The last of the Outlines Entries

In a bigger effort to be as brief as possible I am posting the final two designs submitted for the Outlines Design Team. Keeping it short for two reasons: I want to do Tim Holtz's tag #4 (it is soooooo cute) and DS will be ready for bed soon. This first one is done using one of their mandela flower type stamps.

I had a load of fun using my Sakura pens to color them in to create a unique design.

I used my craft knife to cut away the 'leaves' from the main image and curled them using a pencil. The underside was spritzed with Glimmer mist so there would not be any glaring white peeking out. I stamped a second image to use under the main flower.

I made a mask by removing one petal and used that to spray a different color of Glimmer Mist on each one. After drying them, I used my Sakura pens to mimic the pattern on top.

This reminds me of a lotus blossom. If I were to do this card again, I would stamp the main image and then remove the inside petal of the large petal and create a third level for added dimension. I secured the two with a brad and gave the upper petals a slight turn to the right. It does matter how you place the top. Make sure that the petals are aligned correctly prior to turning. This is another shot but with normal lighting. Look at how glistening it looks.

The Believe is from a metal embellishment from Pressed Petals. I simply used it in my Cuttlebug and was able to get the impression to show very well on the Bazzill cardstock.

I wanted to keep the background and the accessories as simple as possible so as not to detract from that breathtaking stamp. I lightly embossed a petal background using a Sizzix texture plate. You can really see the stamp's dimension.

The final card was a Halloween one. This one should be titled looks are deceiving. I stamped this image 5 times. Twice in black, once in green, orange, and brown. I did quite a bit of paper pieceing to make this one happen.

The image was built up from the cats. I went over them with a black embossing pen and heat embossed. They have a lot of solid dimension.

I distressed the pumpkins after heat embossing them. I used an orange Sakura stardust pen to highlight the veins on the pumpkins and to create the Jack-o-lantern face. The leaves and stems are all pieced to the main image. I traced over the leaves and vine with a Sakura metallic pen.

I distressed the edges of the card using a combination of Dusty Concord and Vintage Photo. I colored the moon with a Yellow embossing pen and then went around the cat to create a slightly scary shadow. Considered doing something wierd to the eyes, but decided to leave them alone. The paper is Halloween Echo Park Collection, ribbon is from a swap and the Boo is one of the EK Success slimline punches--love those. The pumpkin prop was borrowed from my son. :)

So, it is back to the drawing board for me.  I will either need to re-work my ideas or come up with something much more clever or have less talented people to compete against to make it for the next design team call.

In the meantime I will continue to create and ink in the name of love.

Until then.

Bah Humbug

Well, not quite, but close enough. First I want to say a huge congrats to Laura Cox for being selected to be a guest designer for one month on the Cosmo Cricket Blog. She did some fabulous cards and layouts using the Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather collection. Make sure you go and take a look at her work and leave her comment or two. I know that she likes getting them.

So why the 'Bah Humbug' you ask? Well a fellow scrapper and I submitted projects for the Outlines Rubber Stamp Design team but neither made the cut. Bummer. There is always next time.

To refresh your memory, this is one of the projects I submitted. The trees are from Outlines. I stamped them in clear embossing ink and then colored them using Distress Inks. I cut them apart and reassembled them onto a base tree stamped in black and embossed. The leftovers from the trees, (I cut them out) were used to create the presents at the base of the tree.

The Journaling is computer generated and I like the look it adds to this layout. I used the Sakura white gel pen to create the look of snow on the font.

Here is a closer look at those awesome trees. I love paper piecing. It is super easy to do with Outlines. I stamped and embossed the trees with clear ink. I then distressed each tree, cut it apart and reassembled it. I used Sakura Stardust pens to bling them out. Added a bit of the same glimmer to the presents--Fiskars Squeeze punch.

In addition to the layout, I also submitted the following card. I really went out on a limb and tried to think outside of the box for this one. My aim was to show how versatile one stamp could be. I frosted the trees with a combo Flower Soft mix. The reindeer are from Joys of the Season. They are soooo cute that I can barely stand it. The snow drops are the new enamels from Ranger.

