Happiness is Beautiful

Happy Monday!! I hope you had a fabulous weekend!! I am leaving tomorrow for a business trip so I may not be able to visit you for a few days. I hope to be able to check your projects while I'm gone, but I probably won't be able to comment until I get home next week :)

I wanted to share a quick tag with you today, using mostly Wendy Vecchi's Studio 490 products, especially the not-in-stores-yet Translucent Embossing Paste I won from her!! I absolutely love it!! I was dancing a little jig when it arrived :) It adds such amazing shine to projects!! Thanks again, Wendy!!

The base of the tag is manilla cardstock, cut with a Tim Holtz Tag and Bookplate Die. Wendy's Fresh Flowers stencil was placed on the tag. The petals were inked with TH Fired Brick and the center with Rusty hinge. The stem was inked with TH Forest Moss and the leaves with TH Crushed Olive. Once the inks dried, the stencil was placed back over the flower and covered with Wendy's new Translucent Embossing Paste. It was then outlined with a Sakura White Gelly Roll Pen.

Once the Embossing Paste dried, the tag was stamped with the mesh stamp from Wendy's Art Rules stamp set in Ranger Sap Green Archival Ink. Next, Wendy's Dots and Stripes Border stencil was placed on the tag and inked with TH Bundled Sage Distress Ink. The dots were then colored with TH Weathered Wood Disterss Ink. Next, Wendy's Classic Words stencil was placed on the tag and inked with TH Tea Dye Distress Ink. The sentiment is from two different K Andrew Designs Positive Thoughts stamps, and they were taped off to create the sentiment. I covered the "is an inside job" after "Happiness", and then covered the "Brave" before "Is beautiful" to create this custom sentiment. The edges were inked with TH Walnut Distress Ink. The crinkle ribbon is from Karen of Little Scrap Pieces.

I tried to get a picture of the incredible shine and dimension the new Translucent Embossing Paste adds to the tag :)

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. Do More With Less - Masking Stamps with Savannah O'Gwynn
2. DL.Art - Thankful Thursday - July Anything Goes
3. Sunday Funday #11 - Linky Party
4. An Inky Situation #1 - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Happy Monday!! My niece left yesterday and I'm still trying to recover!! We had a great time, but oh my, did she wear me out :)

I have a tag to share with you today, created from the awesome Beyond the Sea stamp set I won from Artistic Outpost :)

I started with Strathmore Watercolor Paper cut with a Tim Holtz Tag & Bookplate die. The girl was stamped first on the tag with Ranger Sepia Archival Ink and on Inkadinkado Stamping Masking Paper. She was cut out of the Masking Paper and then it was applied over the girl on the tag. The lighthouse was stamped next, first on the tag and then on the Masking Paper. The image was cut from the Masking paper and applied to the image on the tag. A cloud stencil was cut from paper and then starting at the top of the tag, TH Broken China Distress Ink was inked along the edge with a Tsukineko Fingertip Sponge Dauber. The girl was colored in with TH Distress Markers in Aged Mahogany, Bundled Sage, Scattered Straw and Vintage Photo and a TH Waterbrush. The lighthouse was colored in with Walnut, Antique Linen and a Waterbrush. The grass with Peeled Paint and a Waterbrush. The birds and the bottom sentiment were stamped with Black Archival Ink. TH Idea-ology Crinkle Ribbon was inked with TH Walnut Distress Stain. A TH Philosophy tag is attached to a TH Trinket Pin. The edges of the tag were inked with Walnut Distress Ink.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. Artistic Outpost - July Referral Program - Anything Goes w/ AO Stamps
2. Simon Says Stamp - Pin It
   
3. Simon Says Stamp and Show - Good to be Green 
4. Craft It Up & Link It Up #10 - Summer 
5. DL.Art - Thankful Thursday - July Anything Goes
6. Sunday Funday #11 - Linky Party
7. An Inky Situation #1 - Anything Goes 

Thanks for stopping by :)

Craftin Desert Divas Blogoversary Desert Hop!!

