Oh my BADness, it’s Friday! I can hardly believe the weekend is here already. I spent yesterday afternoon reorganizing my work space, and moving things around. Now I have to tackle the stamps. Speaking of stamps, I’ve had some fun recently going through my old stamps and finding things I had long forgotten.

Today’s Limited Supply Challenge on Splitcoast actually fell in my lap today! It’s called Oldies But Goodies, and the challenge is to use old stamps that you won’t get rid of, but haven’t used in a while. One of the other things about this challenge is to use some old designer paper or cardstock that you have been hoarding. I actually use my designer paper so what I decided to do were use items to stamp my own background that I never use anymore. They also asked us not to use Copics, but to dust off other coloring tools.

I stamped the image on watercolor paper and then painted with Ranger Distress Reinkers. To add just a bit of bling to the image, I painted on some Stickles and then shook on a bit of glitter (which I never use anymore). For the background, I stamped the sentiment in embossing ink and then embossed with Holographic EP (another item I don’t use anymore).

• Stamps: Witches Feet from Stampendous; Trick or Treat Sentiment from Custer’s Last Stamp
• Paper: Canson Watercolor Paper; SU Basic Black and Kiwi Kiss; Prism Majestic Purple Dark
• Ink: Ranger Archival Jet Black; Distress Embossing; Spiced Marmalade, Black Soot, Weathered Wood, Peeled Paint and Dusty Concord Distress Reinkers
• Accessories: Ranger Crystal Stickles; Diamond Gold Ultra Fine Glitter; Holographic EP; Brads; Ribbon; Venture Foam Tape; Watercolor Brush and Cup of Water
  

I’m heading back to the studio to work some more. I started a few cards last night that I would love to finish up today. Have a good one!

Happy Tuesday! Boy it seems like the days are just flying by and I’m spinning more and more. It’s been a busy morning around here today and the more I do, the more behind I get! Hate days like this one, and I just found out I have a project deadline to meet in the next day. So once this post is complete, I’m hiding in the studio for a day or two.

I’ve been thinking some about the challenges on Splitcoast, and have decided that I need to try and complete them every day if possible. A few years ago when I first started doing the challenges, I was new to Splitcoast. The daily challenges were the first things I stumbled upon in the forums and got hooked immediately. I participated each and every day, learned new techniques and improved my stamping because of the challenges. If you look back, it’s hard to pick out a Dirty Dozen member that has not participated in the daily challenges. I feel I owe so much to Splitcoast and the challenges, and want to support the challenge hostesses in any way I can. The best way I know to do that, is to participate.

So, in my quest to participate as much as possible, today’s challenge is the Color Challenge. Emily picked some awesome colors today (Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi and Ruby Red) that just scream holidays. While I was in Texas, I picked up the Witch Shoes by Stampendous, knowing that there were so many possibilities with this stamp. I had been looking at it online for a few months, and when I saw it on the shelf - well that stamp just fell in my basket.

I stamped the image on watercolor paper in Black Stazon and water colored with reinkers. There are a few Stickles on the dresses to add a tiny little bit of bling too. The background paper is from the BasicGrey Dasher Collection that you can find here. I sewed the background panels together using my sewing machine (which I must give a nickname), and finished off with a little bit of ribbon. This was such a fun card to make today and I hope you see the humor in it – Holidays/Hollies. BWAHAHAHAHAHA! (Okay, so the thought just hit me, Holiday Hos – should have stamped Ho Ho Ho instead of Happy Holidays).

Stamps: Witch Shoes by Stampendous, SU Warmest Regards

Paper: Watercolor, SU Soft Sky and Ruby Red, BasicGrey Dasher Collection

Ink: Black Stazon, SU Ruby Red, Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi

Accessories: Reinkers, Sewing Machine, Watercolor Brushes, Mounting Tape, Ribbon, Crystal Stickles

Because of the crash on Splitcoast, I’ve lost the last 2 posts I made. Now I do have the description for the Peony Square, but the one about the cupcakes (which I thought was one of my better revelations) I don’t have. I’m going to repost them both here starting with the cupcake card. Sorry for the repeat, but just trying to catch up!

Now for the Peony Square, in it’s entirety:

Well, it’s Friday and another week has passed. This morning I’m up early and out but I wanted to have some stamping for you. I actually did this card over last weekend, and decided to hold it for a day when I couldn’t stamp. And that be today!

