Two more VSN challenge cards!

This challenge was to use a bird stamp. My only problem was choosing a bird stamp since I have a LOT of bird stamps, especially if you include my penguin collection. A LOT. Like flocks and clutches and murders of bird stamps. :D

Anyway, this is probably in the top five fastest cards I've ever made. Grab a piece of scrap patterned cardstock (Basic Grey). Stamp the image. Stamp the sentiment. Cut the piece to size. Edge with ink. Slap it onto a premade card. EASY. Gotta love easy. My husband did. That's why he married me. *snort* The stamp is one of the fantastic birds from Technique Tuesday's Aviary set, which is a "must have" if you have a bird stamp collection. Which I do.

Here it is!


This challenge was to emboss on vellum. You could dry emboss or heat emboss. Being an overachiever, I did both. :D The butterfly and the sentiment are from Technique Tuesday's Wingin' It Little Treasures set, which at $2.99 is a freakin' steal-of-a-deal. I embossed the butterfly with white ep and then colored on the reverse with chalk pencils. Copic markers and/or colored pencils will also work for this technique. I then layered the vellum over patterned paper and then framed it using a different piece of patterned paper (both by the Memory Box).

I used the Timeworks Cuttlebug folder to dry emboss vellum, which I put over a piece of patterned cardstock so that you could see the embossed gears as well as the translucence of the vellum.

And here it is!


Thanks for visiting today!

Red Dress Challenge

Howdy! Don'tcha wish you had a dress that was hot like this?


Better yet, I wish I had a body that was hot like that!!!

Yeah. I created the card for a Virtual Stamp Night challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers. This challenge was to create a project with a red dress.

I used one of the two cowgirls from Bombshell's Retro Cowgirls stamp set, colored it with Copic markers, added a touch of Sakura Glitter pen, and cut it with a Nestabilities image. Then I added a touch of Distress Ink. The sentiment is actually comprised of glittery alphabet stickers. I used some hemp/twine/cord stuff and some gemstones together with some old Flair patterned paper.

Sadly, the photo, which reddened the red, also doesn't show the glitter. And I cut off one side of the hemp/twine/cord bow. Oopsy.

Thanks for visiting!

Aloha!

Here's a second card that I did for the Aloha Friday Free-4-All challenge over at Splitcoast Stampers. Aloha/hello cards are very useful and this tropical theme has me yearning for spring!



I used the lovely bird image from the Hula Girl set by Bombshell Stamps. I colored the image with Copic markers and used some Distress ink as well. The patterned paper is old Bo-Bunny.

Thanks for visiting today!

Bombshell Stamps Guest DT Call Plus a COUPON!!!

Have you signed up to get the Bombshell Stamps newsletter? If not, you might want to sign up now to get a coupon for 20% off your order PLUS all the Bombshell Stamps News PLUS the chance to win a $100 Bombshell Gift certificate PLUS the info about the call for the next six (6) monthly Bombshell Pin-Up Girls, our name for Bombshell Stamps' Guest Design Team members! Click here to sign up now!

Just so that you know, if a monthly Pin-Up rocks her month by coming up with an awesome challenge, creating gorgeous artwork, and participating in challenges, she's invited to join the full-time team of Bombshell Girls and enjoy the perks, privileges, and fun involved!

However, here's a link to all the info you need to complete your application! The deadline is March 14th, so get busy!!!

"Inner Bombshell" Challenge!

Mary, one of the lovely and talented Bombshell Girls (blogroll on the right), challenged the rest of the design team of Bombshell Girls to create a project to illustrate each of our "Inner Bombshells".

I immediately knew what I wanted to do, but being me, this became the project that kept growing. It's now a 9.5" wall hanging with multiple layers, tons of images, and some handmade embellishments. It ain't easy being a crazed Virgo. Really, it's not!

My inner Bombshell is a rocker chick, who is tall, thin, young, and gorgeous. She can also sing and play the guitar! She's unlike my short fluffy 55 year old streaky gray haired real self who can't sing without making dogs cry. Sad but true.











My inner rocker started life as the Pirate Wench from A Pirate's Life set. However, I wanted her to be wearing something a little different, so I kept the ruffly camisole and added a tailored jacket and jeans. I colored her and her outfit with Copic markers and added studs with a silver gel pen.

I decided she needed a guitar, so I stamped a guitar from an Inkadinkado set, colored it, heat embossed it with multiple layers of UTEE, and cut it out.

Then the guitar needed an amp. Clip-art wasn't for me, so I made one, using a mesh background stamp silver embossed on black. The knobs are buttons and raindots. The dials and the amp go to 11, which makes me happy and amuseth me greatly.

