SOS 382: Washi-washi-washi!!!

This week at Shopping Out Stash, Donna is our hostess, and she has chosen the theme WASHI WASHI WASHI!  What a perfect theme for stash-shoppers... who can resist decorative tape?  I mean, it's useful, inexpensive, and oh-so-stashable.  So, let's use it up!

Supplies:

• Candy cane paper from a co-worker... she gave me sheets and sheets, so I've got to use it up!
• Tiny envelope template from Paper Source, a store in Berkeley, CA.
• Once envelopes made, Liquitex gesso was sponged on for a frosty-glow
• Various washi tapes added, including the following brands: K & Company, Scotch, and I *think* the "Oh Happy Day" might be Jane Davenport... and the gold-striped tape is generic, I believe.
• Pre-cut mistletoe sprigs and tree, all Tim Holtz dies
• Tim Holtz Holiday Quotations stickers, specifically used from sheets I had used the least of (in the interest of stash-shopping!)
• Stickles in Xmas Red and Silver

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you are inspired to play with washi tape with us... see you at Shopping Our Stash!

SOS: Packaging

Hello!  This week at Shopping Our Stash, we are asking crafters to create something based on food or beverage packaging.  I went rummaging through my pantry and decided on a La Croix box.

You know I am not a huge cutesy-stamp person, but I could not resist this lady.  I saw her at the AI booth at the Scrapbook Expo and could not walk past-- even though I had already spent my money...

Supplies:

• AI "Shake your grass" gal along with an AI spring-thingy for the shaking booty...
• Skin colored with Spectrum Noir pens and some mild sunburn added using Jane Davenport cream pastels
• Leafy paper and orange paper from my stash-- brands unknown.  I believe both of these papers came from a coworker... she shared some awesome stuff!  (If you follow my Insta, she is the lady who made the turkey from a book :) ... I am trying to get her to start a craft blog.)
• The circle is a die that Autumn sent a couple years ago.  I use it so often!  Thanks!
• DOx as shown in image to match the La Croix box
• Skirt, lips, and coconuts colored using Rexell Derwent colored pencils
• Multiple colors of Stickles
• Nuvo Drops
• Silver gel pen for glasses
• Fiskars punches used for flowers
• The sentiments were made to look like they were on wooden signs... hey: it was easy and I'd been assembling these cards over a couple days in snippets of time-- I had to get it done!  I used gathered Twigs DI, I think... 
• The sand inside is from a Pebeo tube.  This stuff is so cool... and I seldom use it.  

I would like to also share this cutie at the following challenges:

• Lost Coast: Cute
  
• Simon Says Stamp on Wednesday: All that glitters is gold (I used a ton of Stickles...)
• Just Us Girls: 
  

Cheers!

SOS 380: Tic-Tac-Toe!

Hello!

I'm the proud hostess at Shopping Our Stash this week and I've come up with a Tic-Tac-Toe (because I always love them... hope you do, too!):

Here's one of the cards I've made to share:

This was made using the top row and the far- right column.

Supplies:

• Main panel was a background made a couple months ago and was just in background stack.  It was made using a Hero Arts stamp heat-embossed with pewter EP onto some inexpensive watercolor paper and colored with Color Bursts in Burnt Orange, Yellow Ochre, and Sepia.  After trimming the edges, I ran Distress Stain in Brushed Pewter aroud it to cover the white paper edges.
• The matting panel was made also a couple months ago on the same type of inexpensive watercolor paper, but this was a scrap that I had gel-printed on using unknown paints... could have been Liquitex... could have been Distress... I just have no recollection of it!
• The leaf is an old, old stamp-- one of the first stamps I think I bought as an adult.  I bought this in Willits, CA, on a trip to visit Humboldt before I attended HSU.  So it must have been back right around the year 2000... hmmm... I know I've used this stamp before, so it would be interesting to see the way I remember the story of this stamp from the past!  Anyway, the stamp was heat-embossed on a  scrap of watercolor paper in pewter and colored with Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals in Dark Chocolate Truffle and Rudolph's Red Nose.  Gorgeous.  Then I fussy-cut it and inked the edges with heavily neglected Distress Stain in Brushed Pewter.
• The "Thanks" was heat-embossed with Pewter as well on a scrap of the gel-printed mat paper.

That is it!  I have some more to share this week-- let's just hope I have time!  The abbreviated weeks always mess me up!

