December Technique: CRACKED GLASS

Hello and happy winter to all of you! We are beginning our second Monthly Technique Challenge over at SweetStamps.com and this is a fun one...

CRACKED GLASS

There are two different ways to achieve this look. Here is a quick run-down on the steps:

1) Stamp an image. 

2) Color if you wish. If you've colored with dye based inks or markers that are NOT waterproof, you will want to use the DRY technique. If your image is not colored or your coloring media IS waterproof, then you can use the WET technique.

3) DRY Technique:
Cover the image with 2-1/2" wide Super Sticky Tape. You can now die cut over your taped image (you will be able to see the image through the white liner of the Super Sticky Tape).

-OR-

3) WET Technique:
Cover your image with a clear embossing ink (like VersaMark™ or Distress Clear Embossing Ink).

4) Cover the tape or embossing ink with an Ultra Thick Clear Embossing Enamel and heat until melted. The surface will look pitted. While the EP is hot and sticky, add some more enamel powder to the surface and heat again. Heat and repeat for a total of 3-6 coats, until the surface is shiny and glass like.

5) Allow the image to cool. Place in your freezer for 10-20 minutes

6) Crack it! Bend the image in all different directions...if a piece of enamel chips off, you can reattach it with a clear drying glue like Ultimate Glue or Glossy Accents.

That's it. Here's the card I created for the challenge:

This monthly challenge is open now through January 14th, I hope you'll play along for your chance to win some fabulous SweetStamps images! Don't forget to jump over to the SweetStamps challenge blog to see the other great creations from the Design Team!

Happy stamping,
:) Stacey

November Technique Challenge: SUSPENSION CARD

Hello friends. I don't know how your week has been, but mine involved traveling 2,000+ miles from the nice weather in Arizona to the cold of Wisconsin and coming down with the flu...I've had better weeks, but I'm happy that I was feeling well enough tonight to participate in some "craft therapy" and create a card for SweetStamps first ever Monthly Technique Challenge!

Here is my (hastily made) Suspension Card:

It is sweet & simple (and considering it took me longer to photograph and post a tutorial on this than it did to make, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!) 

 **check out my tutorial here**

One of my favorite things on this card is the stamped background I created on the colored CS. I used a stamp from the Decorative Elements Set and stamped randomly in Rustic Shades Dye Ink.

Here are the supplies I used:

Paper: A2 cream card, Paprika Core'dinations CS panel, Patterned DP (Blank Canvas), Fossil CS

Shades™ Dye Inks: Butterscotch, Orange & Rustic

SweetStamps: S601 Decorative Elements Set and 3022 Firewheel Flower DUO 

Cheery Lynn Dies: Little Stackers Classic Circles, Little Stackers Scallop Circles, Dancing Doily Lace Border

Embellishments: 1/8" Brown Satin Ribbon, Metallic Thread, Rhinestones

Miscellaneous: Dove Blender Pen, Super Sticky Tape, Krylon Spray Adhesive, Removable Tape, Sponge

I don't know about you, but I cannot make a bow without the help of a tool...but since I was pressed for time and had NO IDEA where my bow making tools were, I used my index and middle fingers as the "poles" for creating the loops of my bow...not too bad if I do say so myself! {Limited time & supplies = a chance to be creative}

Stop by the SweetStamps blog to see the awesome creations of the DT Sweeties, they really did a great job with this challenge! We'd love to see your entry, you could win $20 of rubber stamps from SweetStamps.com.
 

Playing with Inks...and NEW RELEASE Stamps

Hello and Happy Tuesday! Have you seen our NEW RELEASE stamps yet? I've been having fun playing with these! In fact, I have two cards to share for this week's SweetStamps.com Blog Challenge #87 Stippled or Sponged!

SweetStamps products used:

**Check out this TUTORIAL for Step-by-Step Instructions**

For my second card, I used 4008 Art Nouveau Vertical Border stamped in French Roast Shades™ dye ink and colored with Distress Markers. I applied Vanilla Cream Shades™ dye ink with a sponge but rubbed it across the cardstock instead of tapping it. I used 98116 Bitty Scallop Die (Memory Box) on both sides of the stamped and sponged image.

