Did you miss me?

As you probably have noticed I have been a little absent.  There are many reasons, but the most important one is my DH & I have been super busy with craft shows & making items for a local shop.  Good thing we only do this for a hobby.  LOL  We just turn around & make more things.

I am going to get this blog up & running as I finish samples for classes I will be teaching in town & in March.

Stay tuned.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you!

Happy Fall Y'All

I feel Fall in the air which is fine with me.  I have always loved Fall.  To me it was my "New Year's", a fresh beginning.  Why?  If you are a teacher you will know what I mean.  New first day outfit, new class, new books, new lessons, new challenges, etc., etc.

Here is something different I made with Just For Fun Stamps - an 18" x 18" wood sign made from recycled pallet boards.  This what keeps my DH in his workshop.  Lots & lots of signs.  We are selling them in 4 stores.  Some are finished others we call DIY Signs.  "We make, You finish."  We don't make a lot of money, but we can buy new supplies to keep our fun going.

I used 3 different Stamptangle leaf stamps: Stamptangle Maple Leaf (E3860), Stamptangle Oak Leaf(F3859) & Stamptangle Elm Leaf (D3858)

I base coated the sign with Ivory acrylic paint.  The leaves were stamped on the sign using Ranger Copper Metallic Paint Dauber.  It dabbed just the right amount of paint.  A couple I had to restamp, but since I was using the stamps on a cling cushion & clear stamp block it was easy to realign the stamp without too much trouble.

Just For Fun Stamps also have leaf stamps more like nature.  I do like, however, how the Stamptanlge leaves came out.  It is hanging on the living room wall!

So "Have A Happy Fall To Y'All!"

Just Flyin' By To Say Hi!

As I mentioned before I have been binge watching YouTube card techniques.  I tried one of the fun techniques I watched with this card.  Actually it was done with watercolors, but I did it with ink pads & sponges.

Pick your stamp & sponge colors on the cardstock anticipating where the stamp will fall within the colors.  The stamp, Tropical Sunset (G1442), made it pretty easy.  I added more Sand (C413) & a Crane on a Pier (C3636).  The Sentiment 3 (UMS7020) stamped & added with pop dots.

Another flat card, well almost flat, but again I built a story with the stamps.  Simple, but fun.

Oregon Sand Dunes

We live near the Oregon Sand Dunes & they are beautiful.  This week's card is a homage to our dunes.

I sponged in the "sand dunes" & stamped sand over them. I added the beach fence & grass.  A beach is not a beach without a seagull swooping down.

Now this card is very different than any other card I  completed over the past year.  Can you all tell me what it is?  OK, I'll tell you...it's flat...no fussy cut on this card.  Yep, all I did was sponge & stamp a beach scene & I love how it turned out!

Stamps used:

• Sand                 C413
• Beach fence      B3336
• Seagrass sm.     A988
• Seagull              B3695
• Sentiments 3     UMS7020

Sand in Our Toes Sketch Challenge - August

I am so excited this month's challenge sketch & theme is "Sand in Our Toes" because I live on the Oregon Coast.  There is sand not only in our toes, but it tracks inside the house all the time.  I don't care...I love the wind, fog, & in the Summer cool weather.

Here is the first of my cards this month...

Beach Chair - A082

Excalibar Sandcastle Small - B3376

Stamptangle Spiral Shell - A3775

3 Cards for Christmas in July

I have been totally binge watching YouTube craft shows.  Do you remember the Carol Duvall Show on DIY?  I loved that show, well, anyway, there was a Christmas Holiday Show & the guest demonstrated a background technique using Puffy paint & reinkers.

You place a large drop of Puffy paint in the middle of your cardstock & 1 drop of stamp pad reinker ink.  In my case it was Navy.  You take a brayer & roll out the paint/ink all over the cardstock.  Using your embossing heat tool you quickly dry the paint/ink.  The effect is supposed to be a foggy background from the dry Puffy paint. 

Of course I couldn’t find my brayer, so I used a sponge paint brush to spread the paint/ink over the cardstock & even though the effect didn’t quite look like it did on the TV show, I still liked the effect it gave the backgrounds to all 3 cards.

Because the paint is wet on paper the cardstock did warp a bit, but I think if I ironed the back of the card base it will straighten out.  Gluing it on an A2 card will probably straighten it out also.

Stamps I used:

Holiday Magic: On Dasher (A3445), Ice Skaters (F2280), Pine Forest (F3588), Sentiments Unmounted 3 (UMS7020

Happy Holidays: Getting the Tree (F3510), Pine Forest, Sentiments Unmounted 1 (UMS7018

Joy to the World: Holly Branch Sketch (G2632), Fiber Background (J2207), Sentiments Unmounted 3

Christmas in July

I love making Christmas cards, so I am thrilled this month's challenge is Christmas in July.