Because of Jenn Balcer’s great inspiration, I just had to get the Stampendous Peony Square from eclectic Paperie. I love peonies, but do not have the necessary sun to grow them. However, I do admire all the ones in my neighbors’ yards while I drive down the road.

The image was stamped in Black Stazon on watercolor paper. I then water colored the image (which took me way too many hours) with reinkers and markers. Now if you haven’t tried them, I am really lovin’ these Tsukineko fantastix coloring tools that I got from eclectic Paperie. They can be used with chalking, bleaching, blending, etc., and are so easy to use. I knew while coloring the image that I wanted to use Cool Caribbean as my card base but didn’t know about the background. Once I had the image colored, I loved the brightness of it so much, that I picked a soft muted DP from BasicGrey Stella Ruby. The sentiment is from Happy Harmony and is stamped on the DP in Black Stazon. I stitched the sides of the DP to the black background layer and then used a piece of black velvet ribbon (that I got in one of Jody Morrow’s great ribbon shares). All products unless noted are from Stampin’ UP!

Stamps: Stampendous Peony Square from eclectic Paperie, Happy Harmony

Ink: Black Stazon, Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink, Rose Red, Cool Caribbean, Summer Sun, Marigold Morning, Old Olive, True Thyme

Paper: Watercolor, Basic Black, Cool Caribbean, Stella Ruby by BasicGrey

Accessories: Markers, Ribbon, Mounting Tape, Sewing Machine, Tsukineko Fantastix Coloring Tool

WOO HOO I feel better!!! I even feel like stamping! Needless to say, the rest of the family is dropping like flies. I actually was able to finish yesterday’s Sketch Challenge that I started and do today’s Ways to Use it Challenge. Instead of making two separate posts, I’m gonna run it all together and hope that is okay! Still have a lot to do around here, like laundry, dishes, blah blah blah . . .

Yesterdays challenge on Splitcoast was the Sketch Challenge. Hate to miss this one, well cause, it is my favorite of all them. Roxie gave us an excellent sketch from leslierich, and I have to say, I LOVE this sketch. It’s probably one of the most fun sketches I have ever done and am so glad I got to finish. Once again, I used one of my new stamps that I received from American Art Stamp called Toast the Bride, and what a fun image. It has so many possibilities for twisted and demented that I’m just reeling! Just a quick card, stamped the image in Black Stazon and then colored with markers and drew a few squiggles. The hardest part was settling on the papers, and finally chose Phoebe by BasicGrey (just have to love all of these papers)!

Stamps: Toast the Bride by American Art Stamp

Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Phoebe by BasicGrey

Ink: Black Stazon, Pretty in Pink, Green Galore, Barely Banana, Bashful Blue, Blush Blossom

Accessories: Ribbon, Brads, Dimensionals, Markers

Now for today’s challenge, which is the Ways to Use it Challenge. Today we are to use markers in different ways. Even though I did use markers yesterday and could have pulled off a double challenge, I feel so good, that I just had to make a second card. For this one, I used another new set that I picked up at eclectic paperie. It’s made by Stampendous and is called Open Bloom. I colored the stamp with the Close to Cocoa Marker, misted with water and then stamped on watercolor paper. Using a blender pen and a Brocade Blue marker, I colored in the image. The center of the flower is two separate stamps, the first I colored with the Close to Cocoa Marker and stamped, and the then the smaller middle image I colored with Close to Cocoa and then highlighted with Bravo Burgundy. Using my color spritzer, I spritzed the same colors over the image, decided it needed something else and distressed the edges. Of course, not satisfied with that, taking a wedge sponge and the Close to Cocoa Marker, I rubbed some marker on the sponge and lightly went over the outside of the image. Of course, I had already picked the DP I was going to use, Scarlett’s Letter by BasicGrey, and based the color of the flower from the paper. Both panels of the DP are sewn to a layer of Close to Cocoa and to give the flower image a little more umpf, I sewed around that too. The sentiment is stamped directly on the bottom panel using Close to Cocoa.

Stamps: Open Bloom by Stampendous

Paper: Very Vanilla, Watercolor, Close to Cocoa, Scarlett’s Letter by BasicGrey

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Brocade Blue, Bordering Blue, Bravo Burgundy

Accessories: Markers, Blender Pen, Water Mister, Color Spritzer, Wedge Sponge, Sewing Machine, Brads, Ribbon, Mounting Tape