In My Craft Room ......

I'm so happy that my craft room is coming together!!  I'll share a couple pictures of the before and after so far!!  But first - here's a few things I picked up when I was planning the reno in my head.  I wanted to have a few nice things to display on my huge Ikea desks :)  I love this frame because I can easily change the display.  That little owl wobbles, so cute!!

Here's what my room looks like now.  This room started out as a spare room / office.  Then I began to put my craft stuff in there.  Then it was a puppy room for a while.  Now it's all mine!!!  It's still pretty cluttered, there's still more organizing to do and I need to hang some rails and shelves on the walls but at least it's functional now.  I have so many drawers now to organize!!!  They're not even all full yet :)

Here you can see my Raskog Utility Cart full of my mixed media supplies.  

Here is my makeshift sewing table with some 12 x 12 paper storage :)  My 6 x6 paper pads are in the two drawers on the left.

This is why I had to do something about my craft room :(  this is the last room in our house to be re-done and I was waiting to do the carpets, closet doors and baseboards, but I just ran out of patience and couldn't wait any longer so I started the redo anyway :)

Happy Mail - Spring Crop & Create Delivered Kit

A nice big package was waiting for me at my door today!!!  This is the Blossoms and Breezes Spring Crop & Create Delivered Kit from Scrapbook and Cards Today :)

I'm loving these wood veneer words by Studio Calico, the gold Thickers and Amy Tangerine letters.  Included in the kit is the Spring Issue of Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine, links to videos and digital cut files to match the stamps and layout designs!!  Can't wait to play :)

Learn to Pause......

Yeah!!!  Today I get to join the Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge #24!!!  I'm always watching what they come up with next, the design team's creations are always stunning.  This challenge is using the Remnant Rub Resist Technique which can be found on page 51 of A Compendium of Curiosities Volume 3.

I might have mentioned in my last Tim's tag post that I LOVE using the Remnant rub-ons.  Seriously - they add such interest and the black is so bold - they really pop.  I love how crisp and sharp they look on my card and the contrast between them and the faded look of the stamped images in Watering Can Archival Ink.  The Remnant Rub Technique was a lot of fun and a little edgy for me to use them as Tim suggested!!  I enjoyed playing with my distress stains again too.  I added few water drops to add a little interest to the stained background and then I inked the edge of the card in Black Soot Distress Ink so that it would stand out on the paper (from Tim's Collage Paper Stash).

As I was deciding on how I wanted to put things together, I decided my image needed one more layer :)  This was a new technique for me as well.  I used some Distress Embossing Ink with Ranger Sticky Powder to add the silver foil to the image.  A new love for me now!!

The CC3C #24 is sponsored by The Funkie Junkie.

I'm also entering my card in the following:

Shopping Our Stash Challenge - Counting on You.  the challenge is to use numbers on your project
Simon Monday Challenge - B is for.... - for me B is for BOLD!  I mentioned the bold black of the rub-ons and also I think the colours of the stains are very bold as well!!!
Inspiration Imporium Monthly Challenge - Spring Blooms - since one of my background stamps has a pretty swirly flower cluster.


Stamps:  TH French Memories and Flights of Fancy
Ink:  Worn Lipstick, Tumbled Glass and Mustard Seed Distress Stains, Black Soot Distress Ink, Ranger Watering Can Archival Ink, Distress Embossing Ink
Paper:  Manila cardstock, TH 8x8 Collage Paper Stash, SU Black cs
Accessories:  TH Speckles Stencil, TH Numbers Remnant Rubs, TH Linen Ribbon, Ranger Vintage Foil Sheets, Ranger Sticky Powder

Hello Baby

Here is one of the cards I worked on at the Crop last week.  It's a baby card for my sister in law in New Zealand.  The little elephant is from Unity's stamp set Could I Be Any Cuter and the sentiments are from Simon Says Stamp Tiny Ray of Sunshine stamp set.

I actually used my sewing machine on this card with some silver thread!!!  Now that my scrap room is coming together I have a dedicated sewing table which has paper storage underneath.  I love how the inside of the card turned out.  

I'm sharing my card over at Unity's Friends With Flair tonight.


Supplies:
Paper:  Basic Grey Fresh Cut, SU Baked Brown Sugar and Whisper White
Stamps:  Unity Could I be Any Cuter, Simon Says Stamp Tiny Ray of Sunshine
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black
Accessories:  silver thread, Mister Huey Calico Shine Spray



I had to share this cute CTMH Make 'n Take card from the Crop last weekend that Donna let us make and our little gift was this cute little strawberry with a Hershey's Kiss inside :)

The Journey is Never Truly Over - Tim's Tags March 2015

I found some crafty time today, apparently, Donna's 12 hour crop yesterday was not enough :)  More on that in another post.  Today I'm sharing my version of Tim's March 2015 Tag.  Lots of fun!!!  I was lucky enough to be a winner last month with my very first entry!!!  So now I have the bug!!  

