Wild About You

Today I'm sharing the Stampendous® Cling Jumbo Parrot set and the Wild Sayings Perfectly Clear™ Stamps Set for the sentiment.  I absolutely love this jumbo stamp set!  Parrots are such pretty and regal looking birds, and, since they come in so many different colors, you can be as wild or as tame as you choose.  The foliage stamps can be used with so many other stamps that have just been released with the April catalog so there's plenty of overlap between sets.  Great way to get lots of bang for your buck!

Here's what I used to create this card:

Stampendous® Cling Jumbo Parrot

Stampendous® Wild Sayings Perfectly Clear™ Stamps

Stampendous® Mixed Media White Paper

Jet Black Archival Ink by Ranger®

Dylusions Ink Sprays by Ranger® in Postbox Red, London Blue, Lemon Zest, Dirty Martini and     Squeezed Orange

Derwent® Inktense™ Pencils

Red Cardstock by Bazzill Basics Paper®

Zip Dry Paper Glue by Beacon Adhesives

Here's what I did to create this card:

Stamp parrot and three leaves with black ink
Color all images with Inktense Pencils and blend with water
Trim background paper to 3.75" x 7.75" and spritz with Dylusions Sprays, set aside to dry
Trim card base from red cs to create a 4" x 8" card
Cut out parrot and leaves
Adhere background paper to card base
Stamp sentiment on background piece in upper right corner
Adhere leaves and parrot to card front

This was a super easy card to create with lots of color that creates a big impact.  This set would also be great for mixed media cards, journal pages and even canvas home decor projects.  I love how versatile the larger stamp sets are from Stampendous.

Thanks bunches for stopping by today.  I'll have more Stampendous goodness for you on Thursday and Friday so be sure to check back by for those projects, too.  Hope you have a wonderful day!

Hugs,
Lea

Let's Face It!

Hello!  I've decided to periodically share some of my own art, either from my sketchbook or my art journal.  I love to sketch, paint, and just create art that makes me happy.  I'll share bits of my journey with you as I learn new things, tips and techniques.

Pinterest has a ton of pins on drawing, painting and creating mixed media pieces.  I've always loved to draw but I've never been good at drawing faces.  Thanks to Pinterest, I've found various sites that teach you how to do faces.  I'm going to be brave and share with you all my first face.  Granted, it took me several months to complete as I was only working on it here and there.  I've done a few artsy stylized faces but not a realistic face.  I'm not saying photo realistic but somewhat realistic.  So without further ado, here's my first completed, somewhat realistic, face:

Done with a No. 2 Pencil and a blending stump

And here's a page from my altered book journal:

Done with DecoArt Gesso and Derwent Inktense Pencils

I am always open to constructive criticism, so, if you happen to have a neat tip or trick to share with me that will help me learn or possibly improve a sketch I've done, please feel free to share.  I would love your feedback but please be kind.  I'm still working on my technique so be patient as I grow!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you're going to enjoy this personal touch to my blog.  I'm kind of excited about it, myself!  I would love to know what you think about it!   Have a wonderful day!!

Hugs,

Lea

Sparkle!

This is an art journal double-page spread that I thought I would share.  I really like how it turned out. Originally it was just the right side but after giving it some thought, I decided to add the left side as well.  I like to sketch when I have time, usually late at night when I'm sitting in bed.  The mood just comes over me and I have something in my head I just have to get out.  For this one, I was itching to use my Derwent Inktense Pencils.  Have you even seen a watercolor pencil that's this vibrant?!  I love them!

My sentiment on here is subtle as I didn't want it to be the focal point.  I wanted my young lady to have an ethereal glow and the whole page to have a magical quality.  I think it does!  

On top of my Inktense Pencils, I also used Stickles, a Copic Multiliner, Ranger Inkssentials white opaque gel pen, a gold gel pen and a Copic atyouSpica glitter pen in clear.  Oh, and a #2 pencil!

Thanks for stopping by and having a look!  I'll see you again on Wednesday when it's time to get Wicked!  Have a wonderful Monday!

Hugs,

Lea

I've Been Framed!

This week's Stampendous theme is Wedding Wishes and I've opted to create a wedding thank you card.  After all, you'll need plenty of thank you cards for all those shower and wedding gifts!  For my card today, I've used Ribbon Rose Frame and Loving Messages.  They're a perfect pair!

