Fun with Inks

Life has been so busy I've almost completely forgotten about my blog. Hopefully soon things will settle back into a normal pace. But for now I have a couple of cards to share that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

My first card was created by stamping on cardstock with Ranger's Perfect Medium and them brushing Perfect Pearls over the stamped areas. Then I simply inked the background and added a few butterflies.


My second card was made by stamping a piece of fabric with a grid stamp and then randomly spraying the fabric with Adirondack Color Wash spray. Once the fabric was dry, I adhered it to a card base and added my embellishments.


Both of these are fun and quick cards.

A Wise Owl

Most of the schools here have finally started back, so I figured what could be better to make right now than a quick card for either a teacher or even for a child as a reward for good grades (maybe even tuck a few dollars into that card, lol).

Did you notice I said a quick card? From start to finish, it only took about 40 minutes to make, which is quick for me.

The grid on the background was made using my ScorPal. Then, I inked around the edges and over the grid lines. Next I added a flourish stamp, a strip of patterned paper, and the chipboard letters.


Now, on to the cutest part of the card. I took one of the Basically Bare chipboard owls and covered it entirely with patterned paper and then inked it up. Next, I added the googly eyes. Lastly, I cut an apple from cardstock using my Cricut and attached it to the owl.

Until next time, keep creating!

Wall Decoration

I'm back with you again today with another Basically Bare project and this time it's something a bit different for me, wall art. It's always a good thing to crawl out of your comfort zone, and that's just what I did. :)

I started with a wooden heart, covered it with some gorgeous Webster's Pages paper, sanded the paper to create a worn look, then added a bit of ink to distress it further.

Next, I added a bit of vintage lace and Prima flower that had been inked a bit.

And then I was on to the really fun part, adding my Basically Bare dress form and wings!


First, I heat embossed the dress form, slowly building up the embossing powder until I had 4-5 layers. Once that had cooled completely, I ran the dress form through my Cuttlebug for a bit of dry embossing. Do you see all that wonderful texture?

Lastly, I took a set of felt wings, covered them with adhesive and then dipped them in glitter. Everything is better with a bit of shimmer.



Thanks for stopping by today!

Pretty In Pink

Today I have a layout that incorporates several of my favorites items: a clean and simple style of layout, pink, and or course canvas! I've used the Basically Bare canvas pennants to create a simple page border.


And the border couldn't have been easier to create. In a small jar or bowl, I took a couple dropper fulls of Liquitex liquid ink, added in a bit of water to dilute the color a bit, and just painted the mixture over the canvas banners until they were thoroughly saturated. Once they were dry, I used Ranger's Enamel Accents to create the edging.

Thanks for stopping by!

Laoyouts Featuring Fabric Pieces

Time again to share a couple of layouts that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. Both of these layouts have one thing in common, the use of fabric, felt, lace, or ribbon and fibers. Using fabrics is quickly becoming one of my fave things to incorporate into a layout.

This layout of the munchkins at the Tybee Island Pirate Fest last year was made using mostly canvas (the background and rolled flowers) with a few bits of lace and fibers.


The second layout was made using a felt vine and a vintage piece of lace doily.



Bring in textile pieces into your pages is a fun, and beautiful, way to bring lots of color and texture into your scrapping.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mixed Media Projects

Time to share a couple more projects that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

Fist up is a fun tag. I took a piece of tissue paper and stamped randomly over the entire piece with a travel text stamp. Next I adhered the tissue paper to a piece of cardstock, painted then entire piece with several color of watercolor paint, and then added a piece of netting. Super simple so far. Then I printed the hot air balloon on transparency and then covered it with Stickles. Once the Stickles were dry, the hot air balloon was attached to the tag, a few triangle shaped beads were added, and lastly the sentiment was added.


And lastly is an ATC using one of favorite mediums, Glass Bead Gel made by Liquitex. And again, this was super easy to create. The fairy and sentiment were stamped onto a heavy weight watercolor paper. Regular cardstock will buckle under the weight of the Glass Bead Gel. The background was colored with several shades of watercolor paints and set aside to dry. Once the watercolors are dry, cover then entire ATC with Glass Bead Gel and set aside to dry, which will most likely take 24 hours. The gel dries clear (unless you add color pigment to it) so you can see everything under it. I LOVE how this turned out! Sort of reminds me of a snow globe that's been shaken and everything is floating.


