For the Little Boys!

Today I am sharing two cards I made for very young boys!  In fact both are for Nephews! 

This was made for the nephew of a friend who is battling cancer.  Since I usually create with grunge on my mind and more on an adult level, it was a little difficult for me to get into a kid mode!  I had this all set to go on different background paper and then thought, think kid!  I remembered some Minds Eye paper I won from Jan and thought, OK, I can grunge and be cute cherry at the same time.  I sure hope this will cheer him up while he wins this big battle!  The "Old Jalopy" is of course from Tim Holtz new Sizzix line! 

Next is for my own Great-Nephew!!  He was premature, but I am happy to say doing very well and is at home with his parents.  The frame is from I Brake For Stamps and Della was so quick in sending this out.  I don't have very many baby stamps, so really needed one.  She also threw in some "freebies" and you know how we love that!!  The frame was another challenge as I did not know what I wanted to do, other than framing the tiny one!  Oh, I printed the picture from a photo taken at the hospital a few days after he was born.  I tried a couple of things with the frame, but decided to go with boyish type colors and did a technique from the Technique Junkies, Antique Glimmers.  The sheen is gorgeous and I did want a more vintage feel to the frame.  This was not easy to cut out both inside and out!  After I cut it out, I used markers to add extra color to the alphabet and other little sweet things.  I keep thinking I might add some bling around the rattle top, but not sure.  What do you think???  I wanted a more lively background, so used some striped paper with the color I used in the baby block frame.  I really like this frame and hope the parents do!!!

Thank you much for your visit today.  If you have not commented on my giveaway below, you might want to.  The winners will be announced on April's Fool Day!  He!He!

Grungy Monday Begins!

We were all a little concerned after our wonderful 35 week run with the "Compendium of Curiosities." When the sweet and adorable Linda of Studio L3 suggested that this would not be the end, we were excited! I almost fell out of my chair, when this "Leader of the Pack" sent me an e-mail asking me to be a Guest Designer! I honored to be part of the launching of Grungy Monday with my friend Tracy and we were sworn to secrecy! I thought I might lose it and blab something, well actually I have lost it $$$ at Scrapbooking Made Simple. Stacey, as soon as she gets a whiff of anything "Tim Holtz" related, I have it nicely waiting for me in a bag. Thank you Stacey and the SMS girls for keeping me supplied!

Over the last couple of CCC's, I made reference to that being the best "Joy Ride" I had ever been on. So as luck would have it, the "Old Jalopy" was released. How sweet it is to know that our RIDE continues and what a JOY it is! This tag was made to celebrate day one of Grungy Monday! Thank you Linda for adopting all of us and devoting your time to us! Thank you Tim and Mario for just being!

For my tag from this week's lesson I used the "Joy" word and compass masks following steps 1 thru 14. Since I did two different colors, I had to be a little tricky. Also, I did layers of color with both the Perfect Pearls and Distress Inks, until I achieved the look I wanted. Started first with the lighter shades and then the darker shades. The Old Jalopy took as much time as the tag background, but I had a blast!!! This was cut out with grunge and then embossed with black. I used the same copper PP as in the tag, but also added some Distress Ink and painted a second time. The negative areas I colored darker with a marker, because I wanted to hide that part of the embossing. Next time, I will mask that off. I adorned my Jalopy with head lights! To the backside, I cut some acetate for windows and added the music strip tape. All the Jalopy parts were done in the same way, but then I used my embossing pen in areas to black emboss. I wanted just enough of the copper to show through as a highlight. The "Ride" letters were cut from Tim's paper, shaded and mounted. The crown was cut from Shrink Plastic and colored with alcohol inks. The flowers were colored using my PP mix. All areas were shaded using Vintage Photo Distress Ink!

Well I truly had a blast with this challenge and I hope you all will be inspired to play on Grungy Monday! Can't wait to visit all of your blogs and check out your grunginess! Thank you so much for stopping by and have a totally Grungy Monday!

Distress Inks: Dried Marigold, Rusty Hinge, Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Vintage Photo, Emboss
Reinkers: Wild Honey, Tumbled Glass
Perfect Pearls: Heirloom Gold, Blue Patina, Perfect Copper

Bloggers Challenge!

This is my final design team project for Scrolls Work Stamps!  Knowing how much Jacque loves Steampunk, I decided to create this last assignment solely with that in mind.  Thank you Scrolls Work for giving me the opportunity to design for your company.  This was my first design team assignment and I did learn that I can keep up with the best of them, even with only three years of stamping experience.  So never say never and get out there and play!! Age does not matter and experience does not matter, it is what we love to do that matters!

