Category: Shopping My Stash

R is for Ribbon

Hello friends and happy busy December to you!  It’s that time of the year and things start getting really busy with Christmas activities!  I’ve been working on lots of different things, but it seems hard to take the time out to photograph it and post about it! LOL  Maybe when things settle down a bit for me, I can post some of it!

Today marks another new challenge for the Alphabet Challenge Blog!  Our next letter is “R”, and our hostess Billie has chosen “Ribbon”.   I hope you will join in the fun with us!  (This will be the last challenge of the year until they start back up in January with the letter “S”)  *Please remember that this is a bi-weekly challenge, so you have two weeks to enter.*  Here’s the project I’ve made for this challenge:

I really enjoyed making this one and I was very happy to pull some more items out from my stash to use up for this challenge!  Ribbon is something that I have so much of and don’t use it as often as what I used to!

For my card front, I took a red base and die cut a large star from it keeping in mind that I wanted to add a sentiment at the bottom.  I used an embossing folder and then rubbed a metallic gold ink pad over the raised areas to make it stand out a bit and set it aside.

For behind the star, I took another thin cardstock panel slightly smaller than the red star panel and covered it with double sided strong adhesive.  I then took some stitched ribbon in red and green as well as the thin metallic gold ribbon and layered them in a strip pattern over the entire panel.  I kept in mind where the star opening would be.  I then layered the red star panel over it and attached it to a top folding A2 kraft card base.

I die cut a smaller star in kraft cardstock for the center of the star opening and added a gold gem in the center of it.  I also took the thin gold ribbon and attached it from the top of the star around the red base and then added a bow above it.  Lastly, I just gold heat embossed the sentiment, die cut with the coordinating die and popped it up under the star with a foam strip.

  • Just a note that this will be my final project as a design team member for the Alphabet Challenge.  I have enjoyed working on this team and wish Caz all the best in the coming year for her challenges.  I appreciate the kind support.

I will try to get another post in before Christmas is here, if I can find the time to share the things that I’ve been working on.  I also have another art journal page to share before the end of the year as well.  Thanks so much for stopping by as I enjoy hearing from you!  Enjoy the Holiday Season as it approaches and take care of yourself.

Challenges:

  1. A Cut Above – Anything Goes with a die cut
  2. The Neglected Stuff – Old items (I’ve got not sure how old Stampin’ Up ribbon, old embossing folder and old star die cuts!)
  3. Crafts Galore Encore – Anything Goes
  4. Creative Inspirations – ‘Tis the Season
  5. Fab ‘n’ Funky – Christmas 
  6. Penny’s Paper Crafty – Anything Goes Using Paper 
  7. Lil’ Patch of Crafty Friends – Anything Goes
  8. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP2549 Anything Goes

November AJ Page-Time

Hello friends and happy weekend!  Monday will be the first of December already!  Wow, time seems to be going so fast especially at the end of year!  This is exactly what my page was inspired by in this post!

Last Saturday of November brings us to the monthly “SMASH OUR STASH” Art Journaling.  I’ve collaborated with my crafty friend Carol (from Crafty-Stamper) to join in.  Here’s my AJ page with the NOVEMBER prompt of “TRADITIONS”: 

This is a little different type of style, but most of the time I just come up with whatever happens to pop into my head and hopefully with older items I have from my stash!

This may not seem like I’ve used the “traditions” prompt for this month, but if you look at the wording at the bottom of the pocket watch, It says “Sentimental Traditions”.  I was thinking of “old timey” type of things and the story about traditions on my page comes from my family going to our favorite place every fall for picking apples and now my children go every year as well, so it’s fun to know they’re still enjoying the same tradition we had with them.

For the background:  (size of Mixed Media paper is 5.5″ x 8.5″)  I ink blended with brushed corduroy oxide ink and spritzed with water to create the watermarks.  I stenciled the dots with fired brick oxide and went around the edges with black soot oxide.  I added some background paper to the other side that has the apple tree and then I added the paper doll couple over top and then added the “TIME” lettering that was die cut with black cardstock above them.  I also sponged around the edges of the apple tree paper with black soot oxide.  I added a gold metallic sticker line in the center between the paper and ink background.  

