The Beans

I used Paper Smooches Cyber Cafe stamp set.

I created my own background paper with the triple bean stamp.    In assembly, I put the scallop on dimensional foam and added dots for interest.

I'm entering the Paper Smooches SPARKS Designer Drafts Challenge ends Feb 28 HERE

This is my third entry (at #138) at the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop HERE.

UPDATE:  resubmitting for guest dt search HERE

I Love Coffee and You

Working with STAMPlorations products again for a few more challenges.

I'm casing Deepti's card which can be found in the 4th post HERE
and linking my card to:
1) the Inspiration CASE Playground HERE
2) their Anything Goes challenge HERE and
3) their February Hearts and Stamps challenge HERE

Back to the casing:  Instead of using a pre-printed background, I chose to create a shaded background as demonstrated by Nonni HERE with the ARTplorations Hearts All Over Stencil from STAMPlorations and used the following Ranger Distress Inks:  Spun Sugar, Tattered Rose, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry, and Festive Berries.  I did use canvas to create the banners but wasn't happy with the look, I think because I was using muted tones rather than the vibrant variety Deepti had-- so I saved only one and switched to washi tape..  Stamps used are from the Eat Drink Be Merry STAMPlorations set.

And, course, I'm linking this up to the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop HERE (my second entry at #136)

Coffee Anyone?

The Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop has officially started.  You can link up your coffee (or tea or cocoa) creations, comment on participants' posts, and-- if the coffee beans align--you may even win a prize from one of the many sponsors. Details are at the official Coffee Lovers Blog HERE.

For my first entry, I made this sign.  I used a coffee cup and steam from the Hero Arts Caffeine Fix digital set and a premde sentiment square offered as a freebie from The Cottage Market.

I used my Photoshop software to put a frame around the square and layer the coffee cup and steam.  I chose a background and then played with color and shadowing.  Altogether I have a nicely matted sign which serves as my mantra.

Indeed, life is too short for bad coffee!

I'll be posting more coffee themed craftiness between now and March 6th when the blog hop ends.
My link up number is #66 HERE.

Donuts

I can't lie!  I craved doughnuts while making this card!  

Donuts are stamped with Archival ink in Coffee.  (Don't use water soluble ink--it will make the frosting bleed.)

I studied Shirley's spotlight at STAMPlorations HERE in which she discussed "frosting" the donuts. I decided to do my own experimenting with products I had in my stash.

Wanting my frosting to look dimensional--a layer on top of the donut--I used the following:
Glitter glue--both Studio G and Ranger Stickles in various colors to look like colored sugar.
Dimensional paint--Art Anthology Sorbet ended up looking to me like toasted coconut.
Liquid Pearls in white- with Crytal Effectz to look like granulated sugar
I didn't have any dimensional for my chocolate frosting, so I mixed some Wendy Vecchi embossing paste with chocolate brown acrylic craft paint.  I didn't think it was a dark enough contrast for my dough, so I added some USArtQuest Burnt Umber Perfect Pigment.

When the frosting hardened, I colored the donuts with Copic Brick Beige and Sepia and Stampin' Write Chocolate Chip.

STAMPlorations Sugar Rush stamp set:  doughnuts, sentiment
Stampin' Up A Cherry On Top stamp set: cake stand
Archival Ink Tree Branch
Wilton doily
Doodlebug Twine

Entering These Challenges:

STAMPlorations Anything Goes Challenge (open, random win awarded every 50 entries)
STAMPlorations bi-weekly Sketch Challenge #28 due Feb 27

Altered Playing Cards

We're getting close to finishing our deck of altered playing cards.  The challenge is at Claudine's Art Corner HERE

Week 24.  Claudine's samples are HERE
This week we're covering our cards with washi tape.

I chose not to follow suit (excuse the card playing pun) with Claudine's cutout.  Instead I used a Glitz silhouette and a black frame sticker from Little Yellow Bicycle.  On the other card, rather than color an image, I used a digital cherub from My Artistic Adventures Etsy shop. I edged it with silver Wink of Stella.

Vintage Love Tag

Thank you for visiting!  And welcome to my latest followers!  I appreciate you! As you can see, I changed my blog background again.  We have about a foot of snow on the ground and now are in a deep freeze.  I really want spring to get here!  But it's a good time to stay inside and craft!

