bought from Micheals (note these are 4 x 5.5 cards) and some dark green and wine organdy ribbon I had hanging about that I had dug out of the $1 ribbon bin at Micheals.

I cut the Christmas Ribbon paper into 5.5" x 2" strips and attached it to the bottom portion

The saying blocks are popped up on SU dimensionals. I thought about adding some colored brads to the sides or the the blocks like Val did with her Junkitz ones...but since I was planning on giving them to my husband to give to his coworkers I decided not to waste my precious brads and kept them simple...

So my final cost - let see...

.75 per sheet of paper (it was on SALE :) )

1.00 for the ribbon (cause I still have half a roll of each left)

~$1.65 for 11 cards and envelopes (got to love that 40% coupon - $3 for 20 cards)

so my final cost for 11 cards (note I had more squares left over but a few were too big for the size card I had) is about $4.15 - so a whopping .38 cents each to make...

I have recently found out that Around the Block makes a ton of other "blocked" word papers...I'm in heaven....

and better yet a great place to get them is A Scrapbookers Legacy - which is having a fabulous holiday sale of 40% off EVERYTHING... plus get FREE goodies...and FREE shipping on orders over $50. I have bought from them before and have had fabulous service...(and no they are not paying me to say this :) )