I love how the sky turned out.  I used light blue copy paper & stamped the tree line.  There are 1st, 2nd & 3rd generation stamping.  I like to call it ghosting, but that's just me.  I sponged the sky, but didn't like it so I sprayed it with water.  I really liked it a lot even though it started to crumple.  Ii hit the paper with the embossing heat gun & it left the sky with texture.

The snow is simply two torn pieces of white cardstock & the cut out snowman colored & tucked between the layers.

Stamps used are: Snowman ( C2937), Pine Forest (F3588), Sentiments 3 (UMS7020)

Fun Technique

I am previewing my sample cards from the class I will be teaching this Fall at our Scrapbook Fun Fest on the Coast event.

I used  3 Distress Spray colors, a maple leaf stencil I cut with my Silhouette & stamps from Just For Fun stamps.  I came up with 3 different looks.            

Stamps:

Bare Tree  ( F3328),  Grass (A012), & Sentiments (UMS7020)         

Here they are all together.  I mounted two on Sunflower cardstock & one on a red mat.  The card bases were Red, Dk. Green, & Sunflower.  The tree stamp pops differently on each card. 

I love this technique!  You use not only the stencil but the leaf mask.  When finished spraying on the stencil I turn it over & press it down (with wet spray stain still on the stencil) & gently rub on another 5" x 3 3/4" cardstock.  Voila...another background!  In fact, there is enough spray to make a 3rd background.

Butterflies R Free

Butterflies have wings & I love butterflies.  This month I actually made a few cards to give to people I know.  The card on the right was a wedding card to a wonderful couple of "kids".  Inside were two pockets which held their wedding gift of 2 checks - 1 for the groom & 1 for the bride.  Next month I will show you the pocket card with the pockets on the outside.  I reversed the instructions for the wedding card so the pockets were inside.

Of course, I forgot to take a photo of the inside of the card. Oops!


I stamped the butterfly (H3872) on the left on pattern paper & the butterfly on the right was stamped on watercolor paper.

You can see the right butterfly was stamped in multiple color ink.  I made my own "stamp pad" using the baby wipe technique.  In case you have never heard of this technique it is really simple. 
Put a couple of baby wipes in a plastic tray.  I used an embossing tray.  Choose your ink colors (use reinkers) & randomly drip drops over the baby wipe.  Make sure there is enough drops on the baby wipe to ink whatever stamp you are using but not too much so the colors get muddy.

I inked the stamp, held it away from my body & gave it a quick spritz with water.  Then, I stamped on the watercolor paper.  You probably can use regular cardstock, but I like the effect it gets on watercolor paper.

The sentiments used were from Sentiments1 (UMS7018) & Sentiments 2 (UMS7019).

Birdhouse Fussy Cut

Have I mentioned how I love to sit & cut?  Well, I do. 

Keeping with this month's Challenge - "Bird's of a Feather" I used the Bird House Row stamp (H3853) & fussy cut it to make, what I think is my favorite card.  Why?  For some reason it looks almost 3-D.  I really hope you can see it in the photo.  My Photoshop died & I am waiting for a new one so the photo is not what I hoped it would be.

Here is what the stamp looks like before all the fussiness.

Can you tell how much I cut?  It really did not take that much time either.  I first stamped the image on watercolor paper using Staz-On brown ink. I colored the image with my watercolor crayons.

I cut the birdhouse from the post & used double pop dots to make it really pop off the card.  Since the top of the birdhouse looks like wire, I used a silver chalk pen to go over the lines.  I also used the silver on the barbwire on the fence.  I bent some real wire & attached it to the top of the roof since I had to cut the stamped wire off the top.

On the bottom of the fence I stamped grass (A012) so it didn't look like it was floating.  Finally, I used a saying from Unmounted Sentiments 2 (UMS7019).

Class Card

One more week until Create-a-Retreat at Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville, Oregon.

Here is the other card I will be teaching in my class.  Using the perforator tool & an old ink pad, you can make faux stitch marks. 

The bottom photo shows the lines up close.  Cool huh?

Stamps I used:  Wicked Trees G3857 (I used only 2 of the stamped panels) & Unmounted Sentiments 1 UMS7018

Variation on 1 Technique

In three weeks is the Create-a Retreat event at Seven Feathers Casino Resort. I have a booth with my DH, and I am teaching a class, which BTW is sold out. I will also be teaching technique 4 make & takes throughout the event & a free one for the participants.

