Gold Foxes and Such

We have a fun new challenge over at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog! This week we are making it SPARKLE! Because... GLITTER! Okay, so you don't HAVE to use glitter, but you do need to make your project sparkle in SOME way and as far as I can tell, there is pretty much no reason to NOT use glitter. I mean, really, folks. It's glitter. LOVE! Anyway, the design team is featuring Neat and Tangled and Jane's Doodles stamps this week. You don't have to use them, but if you have them we would love to see you rock 'em!



Soooo... remember that part where you were saying how much you hated glitter because of the mess? (Okay, so I totally know only a few of you were saying that, but run with me on this one, K? K. Thanks. I appreciate your support. I really do.) Welllll.... it just so happens that this beauty is done with precisely ZERO loose glitter and precisely LOTS of sparkly goodness! Glitter paper, folks. That's right, my friends, glitter paper. Specifically, an absolutely GORGEOUS new die from Spellbinders called Foxy cut from DCWV Glitzy Glitter paper. Why, yes, yes, folks, I am in love. Thanks for noticing my glow.



I stamped the Simon Says Stamp Wide Stripe background in Insulation Pink for a pretty accent behind the focal point. It makes me happy. Now it's YOUR turn! Be sure to link up you NEW creation for a chance to win a $50 Gift Voucher to the Simon Says Stamp Store! Woot! Woot!

You can find links to the products I used on my card below.

Have a Happy!

Spellbinders Foxy in'spired die Neat and Tangled Across The Card *Simon Says Cling Rubber Stamp WIDE STRIPES BACKGROUND SSS101383 My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink Insulation Pink *DCWV Cardstock 12 x 12 GLITZY GLITTER Paper Stack Printed Matstack PS-005-00260 *DCWV Cardstock 6 x 6 GLITZY GLITTER Paper Stack Printed Matstack MS-019-00052 *Crafter's Companion 50 PACK ULTRA SMOOTH PREMIUM WHITE CARDSTOCK 752252 *Ranger EMBOSSING POWDER LIQUID PLATINUM Rubber Stamp Ink *Studio Calico GOLD Essentials Sequins 332149 *EK Success POWDER TOOL Applicator EKT001 *Precision Heat Embossing Emboss Tool Gun Hero Arts PW200 *Sizzix BIG SHOT MACHINE Powder Blue & Teal 657900 *Claudine Hellmuth Studio MINI MULTI MEDIUM MATTE Glue Adhesive Paint Ranger

InLinkz.com

Distress Ink Watercoloring

With the watercolor look gaining in popularity, I have been playing with different methods more and more.  For this card, I pulled out some of my Tim Holtz distress inks and my craft mat to do a little ink watercoloring.  I pressed the ink pads onto my craft mat and then used a waterbrush to pick up the colors and add them to my stamped images.



For the sentiment banner, I masked off an area and then used a couple of different inks in blue tones to get my ombre look.  I really love how that part turned out.  The colors just blended beautifully and did exactly what I wanted them to do.  I grounded them with a bit of black and then added a strip of glitter paper for some sparkle!



The postcard stamp is from the Camden Town Male 1 set from Crafter's Companion and the sentiment is from the Sentimentals Love is All You Need set.  I love the sentimentals sets.  And the Camden sets, for that matter.  This card combines some of my favorites!  YAY!!!

Have you tried watercoloring with distress inks?  I love it.  I really do.  It's a lot of fun to do and a bit less messy than pulling out the tubes of watercolors.  I have some pots, too.  Those aren't messy.  I like them.  I need to get a good watercolor palette, though.  Like... the grown-up version of those white trays with the 6 colors in them we had as kids.  If you have one that is great quality I'd love to know about it!  Well... that was a bit of a random rambling on watercolors, but, alas.  HA!

Have a Happy!!!

The Life You Imagined

Hello, friends!  I have a new card to share with you today using the Falling Feathers stamp set from Crafter's Companion.  I love the feathers in this set!  SO pretty!  I actually have two cards to share using this set, so I plan to show you one today and the other later in the week along with a tutorial!  YAY!



To ink the feather, I used several different Tsukineko Brilliance inks.  I used the Dew Drop pads for this, as they make it super easy to apply several different colors to one image.  I love how pretty the mix of inks makes the image!



The brilliance inks have a neat shimmering quality to them that is just so pretty!  YAY!  For the sentiment, I stamped a phrase from the Sentimentals Imagine set and added a few glittery enamel dots.  I don't work in purples often, but I was happy to have this card turn out kind of pretty in purples.  Of course, glitter paper makes everything better.  HA!

Have a Happy!

If Mike Teavee Would Be Happier than a Kid in a Chocolate Factory

If he saw THIS stamp set, that is!  Okay, maybe not.  But maybe.  You never really can tell with kids these days.  HA!  Now I  sound like I'm 85 years old.  Cool.  Anyway, moving on....   (Mike Teavee is a character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who loves tv's... if you didn't already know that, I am very sad for you.  For reals.  Go read it.  It's amazing.  Then watch both movies.  They are BOTH worth it.  Just sayin'.  The Gene Wilder version came first and it's magical and you will fall in love with Charlie SO MUCH in that one and the Johnny Depp one is actually more closely aligned with the book and has it's own version of magic, as well.)



Yup.  TVs.  Really cute ones!!!!  They are from one of the newest stamp sets from The Stamps of Life and I love them and I want to marry them.  No I don't.  Want to marry them, that is.  But I do love them.  Lots.  The set is called tv2stamp AND it is the Stamp of the month this month AND it has coordinating dies that you already have if you are a Die Hard Club member, but if not, that's cool, we love you and will make them available to purchase later this month!  Woot!  Woot!



Here is another fun card I created with this awesome set!  It's full of glitter paper and a shaker.  Seriously, you guys... that's nuts.  But TOTALLY FUN, dudes.  For reals.  Totally.

And, of course, who can think of tv's without reminiscing about those black and white days?  (Yes, I realize LOTS of people can do that, but whatevs, it's my segue to the next card, so just go wit it, K?  K.  Thanks.  HA!)



Seriously.  Totally fun stuff!  I just love it!!!  You can check out this set and lots more inspiration using it over on the The Stamps of Life page!  There is even a cute video for you to watch!  Woot!  Woot!

Have a Happy!  (And try to avoid falling down long, barely wide enough chutes of chocolate, K?  K.)