Here's what I used to create this card:

Stampendous® Ribbon Rose Frame

Stampendous® Loving Messages Perfectly Clear™ Stamps

Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink Pad

Derwent® Inktense™ Pencils

Neenah® Classic Crest Solar White

Bo Bunny® Dots Cardstock

Bazzill® Cardstock

Martha Stewart® Edge Punch

May Arts® Ribbon

Beacon Adhesive® Zip Dry™

Here's what I did to create this card:

Stamp image, color and trim closely

Create 5x5 square card base with a tent fold and image mat from purple cardstock

Trim green paper to fit as shown and punch edge

Create bow from purple ribbon

Adhere all layers as shown

Add a dot of adhesive on front of card and attach bow

It's a really simple card and fast to create.  When you need several cards, the easier, the better!  Of course, you could easily substitute colors to match your specific wedding colors.  Purple and green just happen to be MY favorites!

Thanks for stopping by, I'll see you again soon.  Have a very blessed day!

Hugs, 

Lea

Kick up your heels...

...with Stampendous®!  Yeeee Haaaw!!! This week our team at Stampendous® is celebrating the new cowgirl images from our April catalog! These images are all available in wood mounted or Cling Rubber™.  So,  saddle up and join us for the ride while we share some inspiration with you.  I have two cards for you today!

Here's my first card,  I hope you like it!

Here's what I used to create this card:

Stampendous® Stamps Q195 Cowgirl Boots
Stampendous® Stamps SSC1195 Steampunk Shoes Perfectly Clear™ Stamps
Ranger Archival Ink Jet Black Ink Pad
Bazzill® Cardstock
Creative Imaginations® Patterned Paper (No collection name)
Neenah® Classic Crest™ Solar White
Foam Mounting Squares
Scor-Tape™
Misc. Twine
Derwent® Inktense™ Pencils:

Carmine Pink (0520)
Willow (1900)
Amber (1710)
Tan (1720)
Saddle Brown (1740)

Outliner (2400)

Here's what I did to create this card:

Stamp image, color and trim to desired size
Create card base with a tent fold
Trim patterned paper as shown
Stamp sentiment and trim to desired size
Create mats for both images
Cut twine into two pieces, tie them together, determine length needed and cut off excess
Adhere twine to back of patterned paper

Adhere all layers to the card base as shown

And, here's my second card for today!  I hope you like it, too!

Here's what I used to create this card:

Stampendous® Stamps M312 Boots
Stampendous® Stamps W126 Button Shoe Elements
Derwent® Inktense™ Pencils:

• Mustard (1700)
  
• Amber (1710)
  
• Tan (1720)
  
• Saddle Brown (1740)
  
• Willow (1900)
  
• Dark Chocolate (1930)
  
• Outliner (2400)

Memento™ Rich Cocoa Ink Pad
Ranger® Archival Ink™ Pad - Jet Black
Neenah® Classic Crest™ Solar White
Neenah® Classic Crest™ Natural White
Red Cardstock
May Arts Ribbon® - Ivory Grosgrain
Copic® Marker E37 (to color buckle)
Tim Holtz® Distress™ Ink in Vintage Photo
Tim Holtz® Distress™ Stain in Vintage Photo (to color ribbon)

Scor-Tape™ (to secure ribbon)
Beacon Adhesive® Zip Dry™
Foam Mounting Squares
Glue Dots®
Stipple Brush 

Here's what I did to create this card:

Stamp Boots image with Archival™ Ink, color and trim as shown
Stamp Elements image four times with Rich Cocoa forming a large square; trim a section out to fit an A-2 card
Trim card base from red cardstock with a tent fold and trim a mat for the boots with the same paper
Using Vintage Photo distress™ ink, ink both images doing the edges of the boots and all over for the background piece
Stain ivory ribbon with Vintage Photo Stain, set aside for a few minutes to dry
Color buckle with Copic® marker to give it a brass look to match the boot’s hardware
Thread buckle with ribbon and attach to background piece as shown
Adhere background piece to card base
Adhere boots to mat and add foam mounting squares to back of mat
Attach boots image to card base

That's if for me today!  I know I have a few team members playing along today.  I hope you'll check out there projects and leave them some love.  Next week Stampendous and DecoArt Paints are collaborating for a week long blog adventure in paint!  You won't want to miss it!   Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs,
Lea

Feeling Fishy

All week long, at Stampendous we've been showcasing our new PenPattern stamps that have plenty of open spaces for you to doodle into or color with your choice of medium.  I really like these as the possibilities are endless.  Today I have a project using PenPattern Fish, this one was a lot of fun!

