Black Magic

Black Magic, it sounds spooky doesn't it? Well this Black Magic is not to be feared because it is a technique you can use in your paper crafting!

I decided to participate in a Technique Swap at the SU! convention this year but I wasn't sure which technique to do. I went over to www.splitcoaststampers.com and looked through their resources and found the Black Magic Technique. I watched the little video and looked through the gallery for examples and decided that I would give it a try.

My first attempt wasn't to bad but I wasn't satisfied so I ended remaking my sample. I ended up using the Just Believe stamp set. I chose to use Night of Navy, Marina Mist, and Basic Black card stock. I stamped the image in Whisper White Craft Ink and then used my heat tool to speed up the drying time, I then used my water color pencils to color the image. After I colored and stamped my background piece I assembled my card. I was pretty please with the card. So I repeated this step 10 times for the swap. Wow, that was a lot of coloring. After I colored and assembled all the cards, (the night before I left for convention at 11:00 PM) I looked at the cards and wasn't pleased with the way the coloring looked. It was too late to try something else so I grabbed a blender pen and used that on the colored image but it wasn't working to well. I realized that my blender pens are drying out. I've only had them for 4 years and have only used them for a million projects! Good thing I had a new package. After getting a new blender pen and going over my colored images, I was happy with my cards.

Note: the original instructions on SCS does not tell you to use a blender pen but I actually like the technique much better after using a blender pen on the colored image.

I finally went to bed after 1:00 AM and managed to get a few hours of sleep, but it didn't matter. I was just excited to be able to go to convention.

July Club Project

I really wanted to use my new stamp set My Friend when I started working on July Stamp Club projects. I pulled out some beautiful card stock, Pool Party, Island Indigo, and Poppy Parade to start out. After a few short minutes I had this card. I just kept staring at it and thinking, hmmm... what can I change? I wasn't completely satisfied with the card and wanted to do something a little different.

I looked around my desk and saw one of my new items. The Color Spritzer tool, now this isn't a new item in the catalog but I just recently purchased it. I thought to my self what can I do to use this on my card? I got this bright idea to ink up the floral image in Pool Party and then spritz it with the Island Indigo. In all honesty I sprayed a few times with no luck of any ink coming out. So I kept spritzing and finally I saw the ink land on my stamp. After I was finally finished I stamped the image again and to my surprise I got a water color look. I don't know if anyone has already done this technique or if it has some fancy name for it but I loved the results.

So here is my card. I did change up the design a little bit from the original card but it is all the same pieces and colors as the first card. I displayed both cards at club and let the ladies chose which card they wanted to make. I will have to try my new technique again with some other colors and see what I come up with.

I hope to have inspired someone today to try this.

Finally Blogging

I got back on Sunday from the 2011 SU! Convention in Salt Lake City. What an inspiring event! There are so many ideas running through my head, now I hope I can remember everything.

Leading up to the convention I had been sick and exhausted. I am adjusting to taking care of an active 18 month old little boy and being pregnant. That is why I had been ignoring my blog lately, it just seemed like to much work. My energy level has been zapped. I have created a few things over the past month, I just hadn't taken the time to take pictures and post them. I did get a little bit of an ego booster at convention when a few people mentioned that they like my blog and my projects. I was excited to know that people actually look at my blog besides Erin and the few people that I force to read my blog. I'm just glad that I am not just talking to cyberspace. So ladies thank you for making me feel good about my blog.

Enough blabbering about that, let me tell you a little about the card I made. This card is a complete and utter case of someone else's card. I just wish I could remember whose card I copied. I thought I had it saved to my favorites on Stampin' Connection but I guess I didn't. Anyway I just love the bright colors, the new stamp set, and the punch to go along with it. The colors actually used are Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, and Wild Wasabi. Hope you enjoy today's card and I will be back with another card tomorrow.

Create Gifts

Create Gifts Class Includes:
Coasters (set of 4)
A Journal/Notebook
Two Refrigerator Magnets/Picture Holder.