 

I did the same stamping technique on this one except I kept the tree whole, used a variety of the green Distress Inks, and blinged out all of the decorative elements. This is a pop up card and you are seeing the inside. I tried to attempt a winter forest look. So I added a few snow drifts to the scene. It looks very festive to me and quite woodsy.

It's getting late and I want to get my fingers inky before retiring to bed.
Until then.

CropChocolate Online Crop: Challenge 6

Ok, I have to admit that this one was probably my favorite challenge. When I participate in these events, I want to produce something that I can use or send out to someone. The cards made in my Vee-dios are sent out to people, unless they go terribly awry, then I cut them up to make something else. 

This challenge was to create a Thankful Journal. You could make one of your own, directions were provided, or you could alter the front of your binder or notebook. I chose the latter. 

I purchased this black journal quite some time ago. Always with the intentions of enhancing it somehow. This crop challenge provided the perfect opportunity. 

The label is of the easy peel off variety. My hands were itching to remove it and get started. So first I pulled out a stash of potential materials to use.

I sat and stared at everything for a bit, wondering where to start. Then I remembered a layout by Sue Wilson that really appealed to me on some level. I took several of her elements and pulled them into my interpretation. I pulled out my Basic Grey Ambrosia paper pack and selected a few sheets, some stamp images, alphas, and sayings, Spellbinder dies and a few other things I thought I might press into service.

After much cutting, trimming and inking, I was left with this incredible journal in which to record my thoughts and actions on being thankful and showing my gratitude to those who help me.

All of the papers are from the Basic Grey Ambrosia collection. I just love the warmth of the colors in this line. It is reminiscent of India to me. The patterns are awesome and there is such a nice mix.

I used several Spellbinder dies: Beaded Ovald, Labels 10 and Labels One and the Classic Oval. I inked the edges of the dies with Distress Ink, dipped them in clear embossing powder and heat set the powder.

The large background oval was cut from a Fiskars large oval template. I used the Martha Stewart corner Family punch to go around the oval.



Once that was completed I pulled out a variety of Tim Holtz Distress Inks and used those to enhance the oval. I also used an Inque Boutique swirl stamp and used the Distress Inks with it. My son caused me to drop my ink pad on the oval, and I covered that with the Labels One Nestability die.

 

I used the Nestabilities as a template and traced the outside rim to get a smaller border around my pieces.

I stamped Be Thankful and Gratitude using an Inkadinkado harvest set. Embossed and heat set them and then went over them with my Sakura black gel pen. Will have to tell you the story about how I destroyed my embossing gun. Yep, melted that sucker right on down. But I digress. I glued the two pieces together using my ATG. At this point I used my Ranger white gel pen to place decorative dots around each cut's narrow frame.

The Bible quote was computer generated. I cut it using a Spellbinder Classic Oval die so that it would fit on top of the beaded oval die. I inked the inside edge with Tumbled Glass. I added some bling to the black beaded oval by 'painting' the beads with my embossing pen and then painting on some gold Pearl Ex powder. I did set the faux beads with a fixative.

At this point it was time to layer all of the pieces. The punched family went down first. Then I placed the Labels One die, then the Labels 10 die and finally the quoted piece. I thought about tying a ribbon and adding pearls or rhinestones or dew drops to the points between the family but opted not to do so. I like the look of this journal.


Yippee, got to use my inks. I am very thankful to Tim Holtz for dreaming of and then ultimately creating this wonderful line of inks.
In the name of love of course.
Until then.

P.S. The final challenge, #7, was hosted by Laura. You will have to return to see my take on her challenge project.

Lyn's October Challenge

First let me begin by saying that I usually put things off until the last minute. Well, this challenge was no different. The cut off time is midnight of the challenge month. You guessed it. There I was on Halloween trying to put my card together. So what happened to the other 30 days? Ummm..it's all a blur. Remember the teaser I posted yesterday? Here it is again in case you missed it.

Well once I got this idea in my head, I could not stop.
I was really shocked that I was able to bang this out in about an hour, hour and a half. This was my mock up piece so that I could work out the glitches for the final scene. Yes, you guessed it, Ms. Procrastinator waited too late to start working on it so for now this is the final. The other one is in progress. If I can settle down, I will finish it.

