Monday, July 25, 2016

Finn Workshops

I am so lucky to have the opportunity to see Anna Dubrowska aka Finnabair in person.  This is the second summer I was able to take her workshops and this time I took all three!

Workshops were held at the Paper Boutique in Springfield IL.  Independent scrapbook stores are a rare commodity these days.  Here, again, I'm lucky to have one nearby.  And lucky the store was able to host Finn.  The group photos and my clock in its early stages were taken by the Paper Boutique staff.  A thank you to them for letting me repost the photos from their FaceBook page.

First workshop was the verdigris canvas.  I used a spoon for my focal point.



Look at how serious we all are as we gather around Finn to learn the first steps. Note the blank canvas that we are about to transform....


And here's the group posing with their finished canvases. I'm the the royal blue shirt and black apron. A bonus for me was getting to sit next to my friend in art, Linda Cain, who is on Finn's design team.



The next day I was back for more.  This time I sat with my crafting friends from the store, Terrie and Joanne.  

The morning project was transforming a Prima clock into a work of art. This is a photo of my work station taken by the Paper Boutique.


 I used colors that matched my living room palette.


The afternoon brought us to the rust workshop.  Most people transformed a book cover.  Being an overachiever, I brought a wood cigar box to alter.  Not thinking things through, that meant I had more surfaces to cover and dry in the allotted time.  But I loved working with these rust effect products.



The objective was to make this look old as if found in the bottom of the lake--or I'd say a musty attic or damp basement.  A bit of unfortune for me was something leaked on the photo.  It didn't seep through until the next day. (I'm assuming I didn't dry something thoroughly before moving on to the next step!) However,  that makes it look like it definitely was found on the bottom of the lake!


And the final group pic of the day! I'm on the end on the right and realize I should have taken off my black apron!



I didn't get a photo with Finn because I had one from last summer:



But I wish I had asked her to autograph my copy of the Somerset Magazine cover featuring her art.



Next time!
 


Friday, July 22, 2016

Birthday Card for a Musician

Here is a masculine birthday card for a musician in the family.



This card is 5-1/2 x 6" because I wanted to use Shery's enter cupcake border and still have room for the bigger single cupcake.  I love the sketchy look of Shery's images and thought blueprint ink would be a perfect pairing.  After stamping, I outlined all the papers with the same ink.

I didn't have any blue background paper to match the blueprint ink, so I created my own using a music stamp and water mist.  I chose music since it's in the border stamp.  I was surprised at how purple the blueprint ink base was--I even checked the bottom of the ink pad to make sure I had grabbed the right one. You can see where I spritzed water--the ink turned into a purple/red color.



Once I saw the color base, I went to my purple paper stash. There I found translucent Iris from the Paper Company.  It was a perfect match and added the needed mats for a finished look.  Now it truly looked like a blueprint!

Materials:
STAMPlorations Sketched: Cupcake
STAMPlorations Cupcake Row Artsy Border by Shery Russ
Stampin' Up Very Vanilla paper
The Paper Company translucent Iris speciality paper
word from birthday embossing folder
Tim Holtz Ranger blue print distress ink
Rogue Redhead Designs LLC music background stamp
water mister bottle for spritzing
Ranger blending tool

Entering:

STAMPlorations July Sketch challenge I'm #31 x



Double "D" Challenges:  Shades of Purple  I'm #34 x

Sunday, July 17, 2016

National Ice Cream Day!

National Ice Cream Day!

The humidity/heat index was 107 degrees today.  Time to cool off with ice cream.  I got a caramel coffee shake from the local spot two blocks from my house--dangerously too close to me!!!  You can tell it's sweating, just like me!  The whipped cream melted before I could get my photo shoot done.

A GDT extra for  Imagine That! Digis by Kris.




You can find the ice cream treats outline digi as a freebie at the FaceBook friends and fan group HERE.

Join our FB GROUP!

I combined it with some of the Ice Cream Parlour Papers.


