Pigment Ink is not the Enemy

 Is it just me, or does it seem that pigment ink has gone a bit out of fashion. Hybrids seem to be all over the place and we love our reactive and I think our trusty Dye inks are still the king when it comes to every day creating, but good old fashioned pigment ink - the SUPER juicy kind - doesn't seem to get any hype anymore. Well, I'm here today to give it a bit of hype. 

Rose Gold metallic Hero Hues ink, folks. Yup. It's pigment ink. And that, my friends, is the very reason it stamped so smoothly, so evenly, and so shimmery on this card background! That amazing cling stamp, along with the others used on this card, came from the December My Monthly Hero kit and oh, my goodness!!!! Honestly, I was intimated by the ink at first, but I really wanted to try it because the color is just so gorgeous. I inked up that rubber cling stamp and made it happen and I am so glad I did!

Quick tip: Heat set pigment ink backgrounds and seal with Workable Fixatif before adding other elements to the card. That will help prevent smearing. 

Go dig out one of those pigment ink pads and have some fun! 

Feel like 3D Florals Take Too Much Time? Not These Ones!

 Hello, friends! Have you checked out the latest release from Spellbinders Paper Arts yet? I think a lot of us get intimidated by floral die cut sets that have some level of 'assembly required'. I was absolutely thrilled when I discovered this new Carolina Allspice die set from Spellbinders. This CAS card came together so quickly and it was so easy to do!

I die cute the set of flowers (three layers all in one die) three times and simply cut the leafy bit one time. I then used distress inks to add color with blending brushes. SO FAST and SO EASY! I added color to both sides, knowing I wanted to do a little 'sculpting' to give the card lots of dimension.

I was able to add visual depth by blending several color tones and then simply rolled the petals a bit before adhering them all in the center. This also allowed for a gorgeous Clean and Simple design after adding a simple foiled sentiment. This sentiment is actually intended for the inside of cards, but I thought it was perfect for this one! 

The dies and foil plates I used on this card and the one I posted yesterday are now all available at 15% off! 

British Ducks and Whatnot

 Did you know that was a thing? There are British Ducks. No, really. Very. British Ducks. I didn't know that until I went to London over Christmas, where I met the most British duck I've ever seen. Here... let me introduce you....

There she is. Tell me she is not the most British duck you have ever seen. And, yes, she lives in the Queen's Gardens. And she is lovely. I did not take her home. but I sure did want to do so.

All that to say, ducks are pretty fun. and this new SUPER cute duck die set from Spellbinders is no exception to that!

Ummm... seriously, though! I used an amazing new raindrop 3-D Embossing folder for the background along with blended distress inks and then pieced together the adorable duck, giving him sparkly red rubber rain boots and a sparkly rain cap along with a red umbrella. 

The sentiment die is from the new Raining Hearts Etched Die set and I love it! I stacked it three deep to give it a bit of structure and dimension. And... because I borrowed a couple of the child's rubber ducks for this photo shoot... he insisted on being in a shot with them.

He's a pretty cute little duckling, himself, if you ask me! HA! 

So, head on over and check out the newest release from Spellbinders and spend your day contemplating the nationality of ducks. If you do those two things, I promise you will have a wonderful day. You truly will!

Have a good one!

Star in a Jar

                                            

Start in the Jar by Sam Hay and Sarah Massini is a delightful picture book about a little boy who rescues a fallen star and keeps it in a jar until it can be returned home. We love this book in our house. Okay, well, we love LOTS of books, but this is definitely a favorite for the three year old member of the family. Given that, when I saw the December Hero Arts My Monthly Hero kit, I simply HAD to have it!

Just look at that perfect little boy with his star in a jar!!! How could I not? My son was also delighted to see these stamps! I'm sure he will be using them, as well. I created the background using a rainbow of inks and the Star Cluster stencil (one of the great add-ons!) and then stamped, colored, and die cut the image from the kit before heat embossing the sentiment and adhering to the card. I love the super colorful background! It makes me smile!

If you haven't checked out the Monthly Kits from Hero Arts, I highly recommend you give them a shot! They are amazing!!

I hope your day is filled with the wonder one finds when capturing a star in a jar!