Where I Need To Be.....

Happy Thursday and Welcome to my blog!  I am happy to have a fun techniquey card to share for my Technique Junkie Thursday!

My card features a wonderful and colorful technique called Background Stained Glass.  You will find the instructions to complete your own version (and, I'd love to see it!) of this technique in the August/September 2014 edition of the Newsletter. If you are not yet a Junkie, do not despair!  You can learn about gaining access to the online version of the Technique Junkie Newsletter, right here!

To complete my piece, I've used the Technique Junkie background stamp called, Leaf Repeat #S608.  I encourage a bit of poking around in the "Big Stamps" category of the TJ Online Catalog!  There are so many great stamps there that would be perfect for this technique, as well as, the TONS of other techniques written for background stamps!  Check out this index for the Technique Junkie  Bodacious Backgrounds CD!

To finish things off, I added a sentiment, also from Technique Junkies, and a butterfly accent from the Wings #SS019 set. 

I just love the sentiment because it is completely true!  Perhaps it's the advantage of age, but as I reflect on my life, recent changes and all, I realize that I am just excellent at deciding the wrong thing!  I have definitely not gone where I intended, but life is funny that way.....to be more exact, my Maker is awesome that way!  I am definitely where I need to be.  The greatest part, every day remains an unfolding adventure!

Have a great, colorful day!

TTFN & don't forget the awesome!
Jane

Sweet N Sassy Tuesday

Howdie and welcome to Sweet N Sassy Tuesday!!!  I have a fun and snarky card, today, that features a few of Sweet N Sassy Stamps new release stamp sets.  They are a perfect combination of stamps and sentiments....you really should check them out!

Sweet Sarah and Sassy Cindy are, if you ask me, the perfect embodiment of SNSS!  So cute, funny, and not really all that sassy :).

My card is fairly straight forward with just a few well placed windows and some copic coloring,  I did add some stickles to each image for some extra glitz.  Also, I'm still relearning to sew with my little Janome machine so, I stitched around the card.  I'm not quite ready for fancy stitching.....my bobber thread keeps breaking so, until I figure that little glitch out, I'm sticking to a basic stitch pattern!

You'll find lots of SNSS inspiration by visiting the Blog or follow my SNSS Pinterest board!  C'mon, it'll be fun!!

TTFN & Don't forget to be awesome!  Jane

Sweet, Happy Teddy Bear.....

Good Monday Morning!  Welcome to another I Brake For Stamps Monday, here on my lil ol' blog!

Today, I have a fun little watercolored and stenciled card to share with you!  As most of my projects, this started as a bit of an experiment and some goofin' around.

It's no secret that I love Dylusions ink sprays.  I thought it would be fun to use a few on a water colored type project.  So, I started with some watercolor paper and a stencil!  After adhering the stencil with some temporary adhesive, I added some color using the Dylusions sprays and an aqua brush.  You can see that my application was rather random.....that's what I like about the watercolors---you can barely go wrong!

After the inks dried, I traced the stencil with my copic multiliner.  Later, I added the birthday sentiment frrom Sheet 138B in the I Brake For Stamps Store....it scares me a bit that I no longer have to look up the reference on this sheet--I use it so much!  It wouldn't be so odd if the sheet had a name like.....Birthday and Flowers, but 138B????  I'm hooked......

To pull the whole project together, I stamped, on a separate piece of water color paper, Sweet Teddy.  He's watere colored, also, using distress ink and dylusions ink.  After drying and trimming, I mounted him with some dimensional tape.

I made several things this past weekend, and had them on my table to film....my crafty girl voted the sweet teddy card her favorite.....I do agree!  But, please come back to see what else kept me out of trouble the last few days ;)

If you have a notion to visit the I Brake For Stamps store, be sure to say a sweet hello to my pal, Bo Bella.  Let her know I sent you and use my coupon code SAVE10JANE for some sweet savings while you are there!

TTFN & Don't Forget The Awesome!

Jane

Note To Self.....

What is it that makes you shine?  I'm a firm believer that we all have our something......I had an opportunity to sub in a local elementary school's Early Childhood program this week.  None of the four kiddos in the class I worked in were verbal and yet each one tugged at my heart, connected with me and let their light shine. See, shine isn't necessarily reflected in the words of your mouth.  It's a thought worthy of pondering.....

What is it about you that shines?  Do you let it show?  On this journey called life, I think we are called to find that thing (or things) and go with it.  While we may "think" we want this job or that---this responsibility or title, I think it's more important to discover your gift.  When you do, it may not lead to the acclaim or notice you thought (and the world sells) you wanted.  Instead, you'll realize why they call it a gift....and, why it is something you won't be able to keep from sharing :)

Today, I have a fun card I created using the Technique Junkie technique, Tie It Together. This tutorial can be found in the last (December 2014) edition of the newsletter.  Even if you are not a subscriber, you can purchase on online version of the newsletter that will give you access to the wonderful goodness that is Technique Junkies.  I've adored being a Junkie for more than 8 years because I am never at a loss for an idea or a challenge.  To learn more, visit the TJ Home Page!

The stamp I've used to tie the technique together is from the Technique Junkie stamp line.  It's called Shine Today #SD441.  You'll find it and all sorts of other yummy images/sentiments in the TJ Stamps online catalog!

Now, think about what it is that makes you shine and, let it out! 

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to be awesome!

TTFN, Jane

Thinking of You, Paris....

Happy Tuesday, Crafty Folks!  Yesterday, I shared my first Sweet N Sassy Stamps tutorial over at the SNSS blog.....what kind of friend would I be if I didn't share it right here, also?  