I used paper from G-45 from their steampunk line. A few of Tim Holtz gears and of course numerous Scrolls Work Stamps images. The focal image is Tim and Tom Travel and that is exactly what this dudes will be doing today, because they are visiting at the Bloggers Challenge "Sketch Challenge." If you want to play along, click HERE for the challenge link.

Have a wonderful weekend and I sure hope you all have some nice weather!  Thank you for stopping by!

Riley Is Making the Rounds!

Is Riley just a Little Man or what?  Riley is part of the new children's release at Scrolls Work Stamps.  These can be purchased as a full plate or individuals.  For the first time, Scrolls Work is also offering many of their stamps as full plates, so pop and over and take a look.

Riley is visiting Gingersnap Creations for their big third annual Copper, Ginger or Rust Challenge GC96.  I used Copper, Rust, Browns and Creams.  Little Man works well for Simon Says Stamp and Show a Word.  OK, it may be two words, but it describes one little cutie pie!

The technique I used from the Technique Junkies, is Wisped Frames.  I have to tell you that I love these Grand dies from Spellbinders!  This was made to hang, because Riley deserves to be seen!

Thank you for stopping by!  I really do enjoy your comments!

A couple of tags and a few thank yous!

First I have a few lovely bloggers to thank! 

While popping over to visit Tracy of "Not A Moment to Spare," she was having a blogaversary #1.  I was the lucky recipient of an on-line shopping gift certificate and these treasures were delivered on Saturday!  More great stuff to play with and more i-Rock bling, which is really cool, because I can't get the pink, black and clear combo!  Thank you Tracy, you rock my friend!  If you really want a good laugh and love stories, really go over and visit!  It is one of my favorite places to hang out!  Right now she has a twisted fairy tale post, so go take a look.

Now this was a surprise win, because I had commented on this gorgeous tag and Linda of Random Creativity was giving it away!  Can you believe I actually won this on our 28th Anniversary??  Is this lovely or what and she must have known how much I love copper!!!  Thank you Linda, this is a beauty of a tag and I will hang this proudly.  Stop by Linda's for some beautiful creations!

This was quite a surprise and of course I love it.  Lynn from Trash To Treasure sent me this adorable little soldered pendant.  Lynn actually added the crown (German Scrap) and that alone had to be quite the job.  I would have glue or whatever she used all over the place!  If you have not been to Lynn's, right now she has this wonderful book of fairies post and it is incredible and better pictures of this and the entire collection.  Thank you my sweet friend.
   
Don't forget that I have my own Blogaversary giveaway going on, so scroll down and leave a comment for a chance to win.  It is my way of thanking all of you that are followers and take the time to comment or e-mail! 

Here are a couple of tags I made for a couple of friends and I just wanted to share them, now that they have been received.  One uses G-45 papers and vintage watch parts.  The second is all Heartfelt Creations images.  Distress Inks were used for the background and I used a technique called Antique Glimmers from the Technique Junkies.  I cut some shrink plastic using my Spellbinders scallop die.  Stamped with Memento ink and then colored with alcohol markers.  Heat set the piece and ended up with a little fragment.  The white scallop is the original size. 

As always, thank you so much for stopping by and commenting.  Have a beautiful week!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Wishing you all the luck of the Irish!  May you find your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!  Today I decided to create a St. Paddy's Day magnet.  I even cut the magnet material out of a heart!  I cut four heart from my Sizzix dies of two different sizes and in two colors of green.  I did a cuttlebug highlight technique from the Technique Junkies, using of course a Tim Holtz texture fade.  Love his stuff!  The lovely Irish sentiment if from Scrolls Work Stamps and I thought it was most perfect for today and everyday! If you have not been visiting Scrolls Work Stamps, they now have full plates of lovely stamps.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you will have a wonderful day!

GC91 and Simon Says Stamp and Show some Metal

Do you ever finish a project and then while blogging about it, remember you were going to add a pretty little bling hairband or other little embellishments!  No, me neither!  With that being said, Gingersnap Creations GC91 challenge is "Crowns."  The inside has the sentiment, "if the crown fits" and obviously we have a crown upon the king's head and of course have used the "Man's" texture fade folder, which also delivers a crown.  We used some metal and aluminum foil, so we shall go visit Simon Says Stamp and Show some metal!

All stamps are from Artistic Outpost from the Wonderland Collage collection.  The stamped image was stamped on a Glitter Ritz background using Stazon.  Before stamping, I burnished the glitter.  I love the softness and slight sparkle this glitter delivers.  The King and Alice were colored using Stamping Up markers.  For the background, I used two techniques from the Technique Junkies, Al Foil and Cuttlebug Highlights.

I appreciate your comments and thank you for taking the time to visit!  Have a wonderful week!

