Christmas Just a Little Early!

How FUN when Mr. Brown
brought me a box last Thursday!

A Spellbinders Grand Calibur! Oh my! It’s so smooth! AND quiet! There isn’t that “ratchet” sound as you crank it like with the Wizard, and it goes both directions. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my Wizard…but moooooover over, there’s a new machine in the studio!

No guess work as to which plate to use! They’re colored coded and marked!

So, I just had to use it today for the Inspiration Challenge on Splitcoast. Oh my, what inspiration we had to choose from too! Don Cherry’s (hockey commentator) wardrobe! And what better image to use than Hockey Sweep Snowman, a digital from Sassy Cheryl’s.

He’s colored with Copics, paper pieced (jacket, pants), masked and airbrushed.
*Designer tip* I used to have trouble with Copics smearing my printer ink until someone told me to spray the image with hairspray first! Printer inks make a difference, so if you’re using a “generic” cartridge like off the internet… to save money like my hubby… you might have a problem! This particular time I printed on MY new printer upstairs (with ink that came with the printer) and had no problem, not using hairspray! woohoo!

The sentiment is from Innovative Stamp Creations, Friends Are Special.

I used Grand Labels1, putting the die just off the edge of the fold, so it would keep the shape but still “fold” and not cut the fold entirely.

I can see me using these Labels 1 a lot!
The Grand Calibur gives such a nice embossed edge!

stamp: digital hockey sweep snowman-sassy cheryl’s, friends are special-innovative stamp creations

paper: georgia pacific white, bazzill, dcwv winter

ink: memento tuxedo black

accessories: spellbinders grand labels 1, copics, copic airbrush system, sakura white gel pen

Well, thanks for stopping by today!
Hope you enjoyed your stay!

Dawn

Need A Quick Christmas Card?

Less stress right? Quick cards right? YES!!

Today’s Ways to Use it challenge on Splitcoast is using Green. Christmas was the first thing that popped into my head..and this set from Innovative Stamp Creations, Joyful Christmas!

Twenty minutes to make this one! I stamped the pine boughs in Distress Forest Moss and Crushed Olive, sponged the edges with Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters. The ornament is colored with Copics then “smeared” with Frosted Lace Stickles.

And there you have it! Now, I gotta get back to cranking out more Christmas cards!

Thanks for stopping!

Dawn

Foliage......A Beautiful Day!

I sure hope you're not tired of me talking about the beautiful Fall colors! Our weather has been exceptionally beautiful, but I hear frost in the forecast...

Several challenges on Splitcoast today are to use fabric and to make your own embellishment. I combined the two and made my leaf (embellishment) out of fabric!

Stampers tend to hoard and save all sorts of things telling friends and family... DON'T THROW THAT AWAY, I CAN STAMP ON IT!! This is my old clothespin bag! Yup! It was a natural color, cotton that I knew some day would be used for a project!

I used two new sets from Innovative Stamp Creations, Fall Is Near and Foliage. The background is Polished Stone and I only partially stamped the corner of Foliage to get my leaf. I colored it with Copics, then smeared Ranger Matte Accents over it. I wanted it to not fray and hold some shape. Really, a very quick card to make!

Take some time to enjoy the outdoors while Mother Nature is cooperating! I know I am!

Thanks for stopping!

Dawn

Furry Friends...#34 Sassy Challenge

Our Sassy Challenge , Furry Friends. You can join along you know!

Just use your favorite Sassy Cheryl image, check out our rules, post to your blog or SCS, PCP gallery, then link back here using Mr. Linky.
The lucky winner will receive a $5 gift certificate to Sassy Cheryl's shop.

I did a clean and simple card just embossing around the image (Grace's Frame) and coloring with Copics. After the bear was colored, I took a piece of rag, dampened it with blender fluid and dabbed at his "fur". This removes color and adds texture!This is A Big Bear Hug, the sentiment is from Innovative Stamp Creations, Friends Are Special.

Now, for more sassy fun
be sure to check the other Sassy Girls.

Ann English Cathy Edgar
Heather Huggins Kim Rhead
 Jeni Tidwell Peggy Marsh Lily O'Reilly
Tracy Jackson Judy Kreucher

thanks for stopping!

Dawn

Making It Shimmer

Here's a sneak peek at one of the beautiful
new sets coming this week from
Innovative Stamp Creations, Joyful Christmas.

I stamped the background (one of the images from the set) in Versamark, then rubbed Pearlescent Chalks. Then spritzed it with Perfect Pearls mixed with water and Distress ink. .

For the ornament, I colored it with Copics...then with some water on an acrylic block, sprinkled some Perfect Pearls, mixed with my brush and "painted" the ornament only.

To 3-D the "ball"of the ornament, I turned it over and placed it on some cling cushion, took my stylus and formed it.

Thanks for stopping!

Dawn

What Do You See When You Take A Walk?

The leaves here in West Central Ohio
are just beginning to turn.
We walk everyday and oh, the colors we see!

