Happy Days in the Neighborhood!

I'm so glad to have finally inked up this stamp.  The whole idea of happy little birds flying all about, to & from their little birdhouse neighborhood just makes me smile!

To avoid turning your device all around, here's the sentiment in a straight line:   "Hope your days are happy & life is good & all is well in your neighborhood."

 

My so easy background was created with the 'Lots of Leaves' stencil from A Colorful Life Designs.  And, I used the new 'Cloud Edger' stencil to create the puffy clouds behind the birdhouses!

Psssst!  Use my code BevFan10 whenever shopping at A Colorful Life Designs!  

Inky (((huggss))),

Products Used:

STAMPS:  Art Impressions UMM3312

INKS:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Peeled Paint & Speckled Eggs (sky)

PAPERS:  Neenah Solar Classic White, Gina K’s Green Apple & Sweet Corn

ACCESSORIES:  A Colorful Life Stencils ‘Lots of Leaves’ & ‘Cloud Edger’, Lifechanging Brushes (Picket Fence), MFT dies, Pixie Spray, Wendy Vecchi Make Art Stay-tion

Absolutely Positively Amazing!

I have really enjoyed playing with this new Leafy Wildflower stencil.  Trying various placements, allowing for sentiments of seemingly endless shapes & sizes, and of course choosing which to commit to further development!   Have you noticed that this quarantined life is starting to have a weird effect in your life?

I smeared a bit of Dusty Concord ink on my craft mat, the added a teeny bit of water for randomly dropping color from a watercolor brush.  Then I just had to give in to let myself use some little rhinestones on the bud areas of the stencil.  All done & super easy!

Psssst!  Code BevFan10 is my discount shopping code at A Colorful Life Designs.  Feel free to use it when shopping at ACL!

Inky (((hugggsss))),

Products Used:

STAMPS:  "Seriously, Absolutely, Always" (Picket Fence Studios)

INKS:  Stephanie Barnard Artichoke, Distress Ink Dusty Concord, Memento Tuxedo Black, VersaFine Onyx

PAPERS:  Neenah Solar Classic, Olive, Grape

ACCESSORIES:  ‘Leafy Wildflower’ by A Colorful Life Designs, Misti stamp positioner, Life Changing Blender Brushes (Picket Fence), Pixie Spray, Corner rounder, watercolor brush, rhinestones, Gina K Connect glue

A Wildflower Wish!

Some of my favorite wildflowers here in Texas are the wild primroses along the roads, and even along my fave walking path.  That's what this card brings to mind for me.

Introducing the 'Three Bloom Wildflower' stencil from A Colorful Life Designs!  I used very simple post-it note masking to stencil it 3 times to create this card.  The summary sky features the new 'Cloud Edger' stencil, softly touched with Speckled Egg Distress Ink.  Lastly, my beloved Misti enabled perfect placement of the sentiment.

There are several choices in the new Wildflower collection, so you just might check them out.   Psssst!  You're welcome to use my discount code BevFan10 whenever shopping at A Colorful Life Designs.  

Inky (((huggss))),

Products used:

STAMPS:  'Morning Glory' (Technique Tuesday)

INKS:  Distress Inks Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters, Victorian Velvet;  VersaFine Onyx Black

PAPERS:  Neenah Solar Classic, Old Olive, Blushing Bride

ACCESSORIES:  'Three Bloom Wildflower' and 'Cloud Edger' stencils (by A Colorful Life Designs), Misti stamp positioner, Pixie spray

In Shades of Gray

This week I was intrigued by the weekly CAS594 ('Cloudy Days') challenge at Splitcoaststampers.  Plus, I'm sharing one of the new July release stencils from A Colorful Life Designs.  Sounded like a different color mix to try!

Being a foliage & floral lover, I tend to use a lot of greens in my stamping, but I like this switch to shades of gray!  I traced & fussy cut a large mask so the central image would be set forward of the others.  The cool thing about this 'Ferns' stencil is that it includes 3 different fern images!  Here on my Texas turf I have only full, blazing sun, so live ferns are just beautiful memories of beautiful places.  