Welcome to the Craftin Desert Divas Blogaversary Desert Hop!! Today we are celebrating with Tara over at Craftin Desert Divas for her very first BLOGOVERSARY!! Woohoo, Tara!! Congratulations!! I'm so lucky to have gotten to know you over this past year :)

If you just happened to have stumbled upon my blog, please start at Craftin Desert Divas so you don't miss out on a thing. If you have arrived from my incredibly sweet and super-talented friend Migdalia, then you are in the right spot. 

This is a "Desert" Diva Celebration!!

For my Desert Hop project, I created a Kokopelli wall hanging :) I have always been intrigued by the legend of Kokopelli...he is known as a trickster, a fertility deity, a traveling salesman, an insect and a warrior among other things. My Mom has a ceramic tile with a gorgeous turquoise Kokopelli that she got on a trip to Arizona. I just love it and wanted to recreate it for my project. I should have taken a picture of her tile, but I didn't get a chance to and since I'm traveling, I missed my chance. Oh well...I did use the tile to copy the image of Kokopelli.

 

The base of the wall hanging was cut with a Spellbinders Grand Rectangle and inked with Memento Bamboo Leaves ink. The next layer is a Spellbinders Grand Labels 23 die, inked with Ranger Archival Ink in Sap Green. The next layer is a Spellbinders Grand Labels 4 die. It was inked with Tim Holtz Wild Honey, Dried Marigold and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks. A Paper Artsy Hot Pick 1008 grass stamp was inked with Sap Green Archival Ink and stamped along the background. The bottom banner is a Tim Holtz Tattered Banner die, inked with Spiced Marmalade. Harmony is from Artistic Outpost's Serenity stamp set.

I really wanted Kokopelli to look like turquoise, like my Mom's tile. So I traced around him with tracing paper and then copied him onto Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper. I then cut him out and sprayed him with Dylusioins Vibrant Turquoise Spray. While it was still wet, I spritzed Dylusions Black Marble and Melted Chocolate sprays. Once the inks dried, I covered him with Ranger Glossy Accents, and I used my finger to cover it to give it a rougher texture...more like real stone.The picture doesn't do it justice...it really looks incredible in person. He was popped up with foam tape for dimension.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. DL.Art Thankful Thursday- May Linky Party
2. Sunday Funday #9 - May Linky Party

I have blog candy!! All you have to do to be eligible to win this My Mind's Eye Blink of an Eye paper stack is:

1. Be a Follower
2. Leave a comment on this post

That's it!! I will select a winner on Thursday, May 30th

ALSO - we have blog candy for those who are a follower of Craftin Desert Divas and leave a comment on every stop of the hop! Winners will be announced Tuesday May 28th at Craftin Desert Divas!

The Queen Royal Prize Pack

Designs on Cloud 9 

$20 Giftcard to their store

Robin

$10. CTHM Giftcard

LoveBug Creations

$15. Giftcard to their store

The next stop is the sweet and talented Robin of Cut One Designs by Robin!! 

Here's the complete line up in case you get lost along the way or want to revisit anyone :)

1. Tara - http://www.craftindesertdivas.com/
2. Michelle- http://mumoftwoblog.blogspot.com/
3. Stacey - http://staceyscreativecorner.blogspot.com/
4. Janis - http://pausedreamenjoy.blogspot.com/
5. Carri - http://doubleclickconnections.blogspot.com/
6. Jessica - http://jessicascraftshaque.blogspot.com/
7. Migdaldia - http://craftingwithcreativem.blogspot.com/
8. Lisa- http://indymermaid.blogspot.com/ < YOU ARE HERE
9. Robin - http://cutonedesignsbyrobin.blogspot.com/ < NEXT

10. Susie- http://www.susiecrafthappy.com/
11. Tracy - http://tracyscricutcorner.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for hopping along :)

Paper Playtime Challenge #10 - Buttons

For the Craft It Up & Link It Up "Show Us Your Craft Room" post, click HERE!!