Below are photos of 5 variations of the  free make & take for the participants.  Part of the card is in the goodie bags. To finish the card they have to come to our booth to sponge & stamp the rest.  It is quick, using the "Northern Lights" technique.

Valentine & Easter Cards

I normally do not make or send Valentine's Day cards or Easter cards.  Just For Fun Stamps had some really cute hearts & bunny stamps that spoke to me.  Why?  Well, because they reminded me of candy.  I love candy hearts & probably my favorite candy next to Sugar Babies are Peeps!  When I say Peeps I mean stale Peeps.  When I bring them home I poke holes in the package & they are just right after a few days.  Crazy Huh?

Anyway I used the technique I am demonstrating at the Create-Your-Retreat event next month.  I will share the samples in my next blog post Feb. 25.

Here are my Valentine & Easter cards. Quick & Simple & I think I may send them to someone this year.

Stamps used - MC - Hearts Sentiment Hearts Mini Cube

UMS7018 Sentiments 1 Unmounted

 

 

 

 

Stamps used - G3813 Marshmallow Bunnies 2 - sided I mean do they not look like Peeps?

D3401 Grass Border

UMS7018 Sentiments 1 Unmounted

A Couple of Fun Cards

 

 

Using paper from the paper pack “Robin’s Red” from Hot Off the Press I could match the curlicues from the paper & use the Simple Brush Flourish (G3879) Stamp on the background paper in turquoise.

I stamped Hot Air Balloon (F3870), colored it in a bit & added Wink of Stella for a bit of glitz.  Naturally I cut it out, popped it up & added it to the card.

Happy Birthday to You (Sentiments 1 unmounted UMS7018 ) stamped, sponged & matted.

 

 

 

 

This is one of the cards I will be teaching March 19^th in my “Perforations Techniques” class.  You perforate the card & create a bookmark that can be torn off.  So cool.  Everyone gets the tool in their kit along with a Just For Fun stamp& so much more. 

The stamps I used for the project are Bird House Row (H3853).  I used the roof from one of the birdhouses & the house part from another of the birdhouse images.  Love to paper piece.  The Fashion Warbler bird stamp (E3848) was stamped twice on two different pattern papers. Cut, paper pieced & attached to card.

I stamped Sprig (C3331) a few times & stenciled the leaves on the bookmark.

Sentiment 1 unmounted (UMS7018) for the “Happy Whatever”

2016 Class

March 18 & 19 at Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville, OR is:

http://create-your-retreat.mybigcommerce.com/  Check it out.  Tickets are on sale now for the 2 - day event.  I will be teaching a class on Saturday, March 19, 7 - 8:30pm.  We will also have a booth at the event selling all kinds of products including crafters wood products, stencils, die cuts, headlines, page packets, past class kits, pattern & cardstock paper, & more.  I will also be doing Make & Takes        (from $2 - $4), both days.  I will post samples of the Make & Takes soon.

 

 

The retail value on the kit is over $25, but the class is $21.  What a deal!  I am only making 20 kits for the class so purchase your class space soon.

 

One card made in the class, includes a bookmark which is perforated so it is easy to tear off the card.  Here are two samples of bookmarks that can be created using either the stencil (on the left) or the stamp & stencil (on the right).

 

 

 

The stamps used are Just For Fun Stamps www.jffstamps.com  which I am a member of their Design Team.  You can buy their stamps 3 different ways: wood mount, cling cushion mounted, or red rubber only.  The cost is very reasonable & stamp beautifully.



Happy 2016

New Year...New Projects...

My DH has been so busy in his workshop & I have been trying out some of the pins I have been finding.

I tried the transferring of color photos/clip art, etc. on to wood.  Love the results.  I found Oregon related vintage signs.  Luckily when we purged before we sold our Roseburg house & took off on the road for 3 years, I saved more than I thought craft room wise.  One of the products was Grafix Rub-Onz. 

The technique Pinterest talks about mounts wax paper or parchment paper on an 8 1/2" x 11" regular copy paper to feed through your printer.  You need a slick surface to go through the printer so the ink is not absorbed in to paper.  The ink just sits on top & can be rubbed on the wood as you can see above.  Brilliant!  Well, the Grafix sheets are all set to go with a slick surface on a fairly stable paper.  I had to do nothing except find a design, size it &, the most IMPORTANT thing...reverse the design with words.  Yep, found out the hard way, but the beauty of it, the sheet can be used over & over by simply wiping away the leftover ink on the sheet with a damp paper towel & wood can be sanded to fix my mistake(s).  I did all the sizing & reversing using Photoshop.

DH made a lot of what he calls "mini signs" so I can't wait to do more!