We're rolling along.... with Penny Black

Penny Black has some of the cutest images.  I loved how the Distress Stains came out...

Amuse-bouche:
   Why the long face, Colt?

Ezra has one pose:  "Please no photographs.  The flash hurts my eyes."

More Copics coloring-- with a La-La Land Stamp

Using my La-la Land image of Boy Wonder, I practiced my Copics coloring.  I seem to do ok with the hair highlights ... and then there are no further highlights. LOL.

The background was made with embossed with a combination of Lawn Fawn and Technique Tuesday images on watercolor paper.  Then, I used my Distress Stains (Faded Jeans, Broken China, and Tumbled Glass) to create the background. I sprayed the cardstock with Pearl Mist.

The image was posted on a Spellbinders Nestabilities die cut.  The earth and planet and stars were colored with Copics and came from a Technique Tuesday stamp set.  I colored the stars with my clear gel sparkle pen.

I added Glossy Accents to the eyes and boots! There is glitter gel pen on the cuffs and the gold star.

Amuse-bouche:
If you have time, watch this very sweet video about this little girl who happens to have autism.
(Get your KLEENEX out now...)

Working with Distress Pens-- ugh! and photos from a Howl-O-Ween party

Simply put,... I need to watch more Distress Pen videos.
It's got to be easier than this.
I used this stamped image with Distress Pens (Barn Door and Worn Lipstick).  The color didn't come out right so I ended up taking Worn Lipstick Distress Stain and just BLOBBING it in the middle out of sheer desperation. The paper I used is "Georgia Pacific" so the quality of the paper wasn't the best for misting.  I did use some clear gel sparkle to bling it up. The paper is from DCWV.  The pink stripes were glued by hand.

Amuse-Bouche:
Today was our annual Howl-O-Ween Party (through the dog trainer that my boys go to training with).

Here are some of the fabulous costumes!!!

This little girl is the sweetest!!! Sider.

Here is T with SamUL.

The Santa and his elf-ette were hilarious.  And then came Alice in Wonderland...

"Chippen-DOG"-- Note the $1 in the g-string

Our friend Barney-- er, I mean GUMBY!!! 

The Pirates!!!

The dinosaurs!

Super Dog and his side-kick, Hot Dog

T with his dog, Colt!!!

Lawn Fawn is having a 'technique' challenge

This was the perfect challenge to get me to try my new Distress Pens.  Unfortunately, I could only use 1 of them... "Barn Door."  I had to make due with Distress Stains.

Let me explain...  I wanted to create a red, white and blue card for the Presidential Debates on Tuesday.  I used a Sassy Cheryl's image that I had gotten a while ago and colored it with Copics as well as my Sakura glitter/gel pen.

For the background, I took a piece of watercolor paper and embossed it with white embossing powder and a 'star' stamp from Stampin' Up.  I used my Distress Ink pen and colored in red diagonal lines starting at the top right corner.  I then blended in "Worn Lipstick" Distress Stain.  I left a diagonal blank area and then started with "Faded Jeans" Distress Stain.  I then sprayed the paper with a mist of water.  You can see the difference between the "stain" and the "pen.'  The "Barn Door" pen is bolder and has striations in it.  I tried to add more water to blend it more but I didn't want to mess with the paper too much for fear it would get too moist.
I dried it with my heat- embossing gun. I added some Scrappy Mom's Baker's Twine with some blue embossing thread from Michaels. The bling is assorted colors from Michael's Reflections package.
I cut out the Sassy Cheryl's image and put it on pop-dots.

This was made with a circle cutter and a Scrappy Mom's sentiment stamp and a Paper Trey Ink Penguin (iced with Glossy Accents and colored with Copics).

Enjoy!!!


Amuse-bouche:
I'm taking a photography class and as a result, downloaded a free app called HDRtist.
It's kinda like Photo-shop and super easy.
I took a photo of Sam that has WAY too much light and altered it using the program.
Check it out....
I'm sure I could make it better but I... surprise surprise... haven't read the online manual...

Nifty!

Here's one with my Seattle Squirrel that was too dark....And so I tried to lighten it.

A wedding gift box

Today we had a wedding shower for someone at work. I made my exploding gift box however THIS time, I made my own paper.  Here's my wedding gift box....
(for a video tutorial on the exploding box, click HERE)

I used a Hero Arts background stamp with VersaMark/clear embossing powder.  I then dabbed a combination of Tumbled Glass and Broken China Distress STAINS and blended with a gloved finger.  The flowers came from the wedding section at Michaels.

 

Here's the lid.  I gathered some Recollections wired flowers into a bunch. I used a medium size DOT to glue it down.  Those things are super sticky!.  The sentiment is from Inkadinkadoo (I've used it before on prior wedding gift boxes).  I used Tumbled Glass distress stains on the edge of the tag.

 When you open the lid... here's what you see. The car and phrases were cut from the Sweethearts cartridge (Cricut).  The matte that I wrote on was from Spellbinders. 

TO make it look like the doves and hearts were floating, I used clear sheets that I bought at Michaels (in the painting/water color section).  I inked the edges of the doves and hearts (from Sweethearts cartridge).  I used the thick red clear tape but it wasn't strong enough so I had to bond the strips with Glossy Accents. BOY That stuff worked great!!!

I put red bling for the tail lights and red Stickles for the license plate.  I used the Zip 2way glue and then sprinkled Crystal glitter to bling the car up.  I applied Tea Dye Distress Ink (brushed it with an ink pad) to the silhouettes of the man and woman). 


Amuse-bouche:

Here is the lovely shower cake we got the employee.  Isn't it gorgeous?  It was purchased at VON's grocery store and it was really yummy!!! (in case you're looking for a nice cake for a party).

