Art Journal Inspiration-Fireflies and Gallery full of card classes!

Hello friends! I hope that your week has been going great! I had planned on posting earlier in the week, but I got so focused on completing my classes that I ran out of time! (Check out the gallery below…LOTS of cards!) I thought while I’m working on laundry today, I’d make a post sharing some things I’ve been doing…so grab yourself a beverage and take some time to enjoy! First up is my art journal page:

Remember that I’m a guest host over at Art Journal Journey this month and the theme that I’ve chosen is “LIGHT“. I hope you’ll stop over to see all of the wonderful inspiration that everyone has been creating with this theme and join in the fun!

This so reminds me of Summer! Remember as a child going outside in the dark and seeing tons of those flashing lights going off?! I was always amazed that when I ran over to chase that flashing light, it disappeared on me and I was forever trying to capture those lights!

For the background: I’ve chosen some Bristol Smooth cardstock in 5.5″x8.5″ pre-punched holes at the top cut with my Zutter machine. I have started with stamping the jar and placing it where I thought it needed to be and then stamped those fireflies around it. Starting with the fireflies, I dabbed on some yellow where they emit light and then used some soft blue around them working out with darker shades of blues as I reached the edges. Bristol cardstock works great for ink blending with Distress Oxides. To make sure that the yellow light was showing over the dark ink (without smudging it), I took some yellow paint and the end of my paint brush to make various sized yellow dots for the look of those fireflies in the distance.

I decided to take a leaf branch to generation stamp it along the edge for the illusion of a tree being there. Although it looks black, I die cut a grass border in very dark green cardstock for the bottom portion of the page. I also added another firefly at the bottom that was die cut and popped up with foam tape. I used yellow ink for underneath his light glow. The firefly wings have been covered with a glitter brush pen.

For the bottom lettering: I printed it off my computer and then cut out each word, added some color with inks over them and then doodled around each word with a pen. These words and this AJ page was totally inspired from a song called “Fireflies” by Owl City. If you’re interested in listening to the song, check out the video below:

I learned that this song artist has insomnia and came up with this song during one of those times he had trouble sleeping. I can relate and so it inspired my light page.

Next, I would like to share with you a card class event that I took part in called “Celebrations Delivered” provided by Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine. It was a one day event with virtual live learning class videos and each instructor provided at least 3 different projects. I have listed below each photo who the class instructor was.

If you are on my website, just click on each photo to enlarge it and see the details about each one underneath the photo. I have made 15 total cards from this:

Really had fun making these and using the products provided to us. This also reminds me that I have more classes coming soon that I’ll be doing and that I’ve also forgotten to share some things that I had done last year, but hadn’t posted! If anything else, you can hopefully enjoy or be inspired in some way as I post! But more will come soon if my arms don’t fall off!😉

Thank you so much for stopping in today and I’m happy you’re here! I will be dropping around to see what everyone is up to and I will be back on Saturday for our “Smash Your Stash” AJ inspiration! Have a wonderful day!

Challenges:

Art Journal Journey – LIGHT/KEEPING IT LIGHT
Simon Says Stamp Monday – NOT a card (art journal page at top)
Try It On Tuesday – Spotlight It! (Fireflies are spotlighted with yellow dots) Hopefully this works for the challenge!

Pink & Main Video Hop with Hello Autumn Slimline

Hello friends! I hope you’ve had a fantastic week! It seems like this month is flying by!

I’m excited to share with you a fun video hop collaboration with Pink and Main on my You Tube Channel today! (Be sure to check it out on MY VIDEO because there is a giveaway and you’ll need to leave comments on the videos to be entered to win!) So head on over to see the wonderful inspiration with the Pink and Main products going on!

Here’s the fun Autumn themed slimline card I’ve made for the video hop today:

So Pink and Main has come out with some fabulous new products which I’ve used for my card here and I’ve added some fun techniques to use with some of those products as well!

