Be You

Lessons are hard.  Right?  Had a little curve ball happen in my life in the past week.

We can get jaded about human beings, life....  We are bombarded every day, in the news, social media, about the despicable things people do.  We cling to the little rays of hope.....I think they call them "good news" stories.  How sad is it that we have a term for the good that happens?

In the midst of my latest storm, I am astounded by the support and good around me.  I expect it from my friends (and I love, love, love you more for it!), I guess.  Not complete strangers.

I've had the unfortunate opportunity to learn how to navigate my way through unemployment benefits.  I spoke with a man, John, today.  I could be a number to him.  I shouldn't matter to him.  He does it all day....hears the sob stories, the anger, the fear, the frustration.  Instead, this man who knows nothing about my situation, afforded me a compassion and kindness that was truly impressive.

About a week ago, I made this card.  Just playing around with some new goodies from I Brake For Stamps.  A week later, with my landscape completely altered, the sentiment holds even more meaning.  I'm talking about the middle phrase.....Be Bright!

Be bright.  You never know what the storm is that someone might be walking through.  Be bright.  Be a light.  You never know when you, yourself, will need one. 

My fun background?  A new little stencil from the I Brake For Stamps store!  You can see all available stencils here.  I have found a new obsession and love for stencils since helping Technique Junkies compile a brand new stencil focused CD.   You can learn about it here. 

The technique used here is called Grunge Stencil :)

Y'all know how I struggle with covering up amazing backgrounds so, I used vellum to stamp this fun image. I flipped it and colored it with my distress markers, added the sentiment and BOOM!  Fun and easy!

The stamp sheet used is called Fashionista.  I love the clear lines and sophistication of the sheet.  Be sure to check it out!  You can save by using my coupon code SAVE10JANE.  Pop on over and tell sweet Ms. Della I said hideehoe!!!

TTFN--Jane

Choose Joy

It's election day!  Today, there are a lot of people who will be making choices--important choices.  Choices will be made whether you show up at the poll or not........let that sink in......it's still a choice so, please show up and really let your voice be heard!

This now concludes my political talk.  But, make no mistake, I have very clear political opinions.  I am not a what ever floats your boat kinda girl.....I just don't think my arty blog is the place for it ;)

I do, however, think it is the place to talk about joy!  Unity Stamp Co. joy, fall colors joy, stampy goodness joy!

When I got my October Layers of Life kit, I had to pull it out right away!  Using watercolor paper and distress inks, I created a colorful background. After first inking and misting with water to create a watercolory look, I then over stamped to give each beautiful leaf more definition.  I love this kit!!

I also love the "Choose Joy" sentiment.  It's different from the standard "wishy" sentiments like, "have a great day" or "happy birthday."  KWIM?   There seems to be power in it...it's a directive, a reminder, a choice....

So......choose.

TTFN, Jane

Stillness.....

I waited.  And, waited.  Isn't it funny how much time we actually spending waiting?  Waiting to get older, waiting to drive, waiting to get married, have kids, get the perfect job......ugh!  The list is seemingly endless.

Ok, so I admit......I was waiting for my Bisters from I Brake For Stamps.  Nothing to traumatic.  I was busy and then not feeling well so, I stopped waiting...I actually kinda forgot.  Then, there they were!

So, it got me thinking, about stillness.  I love this sentiment--actually, I love the book it comes from and most importantly, I love the Author!! 

To be still we must give it up.  The anxiety, the worry, the control--right?  In stillness, we learn to hear--not necessarily with our ears, but with our hearts--our spirits.  I've allowed some very important truths to penetrate my stubbornness simply by being still.  It's often a tough road to hoe, but most things worth it generally are. We say we are practicing patience when we are waiting, but what if it were really stillness?  It seems to me that this world could use a lot more of that.....

Now, you are wondering what Bisters are and how I got from powdered pigment to an existential blah blah....

Powdered Pigments!  Yes, that is the best way I can describe them.  You scatter them on your cardstock and then activate with water mist.  I chose to use my Perfect Pearls mist on my first attempt.  They are pretty interesting.  I'm looking foward to playing around with different colors, papers, activators.  You can learn more about them by watching the video tutorial at I Brake For Stamps.

You'll find the rest of the goodies from my card in the IBFS store also!  Use my coupon code to save :)
SAVE10JANE

TTFN and, be still.......

Jane

Lacy Flowers

Is it weird to still be arting florals?  I should be all about the fall images, halloween and turkeys, right? 

I had it in my mind to create a vintage, shabby background with my favorite lace image from this wonderful sheet, Lace Borders.  I love the way it turned out....distressy and all.  It needed the tulip!

