Pinch Me!

Well, hello there Blog Friends! I am Over The Moon with excitement today, and would like to share my news with you ~

A few weeks ago, Tami Hartley from Hero Arts asked me if I would be interested in being a Guest Artist for the Hero Arts Blog! Seriously??? I had to read the email twice to convince myself she was really asking ‘me’ this question! Of course I said YES faster than a speeding bullet, and the rest is history!

I have turned off the comment section for today, and would be thrilled if you could head on over to the Hero Arts Blog to see 2 cards I created with a few of the new stamps and dies from the brand new Hero Arts Handmade for Christmas Catalog.

Here is a sneak peek of one of the cards:

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great day, and I hope to see you over at the Hero Arts Blog!

Barb

Stretch Your Stamps 2

Hi everyone ~
Just a quick post to share a card and a few tags I created for homework from the Stretch Your Stamps 2 class. 

On Day 10, Jean Manis was one of our instructors, and she shared a video tutorial with us creating an underwater scene using the same Paper Smooches stamp set.

 

I finally used my Cameo, and die cut the fish with some old bright papers I had in my stash. I added Glossy Accents to give them a little shine and a sentiment from another set. 

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On Day 6, three instructors created tags using the same Clearly Besotted Stamp set. My first 2 tags are a CASE of Laura Bassen's tags ~

 

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Copic Colors: YR02, RV17, RV25, R14,YG07, YG09, G05

I used my favorite tag die from Lil' Inker Designs for all of my tags...they're larger than an average sized tag, and there is a stitched border all around.

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Donna Mikasa provided a step-by-step photo tutorial for a tag using Distress Inks. Honestly, if anyone were to be named the 'Distress Ink Queen' of the paper crafting world, it would be Donna! And, she really raised the bar when she shared how to do the technique on this card:

 Distress Inks: Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, Squeezed Lemonade

For some reason the water spots are not showing well on the yellow portion of the card on screen, but are evident IRL.  

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My last tag is a CASE of a card created by Debby Hughes. I chose not to add it to a card so I can attach it to the little goodies I send off to my granddaughter in Florida. Here is my tag:

Copic Markers: R20, R30, YG07, G14 

The flower on this tag was embossed with white EP on Birch Wood Veneer and colored with Copics. I used PTI Berry Sorbet for the sentiment tag, however it's showing on screen in red...can't win!

Anyway, Stretch Your Stamps 2 was a LOT of fun, and I'm sure I'll be going back to view the archives for ideas very often in the future!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please check back on Wednesday, if you have a chance for an exciting post ~

Barb

Stretch Your Stamps 2

Hi everyone ~
I've been really enjoying the online card class Stretch Your Stamps 2 but have had little time to create over the past week. So, I finally carved out some time to play, and I have 3 cards to share:

 

My first card was strongly inspired by Debby Hughes (Day 7), who worked with graphic stamps and random patterns with stamp kissing. I've owned this AE Rounded Diamonds set for about a year, so I was really grateful to get some fun ideas about how to use it on a card. 

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On Day 2, Jen McGuire created a card using a background stamp, but I was excited to use my new Hero Arts Stencil for this card, and the Avery Elle Rounded Diamonds die set for the aperture.

 

When I saw this word die by Lil' Inkers, I just had to have it! I didn't buy the coordinating stamp set, so I paired it with one from PTI's Flower Fusion 1. I'm sure there are a number of sentiments in my collection that will work for it, too...so it's all good. I mean, 'seriously', how many more stamp sets do I need? I know you understand!

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My last card was created after a lesson by Jen Rzaza, using this Clearly Besotted Stamps Set with Distress Inks and debossing outline images.

Here is a close-up:

After I stamped the flower, I pulled some of the ink into each petal with a thin brush, and debossed the entire image with the matching die. I love this angled panel, and I thought it looked great with the fanned out thread and Altenew sentiment. I also water colored the leaves and buds and popped on a few small gems.

