Good Friday morning!  In my attempt to use some of my old snowmen stamps, I ran into an image that I have never colored before.  Not only have I not colored it, I don’t even have the stamp.  My sister, Carrie, is a Longaberger collector and has made numerous trips to the the factory.  One year she was so excited when she found a rubber stamp in the shop and she bought it.   Even though I wish Carrie would stamp with me, she is not a stamper but a cross-stitcher.  When she showed me the stamp, I stamped out numerous images and then gave the stamp back to her.  I had forgotten all about those images until the other day.  I was going through a box of old images looking for snowmen, snowballs, whatever I could find, when I ran across the Garden Snowman.  I did a Google search looking the stamp, but came up empty-handed.  I didn’t even come across the coasters that Carrie also purchased that day.

Anyhoo, here’s my second snowman card of the year.

The image was colored with Copic Markers and then I applied a light coat of Ranger Rock Candy Stickles on the snowman.  For the snow at the bottom, I used Tulip White Puffy Paint that was painted on with a paint brush and then heat set to puff.  I was super excited when I was digging through my button stash and found the old red button.  It’s cracked and distressed and I knew it would make a perfect embellishment.

• Stamps:  Longaberger Garden Snowman
• Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Memory Box Spiceberry; Prism Blush Red Dark and Herbal Garden Medium
• Ink:  Ranger Pitch Black and Old Paper Distress
• Accessories:  Spellbinders™ S5-014 Deckled Mega Rectangles – Small, S5-015 Deckled Mega Rectangles – Large, S4-114 Standard Circles – Large, S4-116 Standard Circles – Small, S4-213 Fleur De Lis Borderabilities, S4-210 Lattice Pendant; May Arts Ribbon; Tulip White Puffy Paint; Copic Markers; Sewing Machine; Foam Mounting Tape; Tsukineko Sponge Daubers, Ranger Matte Accents and Rock Candy Stickles; DMC Embroidery Floss

I hope you have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by!

Hey y’all!  This month has been so hectic that I can’t even believe that we are at the end of October already!  I just don’t know where the days go.  Thanks to all of you for your prayers, well wishes and happy thoughts during the past week.  My mother-in-law’s service was just what she would have wanted!  I must say that those church ladies . . .  WOW . . . can they dish out the food!    My mother-in-law always helped prepare food at the church when there were lunches, services, birthdays, etc., and let me tell you . . .  her friends spared nothing.  There was food to nibble on during the entire day and then they actually served us a sit-down family dinner of fried chicken and all the fixin’s. 

Now that I’ve recouped some of my sleep and am trying NOT to rake leaves, I decided to spend some time in the studio today.  How many of you remember bubble lights?  I loved them as a child and when I found them in the stores when my girls were little, I couldn’t resist buying some.  I can sit for hours and watch the little bubbles  . . . totally wasting time being mesmerized. 

When I saw this stamp from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps, I had to have it!

I colored the image with Copic Markers, drew little bubbles with an Inkssential White Opaque Pen, and then added some dots of Ranger Glossy Accents.  The dots looked like bubbles, but after sleeping on it I decided to cover the entire bulb with Glossy Accents.  Now the bubbles look they are are inside the bulb and not hanging there.  The image was then die/cut and embossed using Spellbinders™  Long Classic Rectangles.  To marked where the branches came out first, trimmed them back to the marks and pulled them through to the other side before cutting.  I’ll show you this in a couple of days via video, I just didn’t have time when I started the project.

My friend, Sharon Johnson, sent me this luscious May Arts Silk Ribbon and I couldn’t resist using it on this card.  If you haven’t tried this ribbon, I would suggest it . . . FABULOUS to work with!

Oops, I almost forgot to tell you that once I colored the image,  I masked the bubble light and airbrushed some pale yellow over the background.  Even though you may not see it, I wanted the light to put off a little glow.

• Stamps:  H2356 Bubble Light and D2615 All Good Cheer from Just For Fun Rubber Stamps
• Paper:  Neenah Classic Crest Solar White; Memory Box Spiceberry; Prism Blush Red Dark and Herbal Garden Medium
• Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Distress Embossing and Old Paper
• Accessories:  Copic Markers and Airbrush System; Tsukineko Sponge Daubers; Ranger Glossy Accents, Inkssentials White Opaque Pen and Queen’s Gold Embossing Powder; Sewing Machine; May Arts Ribbon; Foam Mounting Tape; Spellbinders™ S4-144 Long Classic Rectangles – Small, S4-143 Long Scalloped Rectangles – Large, S4-140 Petite Ovals – Small, and S4-139 Petite Scalloped Ovals – Large

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’ve had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend.  I know I am  . . . it’s Talladega baby!

Happy Monday!  WOW I can’t believe that I finished this project today.  I’ve had this vision in my head for some time . . . months and months . . . if not longer.  I might have jumped the gun here too, because I don’t know that this project will ever truly be complete.  I think it’s one of those things that will be added to on a continual basis, particularly if I find just that perfect piece of memorabilia.

So are you ready to see what I’ve spent the last 4 days working on?  I’ll even tell you what that green goop is in the jar too!  You have to keep in mind that this piece is for me . . . my inspiration!  It’s hanging in the studio right now and as I look straight ahead from the computer I can see it.  I think I’ll leave it right where it is . . . I am so excited with the way it turned out.  Why I’m almost breaking my arm trying to pat myself on the back!