I cut a piece of green CS with 98118 Classic Scallop Border Die (Memory Box) on one side and adhered this layer to a piece of Stardream CS that I embossed using FRM132 French Lattice Small Frame Die (Cheery Lynn Designs). Then to finish it off I added some ribbon from my stash and Cream Pearls in two different sizes.

I hope to see your stippled or sponged creation in this week's challenge, you could get some of these beautiful new release stamps if you are the lucky winner!

Happy stamping,

Witchy Wednesday

The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are changing, it's definitely fall! Just wanted to share this Witchy card I created using vellum, Pitt artist pens and FRM123 Enchanted Flight Frame die from Cheery Lynn.

 

This would make a great luminary for Halloween!

Happy crafting,

Lovin' my new eBosser!

Finally got my eBosser machine...they've been on pre-order for a while! But it was worth the wait, I LOVE IT!!

 

Some of the awesome features on this machine are that the plates are 8.5" x 11" so you can use a full sheet of paper! The best part is that the machine is FULLY AUTOMATIC, so after you power it up, build your "sandwich" and feed it into the opening it will go through all by itself (no button to keep pushed)! I love to have that extra time while the machine is working to clear off my workspace or get the next project taped down and ready to go into the eBosser.

 

Because of the large format of the plates, you can emboss FOUR A2 or TWO 5"x7" size folders AT THE SAME TIME!!! Sweet! 

I even did a quick video on embossing with the eBosser, check it out here.

Happy crafting,

9/11 Remembrance Day Craft

Today we rolled up a history lesson, math project and craft all into one! For history, the kids learned about the events of September 11th, for math they had to count and use patterns, and for the craft, well check it out...

They both did a fantastic job on these pins. They were so proud of them, they've talked about wearing them to our Washington D.C. field trip next week.

Long Time, No Post...

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't been posting lately, most of my time has been eaten up with redesigning display boards for our trade show booth and preparing for upcoming classes in Massachusetts and Florida.


I had fun at the Fitchburg, MA show this past weekend - especially on Monday when Mechele and I took all our crafty stuff into the host hotel and sorted our stuff, colored, created cards and laughed a lot!


Here are a few of the images I colored, eventually they will be made into cards. I enjoyed using my Copics again...I had not taken them on the road before and missed them when not coloring on vellum!

Well, that's it for now, hope to have more fun stamp stuff to share with you soon!

NEW RELEASE Blog Hop

Woohoo! SweetStamps has just released twelve new stamp designs today and the design team is celebrating with a Blog Hop! 

You should have come here from Sandy's blog, if not, please hop back to the beginning of the DT list to complete the hop and collect all the letters:

Bonnie

Calypso

Dawn B

Dawn L

Jackie

Jacqueline

Jenn

Joni

Kendra

Linda

Shelly

Tamara
Sandy
Stacey (you are here)

Make sure you've left a comment on each DT members blog to qualify as a winner. You could win some of these new stamp images:

• From the Garden - featuring six beautiful large size floral images
• Silhouette ATCs - a set of four fancy butterflies, a pixie and a pretty bouquet
• Borders - three stripes (great for creating your own custom paper), ring around the rosey and a beautiful baroque border 

I've been having a lot of fun playing with these new images! With the Three Stripes Border you can make awesome background papers like this one which was stamped with Fuschia Fizz and Valentine Shades™ Dye Ink: 

 

I love the clean and simple look of the card below, Baroque Border was stamped twice in French Roast Shades™ Dye Ink on cream CS and the edges sponged with Brownie Shades™ Dye Ink, then layered onto a dark brown panel that was cut with Japanese Lace Pattern Die from Cheery Lynn Designs. The Little Stackers French Flair was cut from cream CS, sponged with Brownie Shades™ Dye Ink and mounted to the card front with foam dots to add dimension. The flower was made from Candi that was folded and glued around a Candi base (adhered with Candi Fix foam dots) using Ultimate Glue.