Here is my latest project.  I took a photo of it at the kitchen table and then used my magic eraser in my software program to remove the background--too many shadows created by the temporary sun.  I hope what's left here looks decent enough to enter some challenges.

I used dark brown ink for the image, a brown heart in the corner, and anchored everything with brown fringe pompons.  Other details are included in the Materials Used section.

Materials Used:
manila shaped tag painted with
USArtQuest Perfect Pigment Cobalt Turquoise Hue acrylic paint, applied with brush and water
USArtQuest Vintage Red Sparkling Mica and Pigment Watercolor Paint
Stampin' Write chocolate marker to highlight embossed edge of tag

Rubber Dance Stamps Nostalgia Love and sentiment Love from Something Wonderful
Stampin' Up very vanilla cardstock to stamp image
Stampin' Up early expresso ink to stamp image
Ranger Distress Ink fired brick to color stamped image (I used a dry baby wipe to color)
Stampin' Write cherry cobbler marker to ink up word Love
Wilton heart doily, red was covered first with fired brick and then early expresso to create the deep vintage red color
Stampin' Up cherry cobbler ribbon

Sharing with Tag Tuesday where this week's inspiration theme is text.  You can see all the players' interpretations of this theme HERE.

Entering these challenges:

Rubber Dance Stamps February Challenge--Loved Up 
color palette with optional theme of love (love of anything)

Full of romance - turquoise, deep red and chocolate brown

Live and Love Crafts: Challenge #32  Hearts

Mema's Crafts: February Challenge Valentine's Day

Crafty Hoarders Anonymous:  February Challenge: How I Love Thee  due March 8
Other than the stamps, everything you see has been hoarded in my stash

PDE Linky Party:  Anything But a Card

Think Spring!

It's time for another challenge at My Artistic Adventures Challenge Blog, and our theme for this two week period is Think Spring.  Be sure to visit HERE to see inspiration from other Design Team members!

We're in the middle of a blizzard here in the midwest so I really want to think spring. When I think of spring, I think of pastel colors, Easter bunnies and chicks, and colored eggs.

Here are a couple of tags I made with Heather Hudson's digital papers from her My Artistic Adventures Etsy.  I used Pink Tag Backgrounds, Easter Eggs, and Spring Banners.  I typed my titles on the banners before printing.

Distress Inks:  Tattered Rose, Bundled Sage, Dusty Concord
Misc. trims and embellies from stash

Are you in the mood for spring?

Create any NEW tangible item, Card, tag, ATC, Layout, altered art piece, Banner, pretty much anything you can come up with that is tangible using some of Heather's digital images (and or others).  (Sorry no totally digital entries)

Please remember you can use other images to play along and win the "Top three badge" but in order to win the Random Draw (a free collage sheet) and Designer's Choice (chance to Guest Design and receive free images) you must use one of Heather's images.  
You Can link up your creations HERE.  Deadline is February 28.

Think Spring!

Scrapbook Page

I think it's been well over a year since I made a scrapbook page!   In 2014 I was going to make a monthly journal hybrid scrapbook and never got it started.  So in 2015 I'm jumping in with a 6x6 inch mini scrapbook that will be for my two grandchildren.  This page is for my granddaughter.

Crafty Secrets digital freebies used:  Valentine paper, calendar, and 10 Things I Love;
Crafty Secrets Bedtime Kids digital set --kid

To color the kid, I started with Ranger Distress Markers for a water color look but they didn't blend on my special photo paper so I covered some spaces with Copics which work well with this paper. Usually you can't mix water with alcohol but the two types of markers didn't seem to care on this paper.

I fussy cut and then started layering with some stuff from my stash.  I layered with foam adhesive where needed to kee it dimensional.

I always outline fussy cut images with a black Sharpie and outline my papers with matching Distress Markers.

I added pink Wink of Stella to some of the flower petals and to the ribbons and shoes on the kid.

Entering thes challenges:

Crafty Secrets February Linky Party:  All You Need is Love due Sunday, Feb 15 - always get digital image(s) for entering
Avenue 613 Challenge 111 Anything Goes, optional RAK x
Hiding in My Craft Room #187 Super Scraps Saturday--I used lots of scraps from my stash
Lunagirl Moonbeams:  Red x
Digitally Sweet Challenges: #127  Layouts only Sketch challenge  Featured Three

Happy Valentine's Day!