Since my rocker is known for her singing voice, she needed a microphone. Enter chipboard, cardstock, some QK dies, a Krylon pen, and some waxed dental floss.

But then my rockin' alter-ego needed a stage and the stage needed a backdrop. So I made a backdrop using Bombshell's Sacred Heart set, a bird from the Love and Luck set, a bird from the Hula Girl set, and a plethora of other small images from lots of other sets. I love the word "plethora" don't you? Can you identify them all? Go to Bombshell Stamps, name at least three icons and the sets they came from, list 'em in the comments, and you can win the Butterfly Queen set. For real.

Some old Fancy Pants swirly stamps were used with Distress Ink. The flames were stamped repeatedly with three colors of Memento ink.

The backdrop involved stamping, masking, and a whole lot of Copic coloring.

Something was missing! The stage needed a header and some curtains... So a sugar skull from the Sugar Skull set was stamped, colored, and put under a clear Fragment. Maya Road chipboard wings were Glimmer Misted and added to the Fragment to become a flying sugar skull. Glimmer Mist was sprayed on some scored cardstock to become the curtains.

The scene was put together with tons of dimensional tape so that everything is nicely layered.

Wow. It took almost as long to write this description as it did to create the wall hanging!

Thanks for visiting today!

PS: I know that the scale is off, but it's my fantasy, so the amp and guitar can be ultra big!

Congrats card for Tuesday with Technique Tuesday!

Anyone who knows me knows that I love puns. So when I saw the nail on the Borderline Industry set by Technique Tuesday, this card jumped into my mind. But then being a "me of little brain", I forgot it. Then I remembered. Ha!

Here it is!


"Congrats" was made with sparkly glitter stickers. You can't see the glitter in the photo, so you'll just have to believe me. "You nailed it" is Maya Road rubons. The patterned paper is Basic Grey.

I also love the other images in this set, which incidentally was a gift. Yay. Love stampy gifts, don't you?

BTW, I thought it was a relatively cool card, so I submitted it and it got rejected. Too bad, so sad. :(

Thanks for visiting today!

Howdy!

Here's a card featuring Bombshell's Western Gal set, which comes as a digital set, a mounted set, or an unmounted set. Nifty, eh?

I colored the focal image with Copic markers and mostly used patterned papers from Cosmo Cricket's Wanted 6x6 pad. The gingham paper is from October Afternoon.

Thanks for visiting today!

Case-ing Char/Willow Challenge!

Charlene, aka Willow, was a Splitcoast Stampers Featured Stamper. We were challenged to choose a card by her and case it.

Here's hers:


Here's mine:


I kept:
• the music theme.
• overstamped the butterfly from the Wingin' It set by Technique Tuesday.
• layered the same way she did.
• used a Nestabilities frame.

I changed:
• Used music patterned paper by 7 Gypsies, stamped the butterfly on it, then colored it.
• Used a butterfly stamp rather than a heart (see above - :D)
• Used gems to connect stamped image to the outside of the Nestabilities frame.
• Used a different sentiment from a different TT set.

I really loved the effect of stamping and coloring on patterned paper. I will most definitely do it again using the gazillion butterfly stamps I have. I think flowers and some other open line images would work as well.

Thanks for visiting today!

A Rose by any other name...

Playing around with stamping and heat embossing on vellum. Came up with this one.


I used the quote from Rose's Portrait setand the rose from the Love & Luck set-- both by Bombshell Stamp, together with a Spellbinder's frame and some pretty patterned paper from a Crafty Secrets pad. I'm pleased with it.

Thanks for visiting today!

Valentine's Day -- Revisited!

Here's another Valentine's Day card.


This one uses a lovely fairy, a bee, and a sentiment from an unmounted sheet, Fairy Fantasy, by The Enchanted Gallery.

I stamped on a beglittered sheet from the Once Upon A Time pad and colored with a combination of Prismacolor pencils and Copic markers. The other patterned paper is by Basic Grey.

Thanks for visiting and excuse the time warp ;)!

Another one for the Red & Pink Challenge!

Here's another one for the Red & Pink Challenge over at the Technique Tuesday Splitcoast Stampers' forum!



I stamped Technique Tuesday's The Cupcakery set cupcake, added a cherry, colored the cake and cherry parts with Copic markers then embossed with several layers of embossing powder. The last layer was Polysparkle to add a bit of bling. I stamped the cupcake wrapper onto BoBunny polka-dot green cardstock and paper pieced it to the cupcake.

The sentiment is composed from two Technique Tuesday sets: "Sweet" is from The Cupcakery set and "You are" is from Weather Report set.

I used Nestabilities dies, patterned paper from the 6x6 Nook & Pantry pad by Basic Grey for the background, patterned paper from October Afternoon for one of the die cut layers, and some red & white Baker's Twine that I made all matchy matchy by coloring with Copic markers.

