Mixed Media Collage Tags

More "class work" from my Paint, Paper, Paste E-Workshop.  This time we did tags - very fun, on a nice, doable small scale.  Yes, you just saw this little Paper Whimsy girl.... but I printed out the entire sheet, and she was on my desk, looking at me..... :).  Had fun collaging some metallic gold tissue paper that I had stamped text onto, some pretty spring-colored acrylics, a Tim swirl stamp, and some ribbon and lace.  The "Day Dream" is from Rogue Redhead Designs.  A little stitching on my sewing machine was thrown in for good measure.

Another tag, nature-themed this time, using a lot of the same stuff that was on my desk for the first one.  Added some patterned tape from 7 Gypsies and some Copic-colored flowers.  Just messin' around, havin' fun.

Hope you are all having a lovely weekend!  Ours started with hail and thunderstorms so strong I thought they were going to blow down the trees around us!  But now it's sunny and a little too tropical. :)  Keep it crafty!

Lilies on Kraft Glassine

Happy, happy Friday (the double happy is for the long weekend upcoming, LOL!).  I posted this card over at Rogue Redhead Designs and almost forgot to post here.  I wanted to do a little experimenting with Tim's new Kraft Glassine.  I must admit, I ordered it online and when I got it, I was somewhat disappointed.  It isn't at all like the white glassine of "envelope fame" that we all know and love - it's thicker, and much more opaque.  I put it away thinking I'd get around to figuring it out later, then sort of forgot about it.  Then I saw a few posts about it by Roni over at Ink Stains, and decided to get it out.

For this card, I stamped the Lily of the Valley image from the Floriculture plate using Archival black ink, then colored it in with Prismacolor pencils.  I was pleased with how well the pencil took to the paper.  (BTW, I didn't try coloring on the reverse side of this one... I'm not sure if it matters or not, that is, whether one side is "waxed" and one not).  I cut it out and attached it to some vintage music using 7 Gypsies patterned tape.  Very simple, easy, and different.  This would also make a cute series of cards, each using a different color tape and cardstock.

Blogger is still up to its tricks..... my followers have disappeared!  Hopefully blogger will find you soon. ;)

More from the Paint, Paper, Paste E-Class

As I wrote in a previous post, I'm taking Teresa McFayden's Paint, Paper, Paste E-Workshop, which just keeps getting better.  I've combined a few lessons here on a little 5x7-inch canvas.  I collaged the background as I did for the previous neutral collage, but this time I used blue tissue paper that had been stamped with Tim Holtz stamps, along with more vibrant paint colors and some oil pastels.  As with last time, I used vintage text and music sheets, and some stencils.  The butterflies, clock, and house were done using a fun technique that Teresa came up with using pastels and images from The Graphics Fairy.  The image of the girl is from Paper Whimsy, and the little butterfly chipboard is from GCD Studios (both have some oil pastel added on).  Have I mentioned, I'm having a ton of fun with this class? ;)

Happy Thursday, friends.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend planned... a long one for us US folks.  Let's all hope for the best, most unsettled and *safe* weather patterns for our entire country (too much devastation as of late).  Talk to ya tomorrow. :)

Keepin' It Wild at Gingersnap Creations

We're coming up on the end of the month, and the end of the "Wild West" theme at Gingersnap Creations.  Our last challenge of the month is a color challenge: GC104: Denim, Rust, and Dust.  I wanted to have a little fun with this one, and I had this awesome canvas tag from my Talbots jeans which I just had to use.... :)  Lots going on here, so here are the deets....

Firstly, I tore apart and painted some corrugated cardboard in a dust-like color, and shabbied it further with some denim and rust inks.  Next layer.... a piece of dust-colored cardstock on which I did a very fun and easy technique called "Dragged Madras" from the April/May 2009 edition of the Technique Junkie Newsletter (they happen to be sponsoring Gingersnap Creations this month.... check it out on the blog, you'll be glad you did!).  Then.... a very cute cowgirl in need of some jeans - this clipart image is from an Etsy shop called Cloud 9 Kreations.  (They have tons of cowgirl-themed and wild west collage sheets.)  The canvas tag, as I said, is from Talbots (notice that I cut off the size, LOL!), spritzed with Glimmer Mist in a denim-y color (Moonlight?).  I used some alpha stamps to create the two "signs", along with some woodgrain stamping and some distressing.  Most everything is stapled into place (we're rustic here, peeps!).  Some giant eyelets and some twine finish it off.

