Not sure where this color combination came from, but it's sort of a fun one...eggplant, sky blue and olive. Hm. Somewhere that other green fits in too. I love it though! This cupcake image is such a fun one to color in...This time I watercolored it, and added some white acrylic paint with a small stylus. The sentiment is from Heart & Soul Rubber Stamp Co.
My birthday card stash is getting really low...sigh...
Next week the smARTworks design team will be creating cards featuring the super-spring-y color YELLOW! Thanks, Peggy, for the fun idea....that's definitely not a color I usually reach for first. Look forward to the challenge! We hope you'll join us, too - you can use any stamps you'd like!
Here's a card featuring one of the new "SBO" sets - these images can only be purchased with smARTbucks (hence the name, smARTbucks Only!), in a full sheet of unmounted rubber. The set is called Happy Silhouettes.
I love the carefree feeling of this image - these children are fully enjoying a summer sunset on this card. Guess I just have summer on my mind...I think maybe because at some point in the summer I might get to take a break! heh... I stamped the image in Vermillion ink on yellow orange cardstock, then masked a circle and stippled the same ink around it. Super simple! Those same oranges are in the circles on the contrasting cardstock in the background.
The new summer images are available now at Impression Obsession - you can see them in the "new stamps" section on the last couple of pages. This is one of them...and don't forget the candy jars from the other day!! Cute stuff over there.
I colored the Hummingbird Windowbox scene with Prismacolor pencils. The flourishes are from the Solid Florals set, stamped in a Brilliance ink. I used the same ink pad to color my silk flowers, laying them directly on the pad and using a large stylus to work in the ink evenly. "Friend" is a single word stamp from the set Sentiments 1 - Add-ons.
Have a great week!
Here's a sneak peek that shows a little bit of 2 new releases coming in May to Our Daily Bread designs! Both sets are patriotic themed, and there's a separate Pledge of Allegiance stamp coming as well. If you're not so into the patriotic theme, imagine the possibilities of this eagle with the set On Eagles Wings! More to come, definitely.
This card is watercolored - I actually found some watercolor paper locally - a recognized brand (Canson) but not as heavy as I'd like it to be...I still haven't figured out how paper weight in grams compares to the pound notation we use at home, but this is 200 grams, I think. I found some the other day that was 220 but it's larger sheets and I haven't opened it yet. Anyway, at least it was good to know I have an alternative here when I run out of the 'good stuff'! It has a cute little dotty texture to it too.
I think I have a general fear of pure primary colors on my cards, so I did my best to [respectfully] dirty this up a bit with sponging and some blow pen action. Also, a tip on the stars - you can use a white glaze pen to color them in before watercoloring, and the glaze will resist the paint. Or there's always Miskit Frisket... ;)
The rest of the team will be posting their own sneak peeks throughout the week, so be sure to check them out too - links are to the left!
I love love love this image from Impression Obsession's summer release! It has so many coloring possibilities, and it just brings back fond childhood memories. I used to love those stick candies, and all the colors and combinations and flavors. Fun stuff. :)
I colored in the scene with Prismacolor pencils, choosing colors to match the background paper (Basic Grey). I pieced cold laminate over the jars, so they are shiny and dimensional - I guess that doesn't show in the picture. The rock candy is covered with Diamond Dust - that's fun to work with - it's finely crushed glass and very very sparkly. The stuff I have is made by Floracraft, and comes in a 3 oz. tub that looks like it will last for-e-ver.
Speaking of the new release, you can view the supplement now! Stamps will be available online soon.
Giovana challenged us to step outside our "boxes" literally this week for the smARTworks Tea Party, by creating shaped cards. After she threw the challenge down, I was flipping through blogs and found my inspiration. Here's my card:
My card is based loosely on a mini book by Melissa Phillips that I saw in this interview post here. I made my own template and went to work adding touches here and there. Don't look closely at my stitching...I had the stitch length way too short anyway, and my machine skipped for huge lengths of stitching for some reason. I will just pretend "I meant to do that..." - and say it adds to the shabby side of its shabby chic-ness! Heh...
I used stamps from Birdhouse Trio, Frames, and Happy Silhouettes. Love that flourish from Happy Silhouettes - it just works well at different angles. Happy Silhouettes, remember, is one of those "SBO - Smart Bucks Only" sets...are you saving up those smARTbucks? You can earn them with purchases, referrals, and cards created for the smARTworks gallery, then spend them on your order from smARTworks or on exclusive products available only to smARTbucks holders! Remember that free shipping special runs for a few more days (till the 24th)...
The other DT girls have cards to share as well - be sure to check out their beauties!
Trish @ Tah-Dah!
Susan @ In the Works
Giovana @ A Place to Praise and Craft
Donelda @ Wiggy’s World
Donna @ Dee’s Studio
BTW, some of you have asked about my thumb...there are some things I've been able to return to doing - I can stamp and type pretty well, but I can't put much pressure or weight on it, which makes it hard to do some normal things very well...primarily anything that involves gripping or pinching or lifting. I don't have it wrapped anymore but it definitely reminds me if I'm doing something it can't handle...ow!
