Tin Man Looking for Love!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I knew I had to incorporate this Tin Man from Artistic Outpost. When this plate was first released, I just had to have it! My DH loves the "Wizard of Oz" and I knew I would be using this image, but was not sure quite how. Well it all started with Linda and the new CCC#29 challenge of "Weathered Wood Grunge." I know this does not look like wood, but I did the technique to use for the love season! A fun and new group I have joined, Bella Creations, is having a "February Love Ticket" challenge and a sheet of these tickets can be found at Miss CutiePie! The Tin Man is also going in search of a heart and love at ARTchix Studio, The Cheerful Stamp Pad and Tag Tuesday.  And since The Wizard Of Oz is such a delightful childhood memory, we are off to see the kind people at Simon Says Stamp and Show.

I stamped the image and also made a mask. I stamped it twice as I wanted to tear the sentiment, which is part of the image. I then stamped a third time, so I could emboss the heart shaped clock in red! I used both Copic and Stampin Up markers to color the image (I gave him greenish eyes) then masked the Tin Man and city off. I used distress inks and then misted and blotted the excess water. Oh I had to do all of this twice, because for whatever reason, the first time when I lifted off the mask the face got torn! If it can happen, I can do it! I then stamped the second sentiment to add below the heart! Silly me also punched out the tiny hearts, shaded and glued them down. I have no doubt that the Tin Man will not only find a heart, but plenty of love!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and your visits and comments are always so enjoyed!

My Blog Candy win from An Art Soul!!!

As luck would find me again, I won Barbara Mason's first year blogaversary candy.  Please stop by and say hi to Barbara and
if you aren't familiar with "An Art Soul," you are in for a real treat.  Right now she has her CCC#29 posted and it is gorgeous!  Thank you so much Barbara and of course your "sweet hubbie" for picking #73!  I love my goodies and the mystery surprise is just awesome and I can't wait to use those!

The surprise inside the gift box!!

If you have not stopped by Bella Creations, which is a new and wonderful group of fun gals, do yourself a favor and visit!  You know it is fun, because I am there! 

Hope you all are having a wonderful day and thank you for stopping by.  Stay tuned, because I am going to be having my own First Year Blogaversary giveaway very soon!  I have been collecting goodies!

CCC#28, Vicki's "Let's Relax" and GC85

Gingersnap Creations challenge is "Hot Beverages." I had remembered seeing a very lovely stamp plate from I Brake For Stamps, so I had no choice but to send Della an order!  I also ordered the new Spellbinders Grand Nestabilities, Labels Four and boy are they grand!  For this wideload bookmark/tag, I used the two smallest dies!  And speaking of coffee, Vicki's current challenge is let's relax and what a better way to relax than with a nice cup of coffee!

We are on week 28 of the CCC at Linda's and we did "Colorful Layered Fragments."  I would have to say that three times is a charm and ended up with a partial cheat.  I say partial, because the background paper is glossy white, but was a leftover from a previous technique.  The fragment mug was stamped and inked as directed!  Now I did three fragments!  The first one was all fine and dandy and then I added the back and was trimming away excess paper, somehow my thumb removed the stamped image!  I am a medical marvel!  I know it was dry, so I guess it was the lotion on my hands.  I was quite shocked to see that, but not as shocked as last weeks ink all over carpet trick.  The 2nd fragment, who cares!  The coffee cup and saucer was cut out after stamped on yet another technique called "Alcohol Splatter" and I liked the look!  And you can't have coffee without the beans, so we embossed and cut them out!

I used Whisped Frames from the Technique Junkies on both die cuts.  Now I suppose I should actually do something not craft related and earn my keep!  Thank you for stopping by to see what I am up to!

Oh La La at Bella Creations

If you have not checked out Bella Creations, stop by and take a look.  It is a fun online group and another wonderful way for us to share our love of art!  There is something for all, so come take a look.  This tag is for a challenge in the group "Oh la la" and we are using the group Avatar!  I did not do any stamping, but did ink and chalk a little.

I added color to their cheeks, her outfit and the leaves on the tree.  This was fun to play with an image.  I might get use to this! 

Thank you for stopping by and visiting.  It really makes my day to read all the lovely comments!  Have a great day!

Smitten Altered Love Tag

I am a "Smitten" student at Nancy's Sugar Lump Studio. 
You can go to Sugar Lump Studio to see the projects we are working on, which are all gorgeous.  This is the first time I have taken an online class and my first attempt at collage.

The image I used is of a photograph of my Mom at age 10.  My Aunt sent me this shortly after my Mom passed and I just love her school picture.  The rhinestone corners are from some costume jewelry of my Mom's.  When I added them, I said to my DH, "what if these are real diamonds?"  I would have tied a bow, but I am the most bow incompetent female on this earth.  It is actually embarrassing to not be able to tie a bow.  I can tie my shoes, but not a bow!  Is that like so sad?

Also I joined Bella Creations, which is a new group and another great way to share art and learn, so come on and take a look!  I have already seen some familiar faces and would love to see more!

