7 Dots Magic School by Marina Syskova

It's no secret that I am a lover of mixed media.  When Marina Syskova announced her new joint venture Magic School with 7 Dots Studio - I about flipped my lid!  Woo hoo!  To learn from some of these great creative minds is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  So despite the busy holiday season approaching (and my desire to do December Daily), I am jumping in for this four week course beginning November 11.  The challenge promises to be exciting and I can't wait!  What about you?  Will you join this venture?  Find all the details on Marina's blog HERE.

Watercolored Lily of the Valley Card

Today I am sharing a sweet and sparkly encouragement card on the Tutti Designs Blog.  This card features our beautiful Lily of the Valley Bunch Die, which I colored with Twinkling H2Os.  I hope you will pop over and take a closer look.

I'm sharing my card with:
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
Lil Patch of Crafty Friends: Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes
Chocolate Baroque: Color Inspiration

Sunny Day Crafting: Always Anything Goes
Die Cut Divas: Embossing

Oh Deer Fall Woodland Cards with Tim Holtz Stamps

My sweet friend Bonnie shared this lovely felt leaf trim with me and I decided to pair it with some other natural elements for a couple of fall cards.  I just got Tim Holtz's new deer stamp set and couldn't wait to get it inked up!  I layered with some of Tim's vintage Christmas paper - oh how I love that plaid!

Isn't this trim so beautiful!  I mounted over burlap for a rugged feel.  I stamped Tim's vintage "rubber stamp company" word block over the background in sage to add a little interest and splashed with Walnut Stain.

I'm sharing with:

Simon Says Stamp: Autumn

Fussy and Fancy Friday: Shades of Autumn

Addicted to Stamps: Lots of Layers

Crafting When We Can: No Square Cards

Stamping Sensations: Autumn

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Let's Craft and Create: Autumn/Fall

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Purple Mixed Media Feather Card

I'm super excited to be participating in Becca Cruger's Hop to Stop Domestic Violence again this year.  What a great way to raise awareness for this worthy cause.  Thank you Becca for organizing another great hop.  I had in mind playing with a particular paper pad by Prima with a lovely deep purple.  I started by gessoing my paper with clear gesso and stenciling a Prima damask stencil onto the paper.  I sprayed a combination of purple inks over the stencil work for color variation.

I purchased this stamp a couple of months ago particularly for this cause.  It is amazing and truly speaks to me.  Shouldn't that be our goal?  I grew up in a home with a stepdad who turned from prince charming to drug addict and abusive husband almost overnight.  He caused so much pain and anxiety, not to mention bad memories.  I am thankful that my mom had the courage and support to leave after many years of struggle.  I am most thankful that God helped me to forgive him and that I am at peace with that part of my past now.

I thought it would be fun to layer the sentiment over the flower.  I just love the center of this flower and was able to tuck the sentiment in just so it would pop out.

I decided to tear the edges of my paper panel and then regretted it, so I added the torn off sections back to the sides and like the dimension it added.  I added some sequins and splashes of gesso for contrast.

I'm sharing with:

The Hop to Stop Domestic Violence

Prima October Cards and Tags

Allsorts: Sparkle and Shine

Glitter 'N' Sparkle: Black and Purple

Addicted to Stamps: Lots of Layers with a Stamp

The Mixed Media Card Challenge: Black and Purple

INKspirational: Black + One Color

Dark and Moody Double Take

I hope you are having a lovely October day today.  :)  I'm sharing a couple of dark and moody cards with you, each having a pink/purple offset to balance the dark.  I hope to find time to work on some more pink creations to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness, but have a busy weekend ahead.  I left these cards without sentiments and thought I could stamp out a strip of text and tuck in there at the last minute, pending the occasion.  So imagine they each have a beautiful verse or saying...

This was my recipe as I stated in the Dark and Moody Background Tutorial: First add something light and lacy to balance the dark, but still allow your beautiful background to show through.  Try lace or holey dies.  Next add some embellishments in a cluster.  You can use several flowers, or a combination of ribbon, sentiments, stamped images, etc.  Finally, add some more shimmer.  You can add  microbeads or chunky glitter, or sequins as I have.

