Pocket Full of Valentines

I received my Valentine ATCs from the Red Lead swap.

The theme was Pocket Full of Valentines and we were to fashion a pocket on our ATC.  We were to use exclusive Red Lead products.

Here is mine, which I had previously posted.  I made an overlapping pocket with a removable tag tucked in one side.

Here is the one I received from Elise Smith-Dewey.  She made a pocket across the entire bottom and tucked in an envelope sealed with washi tape.  I love the corkboard heart with banner stick pin and glittery heart.

This one is from Debra Wallace.  I hope you can see the glitter on the cupid stamped image.  Beautiful, delicate flower with heart button.  And how awesome is that metal embossed heart tucked into the pocket?

This last one is from Lisa Boyer.  She used the Red Lead wood word frame and did some painting and stenciling.  Lovely!

The Red Lead Art Exchange 2014 is monthly.  You can join in for any or all months.  The badge/link is on my sidebar.

This is my last Valentine/Love/Wedding theme post.  We have celebrated our 44 years of marriage, Valentine's Day, and our daughter's wedding.  We now are expecting three babies into our family in the next few weeks so I'll be changing my blog background to a baby theme.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you lots of love today!  No worries, you didn't skip a day--Valentine's Day is February 14--I'm just posting early.

It's my turn to post a sample at Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC.  So, of course, I made a Valentine---using our brand new Winter Women stamp plate.

This one is based on our current sketch challenge at our Rogue Stampers FaceBook Page.  Join our FaceBook page and post your make!

Materials:

Rogue Redhead Designs, LLC
Winter Women Stamp Plate:  image and sentiment

Stampin' Up
Cherry Cobbler:
card stock trimmed and folder into a card 5 x 6.75 inches
ribbon
Stamp 'n Write marker
ink pad

Very Vanilla card stock
Hearts a Flutter Framelit (die cut)  hearts cut with my Cuttlebug

QuicKutz Nesting Doily Heart cut with my Cuttlebug

Ranger Distress Ink Markers:  antique linen, spun sugar, worn lipstick
and water blending pen

Copic Ciao E31 Brick Beige

Archival Ink:  coffee

heart patterned paper from stash

To create a mat, I layered the vanilla heart (doily holes poked out) with two cherry hearts (doily holes not poked out).

I wasn't pleased with the color combo outcome on the hat so I re-stamped another hat with cherry cobbler and colored with spun sugar, cut and pasted.  I like the 3-D effect--a mistake that turned into a positive. Also known as paper piecing!

Using the cherry cobbler marker, I individually stamped each word onto a heart from the style and grace sentiment stamp.

Note:  the dark spots on the ribbon actually are shadows from the folds under my Ott lite.

Entering these challenges:

The Cheerful Stamp Pad Challenge #79 Love/Valentine
Cuttlebug Mania:  Touch of Red   all hearts cut with my Cuttlebug
Fashionable Stamping Challenge:  Build It Up
Fussy and Fancy Challenge 107 Be My Valentine
Fantasy Stampers Challenge #3:  Love and Cherish---this card is made in memory of my mother who was the epitome of style and grace.  I wish she was still with us so I could give her this card.  In her younger days she would have worn this outfit and hat!
Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge:  We Love Stamps

Rogue Crew Winter Women Blog Hop

Welcome to the Rogue Crew Winter Women Shades of Blue Blog Hop!

Rogue Redhead Designs is proud to announce its 15th unmounted rubber stamp plate - Winter Women!  With vintage sophistication, Winter Women will wow you with its fabulous and fashionable focal images, elegant elements and smashing sentiments!  Our mini background is the perfect size to adorn an ATC or add interest to a graceful greeting card. 

Winter Women is available for its introductory price of US$12.00 (reg. $15.00) until March 8, 2014! 

In addition to the great price on this new plate, we also have several bargains in the Specials section of our website and some fabulous deals among our limited availability Singles.

I made three cards in shades of blue using this Winter Women stamp plate. After the Crew links, I have each card individually posted should you wish further details.

Here is your list of links to follow:

Sharon Briss - Ill Tempered Ink

Helene Huber - Lotsa Scrap from 2amscrapper--you are HERE

Krisha Ogle - Krisha's Keepsakes

Vicki Robertson - He"Artful" Validation of Vicki

Debi Ryan - My Bird Flying Free

Trisha Too - Easily Amused, Hard to Offend...

