Anything But Cute - Inspired By An Autumn Day

This is my 2nd post...for the Scrapy Land Challenge, click HERE.

{Scheduled Post} Happy Wednesday!! It's time for a new challenge at Anything But Cute!! The theme this month is An Autumn Day.

The sweet and amazing Autumn from sewpaperpaint is our fabulous hostess this month and what a fitting theme she's chosen :) Here's what she had to say about the theme:

I could not help but chose October as my month to hostess here at Anything But Cute. This month, we want to see your creations inspired by An Autumn Day. Anything goes mixed media with an fall color palette, or Autumnal elements. Be inspired by nature with the sights, smells, and sounds of this beautiful season. We cannot wait to see the amazing artwork you turn out!

For my card inspired by an Autumn day, I started out with watercolor paper and my Dylusions sprays.

I just started spraying, with the lightest colors first. Lemon Zest...

Pure Sunshine and Squeezed Orange...

Some Postbox Red. I just kept spraying until I had a mixture I was happy with. I don't have pictures of the rest of the process. I wasn't really sure where I was going with this at the time :)

I added texture paste through a The Crafter's Workshop Believe Script stencil. The birds in the top left corner are a Tim Holtz Remnant Rub.

The tree is a Frantic Stamper Medium Bare Ash die, cut in black sticky-back foam.

The leaves were all cut from the sprayed papers with Cheery Lynn Fall Leaves dies. I love the texture the swirls give to the leaves. Memory Box Grove Branches were added among the leaves, as was a Leane Creatief Pine Cone die.

The frame was made with a silicone die, air dry clay and crackle paint. Once it dried and cracked, DecoArt Raw Umber Antiquing Cream was rubbed into the cracks. The stamp is a Stampin Up stamp and you can't tell in the pic, but crackle glaze was added. Grateful is a My Creative Time die and the beautiful crinkle ribbon is from DL.ART.

I added some sisal for fall texture and inked all of the edges with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

Now it's your turn!! Head on over to Anything But Cute to see the amazing projects created by my talented design team sisters. Then link up your project inspired by an Autumn day. I can't wait to see what you create :)

Scrapy Land Challenge #48 - Use a Image

Happy Wednesday!! I hope you are having a great weekend!! It's time for a new challenge at Scrapy Land!! The theme this week is Use a Image (rubber or digi) plus a brand of die that Scrapy Land carries...there are over 40 to choose from!! You could win a $15 gift certificate to shop at Scrapy Land.

In continuing my quest to use up paper stacks, I came across this old pad from My Mind's Eye called A Happy Heart. I used texture paste through a Crafter's Workshop Solace stencil.

"Namaste" is a K Andrew Designs stamp (no longer in business), stamped on a LaLa Land Stitched Element die.

"Each Day" is a Simon Says Stamp die, stamped on a Spellbinders Address Book die, which was tucked beneath an Avery Elle Wonky Stitches die.  The image is also a Simon Says Stamp die. She was colored with Prismacolor Pencils and placed on top of a Die-Versions Whispers Nesting Flower die.

Tucked beneath the Wild Orchid Crafts flowers are Elizabeth Craft Curvy Leaves, Cherry Lynn Dandelions and Sue Wilson Catkins Stems.

Scrapy Land Dies Used

Avery Elle Wonky Stitches

LaLa Land Stitched Element

Spellbinders Curved Borders 1

Spellbinders Address Book

Die-Versions Whispers Nesting Flower

Cherry Lynn Dandelions

Sue Wilson Catkins Stems

Elizabeth Craft Curvy Leaves

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1) Doing Life / Create with TLC - Anything Goes
2) Little Scrap Pieces Show it Off Saturday - Anything Goes

Now it's your turn!! Head on over to Scrapy Land to see the amazing projects my design team sisters have created for today's challenge!! Then link up your project using an image and a brand of die that Scrapy Land carries!! I can't wait to see what you create :)

DL.ART Challenge #181 - Boys or Men

Happy Thursday!! I hope you are having a wonderful week!! It's almost Memorial Day weekend here in the USA, a time to remember those who gave all in service to our country. And in Indiana, that also means the Indianapolis 500 :) It's time for another Thankful Thursday challenge at DL.ART, and for Challenge #181, the theme is Boys or Men. If you use the code l01210, you'll get 10% off your order at DL.ART.