Both of these cards feature handmade flowers.  I layered this flowers over some embossed vellum flowers, a favorite layering element.  I added splashes of black to tie in the distressed black edges of the background.

Dark and Moody Background Tutorial for Stamps and Stencils

I'm sharing with:

Simon Says Stamp: Think Pink

Daisy Challenge: Pink for Breast Cancer

Live & Love Crafts: Traditional Pink
Allsorts: Sparkle and Shine

Dragonfly Dreams: Think Pink

The Corrosive Challenge: Pink for Awareness

Die Cutting Divas: Think Pink Breast Cancer

Asian Easel Card with Pop Up Bamboo Dies

Each Thursday I am sharing a new project featuring Tutti Designs dies.  Today I am so excited to share this fun easel card using our new Bamboo Screen Die and some lovely Graphics 45 designer paper.  This is quickly becoming a favorite die for me!  I hope you will pop over to the Tutti Designs Blog for a the tutorial.

I'm sharing with:

Crafts Galore Encore: Anything Goes
Crafty Hazelnut's Patterned Paper: October
Creative With Stamps: Sentiment

Crafty Sentiments: Anything Goes
Creates and Makes: Anything Goes w/Twist Use a Die
Through the Craft Room Door: Anything Goes
My Time to Craft: Fancy Folds

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Elegant Autumn Card for IndigoBlu

I'm sharing an inspirational post with my teamies today on the IndigoBlu blog.  I was trying to think out of the box because I have a limited supply of traditional fall stamps by IndigoBlu.  I decided to experiment with their line of metallic paints and see how they compared to Distress inking.

I spread both Miss Money Penny Copper and Goldfinger onto my craft sheet with a palette knife and sprayed with a lot of water.  I dipped my panel in until I had good coverage and dried with a heat gun.  What a beautiful result!  I embossed the Vintage Flourish stamp in copper repeatedly on my panel.

This is one of my favorite stamps of all time!  Every time I use it I am wowed!  My background paper truly reminded me of something I would pick up at a specialty store.  I will definitely be trying this again in other color variations.  

For my focal image I used the skeleton leaves from the Blooming Great stamp set and inked them with a few colors of Distress Inks.  I love creating color variation by inking with multiple ink pads, especially for leaves.  I layered over a simple panel that I stamped with the Script Background stamp.  To achieve the faded look I lightly tapped Distress Ink onto the rubber and sprayed with water, then stamped without pressing too hard.

I'm sharing with:
Addicted to Stamps: Embossing
Stamping Sensations: Autumn
Let's Craft and Create: .../Autumn/Fall
The Crafter's Cafe: Use a New Technique
Classic Design Team Open Challenge: Anything Goes for DT
Craft-Dee Bowz: Anything Goes w/Handmade Bow
Use Your Stuff: Mixing Up Stamps

Metallic Elegance Mary and Child 12 Tags of Christmas

I'm back with you sharing my Christmas card inspired by The Funkie Junkie's 12 Tags of Christmas.  For my week 3 card, I was inspired by Linda's use of black and gold.  I did not have any products similar to those Linda used but I tried to keep the regal feel.

I thought I would play and develop a new background technique, so I started by spritzing my watercolor panel with water then quickly brushing IndigoBlu's Metallic Acrylic Paint in Goldfinger over the panel.  I had planned to lay a sheet of scrap paper over it and couldn't grab one quick enough so I pulled this plastic wrap packaging from the trash and quickly wrinkled it onto my paint.  Next I dipped my loaded paintbrush into water and mixed on my craft mat and splattered my panel.  I further cleaned my brush by wiping any excess paint along the edges of my panel.  I used gold texture paste through a Prima stencil for texture.  Then I sprayed both black & gold Glimmer Mist and Brown Lindy's Stamp Gang spray to darken it up.

You know those projects that are impossible to photograph, well this is one of them!  I just wish you could hold this in your hands to see the beautiful color variation and metallic shine - BUT - since you can't, imagine with me and trust me that this is so much prettier in person.

I stamped this Stampington & Company stamp in black onto inky paper.  I layered it over a prima doily die in brown.  I also stamped the IndigoBlu Script Background stamp in black in the open areas of my background.