I took a really old Whimsy Stamp stamp set with the pocket watch stamp and stamped it with black ink and then used a pen to write the words:  “TIME has a way of showing us what matters.”  I then stamped a couple more of the pocket watch image in brushed corduroy oxide and then splattered some gold watercolor over right side of the page.

  • Thanks so much for stopping in today!  Hope you’ve enjoyed my art journal page!

Challenges:

  1. Art Journal Journey – A Moment In Time
  2. Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone – No cards
  3. Creative Artiste – Anything Goes Mixed Media

October AJ Page-Magical Potion

Hello friends and happy weekend!  It’s the last Saturday for this month and next week will be November 1st!  Can you believe it?!  We’re nearing the end of the year, but I’d like to stop and enjoy the wonderful Autumn season right now while it’s here!

Last Saturday of October brings us to the monthly AJ page with my crafty friend Carol (from Crafty-Stamper) who is collaborating with me to “SMASH OUR STASH”! We get creative trying to use up our never-ending stash piles along with a prompt for each month.  I know she always has great inspiration to share, so please check out her blog too! Here’s my AJ page with the “SMASH OUR STASH” OCTOBER prompt of “MAGICAL”: 

I couldn’t let this month go by without adding in a Halloween themed AJ page!  I love making them and getting out lots of dies from several different companies that made this one a fun project to pull together.

Background:  I used an 8.5″ x 5.5″ piece of Mixed Media cardstock and blended the background in various colors using a light yellow for the center where the window is open and the cauldron is brewing up something magical!

I then took a cogs and wheel stencil and sponged on some gold ink in various places.  I took a cool background stamp from Whimsy Stamps called Vintage Wallpaper and stamped it in random places.  I also cut a strip of wood plank background paper from my stash to add at the bottom of the page.  I then took my gold ink pad and swiped it around the edges of the page.

Die Cuts:  The large spider web cut from holographic paper, the witch, the fire, and cats all came from Whimsy Stamps.  The Cauldron and potion bottle came from Taylored Expressions, the window came from Simon Says Stamp and the wood under the cauldron came from Lawn Fawn.  For some of the pieces, I ink blended or added a gold highlight to the edges.  For the potion bottle, there is a tiny label on it that says “Moon Dust” with a moon on it.  (It’s hard to see in the photo.)  I added some glitter to the contents.  After ink blending the flames, I covered it with a glitter brush pen.

I took a marker to added some shadows under the witch, cat and cauldron.  I took some yellow sequins and added it under the potion bottle to make it look like she’s added it to the potion.  Lastly, I took a couple of Tim Holtz sentiment clippings to add to the scene.

  • I hope you’ve enjoyed my art journal page today!  I had fun with it!  Thanks so much for dropping in and I’ll be seeing you soon!

Challenges:

  1. Art Journal Journey – Steampunk/Halloween or both
  2. Creative Artiste – Anything Goes Mixed Media
  3. Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone – No Cards
  4. Penny’s – Anything Goes Using Paper
  5. Little Red Wagon – Not a Card

September AJ Page-Quiet Beauty

Hello friends!  I do not even know where this month went!  Wow!  I guess life has a way of keeping us busy and sometimes we just need to make time to take time.  I do hope that you’re having a great September month and looking to the Autumn season.  It’s my favorite season to be out in…I still need the cooler weather though!  I’m hoping for it soon!

Can’t believe it, but it’s time for another monthly AJ page with my crafty friend Carol (from Crafty-Stamper) who is collaborating with me to “SMASH OUR STASH”! We get creative trying to use up our never-ending stash piles along with a prompt for each month.  I know she always has great inspiration to share, so please check out her blog too! Here’s my AJ page with the “SMASH OUR STASH” SEPTEMBER prompt of “WOOD”: 

Although the temps are still unseasonably warm right now, I’m dreaming of those pretty Autumn colors and cooler temps!  I decided to get lots of inks out and make a background for this one to display my leaves across it.