The digi pack can be found in the store HERE,  While there, look for more freebies. 

This is what I did with the free digi cone:
1) digitally colored the top of the cone in two shades of brown to match the digi paper;
2) copped the brown plaid paper and angled it to match the cone cross hatch grid, printed, and cut it to fit the cone;
3) added some sprinkles on top of the ice cream, 
4) cut the cone into 4 pieces and outlined each with black marker, then placed on the digi paper with foam tape;
5) printed one of the sayings and added it to the cone with more foam tape

Keep cool!


Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Summertime Fun

An extra for my GDT with Imagine That! digis by Kris.  Check out the July Summertime Fun challenge on the FaceBook page HERE

This is a totally digital 6x8 inch scrapbook page for my grandkids' scrapbook.  Since my granddaughter has dark hair and loves the color pink, how perfect is this pre-colored pool girl?



I started with the Summer Fun digital paper pack and set up my background. I added waves from the My Sailmate set.  I finished with pre-colored images from the Pool Girl set.  (I use PhotoShopElements software for digital layering and shadowing.)

I love that there's an invitation card included in the Pool Girl set.  I used it as a journal card when I scrapped my granddaughter's birthday party pics opposite this scrappy page.

Please visit the store for all the digis.
http://www.imaginethatdigistamp.com/

You can find Pool Girl in the store HERE


You can find Summer Fun Digi Paper in the store HERE


You can find My Sailmate in the store HERE



Entering this challenge:

Digitally Sweet Challenges:  #152 Optional: Anything Goes if Totally Digital  I'm #13
I'm mid-challenge featured!!!!!

And then.....


Til next time, I'll be crafting a lot in my little land of Scrap A Lot,


Tuesday, July 12, 2016

GDT for Imagine That! Digis by Kris

I've accepted a guest designer spot for the next 3 months at Imagine That! Digis by Kris A link to her main blog is HERE.  Be sure to visit to see what the other designers are making with Kris' digis and to see the current challenges.

You'll be seeing posts from me on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month featuring Kris' adorable digital images.

So let's get to it, shall we?



I used a pre-cut and folded step card.  Using Nautical digi papers, I resized them to fit on the card, printed out the papers, and adhered them to the card.  I resized so that the pattern would remain true. I used the scor-pal to rescore the "steps" after addin the various papers.



I chose, resized and printed out images from My Sailmate.  Because of my nautical theme, I chose to color with watercolor pencils.  I used my Stampin' Up set and my new Prima Julie Nutting Watercolor Pencils in Hair and Skin Tones.



After fussy cutting the images, I adhered them to the card with various thicknesses of foam adhesive. I put wind in the sails by shaping them as you would flower petals.

If you like challenges, please learn more about the Fancy Folds / Shaped Cards current challenge at the Creative Playground HERE.   The challenge runs until August 5.

Monthly Challenge

On FaceBook?  Check out the friends and fan group HERE. There are more challenges and some freebies for the FB members.

Join our FB GROUP!

Shop the digis HERE,  You'll find some freebies here too.

Shop Our Digis!

Your turn now.  Try out some digis and enter some challenges!

I'm entering this in these challenges:

Digitally Sweet Challenge #152 Travel  partially digital I'm #14

Classic Design Team Open Challenge July Anything Goes I'm #160


Scor-Pal   Fun in the Summer Sun and More Than One Score Tell where to score:  it's a standard step card with the steps in the middle, need to cut then score the steps

Friday, June 24, 2016

Coffee ATC

Last post for the hop.

Thanks Hetty for the freebie which I used with Gecko Galz images.


Coffee Lovers Blog Hop HERE #759

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Stars and Stripes

Still perfecting this whole journaling concept.  Here is this month's Wanderlust 2016 challenge to use the colors in my flag and incorporate watercolors.  With Fourth of July just around the corner, I came up with this concept.

I also used one of the Wanderlust journaling prompts to "Write a lot, write fast, write everything. Fill your page with writing." 