The background was really fun to create using the Pink & Main Blending Brushes along with the new Crackling Campfire Distress Oxide Ink color that just came out! I’ve also used the wonderful Leafy Stencil from Pink & Main over the background too. The cups and leaves were also colored using the oxide inks and a waterbrush which you can see in my video as well as how I’ve inked and cut out the one image backwards so I have two cups with the handles in opposite directions on my design here.

You can check out how I’ve put this design together and the techniques I’ve used in this video below, or to leave a comment and see the link to the next person in the video hop, CLICK HERE to go to the video on You Tube.

I absolutely fell in love with that Need to Venti stamp set and coordinating dies! I loved that older Christmas Mugs stamps they had previously came out, but Autumn is awesome to add to my collection because it’s my favorite time of the year! So be sure to check out how to stretch out the use of this set in video above!

The Blessings slimline die was so fun to use on my card too and I love that the frame cuts out separately from the center and there was room to layer behind it before attaching to your slimline card base. The Brutus Monroe Copper Glitterstock was the perfect accent behind the scallop frame. That frame was cut out with several layers of cardstock and stacked together for thickness.

The same Copper Glitterstock was used to cut out the sentiment dies as well. I’ve used some vellum to layer behind the Autumn sentiment, which the backing diecut was also included in this same slimeline die set! The final measurement of my slimline card was a piece of brown cardstock measuring 8.5″ x 7″ and scored at 3.5″ in the center. The finished card will fit inside a #10 envelope when closed.

Here’s a closer view of the details with my colored cups using the distress oxide inks and waterbrush. I’ve also used the same Need to Venti stamp set and oxide ink colors to stamp the leaves and die cut them out to arrange over my scene as well.

I popped up the cups with foam squares and added some drops over the whip topping in the cups with some Nuvo Honey Gold Crystal Drops.

Hopefully you can see the pretty Autumn colors and dimension in the card. I sure had lots of fun putting all of this together!

Thanks so much for dropping in today and I’ll be seeing you soon!

Challenges:

Challenge Up Your Life – Autumn Mood
The Paper Funday – #21 Anything Goes optional: Fall/Autumn
Dream Valley – Embossing wet/dry (embossed cup images)
The Sisterhood of Crafters – Autumn Inspiration
CCEE Stampers – CCEE2037 Slimline Cards
Not Just Cards – Anything Goes
Crafting Happiness – Anything Goes
Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP2037 Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp Monday – Frame It

Caffeinated Changito☕

Hello there friends! Really hope that you have enjoyed your long Memorial weekend! The weather finally turned warm and once it turned warm, it REALLY turned warm and humid over my way! So we were able to plant some flowers in our garden pots outside and enjoy some cookout time too!

I noticed that the “Spring/Summer Coffee Lovers Blog Hop” had started up this weekend and I thought it would be a great opportunity to pull out some old stamps and have some fun with it while making a masculine card for the up-coming Father’s Day holiday too:

Does anyone remember these cute little “Changito” stamps back in the day?! I have used the Changito Coffee stamp (only found this one online) and the sentiment to go with it too! I actually bought these wood mounted rubber stamps years ago at a convention I had went to and have kept them hoarded like my other old stamps. LOL!

I stamped the image on Copic blending card and then again on some blue gingham background paper for paper piecing his PJs in! For the sentiment, I heat embossed it over my background with some appropriately named “Coffee” EP which has a metallic copper with some brown speckling in it…very cool. the store is no longer active that it came from.

For the background of this card, I had some fun playing with my Oxide Distress Inks in Vintage Photo, Broken China, Scattered Straw and touches of Espresso. I sprayed and dried layers as I went. I even took the bottom of a jar I had laying on my table to ink up some Espresso ink to make the “ring” marks over the background. I also took some more of that “Coffee” EP and sprinkled some over the background for even more distressing.

I wrapped some twine around it and attached it to an A2 sized white card base that I sponged around the edges with some Vintage Photo ink.