For the background:  I started with a kraft piece of cardstock measuring my usual 8.5″x 5.5″ size and then at every 3/4″ I scored a line across the longer side edge.  So, using the score marks with the texture line facing up at me, I swiped  a few colors of distress inks in Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Rusty Hinge and Black Soot.  I then took a flat DRY paint brush and brushed down over the ink marks I swiped to brighten the colors.  It’s such a simple technique to make a background!

I definitely “shopped my stash” this time and pulled out a VERY old Stampin’ Up! stamp set called “Wonderfall” and the Bigz die to cut them out.  Those were the days where we didn’t have a MISTI tool to help us line stamps up! LOL  It’s much easier now with the MISTI!  So I splattered all of the leaves after the die cutting and stamping with metallic gold watercolor, brown and white Copic Opaque white.  I arranged them all over the background and attached them.

Here’s a closer view of the background so you can see how I’ve done it along with the details on the leaves.

For the sentiment, I die cut some letters from gold metallic foil cardstock and attached to background.  I used my computer to print out the other words and die cut them out with a banner die and sponged the edges.  I used foam tape to pop up the one over the leaf.

Lastly, I used some gold glitter drops to add a bit of sparkle to it.

  • Thanks so much for dropping in today!  I hope you’ve enjoyed my art journal page today!  I hope you’re able to get outside and enjoy your weekend!

Challenges:

  1. Art Journal Journey – Make Your Own Background (wood panel/plank background with inks)

A Single Flower at Sparkles Monthly

Hello friends!  Welcome to the start of a new week for mid-September!  I think Summer actually DID come back to us as we’ve set record high heats for this time of the year!  I think I’m ready for those cooler temps to come back! Ugh!  I know it won’t be long now and we can start enjoying trips outdoors as we look forward to picking apples and all Autumn festivities that we do!

Today is time to share a new challenge over at Sparkles Monthly and we have the theme of “USE A SNGLE FLOWER (floral image)”  this month.  Flowers seem to be everyone’s favorite.  Here’s what I came up with: 

Mine is a single sunflower image.  My husband planting them in our backyard this year and they were so pretty!  Of course, I forgot to take a photo of one before they died off.

The items I’ve used came from an older card kit from Simon Says Stamp including the stamp set called Sunflower Fields.  There is a single sunflower image that I thought would be perfect for this challenge, plus I can use more items from my stash!

For the size of the flower image, I wanted it to stand out, so I used a tag and twine from the kit and decided to make this a mini slim card size.

For the background:  I used a piece of watercolor cardstock and gold heat embossed the “Romantic Script” background stamp (retired) from My Favorite Things and then used some oxide inks swiped on glass with spritzed water to make a “smooshed” background.  I also used these same colors to watercolor my flower with. (except the green, I only used that for the flower)  I also used some gold watercolor to splatter over the tag.  I only splattered the tag because I didn’t think it would show very much over the card background.

I cut the smooshed watercolor panel to fit over a kraft side folding mini slimline card base.  I die cut the flower and the sentiment to attach over the tag, added some twine and then used foam tape to pop it up over the ink smooshed background.  Lastly, I’ve added some yellow sequins to finish it off.

I hope you will take some time to pull out a single flower and join us in the challenge this month!  Looking forward to seeing your creations!  Thanks so much for dropping by!

Challenges:

  1. Creative Inspirations – Anything Goes
  2. Ellibelle’s Garden Party – Anything In or From a Garden
  3. Creative Fingers – Anything Goes
  4. Lil’ Patch of Crafty Friends – Anything Goes
  5. Penny’s – Anything Goes Using Paper
  6. Love to Craft – Anything Goes
  7. Crafts Galore Encore – Anything Goes

Mix It Up with a Fancy Fold

Happy September friends!  Can you believe we’re getting ready to get into the Autumn season already?!  It seems like the summer flew by, but I have to say that I’m so very ready for the falling leaves and all things Autumn to start up now…especially cooler temps!

