Big News at StampNation!

Hello!

It's time for the big reveal over at StampNation!  Starting today, Catherine has added a new member to the fabulous and talented Design Team, and her name is....<insert drum roll>...

KRISTY, the creative genius behind the stamp company Some Odd Girl.  Kristy will be doing exclusive coloring and Copics tutorials for the members of StampNation, and I can tell you the excitement there is built to fever pitch! 

For the next FIVE weeks, every Friday, Kristy will be adding a new lesson to StampNation.  After that, you will find a new lesson on the last Friday of every month.  

Now with an expert colorist in residence, StampNation just keeps getting better and better.

The topics of her first five lessons are:

1. Intro to the markers (types, nibs, etc)
2. Color system
3. Smooth Coloring
4. Blending, 3 Color Basic Blend
5. Shading Basics

From there, she will create her lessons based on member feedback.  

If you haven’t joined us at StampNation yet, learn more about it here.

OK, on with the challenge and blog hop at hand.

First up we have the blog hop.  The SN Design Team is doing a blog hop to introduce and welcome Kristy to our team.  Each of us have used a Some Odd Girl stamp set on our project.  Follow the links below to see each of our projects...

Chupa
Heather
Kristie
Kristy
Maureen

Shea (you are here!)

Isn't she cute?  I colored her with Copics with plenty of airbrushing and stamping in the background, some custom colored flowers and a sentiment cut from my Silhouette Cameo.

That sentiment consisted of separate letters and I learned how to WELD my letters together to make a one-piece word.  It means I'll never have to pay the big bucks for a word die when I can just make my own out of any font I want!  I do love my Cameo...

I did it again to the rest of the "happy birthday" sentiment on the inside, this time using a different font.  

We’ve hidden TWO 1- month subscriptions to StampNation along the hop…comment on the blogs in the hop to enter to win.  The more blogs you comment on, the higher your chance of winning!  The winners will be announced on Monday, March 31.

We are also using SOG stamps on our StampNation Challenge cards this week.  Here's mine.  Yes, it was supposed to be a peek, but I got rather mixed up for some strange reason and can't remember which end is up and made the wrong card to be peeked at, so I'm sharing BOTH of my cards today.  Some weeks are just like that.

Same image, entirely different treatment.  This time I paper pieced the little cutie and colored the beak and legs with Copics.  I've popped the little rain hat up for a bit of added dimension.

One lucky StampNation Member that participates in the challenge this week will have her choice of one Some Odd Girl stamp set, or 3 Digis.  (You do not need to use SOG products to win, but if you have them we would love to see them.)  Winner will be announced on April 9th.

So hop along with us for the chance to win as well as to welcome Kristy and see what the rest of the team has created for you!

Happy hopping!

It's All About Stripes at StampNation

Hello!

It's time once again for the weekly challenge over at StampNation!  This week's theme is "Stripes," and I had the perfect paper for it, the striped paper that I received from Tattered Angels for last week's co-sponsored challenge which you can read about here.  While the prizes aspect of the challenge is over, challenges at StampNation are NEVER over and you can join whenever you want.

 

I had such a good time making this card.  I was still in the mood for more whimsy as the TA line of papers themselves are steeped in it, including the sheet of quotes and cute sayings.  (To see more ways of how I used these papers and embellishments, go here and here.)

I used a greenish turquoise as the base of my card and layered red card stock, then a layer of black and white striped TA paper, then a layer of their wonderful see-through vellum-like (but not vellum) paper on top of that to tone all that black and white down.  I had first sprayed this vellum-y sheet with the alcohol sprays I'd made with the TA Glimmer Glazes which imparted a wonderful rainbow of colors.  I then stamped the paper with distress ink and learned that this paper needs Staz-On or archival inks because I wound up with ink all over my hand as I worked on it.  How I didn't smear it I'll never know.  

Here's the TA sentiment, also sprayed with the inks and finished with a single rhinestone.

The flourish is cardstock that I painted red, inked the edges with black ink, then coated the whole thing with crackle glaze.  I like how it mirrors the flourishes on the vellum-y layer.

The pixie, popped up for dimension, is from the Gecko Galz Pixie Dust collection and I've added a bit of glitter glue to her wings and tutu.

The black feathers are from my dear StampNation friend Elaine Johnson who sent me a bag FULL of all kinds of feathers a while ago.  Thank you, Elaine!

The inside is finished simply with a red mat under the white sentiment layer, which I've left blank as I will be putting this card into my Etsy shop.