Here you can see a better look at the image and how I’ve got him colored up with Copic markers. You can barely see the gingham pattern in his paper pieced PJs, but I thought it was cute! I also took a black Copic liner and drew lettering on the coffee cups. I added just a hint of sparkle over the coffee inside the cups with a Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen. I also took a black gel pen to dot his eyeballs, the buttons on his PJs as well as dot the bunny slipper eyes. I think that little detail really makes his pop more with a bit of character.

The image was cut out with a stitched circle die and then I also cut out an additional circle to mat behind him, which I took a VersaMark ink pad and then used the “Coffee” EP to heat set along the edges of it so it has the same look and texture as the background and sentiment. This was attached over the background with twine.

Lastly, I’ve taken some brown colored sequins from my stash and attached them to the background and filled the centers with some Nuvo Honey Gold Glitter Drops.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my masculine and quirky card for today! Thanks so much for dropping in and I’ll be seeing you again soon!!😉

Challenges:

Spring/Summer 2020 Coffee Lovers Blog Hop – Coffee/Tea/Cocoa Related Project

2. Addicted to Stamps and More – #391 Anything Goes

3. Cute Card Thursday – #635 Critters

4. Creative Knockouts – #351 Embossing Delight (wet or dry)

5. QKR Stampede – #399 Anything Goes

6. Simon Says Stamp Monday – “Going Around in Circles”

7. Pammie’s Inky Pinkies – PIP2021 Anything Goes

8. Die Cut Divas – Make it a Beverage + die cut/embossing folder

Snow One Like You for Whimsy Stamps

Hello friends! I hope you’re having a wonderful week so far!

Today I have creation to share with you using this really sweet image from Whimsy Stamps:

Vicki-WSTawny-Nov12

I really adore this digital stamp that came out this month for Whimsy Stamps called Tawny. It’s one that I picked to make something with as it was a bit personal to me. That little owl with those big eyes is so sweet and really reminds me of my grandma who passed several years ago. She was an owl lover….so she’s like a sweet little angel with me here! There was SNOW one like her either!

To create my card, I started with some watercolor paper and Distress Oxide Inks in Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, Stormy Sky and Broken China (from bottom to top order.) I spritzed it with a water bottle and soaked it up with a paper towel. I then took some white paint watered down and splatter it with a fan brush over the panel. I also took some shimmer spray and covered the entire panel. You can see it better in the photo below.

I took a Lawn Fawn die to create the tree border with woodgrain paper and then die cut a snow border with glitter cardstock and glued it behind the frame. I also took the sentiment from the Whimsy Stamps Snow Flurry clear stamp set and white heat embossed it over a strip of vellum that I’ve attached over top of these layers (with the inked background also) by using my Xyron Sticker machine. These pieces were die cut with a stitched rectangle die, layered over a piece of white cardstock and then mounted onto a purple A2 sized top folding card base.

Lastly, I’ve added my image and some snowflakes that were cut out with some more glitter cardstock and each snowflake was dotted with some Nuvo White Blizzard Glitter drops.

Here’s a closer view of the image and how I’ve got her colored up with Copic markers.

If you take a good look at the top portion of the background, you can sort of see the shimmer from the spray. It’s really sparkly in the light.

I accidentally got a piece of the “faux snow” photo prop on her skirt. LOL! I covered the flower on her hat with a glitter brush pen and I’ve used some Nuvo Morning Dew Crystal Drops over the owl’s eyes, but it cracked. I don’t like it as much as the glossy accents as it doesn’t crack so easily like this does.

She was fussy cut out and popped up over the snow border with foam dots.

Vicki-WSTawny-Nov12-flat

I really like how this one turned out with the colors and I hope you like it too! The inked snowy backgrounds are really fun to play with!

Thanks so much for dropping into today and I’ll see you again soon!

Challenges:

Shopping Our Stash – Snowflakes
Crafting By Designs – November Anything Goes
Cardz 4 Galz – Let it Snow
Moving Along With the Times – Snowflakes
Creative Moments – Anything Goes with Optional: “Baby it’s Cold Outside”
Krafty Chicks – Winter
QKR Stampede – #371 Anything Goes

It’s SNOW Fun for Whimsy Stamps!

