MSW Sketch and New ScrapFX Post Live

Hey, hey, hey!  Can you tell I just watched Fat Albert with the kids?? Love that movie and loved Fat Albert when I was a kidlet!  Did you watch it?

I've got a new post up at ScrapFX and would LOVE for you to check it out!!  You can go here to take a peek because there is a LO there I won't be posting here just yet and lemme tell you I think it goes in my twenty-twelve favs category!!  Let me know what you think, K? xx

Sketch selected from the plethora of designs at My Sketch World!

For our June card designer reveal at MSW, we were asked to choose one of our favorite sketches to use.  I chose the above sketch because I think it allows for many takes and creative freedom.

For the background I used a combo of Dylusions spray inks to get some color going - as you can tell I wound up with a lot of color going on! - I'm really diggin' the deep, bright, saturated hues of these inks - I dabbed some paint and gesso through stencils and punchinella to create the patterns - the cool thing is the mediums layered on top of the Dylusions pick up a tint of the ink color unless you use some type of fixative - I used one of my hand-carved stamps to add some clouds (of course, LOL) - and added a few pen marks to finish it off - from there I let the washi tape and ScrapFX chippies take over.  To find out what I did to alter the chipboard go to my post here.

As I look at this card I'm still not sure that I like it - I think its kind of dark for a celebrate sentiment.  My DT friends at ScrapFX assured me it was good to go and said not to change a thing - I trust those girls to tell me if I've flopped, boost me up when I'm questioning myself, and give praise beyond belief!  Really blessed to have such tremendous people to work with!

Background shot just because I love photos taken with my iPhone. ;0)

Speaking of tremendous - it will be a tremendous feat if I can accomplish all I need to over the next couple days.  I made a tag earlier in the month and hung it up with the other two I posted here.  I look at it a lot to keep on truckin' and so I'll leave you with that today as well.  

Another go with Dylusions - the clouds were cut from a tag gone bad, LOL - this would be why I never throw bad experiments away - they can always be turned in to cool embellies! - used some Liquitex String Gel as a resist to create circles and Sakura Glaze pens for the raindrops - Crafter's Workshop stencil for the chevron (really glad I sprung for the 6x6 size, now I've got both, YAY!) - A bit of washi tape, pen work, and a Studio Calico potty person (so cute and fun) finished it off!

Have a spectacular day sweet peeps!  It is what you make it!

Its the Little Things - Skissedilla #168 {ScrapFX}

Hi Again!  So happy to be back today to share my latest page for Skissedilla!  Taking the time to come here and blog feels good - it truly is the little things that bring joy  - and amongst all the craziness that is summer I delight in all the little things I can find - frogs and toads being some of them! ; )

I used a lot of ScrapFX chippies on this page and love how they helped me set a cutie lil' scene - since that is one of my fav scrappy things to do and all - can you believe the tree is actually supposed to be a party hat??!  Yep, I'm all about using items for their intended purpose at least once and then moving on to try different things out.  I adore these little cattails - it was actually one larger piece I snipped apart.

Around here frogs and toads are abundant!!  This is the one creature found outside that everyone in the house can handle having shoved in their face to have a look at at!!  My boy is especially found of them!

Here you can see the texture and additional patterns I created on the background.  I started by spraying ink through my Crafter's Workshop triangle stencil in a couple of shades I knew would create a variety of greens.  I gave this a good spray with water - once dry I added some gesso bricks, let it dry, and rubbed over with ink pads.  The ScrapFX wordlet used was one piece I snipped apart.  I love that you can really make all these chippies suit your needs no matter what!!  The sun was created as in yesterday's Father's Day post (scroll down if you'd like to see), and peeking up is my tag with journaling!

 In fact its crazy he likes them as much as he does because he is SOO not a nature kid.  Give him an air conditioned house with some good movies or shows and a handheld game device and he's good - and no its not just because he's 15 - he's been like this since he was an itty bit!

The tag (ScrapFX) shares more on this same story.  I shot the tag with a couple pumps of Dylusions spray ink and then stenciled over it with Pan Pastels to create the clouds.  While I still had the stencils in place I decided a bit of stamping to give pattern was in order along with some scribble lines - and can I just say it was insanely hard to get all those trims through the hole??! LOL  I was determined!

I typically don't care for doing monochromatic (mostly) color schemes.  For some reason I tend to freeze up with them.  However green is my favorite color and when I saw the F is for frog challenge at My Sketch World I knew exactly the photos I wanted to use - having a super fantabulous sketch from Skissedilla as my launching pad?? Even better!!!

I was feelin' the green - can you tell??!  I'm very much inspired to continue on with mono (mostly) inspired pages.  I've so many papers this is a great way to use them up - pick a color and go!

Have you checked out the sketch I created this LO with??  I'd love for you to hop over and play along!   What color should I play with next??

Have great days!!

Happy Father's Day

Hello!  While its a day late I couldn't resist posting a quick Happy Father's Day wish and the card I made for my FIL.  He has helped my hubby and I out endlessly with so many things.  We're very thankful for him and his love for us daily.