My Inspiration Canvas!

A closer look.

I’ve had this canvas stored in the closet for probably a year or more.  When they have them at Big Lots for a couple of bucks I always pick up a couple just to have around.  To start off, I covered the canvas with 3 coats of gesso.  The last coat was mixed with Peeled Paint Distress Ink . . . the green goop in the jar!  I needed water quickly, grabbed the first jar nearby and poured in some water.  There you have it . . . green goop!  I used one of the Tim Holtz masks and a stencil from Tattered Angels and laid them across the canvas.  Using Copic Markers, I airbrushed over the mask/stencils until I was satisfied with the color of the canvas.  Aged Mahogany Distress Ink was sponged around the edges.    The letters are Grunge Board that were painted black and then covered with Rock Candy Distress Stickles.

The flowers are Grunge Paper covered with Graphic 45 paper and then die cut with Spellbinders Blossom Nestabilities and Flower Creations 3.  The edges of each individual layer were sponged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

I added some Tim Holtz idea-ology embellishments through out the flowers for more inspiration.  I also had some clock keys and a pocket watch from things of the grandfather’s.  They were added just because!  I left chains long so that I could add more to them eventually.

The word Believe and the leaf stems are the only stamps I used.

• Stamps:  From the Garden by Fancy Pants Designs and Vendy Vechi Studio 490 - Ticket to Art from Stampers Anonymous
• Paper:  Botanicabella Collection from Graphic 45
• Ink:  Ranger Vintage Photo, Aged Mahogany, Old Paper, Peeled Paint and Black Soot Distress Ink
• Accessories:  Spellbinders S4-192 Blossom Nestabilities and S4-109HL Flower Creations 3; Tim Holtz idea-ology Swivel Clasps, Hitch Fastener, Jump Rings, Trinket Pins, Muse Tokens, Game Spinners, Safety Pin, Sprocket Gears, Philosophy Tags, Word Keys, Grunge Paper, Grunge Board elements and mixed minis, Book Plates; Ranger Snow Cap and Pitch Black Acrylic Paint Dabbers, Matte Accents, Picket Fence Distress Crackle Paint, Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Claudine Hellmuth Studio multi-medium matte; Tsukineko Sponge Daubers; Gesso; Upholstery Tacks; Glue Gun, Vintage Buttons; Papertrey Rustic Cream Button Twine

Well, that’s all folks!  Have a fabulous day and thanks for stopping by!

Day 3 of the Process!

More mess

I don’t normally work like this

Can’t find my desk

At least the floor is clean now

Happy Hump Day!  October is a busy birthday month for my family.  Not only is it mine and Mallory’s birthday but also my aunt’s birthday month.  Actually my aunt’s is on the 13th and Mallory’s is on the 14th.  I’ve had an idea in my head for a few weeks now on what to make for my aunt’s card.  She’s not the sappy, sweet sort and like funny cards for the most part.  Remember last week when I said I was search for fairy images?  Well it was for my aunt’s card.  I did find a few I liked, but yesterday I found the perfect image.

I recently stumbled upon Mo’s Digital Pencil!  I subscribed to her blog because her images were out of this world fantastic.  Yesterday when Mo’s blog game up in Google Reader, I clicked on through and went to her site.  Of my goodness gracious!  Can this girl ever draw and actually illustrates children’s books.  I bit the bullet and purchased three of her digital images, all fairies.  If you haven’t been to Mo’s Digital Pencil, you need to visit . . . that’s all I can say!

Anyhoo, I downloaded the fairies, brought them in my photo editing software, resized the one I wanted to use and printed it out on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White.

I used Copic Markers to color the Fairy and die/cut embossed the image with Spellbinders Classic and Scalloped Nestabilities.  The background paper was stitched to a second layer and a border made from Spellbinders Scalloped Borderabilities was added.  The sentiment was stamped on white and then cut/embossed with Spellbinders Tags 5.  There’s actually glitter on the wings but you can’t see it in the photo . . . bummer!

Now we get on the outside that this is a Birthday Fairy who has come to wish my aunt a Happy Birthday!  But on the inside:

I truly could not help myself . . .  it’s just way to much fun being me!

• Stamps/Images:  Happy Birthday from Endless Creations; Say it in Script from Lizzie Anne Designs; and Fairy 2 from Mo’s Digital Pencil
• Paper:  BasicGrey Wisteria; Papertrey Rustic Cream; Prism Wizard Medium; Neenah Classic Crest Solar White
• Ink:  Ranger Archival Jet Black and Milled Lavender Distress
• Accessories:  Spellbinders S4-081 Tags 5, S4-114 Classic Circles – Large, S4-121 Scalloped Circles – Large, and S4-174 Petite 5-1/2” Deckled Scalloped Borderabilities; Copic Markers; Papertrey Vintage Cream Ribbon, Button and Rustic Cream Button Twine; Foam Mounting Tape; Sewing Machine; Tsukineko Sponge Daubers; Computer to Generate Inside Sentiment

I hope you have a fantabulous day and thanks for stopping by!