  My mini Misti allowed me to perfectly stamp the tiny sentiment in VersaMark on the very first try.  I so adore that awesome tool.  The words were heat embossed with Gina K's Detail White embossing powder .... another favorite product of mine.  

And finally, I used a Simon Says Wonky die to add just a bit of extra interest.  There it is!  Two shades of inks, two shades of card stock, and a wowsome one go at the embossed sentiment!

Psssst!  Use my discount code BevFan10 whenever shopping at A Colorful Life Designs.  

Thanks for checking in.  I'll be back again soon with a completely different stencil style.

Inky ((((huggss)))),

Fluff that Tutu!

How's it going, crafty friends?  Have you been doing something that's been waiting to get done?  I've been combining a couple of those things this week ... and the other thing will take short attacks at it across several days.   At last I've inked up a stamp that has been in its proper stamp bin, just waiting for its very own inky time to shine.  

I was first inspired to ink this up when I read the challenges happening recently at Technique Junkies.  This week's challenge is to create a 'thinking of you' card.  This one is meant to encourage that certain someone.  Surely we all have one of them in our lives.  LOL

  To create the dazzling image, I used a glittered embossing powder atop VersaMark ink.  Starting with the card stock in my Misti, I used scotch tape to mask out the sentiment when inking up the stamp.  Tex's Tip: When doing this, remember to remove that tape before stamping onto the card stock! Then heat it up carefully, as glittered ep's tend to quickly melt the clear/sticky part of the powder.  Overheating sneaks up fast, and the image will seem to 'fade away' as the shiny part melts into the paper.  The final topping is a few teeny rhinestones.  

Now it's your turn to crafty dance away & have a little inky fun!

Inky (((hugs))),

Products used:

STAMPS:  'Fluff Your Tutu' (Technique Junkies)

INKS:  VersaMark, VersaFine Onyx

PAPERS:  Gina K's 'Sea Glass', Neenah Solar White

ACCESSORIES:  JudiKin's Aquamarine Twinkle embossing Powder, Sizzix oval dies, rhinestones

Whirlpool of Feelings?

It's obvious that as we continue our battle to defeat the Covid19 pandemic, we have been experiencing a remarkably wide range of emotions.  Some days it seems the news seems to make us feel that daylight & hope are nearly close enough to touch.  Other days, it feels as though we're sinking into the sands of time, doesn't it?   

The thing I'm missing most is being able to just spend time with friends & family ... in person.  My heart is yearning to travel back to my little hometown right now to share laughs & hugs with friends I've known all my life.   This Crazy Cats image seems to be expressing my feelings perfectly!

Just to add some creative fun, I used A Colorful Life Designs' new 'Whirlpool' stencil with Ranger's Texture Paste - Translucent Matte onto a saved watercolor background.  

 Being an afternoon/evening stamper, I allowed the design to dry overnight before coming back to finishing up the actual card.  I love that the subtle colors of the background show through the texture paste, even a bit more than caught in my photos.  

Hopefully the sun will be warming us up here tomorrow.  I've got lots of bushes still waiting for me to seriously cut them down to size before the heat of Summer locks me back inside.   ;)

Stay safe and well, m'friends!

Inky (((hugs))),

Products used:

STAMPS:  Crazy Cats (Stampers Anonymous), Poppy Friendship (Inky Antics)

INKS:  Distress Oxides, VersaFine Clair Nocturne

PAPERS:  watercolor, Gina K Wild Lilac, Neenah

ACCESSORIES:  "Whirlpool" stencil by A Colorful Life Designs, 

No Stamps, No Ink!

What's up with this?  No stamps?  No inks?  It's one of those off-beat times for everyone, I'm sure.  Today, my card is stenciled with acrylic paint!