Barbara Washington - Magic Delights

Sharon Briss - Rogue Redhead Designs blog 


Hope you have fun along the way!
Enjoy the hop!  Here are my samples in detail:

I made an ATC and mounted it on a white note card.  DCWV blue paper and Versa Magic chalk ink in Night Sky.  Boot is fussy cut and mounted on foam adhesive.  Snowflake gem is Stampin' Up.

Entering this card in All Sorts Challenge Week 245 Colours Beginning With  B (blue)

I used a pre-made Mambi Card from Me and My Big Ideas.  I chose Memento ink in Blue Danube to match. The light blue card stock and white card (to create my banner), felt snowflakes and blue pearls are all from my stash--"felt" good to get them used up. (Pardon the pun!) The paper is white but I've come to learn that some of the brands don't photo as pure white.

I'm entering this banner card in the 4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #180 Flags or Banners

Stampin' Up Night of Navy card stock, ink, and snowflake embossing folder.  White snowflake flowers are from my stash, brand name long gone. After stamping the girl, I cut her out with one of the FancyTag(s Two) dies from Spellbinders Shapeabilities. I used a Snow Marker by Marvy on the coat and muff, heating to pop up into fur trim.

I'm entering this card in
Festive Friday Challenge #24 photo inspiration:  white pearls and snowflakes
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge 163:  Use a die cut

Sharing all three with Make It Monday #178

Blue Mermaid

This month Gecko Galz is doing a cross promotion with Arora Wings.  For my design team sample, I chose to work with the Arora Wings digital mermaid and the fizzy water paper from Gecko Galz By the Shore digital paper pack.  Purpose of the cross promotion is to show how well Gecko Galz digital images work together with other products.  I think the two I chose were a fantastic match.

Our theme is spring fling.  We've had a brutal winter, lots of snow and frigid temperatures.  I'm thinking I want to be a mermaid in warm water.  She doesn't have to wear a winter coat, snow boots, gloves, and knit hat !   My spring theme is let's thaw out so my fish can swim again in my yard's pond.

Just so you know, my mermaid is NOT blue from the cold.  I got my inspiration from a kid's cartoon show on television--the blue mermaid. Please note I had a terrible time trying to capture the shiny silver.

I converted the mermaid to a ping file and adapted the color to blue/green.  I layered her on top of the fizzy water paper which I resized.  After printing this, I developed my card.

I used some blue ink markers that blended with a water pen. to color my mermaid blue  I added a silver ink pen to the fish scales and hair and a glitter pen to the bubbles, headband

The mat is blue card stock which I embossed with circles.  Then I added some clear gems for additional "bubbles", some fiber and a silver metal shell charm.  Everything is placed on a white card.

Please visit the Gecko Galz site to see the rest of the design team's creations using Arora Wings digital images HERE.  

As I mentioned in my last post, customers are invited to submit their own spring inspired project. You'll find this at our Gecko Galz blog HERE:

For this months customer contest we are asking you to create a spring inspired paper crafted project.  Show us what inspires you most about spring…is it the pastel colors? Is it flowers?  Is it Easter? We want to see your inspiration.  The only rule is you must include one  product from Gecko Galz, can be one of the free products, stamps, collage image paper the limits are endless to your imagination.
And what will the winner get?  Arora Wings Stamps gift pack plus a $25 shopping Spree from Gecko Galz.
Just email a picture of your project by February 28th to geckogalz2014@gmail.com
And on March 1st we will announce our winner on the Gecko Galz website.

St. Patrick's Day ATC Set

It's a new month at Gecko Galz and I decided to go green with my design team sample.  I made a set of 3 ATCs using Gecko Galz digital images and paper from this month's release.

Materials:
It Isn't Easy Being Green digital paper pack
Blarny digital collage sheet
Gold glitter marker
Black sharpie
ribbon
gold metal foil trim
green metallic trim

Directions:
Select paper from It Isn't Easy Being Green digital paper pack, resize to 3.5x2.5 inches and print 3 times.
Select 3 images from Blarny digital collage sheet, print, and cut out.
Edge images with black sharpie and glue onto ATCs. Highlight bouquet, hat band, and buttons with gold glitter marker.
Add trims.

Be sure to check out the latest challenges offered at our Yahoo Papercrafting Group HERE.

The Spring Fling Customer Challenge is up and running at our Gecko Galz blog.  For contest rules and to learn about the great prize offered, please go HERE.

