Simon Says Stamp and Show Me...

...YOUR FAVORITE STAMP!

For other details, to see other wonderful creations, AND to enter your own, check out the Simon Says Stamp and Show Blog!

What can I say.... most of my favorite stamps are Studio 490.  I know most of you are shocked to hear this.

So, I decided to go with a card.

My current favorite background stamp is from the Art Colors Life stamp set.

I also decided to stick with Adirondack pigment inks for this card.  I used the "wrinkle free pigment" technique, lol, using Purple Twilight, Sailboat Blue and Clover. I stamped the background stamp with Denim pigment ink.  The flowers are from the same stamp set, as is the "Simplify".  The flowers are colored with Watermelon Adirondack pigment ink and overstamped with the text stamp from Love to Make Art. 

 

It's hard to see in the picture, but there are two layers to the flowers, separated by a little dot of grungeboard.

And, I decided to add a star with some vintage glass glitter in the upper left corner, just for a little something.

Once again, our wonderful sponsors at Simon Says Stamp are giving away another $50 voucher!  So, be sure to create something and enter it for a chance to win!

Here's a list of the other design team members blogs, be sure to check out their wonderful creations!

Lynne

Nancy W

Nancy C

Linda C

Dan

Kim

Terry
Candy
Sarah

Linda E - the DIRECTOR

Thanks for stopping by!

Grungy Monday!

Here we are at another Grungy Monday! Can you believe May is almost gone??? Yikes! Where DOES the time go?

You can check out the details of the challenge over at Linda's blog HERE.

The challenge for this week is from Tim's September '08 Technique Challenge, which is, using the watercolor technique with dye inks.

I like this technique, and I also like using actual watercolor paper. I've done it on other cardstock, but I really like the result with watercolor paper.

I used one of my fave Tim stamp sets, Fairytale Frenzy. I used Lettuce, Pool, Butterscotch and Terra Cotta Adirondack dye inks. I did add some script in a light gray color just for interest around the edge, but I'm not sure how interesting it is. lol.

I could have added some embellishments, I guess, but quite frankly, I don't think this technique needs much embellishing. That's just me, though. Maybe I'm just stuck in one of my "simple" ruts. Dunno.

Thanks for stopping by...and many thanks to Linda for hosting this challenge, it's been great to revisit some tried and true techniques! Be sure to go check out the other awesome entries!

Simon Says Stamp and Show Me...

...a STUDIO 490 STYLE!

For other details, to see other wonderful creations, AND to enter your own, check out the Simon Says Stamp and Show Blog!

Oooo, this was a tough one for me..... NOT! lol!

I think it's pretty common knowledge that I love the Studio 490 style, (no, really?) especially the flowers! And.. the motivational sentiments.  So, I chose to use both to make a home decor piece!  Some of the stamps I used are from Live and Make Art, She Created Art, Mail Art, and It's Face Art. And, you'll notice the black flower in the upper left corner is made from the new Clearly for Art Blackout.

The butterfly is a Maya Road mini butterfly, covered with some distress stickles. The background paper is some OLD ledger paper covered with beautiful, old ink script, that I received from my friend Nancy.  I really hated to cover it up!

Once again, our wonderful sponsors at Simon Says Stamp are giving away another $50 voucher!  So, be sure to create something and enter it for a chance to win!

Here's a list of the other design team members blogs, be sure to check out their wonderful creations!

Lynne

Nancy W

Nancy C

Linda C

Dan

Kim

Terry
Candy
Sarah

Linda E - the DIRECTOR

Thanks for stopping by!

Grungy Monday and a Big MAC....

...ok, here we are at Grungy Monday on a Friday...hey, at least it's not Sunday yet....

Check out the details over at Linda's blog-r-uski HERE.  This week it's taken from a demo video of Tim showing the color block technique. And, you can check out Tim's blog HERE.

I've done this technique before, but used darker distress inks, and it's kind of hard to stamp with that dark of a background, although.... now that I think about it... I could have used white embossing powder... oh, yeah, good idea....note to self...

where was I...

oh, yes, my tag for this Grungy Monday... went with lighter colors this time... and used one of my all time fave Tim stamps, Nature's Wonder (don't quote me on that, but I'm too lazy to look it up).....

No big embellishments this time, just simple stamping. I used a black Sakura glaze pen to lightly sketch around the butterflies, makes them stand out a little more...

