Anything But A Card

Today is Memorial Day and the Unofficial Start Of Summer. For todays Anything But A Card over at Bugaboo Stamps I thought it would be fun to make this adorable little purse and put a little tube of sun block and a lip gloss inside for my Grand Daughters. They are comeing over for a swim and a Bar-B-Que this afternoon. I forgot to get the lip gloss and sun screen yesterday. Rats! Back to the store this morning.
I used One of the Bugaboo Images that is in the group Summertime Peekers. Don't forget to head over to the store to grab last Fridays Freebie and you can pick this image up while you are there today too. And there is a Long Weekend Sale that ends this evening.
The papers that I used are We R Memory Keepers and the purse template is by Kim MacFarlane (2003) I have had this forever and when I tried to find this paticular template I couldn"t. I did find her site You can find that here and there are some fun things to see. I just love all the little purse templates that are out there.I typed in Paper Purse Templates and this is what popped up.

Have a great day everyone.

Friday and a Freebie

here here

Today is Friday and it is Friday Freebie over at Bugaboo. Run over to the Bugaboo Challenge Blog and check out all the wonderful creations by all the Design Team members and then head on over to the Bugaboo Shop and pick up your Freebie ( actually two freebies) for this week and I'm sure you will want a few more from this set. They are too cute.

For this card I used a Sketch from Papertake Weekly for the Challenge # 41
This last week I have had the good fortune of discovering some new products and our Local Stamp Store got in the new Tim Holtz embossing folders. I used those on the Background papers and then rubbed Rose Red ink over the top to set the design off. The frame was cut with a Cuttlebug Die and then embossed with Cuttlebug embossing folder. I colored this adorable stamp with Copics and then added Diamond Glaze to the bow and little flowers. The background paper of the framed image is made using acrylic paint and Diamond Glaze and a stamped flower.

Isn't this a cool look? I have tried to give the instructions below. Just remember to have fun and experiment.

First off just let me say that it rained all day today and so the photos were taken indoors under incandescent light so the color appears to be coral color instead of Raspberry,which it is. Apple Barrel gloss acrylic mixed with Judi Kins Diamond Glaze and water. I mixed this on Freezer paper. My fave surface protector. Lie the piece of Gloss paper (Black or white) on top of the mixture and then lift off. Smooch and Lift technique).

Every time you smooch and lift you will get a different effect. You can add more if you like.

Stamp with a clean stamp on the painted surface while it is wet and lift it off. Hopefully it will pull enough paint off to get an image you can work with. I was so lucky that on the very first try (on the card above) it worked perfectly. I had to fuss a little more today.

You have to be careful not to twist the stamp and smear the image.

I decided that the paper with the paint brayer ed on the surface created a cleaner image.

At this point you can sprinkle fine glitter lightly over the surface.

On this piece of Black Gloss paper I used a brayer to smear the paint and diamond glaze mixture. Then I sprinkled very fine glitter over the top before I stamped into it with a clean clear stamp. I colored the petals, center and leaves with Copics after it dried. On this piece of paper i used the smooch and lift technique and after it dried and I was coloring the petals of the flower the copics pen was dissolving the acrylic paint as well as the black from the gloss black paper. When I did all the areas I wanted white, I let it dry and then colored the areas with Copics.

I decided to play around and see how the Diamond Glaze would work with re-inkers by SU. This is the Rich Razzelberry and Diamond glaze and water mixed together.

Take a second piece of gloss paper, lay on top of first piece and then pull apart.

This is a piece with more water and then when it dried some I stamped the flower using black ink onto the paper. These will be cool cut out and used for layers in a flower.

It is always fun to experiment with new product to see what you come up with.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone and Happy Memorial Day.

"How Do You Distress?"

Last week when I was in my LSS I found this wonderful new Bo Bunny (A Gift Of Love) paper. The colors are just yummy. I also used SU ink pad (Rich Razzelberry and Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Peeled Paint to distress the edges of the photos and pattern papers and to color the Technique Tuesday (RicRac Baseboards) and the Colorbok chipboard words and the Tim Holtz Grunge paper Alphas.
I was so excited Tuesday to see a contest on Tim Holtz's Blog for a chance to win one of his wonderful Distress Ink Pad Tin Box. They have been discontinued and it would be so much fun to have one of these. I could store all my new color ink pads that my hubby bought me for my birthday in Feb. Or I could keep those stacked on my desktop and put my other Distress Inks in the Tin. At any rate one must enter to win. One of the options is to send a photo of a project using fave Distress Technique and or leave a comment on Tims Blog each day all week. I'm trying both for a better chance.
Here is my Layout that I just finished. This is my granddaughter KayLynn last spring when Nana and Grandpa took her to see the Chickens that roam the streets and park in Fair Oaks.
I really love coloring chiboard and grunge paper with ink and then sprinkeling it with water and letting it dry. Great watercolor effect. Once the ink has dried you can run the pieces through a Big Shot or Cuttlebug Machine using an embossing folder.