Thanks for stopping by.  I look forward to seeing which way you'll play the tic-tac-toe!

SOS 379: Raining cats and dogs!

This week at Shopping Our Stash, Alica is our hostess and she has chosen the theme: It's Raining Cats and Dogs!  You can go any direction with this from cats, to dogs, to rain!  Or all of the above!

I was shocked to discover that I really don't have a ton of cat, dog, or rain stash... so I struggled... until I thought, "Hmmm...  I think the Christmas Grumplings might have a cat or dog..." And YES!

I love the Grumplings.  The sentiment stamps that come with them are hysterical as well, but I wanted a sentiment as a humorous focal, so I added a favorite winter quote!  I'll just have this card ready for when my winter grumpiness sets in.  (Not a fan of the cold...)

Supplies:

• Taylored Expression Grumpling (set from a few years ago) inked with Ranger Archival in Jet Black on a scrap of 110# cardstock; colored with Spectrum Noir and Prismacolor markers.  Cheeks "blushed" with Jane Davenport cream pastels
• Sentiment panel was a scrap of Strathmore watercolor paper and written with Distress Crayon in Black Soot scribbled on my mat and brushed with water and a small sturdy brush.  Edges of panel inked with DI in Stormy Sky.
• Background paper is Bo Bunny from 2013, given to me recently by a coworker.  Edges distressed with a Making Memories distressing tool (in my opinion, the best on the market) and inked with DI in Stormy Sky as well.
• Garland dies by Elizabeth Craft Designs and cut from a scrap of glittery paper. (I actually cut these a couple weeks ago.)  These were adhered with matte Distress Collage Medium.
• The black cardstock in the back was also scrap.  I was amazed to find it because I never have a piece of black that is this big!  

Hope to see your creations at Shopping Our Stash this week!  

SOS 378: Witching Hour

This week, we are celebrating The Witching Hour at Shopping Our Stash, thanks to our hostess, Donna!

I love Halloween.  Here is a tag made for the occasion:

Supplies:

• The focal images were recently sent by our hostess, Donna.  Thank you!
• Paper by Authentique, passed on by a coworker.  The bats/webs are on one side, the plaid on the other.  
• The black banner in the middle was a scrap from a Martha Stewart Halloween pad from last year.
• I made the half-rosettes and I am so proud of them!  Well, the top one looks a little wonky in the image, but IRL they are fine.  They are pretty small.  In case you have never tried to do this, the way I do it is to just score paper at even intervals, then I always use hot glue to hold it together.
• Ribbon from my stash 
• Viva Paper Pearls in Cream
• Stickles in Black Diamond
• I tried using on of Andrea/Snapping Monsters stitchy stamp, but dang me: I accidentally cut the rubber too this on this and I need to re-mount it.  I was being stubborn on this project and tried to "wing it" except I was far to clumsy.  I'll go fix the stamp now!  

Thank you for visiting.  I hope you guys have some crafty Halloween time.  If you don't need any last minute Halloween cards, remember that Day of the Dead is November 1st... maybe you could do some spooky crafts revolving around that!

See you at Shopping Our Stash.

SOS 377: Not your average (shaped) card!

Hello!  This week we have a fun one at Shopping Our Stash... make a shaped card... but not any average shape!  Steer clear of the squares, circles, rectangles, and ovals...  you gotta go see the design team's creations for more inspiration!  This will be FUN!

Made this for a coworker who is also a great friend.  She spent some time teaching in England and picked up a tea habit:

Supplies:

• I made the card base from a piece of Core'dinations cardsock .  I folded it in half then sketched the cup. After the initial "cut," I trimmed and trimmed until I was happy.
• Detail was added with Liquitex gesso
• The floral accent paper has been in my stash for a couple years: it is Kaisecraft from the year __.  I fussy-cut the flowers from that paper as well.  
• I am continuing to used my Ranger Liquid Pearls in White Opal... even though I keep saying I'm on my last drop!
• Stickles also added.
• I cut the banner from a scrap of paper and brushed the greeting in Finetec metallic.

So there you have it... a fun tea-cup!  It reminds me of the mad tea party on the original Alice in Wonderland.

See you at Shopping Our Stash!

SOS: Pink is the new orange!

This week, I am your hostess at Shopping Our Stash.  Originally,  we were going to go with an idea Deena had for "Orange is the new black"-- but then decided to combine it with PINK for breast cancer awareness month.  Perfect, right?

