Art Doll

Look on yesterday's post if you want the Technique Junkie Blog Hop information!!

Well, first of all.....I must say that Art dolls were never on my creative scope. I've always considered them on the edge of freaky.   BUT when you are on a design team sometimes you need to do things that are beyond your normal scope, right?!!  The face, body and arms/legs are stamps from one of the vendors (Alluring Impressions) of this issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter.  When I was given the stamps, I thought...."How in the world am I going to use THESE?"  So, after googling 'art dolls' to remind myself exactly what they were and how to go about making them look decent, I dug through my stamps.  As well as the ones I had received I used some leaves from Fred Mullett and See-D's.  I grabbed my Gerber daisy stamp from Tac and started to create.  It took me a while to come up with the color scheme and I must have spent 30 minutes trying to get the 'skirt' to look right.  I think I'll make one more (I'm thinking yellows and rust the next round) and let another designer play with the stamps!  The layer under the doll is a piece of Polished Stone.  The bottom card layer is Triple Dimension using the Fred Mullett parsley stamp.   I hope you enjoy my departure from my normal style!

Technique Junkie Blog Hop!!

Hello, blog hoppers!  So......didn't you just LOVE Beth's Decorated Pretties!  If you didn't arrive here as part of the TJ Blog Hop.....you will want to start HERE at the Technique Junkie Blog to collect all your 'treasures' to be eligible for the prize.  This month the prize will include special items you'll need to do some of the techniques in October's newsletter........Isn't that great!  Here is what is included:

- Pkg of Paperclay for Petroglyphic
- I jar of Smooch ink
- Micro Pearl Pearl Ex for Jeweled Acetate
- Glitter for PK Glitz Technique
- 3 Stamp Sets
AND a $10.00 Gift Certificate from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps

This is how the blog hop will work.  Start at the Technique Junkie Blog.  You will be collecting 'treasures' along the way.  At the very last blog, tell Pat your 'treasure' answer to be elibigle for a super prize.  Each blog will be featuring a sneak peak of one of the techniques from the October TJ newsletter AND an image or product from a Technique Junkie vendor.

I chose a technique that I happened to submit!  It is called Rubber Thwamping!  Isn't that a funny name?!  I really love the effect that it gives.  That darling show girl is from Two Nancy's Art Stamps.  I call her Lola.....I call any showgirl Lola....you know.... Barry Manilow's song!!  Now you are going to sing it all day, aren't you!  On my card I used four different colors of ink with the technique as well as some embossing, but the technique looks good with only one color too.  I also used the technique on the outer edges of the black base and embossed it with gold.  OH!  don't want to forget.....see that sparkley black layer under the image?  That paper is from the Paper Temptress.  It is just perfect to add that dark layer with a hint of gold sparkle.  You really NEED this paper!

PLEASE NOTE!!  BETH had the wrong code on her blog (just before me!). 
Her code should be 'O'.

Oh! Yes!!  What is MY treasure for you?  My treasure is the letter 'W'.  Now, you will want to hop on over to Jane's blog HERE.

Below is the list of all the blogs on the hop....make sure you start at the beginning!

Technique Junkie

Shelly 

Manna 

Lisa

Beth 

Ann  (you're here right now)

Jane
Kimm
Chris 
Pat  (you'll enter with your answer here)

I'm DONE!!!!!!!

Well....this past week the housework was completly ignored and there are little tiny pieces of paper and glitter EVERYWHERE!  I just completed making my snowglobes for my upcoming card sale....all 24 of them!!  This year I did snowflakes and trees on the snow with little birds flying.    At least these were a little less (very little) intense than the snowman from last year!!  I sell them for $15 each along with a case to store them.  Last year, if people purchased more than one, I sold them at $12 each.  I may do that again this year.  NOW I can get back to the fun of card making again!  Hope you enjoyed the picture.   AND for those who have asked.....it takes about two hours or maybe a little more to do each one.  They fold flat to store.

Well.....since we are talking about enjoying pictures, I thought I'd share this one with you.  My mother, Charlotte, lives with us.  She has her own apartment.  The other day, she intercomed up to me and said, "Bring your camera, quick!"  I rushed down there and took this picture.  Isn't it adorable?  That is a little frog in the spout of a copper tea kettle that my mom has on her deck table.  So, sweet!!

Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge #27

Well.....our challenge comes a little early this week as Kimm has a wedding in the house on Saturday!  I pray she has THE most relaxed and joyful day!  Now for the challenge this week.  The colors, when scribbed out on paper, didn't speak to me much this week.  No stamp was really reaching out and crying for those colors.  So, on the hunt I went.  I saw this stamp and thought....Hmmm.....that stamp hasn't seen ink since I purchased it three years ago.  Maybe now is the time!  I originally colored it with a blue tin and green and purple fish but it just didn't look right so I reversed the colors and then it looked better.  I made the background piece with the three colors of the week along with the blender.  It is soooo easy to give yourself a little piece of decorated paper like this!!  Try it!!  After making this and looking at the scan I see that I should have probably layered the sentiment and the fish for more umph!  I used a technique called Drywall stitching from the Technique Junkie newsletter.  Such a fun technique and soooo fast and easy.  I really should be using it more often.

Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge #26

When I first started looking at the color combo given to us for this challenge, I thought....."Oh my....how in the world will I find a stamp for THOSE colors?"  After scribbling them on a scratch piece of paper and staring at them for a while, I remembered this stamp I got from the rubber stamp convention in March from Auntie Amy.  I've wanted to use it for a long time.  It was perfect!  I naturally had to add a few other colors, like a lighter yellow to soften the white behind the fish and words.  AND a few other yellows to go with the challenge color to give my wood a more realistic look.  You can't see it in the scan but I used Copic's Spica glitter pen on the image.  Nice for a guy.....not too much glitter but enough to jazz it up a little.  After my image was complete I looked around for something for the background.  I originally tried to so a sanded whitewash (a TJ technique) with a piece of black/gold sparkly paper from Paper Temptress.  But, after the sanding, it just didn't have the right color to go with the image.  I'll have to use the piece I made on another card though as it turned out very pretty.  Then I remembered that I had some faux wood pieces made for another card that I never completed.  It was perfect. The image is mounted on foam tape to raise it up a little.   I hope that it inspires you to create!

Soft Thanks

Here is my first attempt at using my Flower Soft.  I think I need a little more practice!!  The paper is from Die Cuts with a View.  The words are a new little set from Hero.  So useful. 

Don't forget to check in tomorrow to see the copic challenge card of the week.  Mine is a GREAT man birthday card using an image from Auntie Amy.

Shirt jpeg

Well......I thought it would be easier for everyone to grab the shirt if I just posted it!!  Cindy....Hope you get it this way as I didn't have an address for you (since you posted as anomonyous and I know lots of Cindy's).  Click on the picture below and save it from the bigger size.

I'll have another post today in an hour or so.

Love my Shirt!

This is a story of a shirt.  A new shirt.  A shirt I really love.  A shirt with beautiful colors.  A shirt that really should have been paper!  ;-)  Well.....since I loved my shirt, I decided that it SHOULD be paper.  So, I scanned the material and printed the design out and made a card with it!  If you like the design, let me know and I'll send you a .jpg of the design.  The colors are just so rich and deep.  I haven't seen anything like it in the paper world so I thought that the ink spent to print was well worth it!  This will be one of the sympathy cards at my sale.  The inside sentiment says  "He leaves the best part in our hearts!"  That sentiment is from River City Rubber Works.  Enjoy!!

I got to meet with one of the local Technique Junkie members today!  Penny Yoder.  She lives within 10 miles of me.  We met for breakfast at a local restaurant and she told me about a fun week at the beach that she is planning for stampers.  You'll hear more about it in the near future!!

Inky Fingers and the Dentist

I normally only post once a day or less BUT since I'm getting ready for my sale in November, I've had to kick it up a bit to have enough cards.  Today I worked on this card.  The layout is the Sketch challenge this week on Splitcoaststampers.  The first time I gotten to participate in a challenge in quite a while.  I make four of each card so was busy punching and sponging the daisy pieces while my grandson, Zander, took his nap.  Had a dental appointment today too.  Got myself ready for the appointment then got Zander up, changed and fed to rush out the door for my appointment.  As I'm sitting in the dental chair, I remember  ......  sheesh!!......  inky fingers!  Here I was with yellow ink on both hands.  Hee Hee!  I'm going to have to get some of that ink cleaning soap, huh?!  The stamp was one I picked up at the last convention at a booth that sold the punches.  So fun to make!  The daisy was colored with copics.  The colored background pieces were run through Cuttlebug folders and lightly sponged.  The long narrow piece is vellum that is embossed using my Onare template.  Isn't it pretty!?