Season Finale!!!!

Where to start?  I know I have been MIA, but my DH took some time off and I really had to get some things done.  I will be stopping by for a visit!  Our final week of doing the techniques from the, "Compendium of Curiosities" at Studio L3, is "Designing Details" I think I hit the nail on the head!!!!  To me designing will always revolve around my first love of sewing!  When I saw Tim's new dies and the dress form, there was no turning back.  The sweet Stacy of Scrapbooking Made Simple, is always so kind to hold anything new "Tim Holtz."  I wasted no time going to SMS to pick up my dies and tomorrow another trip to pick up the new stamps!  Boy do I wish I had the "dress form" stamp set for this and those little hangers!  I had so many more things I wanted to do with this, like cut some of the frosting trim from the Gingerbread die and use is s rick rack.

She is going to challenges at Simon Says Stamp and Show some Metal and Gingersnap Creations for Jewel colors and gold.  It might be hard to see the gold, but four of the brads and the skirt has gold.

Here is what I did as much as I can give it away!  I cut one dress form from black chipboard, two from Stampin Up Kraft paper.  One I cut the top to make a blouse and I used the "cuttlebug Highlights"  technique from the Technique Junkies.  The skirt was cut and pleated out of some old quilting fabric.  The clothes were put on the second dress form that I distressed using Brushed Corduroy and Black Soot. The designer paper all Tim's was cut to resemble a quilt and shaded.  The buttons and spool were also inked and shaded.  I used some decorative threads and regular sewing thread.  I had a blast with this one and just could have kept on going.

I want to thank Linda again for the best joy ride that I have ever been on!  As if our fearless leader has not devoted so much of her time, she promises something else around the corner!  I am sure I won't lose any sleep in anticipation!  Actually, I lost sleep last night thinking of this and what I was going to do.  Also I want to thank all of you again who take the time to comment and share!  If you have not already signed up for my blog candy anniversary, do so right HERE.  Have a wonderful weekend!

First Year Blog Anniversary Candy ends 3/31/11

I actually started this blog on 01/04/10, but did not start blogging until May of 2010, so I split the difference. Today being my 28th Anniversary with the love of my life, I thought was perfect timing to offer my One Year Blogaversary Candy. The things I have learned in my year of blogging.

1) There are some wonderful people out there and some I may never get to meet, but "WoW," you are amazing! Someone once explained "blogger etiquette," because when I first started blogging and someone would comment, I would comment back on my own blog! Oh the days of stupidity! Yes, I figured most of it out on my own, but both Lynn Stevens and Lisa Somerville sure made it easier. From the beginning these two incredible and busy artists have always taken the time to comment and encouraged me to be more and do more, even before blogging, as a Technique Junkie! So I have a "die" with your name on it. Will you send me a PM and give me a preference or first come, first serve??? Hopefully Lynn and Lisa, you don't already have these! Thank you again for helping me out and being there from day one!

2) You really make some great friends and I mean that! I have this list in my head that if I get here or there that I need to stop by and visit a blogger friend! Some of us have been thrown together via a challenge that will be on week #35 over at the wonderful Linda of Studio L3. What a journey it has been! I wonder how many of us have been at it since week #1?? Through blogging, I got on my first Design Team at Scrolls Work Stamps and made some wonderful friends. This last year, I was a Guest Designer and awarded a few Ginger Gems at Gingersnap Creations, a featured artist by Cindy Adkins, a top three at Simon Says Stamp and Show, Guest Designer for Scrap-Mart, caught Red Handed by Rogue Redhead Designs and awarded the very first Bella du Jour at Bella Creations. I have received some lovely "Blog Awards" from some wonderful crafters and blogger friends. I so appreciate your thinking of me and take it as an honor, but I found it impossible to pass on, because there are too many wonderful bloggers to choose from and no way for me to decide. To me you are all beautiful, have attitude with great style!

3) Blogging and creating is the best form of therapy! None of us know what another person is going through and just how important that little comment is! To all of you who have taken the time to comment and become followers "Just Because," I so thank you and wish I could send you all a gift! You never know when I might decide to do something just because I am kind of a Random type person.

Here is what I am offering and the winners will be announced on April 1st, Fool's Day! The winners will have through the weekend to contact me and if I don't hear from you, a new winner/winners will be chosen on April 5th. I have won a few giveaways, as the Luck of the Irish (1/4) would have it, so now I want to give something back! The first drawing is for Tim Holtz type goods and the second is my Bling type goods and it includes that i-Rock gem tool with gems and batteries to get you going! My DH will select the winners from the hat. When you comment, mention if you have a preference #1 or #2. First draw gets first choice. Good luck and again I thank you for taking the time to care enough to be here!

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