So, that's it for me today. I hope everyone has had a great week, and  that your weekend is fun and relaxing! Thanks for stopping by ~

Barb

Addicted to Stamps & More Challenge #108 - Holiday

Hi there blog friends ~ We are back with another fun challenge this week at Addicted to Stamps & More, and our theme is “Holiday”! Here is my card:

Mama Elephant just came out with dies to match the stamps in this set, so for my card, I embossed the 3 Trick-or-Treaters on the front card panel, then stamped and colored them with my Copics. It’s a little hard to see in this photo, so here is a close-up:

I love a lot of white space on my cards, but I couldn’t resist those cute little bats, so I added a few of them, some WOS clear glitter and selective inking on my sentiment.

I hope you will take a peek at the ATSM Blog ~ My teammates have created some really amazing cards, which I hope will inspire you to join in the fun!

And, don’t forget, we always have a wonderful sponsor, and for this challenge it’s Rick St. Dennis, who is offering the winner of this challenge 3 digi stamps!

Thank you so much for stopping by ~
Barb


Supplies:
Stamps: Mama Elephant - Bootastic
Ink: Ranger - Archival Black Ink; PTI - Summer Sunrise
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White, True Black
Dies: Mama Elephant - Bootastic
Misc: Wink of Stella - Clear Glitter Marker

You Are Very Special

Hi everyone ~
Today is my turn to post on the a2z Scrapbooking Supplies Blog, and I have a card to share:

To create this card, I started by stamping the Leafy Vines pattern on to a piece of Lilac Cardstock for a tone on tone look, then stamping the sentiment in black. I also stamped the sentiment on a 4 by 5 White Cardstock. I die cut the Lilac paper with Frame Cuts Heart and mounted it on to the white background, lining it up with the sentiment. Lastly, I added some silver hearts and placed the white panel on to a scalloped lilac card base with dimensional tape.

We would love to have you join us in this month’s Challenge. Our theme is 'Encouragement’, and all you have to do, is link up your card or project to the gallery for you chance to win a $25.00 Gift Card at the a2z Scrapbooking Store. And, don't forget while visiting the store, you are more than welcome to use my Coupon Code Barb15 for 15% off your total purchase before tax and shipping!

And...since the challenge this week at A Blog Named Hero is all about die cutting, I would like to enter my card ~

Thanks so much for stopping by...I hope everyone has a great weekend ~
Barb 

Sending Love and Hugs

Hi everyone ~
I've had a wildly busy week so far with very little time to create, and I'm finally able to post my first card for Online Card Class Stretch Your Stamps 2. As always, this class has been really fabulous! I'm inspired by all of the designers, and fell in love with an ombre card created by Laura Sterckx.

If you're not familiar with Laura, she is a 16 year old paper crafter, who is incredibly talented! She likes to create with whimsical images (like Mama Elephant and Lawn Fawn), and her cards usually have feminine colors and delicate details. Aside from her responsibilities with school, Laura maintains Her Blog, is a Design Team Member for at least 2 Design Teams, and has a You Tube Channel! I guess it's obvious, I'm a HUGE FAN, and I'm super excited to CASE one of her cards! 
Here is my card:
    

I used the Highline Ironwork stamp that was recommended for the class for my background, embossed it with clear EP, and inked it with distress inks. The sentiment and banner are from Mama Elephant, and I added silver thread, and a few pale pink sequins. I also channeled my inner Laura Bassen with a few dots of Glossy Accents ~ I have to say, I really love how the clear dot picks up the colors underneath...very pretty IRL!

So, that's it for me today...I hope everyone is having a great week, and enjoying class as much as I am! Thanks so much for stopping by ~

Barb 

 Supplies:

Stamps: Hero Arts - Highline Ironwork Background; Mama Elephant - Sweet Havana

Ink: Versamark; Tim Holtz Distress Inks - Picked Raspberry, Dried Marigold, Spun Sugar

Cardstock: Papertrey Ink - Select White. Vellum, Sweet Blush

Embossing Powder: Hero Arts - Superfine Clear

Sequins: Pretty Pink Posh

Misc: Glossy Accents, Silver Thread