GC109: ON THE ROAD

Oops...I'm a bit late in getting this posted! I went to an acupuncturist for the first time last night and 4 hours after my appointment time I got home and it was too late to post! ( I'm happy to say I'm already seeing some benefit from the session, tho...)

This month Gingersnap Creations is dedicated to machines with a focus on steampunk style, a mix of Victorian elements and futuristic components. We also have a great sponsor - Dezinaworld who is a great source for collage sheets! I'll be playing with some of their steampunk sheets next week. ;)

This week's theme is ON THE ROAD! Not steampunk but I love this set.

SO...my tag.

Hummm...ever have one of those creations that goes horribly wrong but you can't stop? I started in a good place. Postcard sized tag, a piece of map torn from an old atlas, my ROUTE 66 stamps from Artistic Outpost. And I took a left turn down a bad road!

My friend, Heather and I have an unending debate about "one less vs. one more item". Heather always thinks everything needs one less something. I always think everything needs MORE. But I have to say in this case...Heather is right (did you hear that Heather???) But what needs to come off...well that's where the road took a left turn. I don't know.

So...enjoy my over embellished tag and don't forget to get your KICKS ON ROUTE 66!! (yes...I'm that old...)
Post your ON THE ROAD creations on the Ginger blog by the end of the month!

GC103: The Singing Cowboy

This week Gingersnap Creations is creating a scene! A stamped scene that is!

I started with a background technique called PULLED GLIMMERS - using Patina, Sunflower, and Sugar Maple.  Then stamped the cowboy, masked him, and stamped the bottom foliage and cacti.

Stamps: Artistic Outpost THE SINGING COWBOY and ROUTE 66; sentiment Stampers Anonymous
Paper: cream, kraft, brown cardstock
Ink: Archival Coffee, Distress Inks
Accessories: Glimmer Mist (Sugar  Maple, Sunflower, Patina) twine, star brad
Technique Junkies: Pulled Glimmers - June/July 2010

Gingersnap Creations has a great sponsor this month - Technique Junkies Newsletter!

I've been a subscriber for many years and love the detailed, step-by-step instructions in each issue of the newsletter. 

Stamps: Artistic Outpost THE SINGING COWBOY and ROUTE 66; sentiment Stampers Anonymous
Paper: cream, kraft, brown cardstock
Ink: Archival Coffee, Distress Inks
Accessories: Glimmer Mist (Sugar  Maple, Sunflower, Patina) twine, star brad
Technique Junkies: Pulled Glimmers - June/July 2010

The Drone

I’ve been waiting on pins and needles to make this announcement! A few weeks ago I was invited to be a Contributing Artist to the Gingersnap Creations blog!! I’m SO honored to join these UBER talented artists for the next 6 months. Shortly, I will be updating my blog with direct links to the other Gingers. If you’re looking for grungy and/or vintage inspiration - visit them! And don’t forget there’s a weekly Gingersnap Creation challenge...

I created this copper/rust/ginger “bee boy” for my introduction piece. It felt great to be working with Distressed Inks again (I’ve been working with those FAB Amuse Studio inks for the past few weeks but I missed my DIs). It also felt great create a TAG again! :D

I found this great altered photo on The Land of Nod Studio’s blog – she has a Free Friday Photo every week. Since he was Gingery, he was perfect for my collaged tag. I also just got some new stamps from Stampotique that gave me the idea for The Drone. The rest of the tag is just classic “Tim” techniques with a little Glimmer Mist thrown in for sparkle! The honeycomb was embossed with a blue/copper EP called Terra Cotta.

Here’s a close up of the bee wing. I used a clear glitter pen on the wings before adding a layer of Crystal Effects. The end result is a sparkly wing.

