Pocono wrapup

If you read last Saturday's blog posting, you will know I spent a long weekend in the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania for a stamping weekend. A few of my girlfriends and I get together at least once a year for this big crafting, eating and chick bonding time. We get up and start stamping before the coffee is poured and we don't stop until its time for dinner. Well everyone else stamps till dinner- I stop at 5pm to make dinner. I love to cook, so it is my job to feed everyone.

We always try to have a few projects in mind when we go up. I had lots of challenges to stay ahead on since I started my first class in my Master's program this past Weds. 

This week at Just Us Girls is Marisa's last challenge with us as designer. I will really miss her, she has always left the nicest and inspiring comments on my blog as well as being a talented stamper herself. This is a wild card week, so she got to pick any challenge she wanted to. She is asking us to create anything EXCEPT a standard A2 size card. What fun! I love this nestabilitie set from Spellbinders. i wish i could tell you which one it is- I don't know and I couldn't find it. The stamp set is brand new from Mama Elephant's August release- Carnival Cupcakes and Carnival Toppers. I think my husband is gonna love this card for his birthday.

I rarely am able to combine challenges, but this week at Just Add Ink their photo challenge is a rainbow of colors and I thought my cupcake fits right in.

Now here are some pics from the crazy crafting weekend:

Jude- whom is dubbed the "Angel" because she is just so darn nice- unlike me! :) Her plan was to watercolor all weekend and that's what she did.

Bevy B. my "it's 5:00 somewhere" partner spent the weekend making up ink swatch cards. Needless to say she brought up just about all the inks she owns!

Patricia, my bestie and co-pilot did a bit of this and a bit of that. Her CAS style was an inspiration to me over the weekend.

I was pretty tired on Saturday and took a wee nap. when I awoke my buddies had this set up at my place with two cards they made for me to celebrate my graduation! The sign "This is my happy place" is on my wall in my studio at home that I brought it up to the Poconos.

Here's my spot working on some challenge. I know its still morning because there is a hot cup of tea at my spot.

Hope you enjoyed my recap, but more importantly please show your support for Marisa's last challenge and play along at Just Us Girls!

Off on an adventure!

I writing this post a week in advance, because as the title of my blog says, I am of on an adventure. This is our annual girls stamping weekend in the Pocono Mountains. I will be up there for 4 days of stamping, crafting, cooking, cocktails and chick flicks. It doesn't get  any better then that!!

Lisa's photo challenge at Just Us Girls was like kismet! I knew exactly what I was going to do. I just had to make sure I hadn't gotten rid of the stamp set I wanted in one of my many purges. I am happy to report, I hadn't got rid of Loads of Love from StampinUp.  This clean and simple was easy to create and I used my new fav trend- watercolors.

I hope you will join us in this cool photo challenge at Just us Girls this week.

These are from last year, but it looks kinda the same every year. Stay tune for pics from this tear!

Shabby days

Ooooooohhhhhhhh, I have been in heaven this past week. It seems that the color of choice this week has been green at various challenges and ya all know that my heart goes pitter pat when I see green.

This week's  photo challenge at The Card Concept is a very clean and graphic design. I am sure Ardyth was doing a happy dance when she saw this photo. She is one of the clean and graphic gals at The Card Concept. I can honestly say, I was not doing the happy dance! As a wild card designer, I was challenged to create a shabby chic card with this CAG photo. Hang on- me!! Shabby Chic!!! Say it aint so! Shabby chic will probably be the hardest style for me to do.

I went online to study up on shabby chic. What I noticed is that most shabby chick cards have two similar elements- doilies and ribbons and they are grunged up a bit- in a girly kinda way- not a Tim Holtz way (not there is anything wrong with Tim!!).

I just happen to have some doilies tucked away and I was even able to find them! They were stark white, which was not gonna work. I colored them with my copic markers.  I distress the edge of the card with scissors which just tore the card, but I left it go. I even got into the paper piercing trend, to mimic the head board in the photo. This addition ties the card together for me. Ribbon seemed like it would be to much, so I just added some butchers twine.

 There's a story for you- I asked my DH to pick me up some butchers twine at Kitchen Kapers to tie a roast with and he comes home with this HUGE roll of twine. I will never cook enough roasts in my life time to put a dent in this roll!

I digress- back to the card. The card felt like it was missing something with the doilies alone. I added flower embellishment and the sentiment. There you have it- A very clean and simple shabby chic card!

I hope you will play along with us this week at The Card Concept and challenge yourself to a style that is outside your comfort zone.

Duo of Butterflies

Ahhhhhh, Sue V. is hosting a great color challenge at Just Us Girls this week. Well if you know me, you know that I think green is the most beautiful color in the world (sorry Margarita- it isn't pink!) and pair it with blue- well what can ya say- I am in heaven!!

I had made another card, when I wasn't sure I was going to have time to create this week. It was kinda crappy and a cop out. I came across this video from Dawn at Wplus9 and knew I had to try this technique. I didn't have the butterfly from Wplus9, but I did make do with this stamp from Hero Arts- an oldie but goodie that has always survived my purges.

There is something so zen about watercoloring especially when its dawn and the house is quiet and some soft music is playing in the background. I couldn't screw it up with all those peaceful and creative vibes going on around me. Check out Dawn's video, she really makes these butterflies look easy and they are.

While I was surfing the net before I started on my project, I remembered today is the August release day at Papertrey Ink. I came across this card by Nicole Heady and loved the look of copics on the kraft paper. I pulled out another oldie but goodie from Hero Arts.  I stamped and embossed with white and just colored the image in with the required colors. Easy- peasy.

