Inchie Plus Pumpkins

So fun trying different mixed media combinations on Inchie Arts' Art Squares - I noticed another blogger combining alcohol markers and pastel pencils so I thought I'd try it out with my Touch Twin Markers and Cretacolor Fine Art Pastel Pencils.

I've been trying to get myself to use up or share supplies that have just been tucked away for years for no reason, so I'm working through several packages of window cards (they were on clearance at Michaels so I bought one of every style and color... 8 years ago before we moved overseas... still have them...). This simple square card was just the right size to frame an Inchie Plus Art Square (1.5"). I used a stamped image from JustRite Stampers, and colored in the base colors with Touch markers, then added shading with the pastels.

I haven't worked much with the pastel pencils, but they blended so smoothly and easily with a dry stump.  I'll be tucking this card into my Hope You Can Cling To box!

Thanks for visiting me today ---

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Five Words Canvas

I had a little ponder over this month's Creative Dare - the challenge was to create a mixed media project that incorporated five words describing your life purpose, or what you want to be remembered for. I wanted to use words that expressed my personal life, ministry, and my goals as an artist - so in contrast to yesterday's project, a lot of thought went into this one!

 Here it is in the midst of my creative 'craftermath'..............

I wanted to use words that were packed with meaning. These are the words I chose, and their definitions:

Inspire: to affect, guide, or arouse by divine influence. To breathe life into. To fill with enlivening or exalting emotion.

Infuse: to cause to be permeated with something (as a principle or quality) that alters usually for the better. To introduce one thing into another so as to affect it throughout. The word implies a pouring in of something that gives new life or significance .

Encourage: to inspire with courage, strength of purpose, spirit, or hope.

Enable: to provide with adequate power, means, opportunity, or authority to do something.

Embolden: implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance, resulting in action.

Supplies used: acrylic paints, Colorbox chalk inks, Lyra oil pastels, butterfly die from Impression Obsession, hand-cut stencil of my hand, redliner adhesive sheet, spray paint, airline map, paper scraps, cookie packaging, plastic canvas, PVA glue, Micron pen, stencils from the Crafter's Workshop

For the hand shape, I pieced some paper scraps onto an adhesive sheet, traced my hand, and then cut around the outline. The liner of the adhesive sheet went into my stencil stash to be used as a mask later. 

Stamps used: Tim Holtz, Impression Obsession/ dkdesigns, alphabet stamps from JustRite Stampers

 LOVED making this little canvas - there are lots of layers, scribbles and thoughts throughout the project, and the process was just about as expressive as the final project. Oh, by the way -- this is a 6"x6" canvas panel from Dick Blick. They're so nice to work on because of the uniform surface. Stretched canvases are a little more difficult to stamp on. These are pretty cheap too, and I just noticed they have a bulk discount! May have to stock up next time.

Thanks for visiting!

Celebrate You........ and winners!!

Winner day!

The winner of the 4-inch canvas is:

Maria V

Please send me your address in an email with "canvas winner" in the subject line so I can mail this little sweetie off to you!

My ten digital stamp winners are:

Payne Holler Cards

ColleenB

Paper Creations by Shirley

G/J

Kathy (kslogan)

Anabé

Ruth

Pam

Judycs 
Marcie S. 

Ladies, please send me an email with "digital stamp winner" in the subject line so I can send you your prize!

Here's my final card for Hope You Can Cling To - I didn't make it with any challenge in mind - I made it as an expression of thanks to those who have participated in the card drive all month long. I've tried to be faithful to comment on the cards with less comments - for such a special cause, I think it's right that everyone gets a 'thank you'!

This image is a free gift from Krista Smith of Saturated Canary and she's still available if you want to download her for yourself! You can read all about her by clicking here and download her from the online store HERE. Colored her with Touch Twin Markers, really focusing on her face... not really comfortable with that yet, so I keep pushing myself, and studying the shadows around people's eyes when they're talking... ha!! The sentiment I used is from JustRite Stampers, one of their older ridged stamps that are now retired.

What are your plans for the night? Halloween isn't really celebrated here, so just a normal night for us, unless the kids come up with something creative! Be safe!!

Flower Soft - Christmas in July?!

Just wanted to show you the new Christmas Pyramid cards - these are easy to assemble, and so fun to work with! These are part of Flower Soft's CHA release. I decided to distress mine, so I took a piece of sandpaper and sanded out from the center of the star, turning the card each time. Afterwards, I added some clear glitter to the star. The verse I used is from Our Daily Bread designs, stamped on a Spellbinders tag (JustRite Stampers exclusive).
You can see the dimension and sparkle a little better at an angle - I sanded the edges of the sand dunes as well.
The kit comes with an insert for the inside of the card, too.
You just might see previews of other new products on the Flower Soft blog or other designer's blogs - links are in the left column if you want to peek around!