I hope you'll join us in this lovely color challenge... and don't worry, you don't have to stick to the wild west theme.... anything goes!

Having Tons of Fun!

Firstly..... fun, fun, fun news.... I've been published in Stamper's Sampler (June/July 2011) using Rogue Redhead Designs stamps!!!!  Here's the page above... the actual piece is much more vibrantly colored in real life - maybe they wanted the whole page to harmonize, so they lightened it. Hmmmm..... Ah well, I'll take it!  Thanks to Shar for making such awesome stamps!

In other fun-ness.... I am taking Teresa McFayden's Paint, Paper, Paste E-Workshop.  WHAT. A. BLAST!  Her style is shabby chic, colorful, vintage, gorgeous - love it!  I have been a bit of a scaredy-cat when it comes to really getting down and dirty with collage - afraid I'd end up with a mess and a bunch of supplies wasted.  Teresa guides you through some great collage techniques with a combination of stepped out tutorials and videos.  Her first video was how to layer a collage sheet with patterned tissue, papers, paints, stamps, stencils, rub-ons, etc.  She did her first one with a very neutral palette - right up my street - so I did mine with ochres, pinks, grays, and creams.  You can see the result below (well, about half of the result.... as much as my scanner would fit).  I've cut out two journal covers (YES! I cut into it!!!! Are you proud of me, LOL????), and I have some left over for something else.....

Today she put up a little tutorial on collaged tags..... very cool.  You can see a sneak peek on her blog.

I'll keep you posted on the projects I create. :)

Rosy Notes Peek

A little peek at what I've posted over at the Rogue Redhead Designs blog today.... a bit of fun with some clean and simple vintage notes.  Yep, CAS and vintage, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!!!  I'd love for you to pop on by and have a look.  Hope you all have a fun Friday!

The Play Date Cafe Challenge #PDCC81

So, do you ever start playing with colors and find you just can't stop?  That's what happened to me with this week's The Play Date Cafe Challenge #81.  Look at this gorgeous inspiration wallpaper in hues of deep purple, chartreuse, and silvery gray.  I started out wanting to play with glimmer mists and masks on canvas.  Then I had this wet mask on my hands, so had to stamp with it.... and on it went.  I'll start with the card first (you can click on the pictures to enlarge them if you'd like).

The card started with some hand stamped and misted patterned papers.  Behind the fairy is a paper that was made by stamping the wet, purple glimmer-misted Prima mask onto ivory cardstock.  I added some Stampington swirls in green, and some green distress ink.  I wanted the fairy to seemingly float over the patterned paper, so I stamped her in black on vellum, then turned it around and colored with Copics on the side opposite the stamping.  I cut her out and adhered her to the background paper (Copic side up), along with a fun little sentiment that was stamped on scraps that had various mists on them already.

Now for the background paper that is the main panel of the card.  Had fun with another item that's been sitting in my closet for a while: metallic silver tissue paper. 

First, I took a panel of very old Basic Grey paper that was, um, light grey, and stamped the script randomly in purple. I ran several layers of tissue paper through Tim Holtz's flourish alterations die, and adhered them to the panel using Golden soft gel medium.  After that was dry, I spritzed it with olive green glimmer mist.  I love how it turned out!  There's texture, shimmer, pattern.... my faves.  Here's a really bad photo that at least shows the shimmer:

Next up, that pennant (or bunting, if you prefer).  This was actually what I started with, stamping the violets in the center and coloring them with Copics.  I went over just the image with gel medium to protect it from the mists. 

 

After it was dry, I placed the mask over the bunting and sprayed it with purple glimmer mist, then dabbed the mist off of the image (the gel medium acted as a resist).  When that was dry, I stamped a green swirl randomly, added some chartreuse trims, the silvery word "Fleur" (stamped and silver embossed), some shimmery gray seam binding, and a few pewter brads at the top with a design that reminded me of the violet motif.  

I'm thinking it might be fun to do a whole series of these canvas buntings, each with a different flower. Then tie them all together - probably with that same gray seam binding.  Thanks for sticking with me for this very long post!!! Oh, almost forgot... the majority of the stamps used were from Oxford Impressions' Fairy Sweets plate. The swirl is Stampington, the script is Hero Arts, and the "fleur" is Rogue Redhead Designs.