My journal pages have been mini scrapbook pages or scenes.  I feel this page is probably my first true journal page where I just let the art flow out of me.


Materials:
white gesso
Artist's Loft liquid watercolors
Wendy Vecchi embossing paste
Finnabair white crackle texture paste
Viva Decor Mother of Pearl modellier creme
Tim Holtz rays stencil
star stencil
Fabel Castell PITT black artist pen
Uni-ball Signo white pen

I mixed red liquid watercolor with embossing paste for the "stripes", using the rays stencil.

Here is a close up of the shine on the stripes and the stars.


Entering this in:

Wanderlust 2016 June challenge

Love to Create Challenge 13: Anything Creative/Mixed Media Goes

Vintage Journey: June Texture or Embossing Pastes
Please take this badge if you are joining in our challenges

ARTplorations:  June Mixed Media Challenge: anything but a card and must use a stencil

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Strawberry Moon

This week we had a rare treat.   The Summer Solstice 2016,  which is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, coincided with June's full moon, called the Strawberry Moon.  This will not happen again until 2062.

This is my artistic interpretation of this event.



I went back to one of the earlier Wanderlust classes to watch application of liquid watercolors.  Now that I own the basic colors from the Artist's Loft, I thought I'd play with watercolor effects.  I used Canson 90 lb. watercolor paper and had available both a brush with water cup and a spray bottle of water.

During the Spring Coffee Lovers Blog Hop, I fell in love with this fairy tea cup stamp and was thrilled to be able to purchase it from blog hop super sponsor, So Suzy Stamps. I used Archival Jet Black Ink and stamped on top of the watercolor.

I'm entering this make at:

Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop HERE.  This is my third entry and it's #547.












Addicted to Stamps Challenge: Anything Summer #39 winner announced July 10 x
All Sorts Challenge  # 368 How Does Your Garden Grow #98 x

Make My Monday: Fairies #5 winner of Top 3


The Mixed Media Card Challenge #24 (only 7 challenges to enter in total) Sunset  because on this day both the moon and sun were in the sky at the same time--hence my yellow and red color combo
#10 x


Try It on Tuesday: I Believe I Can Fly #9 x

Curtain Call: Tasty Tropics #26 x
tasty tropics







Monday, June 20, 2016

Summer Sunshine

On this first day of summer, I'm posting my second entry for the Coffee Lovers Summer Blog Hop.



This time I'm using the freebie digi Coffee Friends from Craftin Desert Divas. It was pre-colored which makes life so simple.  I added a beautiful background paper called Nantucket Summer from the Gecko Galz By the Shore digital paper pack.  The "blanket" is a digital freebie from Papercraft Inspirations called kitchen plaid.   I added my own text using PSE Comic Sans MS font.  Some shadowing and highlighting completed my totally digital composition.

Entering this composition HERE:

Summer 2016 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop  I'm #374 with this entry.

Gecko Galz Papercrafting Challenges FaceBook Group: June:  Here Comes the Sun




Friday, June 17, 2016

Brentwood at the Beach

Today is the first day of the Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop. If you've followed me than you know I always participate in each season's blog hop.
(Note:This summer hop runs June 17 – June 24 so you will be seeing more than one post from me)  

This first entry is totally digital.  Brentwood at the Beach.




The freebie image of Brentwood was given out to blog participants by creator Jessica Lynn.  You can see her digital Originals HERE.

I combined shoreline paper and plaid digital paper, both from Gecko Galz, to create a beach scene of Brentwood sitting on a blanket enjoying his morning coffee.  Then I added the banner created by Janet Scott which is available at Pixel Scrappers.  I typed "seaside" on the banner.  All coloring and shadowing is done digitally using my PhotoShop Elements software.



Posting this digital creation at these sites:


 HERE for the Coffee Lovers hop entries. I'm #116

HERE for Gecko Galz Papercrafting Challenge FaceBook Group:  June: Make It Plaid WINNER!!!

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