Gingersnap Creations Color Challenge

Technique Junkies is sponsoring the challenges at Gingersnap Creations all month
and this week the challenge is a color challenge--Denim, Rust, and Dust and there's an overall Western theme for the month. On top of that, Pat asked that our TJ design team sample feature the Faux Denim technqiue from the December 2008 newsletter.  That's a lot for my brain to keep track of, but I think I got it covered.

My cowboy is from the DoodleFactory Costume Party collection from Starving Artistamps, and the sentiments is also from Starving Artistamps.  I colored him in various shades of denim, rust, and dust using my Copic markers and made him a lasso out of a piece of twine. 

Happy Trails!

Fabulous Friday on Saturday

This week's Fabulous Friday challenge at Frosted Designs, Use Paint, is sponsored by Technique Junkie and several cards made by TJ designers are featured on their blog today.  For my card, I made a silly little Valentine using a tutorial from the Aug/Sep 2010 newsletter called Acrylic Emboss.  I also sponged a Martha Stewart doily with pink paint to match my card.  My jittery little creature is Zot, a DoodleFactory Creature available at Starving Artistamps.

Look like fun?  You can play along and maybe even with a prize.  Post a link to your project using paint on the Frosted Designs blog by noon, January 20th and you'll be entered to with a copy of the Technique Junkie Fancy Folds and Motion Paper Crafts CD and a 1-year online subscription to the newsletter.  Sweet!

I'm a Design Junkie and Loving It

I was always sure it would be, but with a few months as a design team member under my belt, I can absolutely say that this is one sweet gig.  I get to play with art supplies, Pat and the other team members are awesome, and the Technique Junkies tutorials are amazing...it just doesn't get any better!

The design team collectively maintains a blog, Design Junkies, featuring techniques from the various newsletters, CDs and the website that Pat publishes.  I contribute on the second and fourth Friday of each month and since this is the second Friday in January, I have a card to share.  The technique I chose to feature is called Pencil Highlights and it was published in the Sept./Oct. 2010 issue of the newsletter.  The stamp I used for the technique (on the background panel) is from Rubber Stampede.   The rose, which I embossed with Ranger Tea Dye Distress Embossing Powder, is from the DoodleFactory Backlit Blooms collection from Starving Artistamps.

When we post cards to the Design Junkies blog we index them by technique name, and we've started to build a nice gallery of samples.   If you're a newsletter subscriber looking for recent examples of older techniques, be sure to grab a cuppa sometime and give the blog a browse.  For those of you who aren't subscribers yet :), there's still plenty of inspiration to be had so grab a cuppa and head on over there too.

Thanks for stopping by my studio, and Happy Friday!

Tuesday Again

It's Tuesday again...and I've got nothing show from my studio.  I'm working on several art projects, but nothing is in any shape for showing at the moment.  I've got lots of knitting going on, but most are for gift giving so I need to keep them under wraps.  I've got some stamping happening, but it's of the top secret variety. 

You'll get to see all of that stuff eventually, but for now, I'll share a card I made last month with my DoodleFactory Gourds and Pumpkins stamps from Starving Artistamps.  The pumpkin is stamped onto an alcohol ink background with Versamark, "embossed" with Heat 'n Stick powder, and foiled with black foil.  I edged the mats with black Stickles, and added a textured metallic Prima flower and leaf for a little bling. 

Before I go, I'd like to wish everyone here in the U.S. a very happy Thanksgiving, and to everyone else, have a great week!

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge #38

Sorry to be a little late joining the challenge this week. I've had this card essentially done for days, but I was waiting for a little bit of last minute inspiration to tell me how what embellishments to add. Well, inspiration never came, so I'm taking that to mean that this card doesn't need any embellishment. Anyway, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Lori gave us a couple of different photos to choose from this time, mostly involving apples and pears. I only have one pear stamp and no apples to speak of...hmmm, maybe I do need more stamps? But I digress. I did have my DoodleFactory Gourds and Pumpkins (from Starving Artistamps) out on my desk, though. Done up in the right colors and looking at them with my eyes squinted, they sort of look like the apples and pears on this cake to me!

In the inspiration photo, the fruit is surrounded by luscious chocolate so I surrounded my fruits with a chocolate brown frame and placed everything on a ground of cocoa brown.  My gourds and pumpkins are paper pieced from scraps and then shaded with Copic markers.  The wood grain background I used is also from Starving Artistamps.

The other Divas always come up with divinely inspired projects so be sure to take a few minutes to visit their blogs and have a look.

Lori
Anne
Chris
Julie
Kerri

Hope you are inspired to come and play along. Just leave a comment on Lori's blog with a link to your card. We can't wait to see what you create! The keyword for uploading on online forums will be DDIC38.  Have fun and look for the next challenge on November 4th.

