It's my life

Simon Says Stamps Challenge - Anything Goes

Wow, what a wild week.  My beautiful baby Garrett was born last Wednesday, July 6th and it's been a wonderful crazy ride since then.  I love the story and can't wait to tell it to you all but it may take me a little time.  I am finding it hard to get the time to be online.  I can't believe tomorrow he will already be a week old.  Until then.....

 

We've got another fabulous challenge this week on the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog.  The theme is Anything Goes, so let your creativity flow.  Please be sure to use a new card that you made this week and Wow us!

My card this week features a beautiful stamp from Stamp Happens.  You can see this stamp and many others from Stamp Happens at the Simon Says Stamp Superstore.  Because of the artistic feel of the stamp I decided to color it in using my distress inks and watercolor paper.  So fun and simple to do. 

Supplies:

Stamp- "Glorious" from Stamps Happen; Media- Distress Inks by Tim Holtz; Stazon Ink; Arches Cold Pressed 140lb Watercolor Paper; Ribbon- May Arts; Paper- Crate Paper "Emma's Shoppe"

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Day- Boy Cards and Charms

It's Simon Says Stamp Challenge day and I've got a card today that I had a lot of fun creating.  I started out with some Arches watercolor paper, black Stazon Ink, and the Magnolia stamp Sherwood Edwin.  Then I got out my Tim Holtz Distress Inks and started coloring in the image.  I don't color in my image using this technique very often but I am trying to practice more instead of always using my Copic markers.

 

After coloring, I cut out Sherwood Edwin and pop dotted him on the tag.  I embossed the leaf prints on the tag with gold embossing powder.  The leaf prints are from the new Hero Arts Set, Real Leaves Fall 2010.  The background paper I used is a piece from Basic Grey's Max and Whiskers paper and the other patterned paper is from Making Memories.

After putting everything together I added the Tim Holtz type charm.  I used the E for Edwin's name.  I thought that the Unity sentiment stamp sort of sounded like a love letter.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to enter your challenge card on the Simon Says Stamp Challenge blog this week where you might win a $25 gift certificate to the Simon Says Stamp online store.

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Day- Jay Jay's Sketch

Woo Hoo, it's time for another Simon Says Stamp Challenge Blog Day and we have an awesome sketch for you to work with this week.  Jay Jay, our guest designer this month, and stamper extraordinaire, has created a wonderful sketch for us.  So if you haven't stop by the challenge blog please do so to see the great sketch.

Here is my take on the sketch.  I love working with sketches because you can flip it, add or subtract, or just duplicate it and it all looks good.

 

I broke out my Distress Inks to color this one.  I was just sort of called to create with an old time feel with this image.  I love the timelessness of Sarah Kay stamps and the watercolor effect of the Distress Inks worked so well.  This is Country Girl.  I have to say that this picture doesn't really show the beautiful look of the watercolor paper.  I splurged and bought some Arches paper a while back and I love using it with Tim Holtz's Distress Inks.
 

For this image I used Tattered Rose for the skin, Weathered Wood for the jeans, Scattered Straw for the straw, More Mustard for the chicks, Antique Linen and Vintage Photo for her hair, Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick for her shirt, and Walnut Stain for the wood.

Other products that I used on this card are from Hero Arts.  The Antique lace and the Poinsettia flowers are all from Hero Arts.  

Simon Says Stamp Challenge Day- Summertime theme

It's Wednesday and my favorite day of the week.  It's Simon Says Stamp Challenge Day and I get to share my card for this week's challenge.  This week's theme is Summertime and a little bit of blue.  The design team is also spotlighting Stampabilities stamps.  The House Mouse and Peanuts character stamps are probably the most familiar but I had in mind to create something a little different.  In fact, I wanted to really to push myself out of my comfort zone and use a stamp that was not a character stamp or even colored with Copic markers.  (I know what a shocker!)  So instead I picked this lovely dress stamp from Stampabilities called Dress Girly Girl.  To color it I used my Tim Holtz Distress Inks and then cut out the stamped image and placed it on the blue circle.  Then I colored my white background paper with Tumbled Glass distress pad and adhered the patterned paper with dark brown stitching.

 

I have been totally enamored with Tim Holtz products and style for awhile now, but never thought it was my style.  Well I am learning that I can create anything if I try it and practice.  Well, practice I did and so here is my first card using a much more vintage, shabby look than normally what I create.  I just love the stamp that I used.  I got it because I just thought it was so pretty but I hadn't used it yet. It was truly the inspiration that caused me to stretch outside of my comfort zone.  I had so much fun with all of the little touches such as the stitching, pearls, vintage buttons, canvas flower, lace, and distressing.

Supplies found at Simon Says Stamp Online Store:  

Stampabilities Stamp Dress Girly Girl, Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Die, Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad in Spun Sugar, Kaiser Scrapbook Pearls

So please join me in the Simon Says Stamp Challenge for this week and be entered to win a $25 Gift Certificate to the Simon Says Stamp store which will be randomly drawn from all of the entries.

Trying a New Technique and some Blog Candy

I love trying new things.  I love learning and researching new techniques that I can use in my craft.  This card is the result of that.  I have always wanted to learn how to color with distress inks and watercolor paper so the other day I gathered my supplies, checked out a couple of You Tube videos and started playing.

 

I definitely sees some areas that I need to work on but I was pretty happy with my results.  It was fun, new and different.  Here is a close up.

If you have any tips or tricks for me or know of a great video or article that would help me out please leave it in the comment section.   Please leave your comment by 8p.m. cst Thursday, May 20th for a chance to win some fun card making supplies.

Supplies:  Princess Tilda Magnolia Stamp, Tim Holtz distress Inks by Ranger, Arches Watercolor paper, Beloved paper line by Iron Orchid Designs, Flowers by Magnolia, Martha Stewart punch