Like many of you, I've been watchful, concerned and heartbroken over the happenings recently in France.  I took some of that emotion and put it to paper and ink, as I so often do.  It's therapeutic.  It's the process, though and not the outcome.  Don't get me wrong.....I like the outcome, but the process is the important part.  Don't lose that.  I'm encouraging you to process.  Take the outline below--doesn't matter the images you use or even the colors.  Just go to town....feel it....purge it....pray over it....whatever your "it" might be.

During release week, at Sweet N Sassy Stamps, I received many wonderful comments, which totally made my heart smile, on my Parisian Postcard collage card, so I thought I'd show everyone how I created the vibrant background that seemed to captivate so many.  Plus, I added a design-ie twist ;)

You will need:

 Various DylusionsSpray Ink

Black Archival Ink (Permanent, Waterproof Ink)

Water Mister

Watercolor Paper, Designer Paper

Post It Notes

Cutting Tools:  Trimmer/Scoring Tool, Scissors, Straight Edge

Large Focal Stamp

The first step of my project was to prepare my card front, which was my main palette.  I cut my water color paper to 4” x 5 ¼”.  Then, I stamped the focal image off to one side, keeping in mind the cut panel I had in mind.  I also stamped the image on a post it note and trimmed it as a mask for my card front image.

 

Next, I placed my card front in my tres chic spray booth…..(it’s just a box…..with the sides taped up to avoid over spray….)

And, added several sprays of Dylusions ink!  The colors I used:  Postbox Red, Crushed Grape and Pure Sunshine.  Be generous…you can always remove the sprays with paper towel if it gets to be too much.  Then, you just start over ;)

 

Next, spritz water on the whole project.  This will encourage the inks to blend.  Don’t be afraid to let the inks puddle.

I like to roll the inks around my water color paper.  I use the paper towel to asorb the excess ink that pools at the paper’s edge.  I rarely use paper towel to absorb directly as this tends to mute the vibrant colors I’m seeking as an end result.

Only because I am completely devoid of crafty patience, I use my heat tool to dry the piece.

 

Using the paper trimmer, cut two channels in the panel.  Be mindful of the stamped image, making sure enough of the image remains on either side of the channels.

Use your scissors or straight edge to trim the paper that exists between the two cut lines.  Trim around the stamped image, also

Add a piece of designer paper to “bridge the gap” and you are all set to complete an amazing project!

I love the verse that is the focus of the Vintage Postcard set:  Proverbs 25:25.  "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far away country."  It's my prayer that the Good News reaches all far away countries...to mend the broken hearted, to provide hope....we all need that!  Vintage Postcard is one of the sets you'll find in the Out With The Old area at SNSS......those retiring sets are going fast so, don't wait ;)

That's all for me today....may you be blessed!

TTFN, Jane

How I got crafty:

Warriors....

Welcome to I Brake For Stamps Monday!!  I had an emotional weekend and, in the middle of it all, this card emerged!

My beloved Packers fought a good fight......and, then, they stopped or so it would seem and, well, the rest is just history!  I still love them, though!

I started this project with some watercolor paper and Dylusions ink (I may be stuck in Dylusions land....).  I love creating Mixed Media canvases so, I thought I'd treat this card front like a canvas.

My girls are from the stamp sheet, Fashionistas, and I just find them to be all warrior like.  I added some extra stamping from the Diamonds Half Sheet.  I inked up the diamond backgrounder by rubbing/dabbing white acrylic paint on to the stamp surface.  It was thicker in some places and ended up providing some extra dimension and tonality.  Also, because the watercolor paper was saturated with ink (and still a bit wet) I found that the application of paint and, later mod podge, drew some of the ink's pigmentation into the paint and glue.  I like the effect it created and, even more, I like that it was complete happenstance :)

The warriors were stamped once (in archival black ink) directly to the watercolor paper and then again, on an old book page.  After trimming the images, I applied them to the card front using mod podge.

Be happy.
Be Bright.
BE YOU!

It's a whole new week---don't forget to be awesome!
TTFN, Jane

Cancer, It Can't.....

 

 Happy Thursday!  I have a card to share that you will also see on the Technique Junkie Designer Blog!  There's lot of good art going on over there so, be sure to check it out!  It's a frugal project, if not vibrant and eye catching!  Inspiration is everywhere....and, so are supplies!  Yet another case for hoarding those crafty supplies!

In November, I was fortunate to meet up with the wonderful Technique Junkie mastermind, Pat Huntoon, at a stampy show in Madison, Wisconsin.  At that show, there was a lot of stampy goodness going down with gelatos, stencils, stamps and more.  Pat demonstrated gelatos and various techniques for two days!  You can imagine the volume of "samples" that existed after two days.  At a show like that, if the customers don't take the samples with them, they pretty much end up in the circular file.  I just couldn't have it so while cleaning up, I grabbed a bunch of the discarded pieces....they were all just so pretty and vibrant!

So.....I crafted this colorful card which features several renditions of the Gelatos Wipe technique.  This technique is featured on the Technique Junkie Sensational Stencil CD.  If you haven't gotten your copy yet, now is the time!  This CD is jam packed with awesome tutorials!  You can read all about it here!

After mounting variously sized portions of the technique pieces on black cardstock, I added the sentiment.  I didn't want to cover up any of the beautifully vibrant background, so stamping on vellum was the natural choice.  I chose to use the sentiment, What Cancer Cannot Do #SD607 from Technique Junkie Stamps.  I love the verbage of this sentiment:

It cannot cripple love,

It cannot shatter hope,

It cannot dissolve faith,

It cannot destroy peace,

It cannot kill friendship,

It cannot suppress memories,

It cannot silence courage,

It cannot invade the soul,

It cannot steal eternal life,

It cannot conquer the spirit.

Cannot!  I love this for the words and, mostly, for why it is ;)  #goteamalex

TTFN,

Jane