I do so few masculine cards, I truly struggle. For these cards I used heavyweight black cardstock for the base and then I added a layer of tulle for some texture. The papers are from Maja Designs Vintage Summer Basics stack.

I added Liquitex Modeling Paste through a The Crafters Workshop Clock stencil and then added a Tim Holtz Weathered Clock die.

The 'Happy' die is from My Creative Time, as is the 'father's day' stamp. They were embossed with Sparkle N Sprinkle Copper Flame embossing powder. The banners are from Taylored Expressions Banner Stacklets One dies. The circle is a Memory Box Stitched Circle die, embossed with Copper Flame, and the button is a Poppystamps Stitched Button die, also embossed with Copper Flame. The beautiful crinkle ribbon is Granite from The Galaxy Bundle. The Black and White Twine is also from the DL.ART shop. I finished them up with some spatters of black paint with a Tim Holtz Splatter brush.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1) Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
2) Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes
3) Pause, Dream Enjoy Linky - Anything Goes
4) 2 Creative Chicks - Anything Goes
5) Little Scrap Pieces Show it Off Saturday - Anything Goes

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

I had to share this picture with you after showing you the beautiful pictures of the turkeys all puffed up on my last post. I heard a loud noise outside and I looked out the window to see these two locked in a death match!! They were banging into things all over the yard. I was even able to sneak outside to snap their picture...they were so engrossed in their battle, they didn't even hear me. Sadly, they were moving around so much, the pictures were blurry. This is the best of the lot and it's not the sharpest. I was afraid one of them would snap the others neck, but thankfully they broke apart after a few minutes and went their respective ways :)

  

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Memorial Day to all my friends in the USA!!

Song of the Sea Canvas

Happy Tuesday!! I hope you are having a wonderful last week of July!! I have a canvas to share with you that I've been working on for a month - no kidding. I sadly don't have the time to devote to the mixed media projects which I love. But I have to find time each month to participate in my sweet friend Pamellia of My Little Craft Things' Anything But Cute Challenges. And when I saw the theme this month that my sweet friend Samra of Paper Talk With Samra picked - Summer Romance, I knew I had to play along...two of my favorite things!!

I'm not sure I can remember all I did with this, but I'll try...if I miss anything, and you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask :) I started out adhering crumpled tissue paper to a canvas with Mod Podge. I then added cheesecloth to represent the waves of the sea.

I wanted there to be some sunshine on my canvas, so I used Wendy Vecchi Crackle Paste through a Tim Holtz Rays stencil. Once it dried, I used Sea Glass acrylic paint over the entire canvas, along with Dylusions Sprays in London Blue and Calypso Teal. I let it dry for a bit then used a baby wipe to remove some of the color. Then I used a toothbrush to remove the paint from the cracks, and to remove the tissue paper from the canvas so that texture would show. Inka-Gold Metallic Rub in Gold was dry-brushed over the rays for a subtle shimmer.

For the underwater portion of the canvas, I used several Tim Holtz products, including Mixed Media Thinlets, Spring Greenery Strips, and the seahorse from TH's Mini Sea & Sand. It was covered with Distress Inks in Mowed Grass, Mermaid Lagoon and Salty Ocean, and then covered with TH Distress Crackle Paint in Rock Candy. The edges were inked with Walnut. Once it dried, white acrylic paint was brushed into the cracks.

For the land section, sand was made using the technique Tim Holtz described in his July Tag of 2014: basically glossy accents, Utee Clear Embossing Powder, Distress Embossing Powder and Distress Glitter. The couple is an Impression Obsession Couple Sitting die on a Spellbinders D-Lites Garden Bench die. The couple was covered with Liquitex Thick Gel with Glass Beads. The fence is a Memory Box Weathered Fence Die.

I used a Crafter's Workshop Palm Tree Stencil with Glass Beads over plastic, fussy cut it, and then colored the back with Distress Inks in Gathered Twigs and Mowed Grass.

