Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe we've come to the last day of 2018 already, but here we are! I enjoy the feeling of clean slate whether it be -- the start of a new day, the beginning of a new month, or the dawn of a  new year! I thought this TCW stencil looked a bit like a clock face it's center, so I decided to make a New Year's card with it. This card is a bit of a departure for me -- it's a bit more mixed media than I usually do, but I really wanted to do something with my Gelli Plate. I mixed two colors of distress paint (blue and gray) on my gelli plate and used a stencil to create the center of my card.

 Here's wishing each of you a Happy and Blessed 2019!

Supplies and tools:
Gelli Printing Plate
Mini Rosetta Stencil (TCW)
Distress Paint --- Hickory Smoke & Blueprint Sketch
Dina Wakley Pallete Knife
Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities (Spellbinders)
Clock Hands Die (Sizzix)
Tuxedo Black Ink (Tsukineko)
Distress Embossing Ink (Ranger)
Distress Ink (Ranger) - Hickory Smoke & Chipped Sapphire
Sponge Daubers
Silver Embossing Powder
French Market Stamps Set (Tim Holtz)
Different Strokes Stamp Set (Basic Grey)
Pearl
Silver Gel Pen

I'd love to see what you've been creating, so stop by the current link party and showoff any creation that includes a product or two from one of the companies carried in the Cropstop store.

Guest Designer - Jennifer Lewis

 Today we have a brand new guest designer here on the Cropstop blog. Her name is Jennifer Lewis and she makes some super cute cards! (You can visit her Splitcoast Stampers Gallery by clicking here.) Jennifer is sharing a fun masculine card with us today. In her own words Jennifer says:

"This card started with a magazine print transfer on my Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate.  I've found that the Ranger Distress Paints work really well to get just the right thin layer of paint to pull a good print.  But the travel magazine that I used had pages that were a bit too glossy to get a great print. No problem, It still makes a cool background.  And because I had been using a travel magazine, I was inspired to make a card using my Art Impressions "Born to Ride" stamp.  In order to make it look like a Polaroid picture snapped on a road trip through this place in the magazine picture, I masked off a square to stamp the biker and sponged in some blue sky all around him. I popped my "Polaroid" up on foam squares at a carefree angle and tied it up with a bit of black twine."

Stamps:

Art Impressions "Born to Ride"

Inks:

Memento Tuxedo Black and Bahama Blue

Distress Ink -  Black Soot

Spectrum Noir Markers

Other Products:

Gelli Arts Gel Printing Plate

Distress Paints in Black Soot, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade and Picked Raspberry

Spellbinders Card Creator A and B dies

 Now it's your turn to share the projects you've been working on! Stop by the current link party and link up any creation that includes a product or two from one of the companies carried in the Cropstop store. Hope to see you there!

Wonderful Day

Today's card is a clean-and-simple card. This isn't a style that comes naturally to me, and I find it hard to resist adding more layers and embellishments. I learned a long time ago that "not every card has to be a masterpiece" -- and "sometimes less really is more!"

To create this card I:

• Stamped the Zentangle Butterfly in Versamark Watermark ink on white card stock
• Added Brilliant Sparkle Gold Embossing Powder (Creative Expressions) and heat set and fussy cut
• Painted Lime Green and Ultramarine Blue Color Burst (Ken Oliver) on my background panel and added some white paint spatters
• I added three little Candi Dots (Gold Wedding) to the card front and a strip of tiny pearls down the center of my butterfly
• I also distressed the edges of my front panel for just a bit more texture and interest

I'd love to see your take on CAS cards so.....stop by our current link party and showoff any project that includes a product or two from one of the companies Cropstop carries in the store. Hope to see you there! 

Guest Designer - Sara Emily

Time for Guest Designer Friday again! Today we have a gorgeous sea themed card created by Sara Emily of Sarascloset. Don't you just love that awesome background and those life like looking sea shells?  I sure do!

Here's what Sara says about putting this beautiful card together: "I made by background with stamping and Distress Oxides in blues and greens followed by stenciling. I fussy cut the turtles from designer paper and made my shells using the Bigz Seashells die and Texture Fade by Tim Holtz. The seaweed is made using Funkie Florals #3 die. I hope you like my card and if you would like more details, please visit me at  sarascloset."

Products used:

• Graphic 45 designer paper
• Distress Oxide Faded Jeans, Iced Spruce, Bundled Sage, Cracked Pistachio, Pumice Stone, Worn Lipstick, Tattered Rose
• Ranger Transparent Gloss Texture Paste
• Distress paint Picket Fence
• Stickles mercury Glass
• Ranger  Liquid Platinum embossing powder
• Ranger  Distress Powder Peeled Paint
• Tim Holtz Mini Stencils set 10
• Mixed Media Thinlits
• Funkie Floral #3 Thinlits by Sizzix Alterations
• Bigz Seashells Die/Texture Fade by Sizzix

 Thanks for guest designing today, Sara, you did a wonderful job! Now it's YOUR turn -- stop by our current link party and showoff the projects you've been working on that include a product or two from one of the companies Cropstop carries the store! Hope to see you there!

Bird Crazy

Hello blog readers - it's time for another inspiration post here on the Cropstop blog. Today I'm sharing some mini shape cards I created using the Bird Crazy stamp set from Tim Holtz.  Aren't those crazy bird images fun?! I decided to do them up in some bright colors with a color burst wash background. Super easy and lots of fun!