Have a wonderful day and thank you!

Kathy and Donna's 12 Tags of Christmas from Day One!

There is still time to play with Kathy and Donna and do all the tags that Tim Holtz has done from the beginning of time.  Come on and play, because it is fun!  Here is my #2 tag and I am linking it up at Kathy's "Inkin' It Up."

I did not have the snowman collage stamp, so used another TH stamp.  Also did not have the ghost snowflakes.  I attached to way adhesive tape to a piece of plastic and added these iridescent flakes and then ran it through my BS.  I placed them over the larger stamped snowflakes, because I thought it would be too busy with more snowflakes spread out.  I also added some of the iridescent flakes along the edge and of course added a few blings using my i-Rock. 

When I have a blog candy giveaway, one lucky person will be the recipient of a new i-Rock with some fun gems and I will even throw in the batteries. Soon!!  Even my DH has picked out a few items!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

The Creative Spirit, CCC 27, Simon Says Stamp and Show

I can hardly believe we are on week 27 of the CCC's at Studio L3!  Linda has us opening our books to page 60 to distress mist our masks, along with Simon Says Stamp and Show "Some Masking" and we are also going to take this couple to visit Cindy and her "Creative Spirit Challenge," but do you want to know what happened?  Without giving away to much detail, we had to use reinkers and mine was new and unopened.  I went to remove the plastic safety seal with a pair of scissors and I could not believe my eyes!  The entire seal and bottle dropper cap came flying off and landed all over my boring tan carpet!  I was in shock and ran for the paper towels to blot up the bright reddish color.  Well I think it will be ok.  I have a little green machine and worked on it.  Back to business, I cut out three hearts from a Sizzix die of various sizes for masks along with a mask of John and Joan from Scrolls Work Stamps.  I think they are a gorgeous couple for Valentine's Day and the little hearts and sentiment are also stamps from Scrolls Work.  We first started with the larger heart and worked down to the smaller and always kept the happy couple covered with a mask.  We then added some little pearls in both black and cream and cut a larger tag shape to back the main show.  This was quite fun, well with the exception of the mishap! 

Hope you all are having a wonderful week and doing something fun and creative.  So you know, the Creative Spirit is open for any crafter and anything goes as long as it was made by your lovely hands!  Thank you so much for the visit!

Kathy and Donna's 12 Tags of Christmas from Day One and SSSS Your Newest Stamp!

Blogging friends Donna of Paper Crow and Dragonflies and Kathy of Inkin' it Up have started a fun and no stress challenge.  As it turns out, Kathy challenged Donna who also made the same request of Kathy.  Donna and Kathy asked me to join them in the fun and I could not resist, because I have never participated in any of Tim's 12 Tags of Christmas!  Now I made my tag yesterday and had no power, but I was glad that I had printed out Tim's instructions.  Did not mean to case "Donna's" 25 embellishment and was quite shocked to see that this AM, but I was not going to remove a very well attached fragment!  I think it took me as long to add the tinsel around the fragment as the background!  This was fun to do and a great way to learn techniques, so come and play as this is open to everyone!  Thanks Donna and Kathy for a year of fun!

Simon Says Stamp and Show has a challenge to use your "Newest Stamp.s" This may be old to some of you, but Tim Holtz Santa set is new and so is the music stamp from Stampendous, so we will be entering this there. 

Important update:  Our power was shut off in very frigid conditions for 9 hours and I brought my Fred (bird) and Molly (Dal) in my craft room with me, because that is the warmest room.  Both were very well behaved, while I worked on this and found my missing Scrolls Work stamp and acrylic block.  Now I am still missing a Vintage Photo ink pad, but that is an easy and less expensive fix!  I am still loving this i-Rock tool and how wonderful that I did not need electricity to use it! 

Have a wonderful day and remember that crafting and blogging are great ways to pass the time with no electricity!

CCC #26, Drunken Stampers Challenge #48 and The Artistic Stamper!!

We are back on track Linda's CCC's and today we are rusting grunge!  I thought I did not have the correct color, but as luck would have it, I did!  We did have to compromise with the distressing ink colors, because the one called for is MIA!  I know it is somewhere, but I am also missing a Scrolls Work Stamp attached to an acrylic block and I am not happy about that one!!  I would blame it on my spotted canine companion, Molly, but I think we know she is innocent of that crime.  I have seen my fabulous blogging friends Tracy and Linda play at the Drunken Stampers and they also members of the design team, so this week I thought I would visit there!  DS challenge is to use something new and so I opened my I-Rock that the DH surprised me with for Christmas.  Now I will be blinging everything and already have some shirts ready to flourish stamp and bling!  We are also taking flight with The Artistic Stamper's, "Things with Wings."

Dark Take



Light Take

Just a reminder that Scrolls Work Stamps is having a 35% off sale until January 9th and that includes Memento Inks and reinkers along with anything rubber. Shipping and handling not included.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and are back in the swing of crafting!  This is my first craft post of 2011 and baby it feels good!  Again I want to thank those of you who take the time to visit and leave such wonderful comments!