I hope you've enjoyed your visit today and maybe even picked up a trick or two to try out on your own projects.

Butterfly Cards

Time again to share a few cards that were in the June issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

As I was uploading these cards, I noticed they all have butterflies punched from my Martha Stewart punch. Odd that I didn't notice this pattern before. But then again it is one of my fave punches.


Something else I've notice more of in my projects is the use of fabrics, lace, and tulle. All very fun to work with and they give projects a nice texture and depth.


One thing that is a constant throughout all my projects is the use of bling, whether it be with glitter, Stickles, Perfect Pearls, or gems. And this last card is no exception. The blue background was made entirely with Perfect Pearls, which gives a wonderful shimmer to anything it touches.



On a side note, my blog giveaway is still ongoing and you have until 08-01-11 at 8:00 AM EST to get entered. Check out my prior blog post for all the details and to leave a comment.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting!

Canvas Pennant Flower Tutorial

Today I have a simple flower tutorial that packs a lot of punch. I was working with the large canvas pennants a few weeks ago and they were sort of fanned out on my table and I had a light bulb moment. Why not turn them into a flower? So I did and loved the result!

Step 1 - Start with eight of the large canvas pennants.


Step 2 - Using your ink sprays, use several colors and thoroughly saturate each of the canvas pennants. I used Ranger's Adirondack Color Wash. At this point, you have a couple of options. If you want a bold, striking color, set the pennants aside to dry. If you want a more muted, faded look, take the pennants to your sink and give them a quick rinse. The ones in the picture below have been rinsed.


Step 3 - Take the right hand point of the pennant and fold it to the left. Take your finger and slightly crease the fold line. The canvas will hold the crease so there's no need for adhesive. Continue this process for all eight of the pennants.


Step 4 - Cut out an approximate two inch circle. It does not have to be exact as it will be completely covered. Using a hot glue gun, start layering and adhering the pennants to the circle. I found a hot glue gun was the was the easiest way to go since it dries so quickly.


Step 5 - Once all the pennants are adhered, you should have something similar to this.


Step 6 - Adhere a layering or netting or tulle using the hot glue gun. I used a four inch circle of netting that was just cut by hand. I didn't feel the need to have an exact circle. The unevenness of the circle just adds to the distressed feel of the flower.


Step 7 - Ink up two of the Basically Bare Basics Felt Flowers. I used Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze for the base color and Ranger Distress Ink to add a bit contrast.


Step 8 - Using a hot glue gun, attach the two felt flowers. While the hot glue is still hot and pliable, take the eraser end of a pencil the press down in the middle of the flower and hold for a few seconds until the glue sets up. This will make the petals stand up.


Step 9 - Add a flower center and voila, the flower is complete.


The finished flower using the larger pennants is approximately five inches. If you were to use the small canvas pennants, the finished flower would be approximately three inches. Or you could layer the small pennants on top of the large pennants. So many different options!

Have fun with your embellishments and let your imagination run wild. You just never know where it might lead you.

Distressed Hearts

I'm back today showing a fun way to distress the Basically Embellies Acrylic Hearts. But first, let's start from the beginning with the card background.

Using craft cardstock, spritz with a couple different colors of Smooch sprays. Once the cardstock is completely dry, ink a star background stamp with Perfect Medium and stamp the entire piece of cardstock. Working quickly while the Perfect Medium is still wet, use a small paint brush and apply gold Perfect Pearls over the stamped areas.

Set the cardstock aside because now it's time to work on the hearts.


Painting on acrylic pieces can be tricky as the surface is super smooth and there's nothing for the paint to grab onto. However, there are a few tricks to work around this problem. First, I took a piece of sandpaper and roughed up the top surface of the hearts and then painted on a thin layer of Liquitex Clear Gesso. The gesso will create a rough surface for the paint to grab on to. Next, I applied a layer of Ranger Distress Crackle Paint and waited (not so patiently) for that to dry. Once the paint was dry, I applied a thin coat of Liquitex Gel Medium, which will seal in the paint so it won't chip off. As an added bonus, the gel medium provides a smooth finish layer which allowed me to stamp on top of the cracked surface.

