Thursday, February 24, 2011

Thursday's Dream Scheme Sketch Challenge

It's Sketch Challenge Day!  These are really a lot of fun and I hope that you're getting some inspiration from the Dream Team.  Ideas feed off of each other and all it takes is one Ah Ha! moment to get the creative juices flowing.  Here we go:

The Sketch
      
                                                                        The Card          



Both the vertical lines and the daisies were dry-embossed and inked using Splendor inks by Tsukineko.  For the lines, I used the new plaid stencil, LX7002; the daisies are LL548.  That's all there is to it.  This is a quick and easy card to make.  You can have several on hand and the sentiments can be added as needed.   Or, you could make a set of six or eight, each in a different, but coordinating color and sentiment, to give as a gift.  Hmmm. . . it's not too early to be thinking about Mother's Day and teacher gifts.

Check the other Dream Team blogs to see what they have whipped up for you.  You're sure to get lots of good ideas.

Happy Crafting,
Liz
































Thursday, February 17, 2011

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come again another day . . . or maybe not

If you're looking for the Virtual Valentine's Day Blog Hop, scroll down to the next post.

Welcome to this week's Thursday Dream Scheme.  I know I shouldn't complain about the rain when family and friends are dealing with snow shovels, snow blowers and HUGE amounts of the white, fluffy stuff.  But I'm a California girl and, while I know we need the rain, couldn't it just rain at night and be sunny during the day?

Since Mother Nature bats last, I'm using this cheery rooster to remind me that Spring and Summer are just months away.  The stencil (LG732) was released at CHA last month and is fast becoming one of my favorites.   I paste embossed the rooster with matte black paste.  When that was dry, I repositioned the stencil and applied crackle paste. (Don't forget to wash your stencil immediately after each paste application.)  Crackles appeared as the paste dried, but he needed to be a bit more colorful for a rooster.  Repositiioning the stencil over the rooster, I used chalk for color and shading.

Before pasting up a few more roosters, I used double-sided sticky paper to adhere the printed paper to heavier card stock.  This kept the printed paper from curling as it absored moisture from the paste.   I did not do that on the card in this post and you can see a bit of warping under the top feather.   It's a learning process . . .


Be sure to check the Dream Team member blogs on the right for more fun projects.  See you next week and Happy Crafting,

Liz

Monday, February 14, 2011

Virtual Valentine's Day Blog Hop

Thanks for joining us on the Virtual Valentine's Day Blog Hop.  If this is the first blog you're visiting, the next stop (after leaving a comment here, of course) should be at Taylor Usry's blog, The Quiet Moments, where you'll find all the details, the sponsors who are providing the amazing prizes, and the list of talented designers who have made special projects for the hop.  Briefly, to be eligible to win,  visit as many blogs as possible and leave a comment on each one.  The more blogs you visit and leave a comment on, the more chances you have to win; and the prizes are fabulous!  You will be able to post comments until 6 p.m. Thursday, February 17, and the winners will be announced the following day.


I used the glossy red embossing paste on the Dangling Heart stencil (LM272) and while the paste was still wet, sprinkled it with Stampendous ultra-fine pink pastel glitter.  That's all there is to it.  Layer it with your favorite papers and your card is sure to bring a smile to the recipient.


Thanks for visiting.  The next blog on the hop belongs to Kim Reid  at http://kraftinkimmiestamps.blogspot.com/        Be sure to stop by and leave a comment.
Happy Crafting,
Liz
 

Here's the list of Virtual Valentine's Day Blog Hop Participants.  The list of sponsors and their prizes follows:
Taylor Usry - http://taylorusry.blogspot.com/
Libby Hickson - http://stampinlibby.blogspot.com/
Cindy Coutts - http://cindycoutts.com/
Cyndi Bundy - http://scrappychickcyndi.blogspot.com/
Amber Hillman - http://ambersantics.blogspot.com/
Angelique Nederpel - http://scrapping-angel.blogspot.com/
Tanya Johnson - http://little-scrapper.blogspot.com/
Suzi McKenzie - http://mrsweyremaster.blogspot.com/
Cathy Wallington - http://ellieskeeperscreations.blogspot.com/
Pam Hornschu - http://1pamperedstamper.blogspot.com/
Wendy Price - http://paperinkandsmiles.blogspot.com/
Patricia Hays - http://thinkingofinking.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Maria Levine - http://riacreations.blogspot.com/
Sandie Dunne - http://sandieshores.blogspot.com/
Juanita Gillen - http://stampintwilghtmom.blogspot.com/
Janelle Stollfus - http://rainpuddlesdesign.blogspot.com/
Mary Collins - http://www.softangelkisses.blogspot.com/
Berenice Rendon - http://karbersweetescape.blogspot.com/
Cheryl Gorka - http://shestamps.blogspot.com/
Jessica Fitzgerald - http://jkfitzgerald.blogspot.com/
Dee Morris - http://sprytebyrd.blogspot.com/ -
Darsie Bruno - http://www.craftingwithdarsie.blogspot.com/
Sandy Allnock - http://acolourfulworld.blogspot.com/
Margie Cortina - http://ohbumbleismemargie.blogspot.com/
Kathy Fronczak - http://pixieduststudio.blogspot.com/
Cat Darling - http://catscraftycorner.blogspot.com/
Joyce Martens (Jolara) - http://jolaras.blogspot.com/
Erin Leveille -http://stamptillucramp.blogspot.com/
Gudrun Loennecken- http://papirbloggen.blogspot.com/
Mackenzie Bruckler - http://midnightscramper.blogspot.com/
Melissa (Pink Cat) - http://pinkcatstudio.blogspot.com/
Patty Tanuz - http://cardsbypattytanuz.blogspot.com/
Emily Leiphart - http://www.leiphartonart.blogspot.com/
Jane Matsumoto - http://whoopsiedaisy-jane.blogspot.com/
Kimme Leach - http://kimme-thelifeofaprincess.blogspot.com/
Kerry Kung - http://kerryischilling.blogspot.com/
Heather Lee-Reppen - http://inkonmyear.blogspot.com/
Rachel Sztonyk - http://gingerbreadgallery.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Dove - http://just4funcrafts.blogspot.com/
Lysa Q- http://lysaq.blogspot.com/
Erica Johnson-Wanzer - http://www.inkedupandreadytoplay.com/
Tina Kiehn - http://kiehn10.blogspot.com/
Sugar Whiting - http://sugscardsnmore.blogspot.com/
Karin Martin - http://karin-withaniforpaper.blogspot.com/
Sunghee Chon - http://www.creativityinprogress.com/blog/
Tanis Palmer - http://tannyps-rubbish.blogspot.com/
Lindsey Martin-Penny - http://www.bashfulblogging.blogspot.com/
Kristi Parker Van Doren - http://kristiscreativecafe.blogspot.com/
Julie Elak - http://www.lastminutecrafter.blogspot.com/
Alison Heikkila - http://alisonsrandomthoughts.blogspot.com/
Audrey E - http://hippieaud.blogspot.com/
Laura Drahozal - http://www.rememberinglifesmoments.blogspot.com/
Louise Healy - http://www.artfullyarticulate.blogspot.com/
Wendy Jordan - http://www.papertherapy-wendy.blogspot.com/
Lynell Harlow - http://www.dreamweaverstencils.blogspot.com/
Terrece Siddoway - http://www.made4ubyt.blogspot.com/
Kim Reid - http://kraftinkimmiestamps.blogspot.com/
Beth Ranney-Thomas - http://inkyfingersrule.blogspot.com/


