Going Gray is great!

Well.....if you know me then you may think that the title of today's post would have something to do with my hair.......BUT.....you're wrong!!  ;-)  Hee Hee!  Today's card was made using a stamp from I Brake For Stamps that I've had for a while and hadn't seen ink.  I was having a hard time making this collage stamp look the way I wanted.  THEN I decided that I would stamp it with SU's Going Gray stamp pad and color it in from there.  I really love the look......very subtle with a very different look.  The image was colored using the Pencil over Marker technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter.  After I colored the image I went through my background stash and found this piece of Veined Marble (another TJ technique) that was just the perfect color!  I added some purple rhinestones that were round.  Got them on a rhinestone sheet from Hero Arts.  Funny how they caught the light in the photo.  They really aren't that bright!!  Hope you enjoy!!

It's Technique Junkie Blog Hop Time!

Hi, Blog Hoppers!!  Don't these flowers remind you of spring?!!  Well, I want it to be inspiration to 'spring' you into action today!!   I'm the second stop on the Technique Junkie April Blog Hop.  If you arrived here first you may want to start at the beginning HERE!    You don't want to miss what our whole Design Team has in store for you!!  AND This blog hop has a Challenge ONLY for Technique Junkie subscribers with a prize!  Read about it below.

BUT.......before you read about the challenge, here is a little bit about my card.  I used the Corduroy technique from the April newsletter.  It was very fun to do and I look so festive now with glitter on me!  ;-)  The tulip stamp is from one of our newsletter vendors, I Brake For Stamps. (REMEMBER.....if you are a Junkie subscriber, you get a discount on "I Brake For Stamps"!  The code is on the Subscriber pages!)   I colored it with copic markers and as you can see from the closeup photo, I layered the flowers to give them a little more dimension.  The butterfly was also bumped up with foam tape and it was sparkled with the Stardust pen.  Now.....I must confess....my card only has one technique on it which was what I thought I was supposed to do.  BUT I see that the challenge has two techniques needed.  (Shame on me!!)  So don't forget to add one more technique on YOUR card!

NOW....back to the blog hop particulars!

This Technique by Design CHALLENGE is a new feature in the Technique Junkie Newsletter. You MUST be a subscriber to participate.  In order to WIN you will have to DO the challenge! 
Pat (the owner of the Technique Junkie Newsletter) will be offering a prize for this Technique By Design Challenge by drawing a name from those who PARTICIPATE in the challenge! The prize will be:

*  One year added to their Technique Junkie Subscription AND

*  A $25.00 gift certificate to ONE vendor of their choice from this issue's participating advertisers: I Brake for Stamps; Paper Temptress; Firecracker Designs by Pamela; Mark's Finest Papers; Croppinsville; OR Twisted Papers! YOU get to choose the place to spend your cash!

So.......Here is the Challenge:

“Technique by Design” Challenge/Contest. 

1. Follow the sketch on the Technique By Design area in the new April newsletter.  You can access the sketch and the dimensions/supplies list HERE.  PLEASE note that the dimensions printed in the paper version of the newsletter were incorrect.  The correct measurements are on the website.

This sketch is a great way to incorporate technique backgrounds into your cards. Just make sure the colors coordinate and you can mix and match different techniques on your card with a stunning effect! If you make extra backgrounds when trying out the techniques, you will love being able to use them here. I did talk to Pat and she said that you can use only one technique on your card to qualify for the challenge! 
2. Post a link and comment on Pat's Blog, which is the last stop on the hop.

3. The deadline to the challenge is MAY 15th!

Below is our blog hop order.  You will go to Beth's blog next!!

The Technique Junkies blog http://techniquejunkies.blogspot.com/
Ann  -THIS IS WHERE YOU ARE NOW!
Beth
Cathy
Lisa
Shelly
Chris
Hetty
Jane 
Kathie
Kimm 
Pat