Summer Coffee Hop: Coffee with a Friend

Today is the last day of the hop, my friends. I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have. I bet you've had a few cups of your favorite beverage as you perused all the creativity out there! I know I have! I love to have coffee with friends, and I feel like I have here at the hop! Thanks so much for stopping by this week and saying hello, I really appreciate your visit! Thank you to all my new followers, I will work hard to continue to inspire you!

SUPPLIES:

Stamps - Stampin Up

Paper - Bo Bunny

Ranger ink, washi, coffee holder

Don't forget the giveaways! Be sure to join/comment by the end of the day on Sunday to be eligible to win, and again, thanks so much!! Details HERE.

Simon Says Challenge Blue: Snowflakes that is

Blue, blue, blue...yep, love the blues - music that is. Oh yes, the color too, so many lovely shades of blue, so here is the "blue" thank you card I made to send out for holiday gifts. I will be entering it into the Simon Says challenge here.

Stamps, ribbon, and inks from Stampin Up.

I must say we have been seeing a lot of snowflakes up here in the north lately (although today it is raining), but the snow makes me happy, not blue. Have fun in the snow!

Christmas in July - Sneak Peek

I just finished designing a Christmas "This and That" album for my Stampin Up demonstrator, Michelle, for an upcoming class. I thought I would share a few sneak peeks with you.

Traditional colors in a contemporary design, with my own twist.
Oh, what the heck, there's a lot of green in this, so it's also going over to Simon's green challenge here.

Simon Says "Go Green"

Who would have thought this would be a dilemma for me as to what I would do? But, you see, green is my favorite color, and I remember being part of the very first Earth Day celebration. So which direction was I going to head in for the challenge?

Details, details...

Well, I decided in favor of my favorite color, but maybe there is a bit of "going green" too since I used my scraps. I pulled out my new favorite hexagon punch, green scraps, twine, ink, and added a bit of stamping. Feeling like it still needed a bit more, I found a green button and added the flourish rub on to it for some detail.

So, there you have it - my all green "Hello Friend" card.

Camp Scrap: Week 2 Challenge

I have been meaning to do this layout for over a year, and the Week 2 challenge to layer on the layout was a perfect stepping stone for me to get this done. I used one of my Kit Klubs from Captured Moments, so it was all coordinated.

Here is the base I started with, a simple background page with splashes of pattern.

Next, figuring out the placement of photos

Here it is in all it's layered glory! Most of the embellishments are from the kit, but I just got my new hexagon punch from Stampin Up and I had to play with that! I really like that extra layer of pattern.

 

Stamp Camp June Card

Camping season has started, so these seemed like the perfect cards to make for stamp camp. Isn't this just the sweetest little camper? Ah, life IS good!

Materials: stamp set "Happy Camper" by Stampin Up, background Creative Mode template, Distress inks and paints.

Simon Says: Into the Woods challenge

Around my neck of the woods, as well as many other fine places, Memorial Day weekend is the start of the camping season. Along with camping, spring and summer bring fire season, so with those themes playing in my head, I started in on the Into the Woods challenge.

A lot of stories and myths revolve around trees and forests, so of course, I am thinking about these...like the Green Man, or wood spirits.

Lucky for me, no one bought these at a scrap yard sale, so this wood texture plate by Creative Mode was perfect to make a wood grain background. Now the question was how? I thought about rubbing pencil or marker, but wasn't sure, so next I tried rubbing some distress ink on the plate and pressing the tag onto it. Love it!

Next, I stamped the "face of uncle Enos" by River City Rubberworks onto the tag with Ranger's black Archival ink. I wanted the spirit of the woods to come through.

Pulled out my Happy Camper set by Stampin Up, and added the trees with Forest Moss Distress paint.

Since I was thinking of the forest fire message too, I added in the campfire in bright Ripe Persimmon.

I like to layer and add texture so stamped these onto canvas using an old stamp from Stampers Anonymous. Decided to use the evidence one and colored it up with Distress ink and stain. (Aged Mahagony and Ripe Persimmon)

Once I started putting the tag together, I had to add the wise old raven (Rubbermoon) who keeps an eye on everything that goes on in the forest. A little fussy cutting, and he nestles right in to the distressed ribbon and twig.

Here is the whole tag and nothing but the tag...my wise old man of the forest keeping a watchful eye over the campers and forest creatures.

Retirement Card

I volunteered to make the retirement cards to send out and invite our retiring teachers to a gathering in their honor. I love playing with all my distress products and blueprint stamps, so that is the main focus. I think the verse by James Taylor is perfect for retiring.