I don't really understand why, but the photo made the pink very red and also cancelled the lovely shiny and dimensional look of the frosting. Bother. I guess I need to work on my mad photography skillz.

Thanks for visiting today!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's the card that I "cased"! I created the card in January for my guest dt gig with the Technique Tuesday Stamping Techs over at Splitcoast Stampers.



I used Technique Tuesday's It's a Date stamp together with a cute houndstooth bird from the Aviary set.

It's a Date stamp is indeed a little treasure! It's perfect for cards pinpointing birthdays, anniversaries, and date-specific holidays like Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, July 4th, Halloween, and Christmas In fact, I figure I'll be using it with the birds from the Aviary set to create cards for those holidays. All I need to do is change the date and color the bird for each holiday! Quick, easy, cute, and fun -- just like I used to be about 35 years ago! Ha!!!!!

The papers are from Making Memories. I used little pink rhinestones (star, heart, and a tiny round one) for the dates and the bird's eye.

Thanks for visiting today and have a lovely Valentine's Day!!!

CASE-ing for a challenge!

Teri, Technique Tuesday's lovely and talented Stamping Tech Coordinator, issued a challenge over at the Technique Tuesday Splitcoast Stampers forum. The challenge was to use red and pink in a card. Since it's almost Valentine's Day, I've been using loads of red and pink.

Here's a card for the challenge. I CASEd another card that I did for my Guest Stamper gig. I figure it's kosher to steal from yourself. I don't recall if I blogged that card yet yet. If I haven't, I'll get around to it on Monday!

Here in the pink & red challenge card!


I used Technique Tuesday's It's a Date stamp together with two birds from the Aviary set.

The calendar and birds were stamped in Espresso Adirondack ink. The birds were colored with Copic markers. The patterned papers are from the Bittersweet 6x6 pad by Basic Grey. I used raindot hearts and plain raindots to mark the date. The ribbon is very old and I'm not sure who made it. I figured the date, plus the heart were obvious enough to let the ribbon carry the sentiment.

Thanks for visiting today!

Double-dippin' February's Bombshell Challenges!

Dawn, who is Ms. February over at Bombshell Stamps, set this month's challenge to use turquoise, red, and kraft in our cards. I decided to do her challenge AND use my sketch for it because that's how I roll. Hence the double-dippin'.

Here's my card:


Here's a close-up of the Hawaiian Girl:


Here's a close-up of the little squares:


The card features the main image, plus some supporting images from Bombshell's fabulous Hawaiian Girl set. I *thought* that hula skirts could be kraft-colored, so I googled "hula skirt" and proved that I wasn't delusional (or at least not about that *maniacal giggle*). The girl and the shells were colored with Copic markers. I then masked the girl and sponged ink over her to create the sand and the sea. When they were dry, I added some Copic marker layers. White gel pen was added to the sea. Both white gel pen and Glaze pen was added to the pearl for dimension.

The patterned paper is from the Boardwalk set by Graphic 45. I do love their papers!

Thanks for visiting today!

February Bombshell Sketch Challenge!

Here's the sketch!


Here's my take on the sketch, which also works for the "Love is in the Air" challenge over at Splitcoast! Yay. Efficient me. Ha!


Cupid is from Bombshell's most popular stamp set, Bombshell Angel. I masked off the banner that said "Lil Angel". Cupid was colored with Copic markers and touched with a hint of chalk on his cheeks (both sets <--- :D). Glaze pen was added to his arrow for dimension and to act as a resist to the clouds that were sponged. His arrow is shooting at the sacred hearts from the Sacred Heart Art set, which were also colored with Copics. The little flame was colored with glitten pen. You'll notice that I tipped the sketch on its side. I'm cool like that.

Feel free to play along and create a Bombshell project using this sketch. Share it on Bombshell's blog and in the forum!

Thanks for visiting today!

Paper Trey 2010 Favorites Contest!

Paper Trey Ink is celebrating their fourth year with a fabulous contest, where their customers choose their favorite project from 2010 and post it for a chance to win a fabulous prize! I love Paper Trey and I love to win freebies. Read about the contest details by visiting Nichole Heady's Blog.

I actually mailed away several "favorite" Paper Trey cards without photographing them. Bad me. However, my most favorite 2010 Paper Trey card is one of two Chanukah* cards featuring Paper Trey Ink's Mazel Tov stamp set that was published in the November 2010 issue of CardMaker. (*I had a third Chanukah card in that issue too, but it didn't use a Paper Trey stamp! Go me.)

Here's it is (completely out of season):


The dreidel was colored with Copics and highlighted with Spica glitter pen. Distress Ink was used to sponge the background.

Thanks for visiting today.