Supplies:

• The pumpkin was cut from Dina Wakley's cotton waterclor paper, first inked with Dylusions in Funky Fuchsia and Pure Sunshine, plus a little Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.
• I sealed the paper with some Krylon archival UV spray and then backed it with some Sizzix adhesive paper (So stashworthy because I have had this since this summer and ave not used it-- so then for this project I accidentally used two pieces!  ARGH!)
• For the pumpkin, I drew it on the reverse of the inked paper first, then numbered the pieces from left to right so I could reassemble the pieces once cut.  I added Nuvo drops once adhered to the background.
• I scribbled some Peeled Paint Distress Crayon on the stem
• A friend gave me some tint punches a few weeks ago, and so I punched the stars with one of those.
• The hearts were just cut free-hand.
• The leafy backgrond was inked many months ago with Lindy's Stamp Gang Magicals.
• The leaves at the bottom were pre-cut from dies from Autumn (thanks!).  I inked them with DOx in Lucky Clover and Peacock Feathers, the spritzed with water and added some Nuvo drops. The Nuvo drops are kind of new, but I am not a huge "drop" user, so I was definitely trying to use my stash.  So glad!  I think they look cool!
• The copper-y background was some Metallic Kraft-core by Tim + Core'dinations, and to further use my stash, I ran it through the Sidekick with and EF by Anna Griffin.  
• I added the quotation by Tim Holtz, and this will be perfect to send to my sister.

I hope you have a chance to join us!  For more inspiration, please visit my teammates at Shopping Our Stash.

Also, just a friendly reminder to do your self-examinations!  Early detection is so important with breast cancer! 

SOS 375: Thanks-giving

Hope you guys have had a nice October so far.  I am enjoying the sights, smells, and foods of the fall season, my favorite of the year.

This week at Shopping Our Stash,our hostess is Donna and she is asking that we make a card of thanks-giving, or one of Thanksgiving, as yesterday, October 8, was Canadian Thanksgiving.

My creation for this week is a thank-you requested by our local cheer coach to give to a parent that had been helpful during a fundraiser.  The school colors are green and white, so I went with a green background:

Supplies:

• The inked background is on Ranger Yupo paper.  This is stashy because I seldom use it because I don't want to waste it!
• All alcohol inks are over a year old-- 3 out of 4 of them are over two years old.  I used the following inks by Ranger: Meadow, Oregano, Stream, and Gold mixative.
• The floral stamp was bought at the thrift store a couple years ago.  I inked it with a Versamark pad in Champagne and heat-embossed with Ranger EP in Princess Gold.
• I wrote the "Thank you" with a fine-tip Ranger Letter It pen and heat-embossed with Princess Gold.

That's all!  Hope you can join us for this practical challenge-- I mean, we can always use thank you cards, and nobody would frown upon a belated Canadian Thanksgiving greeting!

See you at Shopping Our Stash!

SOS 374: Pearls are always appropriate

This week, I am your hostess for Shopping Our Stash!  I chose the theme based on this graphic:

Here are my three projects:

Supplies:

• Strathmore watercolor paper
• Color Bursts in Ultramarine and Pthalo Green mixed in wells with Perfect Pearls (see how I incorporated those into this challenge?? Ha!) in Heirloom Gold.
• I used up a bunch of pearls from a generic pack from Michael's
• The tail on the mer-life card was cut from a panel made many moons ago.  I added Prismacolor marker to the edges and rubbed the tail with some DecoArt Metallic Lustre in Gold Rush.
• The oval pearl on the oyster card was snipped from a K & Company sticker set from 2012.
• The corners of the oyster card were snipped with a Fiskars punch.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you'll join me at Shopping Our Stash!

SOS 373: Smooshy-smooshy...

This week at Shopping Our Stash, our hostess Chris is encouraging us to use the smooshing technique on our projects!

This is what I ended up with:

Supplies:

• Inexpensive watercolor paper smooshed into the following DOx: Antique Linen, Bundled Sage, Tattered Rose, Shaded Lilac
• Those DOx were inked on my mat and sprayed with water+Heirloom Gold Perfect Pearls
• Seldom-used Hero Arts stamp set inked in Ranger Archival Ink in Jet Black 
• Next, I used the layering stamp with some Perfect Medium and then dusted it with more Perfect Pearls.
• Glossy Accents added as some air bubbles
• Green paper from my scrap bin
• The card is a plum color, bought on clearance 

Hope to see you at Shopping Our Stash with some smooshy-smooshy projects!