Materials: Tim Holtz - Distress Paints, Stains, and Inks, Blueprint clock stamp; Stampin Up - paper, James Taylor saying; other - titanium white paint, twine

Up In the Clouds

April Stamp Camp is coming up in a few days, and I needed to come up with a card to exchange. Pulled out my new Stampin' Up stamps, Derwent Inktense pencils, water brushes, and even the Big Shot to emboss with...yes, you heard that right! Now, that is a tool I do not use often enough! Love that new honeycomb embossing folder!

Layered those cards right up, added a bit of burlap ribbon and a button.

I added in some clouds to this card...makes me think of a relaxing spring or summer day...and am entering this into the Paper Issues challenges: clouds.
All materials Stampin Up (except Derwent pencils)

Simon Says Challenge: by the Numbers

I haven't played in my art journal for awhile, and when I thought numbers, I thought of my family and the numbers that make us up...people and dog. I had previously prepared the background with paint and stencils, then pulled out a selection of stamps (Stampin Up) to play with here.

I recently purchased the Derwent Inktense color pencils, and added some watercolor areas with those. A bit of white pen doodling and white paint splattering and here it is, ready for the Simon Says Stamp challenge.

Calendar? Year in Review?

I love Graphic 45! They continue to come out with new paper lines that I fall for each and every time. A Place in Time is no exception to that! Several of us are working with the collection and making the pages together at the crops we go to. In addition to the G45 line, we selected coordinating card stock and ribbon (Stampin Up). I wanted to share my pages with you here.

January pages

February pages

I am envisioning mine as a kind of "year in review" where I will select a few photos to represent the month, and add a bit of journaling to remind us of some of the everyday or special events that make up our lives.

CJS2013: more play!

This tag book just keeps growing! Lots of technique fun at Creative Jumpstart 2013!

You'll notice this stamp set on several tags.

Rachel Greig from Australia showed us several stamping techniques...coloring with markers, using a white crayon (or white color pencil) and then distress inks, and distressing the background and stamping. Fun with glossy paper!

Janna Werner from Germany got us playing with mists and masks....fun with punchinella!

Claudine Hellmuth shared this easy peasy transfer technique with sticky back canvas...all you do is lay your pattern paper face down on the sticky side, spray with water, rub off the paper and seal with gloss. This was super easy!

Nathalie Kahlbach had us playing with acrylics and brayering or spreading with a card to create a cool textured background.

One area turned out kind of muddy, so I just stamped an image there.

Carmen Sanchez from Madrid, Spain had me digging for napkins to try out some techniques. I decided to make this flower. I can see some great ways to add dimension to projects with these.

Vicki Chrisman from Nebraska designed an Accucut die to make this cool bow. Well, since I did not have the die, I cut my own out to remember the idea.

Hmmm, I feel like CJS2013 is like a trip around the world in 31 days with all these creative people! Still a few more to go....

"Whovian" Valentine for Stamp Camp and SSS "Ever After" challenge

I have been hooked on the Dr. Who show since I discovered it a year or so ago. I have always been an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, so this was right up my alley. I mean, what is more cool than a time traveling doctor who with his companions saves the universe over and over? So when the Feeling Sentimental stamp set by Stampin Up arrived, I knew I could transform the British telephone booth into the blue police box Tardis. I placed a red heart doily behind it (thanks Lori!), a rhinestone on top for the light, threaded some twine through, and tied on some tiny tags...."Who loves U"? (My play on words ) to add some more interest, I watered down some titanium white paint and flicked it on (probably getting as much on myself as on the card!). A couple of sayings from the new Stampin Up Vintage Verses set, and my cards are ready for a Whovian Valentine's Day!

Be sure to check out the latest from Stampin Up here.

Now, over at Simon Says Stamp is the "Ever After" challenge, and what is more ever after than a traveling time lord? So, I will be entering this here.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Embrace the Old

I always like it when I can do two things at once. Today, I am working on the challenge over at Simon Says Stamp, and making my altered Valentine tin for an art swap.

I started with an Altoids tin, and covered it with Tim Holtz tissue tape.

Covered inside and out

Next, I thought I would add a bit of color with some Distress ink.

Added some vintage images to the tin.

New paint to try out from Martha Stewart - pearl, and I like it!

Didn't want to stop playing, so added some crackle paint next, here and there.

Oh, flowers, metal, ruler, metal number to add some dimension inside.

Screwed on a skate key, added on a love key, tulle(Stampin Up) and some bakers twine.

Another new item to try out that I learned about from Creative Jumpstart - glass bead gel medium. This is very cool stuff! It's not quite dry for the photo, should be clear, but I put it on thick, and I need to finish this up. There you go - my altered tin and its creative journey.