The April release at A Colorful Life Designs includes a variety of text stencils.  The new 'Wonderful' stencil is all about encouragement!   Surely a welcome statement to share with so many people you're missing right now!  

  

The card's style was inspired by the Mix375 challenge at SCS, to used white ink on blue c/s, i.e. faux blueprint.  I need a new white pigment pad & reinker, so I gave it a try with a watercolor brush and a bottle of white acrylic paint.  Thank goodness for Pixie spray keeping all the cut edges secure while I brushed the paint on.  

The challenge included adding drawn white lines with a white pen, so I tried.  Now I remember why I typically just add white lines & such in much smaller bits!  lol

You're welcome to use my discount code, BevFan10, when shopping for stencils at A Colorful Life Designs!  

In other news, I "attacked" some hedge-type bushes this morning, as I was desperate to soak up the brand new sunshine blessing Texas today.  All the previous gray added to the current stay-at-home style of living has felt a bit oppressive!  Now that I'm appropriately pink-skinned and whooped, I can allow self to be inside.  My teeny progress toward trimming down & removing said bushes indicates that this will be a very long project.  Oh. My. Goodness.

Hope you find your own style of sunshine during these closed-in days.  Be well, my friends!

Inky (((hugs))),

Products used:  

INKS:  white Signo pen

PAPERS:  Blueberry, silver/white stripes printed paper

ACCESSORIES:  ‘Wonderful’ stencil by A Colorful Life Designs, white acrylic paint, small paint brush

Subtle Prayers

Sometimes we just need to send a simple, comforting message.  That's what today's card is all about, plus it's suitable for men or women.  And it was created for Lee Ann's Dare to Get Dirty challenge over at Splitcoaststampers.

Seriously, this is soooo easy to make.  I love this beautiful Jewel Flower stencil!  Here, I used my Life Changing Brushes and Pumice Stone Distress Ink for the monochromatic stenciling.  The stenciling can either be the entire card front or a layer, as is mine.  I laid a simple border trim alongside the pretty panel for a little more interest.  **Remember to use code BevFan10 for your discount when shopping for your stencils at A Colorful Life designs!  😀

For contrast the sentiment was heat embossed in white, then punched , while the 'prayers' was die cut from white and GK Soft Sand card stock.  Make'm for your stash in a couple of soft colors, then thank yourself later.   

Inky (((hugs))),

Products & Links:

STAMPS:  'Prayers' (Hero Arts)

INKS:  Pumice Stone Distress Ink + VersaMark

PAPERS:  Gina K Soft Sand, Neenah Solar Classic

ACCESSORIES:  Jewel Flower stencil (A Colorful Life designs), Picket Fence Life Changing Brushes, 'Prayers' die (Hero Arts), Simon Says border die, white embossing powder,

Just a Bit of Silver

Glad to be back to stamping this week.  Since finishing up my part of the VBS decor for the 3 & 4-year olds' room, I've simply been enjoying some play-without-a-purpose.  If you've never tried it, it's a great way to just relax and enjoy your supplies without making yourself accomplish a specific goal.  

What next?  I started seeing possibilities for some of my new stencil arrivals .... yay!  Here's the first, and simplest card coming from that mini-adventure in the stampy zone:

This one is so easy!  The image card stock was trimmed to 3.75" X 5" before stenciling.  This allowed me to precisely place the stencil in the upper corner.

The silver embossed sentiment is from a retired Gina K stamp set, Punchy Words.  I've had this set nearly 12 years!  Thus, I'm adding this card to the Retro Rubber Challenge 113.

I used Life Changing Blending Brushes to apply Distress Oxide Broken China to the Layered Mandala Base stencil.  Remember that using code BevFan10 will give a discount on your stencils purchase at A Colorful Life Designs!

Inky (((huggss),

Holy Guacamole!

Wow ... April was incredibly fassst!   So May is here folks, and  I've come to enable your grocery list.  Why?  In 3 more days, it will be Cinco de Mayo!  I won't be in Texas that day, but I know the same fun foods can be found up in OK.   I'll admit that one of my favorite snacks is guacamole ... sincerely.  How about you?