There still is time to link up your entry for Unruly PaperArts blogozine's Reader Art Quest.  This month the RAQ theme is Heartfelt.  The prize winner will be determined by random draw.  Please link up at the UPA site HERE


Here are a couple of my flashbacks for inspiration:

HAVE A WONDERFUL VALENTINE'S DAY!

A Yummy Valentine Treat

This past week my printer went belly up and my Cuttlebug exploded.  My new Big Shot arrived today just in time to enter some challenges.

For Valentine's Day I made a cherry ice cream sundae with hot fudge topping and whipped cream--and of course the cherry on top.

Materials Used:
STAMPlorations Sugar Rush stamp set
DCWV glitter papers
Stampabilities Nestabilities Curved Rectangles die
Ink Markers:  Ranger Distress vintage photo, antique linen, tumbled glass, worn lipstick, spun sugar; Stampn' Write chocolate chip,
Wink of Stella dark pink (cherry on top)
Marvy white Liquid Applique (heat set for "whipped cream")
foam tape behind top half of sundae for dimension inside frame

Entering These Challenges:

STAMPlorations Challenge #27 Sketch ends Feb 13 X


Since I used STAMPlorations stamps, I can also enter this in their Anything Goes Challenge which is never ending.

PDE Linky Party: Sweet Treats

Craft Your Passion #248 Always Anything Goes

Crafty Gals Corner #6 Anything Goes

Die Cuttin Divas #202 Picture Inspiration X

My Heirloom Crochet Book

The February topic at Unruly PaperArts blogozine is Book It.  Amazing books already have been posted so far this month.  Each creative contributor has a different take on the topic.

Although I've bound books:

altered books:

and folded paper to make books:

I decided to make something totally different for my UPA contribution.

I used two heirloom crocheted hot pads from my mother's family as the covers to create a small scrapbook of heritage photos.  A monochromatic blue theme was used throughout.

This month's generous sponsor at Unruly Paper Arts is Rubber Dance Stamps.  Bibi from Rubber Dance Stamps also has a couple of articles posted this month at UPA.  I used one of her stamps on this page:

I hope you will pop over to UPA to read my article and see all the pages in detail.  You can find it HERE.

I'd like to share this page with the following:

Open Minded Crafting Challenge 29:  No pink, no red  until Feb 13. winner announced Feb 21 I'm the random winner of 7 images from Bugaboo Stamps!!
Try It On Tuesday:  Add a Photo until Feb 15 winner announced Feb 24 x
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge:  All Things Bright and Beautiful due February 11 x
Addicted to Stamps: Challenge 97 Lots of Layers due Feb 13 Winner announced Feb 22 x
Pile It On Challenge 55:  Use a Bow  Winner announced Wed Feb 18 x

Week 22 Altered Playing Cards

It's time for more Altered Playing Cards from Claudine's Art Corner.  We're on Week 22 and you can see Claudine's samples/prompts on her blog HERE.

I really went off page this week.

On top of the gesso base, I have two Archival ink colors (Forget Me Not and Manganese Blue) mixed with rubbing alcohol.  I had experimented yesterday with Wendy Vecchi's plaster technique and had some ink leftover on the mat. I just mopped it up with 2 of the APCs.

Claudine experimented with Elmer's Glue for a raised effect.  I went straight to Wendy Vecchi's embossing paste. You'll note that my "palette knife" is a cheap plastic knife with a serated edge.   One of the stencils is the same she used, punchinella. For the other stencil, I opted for Dylusions stars. Once dry, I sponged on more Forget Me Not to cover the white paste.

I decided to add some Tree Branch ink for a little beige to complement the brown embellishments which are Tim Holtz filmstrip ribbon and Graphic 45 papers.  Since I'm holding to the notion that I'll be shuffling these cards, instead of tiny staples, I used extremely narrow red line tape to attach the filmstrip.

I added a bit of Faded Jeans Distress ink on the circles to complement the blue bird, also Graphic 45 paper. To this card I added some washi tape, punched hearts, and a sentiment from Darkroom Door Love Birds rubber stamp set (I used black Archival ink).