Does it Get Any More Fun Than Halloween?

I don't think so! Isn't Morty here just a scream?  He's from the DoodleFactory Ghoulies collection from Starving Artistamps. The DoodleFactory always comes up with great Halloween images, but these are my all time favorites...creepy dead hands down, lol!



I colored Morty with Copic markers using the most undead colors I could find in my collection. The rest of the card design is all about grungy, dirty, dusty, creepy and dark. I distressed, sanded, crumpled, tore, sponged, embossed, spritzed and cut with wild abandon.  I felt kind of like a mad scientist having way too much fun.

I love Halloween so much that I'm going to give out some blog candy on Halloween.  A copy of the Technique Junkies Newsletter 2010 Edition (CD8) will go to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment on my blog between now and midnight EST October 31 and I'll automatically enter you to win.  In fact, leave lots of comments.  I'll give you one entry for each day you leave a comment (one per day), and to be sure I can find them make sure to put your comments on this post or any of the posts I made between now and the 31st.

Happy haunting my little ghoulies!

Fall is Here for Real

We had a light frost last night so it officially feels like Fall around here.  The foliage isn't at peak yet, but we have quite a bit of color and the air is filled with the sweet smell of dried leaves.  This is my absolute favorite time of year.  I love the weather, the colors, and the upcoming holidays--starting with Halloween.

I really enjoy making Halloween cards so I'm only too happy to be working on my design team cards for my latest batch of stamps from Starving Artistamps.  The card I made today uses the jack-o-lantern faces from the DoodleFactory Gourds and Pumpkins set and Hollow from the DoodleFactory Ghoulies set. 

The glowing faces in the background are done with a simple resist technique.  I stamped the faces with Versamark and then embossed them with clear embossing powder.  Then, I just smooshed on some Weathered Wood Distress Ink and used a paper towel to wipe the ink away from the faces.

I made my frame from scraps of paper.  I cut a bunch of 1.25" square from scraps and glued them down to a piece of thin cardstock and then I cut out a variety of shapes, including this frame.  I put a piece of vellum behind the frame so that Hollow, colored with Copic markers, would stand out a bit from all the chaos.

Thanks for stopping by my studio!

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge 37

It's the first Thursday in October, which means that it's time for another Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge. I also just realized that I've been doing these challenges for a whole year now. It's been a fun year with some truly beautiful inspiration photos--thanks for inviting me to play, Lori!









These Classico soaps from Cambria Cove were our inspiration this time.  I just love the colors and the Art Deco patterns on the wrappers.  Truly beautiful.

I'm also trying to participate in the Hope You Can Cling To card drive to benefit those affected by breast cancer, sponsored by Splitcoast Stampers.  I'm not sure that I'll get all of them done, but I'm going to try.  This card is for challenge HYCCT02B-Lingerie Inspired.  The stamp I used is Simone from the DoodleFactory People collection at Starving Artistamps.  I colored her with Copic markers and paired her with a sentiment from the Classic Decor collection, also from Starving Artistamps.  The layout I used is Laura's sketch #62 this week at 2 Sketches 4 You so I covered a lot of challenge ground with this one!

The other Divas always come up with divinely inspired projects so be sure to take a few minutes to visit their blogs and have a look.

Lori
Anne
Chris
Julie
Kerri

Hope you are inspired to come and play along. Just leave a comment on Lori's blog with a link to your card. We can't wait to see what you create! The keyword for uploading on online forums will be DDIC37.  Have fun and look for the next challenge on October 21st.

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge 36

It's time for the second September Divine Diva challenge already?  Time seems to move in hyper-drive since I stopped working.  Maybe it's true that time really does fly when you're having fun.  Who knew?

Speaking of fun, this book cover was our inspiration this time.  I already had my DoodleFactory Backlit Blooms stamps out on my table, so naturally, I used those.  This is the poppies stamp, and I just covered up the poppies with a couple of big Prima flowers.  I didn't have two flowers in the color I wanted, so I airbrushed them with Copic markers.  At 5 inches by 7 inches, this card is a bit bigger than I usually make, and I have to say, I like the bigger format.

Be sure to check out the cards made by all the Divine Divas for this challenge!

Lori
Anne
Chris
Julie
Kerri

Hope you are inspired to come and play along. Just leave a comment on Lori's blog with a link to your card. We can't wait to see what you create! The keyword for uploading on online forums will be DDIC36.  Have fun and look for the next challenge on October 7th.

Craft Season has Begun!

It's after Labor Day, the weather has turned cooler, and the days are shorter.  All of these things signal the beginning of Craft Season, which almost immediately turns into Holiday Craft season.  All of a sudden, it doesn't seem to early to start working on Christmas cards, and here's my first one. 