My upcoming card was inspired by this week's Freshly Made Sketches #386 challenge.

For the fun angle on the white layer, I first cut card stock to the same 4.25" width as the top-fold card.  Then I drew very light pencil lines to create the angle for trimming in my paper cutter.  For the green texture paste, I put a small amount of white embossing paste onto a large stamp block, then added a couple of drops of ink refill. Once thoroughly mixed, it was ready to be spread across the stencil with a plastic palette spatula.  So easy!  Tex's Tip: Just remember, it's easier to wash texture pastes from your tools & stencils before it dries.  

The only change I made to the sketch was adding a monotone circle frame around the sentiment on both the front and the inside.  

To create the angular shape on the inside, I laid 2 scrap pieces of paper across the bottom part of the inside.  After laying the Happy Dots stencil atop the paper masks, I inked the small masked area with a Clarity brush.   This fun Happy Dots stencil is from A Colorful Life Designs, while all of the cute are from the same Darcie's stamp set, 'Holy Guacamole'.  Use code BevFan10 for a 10% discount on your stencils! 

I hope you found some inspiration here today.  Thanks a bunch for visiting.  

Note:  Compensated affiliate links are used when possible.  When you place an order after clicking one of my links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you.  Thanks so much for using my links and supporting this blog.  

Inky (((huggss))),

Supplies Used:
STAMPS:  'Holy Guacamole' (Darcie's heart & home)
INKS:  Memento Tuxedo, Wild Wasabi
PAPERS:  Neenah Classic Solar White, Pear
ACCESSORIES:  Happy Dots stencil (A Colorful Life Designs), Copic markers (list below), Wendy Vecchi's Embossing Paste, pear ink refill, Clarity stencil brushes, circle dies

Copics used:
E17, E15, E13, E11, E21, G20, Y11, YG00, YG0000, G94, G43, G40

For ever and ever and ever!

Now that I've colored this sweet little image .... I feel rather self-obligated to color a few more across Spring, 2019.  Why?  This cute little girl with her bottle of bubbles totally takes me 'back home' to yesteryear where "Tiny Town USA" is the home of my beloved Oklahoma roots.  Tex's Tip:  Always remember where your roots are planted.   Oh to know how many bottles of bubbles we girlfriends used to happily fill the air with bubbles destined to carry our laughter and special wishes up into the summery skies.   Ahhhhhhh!

Aiming for a very CAS (clean & simple) style, I first stamped & Copic colored 'Kylee Boo', then masked the colored image to create a more complete scene all on just one image layer.  This is where I brought in the new 'Deckled Rectangles' Marvelous Masks from A Colorful Life Designs as seen in the following photo tutorial of my masking process.  

Stamp Kylee Boo (Picket Fence Studios) image onto Neenah Solar Classic cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. 

Color image with Copic markers:  E000, E11, E13, E40, E41, E43, E44, RV34, R81, RV00.

Cover image with mask stamped & cut from Eclipse masking tape.  Alternately you could use a sticky note or printer paper as a mask as well.

Secure the Deckled Rectangles - Marvelous Masks stencil in desired position with painters tape.  Use my code: BevFan10 for a 10% discount on these masks!  Alternates include Purple tape, washi tape, masking tape, Scotch tape, etc.  Note that the image layer is also held in place with Purple tape.

Using Life Changing Blender Brushes (Picket Fence Studios), apply Distress Oxides Spun Sugar ink within the deckled rectangle.

Apply Distress Oxides Broken China ink, blending into the Spun Sugar ink as desired.  

Remove the mask to reveal the colored 1-layer scene.

Return to the stamp, still in place within the Misti stamp positioner.  Cover the parts of the stamp that do not need to be inked.  I use Scotch tape for most selective masking tasks.

Now ink up just the 'bubbles' with Memento London Fog ink, and stamp.  Tex's Tip:  Remember to remove the inked tape before you stamp!!