Happy Monday!! I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!! I spent a wonderful weekend with my sweet Mom :) It's time for a super-fun challenge at Paper Playtime. For this challenge, we are asking you to use Buttons on your project :)

For this card, I used a gorgeous stamp set from Stamping Up called "Let Me Count The Ways" that I won from my dear friend Tara of Craftin Desert Divas. Thank you again Tara - I love them!!

The background paper is from We Are Memory Keepers Anthology stack. The flowers were stamped on Spellbinders Labels Seventeen dies in Archival Inks in French Ultramarine, Sap Green and Mementos Inks in Bahama Blue and New Sprout. The stems were stamped in Olive Archival Ink and the leaves in Sap Green. They were then sponged with Tim Holtz Tumbled Glass distress ink and popped up with foam tape for dimension.

The buttons are all from my stash. The tag is a Spellbinders Back To Basics tag. The flowers are from the same Stamping Up set in Memento New Sap ink, and the sentiment was stamped in Versafine Onyx ink. I use the "out of the box" technique with the sentiment for the letter y, and for all of the stems of the flowers.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. DL.Art Thankful Thursday- May Linky Party
2. Sunday Funday #9 - May Linky Party

Now it's your turn!! Head on over to Paper Playtime to see the amazing projects my talented design team sisters have created for today's challenge. Then link up your Button project...I can't wait to see what you create :)

Thanks So Much

Happy Monday!! I hope your week is off to a fabulous start!! I'm still trying to get caught up from being away from blogging last week, so if I haven't stopped by to visit, I will soon :)

I couldn't wait to use the Oh, Hello Clear-Mount Stamp Set from Stampin' Up! that I won from my super-sweet friend Norma of PinBlingCrafter!! Thanks again, Norma - I absolutely love them!!

The paper for the card is from My Mind's Eye's Bloom stack. The ribbon is from May Arts and the button is from my stash. A Spellbinders Floral Oval die was used, followed by a Spellbinders Classic Ovals Large. The layers were popped up with foam tape for dimension.

The top layer was cut with a Spellbinders Classic Ovals Small on heavyweight cardstock from Canvas Corp. The chevron stamp from the Oh, Hello set was stamped with Tim Holtz Scattered Straw Distress Ink. The rose was stamped with TH Victorian Velvet Distress Ink. The sentiment was stamped with Ranger Archival Ink in jet black.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. DL.Art Thankful Thursday- April Linky Party
2. Sunday Funday #8 - April Linky Party
3. Craft It Up & Link It Up #3 - Cute as a Button

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a wonderful day :)

Dream Believe Art Journal Page

Happy Saturday!! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!! It was sunny and in the 50's here so I got a jump on spring and grilled some burgers outside today :)

I've been playing around with my Dylusions sprays and stamps, and today I have a page from my journal to share with you :)

The paper was misted with water and then spritzed with Vibrant Turquoise and Calypso Teal. A Crafter's Workshop Numbers stencil was placed over the paper and spritzed with London Blue. More London Blue was sprayed along the bottom, and Dirty Martini was spritzed along the top. A Dylusions Number Jumble stencil was then placed over the paper and misted with water for a ghosting effect. The numbers stamp from the Dylusions Basic Backgrounds set was randomly stamped with Tim Holtz Weathered Wood Distress Ink. The border along the top is from the Dylusions Further Around the Block stamp set. It was stamped with black Ranger Archival Ink and colored in with a white Sakura Gelly Roll pen as was the checkered floor stamp from Beeswax Rubber Stamps. A mask was placed over the floor and then the vines were stamped around it. The long vines with numbers are from the Dylusions Around the Block stamp set, and the solid ones along the bottom are from the Doodle Parts set. They were colored in with TH water brushes filled with Cherry Pie, Postbox Red, Lemon Zest, Pure Sunshine and Squeezed Orange Dylusions sprays.