This piece of Technique Tuesdays Ric Rak Baseboards was done using SU ink and...This green is the Distress Ink Peeled Paint.

Here is what the baseboard looks like close-up.

I also used Tim Holtz Grungeboard alphas that already has texture built in. After I colored the name I used a glitter to dress up the swirls.

This is a piece of Colorbok chipboard ($1 at Michaels) that I did the same technique on.

The wonderful Bird and Birdcage Tim Holtz (Sizzix Die) was cut from Grunge paper then embossed and colored with ink and Perfect Pearls. I just love the Rooster in the cage and the bird looking in.

I used beads on gold wire to decorate the Birdcage.

I just had to throw in this close up of the chicken and that little hinge looking piece with all the glitter. Oh so much fun to make flowers. I stamped and cut and shaped.

This top right flower was made using silk flowers and a flower cut from the pattern paper and then I used that flower as a pattern for the second layer.When you are looking at pattern papers in the store keep an eye out for flowers that you can make templates from. I love the Prima Flower Centers that you can buy.

The flower on the left was stamped onto some white cardstock that I had colored with smooch and lift technique Using SU ink pad.

These flowers were punched from various pattern papers and then shaped by using a embossing stylus on the back side of the petals. I also distressed the petals edges.

I hope you all enjoyed all the photos and I hope you will try some of the techniques using distressing if you haven't done so yet. It is so much fun.

Have a great day everyone.

1 Card 5 Challenges

Last week I discovered a new Digi Stamp Co. It is called Spesch Digi Stamps and she has some really great images. I used some digital paper for this and colored the image with my copics and did her dress with Judi Kins Mica Gloss. I love the way this turned out.
I did this card with several Challenges in mind.
The first was the Sketch from Friday's Sketchers, #103.
PaperCutz Challenge #42, Use Buttons and Ribbon, Lace or Hemp.
Stamp Something Challenge, use two of something: I used two different polka dot papers.
Digital Tuesday Challenge #60, Cute People. Now she is a cutie for sure.
My Time To Craft Challenge #53 Use Vivid Colors.
Woo Hoo! I love to combine challenges. How fun is ths card? I was playing around in photoshop with some Digi papers and images the other day and I combined This Bugaboo Image (Scarlette Flower) with this paper kit from Kaiser Kraft. The piece of paper behind Scarlette is embossed using one of the new Tim Holtz embossing folders. I bought 3 set today and a new edge die and the last pad of paper that I dd not have yet. I ran he pink paper through the Big Shot and then used Distress ink on a piece of sponge to color the raised edges.

Have a great week.

New Release Tuesday

It is New Release Day over at Bugaboo Stamps today and wait till you see all the Red Hat Images Jodie has for you. So head on over to the SHOP and pick some up for yourself. And don't forget to head over to the Bugaboo Challenge Blog and check out all the wonderful samples the Design Team created for you today.
I made this card using some paper I have had arund forever and a few rhinestones. I went to the Rubber Ramma last weekend and found all sorts of new to me products and techniques to play with. Here is a photo of all the things I bought. I really plan on getting some time to expermint today.

Have a Great Day.

A New Challenge Day at Bugaboo

Today is a new challenge over at the Bugaboo Challenge Blog and I hope you all come to join us. I made this card using Basic Grey papers and an adorable Bugaboo image and I will be sending it to my grandson soon.
The challenge today is to make a project for a male, of a male, or, about a male. And then the second part of the challenge is to use........ this great sketch by our very own Scrappy. She makes the best sketches. Yee Ha! Please join us this week for a chance to win , Head on over to Bugaboo Challenge Blog for all the details.

Have a Great Weekend everyone.

Friday Freebie at Bugaboo.

Today is Freebie Friday over at Bugaboo and Jodie has a really fun image for you today. chocolate Ruby. There are six more images too that you can pick up in the Shop when you go to claim your freebie. So much fun. I made this card using some papers from a scrapbook kit I picked up at Tuesday Mornings and the flowers are cut from pattern paper printed with flowers from Fred She Said. I just love these colors. I colored Ruby with my Copics an used Marvey puff pen and Stickels for the cloud.
Dont forget to run on over to the Bugaboo Challenge Blog to see wat all the Design Team Members came up with. And Don't for get to come Back Tomorrow for a New Challenge and join us for a chance to win some Free Stamps.