Hello friends! Welcome to the weekend and I hope you are having a great one so far!

Today I’m sharing this adorable image from the November Digital New Release for Whimsy Stamps! Be sure to check them all out in the store! They’re so cute!!!!

Vicki-PenguinSnowFun-Nov2

How fun and cute are these guys?!! I’m using the Penguin Snow Fun image for my card today! Now you already know how I love these penguins, but how cute are they especially that one in the middle with the mouth open! LOL!

For my card I started with a watercolor panel and then white heat embossed the snowflakes over it from the Whimsy Stamps Snow Flurry stamp set. I then went over this panel with water and added some colors over it with Distress Oxide ink pads smooshed down on my glass mat and picked up with a brush and water. I’ve used Peacock Feathers, Stormy Sky, Dusty Concord, Chipped Sapphire and Salty Ocean for the colors. I tilted my panel to get the water to run down a bit and heat set it.

I cut a piece of glitter cardstock with the Kinetic Curved Hills die set as well as some snowflakes from the No-See All Seasons Tree die set. I placed the hill at the bottom of the watercolor panel and randomly attached the snowflakes to the background.

For the sentiment banner, I white heat embossed it from the same WS Snow Flurry stamp set and added a snowflake in the center of the ‘O’. I trimmed it into a banner with my scissors and added to the card.

I then took some foam tape and popped up the image over the hill and then added some gems to the center of each die cut snowflake.

Here’s a closer look at this adorable image that I’ve got all colored up with Copic markers. For the bear and everyone’s cheeks, I’ve used a white gel pen and for the band on the penguin’s earmuffs, I used a clear glitter gel pen.

For the penguin’s red hat trimmings, I used a glue pen and some loose clear glitter over top. I fussy cut out the image and popped it over top of the glittery snow hill.

OOPS…a bit of the snowflake staging stuck to the glittery snow hill a bit! LOL!

Vicki-PenguinSnowFun-Nov2-flat

Really had a great time coloring this sweet image and getting messy creating the background too! Hope you’ve enjoyed my creation today as well!

Thanks so much for checking in with me today my friends! I appreciate it very much and I’ll be seeing you soon!

Challenges:

Happy Little Stampers Watercolor Challenge – Anything Goes (using watercolor) + optional: animals
Christmas Crafts All Year ‘Round – Stockings or other Winter Clothing
Crafty Animals – Anything Goes + animal
Crafty Catz – Anything Goes with optional: snow
Brown Sugar – November Anything Goes

SNOW Place Like Home

Hello friends! Hope you are having a great week so far! Well I have to say that this card certainly does feel like home where I’m at right now as it’s pretty cold and a bit snowy over my way! I tried to hold onto Fall for as long as possible!

Whimsy Stamps has come out with another line of really cute digital stamps from CC Designs and this is the first time that I’ve colored one from the new line and I think they’re really cute! Check out this card I’ve made for you today:

Vicki-WS-Iggy-Nov13

This darling image is called “Iggy” and I just love these sweet little penguins with her! 🙂 Here are the Copics that I’ve used to color her with:

Coat/fur trimming – BV04, BV02, BV01/W3, W1, W0, blender, white gel pen for dots, blue gel pen to color hearts
boots – W9, W7, W5
Penguins – C8, C5, C3, C1, Y17, R00
Skin/Hair – E23, E21, E11, E00, E000, R20, R00, white gel pen for cheeks
Igloo/Snow – B04, B01, B00, B000

I fussy cut the image long with the ‘ground snow’ and left a spot at the bottom for the sentiment. I outlined the image with a black marker and attached it to my winter snow background that I’ve made.

To make the background, I took the Stormy Sky, Peacock Feathers and Dusty Concord Oxide inks and a water brush to swirl a pretty winter sky pattern. I dried it and then took a toothbrush to flick some white paint over it for the snow. I then took a couple of the snowflake images from the Whimsy Stamps Snow Flurry clear stamp set and white heat embossed them in places on the background. I’ve also used this same set to heat emboss the “snow” sentiment over a piece of black cardstock that was popped up with foam tape over the image panel and then the rest of the sentiment was stamped in black ink right below the image.