Thank you for joining me and I do hope you pop on over to StampNation to play along and see what the rest of the designers have created for you!


1) For details on the challenge, go here.

2) To learn more about StampNation, go here.

3)  Become a member right now, go here. 

Happy crafting!

THIS CARD IS FOR SALE IN MY ETSY SHOP. 

Challenges:

Crafty Boots - Feathers
The Shabby Tea Room - Anything Goes

More Tattered Goodness

Hello!

As you know if you've read my blog the last couple of days, I've been privileged to be guest designing for Catherine Pooler over at StampNation, and this week's challenge is "Doodling."  She's had a big name co-sponsor, Tattered Angels, who sent the designers all sorts of fabulous goodies with which to play, and we posted our projects on StampNation a couple of days ago with sneak peeks on our respective blogs (here's my post).  There are all sorts of cool prizes to go along with this challenge (go here for full details).  Well, I couldn't stop with just making a card, oh no, I had to go much further.  I've been in a wood block kind of mood lately, so...I made another one and pulled out all the stops with Tattered Angels products!  They've developed a new line of papers called "Tattered Tangles" which are mistable and paintable, plus they also sent some of their Glimmer Glazes, some rope yarn and even some darling mini clothespins.  And here is what I came up with.

Of course my husband asked "What is it?"  Umm...it's pretty, said I.  And it has little inspirational, fun quotes.  And, and...uuhhh...what indeed.  It's JUST BECAUSE, that's what it is.

I took a 4x4," 10' cedar fence post and had the home improvement store cut it down into many 4" blocks and sanded this one until it was silky smooth.  OK, the fun part of this project is that it is the reason I went to Home Depot last week THREE TIMES to buy tools.  A vise for my workshop that I'd been wanting for years but had never gotten around to getting.  A new drill (that I didn't use here.)  More tools.  Spray paints.  Fun stuff!  I also paid a visit to some other stores for some of the findings.

Each side of this block uses TA papers, including this flower, the pieces of which I misted with the alcohol ink sprays I made from their Glimmer Glazes.  They're such a deep, rich color that I knew they'd be fabulous in sprays, and they are!  I mixed the Sangria and Desert Sun and came up with this fun orange blend then attached some organza shapes (melted in a candle flame first) and some jewelry findings (flattened bead caps, flower bead, pearl).

The cute sayings were cut from the sheet that was chock full of them, so many from which to choose!  I sprayed them all with ink sprays because the new TA papers take sprays so beautifully.  The drips and dribbles add lots of character.

Another of the sayings, another flower, this time using the Sangria and Blue Oasis sprays.  All of the sayings have been edged with corresponding colors of glitter glue.

This is my favorite side.  I LOVE the saying, and I had the perfect charm to  hang from the little clothespin...

...which I dry brushed with gesso and also glittered the top.  The bird charm even matches the whole color scheme quite by accident!

You can see the distressed edges and corners.  After sanding the block with my handy dandy orbital sander (hence the need for the vise) I sprayed it with black paint and then white, then I sanded the edges and corners down to reveal the layers.  Then I decoupaged the papers on with Mod Podge.

This block will decorate my craft room nicely and I'll turn it to view whichever sentiment makes me happy for that day.  This is a good one.

The finial makes my daughter laugh every time she sees it.  She was expecting something small and dainty, but this block, with all of its bold, graphic papers called for something with a little more oomph, hence the finial that normally would go on the end of a curtain rod.  It's metal and quite heavy, and I attached it to a wooden round piece for added height and painted the whole thing black.  Since the theme of the challenge is doodling, I doodled on the finial with silver shimmer paint and sprayed it with clear sealant.

I dry brushed the bright orange rope/yarn with gesso before wrapping it around the base and topped the whole thing off with a couple of vintage earrings.  Actually, they're mine so I guess we can't call them vintage, can we. CAN WE.  Right.  One of them was missing the largest pearl but I had one in my stash, so...problem solved!  Some rhinestones on tops and sequins sprinkled on the sides finish this...thing off.  Oh, and some tiny wooden craft store finials spray painted black for the feet.  This thing deserves to be lifted up a bit.

Thank you SO much for joining me today, and do hop on over to Catherine's blog to check out the challenge which is still going on.  There are prizes from Tattered Angels as well as from Catherine, so you won't want to miss it!

Happy crafting!