If you ever watch any of those cooking competitions, many of the cockier chefs will try to make a duo of something and it often turns around to bite them in the butt. I hope that this isn't the case with my duo.

I hope to see your creations this week at Just Us Girls!

Freestyle stamping

I call this technique free style stamping, sounds fancy huh? It really just means doodling, something that I love to do. Did you know that doodling can make you smarted. Check out this article. Lots of famous people doodle also, so we doodlers are in great company.

While have done this technique for years, it wasn't until I was taking the new online class Stretch Your Stamps, that I was reminded of it.

I stamped gathered blooms using my favorite inks Momentos.

The trick with this technique is to think outside the box!! Instead of the stems on the gathered blooms, I saw a vase. I stamp the image off the paper, which always creates more interest.
I then put some ink directly to a craft sheet, but you just as easily use an acrylic block and added some greenery to the image with a waterbrush.

From there I began my doodling using an extra fine point sharpie. (make sure your piece is completely dry before doodling- no smears please.)

Here the doodling is just about complete. To finish it I added some accents to the vase and flowers. I created shadows around the image and added some splatters.The trick is just to have fun.

It's positively washi!

Yesterday at Just Us Girls, I hosted the challenge. It was "trend" week and I chose washi tape. If you saw my blog, you will see how I used the washi tape to make a  negative "hello". What was I going to use all those positives for?

The past two weeks I have "just saying hello" cards from friends. I returned the thought and sent them each "hello" cards from me. Here is where the positives come in. They each received a card in their fav colors. I added  a sweet girl from the Mama Elephant set, In my Heart.

Hope you enjoyed seeing my twofer with washi tape. Be sure to check out Just Us Girls and join in the challenge!

Stretch your stamps 2 homework- 2nd post for the day

I have been watching all the videos at the new online card class Stretch you Stamps 2, but today they had another no-line coloring technique by Melania Deasy that totally intrigued me. There was no video just some quick instructions which I read carefully.

I like how the technique turned out, but can still see some lines. They don't distract from the finished work though. I think the next time I will stamp off first, so the image is lighter.

Being a bit nervous this first time around, I used the copic colors that Melania suggested.

Sooooooo, other then learning a great new technique, I learned I don't always need a video to learn from.

Can't wait to try some of the other techniques offered today. 

If you have never taken any of the online card classes, you should. They offer so many techniques and ideas for a great price point and the classes are always available.

Wishi Washi

There is nothing wishi washi about this week's challenge at Just Us Girls. It is trend week, my favorite challenge! This week we are challenging you to use washi tape! Washi tape has be trending for awhile now. 

Since I have tons of it and can never seem to put my mind to use it, I thought this would be a perfect challenge to host.

My card uses the negative space on a die cut. This card was so much fun and so easy that I created 5 to make a set for a gift for someone special.

 

I usually post pics of Miss Pinkie, but Zephry decided she wanted to see what all the fuss about washi tape is. She wasn't impress and quickly climbed over a pile of crafting supplies to take in the fresh air.

Now I am sure you are asking what I did with the positives. Well you just have to come back tomorrow to see.

Meanwhile, show us your best washi tape creation at Just Us Girls!

Cherish the moment

I had some time to actually play with a bunch of new stamps I got in the last month or so. In the process of playing, I decided to join in the fun over at The One- Layer Simplicity challenge. They hosting a color challenge and they offered several choices for the challenge. I chose "shades of summer #5".

I used my Mama Elephant's Bloomsies set  to create my flowery one layer greeting. I also made the card using cool blues but die cut the banner and popped it. 

I am hard pressed to decide which one I like better. What about you?

Wild Cards at the Card Concept

Hey Everyone- exciting news, I have been selected to be on the Wild Card team at The Card Concept. The Card Concept is a challenge blog similar to the House of Cards. They post an inspiration and the designers create a card based on the inspiration photo and a certain style.  The Wild Card team is a group of designers who will create a card in a different style for each challenge.

Now most of you know that I am CAS gal, so I thought this team would be great to make me think outside my box and try those different styles that can be so intimidating. Basically,  I am gonna show you if I can do them, so can you!

So without further ado, the present challenge is to create a wedding card based on this awesome photo.

For my first challenge I was assigned to make a classy and elegant card. Wait! Hold the presses, classy and elegant?!!? All I can say is the idea of wedding and classy and elegant are like peanut butter and jelly, they just go together.

To start my process, I checked out the definition of what a classy and elegant card is. Classy and Elegant means: polished, shiny finish, sparkling embellishments, sophisticated sentiments, regal, sweeping, dramatic, monochromatic, layered textures, awe and impress.

I began by pulling stamps out and I went with Papertrey Inks- Love and Marriage and then I began to play with the definition of classy and elegant in front of me.

The base of my card was an embossed folder- a very old one from Cuttlebug. After it was embossed, I took a Copic and lightly colored the raised areas of the panel. Coloring the raised areas with a copic marker totally accents the embossed areas to create a classy and elegant feel.

I had an idea of where I was going. I knew I wanted the heart within the heart, so I started playing with combinations.

I finally decided I liked the die cut and popped heart. My hubby thought the blue and chartreuse heart was to much and I had to agree. I swapped it out for a more subtle green.

I completed this card and I was really pleased with it. After a few days though, it just didn't seem dramatic enough. So I remade the card with a more regal blue base. It felt right.

Which one seems more in keeping with a classy and elegant style? Did I miss the mark?

I hope that one of you might step outside your box and try a different style and share it with us for this challenge at The Card Concept.