One of my employees made these gorgeous cupcakes for the wedding shower potluck. The inside had strawberries and a cool-whip type spread. Isn't it beautiful?

She got the recipe from Giada de Laurentiis however I can't find it on the internet. It might be in one of her cookbooks.

A gift bag of cards....

I made gift bags of cards (4 in each bag) for Christmas.  Each bag had the cards, envelope and a Gel Pen.  The cards were copied after samples of cards I saw on various sites/blogs.  (Yea, 2012 resolution--- I will create my own designs....

Starting with the bags, I took blue cardstock and sprayed it with liquid pearls.  I tied Baker's twine from Scrappy Mom's around it.  The little penguin is from Paper Trey Ink.  I used a glitter pen on the snowflakes to bling them up.  The tag was cut from a Spellbinder Nestabilities die cut. There is a Happy Holidays sentiment stamp from Stampin' Up on each tag

 Here is one card:  I used a Paper Trey Ink newspaper stamp.  This card was on a prior blog but I re-created it again for my gift bag sets.This was actually created by Creations by Christina.  [Christina makes great videos-- and is really creative, with PTI products and Cricut stuff.]  I actually put two of the same image on top of each other to give it a bigger impression of a 'stack.'  I put distress ink on the edges.  The sentiment came from a clear stamp from Michaels (Hero Arts) and was put on a Spellbinder Nestability diecut.  The twine is from Paper Trey Ink.

 This is a lovely stamp from Paper Trey Ink. I love this stamp. I saw it on a sample card  from Nichole Heady (of PTI) and actually recreated it with many different colors.  I believe the sentiment is an Inkadinkadoo sentiment that is stamped on a Paper Trey Ink Die cut and stamp outline.

This is another sample card I saw on Nichole's site (see link above).  I love this die cut from Paper Trey Ink. I then used the PTI Mendhi stamp inside the squares using VersaMark. 

 You have seen this sample before, when I did a Thank You card series.  I silver embossed these images on Pink watercolor paper.  The pink  background is a combination of Distress stains.   The sentiment came from Lawn Fawn.  The die cut is Spellbinder Nestabilities.

Goodbye Marlooney??? (Not so fast... I WILL STALK YOU)

I am so sad to read that Marlooney is 'retiring' (is that the proper word?) from our blogging community.... TO LIVE HER LIFE.  

Just Kidding.... sort of.  She has been such a good blogging friend and inspiration to me.  I've only been fortunate to know her a bit over a year but, like you all, she has entertained, inspired, and made me LAUGH.OUT.LOUD!!! (A "LOL" simply doesn't express the laughter that came out of my pie-hole).  

Luckily, I know where she lives and have the financial means to stalk her... although only in the warmer seasons.  I do not stalk in snow, Marlene.

If you haven't been reading my prior babbling posts, please quickly RUN to try to read and view some of her blog entries.  HERE!  I hope she won't take her blog away from us.  Please leave it up, Marlene!!!

It'd be like reading Judy Blume books on a bad day. 

I understand she will still be creating her fabulous images and selling them on Squigglefly-- so she won't be gone forever!  

I didn't make the cards displayed below for Marlene but I was going to showcase them tonight. How poetic.

All kidding aside, I'll miss your blog postings, Marlene. You'll always be 'the QUEEN' to me. And.... Yes, I Will Stalk You (snort).  :)  Your student and fellow tv junkie, Naomi

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These cards are 5.5 x 8.25 ".  I used a Britta Swiderski's idea of using silver Embossing powder and Distress Stains. (Seriously... my 2012 Resolution is to try to create something On My Own.  I'm so thankful there are talented people I can copy to get my technique down-- however I really have to take the training bra off...  LITERALLY)
The clear stamp is a clear stamp set (I believe Inkadinkado, at Michaels).  I then rubbed Distress Stain (Tumbled Glass and Broken China or Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick) over it and rubbed it all in with my fingers (very messy). I also sprayed some Perfect Pearl on it. I used white watercolor paper to absorb the ink.  The ribbon is from Michaels (50% off!!!) and the sentiment is from Paper Trey Ink (using either Melon Mambo from Stampin' Up or Speckled Egg from Jenni Bowlin).  The sentiment tag is a Spellbinders nestability. 

What a DIVA!!!

I used this Pink Cat Studio image with some Copics, Bling, and sparkly Sakura Gelly Pen to create this card. The background is a Stampin' Up flower set of tulips and flowers, embossed in clear embossing powder on watercolor cardstock.  I then took Broken China and Tumbled Glass Distress Stain and put it on a heat mat.  I rubbed the embossed image/watercolor cardstock on the ink and rubbed it around on the mat.   You should watch Britta's video to see it done LIVE.  I put glossy accents on the eye glasses.  I also added some white flocking powder on the dog's fur.

Amuse-bouche:
So, if you read yesterday's post, you know my nephew had his sign taken away at the KINGS game.  He had made a sign for Sidney Crosby, a Pittsburgh Penguins hockey player.  Here are his two original signs.

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Using Distress Stains

Britta Swiderski had a recent tutorial on using Distress Stains.  Go here to see her blog post and video.   Here is my attempt at using Distress Stains (I used a combination of Broken China, Tumbled Glass, and Spun Sugar).  The result is the blue background mat. I used watercolor paper to help absorb the ink.  The image is from an old flower set from Stampin'Up.   The ink used for the image was lavender scarlet from Jenni Bowlin.  The darker purple ink was Distress Ink (Dusty Concord).  The die cut is a Spellbinders Nestabilities diecut.  The pink ink was Spun Sugar (Distress Ink).  I put the mat on a piece of Smokey Grey PTI paper.