Today also brings us to a new challenge over at the Mix It Up Challenge Blog.    The challenges always run for 6 weeks so there is plenty of time to enter.  The theme given for us this time is: Fancy Folds or you can always do the ‘Anything Goes” too.  Here’s the card that I came up with for the challenge using the theme:

This is a something I came across a while back and saved the tutorial for later to give it a go.  This is called a “Faceted Vertical Easel Card” and this is a 5″x7″ size.  I would give you a link to the tutorial, but when I started creating half-way through to come upon the layers, I noticed the measurements were not quite right, so I had to figure out an adjustment to make it work correctly.  I do love the look of it with its unique faceted design.  It’s basically just an easel style card with a bit of a design in the center fold area and going vertical instead of horizontal.  (If I make another again, I’ve decided another easier way to work it.

Since I was in the mood for the Autumn season, I decided to make my design with that in mind.  I started with a kraft cardstock base measuring 10″x7″ with all of the different scores/cuts for this design as well.  For decorating it, I’ve pulled out some Autumn papers by Photoplay in my stash and added a layer of glitter gold cardstock.  To make square aperture with the pumpkins, I pull a cardboard cutout from the paper pack to use with it, and then white heat embossed a sentiment and die cut to place on the bottom right of card.  Lastly, I’ve added some gold gems to both panels as well as the square panel in the center of the card.

I think what I like most about this is that it folds completely flat for mailing in an envelope.  Once the recipient receives it, you can slide it open to catch the strip on the right side of the card and it will stand up like the first photo in this post.

  • I hope you’ve enjoyed my fancy fold card today and you’ll hop on over to the challenge blog to see what the rest of the team has come up with.  I look forward to seeing the gallery and what fancy folds will be in there!

Thanks so much for stopping in today!  Have a great day!

Challenges:

  1. Creative Creases – Anything with a fun fold
  2. Penny’s challenge – Anything Goes using paper
  3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday – Anything Goes
  4. The Four Seasons Challenge – Fall
  5. The Crafter’s Cafe – Anything Goes optional:  Use Pattern Papers
  6. The Creative Crafters – Anything Goes

July AJ Page-Always Make Waves

Hello friends!  I hope that you’re staying cool and having a great weekend so far!  This is another pre-scheduled post from me again as I’m away for now.   So glad you’re here!

Today starts another monthly AJ page with my crafty friend Carol (from Crafty-Stamper) who is collaborating with me to “SMASH OUR STASH”! We get creative trying to use up our never-ending stash piles along with a prompt for each month.  I know she always has great inspiration to share, so please check out her blog too! Here’s my AJ page with the “SMASH OUR STASH” JULY prompt of “ACROSS THE OCEAN”: 

At one point I was going through my extremely large stash of card kits and realized how crazy it was that I had SO many mermaid/under the sea type of card kits/stamps, papers, etc.  So I didn’t have any problem finding something from my stash for this prompt!

For the Background:  I started with my usual size of 8.5″x5.5″ with Bristol Smooth cardstock this time.  I wanted to do some ink blending with a large 6″x9″ layered stencil that I got from Trinity Stamps.  I’ve used several different ink colors to create the underwater scene with the stencils.  I had lots of fun with it.  I then used some of the masks in the set and spritzed some water over it for the bubble effects in the “water”.  The “light beams” came with the stencil set and I just used white ink for that layer.

I thought since I was using water, that I would watercolor the images from an older mermaid card kit that I had from Brutus Monroe.  I die cut those along with the turtle and bubbles.  The sentiment came with this set too and I thought it was a wonderful saying, so I white heat embossed it on the page.

 

I also had an “Under the Sea” die set from My Favorite Things (store closed) that I cut a few pieces from to add to the scene at the bottom.  I took a gel pen and markers to add details to some of the ocean floor botanicals/rocks and then a glitter brush pen on the mermaids and glitter glue over the bubbles above the turtle to finish it off.