I started with a piece of watercolor paper and walnut stain distress ink.  After lightly misting the watercolor paper, I repeatedly stamped the lace image.  Afterwards, I stamped over the whole thing with a linen background stamp and vintage photo distress ink.  With a bit of water on my finger tips, I gently pulled color and blended in areas giving the final distressed effect.

Sometimes, I love a background so much, using it becomes difficult....I just never want to cover the whole thing up!  So, I chose this beautiful Tulip image and stamped that on watercolor paper also.  Using my distress markers and an aqua pen, I colored the image and once again stamped over top with the linen background.  It was still damp near the image from coloring and blending that the ink from the background was more pronounced in some areas vs others---the perfect touch!

If you're not quite ready for fall images (or even if you are!) and feel like tromping through the IBFS store, use my coupon code SAVE10JANE while you're there for savings!!

Thanks for stopping by!

TTFN, Jane

Fall Flowers

Fall is most definitely my favorite time of the year!  The warm colors, toasty fires, crisp air, apple pie, squash.....my reasons are many!

This beautiful Kerr Jar image, from I Brake for Stamps, works perfectly for a fall feel card!  It's such a versatile image......

A bit ago, I used it for a fun and summery card:

 

Don't those berries look yummy?  To add to the summery flowers, I created a background using the Lace Border Half Sheet and my favorite distress inks.  A bunch of fussy cutting was both therapeutic and added dimension to the final project.

Same stamp...two completely different looks.

Stay tuned......I may just have to go for a wintery look next!

TTFN, Jane

Fabulous Glitter

Rubbernecker....oh, Rubbernecker, you crack me up!!

So, I have this gal pal and together we have this little inside joke involving glitter.  I'm not going to get into it right now....after all, it is inside and all....

Suffice it to say, the very minute I spotted this sentiment, in the Rubbernecker booth, at a stamp show this summer, I burst out laughing--out loud.  I may have even spoken to myself.....out loud.  I remember being a bit bummed out that (because I was working the show, I was alone) no one around me could possibly understand how truly wonderful this sentiment was nor why I had to own it RIGHT.  THAT.  SECOND!

For this fun little card, I paired it with another great image from Rubbernecker, Eyana.  She's big so she pretty much fills up a card front panel.  I'm always trying to think up different ways to use her vs just stamping and coloring.  For this card, with the fun feel to it, I used several of my favorite distress inks to add to color to the white cardstock.

I finished it off with a martini poker chip---I've had this for ages and just continues to add to my belief in craft hoarding.  I'm just sayin'!  I was convinced 8-9 years ago that the package of martini poker chips from the Target dollar zone would make the perfect embellishment.  SEE!  I was right!  LOL!!

TTFN, Jane

Hoppin' Along......

Get Back!!!  For realz....if you did not start this amazing blog hop at the very beginning---you need to go back!  The Technique Junkie team has a wonderful hop to share with you today and I just know you will not want to miss one single project!  We are hopping and sharing with you some sample projects from the TJ's newest CD, Sensational Stencils!

I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful this new CD from Technique Junkies is!  You can read all the details here:  Sensational Stencils.  And, since once you see the amazing projects, you'll be needing to order it, you can do that here also:  Order Now.

You've made it here from Holly Brown's blog!!  Yay!!  Isn't she amazing!  Such unique projects--I just love her style! 

My projects showcase two of my favorite techniques....shhhhhh.......don't tell the other 38!!  That's right!  There are 40 stencil techniques on this CD!  Who knew there were so many things a gal could do with a stencil??

 

 

My first project spotlights the simple, yet clever technique called Layered Stencils.  I've paired it with the most adorable image from Technique Junkie Stamps!  Isn't she just sweetest?  My sentiment, also from Technique Junkie Stamps, is from an incredibly versatile set called, Simple Sentiments 2.

 

My second project....I'm not going to lie....I'm a bit obsessed with this one!  When you get your CD, you'll see that I may have gone a bit overboard in the sample department!  Such a fun technique with soooooo many possibilities!!  It's called Stencil and Doodle....it's the Zentangle of Stencilville!! So much fun!  I picked up this particular sencil in a groovy little pack....from some store....they are from Heidi Swapp.  The stencils themselves are very polaroid camera-esc!  My crafty kid and I could not pass them up!

Since you've put up with me this long....I'll send you on to see what the crafty Ms. Jackie Kalchert has for you!  Off You Go!  You're off to see Ms. Jackie!

TTFN,
Jane