So until next time, keep thinking outside the box. Just because things aren't supposed to work together, like paint and acrylic, doesn't mean it's not possible.

Tissue Tape ATC

This ATC was in the May edition of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine and now it's time to share it with the world.


This really was a simple ATC to create but it seems to back quite the punch. I started with a piece of cardstock cut to 3 1/2 in x 2 1/2 in and just randomly applied pieces of Ranger Tissue Tape until the entire surface was covered. Next, I used a Crafter's Workshop template and ink to create the circles on the left-hand side. The sentiment was stamped with Ranger Archival Ink and a Stamper's Anonymous stamp. The heart is a piece of Grungeboard covered with Ranger Distress Crackle Paint and when the paint was dry I added a bit of Stickles.

Triptych Arch

The first July challenge is up at Better Living Through Scrapbooking! Head on over and take a look at what the Design Team has created and while you're there check out the prize for July. All you have to do to get entered for the prize is get creative and post those creations to the challenge website. Easy, peasy.



Now, on to my project for the first July challenge. This is was the theme:

Make a layout or project about what you want to do – what’s your dream job or what career goal are you working toward? If you’re already doing that job, show why you love it.

For this challenge I wanted to do something a bit different so I created a Triptych Arch. Mixed Media items allow me to express my emotion in my art and the topic for this challenge struck an emotional nerve with me. As a young child, I dreamed of all the high profile, high paying jobs just as any normal child. However, growing up very poor you quickly learn that all it takes to be happy is a job that pays the bills and leaves a few extra dollars in the bank at the end of the month. Currently, I have that well paying job that allows me to pay my mortgage and utility bills each month plus have money left over to indulge my creative side.

Fun and Funky Altered Canvas

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me! And where am I on this wonderful day of mine? In the big city of Atlanta at the Scrapbook Expo working with a great bunch of gals in the Basically Bare booth. If you're in the area, we'd love to see you!

How often, at thirty-something, do you have a "first"? Well, I can say this is my very first canvas and I think I just might be addicted!

For those who have not yet wandered into the world of mixed media, don't let it scare you. Creating this canvas couldn't have been easier. I started with an 8x8 primed canvas and covered the entire surface with a generous coating of Liquitex Gel Medium. While the gel medium is till wet, take small pieces of tissue paper and just randomly apply it to the surface and crumple them as you go. By crumpling the tissue paper, it will create a wonderful texture to the canvas. Once the entire surface of the canvas is covered with tissue paper, apply a thin layer of gel medium over the canvas and set aside to dry overnight.

Once the canvas is dry, take several different colors of acrylic paint and randomly paint the canvas. And if you don't like how it turns out, let the paint dry and you can paint over it. Once the paint is dry, use a dry brush technique and apply a very thin layer of Liquitex Iridescent Medium. The iridescent medium will add just a hint of shine and shimmer to the canvas.


Now, on to the next layer of texture! I used the Basically Embellies Chipboard Hearts and painted them black. Once the paint was dry, I added a layer of Liquitex Glass Bead Medium. Set the hearts aside to dry overnight. And, I learned something about the durability of the chipboard too. Even with a layer of paint and thick mediums, it didn't warp or curl, a plus in my book!


For the last bit of texture, I used the Basically Embellies Felt Dress Forms and the Basically Embellies Canvas Wings. The wings were paints with Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze and then attached to the back of the dress form. For the dress form, I wrapped the waist with a bit of fiber.


So go out, lose your inhibitions (your artistic inhibitions that is), and have fun. You never know where a bit of artistic freedom will lead.

Fun With Cards

It's time to share a couple of cards that were in the May edition of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine.

This first card was made by layering a Heidi Swapp transparency with Basic Grey paper. Add a bit of flower trim and ink and instant card!


The second card is just totally fun! This would be perfect for an anytime pick me up for a child.



I hope you've enjoyed these cards and stop back again soon!

The Younger Generation

All of these layouts were in the May issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine and now I can finally share them with you.

