Saturday, August 31, 2013

Soar & Make Art!

I couldn't let the month end without having participated in the Making Art Challenge at the Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group. The challenge this month was to use a die cut on your project.
The reflection from the metal foil wings gave quite a glare with my poor lighting this evening, so the photos do not capture the bright and vivid background like I would like.
Using a lightly water misted #10 Jumbo Manila Tag, I dabbed on some bright Distress Paints and then misted with more water to blend the paints. I did the same thing to the bust of the dressform Sizzix die, Sewing Room.
I placed another #10 tag on top of the painted one and pressed down to make a "kiss" image of all the painted goodness. It came out much lighter, but I love the effect. I began stamping many Wendy Vecchi images using the same colors of Distress Paint and added a little Metallic Distress Paint as well. I inked the edges in Walnut Stain and gave the bottom of the tag a little distressing.
I added Metal Foil Tape to some Tim Grunge Paper and die cut it with the Layered Wings die. Then I ran it through the Wings Texture Fade that matches the largest set of wings perfectly. I placed the smaller ones in as well even though they don't match up, but it still made gorgeous designs. I inked all the edges with Walnut Stain Distress Ink. When I added the wings to dressform a little later, I tried different ways of layering them on each other and did each tag different.
I colored the portions of the dressform that will look like wood with Tea Dye Distress Stain, then stamped the wood image with Wendy's new Archival Ink in Potting Soil. It's a great deep brown.
I used Distress Markers...love the new colors so much...to give Wendy's Blossom Bucket Flowers a little more color.
I stamped three separate sentiments on Mowed Lawn colored Specialty Stamping Paper from Ranger, using the Potting Soil. I cut them out and inked them and placed them on the tag, along with some Walnut Stained Art Part Scallops. A Picked Raspberries colored Crinkle Ribbon finished the tag off.
The lighter tag is behind the brighter, and I left off the "Make Art" from it as well, as it's going to a young lady who doesn't craft.


 
 
I am also submitting this to Hels Sheridan's Sunday Stamper challenge for using "Metal".

Supplies:

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

12 Tags of 2013 - August

Welcome back...to me that is! I've been on hiatus far too long. Thank you to those who have emailed, spurring me along to get back to business, and thank you to the new followers as well. I whole heartedly appreciate you!
Here is my August tag for Tim's 12 Tags of 2013. I loved his simple masking technique, and all four of his tags were wonderful. 
I had all of the images he used, but I hadn't used three of the four seen above, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate all of them on a #10 sized jumbo tag. There are several mistakes though, seen in hindsight, due mostly to being out of commission, but that is always part of the learning process. However, the pictures are not doing this tag much justice. It's a little hard to tell, but the children in the middle are sitting on Dyan's mushrooms.
I followed all the steps, only using different images and colors of Stains and Markers.
 Supplies:


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Samples For Ranger!

Hi everyone! I hope everything is going wonderful for each and every one of you! I want to thank you again for all the wonderful comments from the last two posts. They have meant the world to me!

Ranger Ink came out with several new wonderful products that were launched at CHA Create-n-Connect in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. I had the honor and thrill of a creative lifetime, of being asked to make samples for two of the new goods. Of course I said yes despite a lack of mojo, but I gave it all I had at the time and luckily four made the cut to my heart's delight! Thank you Ranger!!! Giving me this opportunity meant more than you know.

 Introducing Ranger's Perfect Pearls Kit In Celebration
 I was given Festival Green from the set, and just fell in love with the color...so much so, that I used every bit of it. It's perfect for so many different occasions as it's a true green.
 
Sample 1:  Love Autumn Blessings (Using Festival Green Perfect Pearls)
The Faux Leather Technique never lets me down. It provides a beautiful iridescent color and sheen that looks so delicate, but yet makes the paper so tough and sturdy!

Sample 2:  A Joyful White Christmas (Using Festival Green Perfect Pearls)
I wasn't sure how this one would turn out. I knew I wanted to stamp a background and color it with the Perfect Pearls, but then I was worried embossing with another powder after that would make a mess, but it didn't and actually just brushed off and stayed were it needed to.


Introducing Ranger's Six New Stickles Colors

There is Cranberry, Pink Taffeta, Mercury Glass, Ice Blue, Pine, and Champagne (not pictured). I just love the glitz 
and sparkle of regular or Distress Stickles. It transforms the regular to a WOW!

Sample 3:  No Bah Humbug-Card 1, Set of 2 (Using Cranberry, Pine, and Mercury Glass Stickles)
When I thought about using this gent for a Christmasy something, Ebenezer came to mind! He was recently visited by three ghosts, so he is loaded up with presents to give away on Christmas Day.

Sample 4: Ahooga-Card 2, Set of 2 (Using Cranberry, Pine, and Mercury Glass Stickles)
***This was the sample I saw at the show, and my heart swelled with delight!
Pimp My Ride, came to mind while creating what I thought Santa's car might look like in roaring 19'25'. Can you believe I wanted to add more, but I finally stopped myself.  I love the sound the horns made...much better than they sound now!
I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Thursday, August 08, 2013

My Summer CHA Top Product Picks!

I'm finally back to bring you my favs from the Create-n-Connect (CHA) Show in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. I am sorry I haven't done it sooner, but it's been really hard to dig myself out of this sadness ditch.  I REALLY want to tell each of you who have sent an email, call, text, comment, or Facebook message "Thank you!" Your words mean more than I can ever ever ever say. I am so thankful for this blog and this art bringing me to all of you! I feel truly blessed by you! 

Now, down to business! Here are my 10...no scratch that and make it 11...favorite products that were newly launched at the show, and I've tried to link to their respective companies or blogs if I had the information. I found one more that I loved, and I couldn't leave it out. Really I could make 12, because I loved everything new from Idea-ology, but that's a given...right? I also goofed and accidentally added a watermark to some of the photos...didn't mean to, and I also borrowed some of the photos from the companies themselves, as I was a bad picture taker at the show.
1. Tim Holtz Collection Stencils by Stamper's Anonymous
I loved every single one! They are much larger than the #8 tag size, so you will get great coverage. They are also thicker and very sturdy if you tend to be rough with stencils like I am. It's genius to put a hole in the top and store them all together on a ring clip! Why oh why didn't I think to do that with all my stencils? I am forever searching for the right one in the drawer I have them all in.


2. Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink by Ranger
What makes these awesome is that they so closely match some of the color of Distress Ink, so if you need a permanent ink in that color that will stand up against something wet here you go! Genius! Now you can have the best of both worlds!!! Using them with her new stencils (The tree is my favorite by the way!) or any stencil is too cool as well. Just use alcohol to clean up the stencil.

3. Wendy Vecchi Translucent Embossing Paste by Dreamweaver Stencils
If you thought her other pastes were fabulous, just wait until you play with the Translucent! WOW people WOW!!! You can even stamp on top of it! Amazing stuff! Color it up for color effects too!

4. Sizzix French Farmhouse Bigz Dies
Sizzix has soooo many new dies that I loved, namely Tim's, Eileen Hull's, and Karen Burniston's, but for some reason these vintage country versions spoke to me. I love the armoire especially! The basket and crate are excellent too! These samples were so beautiful! They don't ship until December, but you can see them a little better here.
 
5. Sizzix and Stamper's Anonymous Collaboration for Stamps and Sizzlets Dies of Tim Holtz Images
Yay!!! Not only do you get one die in one size, but another size too, and the stamped image is a different size than the one that has already been sold, so now you have many more options. I never made the Stamp 2 Cut plunge, although I should, so I can see myself purchasing these instead. I love that he choose the Christmas ones first!

6. The Kinkajou Bottle Cutter
This product made me squeal! I took every one to their booth! I can see so many projects in my head with this thing, and I think they need to make one for bigger bottles! The way it works is, you place the contraption around the bottle where you want it cut, tighten it, use the score cutter to cut it, remove the contraption (I think.), place the bottle in warmish water and wait a minute and then gently start to pull at it at the cut. You can sand the glass to get a super smooth edge if you want to make goblets. They even sell bottoms to stick into the mouth parts to make the bottoms for the goblets. So cool! I have saved so many bottles over the years that I loved or found unique in some way. They come in many colors as well!

 
I love all of these new stencils! There are so many fabulous ones I have to have and it both the large and small sizes! I love that there were samples up to see what they would look like too! I am so proud of Ronda!

8. Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions Ink Spray Pad by Ranger
I had the privilege of taking Dyan's class at the show, and she taught us how to use her new Pad. I love that is makes your stamped images using Dylusions crisp and that pressing something directly into the pad sprayed with ink gives a totally different look than just spraying the ink. And, best part is you can just rinse it off with water when you want new colors or something else and then begin again! Check out this tutorial from the great Kaz Hall using the pad for some awesome new ideas!

9.Tim Holtz Blue Print Stamps drawn by Mario III by Stamper's Anonymous
Okay, honestly I loved all the new Tim stamps that came out this time...every single set, but when I saw that Pumpkin and some of the new Christmas ones, like the Gingerbread House and Ice Skate, I was thrilled! There are just not that many images of those around, and to get them in Blue Print style is FABULOUS!!! Thanks Mario III! He is super sweet in person too, and his gorgeous wife as well.

10. Vintaj Metal-Pressions Adhesive Copper Metal Sheets by Ranger
Hello!!!! This make me so happy! I was thrilled with Ranger's new Watercolor Paper and the Foil Cardstock, but when I saw the reddish hue of Copper, I was giddy! YES!!!! I cannot wait to have a play and see what this stuff can do!

11. Maya Road Light Bulbs
I never tire of light bulbs, and it seems they are not the going thing anymore, so I was so happy to see them here in not only Transparent with Black or White Print but also WOOD!!! Wood makes me happy! They also have Doilies, Hearts, Wings, and Cameras in wood too! Love it!  Lots of new metal was added as well. Those big feathers are awesome!

Here is a link to the top 30 products that Buzzfeed liked from the show that is wonderful to see as well that Shelly Hickox sent me. 

I'll be back in a few days to show you the samples that I made for Ranger using some of the new products they launched at the show, and I'll have a give away of some great stuff from the show!!!  I'm off to visit my mommy!

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!