Here you can better see a closer look at the details of the coloring. I’ve also put some shimmer over the entire igloo with a Spectrum Noir glitter brush pen. Thought I could see it when I took the photo, but of course it’s not showing up!

Vicki-WS-Iggy-Nov13-2

I took the snowy image panel and mounted it over a piece of black cardstock and then took a very thin strip of silver glitter cardstock to lay right next to it over a piece of white card stock. I took this white card front base and attached it to the left side of a top folding A2 #110 card base. Lastly, I’ve taken some sequins and attached them to the snowy background for a bit more sparkle.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my card today! Thanks for dropping in!

Here are the challenges I’d like to enter this card for:

Creative Inspirations – November Chill
That’s Crafty – Winter Wonderland
QKR Stampede – #321 Anything Goes
Crafting From the Heart – Anything Goes
Artistic Inspirations – Anything Goes

Witches Fly In a Glowing Moon

Hello friends! With Fall on the way, I was really in the mood to create some spooky fun Halloween cards! (Plus I’m trying to get ready to fill my card rack for an up-coming craft booth and I ran low on Halloween cards from last year!) I’ve also just received my winnings from playing in a challenge on Facebook, so I thought I’d use some products to enter again! 🙂

Vicki-SnS Black Magic-Glowing Moon

I thought I’d go for two cards here with the same products but used in a slightly different way with the colored backgrounds and orientation.

I’ve picked out this cute Cackle On stamp set and the Wicked Web die cut for my winnings that I’ve used on both cards. As you can see from the props in the photo above, I have also used the Black Magic embossing powder to heat emboss the witch image on both of them. I just love the sparkle effect that stuff has! I’ve also die cut the webs in black cardstock and then went over them with clear embossing powder.

Below I will share details about each one:

Vicki-SnS-BigGirls-sky

To get the moon, I die cut a circle from masking paper and used the negative from the circle cut and placed it over my card front where I wanted the moon to be. I inked the open circle area with VersaMark and then sprinkled some Glow-in-the Dark embossing powder over it and heat set it. For my background, I have used some Ranger Mixed Media card stock because of all of the embossing and inking that I’ve done. I didn’t have to, but I put the circle cut from masking paper back over the moon. (The embossing would resist the ink, but I didn’t want to take a chance and covered it anyway…although it didn’t stick very well! LOL!) I then used my ink foam blending tool and added some distress oxide inks to create the background sky. I even used purple over the orange color, which is something you normally wouldn’t do, but with the oxide inks…it turns out stunning!

I then added some Nuvo Black Mousse with a sponge dauber along the edges which doesn’t show in the photo very well, but it has a cool shimmer. Then this is where I’ve added the witch over the moon by inking it up with some pigment black ink and then heat embossed the Black Magic EP on it. (I used my stamp positioner so that I could ink it several times as it was getting inked over the embossed moon.) I’ve also inked up the sentiment in the same way except that I used some clear EP over it.

At the bottom, I cut a strip of ground with a grass edge border die and then used some Nuvo Copper mousse to sponge some color on top to make it look like the moon is shining over it. I mounted card front panel over a top folding black A2 sized card base. Then lastly, I added some black sequins and filled the centers with Nuvo Silver Glitter Drops and then a smaller dot with some Nuvo Black enamel Drops.

Vicki-SnS-Lifesawitch-sky

This card pretty much was made in the same manner as the above card with the exception of the Distress Oxide colors, I’ve used for sponging. I also took my spray bottle and added some water droplets and then dabbed it off with a paper towel.

I cut out this panel with a MFT Wonky Stitch Rectangle die before attaching it to a black card base.

Then I wanted to show how cool this embossing powder is when the lights are off:

Vici-SnS-glowingMoon

I tried to get it as dark as I could so that you could see how that embossing powder really glows in the dark!! To get a really fabulous glow, it’s best to do a couple of layers of embossing over it.

Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for stopping by today!

Challenges: