Rachael's Handmade Designs

The Pin Up Challenge this month was to use three Bombshell stamps in one piece. I've been working on a new project and trying to push myself to get out of my comfort zone. So I incorporated mod podge, ribbon and some found items and created a mixed media layout.           For this layout I used the Love and Luck sparrows, the heart from the Madonna Woodcut  set, the small icon anchor from the Ahoy Sailor set; and the small icon skull and crossbones from the Homeward Bound set.   This project was stamped on white paper, colored with copics, tea-stained and distressed stained. There's some sparkle in there for fun. Eventually it will be bound into a small book.   Thanks for stopping by. Leave a comment if you like! :) Cheers! 

For this month’s challenge at Bombshell Stamps, the Pin Up Challenge was to “Make it Ornamental”. Instead of creating a paper ornament, I’ve been wanting to try creating my own. So I purchased a plastic ornament at Joann’s and filled it with Elmer’s glue. *Note - use floor polish if you want it to  dry translucent. After swirling it around a bit to make sure all of the sides of the inside of the ornament were covered, I poured out the excess glue and folded a piece of paper to funnel the glitter into the ornament. And then I shook! I repeated and tapped out the excess glitter and glue. After it dried I replaced the cap. Originally my idea was to stamp on the plastic with Stazon, however after many failed attempts, I gave in. *Note - Stazon comes off of plastic with lighter fluid. Instead, I stamped the image I wanted (I used the Tattoo sentiment from the Sacred Heart set) and colored and cut it out. Then I adhered it to the domed surface with Ranger's Glossy Accents and...

Cassie, the Bombshell Pin Up for November, has challenged all of us to confess to something. My confession? I love mermaids. Always have. I think its a carry over from my childhood - a 'The Little Mermaid" obsession that never really faded. Actually, its more than mermaids - mer-folk of all sorts, and tales about the sea in folklore. So I made this little art tag for my 'confessions' project. Hope you enjoy it! First I created the background. I started with a blank white tag and ran the tag through Green and Blue Distress ink. Then I stamped with a flourish stamp and covered it with glue and glitter, packing the glitter into the glue, and let dry. I stamped out my mermaid image and colored her.  I cut her out and put her on dimensionals to give a sense of depth. I added rhinestones to her hips. I thien background stamped the small icons in the far right corner. I threaded a button and stuck it on and added the "imagine" metal tag. ...

Its sketch challenge time at Bombshell Stamps ! Check out this fab sketch by the one and only Kathi. I was feeling way inspired with this month's sketch. I created a burlesque greeting card for this challenge. I used Butterfly Queen  to create this piece and a little imagination. I created a stage from the sketch for Butterfly Queen to stand on, scalloped the edge of the stage with a scallop punch and added fringe with some grommets. The hardware is Tim Holtz and Spare Parts. I really love this naughty little card, and its so fun because fringe moves when you touch the card. :-P Leave some love in the comment section and let me know what you think! Cheers!

Hello All! Thanks for stopping by! If you're here for the Bombshell  Blog Hop, you're in the right place! If you've come from Jenn's blog - awesome. If not, go back and start at the beginning to make sure you seen everyone's awesome projects!! The hop theme is Black and White. I came up with this artful tag that was inspired by none other than Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. I've altered Bombshell Angel to recreate Sally's outfit while performing Mein Herr. I hope you enjoyed this fun little art tag! Now check out what the other bombshells have come up with! Bombshell Blog:  http://bombshellstamps.blogspot.com/ Alison:  http://alisonsrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/ Susie:  http://whiteribboncards.blogspot.co.uk Alex "Ms. October!":  http://www.paperandstring.blogspot.com/ Torrey:  http://left-field-studio.blogspot.com/ Kelli:  http://www.cajunstampingqueen.blogspot.com Kim:...

Hello All! Mondays are now Monday Muse with all of us at Bombshell Stamps! Pop over and check out what Kathi and Kim have created for us this week!( They've created some fabulous projects that are sure to get the creative juices flowing!! ) You can play along every week at the Bombshell Blog. If you're hungry for even MORE awesomeness, you can check out the forum too. You can even sign up to win a $100 shopping spree.

Hi! A really quick and easy project that packs a lot of punch! The finished project can be used as a gift tag on a present, an accent on a page or an addition on a greeting card. This project features the  Koi Tattoo  set and is not exactly a tutorial, but just a little project for inspiration. ;-) I hope you like it. After stamping out and coloring my Koi, I started out using a plain craft tag, some no-name blue ink (to set off the orange Koi) and my brayer. I rolled the brayer in the ink on all sides to make sure I had an even application and layed down the color. I did this twice until my tag was completely covered. I cut out my Koi and placed it on the tag and stamped 'harmony". Next I used the small wave stamps from the set to create a textrued background. After gluing my koi fish down I slightly distressed the edges of the tag and added some green ribbon. You could add a little glitter to this, or perhaps some glossy accents for a wet look. Voila...

Welcome Back! I kept this month's sketch at Bombshell Stamps pretty simple. I'm still settling in and I don't have all of my craft items in one place yet, but I got to use my new Koi Tattoo set and Banner Sayings set! Hope you enjoy it.

Hi Ladies (and Gents!) As you know, August marks Bombshell Stamps' 5th Birthday! There are TONS of challenges going on in the forum , AND there's a huge 25% off sale going on. But it only lasts until tomorrow, so head on over to the website and see what's happening before you run out of time! Cheers!