I love the picture on this first layout. Such a mischievous look on Sheyla's face, hence the title! And this layout incorporates one of my new found loves - canvas. It takes sprays and mists like a dream, and doesn't warp like paper when it gets wet.

This second layout, featuring Emily and Felix, is such a fun layout. Those kids have so much energy, and I think the picture shows this. I wanted the layout to reflect some of that energy, and I'm hoping I achieved that effect.


And lastly, a picture of the twins playing together. And that energy I mentioned earlier, multiply it by two! These two muchkins have an endless supply of energy.

You've seen where my inspiration come from. So, where do you find inspiration for your projects?

Where Does the Time Go?

I've recently started thinking about how quickly time passes. I was looking some old and some recent pictures of my niece (who just turned 13) and I couldn't believe how she had grown so quickly. So of course this became the inspiration behind my layout.


This layout was created as a collaborative between Basically Bare and Sketch Inspiration . The sketch was provided by Sketch Inspiration and I used Basically Embellie Banners and Basically Embellie Acrylic Birds for embellishments on the layout.

I had lots of fun with this layout too! Inking, masking, lots of bling and perfect pearls. Very much a girly girl layout, which is fitting of my niece. She's outgrowing a lot of her tomboy ways and is becoming very much the girly girl.

A Pirate's Life

Both of these layouts were in the May issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine and now I can finally share them here.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH! If we heard it once, we surely heard it a thousand times on our weekend excursion to Tybee Island Pirate Fest.


What a fun event, and I have tons of pictures to use as inspiration for future layouts.


The picture for this last layout was taken at The Crab Shack. In my opinion, one the best places to eat on the island. And, while you're waiting for a table, you can entertain yourself by feeding the alligators.

Then and Now

This layout is my DT entry for the second June challenge at Better Living Through Scrapbooking.


This challenge was all about showing how you and a close friend or relative have changed over the years. And boy, have we changed or what?!

So head on over, take a look at the other DT creations and get your entries posted for a chance to win the monthly giveaway. The prize for June is a $25 gift certificate to Basically Bare! They have such amazing alterable pieces - plain chipboard, corrugated chipboard, canvas, felt, acrylic. So what are you waiting for?

Fun With Stamps

This tag was features in the April issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine and I can finally share it with you.

I had a ton of fun creating this tag! It's one of the few projects that quickly and easily came together without a lot of second guessing and reworking.


I started by applying a few colors of distress inks on the background and then stamping the flowers, butterflies, and dotted areas. While the ink was still wet, I applied a light coating of perfect pearls to give a shimmer. Next, the dress form was stamped. I stamped a second dress form onto canvas and cut out the skirt and attached it to the tag for a bit of added dimension. Lastly, the beaded trim and lace were added to the top of the tag.

This was a more time intensive project, but the results were absolutely worth the time!

Canvas and Acrylic Embellishments

This card has two of my favorite mediums - acrylic and canvas! Both are easily alterable to fit any theme.


Using the Basically Embellies Canvas Hearts, I rolled the edges into white paint, then dipped it into white glitter while the paint was still wet. Then I used Staz-On to ink the Basically Embellies Acrylic Bird. To make the wing stand out, I took a scrap piece of patterned paper and used Glossy Accents to adhere it to the back of the wing. Since the Glossy Accents dries crystal clear, it's the perfect adhesive for acrylic. Lastly, a drop of Enamel Accents was added for the eye and the birdie is complete.

You might have noticed I didn't add a sentiment to this card. Why you ask? I like to keep a stash of cards on hand in case I need one at the last minute. By not adding a sentiment, it allows me to have a 99% finished card on hand. It only take a few seconds to quickly stamp a sentiment and I'm ready to place the card in an envelope and give it a home.

Fun Layouts of the Munchkins

Both of these layouts were featured in the April issue of Scrapbook News and Review Magazine and now I can finally share them with you.

What could be more precious than watching children sleep? They lose every bit of mischief and become completely adorable.


This second layout was inspired from a trip to Tybee Island, GA last year. We were all waiting anxiously for everyone to board the boat so we could start our site seeing tour.


Whether it's a vacation trip or just everyday occurrences, there is inspiration everywhere that can be used on your scrapbook projects.