I used the DoodleFactory Backlit Blooms Poinsettia and sentiment from Starving Artistamps.  The poinsettia is stamped with Copic markers.  Yes, you can do that!  The instructions can be found in the June/July 2010 issue of the Technique Junkies Newsletter.

Starving Artistamps has a whole slew of new stamps out besides these gorgeous blooms.  Best of all, Tracey is giving away some of the new stamps as blog candy all month on the company blog.  Check it out and spread the word!

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge 35

It's the first Thursday in September, and that means it's time for a Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge.

The photo Lori chose for us this time is a page from a Sundance Catalog.  I just love all the character in that wooden chest, so I tried to duplicate that in my background panel.  There's lots of stamping, sponging, embossing, sanding, and stamping again on there.  In real life, it really does have quite a bit of depth and character.  Too bad my photo skills aren't good enough to show you!

The flower image I used in a new DoodleFactory Backlit Bloom from Starving Artistamps.  I stamped the flowers with Fluid Chalk ink onto a piece of light aqua paper.  The paper has a beautiful fabric texture, and the chalk ink works really well to show off all that texture.

Kerri couldn't join us today, but be sure to check out the cards made by all the Divine Divas for this challenge!

Lori
Anne
Chris
Julie

Hope you are inspired to come and play along. Just leave a comment on Lori's blog with a link to your card. We can't wait to see what you create! The keyword for uploading on online forums will be DDIC35. Have fun and look for the next challenge on September 16!

People, People! Take a Seat!

Take a seat and browse all the wonderful creations from the Starving Artistamps design team using the brand new DoodleFactory People Take a Seat collection. 

I used Lizzie and Casey from the Cutie Kids set, and there's also a Sophisticates set that's perfect for more grown up occasions.  Be sure to check out the other designer's blogs (links are over in my right sidebar) for examples of both sets...as always, they've done themselves proud!

Oh, and did I mention the sale?  To celebrate the release, Starving Artistamps is having a 3-day sale.  The flyer at the bottom of this post has all the details.

Save the Date!

What's that you're saying?  It's been way too long since the last DoodleFactory release? 

Well, I couldn't agree more, and the good news is that your wait is almost over.  Starving Artistamps will be debuting a new DoodleFactory collection on Monday August 2nd.  From cute to sophisticated, there's something for everyone in the release!

Here's a little peek of what I did with one of the new stamps...

Divine Diva Inspiration Challenge 29

This bedroom design featured on the Better Homes and Gardens website is the inspiration for our first Divine Diva Inspiration challenge for the month of June.  First, let me just say that I love this room!  My guest bedroom walls are the same shade of blue as shown here and I already have dark brown and white accents, but I would never have thought to add lavender to the mix.  Care to guess what I'm going to be adding to that room?

I love this color palette so much that it became the major inspiration for my card.  I just happen to have the Basic Grey Wisteria 6" x 6" pad which had the perfect shade of lavendar.  As I was thumbing through the paper pad, I remembered the DoodleFactory Classic Decor set from Starving Artistamps with it's little table and vase of flowers.  Bazinga!  The papercrafting tools and supplies started flying after that, I'll tell ya!  I used Copic markers for coloring, Adirondack Pitch Black and Colorbox Fluid Chalk Chestnut Roan inks for stamping, and my Cuttlebug and Nestibilities dies to create my frame, which is cut slightly smaller that the background panel and affixed with Stamper's Magic POP tape, also from Starving Artistamps.

The thing I enjoy so much about this challenge is how all of the Divine Divas come up with beautiful creations, obviously using the same inspiration, but all so unique.  You can see all of their creations on their blogs: Anne, Chris, Lori, Julie, and Kerri.  And, don't forget that you're welcome to join us.  If you do, post a link on Lori's blog, and if you upload to Splitcoast Stampers or Papercraft Planet, use the keyword DDIC.

See you again soon, and if you happen to be at the Heirloom Stamp and Scrap Paper Arts Festival in West Springfield, MA this weekend, be sure to stop by the Starving Artistamps booth and say hi to Tracey.  You never know, you might run into me, too!

Check it Out!

There's a Virtual Rubber Stamp Convention going on right now at Rubberstamp Chat. Starving Artistamps is there with a great discount offer along with over 20 other vendors. If you like a bargain (and who doesn't?), check it out before it ends tomorrow.

My card for today features Flob from the Starving Artistamps DoodleFactory Creatures II collection doing the underpants dance.  One of the other creatures is probably taking way too long in the bathroom, lol!  Flob is colored with Copic markers, and the rest, I think, is pretty easy to figure out.