Hello Bloggerland! I hope today is treating you well. Here's a little update on what's happening in my studio! I'm designing with Bombshell Stamps for a client and slowly piecing together some lovely cards for her Day Spa in Seattle. This greeting is far from done, but it's coming together nicely. I still have quite a few design elements to add onto it. What do you think of this so far? Cheers,

Playing along with CPS Sketch Challenge again. This week I decided to use mica flakes paired with teal. I love the paneling idea in this sketch! Also got to use a butterfly stamp which had never touched ink before! ;) Cheers, Xo, Rachael

Poker Face Greeting Card & Matching Envelope Supplies KaiserCraft Timeless Collection p653 Sheet Music paper trimmer scissors nail file a2 card base with matching envelope black and tan gingham paper (I'm using DCWV 12x12) Complementary  red paper (I'm using a sheet from Martha Stewart's Critter's Designer Paper Pad) Retro Cowgirl Rubber Stamp Set by Bombshell Stamps (using the profile pinup) Luck and Fate Rubber Stamp Set by Bombshell Stamps (using Luck & Fate banner) glue dots copics or colored pencils adhesive runner xact-o knife and self-healing cutting mat (or other protective surface!) pop dots or dimensionals Instructions Make your card base. (I cheat and buy mine!) flip times collection p653 over and cut out your choice of playing cards. If you want you can look up poker hands and arrange the cards that way its kind of a cute touch. Trim playing cards and shape with a nail file if needed. I am using...

Hi All, I've been getting some messages lately that comments are not available on my blog. OH NO! :P So I have done some fiddling and hopefully the problem is resolved. I'm absolutely loving my new crafting space! I've got more room to spread out and craft, and I find myself crafting more often. And best yet! I live alone, so I don't have to clean up if I don't want to! (And better STILL - NO ROOMMATES!!!) Not that I ever did before because I crafted in my own room, but now I'm using the space dedicated in my apartment for a dining room as my crafting space, so it's not taking up space in my bedroom. (Just making my apartment look messy - ha!) Where do you craft? I'd love to see your crafting space and how you organize your creative space. I've started on a new card featuring an image from Anita Be Stampin. I chose Sasha. First I colored my image with my copic markers. I chose a cool color palette to form a cohesiveness with the entire card. ...

Hello All! If you didn't know, I am Ms April over at Bombshell Stamps and my good friend Emily is Ms June! Her challenge was to use animal print. So here's my card - tell me what you think! What do you like about this card? (Personally, I just love the animal print paper paired with the fusia!) In other news, I'll be hosting another Blog Candy contest as soon as I reach 300 followers on my FACEBOOK page. I'm excited for this, and you should be too! It will be a large giveaway, just like my last. So what are you waiting for? Get on over there and show some love! The more love, the better the candy! :D That's all for today, Thanks for stopping by, Cheers, Xo, Rachael

Hi All, Today I have this cute little card I thought I'd share with you all. ;) Made it the other night. As you can see, it's fairly simple (only one layer) but packs a punch! I love the 'giggity' sentiment! Hope you like it. Also, I will be on vacation from 5/13/2011 to 5/22/2011 so my shop and blog will be down. Cheers, Rachael

Hello All My Lovelies!! Today's entry is my entry for the Bombshell Stamps Blog Hop: Weddings! And here's my card! and I actually made another one that is available in my shop: ***  Hop on to Kelli's Blog  to see the rest of the crew's great projects!! Cheers! Xo, Rachael

Hola Everyone, I hope you all enjoyed your weekend! It's Monday again and I've got some new items in my shop to share with you. Releasing Monday is this cute and sexy bombshell wedding card.  I created this card from my new stamp set from Bombshell Stamps, along with some recycled lace and some embossing powder to add texture to the fan background. The sentiment in the lower right hand corner reads "A Bride to Be" in gold embossing powder. The second handmade card to be released this week is a "Just Chillin' " Birthday card. The image used here is from Kenny K. Hope you all enjoyed this post. Keep a look-out on my store for these new cards, and check my flickr site in the right-hand bar for more cool photos. Don't forget - follow this blog for a chance to win my blog candy! Cheers, Xo, Rachael

Good MondayAfternoon, All! :) Saturday was beautiful and I got a lot of cleaning done as well as organized my crafts. I pieced together this and classic card. Another result of my obsession with the pin up culture. ;) All of the items used on this card are recyled. I hope you like her. :-) Rachael's Handmade Designs on Etsy is now a dedicated card shoppe - yay! :-D Very excited about this!!! I reorganized some items and added some new things, so please be sure to check it out. Also made and listed this sweet summer card! Isn't she adorable? Also, only a few more facebook fans until the giveaway! I'm still looking for ideas as a prize. Let me know if you have an idea! As it stands right now I'm thinking a gift card and a pack of cards would be fun! Finished and listed the Knight themed card! Yay! :-D Thanks for checking in. Don't forget to follow this blog and find me on flickr , twitter  and facebook ! Cheers! Xo, Rachael

Welcome! So, my craft table is an absolute disaster zone right now. There's stuff EVERYWHERE. (It's strange - I can't really work if it's *too* clean, and I can't work if it's *too* messy.) I wonder if anyone else ever feels like this?!? That's probably a contributing factor as to why I've been feeling artistically blocked lately as well. I need to fold up my table and put it away for a while and rest and get my creative juices flowing again. I have company coming into town this weekend so chances are I'm going to have the chance to craft until next week anyways. So this is the perfect opportunity to rest! I recently took my sewing machine to be fixed. I had used too heavy of a weight of thread and the bobbin had jammed, so I went a few weeks without having any stitching detailing on my cards. :( But! I made a new card using my newly fixed machine! Notice the stitching.  Last night I paper-pieced this bombshell with one of her digital outfit...