On the other hand (inky fingered hand), my dental appointment went fine.  I had some laser treatment done on my inner back tooth gums but the outer gum of the same tooth was not doing well.  My technician, Val, looked it over and painted on a varnish containing antibiotic....isn't that the neatest thing?  Hopefully that will help my gum to heal correctly.  I must say that my dental office, Synergy Dental, in West Linn, has been one of the best dentists I've ever had.  I originally went to them because they were a Mercury free office and I've had issues with Mercury toxicity.  With their help, I am now mercury free in my mouth!  They do such awesome work........same day crowns!!  Isn't that amazing.  My crowns are ready is about 10 minutes.  None of that waiting with a fake tooth.  Worth every penny!!  Val told me that there would be no charge today for my work........THAT was such a blessing!!  Thanks, Val!!

Thanks Squared

Sometimes I just want to do a card that is quick and simple.  No fancy nothing!!  So.....when I was at the LSS (Local Stamp Store) I found this great new stamp from Hero Arts.  I actually saw it as a sticker first.  Loved the way they had it colored with purple, pink and yellow and decided that it would look pretty neat colored up.  Fast too!  I first grabbed a different paper and when I was trying to find other paper colors for the mats, nothing was working.  So I started rummaging through my other papers.  Found this square and decided that it was perfect!  Colored quickly with copics and jazzed up with a little sparkle and it was done!  The words were cut out with my Nestabilities BUT the outside oval is from my 'old' Spellbinders oval set.  I love the way it isn't truly oval.  Different.  I hope you enjoy my quick and simple.  Tomorrow's card isn't as quick or simple!

This last weekend we had a birthday party for my oldest granddaughter.  She turned 7!  My how time flies.  I watched Breauna for the first four years of her life and we have a wonderful relationship.  While at the party, I snapped a few shots of the other grandkids as well.  Jimmy and Audrey were trying to play ping pong.....that was funny as they can barely see over the table!  All the kids had a blast throwing the ball for our dog, Gabby.  Gabby lives for the ball.  She will play ball until she is exhausted and still want more.  Zander had fun with the little playhouse and the play area.  Breauna had the most fun, of course, since it was her day.  We gave her a gift certificate to Learning World with a special day with Grandma along with some books.  She is starting to read and loves it. 

Artful Sentiments Copic Challenge #25

Man......the days are just flying by. It seems like only yesterday that I posted. Sorry for the lag! I guess that happens when you are over busy, right?

I hope that you enjoy the post today. We were to use the three copic colors pictured. I didn't have R59 so substituted R39 instead. As I was playing with the colors, I noticed that if I overlapped the colors that the RV turned more red so........I blended them to create the car color. This is a new stamp set that I got from Clear Dollar Stamps. The moment that I saw their new car stamps I HAD to get some. Not only this race car but some Fords as well. I'm a sucker for Fords! I had the card ready to assemble and the red base just looked too lonely so I added the flags around as a border and I think it completed the card, don't you!!

I couldn't quit figure out what the thing was towards the back of the car. I was assuming that it was the driver but it did look a little strange for a driver. I just assume that it is the driver's helmut and colored it with a grey window. As I look at the scanned picture, the red background really look pink on my monitor. It isn't, really!! It is a REAL red!

Click on Kimm's link on the sidebar so YOU can participate in the copic challenge. It's fun!!

A little Faux, Faux

Here is a neat little technique from the most recent Technique Junkie Newsletter. It is called Faux Sanding. You can learn how to do it and much more by subscribing to the newsletter. It is VERY economical (the newsletter and the technique alike)! Go here to see more info about the newsletter! My faux was more faux though.....I didn't include one step and I didn't do it on Glossy. So mine is a Fake, fake! HA! That cute little girl is colored with copic markers and they are close to the copic challenge on Artful Sentiments for the last week. She was cut out, then I cut out an additional hat brim and heart (on the apron) to create a little dimension. I originally tried to pop up the entire dress but she kinda looked like a football player so I did only the heart. The sentiment is also popped up. I used my Nestabilities to cut the faux sanded piece behind the girl from the base piece to save paper! I did the same with the dark scallop piece. It was cut from the bottom dark layer. The smaller scallop was cut from the middle of the large one. Going green the only way a stamper can!! Savin that paper! The girl is an older stamp by Imaginations and the sentiment is by Hero Arts. Little dots made by a Signo pen.

Blog Candy Winners!!

Today is the day that I award the Blog Candy!! The winners will receive an unmounted stamp of the image shown on this card. Hambo is a stamp company that has THE most adorable pig images. Even though this stamp isn't a pig, it is every bit as darling!!

Watch the video.......we picked the winners a little differently this time!

Since Blogger takes REALLY long to upload my videos, I have posted it on YouTube. Here is the link:

Watch the video here! It is only one min long!

My grandson, Zander, helped me this time......then you get to see the dogs too. They wouldn't stay put on the other side of the camera. The large poodle, Gabby, is mine and the small black one is my mom's....YoYo. My mom helped video....she should have come a little closer so you could have actually seen the names on the slips.....oh well. She almost got Zander's name wrong....oh my!

Our winners are: Cathy Yamashita (her blog entry) and Diane Klieger! I'll get a hold of you gals for your addys! Congratulations!!

So.......if any of you have Blog video tips for me, let me know. ;-)

Dee-licious paper!!

Do you ever get back from the store with some fancy paper and then it sits there? I got one sheet of pretty paper.....was going to doing something for a wedding card. It was a lovely white with a subtle gold flower pattern. Then it sat. THEN the other day.......as a belated birthday present.......I received this package in the mail. Whatever could it be? Well.......it was PAPER! My friend, Patricia (who owns Paper Temptress) had sent me some yummy paper for my birthday. So Wednesday when I was in the Stamp Hole trying to make the best of my grandson's nap, I looked again at that fancy wedding paper and then it clicked. Oooooo.....Patricia sent me some of that lustre lined paper and some gold paper. So.....what was created is this card! I hope you think it is interesting. The flower is a technique that was featured on Splitcoaststampers a couple of weeks ago. You use the SU scallop border punch and punch the long edge of a piece of scrapbook paper. I cut this strip to 3/4" wide after punching but you can go up to 1 1/4" wide. You accordian fold the strip where the scallop dips, connect the ends to form a circle and flatten so that the straight edge is in the center of the 'flower' and the scallop edge is to the outside. Secure with a circle fitted with adhesive. Add a pretty brad and you're done!!

To save paper, I cut the middle out of the base gold piece so that it was big enough to use as the gold layer under the sentiment. THEN I punched the swirls from the piece that I used under the sentiment. Frugal, huh? It is hard to get a good picture and still how the wonderful paper. Aren't the stripes under the sentiment, yummy? The gold is also a matte so it is a nice addition and not a glaring addition. Want to know more about Patricia's papers........click here!

Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge 17!

Here is the card I made for the Priscilla Styles Midnight Madness Sketch Challenge 17. I think the last time I could play they were at SC8 or something like that! I've had this image colored up and waiting for me to make him into a card. I happened to grab the BG paper this morning then my glance fell upon the dragon. Hmmm........I think it would be a great match! Do you think so? I wish more of that DP showed as it is awfully pretty. The image is from Dustin Pike. He often gives away a free digital image on Wednesdays. You should head on over there now. The image is colored with copic markers. I was traveling with my husband, daughter and son-in-law. I often take my coloring with me. This day I was showing the image to my daughter and giving her the copic markers and letting her pick the colors. It is a fun way to move beyond your normal selections. We did that with about 6 images. There are some unusual combos!! The light dots on the dragon were made by holding the blender pen in one place over the colored image. The blender pen pushes the color away and leaves a lighter area....voila...spots! I made the spots on the kite the same way.

HEY!!! You have TWO (actually THREE) chances to win some blog candy. I am offering some blog candy on my Saturday's post of a cute unmounted (man with net). Leave a comment on Saturday's post to be entered in THAT giveaway. I'll be giving away TWO of these!! THEN there is the TJ blog hop. You don't have to be a TJ member to enter........follow the hop to find the treasure and post your answer on the last blog.