  

I used Three Stripes Border in Amaryllis and Beach Shades™ Dye Ink to create the plaid background below. Dahlia was stamped with White Dye Ink onto 36# Vellum and heat embossed with Black Sparkle EP. The flower was colored with watercolor pencils and blended with a Dove Blender. I even fussy cut this image and adhered it to the background using V2 Vellum Adhesive Spray.

 

For a super quick card, stamp Baroque Border on one side of the card front, sponge ink onto the other side, adhere ribbon down the length of the card and adorn with a flower. I added some highlights to the stamped border by tracing areas with a Clear Gelly Roll Stardust Pen.

 

Below is the lovely Carnation stamped in White Dye Ink onto 36# Vellum and heat embossed with Medieval Metals EP. The flower was colored with Pitt Artist Pens (in red) and a Dove Blender. Two sided ribbon was attached along the side and bottom, and a knot of the same ribbon was tied to the ribbon on the side.

If you've been playing along in our New Release Blog Hop, this is your last stop and I have a hint for you: 

The letters you've collected make up three words:

_ _ _ _    _ _ _    _ _ _ _ _ _

Once you've unscrambled the letters and figured out the secret phrase, please post a comment on the SweetStamps blog with your answer.
 

Good luck and Happy Stamping!

 

Get in the Spotlight!

This week's challenge theme at SweetStamps.com is Spotlighting. I wanted to create a reverse spotlight and use a bottle cap to put my reverse spotlight in, but since we are traveling cross country this week I only had a an hour or so to put this together and I didn't have time to hunt for my bottlecaps!

So here is my spotlighted card:

I used these products:

466G Embroidery Basket image by SweetStamps.com

White Dye Ink

36# Vellum

Fantasy White EP

tan and patterned paper from my stash

FRM135 Swedish Spring Oval Frame die by Cheery Lynn Designs

B162 Lace Corner Deco B dies by Cheery Lynn Designs

Foam Dots

Dove Blender Pen

Lime and Rose Stardust Gelly Roll Pens 
V2 Vellum Adhesive Spray

Large Corner Rounder

Here's a look at an angle, the white EP really sparkles IRL! And you can see the dimension of the rose in the center of the basket.

Join in the fun and have your creation in the spotlight at the SweetStamps blog this week...you could win $20 of rubber stamps!

Don't forget to stop by the challenge blog and check out all the awesome cards from the design team!


See you next week when we'll have a Blog Hop showcasing SweetStamps NEW RELEASE!


I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Card Crew - #7 Spring
Paper & Such Design Blog - Spring or Easter 
Shopping Our Stash - #45 Circles or Dots
Paper Pretties - Paper Piecing or Piercing
Paper Cupcakes - Less is More
One Stop Craft Challenge - #175 Clean & Simple

Happy stamping,

Hippity, Hoppity, Easter's on it's Way!

Greetings! It's gotten cold here in Arizona...even colder than back home in Michigan! But that's bound to change soon, after all, Easter's on it's way!
I worked on this card a little bit at the Tucson, AZ show but just finished it up Monday night. Here's my Easter creation, hope you like it.

 

I stamped Hunny Bunny in White Dye Ink onto 36# Vellum, heat embossed with Medieval Metals fine detail EP, etched some white into her eyes and fur (with stylus tools on the blue embossing pad), then colored using a tan marker from my Pergamano Marker set and a Dove Blender. Since Hunny Bunny is such a cutie, I had to give her some sparkly eye shadow (done with Pink Star & Rose Star Gelly Roll Stardust Pens and a Dove Blender). In the stamped image, she is holding a flower which I covered with a 3D flower I made using Cheery Lynn's Miniature Rose die. I adhered Hunny to a piece of ivory CS and pierced the image out with my 4-Split Needle Tool and Black Perforating Pad.

