Santa's Stocking

Hi Everyone
Pam, who owns Stamping Buddies, gave me an acrylic Christmas Stocking and asked me to decorate it and bring it back in time for the Christmas open house that will take place this Friday evening 6p.m.-9p.m. She is going to display the stockings from the different instructors who teach at her store.

Now, I've had this stocking for a while and it just wasn't speaking to me. Well, I was over at SB over the weekend and Pam asked me again about the stocking... was it done. No!! Not yet. So I come home and it finally came to me. Alcohol ink it!!

I used alcohol ink - cranberry and gold. I then decided to apply the Cloud Nine Velvet Glitter  from Sparkle N Sprinkle to the top of the stocking. Then I needed to add my name so I used the letters from the Sizzix alphabet that I have in my stash.

I added ribbons and well, here is the end result:

Well I am pleased with the finished project. This stocking is one page of a 5 page acrylic album called Christmas Stocking, by Clear Scraps (scroll down about half way to view this album). Ca-ute!!!

Are you busy decorating and shopping, are you taking pictures of all these events. This would make a cute album showcasing the Christmas season, this year.

Well that's it for now. Thanks for stopping in.

From Tea Cups to Tulips

Hi Everyone
Happy Monday. Today I get to prep for my colonoscopy. No biggie, it's been 5 years and its time to get checked again.

So while I am doing that, I want to share with you a new stamp set that was just released over at Sparkle N Sprinkle.

Aren't these so cute.OK, look at the cup on the left, the yellow one, it's called the tulip tea cup and that is what it reminded me of, a tulip. So when I put my design together I thought of flowers not tea.

And here is what I came up with.

 The background panel uses a piece of glossy cardstock and I embossed it with a Sizzix embossing folder and then used alcohol inks to cover the whole panel. After that was done I colored the raised portions on the panel with Copic Markers to make the embossed parts look like they are in a flower garden. Adding the tulips just adds to the garden feel. I cut the stem and the petals freehand,with no template. Attached the stem and next I used my paper shaper on the flower and the leaves and then attached the flower head over the stem. Next I attached the leaves at the base of the card. By just attaching the leaves at the bottom fourth of the leaves it gives the leaf the ability to be manipulated and turned, just like the way they grow from the ground. 

Entering this card in the following challenges:

Penny Black and More - Summer Blooms http://pennyblackatallsorts.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-challenge.html

Stampin Sisters in Christ  - Challenge #146 - John 13: 34-35- Use something new on your challenge

http://stampinsistersinchrist.blogspot.com/2012/07/challenge-146-john-1334-35.html

That's it for today. Have a great week, see you soon,

Favorite Technique

Hi Stampers,

What is your favorite technique?? Well, mine is using alcohol inks and to be honest I haven't used this technique for a while. So I went thru some of my Art Impressions stamps and decided to use this one tree I have, that's one of my fav's.I am imagining seeing this tree on the African plain at sunset.

Please make sure to check out the AI Challenge blog   this week. The theme is favorite technique and if you play along, you have the chance to win a $10 gift certificate from AI. There is a new winner each week.

Recipe:
Stamps: Art Impressions - Q2281 Desert Tree, F2563 Adventure
Alcohol Inks: Lettuce, Watermelon, Butterscotch, Blending Solution
Ink: StazOn
Die: Heartfelt Creations HCD702
Ribbon
Card stock: Gold, Glossy, Green, Yellow Shimmer

Thanks for stopping by today, see you soon

Sparkle N Sprinkle Fall Inspiration Blog Hop

Welcome to the Sparkle N Sprinkle Fall Inspiration Blog Hop! If you hopped here by way of the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog, then you're on the right track. If you've arrived from somewhere else, you might want to start from the beginning, at the Sparkle N Sprinkle blog,so as not to miss anyone's remarkable cards! (If you need to return to Sparkle N Sprinkle's blog click here ) At least one prize is involved. The more visitors we have, the more prizes will be awarded, so tell your friends! To become eligible for a prize just:

Leave a comment at each designer's blog about her card and make a guess who you think has the Hidden Birthday Prizes

Here are the cards I designed for the blog hop.

Card #1

The panel behind the birds uses paintable wallpaper. I alcohol inked that square panel and then used a Versamark pen and applied the ink to those raised areas surrounding that panel, and applied Bronze Rose embossing powder and heat set. The chickadees were stamped in brown dye ink and colored with Copic markers and mounted over the wallpaper. I made those panels behind the dark brown cardstock using Color Wash on watercolor paper, and just mounted them on the front of the 6X6 card.

Card #2

Look at this scarecrow, out in the field in the moonlit night. That's a full moon rising in the background. I love this scarecrow, he has so much character doesn't he?? I masked off the moon, then I brayered the blue night sky and the green field onto the cardstock. Next I added Glisten embossing powder to the moon to set it off more.  I added the fence and the glistened pumpkins using dimensional foam. Lastly added that cute scarecrow and the sentiment and here is your 2nd card.

