More collage goodness...

can you handle it?!? I hope so!

This weekend Debbie Olson was featured on The CLASSroom blog and she was showing how to make ATCs into cards. Her ATC images were one stamp featuring a round cut out circle in the middle, but I thought, "hey, I can do that with what I've got!"




I stamped my circle first from the retiring (and on sale!) Circle Sampler set and then stamped it again on a sticky note so that I could mask it off. I then proceeded to use Gerbera Daisy (also on sale and retiring!), Vintage Backgrounds and Fanciful Vintage to create a collage around the masked circle. I cut out the inside of the circle and I used the Judikins Color Dusters we carry (you can find them here) to add a little color to the white cardstock. Later I dusted Violette Palette ink over the text sheet and dragonfly image and mounted that underneath the opening.

Card Materials: all stamps and papers from The Angel Company

Collage Style

I bought both the Vintage Backgrounds and Fanciful Vintage because I just loved Barb Foster's sample cards in the Serendipity Magalogue. I'm intrigued by the idea of collage style cards but they are a little bit scary to me! While I waited through tumbling practice, I thumbed through some pretty old magazines for collage ideas. I also wanted to use Gesso as my base - another neat item I found out about through my friend Juliet. She is the true artsy-fartsy type and I've been wanting to give it a try myself!

For this card I painted white Gesso on some textured blue Bazzill paper (from our monochromatic packs!) with a foam brush and let it dry overnight. Then I randomly stamped my images with Palette Noir ink and came back and laid some color down with my Tombow markers on select areas. I could move the markers around with my aquabrush to give it a watercolored look.

Stamps used: Gerbera Daisy (now marked 25% off since it's retiring!), Vintage Backgrounds and Fanciful Vintage (which is the Stamp of the Month for April so it's on sale for just $14.95)

Hope this encourages you to give collage style stamping a whirl! It was easier than I thought and I can't wait to play some more.

Ode to Summer

I had a great trip with the kids to Splashdown waterpark in Manassas, VA...only, I forgot my camera! oh well... instead I'm going to bring back some of my favorite Gerbera Daisy cards that I made a long time ago. I still love them and the Gerbera Daisy stamp set continues to be offered at a great price from The Angel Company. I think it's probably one of their best sellers!



This must have been my "blue" phase...



The stamps on this card are also from The Angel Company and include: Running Stitches and Squiggle Ladybugs. Images are colored in with colored pencils and gamsol.

Are your kiddos back in school already?! We have just over a week and then it starts up for us here. The Angel Company came out with the cutest, FREE download and just in time for the start of school. You definately should check it out! http://www.theangelcompany.net/Downloads_SchoolLabels.html

Time well spent...with you my friend

I've been so busy prepping for my Open House that I just wanted to stamp for "fun" today. I checked out a couple of sketches this morning and will be trying my hand at a few more, but today's SCS sketch was super easy for me as I've had this Gerbera Daisy colored and cut out for more than a year -- time to use it, wouldn't you say!?!

Card Materials: (stamps and papers from The Angel Company)

Stamps: Time Well Spent (retired), Gerbera Daisy

Accessories: Juliette Soar with it Collection and cardstock, colored pencils, Burnt Umber palette ink

Confession time...I was talking on the phone with my parents while I was taping all of these layers down. Somehow I dropped my burnt umber ink cube, face down and it bounced twice - yup, across the card! I ended up pulling all the layers apart and inked the edges to help blend it in. It actually looks nicer this way - phew! Lesson learned, do NOT multi task when working with ink and tape! tee hee... Thanks for visiting with me today - I appreciate it, friend!!