Friday, October 30, 2015

The Day I Changed My Mind About an Ugly Mess

The strips on my card are from a Gelli print (acrylic paint) that I made at my friend Lydia's UNWIND Retreat a couple of weekends ago. We were to choose a print we either didn't like or one that had lots of patterns that we did like (Lydia's card design!). I had just kept messing (literally) with this one, and added too many colors and designs and it turned into a mess. Until we made this card. Then I loved the bold ferns in the foreground and the fall colors in the back! That Lydia is so smart! I had never done Gelli printing before, and it's my new favorite thing! Because you can't mess it up! Unless you take paper stencils instead of plastic (that would be me.... but I didn't know they were paper!).

The sentiment is from Words of Life Collection 1 (Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I stamped it using my MISTI (you have to get one of those) in Night of Navy ink (Stampin' Up!). The strip of bling is a little piece of SU! Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper. The paint's texture and all the layers really stand out when you're holding the card. Quick and easy and kind of artsy fun!





Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The Day I Painted Africa for a Butterfly

I have been playing in challenges at Splitcoaststampers again lately, and today's design was for three challenges:
  • Mix-Ability 143: What is in a Phrase
  • Hope You Can Cling To 1503: I Am a Warrior
  • Color Challenge 554: Eating Cake in the Breezy Meadow (Crumb Cake, Mossy Meadow, Baja Breeze) 
I painted a watercolor background using my Koi watercolor paints (my favorite new Amazon find - you can find them HERE), and when it was all said and done, it looked like Africa! So I decided to mist the paper again, and stamp a fern from the same set (Stampin' Up!'s Butterfly Basics) using Crumb Cake ink. Worked like a charm to use up that "ocean" space!
The watercolored butterfly was cut with the Butterfly Thinlits dies, and then sprayed with Gold Glimmermist for a pretty shimmer. The sequins are a new acquisition (also from Amazon) from Doodlebug. They have all sorts of colors within each of the 12 color families, including translucent and opaque.

I shop at Amazon a lot because it supports my favorite non-profit - Kearney Community Theatre. Right now I am rehearsing as the Ghost of Christmas Past for our Holiday show there, which opens in December. Check out Amazon Smile and support your favorite too! (If you don't have one, you are welcome to provide for the Theatre! :)

Thanks for stopping by today. I know there are a lot of blogs and sites and cards on Pinterest and Instagram for inspiration, and I appreciate your visits!

Follow me on Instagram @joy_in_a_jar and on Facebook HERE.

Saturday, October 24, 2015

The Day We Made A Zillion Halloween Cards

My sister spent her fall break week with me a couple weeks ago, and we had such fun messing up the kitchen table with stamping stuff (which, unfortunately, is still there). I got out all my Halloween supplies - papers and stickers, rub-ons, and ribbon, and stamps, of course! I had a stash of stuff all organized for Halloween, but never remembered about it until she came. So we used up all sorts of things that I had had for a long time..... like this branch and spider web rub-on from Creative Impressions.

I thought it would pair perfectly with the little spider and cute sentiment greeting from Buggin' Ya by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. The matching dies made it easy to cut the spider out!

I used a watercolor wash for the background (using inexpensive Prang paints) and stamped the sentiment in India Ink. I added a little twine and bling and he's all ready to be mailed out to wish someone a happy hello.

If you are interested, and use social media, you can follow me on Instagram @joy_in_a_jar and on Facebook HERE.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

The Day I Wasn't So Precise

Last weekend, as I sat in the midst of a fabulous group of stampers, I felt rushed. We had three cards to get through and I was on #1 and everyone was moving to #3. I thought, "Why does it take me so long to make everything??" And I decided that I am just too precise and too much of a perfectionist on some days. Sometimes that makes me frustrated, because it can take me three hours to make one CAS card. And that's just silly (not too mention time-consuming).

Learning mixed media techniques like gelli printing and Brusho has helped me become less OCD about everything turning out exactly as I planned. HA! You CAN'T really plan -- and that's the BEST part! I will share some of those prints and designs later this week.

Today I decided to watercolor -- which I LOVE -- but I still always want everything in the lines, and all the colors to blend EXACTLY, and so on and so on....... BUT TODAY I decided not to be precise at all -- or plan the color or how it fell on the paper.

I have these amazing LARGE tags that are 3.5 x 8.5 from Julie Nutting (made for her people stamps), and they are watercolor paper. I just bought a new book, and needed a bookmark for it, so I grabbed one of those, some water and a brush, some reinkers, and my almost favorite Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set, Precious Poppies.
I stamped with Archival Black ink (Stampin' Up!) and let it dry, then decided just to paint freely and quickly and whatever turned out is what it would be. When I was all done, and it was dry, I sprayed some Gold Glimmermist over the top for a fun sheen (you can see dots around and some of the sparkle, but it is so pretty IRL).
And because I love fibers so much, and especially because not many people use them anymore, I added a big bunch of four different kinds of fluff for the top so I can find my place easily in my book!