Stamps: Artistic Outpost EPHEMERAL BACKGROUNDS (bkgd), Oxford Impressions LE JARDIN (hive), Stampotique bee & honeycomb
Paper: tag, photo paper
Ink: Distress Inks: Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Orange Marmalade, Vintage Photo, embossing ink
Accessories: ribbon, Glimmer Mist-Tuscan Sunset, clear glitter pen, Crystal Effects, gold pearls, Scrabble tile letters, Terra Cotta EP

So happy to be a Ginger!

CoC#3 - MonoPrint HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

So...it's been a weird week. I got noticed June 14th that my last day of work would be June 30th. For the first time in my life - I'm unemployed with no idea where I'll land. I'd been stressing about this day for 2 years, so in the end - it's a RELIEF to have it done. I'm so calm. Then I listen to the news - LOL!! I know it will all work out in the end but if you'd send a good thought my way I'd appreciate it (and if you have an IT job in the Colorado Springs area....HIRE ME! I'M GOOD!) But I'm taking a break from figuring out the unemployment insurance stuff and catching up with some stamping!!

Week #3 of Studio L3's COMPENDIUM OF CURIOSITIES challenge is Mono-printing. I used Stonewashed, Sailboat Blue, and Red Pepper alcohol inks for my background. I have to say that I tried this many times before I didn't get muddled colors and I really like this final result. The stars all covered in glitter.

Have a happy, SAFE 4th of July!!

Stamps: Artistic Outpost HERO
Paper: white glossy, AMuse red mini check
Ink: Archival
Accessories: star punches, glitter, alcohol inks

GC55 - QUOTE

My friend, Anne Lise, stopped by for a visit before Memorial Day weekend. We've been friends for 30+ years - ever since I lived with her family in Karasjok, Norway (zoom out) as an exchange student. Anne Lise loves to quilt, so when she comes we generally go to her favorite quilting store. We spent 2 hours and she went home with three quilts to make! I bought a fat quarter of this great EGG material!

A fat quarter is 1/2 of 1/2 yard of material - 22x18. I ripped it into about 15 pieces and sewed it on to card stock. You'll probably get tired of the egg material before I'm done with all the cards! (grin)


I did this card for Gingersnap Creations challenge - QUOTE. When I broke down and bought the Tim Holtz bird/birdcage die, I decided I needed to use it A LOT. The quote is from an ARTISTIC OUTPOST set: SERENITY. The quote is "A bird does not sing because she has an answer. She sings because she has a SONG."

After sewing the material down, I pulled the loose threads out up to the sewn edge. Its pretty easy to do with cotton fabric.

Stamps: Artistic Outpost SERENITY
Paper: The Paper Studio MARABELLA
Ink: VersaMagic TURQUOISE GEM
Accessories: Tim Holtz die, material, Scrapper's floss

Paris Exposition Birthday

I struggled a bit with this card. It just seemed to unfinished!

The panel under the picture is tag with the top cut off. I really like how the Distress Inks and Glimmer Mist work with a tag. I think it's the tag finish. Anyway. The tag was distressed with different brown Glimmer Mists and brown Distress Inks. Then I over-stamped with some of the smaller images from Artistic Outpost's PARIS EXPOSITION. The image is also from that set. The faces were colored with Copics and the sky was water colored. It seemed unfinished to me until I stamped the "postmark" with red ink.

Stamps: Artistic Outpost FRENCH EXPOSITION & 7 Gypsies AVIGNON
Paper: tag, french book page, white
Ink: Archival black & Distress Ink
Accessories: Copics, Scrappers Floss, Glimmer Mist (Creme de Chocolat, Coffee Shop, Wheatfields), ticket, brads.
Technique Junkies: Faux Paper & Antiqued Glimmers

Tag Tuesday #45 - Collage with Stickers

This week's challenge on Tuesday Tag Challenge was to make a collage tag with at least one sticker.

My sticker is the border strip at the bottom. I based the tag colors off that strip. My new Glimmer Mist color Lavender Fields turned out more BLUE PURPLE than RED PURPLE - but in the end I think it works. The frame is a Glimmer Mist chipboard that I also sprayed with Lavender Fields and then covered with glitter. The girls were stamped in Stazon and watercolored with Distress Ink.