1. If you entered to win the "Grow On" set on Susan's blog last week, check in with her via email - she has a surprise for you (all 4 of you! (?!?!? only 4 of you wanted free stamps? LOL)
Still laughing at myself, and the simple things I have had to ask for help with today...opening a can, a pill bottle, rolling out dough...I'm not in steady throbbing pain like I was at first yesterday but I can sure tell if I try to bend or flex my thumb the wrong way. Sigh...
I had this project done already before I sprained my thumb, so it was just a matter of getting a picture taken. This is a candy box that previously held peanut M&M type candies...I find I often buy things for the packaging, since it's sometimes hard to find unfinished items to alter here.
I've been on a grungy shabby chic kick lately, and this project was no exception...though it turned out a little dirtier than I planned because I had black ink still in my stipple brush. Nevertheless....I like this little box. Not sure when I will have an opportunity to give it as a gift, but it will be ready. :) The heart wreaths are from Our Daily Bread designs' newly released set "Love One Another" - they are super fun to color! I used Prismacolor pencils again to color them in.
Our missions students returned Wednesday after a 3 month culture/language practicum in a tribal area. We had them all over for pizza tonight (3 families) - I made 6 pans and there is 1 piece left! So great to have them back again. Hard to believe this semester will be over in 5 weeks...
I tried to set at a weird angle today during volleyball and I'm pretty sure I sprained my thumb...it hurts really bad! I iced it right away and DH wrapped it up so it can't move (which hurt worse - I didn't cry until then...). It could be worse...I'm left handed and it is my right thumb, but it does make it hard to do many of the things I typically spend more time on - typing, stamping, cooking...
Sigh...I laughed at the thought that we are systematically "field testing" the health book...
Our design team's bi-monthly challenge from Susan at smARTworks was to create magic with this set, called "Grow On." It's such a fun little set - the flowers lend themselves well to piecing and layering, and the variety of sayings make the set really versatile. Susan's giving away one of these sets on her blog, if you're interested in winning your own!
The team's submissions can all be viewed at the smARTworks site - funny how we all went "pink" with these! I had just gotten my first batch of Shimmerz, so this was the first card I used them on. I had already watercolored the flowers, so I brushed Pink Shimmerz over the images. Sorry it doesn't show in the picture, or in Susan's scan! Very sparkly.
The flowers are trimmed and shaped with a stylus, and 'popped' with foam tape for dimension. I love this layout for showcasing a smaller image - it really works well. And pink and green, well...you can't go wrong there!
I took a little plunge yesterday - I have been resisting Copics because of the price, but setting aside a little bit of money each month 'just in case' - then yesterday I read about Neopiko-2 markers, which are alcohol-based manga markers, as are Copics, but much cheaper (the downside is they are not refillable, but at that price - even other places at full price - still cheaper than Copics to replace). www.Oozak.com has their remaining open stock markers priced at just $1.00 apiece! They also have sets...I filled my cart up with 1 of each of the remaining open stock, then looked at the colors again...they were brighter colors that aren't necessarily in my daily palette, so I looked at one of the larger sets, and loved the colors I saw there...so...DH said, "Get what you'll use!" Love that. :) So, those are coming!
Just wanted to share - this is the result of 6+ weeks of work plus lots of prayers (mine and some of yours!) that our Indonesian students would be able to have a health resource that is understandable and useful and practical to use later in their ministries interior or wherever they end up. I never imagined this would be something I'd be so "into", but it has been such a journey and neat learning experience so far. More to come I'm sure. Appreciate your prayers as I and another co-worker teach 4 couples and 4 singles over the next 3 weeks (Apr. 20-May 8). "Health" is such a broad subject with so many factors, and there is so much we could talk about but only so much time to cover the essentials.
I haven't had a lot of stamping time this week, so the rest of the team will have to wow you with their Mother's Day gift ideas....here's a Springy card I made that I know any Mom would love...
I stamped the individual flowers with Versamagic chalk inks on spritzed watercolor paper - the light spritzing lets the ink bleed just a little bit, like a 'faux watercolor' technique. All stamps are from the Impression Obsession clear set called Wreaths and Garlands. I love the versatility of this set! So fun to use. Some teeny faux pearls and a bow and pearl brad (from Michaels' wedding section) finish off the wreath.
Be sure to see what the rest of the team created as they post throughout the day:
Daniela @ For the First Time
Deborah @ Cards and Things
Jeanne (our guest) @ Inky Paws
Julie @ Out to Impress
Kelli @ I Made This Myself!
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Shirley @ the I.O. Blog
Tina @ stamp it chick
For our next smARTworks Tea Party, Giovana has challenged us to make a shaped card. Go out of the box - literally! No square or rectangle cards for this challenge. Join us if you'd like - whether you have smARTworks stamps or not. We'll be posting our cards on April 22nd.
Susan's been busy cranking out a new release - I have some digital artwork in this release, but more impressive is smARTworks' new and extensive collection of Inchie images! Be sure to check them out if you're into that sorta thing. ;) Tell Susan I sent you!