We started with a Marbled Paint technique which I have to work on a bit.  It got a little muddy on the bottom half of the tag.  That's why I went a little heavy on the embossing paste :)  There is actually some tissue tape under the paint, not sure if you can find it.....the stamped image was stamped in Archival Ink and then heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  Then we created a mask to cover the image and spread embossing paste through a stencil on the tag and and cover with gold embossing powder.  After it was dry, then we heated the powder.  WOW, love the shimmer of the gold embossed paste!!!  You can see Tim's Tag at the end of my post.

Here you can see how shiny the embossed stamped image is and how shimmery the gold embossed paste is.  I filled in a few empty spaces with some rub-ons.  Can't say it enough - I LOVE the rub-ons!!  It's easy to get carried with them :)

Supplies:  Tim Holtz Phrases 2 Clear Stamp, Elements Tissue Tape, Monocles, Memo Pin, Ring Fastener, Bubble Stencil, Botanical Remnant Rubs, Distress Paints (Picked Raspberry, Broken China, Rusty Hinge, Mowed Lawn, Antique Linen), Crinkle Ribbon, Distress Stain (Worn Lipstick, Broken China, Pumice Stone); Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste; Ranger Archival Ink; Stampin Up Gold Embossing Powder 

Art Journal Reveal - Live Simply. Dream Big.....

Well, better late than never, I finally finished my 3rd Art Journal page.  You might remember from my last two that my friend Tracy and I have an ongoing Challenge to each other to complete an Art Journal page every six weeks (or so) in my case.  Funny, I was late this time and I'm usually the one bugging Tracy to see if she's done yet :)  You can check out her Art Journal page here.

This time the theme was Love/Valentines.  I had always had in my mind that I wanted to use one of my Unity Stamps for this, and I chose this sweet girl.  The stamp is called 'Party Love' from Suzi Blu.

I had to include this picture so you could see the dimension!

I actually used several of my Unity Stamp sets on this.  They're all named them below.  As you can see from yesterday's post, the background really came together after I applied the tissue paper.  I then coloured with my Gelatos and spread the colour with my fingers.  By now I was friends with my Gelatos ;)

I couldn't wait for this next step!!  I coloured some white embossing paste with a turquoise Gelato and began to apply it through a Donna Downy stencil.  I tried for a gradient look, so in the lower left corner it's darker than in the upper right corner.

Next I wanted to add this stamped sentiment but because the page is not a flat surface anymore, I stamped it on plain tissue paper and adhered it with gel medium.  Love that I learned this trick - you can't even tell.  Then I stamped the white dots with the Heavy Body Paint and I blended over the stamped heart image with a grey Gelato.  I also used my new Hero Arts Neon Pink ink (LOVE IT) and some Archival Ink for some more background interest.

And lastly I added the Party Girl.  She was stamped onto some My Minds Eye paper several times so I could paper piece her dress and adhered with gel medium.  I then coloured her skin and leggings with my copics.  The shading you see in the first picture above was done with my Gelatos to add depth and to ground the image.  See the difference from here to when she's completed?  Oh, and I did a little doodling on her dress too :)

I am entering this in the Simon Wednesday Challenge - Special Lady/Girly and at The Shabby Tea Room's Challenge - A Pop of Pink.  I am also entering at Unity's Friends with Flair.


Supplies:
Unity Stamps Party Love (Suzi Blu), Beautiful Elements, January 2015 Smak Kit Ourselves, January 2015 KOM Magic of Beginnings; Bo Bunny Stamps Distressed Textures, Stained Textures; Donna Downey Blooming Floral stencil, Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste, Faber Castell Gelatos and PITT artist pens, My Mind's Eye Blush paper, Liquitex matte gel medium and Heavy Body White paint, Hero Arts Neon Pink Ink, Ranger Archival Inks, copics

3rd Art Journal Page - Sneak Peek

Just sharing some photos of my test page and early stages of my Art Journal page for my Love/Valentine Challenge with Tracy.  I always like to try out new techniques and mediums in my test journal.  Here I was trying out my new Gelatos.  These and my PITT pens were part of my Christmas gift from hubby.  I wanted to create a background with them and I experimented over gesso and plain paper.  I also stamped over it with Archival Ink and tried a little drippage too using some Heidi Swapp Color Shine :)

And here are a couple photos of the beginning stages of my actual Art Journal page.

I thought I wanted to collage some random pieces of paper to add interest to the background.  

I applied a coat of gesso and began to colour my page with the Gelatos.  At this point my Gelatos and I were not friends.  I did not like the coverage, and it seemed that no matter what I did, because my pages are not flat anymore, there is warping and texture, I couldn't get them to blend the way I was hoping.

So then I just covered it up :)  After this, things began to fall into place.  I'll share my completed pages tomorrow!!