All of my birds are stamped in Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko) and colored with Prismacolor Colored Pencils.  My backgrounds were created using Ken Oliver Color Bursts, diluted with water and painted on white card stock. (Card #1 uses Ultramarine Blue Card #2 uses Fuchsia/Tangerine Card #3 uses Ultramarine Blue/Lime Green) Using a small paintbrush I also added a few black paint spatters.

  The cards were die cut using the Circle and Scallop Circle Nestabilities from Spellbinders.  I also added a few tiny gemstones to the front, and some faux stitching around the edges.

Do you own a set of these funky bird stamps? If so, why not break them out create something fun then...Stop by our CURRENT LINK PARTY and showoff any project that includes a product or two from one of the companies Cropstop carries in the store.

July Link Party - #41

Hello friends! Today I'm sharing my updated tutorial for creating a weathered wood background. I originally posted this on the Wordpress blog, but since we are no longer using that site I thought I'd post it over here as well.

Step One: Gather your supplies - White Glue, Paint, Stiff Cardboard, Sandpaper
Step Two: Cut your cardboard to size and using a Scoring Board, create boards every 1/4 inch
Step Three: Cover your entire piece of cardboard with white school glue and let dry till tacky

Step Four: Paint over your tacky glue with your choice of paint (I used Blueprint Sketch Distress Paint ---- NOTE: do not apply using applicator, remove lid and use a paintbrush!)
Step Five: Dry using a heat gun (if you did it correctly, cracks will appear)
Step Six: Add a coordinating color of paint  and heat set (I added Hickory Smoke Distress Paint)

Step Seven: Apply a little bit of Picket Fence Distress Stain and rub in with your finger (heat set)
Step Eight: Re-score your lines
Step Nine: Sand edges and center to create a rough, worn look

Here's how I finished creating my card:

• I added a piece of blue Petaloo lace across the bottom of my wood background
• I die cut a bird cage using the Gilded Birds die (Memory Box - Poppystamps) from dictionary page
• In the bottom corner I added greenery and branches cut from the Fall Foliage Thinlits (Tim Hotlz)
• I created crinkle ribbon using seam binding and Wild Honey - Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide (Ranger)
• I created three flowers by layering punched dictionary pages and adding a tiny pearl to the center
• I tucked a pretty little bird from Mitrushova Art into my ribbon
• The top of the cage features one of the dictionary page flowers glued over a Burlap String bow
• Underneath is a tiny die cut tag (Cuttlebug) stamped with a sentiment from Dina Wakley's Little Birdies and inked withe Walnut Stain Distress Oxide

 Now it’s your turn to share the projects you’ve been working on! As always our link party is "Anything Goes" with these few simple rules:

1. Create ANY new project using a product or two from one of the companies CropStop carries in the store. (It’s ok if you didn’t buy it from us, and also fine if it’s a product we don’t currently have it in stock as long as it’s from one of the companies we carry!)
2. Please, no back-linking old projects
3. Limit 5 entries per challenge
4. Link your project here, link back to this post, and mention the CropStop Challenge in your post.

We’ll choose one random Winner who will receive a prize from the CropStop Store! (100 or more links = two winners and two prizes!) Thanks so much for linking up with us, we look forward to seeing all your great entries this month. Grab our badge and help us spread the word that CropStop is a great place to play along!

Optional Twist for July:

Create a project that features a handmade wood background of any kind and I'll enter your name twice in the random draw (for each project linked)!

Stamping Collage Cards #2

 

Today I'm sharing the last two cards I created around the ticket embellishments I shared in this post.
This is such a fun style to create with all the stamping and layering. There's really not a right and wrong way to do it, I just picked stamps/embellishments in a general theme and color scheme.

Here are the layers I used on this first card:

• I inked up Stripes (Stampabilities) with Fired Brick Distress Paint (Ranger) and stamped it on a piece of Kraft card stock
• Next, I embossed my card stock with the Gears embossing folder (The Paper Studio) 
• I Inked all the edges with sponge daubers in Walnut Stain Distress Oxide (Ranger)
• I stamped a corner stamp from The Journey (Tim Holtz) and numbers from Special Delivery (Tim Holtz) in Tuxedo Black Ink (Tsukineko)

•  The truck and arrows are from The Journey (Tim Holtz), the tire tracks and route 66 sign are from Here and There (Tim Holtz)
• they are stamped in Faded Jeans, Fired Brick, Frayed Burlap, Distress Oxide (Ranger)
• the truck is popped up with  mounting tape
• I added some burlap string to the left side and layered my ticket and some gears over top

For the layers on the last card are:

• cream card stock inked along the edges with Frayed Burlap Distress Oxide (Ranger)
• the edges are aged by distressing them
• a ship  and sentiment from Here and There (Tim Holtz) stamped in Tuxedo Black Ink (Tsukineko)
• a map from Air Travel (Tim Holtz) stamped in Faded Jeans Distress Oxide (Ranger)
•  the sentiment in the bottom corner is stamped there times in Wild Honey, Peeled Paint, and Walnut Stain Distress Oxide (Ranger)
• the ticket has a piece of black burlap string and it's popped up with mounting tape

Have you ever created collage style cards? If so I'd love to see them! Stop by the CURRENT LINK PARTY and showoff  any project that include a few products from the companies Cropstop carries in the store!