Fussy cuts over Water Color

Hello!!
Watercolor on the clipboard today :)  I was having fun messing around with the galaxy background technique and liked this blue & purple one so much that I decided to use it as is!!


I found a background that I liked from my Unity Stamp Co collection & "mashed" it all over the water colored background with VersaMark clear ink. Then I used 2 embossing powders (gold & purple) randomly across it.  Ooo-la-la!! 

 

The vase of flowers is another Unity image but the fussy cutting I planned to use left out too much of the finer details. So I got the idea to stamp it onto my paper exactly where I wanted my water colored flower & vase to be.  This way I could cut out the flower and not worry about tendrils and dots being lost.  Ta-da!!


Check out the following links and enter your own
fun creations in these several challenges :)
Through the Craft Room Door
Jo's Scrap Shack
My Favorite Things
Cute Card Thursday

Some matching papers, a couple of frames/mats and the die cut sentiment "Hello Friend" & I've got a card for just about any occasion :)

  
Thank you friends, for stopping by!! I look forward to  and read every comment so "Thank You!" in advance!                                                                                         

A little Birdie

Hello All! Hope you're finding time to be outside in the Sunshine!! We've had fog,  a horrific wind storm, Glorious Sunshine and then snow!!  ALL OF THIS WAS YESTERDAY!!! But a Little Birdie Told Me that Spring is here! (This is what Spring actually looks like here in the Wallowas!!)
        Looking for fun?  Time Out Challenges has a fun CASE challenge going on 
                                                                                                    and 4 Crafty Chicks as well as

Simon Says Challenges is also hosting a fun challenge this week "Simon Says: Use More Than One Die Or Punch".  I did lots of stamping and die cutting on this sweet card so I thought I would share & enter it.

I have been wanting to try stamping over shimmer so this is the product of my inspiration.  I started by stamping the music on Crumb Cake card stock and overlaying it with double sided tape.  Covering that with glitter and burnishing it on. Then I stamped the bird and branches with Brown Versa Fine and embossed over that!! It was really a fun process.

Here's a small pictoral of
my "think-tanking" !

    

                                    

          

                

OK ~ With a bow or without?  I couldn't decide!!

                                                 

Pammies Inkie Pinkie Challenge #1712 !!

ARE YOU READY FOR DESIGN CHALLENGE # 1712 ??

Bugaboo Stamps

is our sponsor this week!

They have such a great variety of adorable images it was hard to decide what to make for the challenge inspiration!!  Their site is full of great digital images at amazing prices.  Quick and easy!! (digis don't take up a lot of storage space either!!!)

Just a few quick words of advise when working with digital images.  If you plan to print your image and then use markers or watercolors to decorate it - FIRST give it a quick spray with "Workable Fixatif".  This will save you a lot of heart ache as the printer ink tends to bleed when it meets with inks & dies!! (yes, I learned this the hard way!!)

   

Digis are not only extremely affordable, but they are also so versatile as they can be printed in any size you choose!!  I copied and pasted several of the flower borders in a row to get the ribbon of flowers I used in this card.  I also had fun printing a card size tag on colored paper and another one very tiny as an accent for another project! 

In a future blog I will give an example of doing the art work or design before printing!!


Thanks for stopping by! I encourage you to print some digis from BugaBoo  and enter our PIP challenge this week!!  If you don't have any from BugaBoo ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN SOME!!!!!

Challenge #1710 / Pammies Inky Pinkies !! !!

Hi!! Welcome to "Hi!" Notes Blog
and my exciting first week as a

design team member

for

Pammies Inky Pinkies!  ( or PIP ! )http://pammiesinkypinkieschallenges.blogspot.com/. 

I hope you'll follow the link and play along, the more the merrier! 
And of course, there is also the opportunity to WIN fun stuff!

 

Each challenge is

!! ANYTHING GOES !!

unless the Monday falls on the 5th Monday of a month, then that challenge

will have a Theme that must be followed!!!!!

This weeks Design Challenge at Pammies Inky Pinkies is # 1710 

Our wonderful sponsor is

NEWTON'S NOOK DESIGNS

http://www.newtonsnookdesigns.com/

I think you should stop by & meet Newton!! He & his friends are the inspiration for so many Newton's Nook stamps

I just love this little cat & coffee set.  So much purr-sonality !!
 
    
I like to have fun with the inside and back of the cards too!! 
I think most of the elements of this card are self explanatory, but  I will do a quick rundown of techniques (sometimes the devil is in the details!!) Almost every edge is rubbed with a darker shade of ink, the white background the kitties are on was embossed with a stylus to make a clean line around the border, the dots leading up to the dream clouds are made with Tonic Studio's pearl drops, & the coffee cups are mounted on dimensional tape to make them "pop" off of the page as is the tiny toy mouse in the bottom corner!

                
Leave me a little Love :)  I look forward to hearing what you think and I wish you good luck and lots of inspiration for your challenge entry!

Simple Stenciling

Good Morning ~ Glad to see you!  I am excited to share with you this amazingly simple technique using any inexpensive paper { LIKE JUNK MAIL!! }  and your favorite punch or die cut!
I learned this wonderful flash of genius from Angela Magnuson on her Unity Stamp Co. FaceBook  "Show & Tell" page. 


The concept is simple and the applications are endless!


Find a tag of the size you'd like.  If you don't have one just cut a rectangle out of a heavier paper [I often use junk mail card stock or laminate.  Who cares what's on it ~ Just cover it with your desired paper and you're all set to go!!] Punch a hole in the center top and lop off the corners.   Use your punch for this or free hand a straight or curved cut.  ( It really is that easy! )


Now for the stencil> take your scrap paper (again, junk mail works wonderfully) and tightly wrap your tag in it, creasing the edges making it easy to see the size & shape of the body of your tag.  You could also trace it and cut it out but for me the less work [on the part I'll eventually throw away] the better!

Using your chosen punch or punches cut through the scrap paper where you would like your "shadow" to appear.  You can then lay this home made stencil over your tag and simply rub ink or whatever medium you're using, over the openings.  To make sure nothing shifts before you're done it is advisable to tape down the tag and then the stencil.  Be sure your tape is the easy to remove kind and doesn't interfere with any of the stencils open areas!!

Waa-laa! That's it.  I think it took longer to type than to actually do!  When I stencil mine I like to add a little dimension by using 2 or more colors.  I use dense foam packaging, small sponges or cotton balls to transfer the ink from pad to paper and try to always start with a lighter touch and a swirling motion.  This way you can avoid sharp edges of color and you can always make things darker . . . .

Oh, I just love the instant gratification of this technique!!  Add a stamped image, some ribbon or washi and your beautiful creation is ready to go!  No additional coloring necessary 💜

For a closer look, clicking on the pictures will enlarge them!!