Challenges:


Craft Hoarders Anonymous #4 - Show Sparkle, Glitz or Glam (sequins, rhinestones and vintage jewelry)
The Shabby Tea Room #210 - Anything Goes
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes
As You Like It - Favorite Coloring medium and why - (I love alcohol ink sprays and frequently make my own with various color mediums.  I've used three sprays here that I made with alcohol and glimmer glazes, a red, yellow and blue, to mix and mingle into other colors, both on the flowers and all the sentiment pieces).
Frilly and Funky - Neglected Dies (Tim Holtz Tattered Flowers and Spellbinders Rose dies - I haven't used them in ages!)

Details, details at StampNation

Hello!

Today I'm teaching a tutorial over at StampNation and hope you'll join us!  We'll be talking about certain details that finish a card regardless of how many embellishments there are, if there are any at all.

I had a good time making this card.  I used the wonderful papers, glazes and embellishments sent by the folks over at Tattered Angels for the current challenge going on at StampNation which has been co-sponsored by Tattered Angels (see here for details).  Now for a few close ups...

I sprayed one of the cute sentiments with alcohol ink sprays which I made with two of their Glimmer Glazes, Desert Sun and Sangria.  They made a nice orange and I liked the drips so much that I let them dry that way.  The Tattered Angels mistable and paintable papers take the sprays beautifully, much better than regular card stock or designer paper.

I stamped and colored the pumpkin, then cut it out and coated it with Glossy Accents for shine.  Underneath the black triple bow is some of the orange rope yarn from Tattered Angels which I pulled apart to give a broom-like texture.

Here's the cute little orange clothespin from TA that I dry brushed with a little gesso and then topped with some orange glitter.  Boo!

A little stitching and my card is finished.  

I've left the inside blank for someone's personal note as I will be putting this up for sale in my Etsy shop.  

Thank you for joining me and I do hope you'll pop on over to StampNation to join the fun and check out what the other designers have created for you!

1) To learn more about StampNation, go here.

2)  Become a member right now, go here.  And don't forget, to check out the details of the challenge, go to Catherine's blog here.

Happy crafting!

This card is for sale in my Etsy shop!

StampNation Tangles with Tattered Angels!

HA!

You thought there was going to be a juicy story here, didn't ya?  Well there IS.  Today is the first day of a challenge going on over at StampNation who is being co-sponsored by Tattered Angels.  You know who they are, they make those wonderful Glimmer Mists.  Well, they make other things too, Glimmer Glazes for one (I did something to them for this card) and the most beautiful papers EVAH from their new line, "Tattered Tangles."  They're not only lovely in their own right, they're mistable and paintable too!  They don't deteriorate when water comes in contact with them the way ordinary card stocks do, and I can't even describe how much fun it is to spray on them.

Here are the sneak peeks from the StampNation designers (mine is the lower left).  

Oh, and did I mention StampNation and Tattered Angels are both giving away prizes?  Well of course they are!  The challenge runs until March 18, and for full details pop on over to Catherine's blog here.  She outlines the challenge (the theme is "Doodles," how fun is THAT?), gives details as to which prizes are on offer and how to qualify, and she even offers a bonus video of a second card that she made.  

SO...

1) For details on the challenge and prizes, go here.

2) To learn more about StampNation, go here.

3)  Become a member right now, go here.  

Have fun and happy crafting!

Challenge Day at StampNation

Hello!

Today is a fun challenge, my favorite kind, and it's happening over at StampNation!  (Go here if you're not a member but would like to check it out.)  I've been invited to be a guest designer for the month of March, and the challenges happen each Thursday.  Today's theme is "Embellish It" (yes, I told you it was my favorite kind), and you simply need to add three (or more) embellishments to your project.  Are you kidding?  My motto is "embellish the embellishment," so this one was right up my alley.  

I've embellished a pillar candle to the nth degree, starting with melting tissue thin pieces of, well...tissue paper (a decorated paper guest towel) into the wax.  It's a two-handed yet very easy process, and the tissue actually becomes part of the candle's surface.

Here's a look at the back.  The surface is actually smooth (rolling the candle while hot is part of the process), but the tissue paper itself sometimes takes on a textured look.  

The center wrap is comprised of vellum, torn and inked, a strip of net ribbon, a strip of cream lace and a strip of vintage velvet ribbon.

My favorite part is the "flower" that I made from bits of vintage lace, new lace, a vintage applique, string pearls, a rusty metal piece from Mexico, a button and some bronze glitter glue.  I love making these unique "flowers" out of scraps of lace that might otherwise be discarded.

