Technique Junkies Welcome Hop! Happy Wednesday!

Welcome Junkies!  Thanks for starting April out with us! Today is an exciting day for the Technique Junkies team and to celebrate we are hosting a Welcome Hop!  We have lots of exciting news to share with you so make sure you start at the very beginning of the hop The Technique Junkies Designer Blog so you don't miss anything! As part of the celebration stamps in the TJ store will be on sale from 4/1-4/8 at a generous 15% off!

I am honored to be a part of such a super talented team of designers!  You have just come from our main Designer's blog which will be your main source for everything Technique Junkies!

I have a couple projects to share with you today featuring two really fun stamps from the  brand new April release: SD635 Kitty Watching and SDX Whatcha Doin?

I just love this little guy peeking out over the wall- and the sentiment just fits perfectly with this stamp!

Since I am an animal lover-my second project also features a furry friend- this one is S625 Kitty Profile.  So many techniques can be used to stamp and color this fabulous cat!  I chose a watercolor look-purely by stamping! Such amazing detail in this stamp!  

I was so excited to get stamping and creating with Technique Junkies fabulous stamps I have a Bonus project for you today featuring an incredibly versatile background stamp S597 Poppies and another great sentiment from the set PS005 Sentimental Sayings.

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I would love for you to share your thoughts in the comments section! 

Here is the lineup for today's Hop, be sure to to visit all the designer's for more great inspiration:

Design Team Blog   

Pam DeChellis      You Are Here!

Marilyn Hughes 

Kathy Stacy

Robin Redd 

Beth Norman

Jane Bosi 

Gini Cagle 

Jerri Jones

Sally Lynn MacDonald 

Pat Huntoon 

The next stop in the Welcome Hop is Marilyn.  Go check out her amazing creations and be inspired! 

Be Curious-Embrace Imperfection!

Pam

Texture Paste with Stencils Class at Bella Art

Another great class at Bella Art yesterday sharing my love for stencils and texture paste. Class participants learned the basic of using Ranger Texture Paste and Embossing Paste with stencils to make stunning backgrounds for cards and scrapbook layouts.

They also learned different techniques to color texture paste and use embossing powders along with texture paste for added dimension!

Keep an eye on my workshops page for all upcoming classes or visit Bella Art online!

You're Tee-Riffic Paper Smooches Designer Drafts Challenge

This week's Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge is Designer Drafts-here is the layout:

I have been thinking about a design for this one all week and it came to me this morning! Taking my dogs for a walk (we live on a golf course) this morning and for the first time since early February we can actually see the green rolling hills of the course.  While I love snowshoeing on the course in winter I am more than ready to see the beautiful tailored greens and smooth fairways.  OH and by the way I don't golf-lol.  

I knew I had the Paper Smooches Stamp set My Guy which includes some golf themed stamps, so I put this inspiration together with the above design and here is the result:

I recreated the rolling hills and stamped the holes with flags onto the green card stock.  I re-stamped them again onto white card stock, colored and cut them out and essentially paper pieced these to the original stamped images.  To adhere the tiny pieces I ran them through the Xyron 150 sticker maker- love this adhesive for paper piecing, especially such small elements. 

The flags and golf balls were then covered with glossy accents.

The background was made by running white yardstick through a tiny dots embossing folder and lightly colored with distress ink.  the cute cart was stamped onto Neenah desert storm card stock and colored with Intense pencils, I love the look of these pencils on kraft.

Hope you join in on this week's challenge at Paper 

SmoocheSparks!

Honored to be joining the 2015 Xyron Design Team

So excited and honored to be joining such an amazing and talented group of artists!  I love Xyron products and use them daily in my artwork/crafting.  Like their Facebook page here to follow all the goings on with the DT and see their designs to spark your creativity.

We are thrilled to introduce our New Xyron Design Team! We've got some familiar faces and some fresh new talent - can't...

Posted by Xyron on Friday, March 27, 2015

Creative Vision Stamps Sentiment Showcase

Today I would like to share two cards I made using the Creative Vision Stamps Sentiment : Hip Hip Hooray : It's your day.  I just love this sentiment as it is super versatile.  I am showcasing it today in two different cards, one with more of a birthday theme and the other more of a "celebrating you" theme.

The background of the card on the left which looks like a wrapped up birthday present was made using The Crafter's Workshop Circle Grid stencil, Ranger distress inks-along with Ranger clear embossing powder to give the circles a shimmer.

I love the shape of this sentiment- it makes such a great focal image.

For the second card I used the Simon Says Stamp Full card Sunshine die and colored it with Dylusions sprays for that vibrant sunshine look! It was then matted on a piece of orange glimmer card stock for additional shine.  The sunny feel of this card really makes me smile!

I am entering these cards into the Addicted to Stamps Challenge #100 Celebration! Check them out and join in the fun.

Easter is just around the corner - I best get HOPPIN'

With Easter just around the corner-it was definitely time to start making some Easter Cards.  I decided to do 2 cards using the same background technique-yet with very different looks.

The first card is true to my style-inky and grungy.  I am going to be teaching this background technique in the coming months. It was done with a stencil, distress ink and embossing powder.  For the grungy card the white card stock was then inked with Frayed Burlap and Antique Linen Distress inks.  For the second more clean and simple card, the background was left white with just the pastel circles.  Same technique, same stencil, same inks but a totally different look!

The bunny was cut from Grungeboard using Tim Holtz's Easter die. The egg from the Tim Holtz's blueprint stamp series- stamped on watercolor card stock and water colored with distress inks.  I used a bit of a different technique to color the ideology flowers.  I first painted them with Picket Fence distress paint and then colored them with alcohol inks.  I like this look better than just painting them-so much more texture.

Of course I added a sentiment with chit chat stickers, adhered with my Xyron 150 sticker maker, and layered that on an inked piece of burlap.

The grass was cut from Tim Holtz green distress card stock using the Tattered Fringe die and inked and tattered.

So now for the clean and simple card- I love the juxtaposition of the two cards with the same background technique- one just a LITTLE more inky : ).

The focal image here is one of the Stampendous Calendar Chicks (now retired).  I added a ribbon, which I adhered by running through my Xyron- I find this the best way to adhere ribbon!

I will be entering these into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Spring Pinterest Inspiration and the Creative Card Crew Challenge #83 Easter Critters.

Another Creative Vision Showcase

So excited to be back today with another of my projects for Creativ Vision Stamps - the more I work with these stamps, the more I love them!! Such great quality- I cannot say enough about them.  I use a ton of techniques in my projects and they just stand up so well to all types of inks!
The stamp set I am showcasing here is : Grapes in Wine.  Just love this set- great images and great quips and sentiments:

The background is altered text print patterned paper colored with various shades of red and purple distress.  The array of wine glasses and "got wine" was stamped over top in archival black ink.  I stamped the wine glasses a second time on another piece of the patterned paper and cut out. After coloring each they were adhered over the stamped images to give some added dimension.

Be sure to stop on over to the Creative Vision Stamp site and check out their selection! You will not be disappointed!