Here's what I used to create this project:

Stampendous® PenPattern Fish
Stampendous® Taupe Color Fragments 
Bazzill®
Neenah® Classic Crest™ Solar White
Echo Park® “Splash” 6x6 Paper Pad 
Micron™ 005 Black Pen
Ranger® Archival Ink™ Jet Black Ink Pad 
Derwent® Inktense™ Pencils:
   Dark Aquamarine (1210)
   Green Aquamarine (1220)
   Iris Blue (0900)
   Sea Blue (1200)
   Bright Blue (1000)
   Golden yellow (0230)
   Cadmium Orange (0250)
   Burnt Orange (0260)
   Mid Vermillion (0310)
   Apple Green (1400)
May Arts Ribbons®
Glossy Accents™
Claudine Hellmuth® Studio™ Multi-Medium Matte 
Glue Dots™
Foam Mounting Squares

Here's what I did to create this project:

Stamp image, color some areas and create pen patterns in other areas 
Trim image to desired size
Create card base in a tent fold
Trim patterned paper
Create mat for image
Adhere patterned paper to card base
Attach matted image to card with foam mounting squares
Using Glue Dots, attach ribbons
Add multi-medium to bottom of card and sprinkle on fragments, tap off excess fragments and return excess to jar 
Create "bubbles" with drops of Glossy Accents

This card reminds me of a fish bowl, what about you?  Thanks for stopping by today and I'll see you again soon!  Have a blessed day!

Hugs,
Lea

PenPattern Play

Stampendous® has come out with a bunch of fun new PenPattern stamps that you can doodle in to create your own pen pattern design.  How cool is that!?  If you love to stamp and love to doodle, these new stamps are perfect for you!  Today I'm going to share a project I did with PenPattern Turtle:

This is what the stamp looks like without any form of doodling.  It's neat how different you can make it look just by adding some simple designs.  Also, you can make the image look different each time you stamp it by simply creating a different design.  The possibilities are only as endless as your creativity! 

Here's what I used to create this project:

Stampendous® PenPattern Turtle
Stampendous® Wishing Fun

Stampendous® Creative PaletteStampendous® Teal Micro Glitter 
Copic® Marker BG57
DecoArt® Paint - Neo Green Glamour Dust, Deep Turquoise Satin, Peacock Pearl Dazzling
Metallics, Apple Green Satin
Derwent® Inktense™ Pencils - Tan (1720), Felt Green (1530), Spring Green (1550), Leaf Green (1600)
Liquid Frisket
Tim Holtz® Distress Ink™ - Antique Linen
My Mind’s Eye™ “Indie Chic”
Neenah® Classic Crest™ Solar White Cover Stock
Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink Pad
May Arts Ribbon®Water Brush
Glue Dots™ (3 different sizes)
Foam Mounting Squares
Scor-Tape®


Here's how I created this project:

Stamp image, color with pencils and trim to desired size
Stamp sentiment with black ink and trim to desired size, ink with distress ink™
Create card base and mats as shown
Using paper created with Creative Palette*, trim pieces as shown
Cover turtle with frisket and airbrush background, remove frisket 
Adhere ribbon to background paper
Adhere matted image to card base
Using foam mounting squares, adhere sentiment to card
Attach glue dots as shown
Cover glue dots with micro glitter, brush off excess

*Stampendous® Creative Palette is used for monoprinting backgrounds as a mixed media tool.  You can use it with any type of media such a acrylic paint, inks, watercolor crayons, etc.  It's easy to use and can be printed on and then picked up and used on journal pages.  It cleans up easily and comes with its own storage container. 

That's it for today!  I hope you enjoy my project.  I had a lot of fun creating it!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs,
Lea

Eureka! It's Wicked Wednesday!

Hey there crafty folks!  Hope you’re having a fun Wicked Wednesday!  Today our Wicked Wednesday ATC Challenge sponsor is Eureka Stamps and I love my little Hearty Dragon!  He makes my heart flutter!  I’ve colored him with Derwent Inktense Pencils and I have to say, these pencils are the bomb!  They are truly the most vibrant watercolor pencils I’ve ever used.  Here’s my ATC:

My base is Bazzill and I’m not sure what my patterned paper is as it was a scrap with no name!  My sentiment is from Memory Box.  The heart brads are from my stash. I do hope you’ll get wicked with us this week, it’s so much fun creating these mini works of art!  See you again tomorrow with a post for Stampendous!  Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs, 

Lea