Tag Tuesday - The Deep

This week's Tag Tuesday Challenge over at Blog Challenge Garden is "The Deep"... as in the deep blue sea.  Not the seashore, but rather, what's under the water... very cool, especially since I just got a new stamp set from Oxford Impressions that's actually called The Deep!  I had some fun with this, putting this little vintage deep sea diver in lots of peril... he's got a crab grabbing his foot, a large fish contemplating his dinner... but the biggest threat is more subtle...

 ....see the giant octopus lurking in the distance?  Okay, maybe I'm getting just a little too morbid here for a tag, LOL!!  But this stamp set is just so much fun.  You can go with strictly pretty seashells, or go nautical, even steampunk, and of course, perilous!  The background is an assortment of Glimmer Mists - Graphite, Moonlight, Peacock, and Olive Vine.  You can see the shimmer a little bit better in this next pic:

 Colored in Copics, with a little Hero Arts gem bling for bubbles. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope your weekend is fun. :) 

Re-Posting a Rogue Redhead Card

Hmmmm.... in the great Blogger Blackout, one of my most recent posts mysteriously disappeared!  Has this happened to you?  And will they ever come back..... that is the question.  I must admit, it was very unsettling not to be connected with our little blogging community - everything felt so silent!  I'm re-posting this card (who knows, maybe I'll end up with two eventually), using the new Rogue Redhead Designs Floriculture plate.  I stamped on patterned paper and colored the lilies of the valley with colored pencils.  I also stamped and colored a small 1" circle of the same image with Copics, then adhered it to one of Tim's fragments to make a little charm to tie onto my bow.  The patterned papers are from Bo Bunny and Memory Box.

You can visit the Rogue Redhead Blog to see some more cards that I made... very summery and fun.  Hope Blogger behaves. Happy Weekend!

Gingersnap Creations Spicy Supply Challenge

Continuing along with the Wild West theme this month, the Gingersnap Creations Spicy Supply Challenge is Twine.  I had lots of fun with this one, because I used twine on my card in the literal sense - to make the frame for my cowgirl and edge my fringe - and I also used it to create the background.  The background technique is called "Stringing You Along", and it's from the February/March 2009 edition of the Technique Junkie Newsletter.  I can't tell the secrets, of course, but I can tell you that I used Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, and Vintage Photo Distress Inks for both the background and to give a little color to my image, which is from The Graphics Fairy.  I couldn't resist adding the fringe to mimic her riding pants... it's simply a strip of kraft cardstock, cut freehand with regular old scissors (Martha Stewart has some fancy scissors that will do this quickly, but really, this didn't take very long).  I distressed the edges of the fringe with Vintage Photo, as well. 

I hope you can play along with us!  You can find all the details on the Gingersnap Creations blog *here*.  There's a special prize up for grabs for one randomly selected participant... very cool!  

Three Big Thank Yous!

Today's post is dedicated to some heartfelt "THANK YOUs" to three incredible artists who were generous enough to share their artwork with me In Real Life!  Yep, these amazing goodies are in my own little hands.  My picture above doesn't do them justice, so let's have a close-up little look-see, shall we?

Working chronologically ..... I received this incredible banner from Linda Albrecht.  She regularly does giveaways of her wonderful creations, and I was the lucky winner of this heart and sewing pattern paper flower garland.  Although she made it for Valentine's, it arrived at my door in time for Easter, and I think it looked marvelous on my mantel!  The colors are just perfect with my decor, and it will become a year-round decoration at my house.

 

A closer look:

Okay, next up is a gorgeous pendant made by the tremendously talented Marie of Lost Bird Studio. I am in constant awe of her work.  She was having an amazing giveaway a couple weeks ago, and this marvelous package arrived from Germany.  I had to show you everything, because I'm just nutty like that.... I can't resist beautiful packaging! (Yes, I'm keeping the whole thing... tag, wrapping, all of it).

  Here's a close-up of the beautiful pendant:

And last but certainly not least, I received these stunning tags from one of my very favorite papercrafters EVER!  Jacqueline is beautiful in every way, so of course she creates beautiful artwork.  You can see her work at Jacqueline's Craft Nest.  I am so blessed, Jacqueline sent these to me.... "just because."  Aren't they gorgeous?

 Ladies, you are all amazing!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Floriculture from Rogue Redhead Designs

Back today with another card created with the new Rogue Redhead Designs plate, Floriculture.  For this one, I used the two rose images to create a soft, romantic background.  The two images are actually mirror images of each other, which is perfect for ensuring just the right amount of variation in a background like this.  I first inked up the cardstock with Tattered Rose, Antique Linen, and Tea Dye Distress Inks.  Then I stamped the two rose images repeatedly in Victorian Velvet.  The beautiful sentiment is from the Floriculture plate, as well.  Of course, I had to get my favorite embellies in there, too.... crinkly ribbon, vintage text, and bling. ;)  I think this would make a gorgeous wedding or anniversary card.

Happy Mother's Day tomorrow to all the US moms, grandmas, and "like-a-mother-to me's"!

Rogue Redhead Designs New Release!

Well, I said I'd have something fun and new coming up, and this is it!  This is a long post, but stick around to the end for a very special somethin'......  

April showers may bring May flowers and this Spring brings the new Floriculture plate from Rogue Redhead Designs!  This one is right up my street, for sure, with gorgeous vintage floral images.  Bringing together focal images, sentiments, and decorative elements, this set lets you create a variety of nature-themed projects.  Perfect for coloring or just on their own, these vintage botanical images are made with high quality, deeply etched rubber so you can make great impressions. Oh yes, this rubber is gooooood.

For the card above, I stamped and embossed the lily of the valley image onto vellum.  I made sure to use a strip of vellum cut "lengthwise", so that I could wrap it around the patterned paper panel.  Before I adhered it, though, I wrapped a length of silk ribbon around the panel twice, then tied it in a bow.  I love how you can see the wrapped ribbon through the vellum.  I added a sentiment created from a second RRD set being released today......

The brand-new Rogue Redhead Designs Bits and Pieces plate is a versatile collection of common sentiments, which you can mix and match.  In addition to the easy-to-use greetings, Rogue Redhead has also included some simple shapes to create fun effects on your cards.  A great set for lovers of the Clean and Simple style, this set may be used alone or in conjunction with any of the other Rogue Redhead plates.  And of course, since I can't just leave CAS alone, I had to use one of the images to make a little shabby chic type of card.  

For the background, I first blended Distress Inks in Victorian Velvet, Tea Dye, Antique Linen, and Tattered Rose all over the base.  Then I inked up the circle stamp from Bits and Pieces in various different Distress Ink colors.  Now, here's the thing.... in order to get the soft wash look, you have to "know your ink pad."  Some of my pads were very juicy, and I had to stamp off once in order to get a subtle color.  Others I could just ink up and stamp the first inking directly to the card.  Experiment on scrap first.  BUT, before stamping, I did one final step.  After getting the right amount of colored ink on my stamp, I used the "rock and roll" method around the edges, taking the circle and inking just the edges of it with Tea Dye.  Cool look, huh?  That cute sentiment is from the Bits and Pieces set, too.  The Cosmo bud is another great image from the Floriculture plate.

Okay, your reward for sticking with me.....  Rogue Redhead Designs is offering these great half-size plates for the introductory price of $12.00 each, 20% off their regular retail price of $15.00 each, until June 10, 2011.  Buy Floriculture and Bits and Pieces as a bundle and save even more!  Get both these new releases together for the bundle price of $22.50 until June 10, 2011.  That's 25% off their regular retail price!

Oh, but the best is of course saved for last......  RRD is also offering a "Spring Sale Big Vintage Bundle" - Relish Reading, Floriculture and Bits and Pieces - all for the low price of $42.00 plus shipping and handling.  That's a lot of beautiful rubber (one whole plate and two half plates!).  Vintage heaven, I tell ya. ;)  And yep, you guessed it, this one only lasts until June 10, 2011, too.  

Thanks for stopping by, and I urge you to go visit the Rogue Redhead Designs blog to get some spring stampin' fever.... I mean, more inspiration!

Scrappy Gluebook Again

Once again this week, I have been sitting in my car more than I have been sitting in my craft room.  Good thing I have fun stuff to bring with me!  It's more scrappy stampy gluey pages.  This first one has my practice attempt at inkjet image transfer onto watercolor paper.  I had always read that you needed to have a laser image in order for images to transfer properly.  Lo and behold, I went to Donna Downey's website, and she shows us that as long as you use Golden's Gel Medium, inkjet prints work just fine.  Oh my, what fun!!!  (You can see her video tutorial on the subject *here*.)

A few lovely ladies in vintage browns.

Some of the last of my purple scraps.  The little girl is Paper Whimsy.  The stamped lilac is Unity, and the stamped tulips are Oxford Impressions.

I have some fun stuff coming up..... something new..... can't wait to show you! :)