Little sidebar here: Have you seen the Reflections Boutique dies that Cheery Lynn has come out with? They ROCK! At the Tucson show I had cut a large scalloped circle from a 8" x 8" pattern paper from Hideaway - with my Vagabond. How cool is it that you can cut a large shaped die from a small machine (like the Big Shot or Cuttlebug)? AWESOME!

Ok, back to the card: The top of my card is a Scalloped Circle Reflections Boutique Die (Cheery Lynn). I only cut the one side because that is all I wanted to use. I created a score line one scallop width across the semicircle and taped that area to the back of the card with 1/4" Super Sticky Tape. I stamped Easter Blessings in Grassroots Shades™ Dye Ink and used the Scalloped Square XL Stacker Dies (Cheery Lynn) to create the rectangle...I couldn't locate my scalloped rectangle dies, so I cut a bigger square and then lined up diecut in the edges inside the square die to create the rectangle! It was also sponged with Grassroots ink. Satin Rose Shades™ Dye Ink was sponged onto the edges of the semicircle and the edges of the SF2 Stacker Flower #2 die (which I trimmed in diameter using Scalloped Circle Window Little Stackers dies also from Cheery Lynn). I used 2-1/2" Super Sticky Tape, patterned paper from Spring Feast and **a NEW product** Sugar Beads on the smaller blossom from Judy's Blooms die (Cheery Lynn) and layered that on top of the SF2 Stacker Flower #2. To finish this piece, I added dots of Petal Pink Liquid Pearls around the scallops - which was very easy since there is a little piercing in the center of each scallop which I used as a guide for my pearls.

For the inside of the card (under the top flap) I stamped Egg-stra Special Easter in Nightfall Shades™ Dye Ink onto a Scalloped Coved Rectangle XL Stacker diecut from white CS, edged in Satin Rose Shades™ Dye Ink and layered onto a beautiful paper from Spring Feast on the next size Scalloped Coved Rectangle XL Stacker die (Cheery Lynn).

I used the bow die from Cheery Lynn's Bow & Bell set to create the bow on top of the egg. The die cuts out a delicate outline, but I wanted to make it look like a real ribbon, so I cut out another bow and took the inside pieces (cut from Spring Feast paper) and placed them into the outline bow that was cut from pink CS. I cut the Grass Border out of green CS three times and layered some of it so that it overlapped itself at the bottom of the card.

Here's a close up of the Easter egg which was created with the Lace Egg Four die cut out of Starfire Holographic CS, placed onto 2-1/2" Super Sticky Tape and backed onto a 36# Vellum egg cut from the smallest die in the Egg Nest set. I used my new Sugar Beads on the top of the egg and colored the vellum on the back of the egg with fade resistant Pitt Artist Pens.

This card is being entered into the following challenges:

Cheery Lynn Designs - Challenge #20 Easter

Paper Pretties - Easter Challenge 

There She Goes - TSG148 Easter & Animals 

Dream Valley Challenges - #28 Easter 

My Sheri Crafts - Challenge #81 Easter  

Crafty Boots - Easter 

Little Claire Designs - #19 Spring/Easter

Now I know we'd all like to see your Easter creation so please hop on over to join us for this week's challenge at SweetStamps.com - you could win $20 of SweetStamps images!

Happy stamping,

Think Spring @ SweetStamps!

Is the weather getting warmer where you are? We've been in Arizona and it's been a little windy, but nice outside (especially compared to what we are used to in Michigan!)

Our challenge this week at SweetStamps.com is "Think Spring". The first thought that pops in my head when I "Think Spring" is flowers, and I thought it would be fun to create a card that could hold a bookmark or gift card, so here's what I came up with...

All designer papers are from the Bo Bunny Welcome Home paper pack, and all the dies used are from Cheery Lynn Designs. I started by cutting B117 Fanciful Flourish die and adhered that with Krylon Spray Adhesive to the card base. I added shimmer to the flourish by painting it with CI Paints in Citrus. I sponged the 6x6 card with French Roast Shades™ Dye Ink and Carmel CI Paint to add a shimmery sparkle to the edges. I used ZVA Pearls in a light brown to add some bling here and there.

7057G Three Wild Rose Garland was stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento ink on Cryogen White paper and colored with Copics (Spring Leaf Trio and Teal Trio). The image was cut out with a 4-Split Needle Tool on the Black Perforating Mat and Daffodil Liquid Pearls were added to the centers of the flowers. 

 I used Candi Fix foam dots to adhere the flower garland to B124 Garden Gate die that I had cut twice to create a 3D gate. I put a strip of cardstock along the bottom of the two die cut gates (adhered with Ultimate Glue) to create a pocket. 

For the flower embellishment, I cut a base from French Flair Little Stacker die and sponged with White Dye Ink. To create the flower, I folded Candi legless brads (NEW COLOR: Baker Street) in half and adhered with Ultimate Glue around a foam dotted Candi center.

DL112 Butterfly was cut from blue paper with the matching DL112A angel wing cut from light tan CS. Two additional butterflies were cut from brown patterned paper, folded in half and adhered (sides together) to create a 3D butterfly.

The bookmark was created from the Scalloped Coved Rectangle die that was mounted onto a patterned DP - both edged with French Roast Shades™ Dye Ink - and embellished with Split Pea Rhinestones in the corners along with a DL112 butterfly die cut in brown. It was finished with white satin ribbon that was painted with Carmel CI Paint and a pretty flower brad from my stash.

Spring on over to the SweetStamps blog for inspiration from the talented ladies of the design team. Play along with us this week and you could win a $20 shopping spree for rubber stamps at SweetStamps.com!

I'm entering this into the following challenges:

Cheery Lynn Designs - #19 Add A Flourish

Paper Creations Ink - #20 Spring is in the Air 

Cutie Pie Challenge #13 Pearls & Swirls  

There She Goes Clear Stamps - Hidden Surprise

Dream Valley Challenges - #27 Mother's Day 

Gingerloft Challenge #35 Spring 

Penny Black & More @ Allsorts - Springtime 

Crazy 4 Challenges - C4C127 Spring

Crafty Catz - #124 Mother's Day or Special Lady  

Happy stamping,

Make Mine Monochromatic

This week's challenge at SweetStamps.com is Monochromatic. Here is a sweet & simple card I created for this challenge using one of my favorite flower stamps:

I used the following SweetStamps images: 

7058 Three Wild Rose Bunch

9006 Thinking of You Script

Shades™ Dye ink in the following colors:

Cream of Wheat

French Roast

Palm Grove

along with:

White Dye Ink

Medieval Metals Fine Detail Embossing Powder

36# Vellum

4 Split Needle Tool & Black Piercing Mat

Dove Blender Pen 

Latte self-adhesive Pearl Strips

Cream CS

French Flair Little Stackers Dies by Cheery Lynn

Lace from my stash 

I wasn't sure how the flowers would look in browns, but I think it gives it a vintage feel!

Don't forget to check out the SweetStamps blog for inspiration from the talented ladies on the design team. Play along with us this week and you could win a $20 shopping spree for rubber stamps at SweetStamps.com!

See ya next week when our challenge will be Think Spring!

Top O' The Morning To Ya!

Okay, I did not plan ahead very well last week...having recently "moved" from one trailer to another and over 2,000 miles to drive, it escaped me that I needed to make my St. Patrick's Day stamps accessible. It wasn't until this weekend while in Arizona when I realized this! So, I do not have a new card to share with you, but I do have a previously made St. Patty's Day card:

 

I used the following SweetStamps images: 

480 Elegant Scrollwork Frame 

2004 Irish Blessing

2002 Shamrock Wish DUO

along with:

Distress Embossing Ink

Fine Detail White Embossing Powder

Queen's Gold Embossing Powder

Green Tinsel Embossing Powder

New Sprout Memento Marker

4 Split Needle Tool & Black Piercing Mat

Corner Rounder

Don't forget to check out the SweetStamps blog for inspiration from the talented ladies on the design team. Play along with us this week and you could win a $20 shopping spree for rubber stamps at SweetStamps.com!

See ya next week when our challenge will be Monochromatic!