  • Hope you’ve enjoyed my Art Journal Page today!  Thanks so much for dropping by and spending some time with me!  I’ll be back later next week to see what you’re all up to!  See you soon!

Challenges:

  1. Art Journal Journey – Botanicals (Hope seaweed counts!)

Mix It Up with Mixed Media

Hello friends and a happy July to you!  We’re celebrating July 4th Independence Day this weekend and I know it will be hot!  I think we’ll be watching fireworks from our TV inside the cool air this year!  Hope that whatever you’re doing this weekend that you stay cool and safe while you’re having fun.

Today also brings us to a new challenge over at the Mix It Up Challenge Blog.    The challenges always run for 6 weeks so there is plenty of time to enter.  The theme given for us this time is: Mixed Media or you can always do the ‘Anything Goes” too.  Here’s the card that I came up with for the challenge using the theme:

This was such a fun card to make!  I normally do mixed media on my art journal pages or a larger/3D item, but this time I wanted to make a card for this theme.  I pulled out some really fun AALL & Create products that I’ve been wanting to use and I thought this would be a good opportunity to try them out!  (I don’t know what it is about these wonky characters, but I think the weird eyeballs are so cute!)  I’ve used the “Coffee Time” stamp set with the girl, coffee cups and coffee beans at the bottom.  I’ve also used a Simon Says Stamp “Sunflower Fields” in the background and the “Sending Sunshine” sentiment.

To create the background: I’ve stamped a very large sunflower image in yellow ink over a white card base.  I’ve then used an AALL & Create “coffee stains” stencil with brown ink over top.  I then ink blended some more brown inks over the edges of the panel and then splattered it with both brown and white paints.  I took a pen and doodled around the edges and then attached it to an A2 top folding brown card base.  I had a left over strip from a collection of coffee backgrounds that I’ve made in a previous post you can see HERE and attached that to the bottom where I stamped the coffee beans in brown ink over it.  (I thought it would make for a good “grounding” for the coffee girl and cups to stand on.)

I’ve used another AALL & Create product called “Heart Nook” that I die cut some circles from, and I thought looked like coffee stains, in glitter cardstock.  I also cut an additional strip of that to go along the bottom strip of the card.  I then added the stack of coffee cups, the girl that I colored up with Copics and fussy cut out.  I white heat embossed the sentiment, die cut and popped both that along with the girl using foam tape.  I also separately cut out her eyeball and popped that up over her for extra dimension.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my coffee mixed media card today!  I had fun coloring her up and very happy to use more things from my stash too!  Please be sure to pop on over to the Mix It Up Challenge blog to have a look at what the rest of the team created and play along!

Have a wonderful July 4th weekend.

Challenges:

  1. Just Us Girls – Stencil Week (coffee stains stencil)
  2. Crafty Catz – Anything Goes
  3. Creative Fingers – Anything Goes
  4. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP2526 – Sunshine (hope sentiment and yellow works!)
  5. Addicted to Stamps & More – Die Cut(s) and/or Stencil(s) – I used both!

June Art Journal Page-Positive Thoughts and Positive News!

Hello friends and welcome to the weekend!  June has seemed to go by so very fast and I don’t know how time seems to keep flying by, but I think keeping busy is the best thing to do to stay in a positive mind set.  I also have some positive news at the bottom of this post!

Speaking of positive….it’s our monthly AJ page with my crafty friend Carol (from Crafty-Stamper) who is collaborating with me to “SMASH OUR STASH”! We get creative trying to use up our never-ending stash piles along with a prompt for each month.  I know she always has great inspiration to share, so please check out her blog too! Here’s my AJ page with the “SMASH OUR STASH” JUNE prompt of “ABSTRACT FIGURE(S) or SHAPE(S)”: 

I didn’t really have a plan in place when starting my page.  I happened to remember these fun nesting dies that I had which remind me of a body of water/pond, but I thought they would work great for the “ABSTRACT SHAPE” prompt for this month.  I started thinking of a rock or cave with these holes or crevasses where a rainbow light is coming through and a girl is in deep positive thought where butterflies are floating above her.