Have a great weekend everyone. I will take photos of my Rubber Ramma shopping trip. Woo Hoo.

Tutorial Wednesday

How about making your own Texture Plates?
Today is Tutorial Wednesday over at Bugaboo Stamps and it is my turn to share with you. I have seen or heard of this technique before but I'm just getting around to using it. So easy and the possibilities are endless. I made my own texture plate and you can too. You will need some cardboard (I used the cardboard pieces that come in the packages from (SU Designer Paper) I bought the chipboard flower pieces at a LSS but you could punch or die cut your own. I aso used Modge Podge to glue 2 pieces of the cardboard.
Modge Podge works best for me for this step (you could use any white glue) I glued two pieces together for the base and two pieces together to cut the flourish piece out. All the pieces should be the same width.

Arrange the different elements out....

Cut pieces so they fit flat.

And you have a texture plate to use at "0" cost . Just think of all the fun you can have.

Since I have the Big Shot the Sandwich consists of The Multi Purpose Platform, an acrylic cutting plate. the Home made embossing/texture plate your paper (right side up), the rubber embossing pad and lastly the second acrylic plate. Play around with scrap paper first to figure out what works with your machine. Look at that acrylic plate. How much do I use my machine? A Lot. This is proably 2 months worth, maybe 3. But it still works fine.

This is what the finished piece looks like. I used Distress Ink to distress all the edges of the pieces of the card.

I also ran the pattern paper through the machine with the texture plate, but then, by the time I finished adding everything, you couldn't see the results.

Here's a close-up of the inside.

The front. I just realized that I did not ink between the holes for the faux stitching. Big Duh. I need to fix that.

And here is a shot of the card opened up.

This card also fit into several Challenges at different sites this week. The image here is Bugaboo Stamps and the paper is DCWV and the buttons are from a local scrapbook store.

Challenges:

Colour Create: use the colors Khaki, Aqua, Brown and Cream
Dutch Dare Card Challenges: a supper cool sketch
Cute Card Thursday: Make a card for someone special
Crafty Cardmakers: Inside Out, Decorate the inside of the card as wll as the outside. How perfect is an easel card for this?

Sew Many Cards: Make an easel card

Stamp Something Challenges: Celebrate Something

Have a great week and come back Friday to see what I do for the Bugaboo Friday Freebie and Saturday for a new Bugaboo Challenge. It should be fun.

New Release Tuesday Over at Bugaboo. WOO HOO!

It's Tuesday. Mildred is back with all her wit. Yea! You can find some wonderful samples over on the Bugaboo Blog today made by our fantastic Design Team. Stop by and leave them some love and then head on over to the store and pick up a Mildred or two.
I used some papers by s.e.i. for this card (love those colors) and I colored Mildred up with my Copics. I used Scrappy's Sunday Sketch ( you can fnd it HERE)
This sentiment so sounds like me these days. I hae an appointment in one month with my cardioligist and she is going to kill me. I need to get exercising.

Have a great day and don't forget to come back for a fun tutorial tomorrow.

Where Does The Time Go?

I am so Happy with myself today because I finally got a Challenge for Sassy Cheryl's and it is in time to enter the Challenge. Woo Hoo. The Challenge this last week is a sketch. I do like this one. I used some paper I bought last week by DCWV called Linen Closet. I used Copics to color the image and then stickels on the bubbels to make them shimmer. Awhile back I bought a very cool Scrapbook Kit at Tuesday Morning Store by Cosmo Cricket

Two 8X8 scrapbooks come with it and fit into a pretty box so I finally had some free time and decided that what I would do was make a book of my favorite photos of Claudette for one and then my favorite photos of KayLynn for the other.

Claudette is 11 now and graduating from the 6th grade in a few weeks. Where did all the years go? She was just 8 months old when I took these photos. Look at all that hair. I decided that distressing all the edges of the different papers would look really nice. I just love the distressed look. The sketch that I used for this page is from Beatrix. You can find her sketches Here and her blog Here. Wonderful things on these sites and she is also on the Friday Sketchers Challenge DT. There are a bunch of talented ladies over there too. This kit is so cool. There are wonderful papers,alaphabets,chipboard ribbons and brads. Just to mention a few.

Look at those eyes.The ribbons are recycled from a birthday gift and the polka dot was some that I won from Verve stamps a couple years ago. I've been saving it for something special. The little heart charm is one that I have had for awhile too.

Have a really great week everyone and don't forget to check in Tuesday for New Release Day at Bugaboo.