 Melodie Lens, Big Up Film (thanks Michelle!), no flash
Lately I've been playing around on different types of paper/tags to get the creative juices flowing again.  This piece was created on watercolor paper and uses Dylusions spray ink (newest love *eek* finally a spray ink I can get down with!!), gesso, acrylic paint.  Punchinella and a Crafter's Workshop stencil were used to make the patterns.  I decided I'd start with this piece as inspiration for the card I was yet to create.

I wanted a card that was happy and bright, yet could be used for Father's Day.  I didn't want the card to be your typical male card - know what I mean?  

My FIL was a train conductor - our kids love knowing this.  I wanted to use a train and this EP one was all I had.  Totally pushed my luck since it is meant for a kidlet - the addition of little smoke puffs made me smile.

I layered up some patterned paper and added some stamping to my background piece - my idea of a little graffiti, LOL.  Stamped on washi tape for the sentiment and added some twine.

The sun was stamped on Ranger stick back canvas using a hand-carved stamp I made.  I have a fun little stash of my own designs but I must say this one gets the most use!  I stamped using Lumiere metallic paint and then sprayed over with two shades of Dylusions.  I blended the ink with a paintbrush, heat dried, outlined, and cut out.  The clouds are covered with some concoction I had leftover on my table one day.  It an effort to never waste mixtures, paint, mist, etc. I always spread my leftovers onto punched shapes or paper scraps I've got laying on my table.  It always comes in handy later at the just right time!

This card made my FIL smile from ear to ear, chuckle, and say it was really cute.  I usually don't see when people open cards or things I make for them - guess I embarrass easily and don't like the attention - however this is one time I'm really glad God prompted my FIL to open it so quickly and I'd no time to escape. 

The ABC crop is in full swing over at My Sketch World.  Totally fun crop - member inspired - great prizes - and even better friends!

The challenge for letter E was to create a matching envelope for a card.  I decided no time like the present to knock that one off my long list of challenges to try and hit up.

Nothing too fancy or involved but quick, easy, and a cute little extra to make the card truly special.  Looking at it now if I would have been really on top of my game I would've added a picture to this - DOH!  Wonder if he kept the envie??

I've got a TON of work to share with you coming up and I'm truly hoping all things align just right and fall in to scheduled place so I can blog, blog, blog!

What types of things do you set up to keep your bloggy time in tact?  Have you thought about following some type of schedule where you do certain types of posts on certain days - or just blog as need/feel it?

Thanks for stopping by, chime in on the questions above because I'd love to know your thoughts (some of my bloggy friends that stop by here are so good I need to know!!) Good days to you!

Tag You're It!!

Hey Sweet Peeps!  It has been WAY too long since I've been here - my word its a new month and everything!!  Life has been crazy busy and adjusting to all that is going on has left me with little time to blog any haps!  Really need to change that - perhaps blogger mobile is in order??  Anyone use that to actually post blogs?  If you do do you like it?

So I totally loved the game of tag when I was kid - I was a little speed demon in torn tights and black patent leather shoes - oh yeah! Seriously hated those things - but I still do love a good game of tag - these days instead of running it involves all sorts of messy goodness on actual tags!

I was soo super excited to receive my package from Simon Says Stamp the other day because it contained some of the Dylusions Ink Sprays released this past CHA!!!  Eek, I've been wanting these for a LONG time, like since I saw Dyan Reaveley's blog.  I was very much attracted to her use of bright colors and wished she had more of her Dylusions line available in the States - wish come true and this tag shows off how awesome the colors are!!  The oranges and yellows are Dylusions complimented by some VersaColor ink.  I'll be posting some more detailed shots on my Instagram feed soon - I know I should know how to tell you where you can find it, but I don't, LOL!!  So your best bet would be to find me on FB.

When I get new supplies or I'm feeling stuck in a rut I turn to tags for playtime.  Anything goes.  If it works - great - if it turns in to a disaster - great.  I can still use my mistakes later to punch shapes from, cut strips for journaling, or cover it all up with gesso and really start over.

I went a little out of my comfort zone and ordered up the Dear Lizzy Neopolitan 6x6 pad.  The colors of the actual paper are a bit too light for my typical taste but I was smitten over the patterns.  So I decided I'd blend the patterns and colors I love to see what happened.  Taking on a suggestion from a dear friend at SNR I gave watercolors a go for a creative boost.  I dipped my brush in my watercolors (I use the Blick brand liquid watercolors and will never look back!) and then in a bit of PearlEx - oh my color me happy!!!!  I wish you could see the shimmer on this tag!!!  I will definitely be playing with this combo again.  I added gesso through some type of hardware tape.

I think for tonight I'm going to stick with my game of tag - there are plenty of challenges I want to play along and My Sketch World is having the all time member favorite ABC crop (you should go check it out, lots of fun!) - but I need some new techniques/ideas/muse/mojo/whatever you want to call it to meet those challenges.  I've been really comfortable for sometime and am itchin' for some new pick me ups.  I'll keep you posted on any fabulous findings.  

What have you been playing with lately technique or product wise??