Falling... for the new Distress Ink Colors

Happy Friday!

Happy First Day of Fall!

Happy Anniversary to me!

Today is my five year wedding anniversary! The card that I am sharing today is the card that I made for my wonderful husband for this special day!

Last night, after he was asleep, I set it up on the kitchen counter... So this morning he could be surprised by it... and he was! I was still half asleep when he came to tell me how much he loved it! ...and how fitting it is for today... because it's the first day of Fall!

I am really excited to share this card with you today because...

the new Fall Limited Edition Distress Inks were used to make it!!!

Using the new Distress Ink color Ripe Persimmon, I inked up a 4 3/4" x 6 3/4" white piece of paper.  

I laid the Maple Leaf stencil from Crafter's Workshop down and I went in with the two other new colors, Gathered Twigs & Seedless Preserves, and my Ink Blending Tool to ink around the stencil. The leaves were cut out using the Tim Holtz Alterations Die, Tattered Leaves. They were white... I stamped the writing on to the leaves using the Hero Arts Friend Definition stamp and then using Distress Inks, inked each leaf up! The colors used were: Wild Honey, Stormy Sky, Seedless Preserves, & Forest Moss.

The heart and the backing of the frame are Sticky Back Canvas. The heart is inked up using Ripe Persimmon and the backing of the frame is inked with Gathered Twigs. I wrote my sentiment using a Sakura Glaze Pen.

The inside of the card says:

"A Little More Everyday"

along with the mushy stuff I wrote my husband!

I hope you have a wonderful Friday! Where I live its beautiful outside! All the windows are open in my house and I am sitting outside in our screened in patio just enjoying the morning... Blogging & drinking coffee!

Happy Creating!

Christine

Oh... I had to share a wedding picture... or two!



It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Happy Thursday! Merry Christmas! I have started working on my Christmas cards. I am determined to finish and get them out this year! ...wish me luck!

So many beautiful Christmas lines are coming out from so many different companies... walking into my local scrapbook store how can I not be inspired?

I made these two cards using the Christmas line, "Wonder", from the up and coming Authentique Company. I love their paper! The designs, the colors, the texture! It's very well made.

I bought the 6x6 paper pack and two of their embellishments, excerpts and noteables.

Hope you have a merry and creative day!

Christine

Stamp Layering

Happy Wednesday!

Here is a card that I made using a flower stamp that I just love! Stampendous "Narcissus Perfectly Clear Stamps". It is so multi-purpose! You can cut it up and use it in pieces or as a whole, which is what I have done.

...and it's a fun coloring stamp too!

I used several stamps on this card. One of the little tricks to creating stamped backgrounds like this is layering. I started by inking up a 4" x 5 1/4" white piece of paper with Distress Ink. The next step is to start stamping! The first layer on this card was made with a background stamp from Hero Arts, "Envelope Pattern". I then stamped the scratch lines using a Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous stamp, "Scribbles" and the flourishes, which are also a Tim Holtz Stampers Anonymous stamp, "Flourish 2".

The flowers I stamped on to watercolor paper and then I colored using watercolor pencils. The shimmer you see on the petals is from a product that I discovered when I went to the Creating Keepsake Convention, Shimmerz Paints! I LOVE this product. I bought 6 different colors and I wish I would of gotten more! Once everything was dried, I cut out my flowers and adhered them to my background that I had stamped up. Next, I stamped my last layer, the thank you sentiment.

I then adhered this to a card base.

TIP: I like working on a separate piece of paper and then adhering it to a card base. When I work directly on the card, ink tends to get on places where I do not want it, like the back!

I hope you have a fabulous, crafty day!

Christine

Stamp Storage Idea....

Happy Tuesday!

Today I have a storage idea for you!

I use to have all my acrylic and rubber cling stamps in binders. I loved it, but it was difficult to go through and some what of a pain to put them back... so I started to think of a solution!

HINT:

When coming up with organizing ideas, you want to make sure that your solution makes it easy to put things back in their place. You are more likely to put something up if it is quick & easy vs. if it is more of a nuisance.

This is what I came up with:

A Clip It Up!!! I absolutely love it! It sits on a shelf in my closet and it is very easy to access. I can see all my stamps, get the one I want, use it, and then put it back! Easy-peasy!

I have them divided into categories and labeled:

I have another Clip It Up that I got for Christmas last year... It is two tiered and has all my embellishments on it. I love, love, love my Clip It Ups!

For my wood block stamps this is what I came up with a while back:

You can see the details here.

Hope you have a fabulous & creative day!

Christine

It's coming... the Holidays!

Happy Monday!

It is so good to be back! I actually was able to play in my studio last night for the first time in weeks! Between going out of town, work, and painting our kitchen & dining room... its been crazy busy!

I have been wanting to make this project for quite a while! A dear friend gave me the cutest little gift last year for Christmas. It was a Holiday Survival Kit. I loved it and it made me laugh! I am going to make them this year for Christmas for everyone.

I started with an empty Crystal Light container. (I have a ton of these! I have been saving them for the past year... wanting to use them for something!)

I wrapped it with some Christmas paper and decorated the front.

(The poinsettia stamp is by Penny Black. The ticket stamp is by Memory Box.)

When you open your kit, this is what you will find:

Everything you need to survive the holidays! I am going to sit mine out on the window ledge above my kitchen sink this holiday season. It will be a reminder to just have fun and not get caught up in all the stress that the holidays try to bring.

Hope you have a fabulous and creative week! I have several more things to share with you this week! (I stayed up til 2 last night creating! ...it was a long time coming!)

P.S.

Here is a picture of my husband and I trying to pick out a color for our dining room & kitchen... I love the fact that Behr offers samples!

Crazy, huh? But we did pick a color and it is almost finished!

I will post pictures and you can see the color we picked! :)