You're My Type

Design Team Double Duty:

Unruly PaperArts:  February Heartfelt Issue:   Readers Art Quest:  I used both the word and photo prompt
My Artistic Adventures Challenge # 3:  Anything Goes

My celebrations are our 44th wedding anniversary and Valentine's Day.

Why not take advantage of my double duty and make something to enter both challenges yourself?

As you can see, I created this wall hanging in my typical vintage style.  I love using old-timey images and backgrounds such as script and music.  Vintage, just like my blog background, is where I'm most comfortable.

Materials Used:

Heather Hudson's MyArtisticAdventures Etsy: Shabby Vintage Chic Valentine's Day Romantic Music Tags Digital Collage Sheet You get a set of 4 colors. I used the beige collage sheet.


I colored the heart with Ranger Distress Stain:  Broken China.  I used my brand new Tim Holtz rosette die on Heather's music strip.

I peeled back the top layer on my cardboard and painted with Ranger Broken China Distress Paint.  I thought it was too blue compared to the distress stain so I covered it with Ranger Bronze Metallic stain.

I edged my papers with Stampin' Up Stamp 'n Write Chocolate Chip marker.  Heather has done a nice job distressing her tag.  I added a bit of  Ranger Walnut Stain distress ink to the edges and then edged with Ranger Walnut stain.  I also used the stain on the Maya Road scroll mini chipboards.

The Paper Studio: La Petites Blue 3D Paper Flower Stickers
Crochet ribbons from Really Reasonable Ribbon (on-line)  (brown layered with cream crochet trims down the right side under the flowers)

Entering these challenges:

Digitally Sweet Challenge:  Anything Goes  Sponsor:  Digi Darla--only one entry allowed
4 Crafty Chicks: Challenge #179 Anything Goes and Crazy Egg
Live and Love Crafts: Challenge#20  Love and Lace
As You Like It:  Showcase and Explain Your Favorite Style
Really Reasonable Ribbon Challenge #88  Anything But a Card-- and Ribbon
Feeling Crafty Challenge:  Use Your Dies and /or punches  (rosette die)
Sugar Creek Hollow:  Love and Adore
Aud Sentiments:  challenge 99:  Sharing the Love--sentiment of any type
Country View February Challenge 12:   Painty Pleasures
Fussy and Fancy Friday Challenge 106:  Vintage
All Sorts Challenge:  Love is In the Air
Pile It On:  Challenge 5:  With Ribbon (sponsor Paper Sweeties) and must have piled on other challenges

Sharing at Make It Monday #177 Linky Party 
Also sharing at Crafty Bloggers Network FaceBook page.

Valentine ATCs

I made it just under the wire to get my four ATCs postmarked  for January's ATC Art Exchange at Red Lead Paperworks.  This is a monthly exchange, with the option of participating any month(s) you wish. I was looking forward to this so much and almost missed the deadline for the first round.  I have a badge in the right sidebar which links to the Art Exchange, should you wish to learn more about it.

January:  A Pocketful of Valentines.  The prompt was to include a pocket.

I had an 8x8 paper pad of assorted craft paper from Michaels.  I used two pink sheets, cutting them in half to make 4 ATC bases.  I trimmed them down, scored them, and folded them into 3 panels that ended up the ATC size of 2-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches.  Then I cut at an angle a portion of the two end panels. After all my stamping,  I glued the bottoms of the panels as I folded them to create the pockets.

The Red Lead Art Sisters use exclusive Red Lead products in their creations.  Here is my list:

To My Valentine ATC rubber stamp:  on another ATC (I made mine from Stampin' Up Very Vanilla card stock) stamp with Archival Jet Black ink; cut out words.  Glue angel to center back panel.  Edge word label and color flowers in hair with Ranger Distress Ink marker in Worn Lipstick.

A Little Bird Told Me rubber stamp set:  stamp music atc background on right panel with Ranger Distress Ink in Festive Berries 

Collage Sheet Valentine 2:  fussy cut the 4 hearts.  Make small tags and edge with black ink.  Adhere hearts to them.  Punch hole in tag and add baker's twine.  Insert tag into pocket on right side.  Do not glue down.

I'm anxious to receive 3 ATCs from the other participants and can't wait to see their interpretation of pockets.

Entering my work in these challenges:

Paper Sweeties:  February Inspiration Challenge #16 Be Mine
This challenge is new to be.  I popped over from the Shabby Tea Room where it was featured.


Simon Says Wednesday Challenge:  Anything Goes with Twine or String