Here's a close up of the metal piece.  I have no idea what it is, but my mother brought it from her annual artist's trip to Puero Vallarta and it was perfect for this project.

As if all those embellishments weren't enough (they weren't), I also rubbed on a bit of gold Rub 'N' Buff over the surface.  It was the perfect finishing touch.

The nice thing about this project is that a pillar candle burns down inside and doesn't drip, therefore there's minimal risk of burning the outer surface and thus the embellishments (though you might feel more comfortable using this as a decorative candle only).  Once it's burned deep enough, you can even put a tea light (real or battery-operated) inside. 

Being a scented candle (spicy cinnamon), the scent was heavenly while I was working on it.

Thank you for joining me, and I hope you'll head on over to see what the rest of the Design Team at StampNation has created for you!  Then join the fun and create something with three (or more!) embellishments too!

Happy crafting!!

Challenges:

Craft Hoarder's Anonymous #3 - Vintage or Retro (I hoard vintage lace and pretty paper napkins and guest towels!)

This candle is for sale in my Etsy shop!

Celebrate World Card Making Day with the StampNation Design Team

This is today's second post.  To see Day Four of Inspired By Stamping's Birthday Bash sneak peeks, please go here.  (Or scroll down.)

Hello!

Did you know that today is World Card Making Day?  Did you even know there WAS such a day?  Well it's today, and I'd like to ask you to join me on a blog hop around the globe with the lovely and talented StampNation Design Team!

We are traveling to each of the 16 countries we have represented in our StampNation and learning a bit about each culture and how they celebrate holidays. Then we are inspired by a photo inspiration that represents each culture.

Fun, right?!

That is where the Blog Hop comes in. We want to share this journey with YOU too!

Each DT member picked her favorite photo inspiration and card to post on her blog.  I chose to make a card representing a certain country (more on that in a bit) and used this photo as my inspiration:

Now I can honestly confess that in the nearly 3 years I lived in that country back in the '80's, I never knew that they colored eggs for certain festivals, but they're gorgeous and I love all the colors and patterns, so I chose to do a card with lots of color and pattern.

I used Gelatos on dampened watercolor paper as my medium and then heat embossed the pattern with gold embossing powder, having first applied the Versamark through a swirly stencil.

The bow is made of seam binding with some gold thread ribbon and a tiny rhinestone added for good measure. The tiny tag has been heat embossed around the edges with gold embossing powder. 

 
So now the fun continues because we are asking you to guess the country the photo comes from, then to leave a comment telling what country you think I've chosen.

One lucky commenter from each blog will win a 3-month subscription to StampNation.

Then, one Grand Prize Winner will win a 3-month subscription as well as all of the cards Catherine made for the event as well as some from the Design Team!

Remember to hop along to each DT member leaving comments along the way to increase your chance of winning!!!

Catherine Pooler

Maureen Merritt

Kristie Goulet

Heather North

Shea Marshall - (you are here!)

Monica Weaver (Guest Designer)

Thank you for joining me, and we'll see you around the hop!



Happy crafting!

*Please Note: To be eligible to win the Grand Prize, you must comment on all Design Team blogs. You do not have to answer the question correctly to be eligible to win. Comments will close on Thursday, October 10th at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Design Team will announce winners on StampNation and their personal blogs on Friday, October 11th.

Simply Charming at StampNation

Hello!

Today's card features a tutorial that I am sharing over at StampNation on how to make shrink plastic charms.  I show several variations, and this card uses one of the resulting charms.

I love working with shrink plastic.  It's one of those things that lets me play like a little kid but is perfectly legitimate (and useful!) in the crafting world.

This particular charm was made with the same leaf stamp which I used on the card and used the same rock 'n' roll technique for the watercolor effect.

I used the same stamp to finish the inside.

Thank you for joining me, and I hope you head on over to StampNation for the full details and to see the other variations of this fun technique!

And don't forget to stop by and visit Catherine Pooler at her blog.  She'd love to see you!

Happy crafting!

Challenges entered:

Color Throwdown #259 - Rust, sage, kraft, vanilla, chocolate
Eclectic Ellapu - Inspired By A Song ("California Dreamin'" which takes place in the autumn.  "All the leaves are brown....and the skies are gray...")
613 Ave. Create #37 - Anything Goes w/optional twist: Fall theme
Oozak #22 - Fall (Autumn)