Crisis? Got You Covered!

I just love it when things seem to fall together so easily!  That's the short story on putting this card together, featuring one of the new May release stencils from A Colorful Life Designs ... 'Coiled'. 

Isn't this disorganized dragon adorable?  At the time I picked it up from Whimsey Stamps, Dudley dragon was a free digital stamp!   My 'faux dragon skin' background is stenciled with DOX inks Peeled Paint & Tumbled Glass.

   For a fun touch of shimmer, I rubbed the background with white Perfect Pearls.  Naturally, it shows up perfectly in person ... but takes some fiddling to get the shimmer on my pictures!  It was so tricky trying to decide what colors to use, I might have to color up a couple more just to play with fun options.  Hey ... now that the grocery store is my only occasional destination, that's another idea for fitting stampy fun into my days!

Pssst!  My discount code, BevFan10, will give you a savings when you stencil shop at A Colorful Life Designs, any time you wish!

Stay safe & stay well.

Inky (((hugs))),

Wow! with a Tropical View

I so adore tropical places!  Palm trees, warm sands, salty ocean scent, beaches, ocean ... you get the idea.  Pair that with my love of animals and it's easy to understand how easy it was to plan today's card.

The new 'Tropical Leaves' stencil is beautifully detailed and a full 6" X 9" size.   By spraying the back with Pixie spray, the entire stencil is gently adhered to the card stock, allowing color application in a variety of ways.  I started with a light shade of green, followed by a darker green ink, adding the colors with Life Changing Blending Brushes.  **Tip:  Use code BevFan10 for a discount when stencil shopping at A Colorful Life Designs!

I love using my Misti for stamping sentiments!  If any little gap in shading occurs, stamping again is a dream, precisely atop the first stamping.  Even though coloring is tricky business for these eyes now, my Gerda Steiner giraffes and parrot were really fun to color & a great size too.

I chose the super fun 'Wow' sentiment from the stamp set, just so I've got lots of choices as to what to say inside the card.  Gotta love options!  

It's time for a walk on this unusually cool day here in Texas and tiny humidity.  Perfect!  Y'all stay safe, keep your distance, and have a great weekend!

Inky (((hugs))),

STAMPS:  Go Wild  (Gerda Steiner Designs)
INKS:  GinaK Jelly Bean Green, Key Lime; Garden green, VersaFine Clair
PAPERS:  Neenah Solar Classic, GK Jelly Bean, 
ACCESSORIES:  ‘Tropical Leaves” stencil (ACL), Stitched dies (MFT), Misti, Life Changing Brushes (Picket Fence)

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

Always Hope ... and a Challenge!

Hope springs eternal!  Right?  Today ... I'm not so sure I'm feeling it though.  Big, blowy winds have shown up from the West and have smacked me right in the nose - the allergy nose.  Lots of people here in Texas know this plague, so I know I'm not alone in this.  But yes, I am alone here in the stampy zone as required by current pandemic rulings.  😉

Instead of 2-step stamping, my card has 2-step stenciling!  I love using Ranger's Wendy Vecchi 7" Make Art Stay-tion as my work surface for stenciling.  Just right in size for table space, and wipes clean with anything damp!  Then I used small Ranger Detailed Blending Tools to color in Distress Oxide Peeled Paint + Wilted Violet.  

  Such an easy card!  1.) Stencil background.  2.) Stamp sentiment & die cut.  3.)  Die cut or trim out strips.  4.)  Layer & affix all as shown!

I created this for the 2nd week of Technique Junkies' WWDB challenges.  The theme is 'get well', but TJ's "Always Hope" is the closest sentiment I have that will work.  I love the way the 'Seedlings' stencil  (A Colorful Life Designs) pairs with the sentiment & theme!

Stay well & healthy!  Please excuse me while I check my Puffs tissues inventory.   

Inky (((hugs))),

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,