SOS 372: Welcome Home!

This week at Shopping Our Stash, we are saying "Welcome home!"  We would like to see projects inspired by your home-- where you live now or where you come from.   (Thanks to Deena on the team-- this was her idea... isn't it great?)

So, what is home to you?

I was born in Maryland, and much of my family is there.  I have only been back three times since my parents lefts the state when I was six months old, but because so much of my family is there, and since my folks met and spent much of their youth in Maryland (my dad is actually a Terapin... Go Terps!), I have ties to the state.  I mean, I grew up with Old Bay and crab (although it's not blue crab here in California...).  I have also always been a huge fan of the flag, the state bird (Baltimore Oriole), and the state flower (Black-eyed Susan).  I'm wishing I had a trip scheduled soon.  One set of my aunt/uncle (I have about 7 sets there, one set in DC) own and operate a vineyard in Newmarket and it's pretty close to heaven on earth.  If you are in Maryland (CHRIS), you should visit.  They are the best people.  And I think you might like their product... :)

Supplies:

• I bought the tin a year ago at an Asian market and this is just the sort of project I envisioned!  I coated the tin initially with alcohol inks in Mushroon, Oregano, and Ginger, but they did not look great on the bright aluminum.  I then coated it with black Liquitex gesso and rubbed it with some DecoArt metallic paint in Espresso.  I also added Pebeo sand to add the corroded look.  I added some Walnut Stain and watered-down Spiced Marmalade Distress Paint to the "corroded" areas to look like rust.
• The Maryland flag (which is awesome... I have flip-flops that look like it!) is from some DP by Echo Park. It was on super-clearance at a scrapbook store I visited two weeks ago for the first time.  It was, like, staring at me.  Meant-to-be purchase.  I inked it with Vintage Photo DI and added water spots.
• I wiped some hemp twine with the above-mentioned DecoArt paint and added it to the inside edges of the tin.
• The flowers are many years old, made by Prima.  They were originally beige.  I paited them yellow with Liquitex acrylic, then added Glossy Accents to the centers and added black Recollections glass beads to make the Black-eyed Susans.
• I used scrap craft copper sheets and metal dies for the "Marys From Maryland" sign.  Then I scribbled with Distress Crayon in Black Soot.  (This tin will go to my cousin Mary: we are the "Marys from Maryland!"  [My real-life name is Mary... Mimi is the nickname that my family and closest friends call me])
• The tiny oriole is from a bird guide that was discarded from the library when a boy destroyed it.  Gotta love him.
• The hanging apparatus is a Paper Studio safety pin.  I glued it with Glossy Accenst.

Hope to see you guys at SOS, and I look forward to your projects and learning a little about y'all!

SOS: Upcycle

This week at Shopping Our Stash, our hostess Donna is encouraging us to upcycle something!  Ahh, stash-shopping in it's purest form...

For my project, I decorated an old box that I'd been using for pre-made sentiments and quotes that I made (not cut from books).  The box was originally from a phonics card set that a teacher was getting rid of.

Supplies:

• Old box
• Ranger gel plate
• Liquitex Basics paint
• Martha Stewart gold paint
• Old button.  I attached it with the original fabric showing because that is the best part of old buttons sometimes!
• The quote was typed a long time ago and was contained within the box
• The box had the skull glued to it before I gel-printed it

That's it!  Hope you can join us and upcycle something that would otherwise be in the garbage!  See you at Shopping Our Stash!

SOS: Crazy for coloring!

This week at Shopping Our Stash, our hostess Chris is hoping we'll all go Crazy For Coloring!  Let's break out our favorite coloring implements... gelatos, markers, Distress crayons...

In the spirit of Shopping Our Stash, I busted out my old colored pencils:

This is the picture I sketched, found initially on Pinterest:

(Here is the link to the image)

Wow.  My sketch was pretty loose, huh!  Pretty image, though!

Supplies:

• Rexel Derwent watercolor pencils from way back...
• Drawing done with a Micron 005 or 02... can't remember
• Stickles added for some pizzazz... so glad I did
• Tim Holtz Quotation added
• Green mat is a scrap 

I hope you will join us at Shopping Our Stash this week so I can ooh-and-ahh at your coloring skills!

SOS 369: Quit buggin' me!