And, for the Making Art! Challenge ( there's the Big MAC, get it?) over at the Everything Wendy Vecchi group, I wanted everyone to try the brushless water color technique. We didn't even have to submit a finished project, I just wanted everyone to pull out a piece of paper, ink up a stamp with different colors, spritz it, then stamp. Take a pic and upload. Easy peasy super squeezy cheesy. I chose to use water color paper, I like the texture, and it's fabulous for this technique if you don't like a lot of "bleeding".

All stamps are Wendy's. Love the script stamp. I stamped that in a permanent gray ink first. The rest are the watercolor technique. It will make it's way to a card, I'm thinkin'. 

Thanks for stopping by....hope you have a creative weekend...I urge you to take 10 minutes and try both techniques, seriously, they both should take no more than 10 minutes.... just sayin'....

All Wendy, All the Time!

...well, if you really like her stamps, that's the way you feel...I'm just sayin'.

What I really mean, is, I was fortunate enough to be able to take one of her classes this past Saturday with some fellow Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo! group members (and also friends, but I need to put the plug in for the group, you know..). The class was at The Scrapbooking Studio in Moline, Illinois.

The class wasn't project based this time, but technique based using the line of Ranger inks.. distress, pigment, and alcohol.  A great review of the uses for the different inks, plus a nifty little ring of tags with each technique, to refer to.  So, I took a few shots, yep, actually remembered to: 1) take the camera and... 2) use it.

Nice, big new classroom!

Gather round for the next technique!

Art made by Wendy herself! Most of these have been on her blog.

Wendy's "demo" table

Demo table, part two.

Colorwash table, HEY, you gonna use that newspaper???

Looking from BACK of store to the FRONT. HUGE!!

Stamps and art parts, OH MY!

Susan's wondering where her "list" is....lol..

EWV group pic, from left, Deb P, Sandi, Me, Wendy and Susan

Sue and I sending a message to you know who!

What a fun day! Totally loved meeting the other gals and gettin' all inky!

And last, but not least, my piece for the challenge on the EWV group this week, which was to do some stamping on patterned paper AND use a bookplate with a saying.  Here we go, a card for a family member's upcoming birthday....

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, I appreciate your comments! Go Be Creative!

Simon Says Stamp and Show Me....

....an OLD WIVES TALE!

For other details, to see other wonderful creations, AND to enter your own, check out the Simon Says Stamp and Show Blog!

So.......ok......had to think about this one.  And what I came up with is "break a mirror and get seven years bad luck".  Hmmmm........really not sure if that's an old wives' tale or a superstition, but for challenge purposes, as far as I'm concerned, I'm calling it an old wives' tale.  So there.  lol.. 

Decided to go with one of my "stubbies", aka - a leftover scrap of 2 x 4. This one happens to be pretty much square at 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches. I covered it with paper from the Lost and Found paper stack, and some tissue tape around the edges.  Dewbird happened to have a broken mirror from his semi, which I pieced together inside a Sizzix die cut frame, cut about four times and stacked together to match the thickness of the mirror.  I added a clock from the  salvage stickers, and a grungeboard number 7.

The piece on the top is an old electric insulator, one of several I have found whilst digging in the flower beds.  I have found a lot of interesting things out there. lol. Well, come on, after all, there was an old barnyard that surrounded the house.  I keep hoping for a jar full of money, but haven't seen anything yet. lol. 

Ok, I know the black cat is superstition, but I thought it was rather cool looking for this....

This week, our wonderful sponsors at Simon Says Stamp are giving away another $50 voucher!  So, be sure to create something and enter it for a chance to win!

Here's a list of the other design team members blogs, be sure to check out their wonderful creations!

Lynne

Nancy W

Nancy C

Linda C

Dan

Kim

Terry
Candy
Sarah

Linda E - the DIRECTOR

Thanks for stopping by!

I Love My New Hips!

The theme over at Grungy Monday this week is a technique from....

12 Tags of Christmas, 2007, Day 8!

So, I went with some different colors, and a little bit of a different theme..

....brace yourselves.....

...ok, maybe it's what you'd expect from me....

Well, I thought it was funny! lol! 

Of course, you recognize most of the stamps, I'm sure....The skeleton is Tim's, as is the witch face, and the dress form is Wendy's.  Actually, I think it kind of looks Alice in Wonderland Johnny Depp-ish.

I used Red Pepper paint and Brushed Corduroy distress ink for the background.  I then stamped over it with Wendy's bubble-ish background stamp, which I now realize doesn't show up well here.

Go over to Linda's blog and check out the other great entries for Grungy Monday!

Thanks for stopping by!

Simon Says Stamp and Show Me...

...ANYTHING GOES!