Just want to share this card today, even though it's not a super-new release - I really like how it turned out. Lately my cards have been turning out a bit more Euro/vintage/distressed, which is interesting to me...I found a fun free ephemera site called the Graphics Fairy, so the printable you see on the card is from that collection. Stamp sets I used: Clock Collage, Coffee Time, Frames
Here's a simple card using Our Daily Bread designs' new release, Love One Another. The wreaths are colored with Prismacolor pencils, with a few added highlights - white acrylic paint applied with a small stylus. The roses are 'popped' for dimension.
I used an old favorite technique for the card base, a fun one to use up strips of scrap paper. You can find a tutorial here.
Russ took the health book off to be printed yesterday, so today we will have health books in hand! I'm taking a mental break today (Tuesday is MINE), but tomorrow will begin planning out the course and what needs to be covered each day. Appreciate your prayers for this effort - many Indonesians are set in traditional ways which aren't based on understanding...I really want them to embrace truths of sanitation, hygiene, prevention, and ways they can take care of themselves...understanding that they are going to get sick - we live in a fallen world - but that they can do something about it and help others as well.
There in the ground His body lay,
I'm so enjoying the 4 day weekend here - it was just what I needed, though I've stayed busy. I've been working with my teaching partner to clean up typos in the health book and we're almost done with that - we have been reading through it out loud, too, to make sure it has a good flow.
Guess I am taking my virtual vacation through card-making, so here is another beach scene...I have had the bird scene stamped and painted (watercolored, with acrylic white paint creating the waves) and tucked away for a long time, so it was nice to have it ready to pop on to a card. The background scene is stamped and highlighted with colored pencils and some Brilliance Pearlescent Beige ink. The shell was one my daughter found when everyone else went to the beach a couple months ago - it had a hole in it so she offered it to me for something crafty. :) It's attached with 1/8 ribbon.
All stamps are from Impression Obsession - Solitary Ruff, and Seaside Scene.
I'm really drawn to chairs, and beach scenes, so you can bet I'm a sucker for a beach chair scene! This is a sneak peek at a soon-to-be-released Leigh Hannan image from Impression Obsession. I started my design with the polka-dot paper, and mimicked the theme and colors on the beach towel. The scene is colored with Prismacolor pencils.
I love the coconut shell buttons we can get here! The bookstore in town has a little craft section, so I grab up whatever is card-able whenever we go there.
Today is the general election here, and also a general holiday for voting. Good Friday tomorrow makes it a long weekend, so *hopefully* it will be a quiet weekend. I was going to go Supermom and finish the 2 homeschool days we skipped before going to JKT but I have a time crunch on the health course materials, and need to get them done, proofread and off to print by next week, so....the health book won. Although I'm to the First Aid section, and the thought of those kinds of situations makes me woozy...
Since we just got home from Jakarta last night and I have a 3-year-old's birthday to plan today (he wants "brown cake with chocolate sprinkles"), I won't be joining the rest of the smARTworks team for their Scrapling Tea Party today (sniff, sigh...) - but be sure to visit their blogs and see what they created as they post throughout the day!
Trish @ Tah-Dah!
Susan @ In the Works (for Peggy and Sarah too)
Giovana @ A Place to Praise and Craft
Donelda @ Wiggy’s World
Donna @ Dee’s Studio
Guess I never posted this piece that I made using Our Daily Bread designs' You Are the Potter set. I colored the pots with Prismacolor pencils, adding some metallic highlights with a glue pen and copper mica powders. The verse is computer generated using a font called Alex Brush.
Appreciate your prayers as we head home today, especially for Evan. Our trip to the embassy yesterday wore him out and he had a fever by evening, so I can't imagine what all the airport walking will do to him. Hopefully we can request a wheelchair or something to make it easier. We have one transit point in the middle of our flight, so will be in 3 airports in all today...but then...HOME. Yay!!
Anybody see my blog featured on Inspirational? How cool is that?!
Also...it occurs to me that someone will soon get to be my 123456th visitor....soooooo...if you can send me proof that it was you (capture screen or email a pic), I'll send a special RAK to you when I get home. Good deal?
Laying low today...ran all around town with 3 of the kids looking for ink for our printer (no luck) and DH is feeling the effects today. Evan's doing great - enduring yucky tasting medicine and doing pretty well with resting. AND - we got to eat at Wendy's - that was a special treat. Tomorrow is our Embassy trip for the kiddos' passports - hope that goes well!
Before we left for Jakarta I had a little time to sit and play with some of smARTworks' new releases. "Almost There" features some of my digital artwork, which made it even more fun to work with. You know I love my Sepia monochromatic cards...this is also a one-layer card, and a window card, and a tag card, and a collage...!The card is a die-cut blank. Stamp sets used: Almost There, Big 'n Bold, Cookie Plate, Frames, One Smile, Stella 
I stamped the kiddos first and masked them off. I mortise-masked a circle around them, stamped it in with the script stamp, then cut a circle within that outline with my Coluzzle, trimming where needed with an Xacto knife...then masked the kids again to stamp the rest of the images. The main image is shaded and highlighted with Prismacolor pencils.
If you have questions please let me know! :) Also, if you ever decide to make a purchase from smARTworks because of something you've seen on my blog, be sure to let Susan know I sent you! 