And it was VERY FREEING. :)
I will always be precise in most of my stamping. But it's also fun to just let the art happen, and be happy with that too.

Happy Thursday!

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

The Day I Fell in Love With Kits

This month's Paper Pumpkin kit by Stampin' Up! is my favorite so far! I made this trio of cards is such a short time, because all the needed supplies were right in the kit, and the easy directions make for fast results!

I added a few individual touches (the Falling Softly embossing folder on the Thanks card, and moving the twine around on the Thinking of You card -- adding a gold accent to an envelope), but I love how quickly these came together. 

I wasn't a big "kit" fan until this past weekend, when I attended Lydia Fiedler's UNWIND Retreat in Austin, Texas. We played with the Oh What Fun Tag Project Kit (139602) for an afternoon (I will share this later this week), and I really liked it. Maybe the kits I have tried in the past from other companies just weren't what I was looking for!

Check it out HERE on my Stampin' Up! website!

Monday, October 19, 2015

Brusho Backgrounds

Hey stamping friends!
Today I want to share a card you may have seen already with the fabulous new October release from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps -- and show how I made the background. (Scroll down one post for the new release!)

I used Brusho Crystal Colors (watercolor powdered pigments) for the entire background and it's so easy!

First, I stamped my dove from Name Above All Names in Archival Black Ink by Stampin' Up! Make sure you are using an ink that doesn't bleed when combined with water. I recommend this pad -- or India Ink for use with Brusho. You will notice I have a texture to my watercolor paper -- for that you will want Cold Press paper. If you want a smooth finish, you will need Hot Press.
Next I gathered my other supplies. I am using two colors today -- Turquoise and Ultramarine Blue.
I sprinkle tapped the Turquoise powder (a VERY SMALL amount - it's easier to add then take away!) on my paper and then misted with a fine spray (Ranger misters are widely available and work great, but any fine mist will do. You will see a couple of larger crystals above in the lower left photo. I took those off, as I knew it would be too much powder for what I wanted.

I misted and added until I got the look I wanted, then sprinkled the Ultramarine blue on top. I made a little blue branch for my dove to sit on by turning and tapping the powder down the side of the card.
I misted again, and then heat set with my heat gun.

The dove was watercolored with Sakura Koi watercolor paints and then cut out. I stamped the sentiment with Archival Black ink and adhered the dove with foam tape. I added a mat of violet cardstock behind the main panel. All done!
Once you try Brusho powders, you will LOVE them!


Friday, October 16, 2015

It's New Release Day at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps!

Hello stamping friends! I am excited to share the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps October Release and Blog Hop with you today and I know the rest of the SNSS Divas are too. There are four brand new stamp sets plus four new products from the October Sweet Perks Club. This release has a little something for everyone…for card makers as well as for those who enjoy Bible journaling. 

I chose two new sets to highlight, and added a recent release with one of them. Take a peek:
 

As many of you know, my first grandchild was born September 13 - a sweet little girl named Felicity Grace. I made this card for her mama, my daughter-in-law, Rachel. Grandmas have to show off their gbabies, so here she is (at two weeks). Her cheeks!!






I made a heart "background" using Grunge Elements 2, and then stamped a sentiment from Keep in Touch, Too on top.
The main sentiment, with a matching heart(!) is from Little One. I love all the pink, as it's my favorite color, but I also love pink for my sweet baby girl.

 
My next card uses Name Above All Names and a Brusho powder background. My dove is watercolored in a not-so-precise way on purpose to match the style of the background better.

Now on to the rest of the team for their AMAZING projects. Seriously, visit everyone, because I am in awe this month of what they have done! Be sure to check out the SNSS Blog to see the entire release!

Click on the links below for our blog hop so you can see what our talented team did with them! Don't forget to leave a little love on each blog as you hop along. Then head on over to the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store to pick up your favorite stamp sets from the release!


Friday, October 9, 2015

For All You Cat Lovers

I adore this image from Inkadinkadoo. My sister is visiting this week, and we have been making loads of Halloween cards from stuff I have had forever - like this cat! And I have never inked him before. He's gotten more use in two days than in his whole life on my Clip It Up!

I stamped the kitty and sentiment with Stampin' Up!'s new Archival Black ink pad (LOVE!!) and then added a little shading with Copics C1-C5. I like the non-traditional blues for this Halloween greeting!

Have a great day!