I love this silhoutte stamp that I got at JoAnn's. Ideal for so many uses. There were several techniques used in creating this scene that I could not write out all of them if I had the desire, which right now I don't. My eyelids are closing down on me.

Suffice it to say that I used my brayer and several shades of Adirondack Dye ink pads along with my Sakura pens, eclipse tape and several stamps. The sentiment is Hero Arts. I will most likely show on a Vee-dio how I did the title.


While this was drying my son stuck his lovely fingers into the matte and glossy accents. He wanted to know if they were dry. They were not.

I thought I would play around by covering the boy (gloss) and girl (matte) in it to see if they looked any different. They really did not.

Always thinking and inking in the Name of Love.
Until then.

Celebrating Spring

It is that time of the year. Spring has sprung. Except that this year the tree blossoms are coming and going very quickly. Before I have had a chance to get out my camera and capture the Dogwoods (state tree) and Cherry Blossoms in full bloom they are falling to the ground. One of my most cherished times of the year is passing far too quickly. Our area continues to go from summer to spring and back again. Hopefully by May things will have settled a bit and we will have more predictable weather.

This card captures so much of what I love about spring. The feeling of looseness and freshness. We are less confined by heavy outer wear and snow and ice.

This is the completed card which I recently sent to a blog winner along with her set of stamps. It is from the DCWV kit in the pink box currently available at HSN.

This next card is uber cute in its simplicity. I was on an aperture binge and could not stop myself. I used my Spellbinder scalloped circle on this one. I did not get to finish off the card but kept it in my stash for inspiration. 

Taking a look at the components close-up. Everyone knows that I love my Sakura pens and I used them on this card.
The flower stamped on the scalloped
circle was colored in using the meteor pens. It looks like stained glass. Very classy.


 The circle quote was stamped and embossed. I went over the tulip and the dots with the black Sakura glaze pen. Love this cute little stamp.

Since I cannot leave well enough alone, I also outlined this cute bunny with the Sakura black glaze gel pen and filled him in using one of the metallic pens. A regular gel pen was used to achieve his cute little pink ears. I will at some point finish off this card with a ribbon wrap across the top and bottom and send it out to provide cheer for someone.

This card was created using watercolor paper which added a unique texture. I am having a blast playing with everything. When I take out a set of something to craft with, it reminds me of why I made the purchase. I have great ideas for lots of other things, but need more time to work on them.

No matter what I do, it will always be inked with love.

Until then.

He Is Risen

I just absolutely love the Easter season. The promise of spring comes to fruition. The trees push out their blooms and the tulips and daffodils extend their tender stems towards the sun. Their reward for braving the cooler temperatures: luscious flowers that bring us joy and delight in a myriad of beautiful color.

In the springtime everything is fresh and bright and new. It is truly a rebirth. As we celebrate the death and the resurrection of Christ, let us remember that life can began anew at anytime. As a matter of fact this month's Vee-ism is, "The best time to begin is now." It falls right behind why put off for tomorrow what you can do today. There is so much satisfaction in beginning and finishing what we start.

My ScrappinFriendz Yahoogroup issued an Easter card challenge. Everyone who enters will get a prize. So, well, why not. I entered two. Both were experimentations on my part. I had gotten some new Spellbinder Dies:  Kaleidoscope being one of them, and wanted to play with my Sakura Stardust pens and my water pen.  Thus this first card was born. Disregard the cluttered background--not enough time to take a proper picture.

The water pen used on the diecut template behind the egg was the large size. Therefore, I did get some bleeding of the color under the die. Lesson learned.

I diecut everything using watercolor paper--I wanted something that would stand up to the pen and water work without warping. The base for this card is a piece of American Crafts grape paper cut to 8x8. I used the Victoria Cuttlebug Folder to add some texture.

This is my original pop up design and it will fold flat for mailing. I added some of the Dew Drops/Pebbles around the egg and some of the Martha Stewart micro clear gemstones. I do like the overall composition and debated on covering the centers of the two side pieces with a small flower image stamped onto the smallest oval die cut.

Here is the center image up close and in person. You can see what I mean about the bleeding so I corrected for the second card.