To all you mothers who happen by here, I hope you're having an enjoyable Mother's Day.  I'm fixing a fancy gourmet dinner for my mother-in-law, Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Asparagus, Spring Onions and Parsley-Tarragon Gremolata.  Hope she likes it!

A Miracle of Sorts

Glory be! I made this card for this week's Card Positioning Systems sketch challenge (165), and I'm actually posting it before the challenge ends. What next? Will I get my whole house clean at the same time? I just don't know what to think anymore, lol.

My card uses images from the Starving Artistamps DoodleFactory Creatures II set and paper from the Cosmos Cricket Early Bird Mini Deck.  Don't they play nice together? 

I think the details of how I made this card are pretty straightforward, but if you have a questions just leave a comment and I'll be happy to answer.

I gotta run...lots to do today!

Have you made your mom's card yet?

Good morning, Everyone!  It's a rainy day here, and you know what that means--can't do yardwork so I'll have to stay inside and play in my studio.  Aw, poor me!

It's getting to be time to think about getting Mother's Day cards done, so here's one for your inspiration (and further proof that the DoodleFactory Creatures II from Starving Artistamps are suitable for any occasion!):

 I colored Mom Spinkle and 'Lil Spinkle with Copic markers and the sprinkled both Spinkles with some Art Institute Glitter.  I also glittered up the heart and the Prima flower and added a sentiment with some rub-on letters, and voila!...a Mother's Day card any mother would love!

Lookie, Lookie...A New Card!

I didn't have as much time as I'd hoped for stamping last weekend, but I did get a few done, and today I even had time to take photos.  So without further adieu, here's a new card!

I'm still having fun with my DoodleFactory Creatures II set from Starving Artistamps.  This little cutie is Sprat, and I colored him with my Caran d'Ache Pablos pencils.  The printed paper is Cosmo Cricket Early Bird, and the background is a piece of Core'dinations that I embossed and then sanded. 

Well, gotta run for now, but I'll be back later in the week. 

A Kookie Card

I made this card for a Girl Scout themed swap over at Rubber Stamp Chat.  I love being a scout...good times and good memories!  Back then, we joked that if there was a merit badge for eating Girl Scout cookies, we'd all have them on our sashes.  So, I decided to award my swap partner with the coveted Girl Scout Cookie Eater merit badge.  She is a former scout, too, so I know she understands what an honor this is, lol!

The cookie eater on my "badge" is the small-sized Numnum from the original DoodleFactory Creatures set.  I colored Numnum with Copic markers, created a cut out circle frame with my nesties and added a sentiment from a $1 stamp from Michael's. 

So...anyone got any Girl Scout cookies left?  I ate all of mine already.  I think I'll make myself a badge too!

It's time to meet the Creatures...

They are finally here! The much-anticipated but so worth waiting for DoodleFactory Creatures II collection from Starving Artistamps is officially released! So now it's time to meet the creatures...

I'll start by introducing you to my favorite, Zed. Zed's a little bit gross but something about him just makes me giggle. Isn't he just the perfect thing to put on a little boy's birthday card? 

I colored my Zed with Copic markers and decorated him up all pretty for Easter.  I should also mention that I sort of CASE'd the layout from this card in the Splitcoast Stampers Fan Club gallery.  I say "sort of" because it was unintentional, but I did browse that gallery back when it opened, so I must have been inspired without really realizing it.  I wonder what else I would find if I really picked my brain.  (I know what you're thinking, "Like Zed's picking his?"  Very funny, people!)

The next little cutie I'd like you to meet is Unger.  Unger is sweet and adorable and loves glitter.  I think it suits her.  But then, who doesn't look good in glitter?

I colored Unger with Copic markers and gave her some Key Lime Art Glitter to wear.  I also used a morphed version of the Corduroy technqiue that our own Tracey Berkey contributed to the latest Technique Junkies Newsletter.  The printed papers on this card are Basic Grey Lime Rickey, and I created my multi-colored sentiment by inking the stamp with markers (water-based dye; not Copic).

All of the creatures come in both a large and small size, and I've used a whole crowd of the little ones on this card.  Meet 'lil Sprat, 'lil Spinkle, 'lil Gumbo, 'lil Clowd, 'lil Zed, and 'lil Unger.  And yes, the sentiment is supposed to be upside down.  It would be so normal and so boring if it wasn't. These are also colored with Copic markers and the papers on this card are Basic Grey Sugar Rush.

Believe it or not, there are still some creatures that I haven't introduced to you.  To see all of the new additions to the DoodleFactory and a bazillion more fabulous cards, be sure to visit the following places:  Starving Artistamps,  the Starving Artistamps Design Team blogs (links are in my left sidebar), and the Starving Artistamps Company blog.  Oh yeah, and if you leave a comment on the company blog telling which creature you like best, you could win the entire set!  What are you waiting for?  Get on over there!