Here's the list of AWESOME companies donating prizes!
- StampInsanity - with a set of choice for one winner
- Meljens designs - 4 digis to one winner
- Pixie Dust Studio - 2 digis to one winner
- Lizzie Anne Designs - $10 gift certificate (donated by Taylor U)
- Christian Paper Crafts - 1 year general membership
- Paper Pretties - 3 total winners: 1 person will receive Timeless Love stamp set; 2 people will
               receive 5 digis of their choice from the store
- Karber Digital Images - 2 digis to one winner
- Di's Digi Downloads - 5 digi images to one winner
- The Scrappychick Boutique - 2 6x6 Cosmo Cricket paper pads to one winner
- Stampendous - 4 cling rubber stamps from new release to 1 winner
- Pink Cat Studio - 5 digis of winner's choice to one winner
- Amber Ink - $10 gift certificate (and more if people use an Amber Ink product - see deets on
               their blog)
- Simply Betty Stamps - 3 digis of the winner's choice
- Mark's Finest Papers - set of their choosing to the winner
- Dreamweaver's Stencils - a couple stencils, pearlescent embossing paste and a palette knife
- Chi Chi Memories - Meaning of Love Digi Stamp Set to one winner
- Little Potato House - $20 gift certificate
- Kenny K digis: 4 digis to one winner
- Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: winner's choice of 2 images

Thursday, February 10, 2011

It's still Thursday, right?

Late edit:  I know the difference between AM and PM . . . I just didn't remember to add it when I scheduled this post earlier in the week.

Welcome back for this week's color challenge:  pink and brown . . . perfect colors for Valentine's Day.  


I began by paste embossing pale pink card stock with the small Damask stencil (LJ907) and pearlescent embossing paste.  I then inked a smaller piece of pink cardstock with a brown Artist's Paintstick and the Heart Swirls stencil (LL567).  When both were dry, I trimmed the edges, mounted the paste embossed piece on to brown cardstock, added ribbon and attached the scroll heart with 3D dots.  There you have it – simple, elegant and easy to make in multiples – enough to send to all your favorite Valentines.

Be sure to visit the other Dream Team blogs listed on the right to see more pink and brown creations.  Have a Happy Valentine's Day and see you next week,
Liz

Thursday, February 3, 2011

The Creative Process

You know how you start a project with an idea of how you want it to turn out and then somehow, along the way, it ends up being not exactly what you had in mind?   Well, the creative process sometimes takes us on a winding road to our final destination and we should learn to enjoy the journey. 

At the Craft and Hobby Association convention this past weekend, I learned a new technique using double sided sticky paper, two stencils, foil, flock and glitter.  Later, I had the opportunity to recreate the process and, while everything was going smoothly – or so I thought – I neglected to brush off the excess black flock before removing the top stencil.  What resulted was the soft black velvety background you see in the photo, rather than the pure white flock which was to be applied in the next step.   The point of my rambling is to be a bamboo (a favorite saying from a former colleague) – be flexible, keep an open mind, and if something doesn't turn out as you thought it should,  it's OK, it just might be better!   Creating is all about giving ourselves permission to experiment, to try something different, to make lemonade out of lemons. 

I thought a lot about the creative process on the flight home and the more I looked at my card, the more I liked it . . . and more "what ifs" came to mind.  So come back next week to see where the creative process has taken me.

Big thanks and hugs to Julie Makela, a very talented woman with a delightful sense of humor, who demonstrated the technique I tried to recreate, and to Lynell Harlow, our fearless leader at Dreamweaver Stencils for her encouragement and for giving us such a great product to work with.

And apologies to the attendants on Southwest Flight 2417 for the glitter on the (thankfully) unoccupied seat next to me.

Happy crafting,
Liz