For other details, to see other wonderful creations, AND to enter your own, check out the Simon Says Stamp and Show Blog!

I needed to make an 8th grade graduation card for a nephew, so.... I turned to alcohol inks to make a bold and bright statement.  (I'm hoping it appeals to teenagers, lol) I also used the DREAM mover and shaper die, the Rock Star stamp set, and the I-Rock heat setting tool to add some "stars" to the city skyline!

I had originally planned to do the alcohol monoprint technique found in the Compendium of Curiosities book, but apparently it takes some practice. (this was a hard one, as I always want it to come out right the first time)...I wasted about three sheets of glossy cardstock....... I got closer with this one, though:

I left a sentiment off for the time being, so I can use it for any given occasion, just stamping it before I need it!  EDIT: I used it for my Mother's Day card...Mom likes the nature stuff almost as much as I do. lol.

This week, our wonderful sponsors at Simon Says Stamp are giving away another $50 voucher!  So, be sure to create something and enter it for a chance to win!

Here's a list of the other design team members blogs, be sure to check out their wonderful creations!

Lynne

Nancy W

Nancy C

Linda C

Dan

Kim

Terry
Candy
Sarah

Linda E - the DIRECTOR

Thanks for stopping by!

Grungy Monday!

...holy crap, can you believe it? I'm posting in the middle of the week....

I know, me neither.

So, I can't even remember what Grungy Monday we're on, to be honest. I guess if you came from there, you will know. If not, click HERE to go there. Ok, I did in order to do the link, and it's number 5. lol.

The challenge...a new dimension, is taken from a technique challenge on Tim's blog HERE. 

It also happens that the Everything Wendy Vecchi Making Art! Challenge #11 is to use a ticket, and as luck would have it, my brain cooperated in order that I might combine the two.  That's becoming more of a rarity these days. Trust  me. Please don't tell me it gets worse, I don't want to hear it.

I decided to go with a travel theme, one of my favorite themes to work with...'cause.....I like to travel. And I don't do it much right now. lol

So, I used an old map for the background...duh......the key and the little state of Illinois came from my friend Nancy, who has the coolest stuff to use for assemblage and collage. And a fellow thrift store junkie. lol.

The big ticket is one of my favorite Wendy stamps, as is the car, which is on one of the NEW Art Parts, woohoo... and the belt and the sentiment in the upper right.

And I'm sure you recognize the compass as being a salvage sticker, mounted on grungeboard.

My niches were a little messy, guess I need a sharper craft knife. Thankfully the paper covered up most of it.

So, now that I have this done, I'm wondering what to do with it. It's about 5 x 7, so I guess I could put it in a frame.  Dunno. 

Ok, so then...I forgot to post my Making Art! Challenge piece from the previous week.  The theme was stitching around the edges AND use a butterfly from PATTERNED PAPER.  So, I used some Webster's Pages paper, which had a beautiful butterfly on it. A little sentiment and some lace, and ...ta da......

Guess that's all I have for right now.  Thanks for sticking with me, even though I haven't been around much.  I'll have to try harder, that's all! 

Now....let's GO BE CREATIVE!

Simon Says Stamp and Show Me...

..some HANDS!

For other details, to see other wonderful creations, AND to enter your own, check out the Simon Says Stamp and Show Blog!
 

When I heard the challenge was HANDS, I immediately thought of the hands with the pointing fingers (no, not the finger you're thinking of) from the Studio 490 Mail Art stamp set!  The sign was cut from chipboard using the Hanging Sign die. I cut several of the sign bracket, and glued them altogether to make a much more raised piece.  The sign only has one layer underneath it. I should also mention that both the sign and bracket were cut from Creative Imaginations Real Wood paper. Which is somewhat hard to find now, they may have discontinued it.  Why does that always happen when you find something you really like? It takes the new distress stains like a DREAM.
The background and the sentiment on the sign are from the Studio 490 Art Colors Life stamp set. A resist technique was used with the background with white embossing powder, which was swiped with a paint dabber in Pool.  The big flower and leaves were also created with Studio 490 stamps, from Be Inspired Make Art, She Created Art, Let Your Art Have Wings, and Rose Art Part 2.

This week, our wonderful sponsors at Simon Says Stamp are giving away another $50 voucher!  So, be sure to create something and enter it for a chance to win!

Here's a list of the other design team members blogs, be sure to check out their wonderful creations!

Lynne

Nancy W

Nancy C

Linda C

Dan

Kim

Terry
Candy
Sarah

Linda E - the DIRECTOR

Thanks for stopping by!