Life Isn't About Finding Yourself and WINNER!!

Happy Sunday!! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!! It's been cold and snowy here...perfect weather to stay inside and craft ;) I have a winner to announce from my Valentine Giveaway, but first, I want to share with you another new technique I've discovered.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, one of my resolutions this year is to expand my crafty knowledge and learn new techniques. I found this awesome technique HERE. After I started, I discovered I was completely out of clear embossing powder, but I did have UTEE, which is clear, but very thick. I decided to try it anyway and it worked :)

I am really bad about taking pictures as I go along because I never know what direction I'm going with projects. I started with a piece of cardstock from the Tim Holtz Lost and Found paper stack.

I embossed it with the Cuttlebug Bit of Paisley embossing folder. Then I took a brayer and inked it with TH Distress Embossing Ink and ran it over the embossed portion. Next, I covered the ink with Ranger UTEE and embossed it. I repeated the inking and embossing so that it had a nice texture. Once the embossing was completely dry, the next step is to take black craft paint and a sponge, and cover the entire card. The sponge works the paint into all the cracks. Then you take a cloth or baby wipe and remove the paint from the embossed portion. Finally, you put the paper between two sheets of paper towels and iron it to remove some of the embossing powder. This is the result:

Isn't that gorgeous??!! The colors of the paper pop through, really highlighting the texture.

I didn't want to add too many embellishments so that the background would really show.

The star is a Spellbinders Stars die, cut with paper from the same TH Lost and Found stack, and wrapped with hemp fiber from Michaels. The rosette was cut with a Tim Holtz Rosette Die and the same paper stach. The paper for the sentiment is heavyweight white cardstock from Canvas Corp, inked with TH Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Aged Mahogany and Brushed Pewter Distress Stain. The edges were inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The sentiment is from the Tim Holtz Mini Classics stamp set, inked with Walnut Distress Ink. The crinkle ribbon is from my sweet friend Karen of Little Scrap Pieces. The star is another Spellbinders Stars die, the edges inked with Walnut Distress Ink, with a gem from Recollections.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge - Seeing Stars
2. Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Anything Goes
3. Mark's Finest Papers Simple Salutations - Anything Goes

Valentine's Day Giveaway WINNER!!

Thank you all so much for following me and entering my giveaway!! I wish I had something to give all of you. But...my 2 year blogaversary is coming up in less than 40 days and I'll have a huge giveaway to share with you!! For this giveaway, Random.org chose as the winner....................

And #22 is...................

Congratulations, Pam!! I'll email you or you can email your address to me at indymermaid(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll get the stamps and paper in the mail to you!!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)

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Imagine You Are An Artist and GIVEAWAY!!

Happy Sunday!! I hope you are having a fabulous weekend!!

One of my new year's resolutions was to learn different techniques. In my search for ideas to try, I came across Dyan Reaveley and her Dylusion line of stamps. I fell in love with all the quirky designs. So this is my first attempt at her stamps. Instead of coloring Doolally Dorris, I paper pieced her with paper from DCWV's The Colorful Life stack. The layers were attached with Glossy Accents.  I colored in parts with a white Sakura Gelly Roll pen, and used Tim Holtz Distress Markers in Tumbled Glass, Faded Jeans and Barn Door for her face. Dorris was popped up with foam tape for dimension.

The tag is a Tim Holtz Tag & Bookplate die, cut with Canvas Corp heavyweight white cardstock. The chicken wire stamp is from the TH Mixed Media stamp set and the flourish is from Shabby French. They were stamped with A La Mode white pigment ink from Hampton Arts and then heat embossed with Ranger Enamelware Embossing Powder. Then the tag was inked with TH Distress inks in Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, Barn Door and Fired Brick. The Enamelware Embossing Powder acts as a resist to the color. The text stamp from TH's Papillon set was stamped in Worn Lipstick over the tag, and then the dots from TH's Psychedelic Grunge set was randomly stamped in Old Paper. The edges were distressed with TH's Paper Distresser, and then inked with Walnut Distress Ink. The words are Spellbinders Girlie Grunge dies. The were cut with Canvas Corp paper and then inked with the same four distress inks as the tag. Walnut Distress Inks were used on the raised letters and edges.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. Simon Says Stamp - Let's Get Paper Piecing
2. DL.ART Thankful Thursday Challenge - Anything Goes
3. Sunday Funday #5 - Anything Goes

VALENTINE'S GIVEAWAY!!

I am so thankful for all my followers!! And to show my love, I thought I would share a Valentine's Day giveaway with you!! Up for grabs is a set of K Andrew Designs I Heart You stamps and a 6x6 A Happy Heart paper stack from My Mind's Eye.

All you have to do to win is:

1. Be a Follower
2. Leave a comment

That's it!! I'll make this a short turnaround so you can have the stamps before Valentine's Day. I'll announce the winner on February 3rd

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

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