This week at Shopping Our Stash, Donna is our hostess and she is asking us to quit buggin' her!  Wait, no, she wants you to bug her!  Make a project featuring an insect or insects this week!

Here is the card I came up with:

I have to be honest: I have lots of buggy routes I could have taken: I found some Basic Grey paper from 2012 that has bugs all over it, I have tons of butterfly stuff, some ladybug stuff, some cool golden bee stickers... but I wasn't feeling any of it.  So I kind of went with my he{art} and this is what I ended up with. 

Supplies and notes:

• The main panel was painted by yours truly using the first Jane Davenport watercolor set I purchased (Brights) on some pre-cut cheap watercolor paper
• Tim Holtz stitch stamp from Tim's Patchwork Pieces used at the edge.  I haven't used this set in a while. 
• The teal background paper was in my solid-colored paper stash, but it is not cardstock... it is thin and it must have come from the same place that last week's matting paper came from, maybe it was some of the stuff that came from the kid's stash that I thinned last winter.
• Sentiment written with the same Jane Davenport set.

Hope you can join us over at SOS!  I know you have buggy stuff!

SOS: Hot, hot, hot!!!

Welcome, crafters!  This week at Shopping Our Stash, Chana selected the theme Hot, hot, hot!  How will you interpret it?  Food? Fire? I even have these cute stickers that look like pin-up girls of the 40s/50s-- they could be hot as in sexy! But alas I am not that fun and I went with hot weather!

Supplies:

• The focal image on this card is the gal by Artistic Impressions stamped with Ranger Atrchival Ink in Jet Black.  She was colored with a combination of DOx's and Spectrum Noir markers.  She was accented with Finetec metallic watercolors.
• The sentiment is from the same stamp set.  The brads are probably almost 10 years old.
• The sun is also from the set, 
• The three background panels were scraps from some postcards I made.  I inked them with Carved Pumpkin DOx and then stamped them with Seth Apter's circles inked with Picked Raspberry DOx and spritzed.
• The "beach sand" was a scrap of monoprinted paper in my pile, and the "water" was also a scrap of background papers made in the past.
• I mounted all of this onto a scrap of pink paper-- it's not even cardstock.  Just thin paper, almost like origami paper or something.

I hope this bright card makes you have all the warm feels of summer. I miss it already, and it's still hot where I live (but I LOVE it).

Join in the fun with us at Shopping Our Stash!  What will you come up with?

SOS: Leaf it to me...

This week at Shopping Our Stash we are being encouraged to use a leaf  (or more) on our creations!

This is what I came up with:

Have to admit that this was tough in the way that I have lots of leafy stash and was not sure which direction I'd go...

Supplies:

• Background made on scrap white cardstock
• Inkadinkado leaf stamp inked with Tim Holtz embossing ink and heat embossed with Ranger Letter It in Copper Tinsel (I think I've only used it once before)
• Colorbursts in fall colors used on the background
• Sentiment written with Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers on a scrap of Canson Mix Media paper
• The wooden bird was from Michael's a couple years ago. I coated it with crackle Distress paint many moons ago and decided it was time to use it here.

That's it!  Hope you like it.  For more inspiration, go visit my friends at Shopping Our Stash and join us!

SOS: Silhouette

Hello!

This week at Shopping Our Stash, our hostess Alica would like us to create a project using a silhouette!

This is my first card:

Supplies:

• The bingo card had already been textured, inked, and cut.  It looks like I laid a thin coat of Teresa Collins modeling paste over it and I think the ink is mopped-up Color Bursts... but I really don't know!
• The Flamingos were inked with Ranger Archival in Jet Black and heat embossed using black Recollections EP.  I thought I had never used the flamingos from a Stampabilities set before, but I can tell that I have...don't recall that either!
• The sentiment is by Inspired By Stamping, and I am pretty sure I've used it just once.

But then I also made this one, which I like better:

Supplies:

• The background was made a couple weeks back using a Ranger gelli-plate with various Distress paints and a Balzer feather stencil from years ago. 
• The bird, branch, and leaf stamps are from a Hero Arts set that I haven't used in quite some time, inked in Ranger Archival in Jet Black.
• The sentiment is from Hampton Arts Laerying Roses set, also not used in quite some time.

Hope you can join in on the silhouette-fun this week. For inspiration, head on over to Shopping Our Stash and check out what my talented teammates created!