Class Fee is $25.00

Date & Time: July 9th at 10:30AM




The tile coaster are perfect for gift giving or to add to your home. I have created many different styles for you to chose from. To see other styles please email you and I will be happy to send you a picture of other coasters.







Create this beautiful Journal/or Notebook for yourself or someone special. This is great to carry in your purse with shopping notes or to have with you to write down your thoughts. The note pad is protected inside the plastic case.









These stylish refrigerator magnets are great for holding a picture or note. If you don't want to add these to the refrigerator you can stand them on a shelf or desk to display pictures of your loved ones.

Make sure to RSVp your spot by Thursday, July 7th.

Plum Butterfly

I have been meaning to share this card on my blog for a week. The picture was even uploaded I just never got around to blogging. I do have good excuse, I am 10 weeks pregnant and this pregnancy is kicking me in the rear! I am nauseated most the time, doesn't matter what I eat and I am exhausted every evening.

There it is, my excuse. I think its a pretty good one. Well I hope you enjoy this card made with the Strength & Hope set.

Strength & Hope Card

I held my Strength & Hope Class last weekend and this is one of the cards I designed for the class.

Even though this stamp set was created with the idea of strengthening and encouraging those that my be affected by cancer in one way or another, I love that it also can be used to strengthen and encourage all, no matter the situation. We all need that at times in our lives.

If you haven't purchased this set yet, I encourage you to do so before the end of August. You'll get a great stamp set and a donation will be made to the Breast Cancer Research Center.

Another Flower Garden Sample

Here is the final Flower Garden sample I made for club last week. I wanted to do simple so I embossed the Pear Pizzazz piece attached it to the Rich Razzleberry card base, tied a ribbon at the top, found a sentiment and added that to the card but it just looked to plain. So I outlined the the embossed image with a glue pen and applied Dazzling Diamonds, perfect! I wish you could see the sparkle.

This would be a great card for my next card class, I need to start planning for that. Off I go...

Flower Bookmark

I love to read so when I got a new book in April, I dug right into the book but after reading 6 chapters I thought I should save this for my vacation. I did great, I stayed away from my book but then I forgot about it on my vacation and never read it. Finally last week I got back into reading my book but someone named Malachi stole my bookmark. I looked all over for it but still never found it so when I started on making samples for the Big Shot club, I made a bookmark.

I again used the Flower Garden Embossing Folder. I used Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, & Baja Breeze card stock, Poppy Parade ribbon, Beautiful Wings embosslit, and Smooch Spritz. Although you can't see the sparkle in this picture. Now I have a bookmark again, now all I need is a book to read since I have already finished my other book.

Flower Garden Scrapbook Page

I've been pretty lazy about creating this month but when I have a class or a club meeting I am forced to get out of my rut and get to work.

This week I had Big Shot Club, each month the club members receive a die or embossing folder and they create a project using their new item. This isn't the project we made this month I already showed you what we created earlier this month. I however do make several other samples of things you can make with the product.

This sample I had started with another idea in mind but soon realized it just wouldn't work so I thought what can I do? Within minutes my creativity went to work and within 10 minutes my ended in this finished scrapbook page. I love it when that happens. Believe me, sometimes I sit and stare and my projects waiting for that moment when the light turns on. Well I just love the elegance of this page, I think we will make it at my next scrapbook class. If you are asking when that class is, the date is June 11th. Contact me if you are interested in signing up.

Hope

There is hope for me, I am blogging again. Although now I need to get to creating. I haven't been stamping much lately. I do have a Strength and Hope Card Class next weekend, so I do need to design a couple more cards.

Don't forget to register for the class today.

This card is one that I cased from Ilina Crouse. I only changed a few minor things. It is a simple but lovely card. I used Craft, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White card stock. I did use some retired craft ribbon but you could always substitute the ribbon for a current color. Cutting those antennas is a little tough but it is worth it.

If you like the Strength and Hope Stamp set don't hesitate to purchase it, $2.00 from each purchase of this stamp set goes toward Breast Cancer Research. Contact me today if you have any questions.