The sentiment was stamped onto tissue paper and then adhered with Mod Podge to the canvas.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1) Anything But Cute #3: Summer Romance

2) Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - No Ordinary Paper (Tissue Paper)
3) DL.ART - July Linky
4) Little Scrap Pieces - Show It Off Saturday

Thanks so much for stopping by :)

Becca's Birthday Bash Link-Up

Happy Tuesday!! I hope you are having a wonderful week!! I'm posting two days in a row - woohoo!! I had to find time in my craft room to participate in my sweet friend Becca of The Damsel of Distressed Cards Birthday Bash celebration!!

Becca has a mood board of her favorite things (see below). I tried to incorporate as many as I could into these cards (except clean and simple cards - ha!! What's that??!! :)

I started with Becca's favorite color pallet of purple and teal...though my teal is a little more blue. I used Distress Inks in Dusty Concorde and Mermaid Lagoon (maybe I should have used Peacock Feathers for a more teal look...hindsight...) She loves polka-dots and I tried to incorporate several different sizes here. She also loves typography, so I used two of my very favorite My Creative Time sentiment stamps and heat embossed them with white embossing powder.

She loves distressed, vintage cards full of texture. I added texture with Wendy Vecchi Crackled Texture Paste through a Crafter's Workshop Punchinella stencil and distressed the edges with a Zutter DIA. The edges were then inked with Walnut Distress Ink.

I am entering these in the following challenges:

1. Becca's Birthday Bash - Linky/Mood Board (see below)
2. DL.ART - July Linky
3. Little Scrap Pieces - Show it Off Saturday
4. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - I scream for... (Ink)

Happy birthday, Becca!! Thanks so much for stopping by!! Have a great week :)

No Regrets Steampunk Canvas

Happy Friday!! I hope you are having a wonderful week!! Here's a shocker - I'm actually posting and it's not for a DT commitment!! I actually had some time in my craft room...I used it as a distraction so I didn't itch myself to death. I helped my sister cut down a tree last weekend and we stacked and stacked and stacked wood. Apparently, it was covered in some kind of poison because I'm now covered in some kind of poison. I don't get poison ivy so it must be oak or sumac. I have never had anything like this. I'm a red, splotchy, oozy, itchy mess. My face, my neck, my arms, legs, back, you name it. I just ran and hid from the mailman and he was bringing me goodies from Scrapy Land - that's how bad it is!! Fun way to start summer, huh??!! :)

So anyhoo, on to my project. My sweet and amazingly talented friend Pamellia of My Little Crafty Things has started an awesome mixed media challenge blog, Anything But Cute. I haven't used my mixed media supplies in so long and I've been wanting to join in. I was afraid my supplies would be dried up from non-use but thankfully, they were not :) I hoped to participate in the last one and the theme was my favorite - secret garden. I started a project but was so busy, I didn't get to finish. The theme this month was challenging for me - masculine. You know how much I love my flowers!! But I was so inspired by my sweet and amazingly talented friend Samra of Paper Talk With Samra and her fabulous Steampunk Frame, I had to pull out all of my gear dies and get to work!!

To start, I adhered crumpled tissue paper to a 5x7 frame with Claudine Hellmuth's Multi Medium. I cut the Memory Box Gear Assembly die in cardboard and adhered it to the top left corner with Multi Medium. I then covered everything with gesso and let it dry.

I applied Wendy Vecchi Crackled Texture Paste through a Crafter's Workshop Harlequin Stencil on several places on the canvas. Once it dried and cracked, I covered the entire canvas with Burnt Umber acrylic paint and let set for a bit. Then I took a baby wipe and removed most of the color, leaving enough to highlight the texture and cracks. I rubbed Inka-Gold Metallic Rub in silver over all of the raised area. I cut more of the Memory Box Gear Assembly with a Silver Foil Engraving Blank from Royal Langnickel and then sanded off the black coating. I cut the gears apart and adhered them around the canvas and matched a few up with the original set I pasted to the canvas.

I added gears to the Frantic Stamper Geared Butterfly, a punched butterfly and a Memory Box Isabella die. All of the butterflies were cut with the RL Silver Foil and sanded. I cut a Tim Holtz Mixed Media die in Ranger Silver Foil Tape Sheet and adhered it behind the TH Idea-ology Ornate Plate. This moment, no regrets and the arrow are all TH Remnant Rubs.