Dependable Dotty was stamped with Archival Ink and then colored in with TH Distress Markers in Spiced Marmalade, Dusty Concord, Peeled Paint, Mustard Seed, Worn Lipstick, Faded Jeans, Broken China, Barn Door, Fired Brick, Spun Sugar and Chipped Sapphire. The wings are from the Dylusions Doolally Dorris set. The bird is from the Birds on a Wire set. Dotty was outlined with a charcoal pencil to give a bit of depth. Dream and Believe are from the Word Love set, colored in with Lemon Zest and outlined with the Gelly Roll pen. The circles are from Paper Wings Productions Art Textures stamp set.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. Simon Says Stamp and Show - By the Numbers
2. Simon Says Stamp - A Bit O' Green
3. DL.Art - March Linky Party
4. Sunday Funday #7 - March Linky Party
5. Craft It Up & Link It Up - Linky Party

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great weekend :)

PRODUCTS USED:

Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Challenge

Happy Saturday!! I hope you have fun plans for the weekend!! I love my Tim Holtz Tattered Florals die, so when Tim announced a challenge, I couldn't wait to play :)

For my project, I created a bracelet, ring and hair band.

The flowers were all cut from Grunge Paper. They were inked with Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Broken China, Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint, Rusty Hinge and Tea Dye Distress Inks. Then they were spritzed with water and dried with a heat gun to give them a little shape. The text stamp from TH's Papillion stamp set was inked with Jet Black Archival Ink and stamped over the flower pieces. Once the flowers were assembled, they were spritzed with Perfect Pearls Mist in Heirloom Gold for shimmer.

The bracelet was created from a cardboard ring from a roll of shipping tape. It was covered with TH paper from the Lost and Found stack with Glue and Seal. The flower was attached with hot glue.

The flowers for the hairband were also attached with hot glue.

Two smaller flowers were added on either side of the main flower.

The flowers for the rings were covered with JudiKins MicroGlaze to give it a sheen.

I am entering these in the following challenges:

1. Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Challenge
2. Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by :)

PRODUCTS USED:

Embrace Imperfection

Happy Saturday!! I hope you are having a great weekend!! It's chilly but sunny here today. It just seems like spring is closer when the sun is shining :)

I have a card to share with you today. I am having so much fun with Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions stamps. Today I'm using Curious Corrin. Aren't her curls fun?? It's hard to tell in the pics, but they are Spun Sugar pink :)

I've ordered Dylusions sprays but they aren't here yet, so I used Studio Calico Mister Huey's sprays for the background. The base is watercolor paper. Overdue, Pumpkin Spice, Plum Thumb, Heirloom Blue,  Dewey and Estate Green Mister Huey's were sprayed onto the background. Pumpkin Spice was sprayed over a Crafter's Workshop Numerals stencil, and Overdue sprayed on a Donna Salazar Brick stencil. Estate Green spray was mixed with water on a craft sheet and a Tim Holtz dots stamp from the Psychedelic Grunge stamp set was stamped randomly. The circles stamp from the same TH set was inked with Ranger Archival ink in black. A few of the circles were outlined with a Picket Fence Distress Marker.

Curious Corrin was colored with Tim Holtz Distress Markers and a TH Fine Point Water Brush. Spun Sugar was used on her hair, Antique Linen for her skin, Tumbled Glass for her eyes and Barn Door for her lips. Her dress was colored with Dusty Concord, Spiced Marmalade and Forest Green. Stormy Sky and Tumbled Glass were used on the tights, Spun Sugar and Victorian Velvet on the boots. Corrin was outlined with a Sakura Gelly Roll pen in white.

Embrace Imperfection was stamped with a Hero Arts small alphabet set onto watercolor paper. Antique linen was sponged on top, Black Soot on the edges. The words were popped up with foam tape for dimension.

I am entering Curious Corrin in the following challenges:

1. Simon Says Stamp and Show - Something Messy
2. Dl.Art Thankful Thursday - Linky Party
3. Sunday Funday #6 - Linky Party

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great weekend :)

PRODUCTS USED: