Simon Says Stamp and Show Blog Challenge

Simon Says Stamp is hosting a blog challenge this week with the theme "What do you say?". So, I thought I would play along and made these two cards to enter.  Same materials, different looks.  Backgrounds were created with distress inks, archival ink stamping, and some Mr. Huey Opaque White Mist, and a bit of "water sprinkling and stamping". Popped a bit of the stamped design with white pen.  The stamps are from the Pedaling Past set by Stampin' Up.

Now, I just need to decide which one to enter...

Christmas in July Crop

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend yesterday at a crop with friends. Our LSS, Captured Moments goes all out with their Christmas in July crop! From carmel corn and homemade cookies, to a full turkey dinner with all the fixings, they know how to keep us fed!

I spent most of my day starting my December Daily for this year (did you hear that Sheila? I figured you would be asking me to do it again, so thought I would get a head start). Basically, I got all of the base done, and will add everything else later. When I saw this new Authentique line, I just knew it was perfect.

 So, not only do we work on our projects, have the opportunity to win great prizes, sing some Christmas karaoke, but they even put together these fun little classes for us to take. Aren't these candy bar covers adorable! (not sure about some of those eyes I drew...)

Amy Tangerine Daybook Challenge - Sheila's Take

Here is what I did for the felt embellishment challenge that I came up with for us this week. I took a few pieces of felt, did some hand stitching and came up with my own vegetable embellishments for my Daybook.

tomato

 

 

carrot and corn

green beans

I printed out my photos onto 8 1/2" x 11" photo paper and then cut them all to look like little Polaroids. I've added a few to my book with room for the journaling. I've also added the tag from a basket purchased at the Feed and Seed Supply for gathering all the harvest.

Amy Tangerine Daybook Challenge - Maura's Take

I have to start by saying that I love Sheila's challenge for us! This is something that I have wanted to try for a long time...making my own felt embellishment.  I started out by googling cute fish pictures, then made a quick sketch which I used to cut out the fish shape from this fun polka dot felt.

Next step was to cut out the pieces from different colors of felt for the parts of the fish and glued these in place.

I took out my black embroidery thread to add all the details for the fish...kinda cute! Thought this was a great page to use in the daybook (reminded me of blue ocean water) for my fish.  I added in a few bubbles to finish it off.

This is the page opposite my fish page that I put together.  It's so much fun looking back on our quick little vacation to the beach as I work on this.

Thanks for a great challenge, Sheila!!

Hey Girl...Simon Says Stamp challenge

Simon Says Stamp Blog is having a challenge this week with the theme "hey girl" and what you wanted to do with that is totally up to your interpretation. So, I decided to have some fun and play along.... so many choices. should I make a card? a layout? do something altered? or...do something in my art journal?

 

Bet you guessed it...art journal! I started with gessoed pages, then played with distress inks on the background.

Next, I decided I wanted to play with mists and stencils, so out came this Balzer stencil and some Dylusions inks.

I made the pig sketches in class this past week, and wanted to get them into my art journal.  So, now with the background all ready, I added my sketches onto the pages, cut out some flying pigs and the saying "when pigs fly"  and I am ready to finish.

Added in some journaling, and there are my "hey girl piggies!"

Pigs, I guess, are near and dear to my heart because of the part of my life I lived in Cincinnati where they are seen in images and sculpture all around the city.  The city celebrates the pig, going back to their historical roots as "Porkopolis".

Altered Post Card

front

back

Another art swap...this time we had to create an altered postcard with the theme "wish you were here."  I chose to make my place New Orleans, since my son went to school there, and we had the opportunity to visit a couple of times, and love the city.  It is such a city of contrasts, which I have tried to incorporate, and very old world (hence the lace edging), and always, always there is music.

Stamps: Jazz Trumpet (Stampabarbara), Keys (DeNami)

Amy Tangerine Twocraftingsisters Challenge

Sheila and I are missing the challenges for the Amy Tangerine Daybook, hosted by our friends at Captured Moments, so once again, we have come up with our own and we would love for you to play along too!

Sheila's challenge:  Are you ready for this????  Incorporate a handmade felt embellishment with stitching-hand or machine.  Ready...set....go!

SteamPunk Paper Dolls

SteamPunk Woman #1

SteamPunk Woman #2

I faced a new challenge in my art group, and that was to make a paper doll for an exchange.  I don't think that I have played with paper dolls since I was a  little girl, but I thought, heck, why not?! Well, if you know me, or have followed our blog, you know that I have developed a passion for steampunk, so my dolls had to follow that theme.  Of course, I couldn't just make one to give away...I wanted one for myself! So, only one of these will be heading to the exchange.

I stamped her dress form body on Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante paper, as well as her gloves.  Her head (Paper Inspirations), arms, and her pet raven(Rubbermoon) were stamped separately. I got out my new distress markers to color her flesh and hair. Next I mounted everything on heavy cardstock, backed it with paper and cut the parts out, so that I could make her arms moveable. Finished her off with gears, pearls, locks, diamond glaze, tissue tape, etc. Voila - there you have it...my Parisian SteamPunk Women!

Amy Tangerine Blog Challenge

While waiting for our friends at Captured Moments to come up with the next challenge (hint, hint!), I started to add in some photos and journaling from the trip my husband and I went on in June.

What is a vacation without yummy eats?!

Happy to be on vacation!

Sheila and I added in our own challenge and shared this here. Thought I would show it to you again with photos.

Love this photo of our feet at the beach.

Previous challenge with tags and pockets...and now photos and journaling.  Cute story here, the room we stayed in once used to be a chicken coop! :)

A little washi and punchinella fun with this photo of my husband playing his guitar at the beach.

OK, ready for that challenge now!

Tim Holtz App!!

Wow! If you have a smart phone, iPad, or such, you have to check this out! It lets you keep track of what you have, what you want, and all kinds of neat stuff!

How to spend your morning

 

Get your cup of coffee, your computer and spend a bit of time HERE to see some great sneak peeks of new and upcoming products that will be debuting at CHA this next week. Be sure to go back to older posts because there are a ton of peeks. Wondering how to keep track of all those goodies that you will just have to buy once they're available? Pin them onto a "Must Haves" Pinterest board so that you can keep them organized in one place.

Blog Challenge Continues

Maura and I are having so much fun with our Amy Tangerine Daybooks and the Captured Moments blog challenge that we couldn't go a week without doing something in our books. Maura challenged us to come up with a cut-out or window in our books. Here's what I did:

I found self adhesive plastic business card holders and used an x-acto knife to trim out a rectangle and then adhered one sleeve to the front and one sleeve to the back and since they were self adhesive, they just stuck to each other.

On the other side I adhered the tag from new garden hats we purchased at the local feed and seed store along with a journaling spot.

Christmas in July: little fat book page

My little fat book page I made for an art exchange.  As you can see, the theme is Christmas, and there is no time like July to work on Christmas things. If you do it now, you won't be scrambling in December when life is so hectic to get it all done! ( Yup, listen to that advice there, Maura :)

Trying to give you a view of the dimension and layers.  I had fun adding in the skate key, lights and key hole to spice this up!
 
A reader asked for directions on how to fold the paper into the tree which is here.

Blog Challenge: Amy Tangerine Daybook

Sheila and I came up with our own challenge for this week for the challenge, since our friends at Captured Moments had a very busy week. Our challenge was to make a page with a cutout. This is what I made...a couple of pages with cut outs, some paper, embellishments, and a bit of punchinella. Can't wait to see yours Sheila!

Amy Tangerine: our challenge

Since life has thrown curve balls to our friends at Captured Moments who are running the Amy Tangerine blog challenge, we decided to come up with one of our own for this week. The challenge for us is to create at least one page with a window or cut out in it. Look for what we come up with in the next couple of days! We welcome any of you to join us with your day book on this challenge. Send us a photo and we'll post it too!

Great Scrapbooking Tips from our Readers

Wow!  All kinds of great ideas coming in from our readers to help us become better scrapbookers. We just had to share these with you too!

Heidi:  print out your photos, even if you won't be able to work on them for 5 years...too many hard drive crashes.

soapHousemama: don't scrap while thinking what others will say, scrap for you!

Nancy: don't be afraid to lift, friends are happy to share!


Leslie:  always try to craft with friends, not only do you create great projects, but also lasting memories!


Michelle: never scrap alone! Friendships are priceless and as the song goes "I get by with a little help from my friends."


Fran: don't hoard the good stuff, use EVERYTHING you have...who better to use the good stuff than on yourself!


Lynda: share what you create with your family and friends, it is such a great way to create new memories with your old ones


Rachael:  try something new...whether it is a new style, new materials or new technique...you learn so much by going out of the box!


Jenny:  stay true to yourself and scrapbook what you want and how you want...don't always follow the trends, especially if you don't like them 


Aunt Robin: have homemade chocolate chip cookies and coffee ready, be sure to have lots of 2 sided tape handy and a basket for tossing in the "oops"  What do you say, we all go scrapbook with Aunt Robin?! :)



Ginger:  to not go in order, it's important to scrapbook what inspires you (if you go in order, you will be bored and won't enjoy it as much)


Mary:  use all your stuff before becoming a scrapbooking hoarder, saving your scraps and embellishments for a special occasion for too long can make your trendy stuff old-fashioned


Sue:  keep it fresh and always look for new ideas...makes it exciting 


Annette: it's easy to get overwhelmed by too much stuff, pick a handful of things and challenge yourself to make something from that pile (it might help you use something you've had hanging around forever)

Thanks readers!!

and from twocraftingsisters...Maura: think outside the box - a scrapbook doesn't have to be 12x12, it can be any size, and anything...a cigar box or coffee cups made into a book...be inspired and let your imagination soar.

Sheila: Don't forget the everyday "little" things when you scrapbook. Most of us make sure to scrap the vacations, weddings, births, etc. but overlook the everyday--what rooms in our home look like, what we collect and why, how much gas costs today, what our grocery cart is filled with, what styles we wear, what cars we drive (how fun is it to see old cars in our grandparent's photos), what our workspace looks like, what we love about our town, etc. Your family will love these "little" details when they look through your scrapbooks years from now. Things change so quickly, kids grow so fast, the unexpected happens and to have a photo or handwritten journaling that brings back a flood of memories and warms your heart is just such a good thing.

Great Stamping Tips from our Readers

We thought we would share the stamping tips you sent in.  Thanks for participating everyone!!

soapHousemama: stamp with paint

Sheree: hold the stamp with two hands, and use your chin to stamp evenly (this one you have to see in person:)

Fran: don't wiggle the stamp after you put it down, and have plenty of baby wipes on hand (remember to use the ones without alcohol in them...Maura)

Nancy:  take the rubber stamps right off the wood blocks and mount on thin cling stamp foam, then store in a notebook on glossy board to save a lot of space

Michelle: let every creation be an original, and never stress if it isn't perfect, we are all unique in our own way

Denise:  keep an old hand towel and some stamp cleaner nearby to clean your stamps as you go

Great shares!! We have some great tips to work with on our stamping projects.

and...from twocraftingsisters....Maura: any surface can be stamped on with the right media, whether it is ink or paint; you can even wrap an unmounted stamp around a curved surface. 

Sheila: if you aren't using your rubber stamps as much as you'd like and it's because they are stored away in drawers, get them out, find a new storage system to keep them accessible and in view and you are more likely to reach for them while card making, scrapbooking or just crafting. It was true for me...out of sight...out of mind. 

One last stamping tip...be on the lookout for these new stamp designs from one of our favorites, Tim Holtz. Love them!

 These are the mini version but there are also full sized sets HERE.


Happy Stamping!

Giveaway Winners

Thanks to everyone for the nice comments and useful comments for our 3 Year Blogoversary.

The winner of Giveaway #1 is:

Fran P. with this tip...don't wiggle your stamp after you have placed it down and have plenty of baby wipes on hand - sorry, that's two tips! 

 

The winner of Giveaway #2 is:

Leslie August with this tip... Always try to craft with friends. Not only do you create great projects but also lasting memories! 

 

Congratulations ladies. Maura has all your information so you're good to go!

In Honor of Camp Scrap

This will keep all of you campers in the mood for creating.  Just sit back, grab your s'mores and enjoy!

Camp Scrap: Inky tag

May Flaum shared her inky tag with us this past week, and that inspired me to pull out my inks and make one too. She promised it would be quick and it was! Inking the tag with distress inks...

Misted water on this stamp, and stamped image onto tag. It gives a very subtle design to the background.

Stamped with archival ink, and colored in with Distress Markers, and Dylusions ink.

Fussy cut the bird and popped that out, added a bit of pen work, some spotty dots, and now my tag is ready to "tweet".

I am going to enter this into a challenge over at Simon Says Stamp.

Captured Moments Blog Challenge: Pocket and tag

Love what Maura did with her summery pocket and tag! I decided to make a pocket out of a leftover seed packet and sewed it in place.

I then decided to upcycle some of the actually packaging and made it into a tag for journaling. I thought it fit in perfectly with the theme of my book and just couldn't throw it away.

Looking forward to the next challenge.

Blogoversary Giveaway #2

Let the party continue today as we celebrate our blogoversary! Our next giveaway is the Basic Grey Oliver paper pack with coordinating chipboard and epoxy stickers.  To go along with this great train theme is an upcycled Monopoly gamecard notebook from Campfiredesigns!

Enter this giveaway by posting a comment telling us your favorite scrapbooking tip. All comments must be posted by midnight EST, Sunday July 8.  Winners will be selected randomly, and results will be posted on Monday, July 9.

Curious About TwoCraftingSisters?

Happy 3 Year Blogoversary to us!

Here's a hint about something we enjoy doing together....other than crafting. We were inspired by Becky Higgins' iscrap idea to tell you a little more about us, so here goes....Maura and Sheila.

I was...a stamper before I started scrapbooking, and wanted nothing to do with it, until Sheila finally talked me into it (that only took you how many years, Sheila?)

I am...a wife, mother to two sons, sister, friend and blessed in all of these.

I think...that the Golden Rule still applies, that we treat others, how we ourselves would like to be treated, respect each other.

I wonder...what the world would be like if we had more time to play and imagine (bet we would create a lot more).

I wish...that I had a craft room all to myself, that I could share with friends when I want to!

I save...way too much...bits and pieces from trips, cup holders from Starbucks, corrugated cardboard, bubble wrap (love to stamp with the cardboard and bubblewrap and use torn cardboard in projects).

I always...need to read before I go to bed.  Right now I am reading a SteamPunk novel called "Phoenix Rising, A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences" by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris.

I can't imagine...not having my morning cup of coffee...or two.

I believe...that a little scrapbooking, stamping or art journaling are necessary each day to keep me in harmony with my life.

I love...the quiet time in the morning when the birds are chirping, the sun is rising, and no one else is up yet....but I also like to sleep in late, so that is usually on the days I get up to go to school to teach.

I promise...to keep trying new things and push my creative boundaries.

I scrap...to tell a story, to create something beautiful out of bits and pieces, to play, to be with friends, to keep my crafting connection with Sheila on twocraftingsisters, and most of all because I simply need to do this. 

Sheila here, now, it's my turn---

I was...up this morning at 3:30 a.m. which is pretty much the norm around here. I'm an early to bed, early to rise kind of person.

I am...having a lot more fun making mini books and journals now and cannot remember the last time I actually made a scrapbook layout. I'm getting inspired by Maura's recent ones though.

I think...it's easier to live without TV than most people realize. We don't have any service in our home and it frees up a whole lot more crafting time.

I wonder...what flavors the cupcake shop has on the menu today?

I wish...there were more scrapbooking magazines still in publication. The inspiration online is great, but I miss sitting down and reading through an actual paper magazine.

I save...my most favorite patterned papers and embellishments for that one special project that never seems to happen and they sit unused in a drawer until they go out of style so I am going to jump right in with my favorites and use them in current projects.

I always...have a neat and tidy workspace. I just can't seem to get messy.

I can't imagine...a morning without coffee. Hmmmm....same answer as Maura.....

I believe...Maura is the best sister ever and  I love...her.

I scrap...for myself.

Blogoversary Giveaway #1

Today, TwoCraftingSisters celebrates 3, yes 3, years of blogging.  We are so glad to share what we do with you, and to hear your comments. Creativity is truly a part of all of our lives.  So, here is a little creative inspiration that you can win-a Stampin' Up French Foliage set of rubber stamps and an upcycled Starbucks notebook from Campfire Designs.  All you need to do is leave us a comment with your best rubberstamping tip!

Comments will be accepted up to midnight EST on Sunday, July 8. Winners will all be drawn randomly and posted on Monday, July 9.  Good luck to everyone!!

Captured Moments Blog Challenge: Amy Tangerine-pocket and tag

Ok, I did get a little carried away with pockets and tags...I took one of the pages and folded it a couple of times, stapled it and added some paper at the bottom.  Inserted tag, added another pocket and tag, and a swimming fishy.

Flip it over, and here is another pocket and tag, with more swimming fishies. This is going to be perfect to journal about summer fun!

I think we might be seeing Sheila's this weekend...can't wait!