The Misti once again enabled me to position the sentiment just where I wanted it to be.  Afterwards, I trimmed the image layer to be used as a lifted element on the card front.  During that process, I realized it was just a little too plain for me.  That's when I decided to use a larger Deckled Rectangle mask to ink up part of the card front with Broken China ink, creating the colored layer seen beneath the image.  Bubbles were enhanced with Viva's Perlen-Pen.

I'm happy to play in the Addicted to Stamps and More! challenge #337 this week!

Hopefully you've been inspired to add a bit of creative time to your world very soon!

Inky (((hugs))),

Challenge=  Addicted to Stamps and More!:  Challenge #337

Calling You!

Oh how I've been looking forward to getting things all inky!  Spring has landed in Texas ... then left ... and returned a couple of times.  Everyone is hoping that it's here to linger this time.   




I spotted a cute sketch challenge yesterday, CAS Colors & Sketches Challenge #316.  It seemed just right for a darling, uninked (virgin?) stamp & sentiment by DeNami Design.  I had actually purchased these stamps a few years ago when DeNami was still presenting in the Spring/Summer stamp shows here in Texas.  

For the off-balance panel, I brushed Daffodil Delight ink onto the new 'Groovy Flowers' stencil from A Colorful Life Designs.  Use my code: BevFan10 for a 10% discount! The bright & cheerful colors are from this week's SCS Color Challenge, CC734:  Berry Burst, Daffodil Delight, & Grapefruit Grove.  It was quick & fun to color the bitty little image with Copic markers.

Now, don't you feel the need to call & catch up with a good friend?

Inky {{{huggss}}},

Supplies Used:

STAMPS:  DeNami Designs

INKS:  Memento Tuxedo Black, VersaFine Onyx Black, Daffodil Delight

PAPERS:  Neenah Solar Classic, Berry Burst

ACCESSORIES:  Groovy Flowers stencil, Copic markers, Life Changing Blender Brushes, Little B circle dies, Martha Stewart border punch

Fang-tastic!

Bringing a quick share today with a fun little octopus creature and his cute uplifting sentiment ...

The Splitcoaststampers clean & simple challenge (CAS499) this week is to "frame it".  I opted to use a fun shape for my frame for a bit of added fun.  Little Octo is in the midst of morphing colors ... he's still learning how to manage that.

Stamps:  Little Monsters (Art Gone Wild - Nicole Tamarin), and Watercolor Basics (The Cat's Pajamas)

Accessories:  Misti, Labels framelits (The Stamps of Life), Sakura lacquer, sequins (gifted stash)

Inky (((hugs))),

Marbled Hugs!

This is one of those unusual times when I'm glad to admit that "I was tempted!"      

What I mean is that I was tempted to join in the CAS Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers.  But as I said, I'm glad I read it and was inspired to play along.   The challenge was to use a background stamp as the basis for a clean 'n simple (CAS) card ... certainly easy enough, and it's literally been ages since I've inked up a full-sized background stamp.   

Another admission:  I rarely make one-layer cards unless timing requires it, or other special circumstances.  Truthfully, this just has the background stamped on Whisper White card stock, layered atop a mat of Basic Black, then applied to the jazzy Lemon Lime Twist card base.  The horizontal layout allows space for the single strip of Black 'n White ribbon from the 2017 Holiday Catalog.  

Tex's Tip:  Alignment of the 'hugs' die from the Lovely Words framelits is easiest for me when I first die cut the circle (Layering Circles).  Then I find it easier to set the word die within the cut-out circle, eyeing the margins around the edges.  Washi tape to my rescue here!  *Setting dies in position before cutting is my favored time for using washi tape.  

Happy new week, m'friends!

Inky (((hugs))),

• Product Links for today's card:
• Marbled stamp
• Lovely Words Thinlits
• Lemon Lime Twist Classic Ink pad
• Lemon Lime Twist card stock
• Whisper White card stock