To continue the hop, please click here to visit Donna Maligno's (also known as DeeDee) blog who will be sharing her spin on Autumn!

Thanks for stopping by today and please leave a comment  and make a guess to be entered in the contest.

 

Barbara

Stampaway Day 2 of classes............

Well day 2 at Stampaway came early for me. And some of you know I am not an early riser. But I dragged my butt out of bed, went to breakfast in the hotel and went over to the hotel for my first class. 8:00 a.m., what a time for a class. This class (Sheer Fusion) was with Nancy Curry and she always teaches a great class. After 2 hours and much fun, I learned to play with alcohol inks a little differently. My masterpiece was done. Its amazing that a few colors of alcohol inks, a couple of pieces of transparencies  a black piece of canvas board and some masking tape can give you a really cool piece of artwork.(Getting up for this class was worth it.)

OK on to class #2. Gaye Medbury was the instructor and she taught us how to make a book called Step it Up. This is another class that I loved. This book is really not quite done. It needs some additional embellishments but the book is together and I love he way it looks and it is really pretty easy to do this book, even though it really looks complicated.

This book opens to pages that are in a step fashion and when you reach the center, you will see a page that explodes open to reveal a beautiful collage.

Amazing how a few folds can bring a book alive and make it so exciting.

OK now it's time for class #3. The one and only Tim Holtz is the instructor. I waited in line for about 30 minutes while the class in the room finished and Tim could get in and get set up for the students who were eagerly waiting for his 1st class of the day. The first person I see is Mario checking all the bins that hold all the kits for the classes.

                                                                                                                                                    

Next I see Tim and his other assistants going into the classroom to get it set up. In record time the doors open and we are allowed to come in and take our seats.

Charmed Possessions is the name of the class. Class starts and we all get our kits for the first class.We will be making a pin and 3 pendants.

The pin

A keyhole pendant

The Heart Pendant

The Bracelet

I am sitting at a table on the left side of the room up front. We have a great table location. And we are all at round tables. The room is a large room and we don't feel like sardines, yea!!!!!!

After a fast 2 hours, we are done with the class, and we have all made 4 cool things and we all are sorry the class is over. For those of us taking the next class we get to save our seats and go outside while they set up the room for the next class. So we all take a break and go back in after the room is ready again.

The next class I wasn't sure I would like. What, not like a Tim Holtz class?????? Well I am not a person who journals so The Journey Journal just didn't sound like something that I would necessarily like but, hey, it turns out it is a great little journal, a book or whatever you want to call it, but it is too cute!!!!

So whats not to like about this little suitcase.

It just so happens it holds the journal, and the journal is only 2 1/2  X 3 1/2.

A gift from Tim and Stampers Anonymous (Thanks Tim and Ted!!) And yes we received a gift in the first class as well, a grunge board alphabet. NICE!!!

All in all, the classes that I took this year were great and really exceeded my expectations.

Next was the preview party at 7:30  Friday night. It was so nice, and I saw so many familiar faces, vendors and friends alike. I got back to the hotel around midnight carrying a lot of bags. Saturday morning I went back to finish up and got home at 4:15. What a wonderful weekend.

Here is a small slide show that I made for other pic's that I took along the way. Enjoy!!

Tomorrow I will be going to the Burlington Antique Show at the Boone County Fairgrounds. Since the temperatures have been so high, I am getting an early start. I will be meeting a few friends at 8:00 to try and beat  the heat. So stop back to see what I pick up tomorrow.

Well that is it for now, thanks for stopping and see you later,

Barbara

The Challange

A week or so ago I was given an image and asked to make a card using it. I thought about it for a few days and came up with my idea. I wanted to incorporate a few different things into the end result.

First I decided to copy the image onto a transparancy sheet.  I placed the transparancy onto the image and using a Sharpie fine tip pen, I traced the image. Next, I flipped the transparancy over and traced over the image with a glue pen. I worked in small areas and applied glitter. I did the leaves first. I let it dry overnight. Next I went back and traced the center with the glue pen and added blue glitter. Again I let it dry overnight.
I brushed off the excess glitter and that was a chore from the beginning because the transparancy has static in it and the glitter will cling to every area of the transparancy.

I flipped the transparancy over, now the glitter is on the back and I can see the sharpie outline . The glitter shines thru also and makes for a striking result. I decided the background needed to be something other that a plain color or just white. So next I cut a piece of glossy CS the same size as the transparancy. I then got my alcohol inks out and applied green where the leaves were and a blue where the center flowers were. Next I used the gold mixitive  over the leaves and silver over the center flowers. Where there was still white, I used butterscotch and filled in the last of the white areas, adding gold over that area as well. I trimmed the pieces and added brads in the corners to hold the pieces together. Lastly I adhered it to a card (5" X 7") and added the ribbon & button.
Sometimes photos just do not show all the glitter on a card. This card turned out fabulous, too bad the pic doesn't really show the glitter in all its splendor.

Well that is it for now, thanks for stopping by, see you soon,
Barbara