For the background:  I started with a 8.5″x5.5″ watercolor cardstock and the oxide inks in Black Soot, Hickory Smoke and Pumice Stone.  I rubbed the ink pads onto a glass surface, sprayed with water and “smooshed” the paper multiple times after drying with a heat tool in a process of about three times.  I then stamped the “IMAGINE” definition text all over the background and went around the edges with black ink.

Each die cut shape was cut from a rainbow paper pad that I lined around the edges with a black marker.  I black heat embossed the heart and the sentiment above the girl.  The girl was cut from a magazine and placed on the largest rainbow shape so that her feet were dangling off.  The butterflies were cut from a printed file and attached randomly over the page.  Lastly, I covered each butterfly and the center of the heart with a glitter brush pen.  You may be able to see some of the shimmer in the photo.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my AJ page today!  Thank you so much for checking out what I’m doing over here!  I appreciate your kind thoughts!  I’ll be seeing you soon!

Challenges:

  1. Art Journal Journey – People
  2. Try It On Tuesday – Add Some Text (not one word/greeting)
  3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge – Anything Goes
  4. Creative Artiste – Anything Goes Mixed Media
  5. Anything Goes in a Card Free Zone – No cards

Positive news!  My first grandson was born this week!  He’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen!  I didn’t want to leave, so I hope I can come back very soon to see him again!❤️

This is me having a lovely conversation with him.  LOL

Penny’s Guest-UnFROGettable

Hello friends!  Welcome to June!  The “lazy days” of Summer are here!  I’m hoping I can be lazy this Summer, but not sure about that! LOL

I’m very happy to share my project with you today as a guest design spot I won from challenge at Penny’s Paper-Crafty Challenge Blog!  This is a fortnight (bi-weekly) challenge starting today and the theme is always Anything Goes Using Paper!  Hope you will stop by the blog to see the team’s inspiration and play along!  Here’s the project I made for the challenge:

They gave me this super cute image called “Frogtini” by Pattie’s Creations to use, so I colored him up with Copics and added some stenciled waves at the bottom along with some blending of yellows and blues above him to create this relaxing scene.  I cut him out with a stitched circle die and layered him onto a silver mirror scalloped die cut circle.

I used a fun card sketch I found along with pulling some papers and a sentiment out from an older card kit I had in my stash to complete the card.  For the A2 sized top folding card base, I used a corner chomper to round the edges and then I used some more of the yellow ink over the background where the circle image was going to be for a bit of softness and color.

I embossed a strip of the silver mirror cardstock with a 3D embossing folder and rounded the edges of that strip along with the green paper strip to create my layout.  I popped up the circle image with foam tape over top.

Lastly, I white heat embossed the “unfrogettable” sentiment and cut it out with a coordinating die and placed it at the bottom of the circle with foam strips behind it.  I used the other part of the sentiment and stamped it directly above the frog’s head.

For some more finishing touches, I attached some green sequins, used a glitter brush pen for the frog’s sunglasses and covered the martini glass with Stardust Stickles along with some green Stickles for the centers of the green sequins.

  • Hope you’ve enjoyed my card today!  I had fun coloring him up!  Thanks so much for stopping in and I wish you a very hoppy and relaxing day!🐸

Challenges:

  1. Hand Stamped Sentiments – Sketch
  2. As You Like It – Favorite Type of Embossing & why? (I really like both, but my all time favorite is the heat embossing because it’s so magical!)
  3. Crafty Catz – Anything Goes with twist: “make us smile”
  4. Creative Fingers – Anything Goes
  5. Daring Card Makers – Tic Tac Toe (I used across middle row)
  6. Cut It Up – Anything Goes with a die cut (used two circle and coordinating sentiment dies)
  7. Gem of a Craft – Anything Goes Cardmaking/Papercrafts