This base on this cute little card was edged in a mixture of Tim Holtz Distress Inks--Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint. The second layer is a card from Die Cuts With a View. I simply cut it in half and embossed the striped side with the Floral Fantasy CuttleBug folder. TH Distress Ink Worn Lipstick was used on the edges.  The white dots were created using the Sakura glaze gel pen.

To paint the bunnies, I used the smallest water pen I could find. I do think the results were much better.

This is a close-up of the large egg used. I created about 6-7 eggs in total using various background colors and Sakura pens.

I like the natural texture created by the watercolor paper. And this Spellbinder oval die gives the appearance of triple matting although it is only the single piece of diecut. I stamped the quote using some Martha Stewart acrylic alpha stamps. That was embossed onto a scalloped rectangle and layered onto one of the long Spellbinder rectangular tags. I needed it to reach from the bunnies and overlap the DCWV card. The gauzy ribbon mimics the stripes in the card without being too overwhelming.

It is my hope to get the remaining cards created and post them here. One will be for my DS. His favorite color is red, but I am hoping I can sway him with a deep orange or red-rose colored egg.

Have fun this coming weekend with family and friends. Remember the reason for the season. This is a celebration of the Risen Christ.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and see what I have been inking in the name of love.

Until then.

Zentangle Reloaded

Hello fellow crafters and those who like reading about what crafters are up to. This has been a whirlwind winter. I have been able to film and upload a lot of Vee-dios to Youtube. If you have not had the chance to check them out, see the Video list to the left. My area has been getting hit with a lot of snow. Being homebound is no fun unless you have lots to do inside of the house. I surely did. The best part was watching everyone try to dig out their cars and leave...to go where? All of the stores were closed! Great entertainment though.

On to the business at hand. I had been playing around with some images from Dover Publications that I receive in a weekly sampler email. There were some that were crying out for glaze and alcohol inks. Then it hit me: Zentangle Reloaded. I am all about finding easier ways to create art work. I printed all of the images onto acetate and allowed it to thoroughly dry. If you have heat embossable acetate you can use your heat gun. This image struck me as a suncatcher. Great crafting to do with your kids or a troop/club activity. I used some of the Sakura Craft and Hobby Glazes. These are available in a wide range of colors and there have been some metallic glazes added to the line that I am anxious to purchase.

Here I played around with the Glaze pen in black and simply traced the circles. I added different pieces of DCWV cardstock to the back to achieve various effects. The middle picture features a heavily glittered green card. The view in person is very striking. I also like the circles and bubbles effect.

This image was accomplished using the Sakura Identi-pens. These are permanent pens and are perfect for acetate because the colors are so vibrant. Again, I just traced over the lines and had a play with the colors. You can make this design be anything that you want. If you are feeling really creative you could go back in fill in some of the white space with the Sakura glaze.

Ok. I can admit and accept when an idea goes wrong. I was getting so carried away with my Sakura and acetate that I pulled out my permapague markers and decided to color in this image using the same method. Well....since the inks are not alcohol based, the colors did not blend as well as I had hoped they would.

I did not want to throw it out, so I tried using some of the alcohol inks on it. Needless to say it went from bad to worse. I still could not say no, and let it go. I saw the Cuttlebug and thought why not? Just cut it up and make it into something else. I used a set of my Spellbinder dies and made frames from the piece. They look much better separated and you can hardly tell that this was a project destined for the trash bin. Looks really art noveau.

Since I had out the alcohol inks, another why not? opportunity presented itself. I used butterscotch and  plum and dabbed these two pieces of acetate. I then turned them over and decorated the front. One I did in freestlye classic Zentangle/Zendoodle.

The other I took some help from some beautifully designed DSWV paisley paper. I laid the acetate over the sheet of card stock and took only the images I wanted. I did a bit of freehand just to give some looseness to the piece. It strikes me as carefree and I did not want to lose that.

Out of all of the projects, I think the garbage piece is my favorite. I like how the pens and inks give this a very funky appearance. You could not buy this in a store, so that makes it a true original. I don't like or do cookie cutter. So, I guess my best advice for making your work stand out from the rest, mess it up a bit and feel free to make some mistakes and you just might be pleased with what results. If not, then trash it and start all over again.

When you do start again, make sure that everything gets inked with love.

Until then.