JustRite sketch challenge

JustRite Stampers' Challenge this time around (#54) is a sketch challenge - here's my card! I used a Spellbinders die to create a window in the main panel for my image (Backyard Birds). The panel is inked with Antique Linen Distress ink, then stamped with a border stamp from Birthday Celebrations. The sentiment is from Wedding Nested Sentiments/Verses. The buttons are 'threaded' with tiny strips of paper - that's so much easier to me than sewing them on, and it gives them a good anchor for gluing. (I snuck in one Impression Obsession stamp on the main panel - it's a note paper background.) Here's a close up on the bird image - I used Lyra Polycolor pencils to color it in, and added some clear glaze to the eggs. I tried adding texture to the colored area by scoring it with a stylus first - doesn't show well in the picture, but it's sorta cool!

The nest idea came from Amy Sheffer's card here! Sooooooooo love that card.
I used the Antique Linen ink to dye my bow too, after I tied it up... smooshed the pad around on the bow, spritzed the bow with water, crumpled it in my hand, then let it dry.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and thanks to JustRite Stampers for the fun sketch to try! (If you have JustRite stamps, and would like to play along, you have until Thursday to enter.)

Have a great week, everyone!

Flower Soft Topper Hop

The Flower Soft team is hopping today... today we're sharing projects that feature some of our pre-printed kits! If you arrived here from Gini's blog, you're on the right track. If you just happened to stop by, you may want to start from the Flower Soft Blog to make sure you don't miss a thing... because prizes are involved!!

I have several projects to share with you today... I was working with the Die Cut Dimensions Wildflowers, and wanted to show you how diverse this kit is! For my first card, I used the large poppy panel as a topper on a top-fold card. I embossed a few extra flowers and added them on, letting them fall down over the ribbon a little. The sentiment and border are from JustRite Stampers, and the sheet music is a vintage piece I scanned and printed on textured cardstock.This next card was more involved... I masked the daisy panel and stamped this rabbit image over the mask so he appeared to be sitting behind the daisy border (stamp image from Uptown Stamps - Current Critters line, sentiment is from High Hopes). I colored the image in with Prismacolor pencils, and trimmed around a few details in the image, then embossed from the back side of the panel (the same technique I used on the flowers, though they were already cut out for me). I added a few extra daisies over the ones on the panel as well, and sprinkled a little Ultrafine Citrus Crush Flower Soft in each flower center. Finally, I added some extra daisies and Polar White Flower Soft to this watercolored piece... this is a stamped image from Heartfelt Creations that I watercolored using chalk inks and cut out using a Frame die from Spellbinders. It's a soft little Spring-y hangy thing that makes me happy at my desk! As you make your way through the hop remember to comment on each and every post! There will be a prize winner chosen randomly among the blogs. One lucky blog hopper who comments on all the blogs will win a $50 Flower Soft Shopping Spree!!! The blog hop will remain open until midnight CST, April 19. The winner will be announced on the Flower Soft blog on April 20th. I'm glad you stopped by...! Your next stop is Deb Felts' blog, With a Stamp and a Song .... hope you enjoy the hop!

P.S. If you're looking for more Flower Soft ideas, be sure to tune in to Flower Soft TV - a new episode is posted every Friday. You can also register at the FSTV site and have a chance at weekly drawings for free Flower Soft products!

the smallest blessings....

JustRite Stampers' challenge this week (#052) was a color combo... I'll confess that when I saw the list of colors, my internet wasn't working, so I interepreted "violet blue" a little more purple than the sample turned out to be after it finally opened up... Ack! Oh well. I used a stamp from the "My Garden" round set for my flower border - stamped it once then masked and stamped on either side, rotating the image a little. The flowers are watercolored using reinkers, and I added a little more shading with a Sepia pencil when the piece was dry. I colored over all the flowers and stems with a Glaze pen, then stamped over with an inked-and-misted damask background stamp (I overmisted it though, so you can't really tell... oops again!). After the panel was dry, I stamped the image over the piece again, cut around a few of the flower petals and embossed them from the back, then added Lemon Flower Soft to the centers. The sentiment is from an oval set called "the Greatest Joy."

On to another busy week! yet, thinking of 'small blessings'... I'm so grateful for the sense of peace I have in the midst of the busies... for teamwork and friendship... for the power to change, and for new opportunities. God's good. :)

Thanks for visiting today!!

JustRite Challenge: Direct to Rubber

The JustRite "direct to rubber" challenge sounded like a fun one.... Instead of using a single color to ink up your stamp, a direct-to-rubber technique involves inking individual lines or areas of your image using different inks or markers. Here's my card... I used Marvy LePlume II markers to color the lines of the Morning Glory image (My Garden set), misted the stamp lightly before stamping to the paper, stamped, then blended the colors with a waterbrush. After the initial marker ink was dry, I added more color to the stamped images with watercolor and Inktense pencils, and reinkers. I added some dimension to the flowers by cutting along the edges of some of the flowers and leaves, then embossing from behind with a ball stylus.

The sentiment is from the Wedding Nested Sentiments set.

Thanks for stopping by!