Live the Life You've Imagined, the arrow, the game spinner and the metal flower are all TH products, covered with Inka-Gold silver rub. Happy is a Poppystamps Vintage Happy Birthday die. It was cut with Ranger Foil and lightly outlined with a charcoal pencil.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. Anything But Cute - Masculine
2. DL.Art - June Linky
3. DL.Art - Thankful Thursday - Man or Boy 
4. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Favorite Technique
5. My Sheri Crafts Challenge #159 - Masculine
6. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Don't Cut, Just Paste
7. Decorate to Celebrate - Anything Goes - Not Cards
8. Die Cutting Divas - Masculine with a Die Cut
9. Inky Chicks - Butterflies

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

CDD July Stamp Release Blog Hop!!

Welcome to our fifth Craftin Desert Diva's stamp release blog hop!! I'm super excited to share with you in full the CDD July release stamps. There are five new stamps that are being released today in the Craftin Desert Divas Shop and are available now for purchase.

So without further ado here are the latest stamp sets:

Gotta Wear Shades - purchase HERE

Lil Bit Buggie - purchase HERE

School Zone - purchase HERE

All Star Sports - purchase HERE

Blooming For You - purchase HERE

We have a few specials starting today!!

• Every purchase receives a FREE Too Cute by Jessica SVG pattern made especially for this release
• With a minimum 2 stamp purchase you will receive a FREE mini stamp
• Use code: JULY to save 20% off your ENTIRE purchase

The mini stamp & sale will end Aug. 1, 2014.

Here is the free pattern with purchase:

Here is the free mini stamp with any 2 stamp purchase:

Tara is giving away one stamp set each day & Too Cute by Jessica is giving away $25 gift card to her store (regular priced items).

Here is the project I created...

For my project, I created a mixed media canvas. I can't remember the name of the papers I used...it was a mixed-media pack I picked up on clearance at Hobby Lobby a while ago. I used gesso and acrylic paint on the background. Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste was used through a Crafter's Workshop Reverse Chicken Wire stencil. I used several stamps on the background, including a Tim Holtz Cracks stamp and the flowers that are on the new CDD Blooming For You set. The chandelier is from The Paper Studio Spare Parts and it's draped with tulle. The butterfly is from Memory Box and covered with Doodlebug Designs Sugar Coating. The flowers are a mixture of Prima and The Paper Studio. Memory Box Floral Vines were cut in velum and tucked among the blooms, along with twine.

The doll is a Julie Nutting's Priscilla with Top Hat. I used a Tim Holtz script stamp on her and colored her with Prismacolor Pencils. Tulle was added for her skirt. She was outlined in charcoal.

Take Time to Smell the Flowers and the butterfly are from the the CDD Blooming for You stamp set.

I am entering this in the following challenges:

1. DL.Art - July Linky
2. Word Art Wednesday - Anything Goes

Next up on the Line Up is the amazing, sweet and talented Shelly. Be sure to hop with us tomorrow!! Winners will be picked from a different blog each day,so the more you comment the more chances you have to win.

Craftin Desert Diva's Shop
CDD Gallery  - We'd love you to share your projects using the CDD stamps.

Blogs on the hop:

Fri 7/25
Tara - www.craftindesertdivas.com
Kathy - https://3spoileddogs.blogspot.com
Sukie - http://scrappindhilly.blogspot.com
Georgiana - http://www.carsonscricutcreations.blogspot.com/
Lisa - http://indymermaid.blogspot.com < YOU ARE HERE
Shelly - http://mypaperlove.blogspot.com/
Michelle - http://michellescricutfun.blogspot.com/
Michelle P - http://mumoftwoblog.blogspot.com
Karen - http://craftedwithlovebykaren.blogspot.com/
Marina - https://www.facebook.com/creativecandy4u
Jessica - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Too-Cute-by-Jessica

Sat 7/26
Tara - www.craftindesertdivas.com
Kathy - https://3spoileddogs.blogspot.com
Ilda - http://www.ilovedoingallthingscrafty.com/
Mayra - http://mayrasdesigns.blogspot.com/
Migdalia - http://craftingwithcreativem.blogspot.com
Emily - http://molliemugsblog.blogspot.com
Melissa - http://iliketocreate.blogspot.com/
Jenny - http://crazyaboutcricut.blogspot.com/
Lori - http://got2bcrafting.blogspot.com
Jessi - http://www.mylifeinartsncrafts.co
Jessica - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Too-Cute-by-Jessica