I have several Splitcoast challenges to share today... wet paper stamping, make a card inspired from something you see when you walk, and make a flower for your card.

I love the look that the damp paper give the ink and image, the ink bleeds some, softens...it's almost dream like.

I stamped the leaves from  Randi's Song on spritzed regular old Georgia Pacific white cardstock (you can use watercolor paper..I just chose not to). I used Rusty Hinge, Barn Door, Wild Honey and Crushed Olive Distress inks...and set it aside to dry.

Then I stamped the leaves again, along with the large Maple leaf in the set and cut them out.

  I spritzed the leaves real good and crumpled them up. Carefully, I un-crumpled them and drug several of the same Distress inks over them. I spritzed and crumpled until I was happy with the results. Then I dried them with my heat tool.

I stamped Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 in Forest Moss Distress ink once the background was dry, then gave it a good coat of Glimmer Mist !

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This next card features Country Gal, from Sassy Cheryl's, a digital image. I just got this Amber Autumn matt stack by DCWV...gorgeous colors!

She's colored with Copics with some white gel pen accents. The background is sponged with Distress inks.

The flowers and leaves are a Martha Stewart punch, rhinestones are in the centers and also on her hat. The sentiment is from Wonders of Nature by Innovative Stamp Creations.

We're sure enjoying some beautiful weather...I know it can't last forever. Hope it's beautiful where YOU are!

Thanks for stopping!

Dawn

Butterflies as Summer Ends....

It's been a beautiful week,
the nights are brisk,
the morning air has the hint of Fall!

Monday as I'd hung the umpteenth load of wash on the line, I noticed the butterflies were EVERYWHERE! Doing what it is butterflies do, I got some awesome shots.

I guess that's what inspired this card today for the Sketch Challenge on SCS.

I also did today's tutorial, Alcohol Markers with Pencils, which is something I do often. Beate has a great tutorial, check it out!

Beautiful Butterflies III from Innovative Stamp Creations combined with my cloud template and this fun new Beaded Ovals Spellbinders.

I spritzed some Glimmer Mist too

stamps: beautiful butterflies III

ink: memento tuxedo black, ranger distress tumbled glass, milled lavender

paper: gp white, dcwv garden party, hollos

other: copics, prismacolor pencils, baby oil, blending stumps, spellbinders beaded ovals, daubers, cloud template, martha stewart doily punch, mark richards nailheads, foam dimensionals, sakura white gel pen, glimmer mist

Here are some of the pics I took on Monday.

  

These are Silver-spotted Skippers.
At one point I counted 9 on the Sedum!

 

I hope it's beautiful where ever you are today!

Thanks for stopping!

Dawn

Watermelons and Sketches

My grandson, Gabriel, grew watermelons in their garden. And, WOW, did he have watermelons! They're so sweet...mmmmm!

Here he is with his sister, Leah

Our garden is winding down but by no means done! I'm busy still doing tomatoes and apples!

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Here are a couple cards I did this week for a challenge on Splitcoast, same sketch but totally different looking results!

Our Daily Bread designs Brocade Borders cut with the new Brocade Borders die, Peace and Brocade Background stamped with Clearsnap chalk ink, Prussian Blue.

And this one, from Innovative Stamp Creations, Sketch of Roses II. I stamped the rose onto the Kraft Fair Isle cut piece, colored with Prismacolor pencils blended with OMS, then cut squares with my Spellbinders to spotlight it. I also stamped the background from the set on the die cut piece and the one layer which are both sponged with Distress inks.

Hope your day is wonderful where ever you are... it's beginning to feel like Fall here, a nice "crispness" to the air! Ahhh, love it!

thanks for stopping!

Dawn

 

A Rosey Peek!

Shhh, don't tell, but I'm sneaking a peek of one of the new sets coming next week from Innovative Stamp Creations, Sketch of Roses.

It comes with a large background stamp that I stamped 3 times for the layers, then I sponged with Distress inks. I stamped the largest rose in the set, colored it with Copics, masked it and stamped the background stamp again. I cut "out of the box" and, with mask in place, sponged that background.

  This is yesterday's Sketch Challenge on Splitcoast.

I distressed the edges with my distressing tool. The "black" layer is white Georgia Pacific (yeah, the cheap stuff) that I drug my Black Soot pad around the edges. The card base is also Distress colored with Rusty Hinge.

When it was all done, I gave it several mists of Glimmer Mist.

stamp: sketch of roses-innovative stamp creations

paper: georgia pacific

ink: memento tuxedo black, ranger distress forest moss, crushed olive, rusty hinge, brushed corduroy, black soot

other: copics, distressing tool, foam mounting tape, ribbon, pearl glimmer mist

So, how do you like the "new" look? I've been wanting a 3 column blog and finally bit the bullet, read some instructions and did it! Might still need some fine tuning, but I'm pretty pleased with it!

thanks for stopping!

Dawn