The sentiment is also an oldie, but I love it!  Perfect for the season.  I wanted to try and keep an elegant feel so I layered a neutral bow and flower by Recollections.  The photos turned the flower pink, but it's not IRL.  The card base is metallic brown, a bit lighter than the doily.

To see all of my 12 Tags of Christmas click HERE.

Find these amazing products at The Funkie Junkie Boutique Today!

Prima Delightfully Thin Doily Die

Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black Pad #3

Ranger Tim Holtz Mini Distress Ink Pad - Vintage Photo

Studio 490 Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste - Gold

I'm sharing with:

The Funkie Junkie 12 Tags of Christmas: Week 3

Card Mania: Let it Shine

Creative Artiste: Anything Goes

Addicted To Stamps: Embossing

Christmas Card Challenges: Optional Color Inspiration

Glitter 'N' Sparkle: Anything Goes

Love to Create: Anything Mixed Media Goes

Floral Bouquet Digital Stamp and Giveaway

Welcome to Day 1 of the Graciellie Design Fall Fest blog hop. This month Graciellie Design is celebrating with lots of giveaways, sales and inspiration! Find the Day 2 and Day 3 hop list on Gracie's blog Sunday and Monday.  Each day you'll have the chance to win a digital stamp set of your choice from Gracie's shop following our blog hops. Winners will be announced on Graciellie Design's Facebook page on October 29th.  The designers have prepared beautiful projects for your crafty inspiration, so be sure to hop through all of the participants blogs.

For my card I used one of Gracie's beautiful digital papers for my layers.  I decided to go for a vintage toile look and changed my image to brown, similar to beautiful china patterns.  For my base layer I wrinkled my paper for texture.  I created a little banner with my printed sentiment.  A layer of crocheted lace and a seam binding bow add the finishing detail.  

Visit the other designer's in this hop:

Graciellie Design 

Barbara Rankin 

Autumn Clark (You are Here)

Gloria Stengel 

Make sure to visit the shop to see the special sales and promotions during Fall Fest.

Tim Holtz October 2016 Tag

I trust that you are having a lovely October day.  I am full speed ahead into Christmas crafting, with inspiration from the 12 Tags of Christmas, hostessed by The Funkie Junkie!  I did not make a September Tim's tag because I don't have any Yupo and I started not to make an October tag because I don't care for Halloween - UNTIL the idea to do a metallic snowflake popped into my brain.  And the rest is crafting history...

I picked out some of my favorite grungy winter papers and made my patchwork.  I used the grey Distress Crayon for my edges, which turned out beautifully.

For my snowflake, I adhered tin foil to cardstock with Mod Podge.  I picked up several Tim Holtz dies this summer on clearance and had forgotten all about them!  I was pleasantly surprised to find this one and the deer one in my stash when I was rearranging the other week.  Woot woot!  I just grabbed thew new thinlet snowflake set this weekend and decided to use a solid snowflake for my layering.  I splashed some white gesso to complete the snowy look.

I'm sharing with:

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2016: October
The Ribbon Girl: Anything Goes w/Ribbon
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas: Anything Christmas Goes
Happy Little Stampers Christmas: Embossing
A Snowflake's Promise: Anything Goes Twist of the Season
Crafty Creations: Not a Card
Create and Makes: Anything Goes w/Twist Use a Die

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Birds in Winter Shabby Vintage Card for Tutti Designs

I'm sharing the details of this winter bird card on the Tutti Designs blog today.  I hope you'll hop on over and pay me a visit there.  I truly appreciate your support on this new endeavor!  <3

I'm sharing my card with:

Card Mania: Let it Shine
Classic Design Team: Anything Goes
Crafts and Me: World Cardmaking Day
Christmas at Sweet Stampin': Glitter & Sparkle
Crafting by Design: Add a Sentiment
Scrappy Land: Anything Goes
Sunny Day Crafts: Anything Goes

Woodland Critter Autumn Tag for IndigoBlu

I'm sharing a tutorial for this autumn woodland tag on the IndigoBlu blog.  I do hope you'll check it out!  I truly appreciate your support.

I'm sharing my tag with:

Deep Ocean Challenges: Favorite Season
Inky Chicks: Animals
The Artistic Stamper: Patterns
Dies R Us: Leaves on Trees
Happy Little Stampers: Mixed Media - Nature
PINspirational: Photo Inspiration