Stamps: Artistic Outpost BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Paper: tag, Basic Grey scraps
Ink: Stazon, Distress Ink: Dusty Concord & Mustard Seed
Accessories: Prima, glitter, sticker border, swiss dot embossing folder, Glimmer Mist chipboard frame, ribbon, Glimmer Mist: Sunflower & Lavender Fields

Stampin DAmore FEBRUARY & MARCH

These are the last two ATCs in the year long swap on the STAMPIN D'AMOUR site.

FEBRUARY - LOVE:Simple collage. I didn't have a direction going into this other than LOVE. The little fairy girl was watercolored with Distress Ink and aqua pen.

Stamps: Red Lead fair; PaperTrey Ink MIXED MESSAGES
Paper: red card stock, DP, doily, ticket
Ink: Distress Ink and Memento
Accessories: Glitter, glue pen, Martha Stewart border punch, pearl heart, and aqua pen

MARCH - BIRD:The background was created on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of cards stock using the Technique Junkies ANTIQUED GLIMMERS method. After it was dry I stamped Artistic Outpost BIRDS OF A FEATHER background on the cards stock in Walnut Stain. The bird was stamped on cream in Memento, then watercolored with Distressed Ink and my aqua pen.

Stamps: Artistic Outpost BIRDS OF A FEATHER - all images.
Paper: white/cream card stock
Ink: Distress Ink and Memento
Accessories: Glimmer Mist: Creme de Cocoa, Creme de Chocolate, Moonlight, and Frost; feather, and aqua pen.
Technique Junkies: Antiqued Glimmers

Happy 2nd Birthday to Artistic Outpost!

Artistic Outpost is one of my long-time favorite stamp companies. And this month they are celebrating their 2nd birthday with a challenge sketch!! The rules were to make a fall or birthday card using an AO set. I used HOME.


The sketch below was flipped 90-degrees. The row of trees I stamped directly on the Basic Grey INDIAN SUMMER paper is the long "paper" piece under the main image. The main images was "rock 'n rolled" using the edged of the ink pads to ink specific areas. After the ink dried, I distressed with Distress Ink and a sponge dauber. I used another Technique Junkies method to distress the image panels - FRAME FRENZY: TORN FRAMES. It adds that great "grunge" feel to the card.



Stamps: Artistic Outpost HOME; A Muse HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Paper: Basic Grey INDIAN SUMMER, SU! Rich Razzelberry
Ink: SU! Dusty Durango, Rich Razzelberry; Distress Ink: Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy
Accessories: brads, pop dots, and sponge dauber.
Technique: Technique Junkies FRAME FRENZY: TORN FRAMES

Please visit KLSNS design team blog for more info on Basic Grey goodies!!

Route 66

Here's another tag for my Grungy Tag challenge on SCS. This time I did a number - 66. As in Route 66. Quite a few paper companies have put out lines of "travel" paper. Maybe because a lot of people are driving on their vacation this year instead of flying. Anyway, Graphic 45 has a sheet of different spots. I used the "apple ad" on yesterdays tag. Another spot was this class car on top of an old map of Route 66 between Needles, AZ and Los Angeles. I cut the car out and put Glossy Accents on the window and headlights. You can't really tell in the picture but it adds a nice detail. The background paper of cars pulling campers is from Cosmo Cricket's HAPPY CAMPER paper. It seemed like the perfect background for my collage. I stamped Saquaro catcuses in Shabby Shutters over the paper and "Road Trip" in Old Paper. Finally I stamped a Route 66 sign on another tag in Walnut Stain; cut out; and layered with a pop-dot. Last touch is an Idea-ology Philosophy tag (Journey).



Stamps: Artistic Outpost ROUTE 66
Paper: Graphic 45 paper; Cosmo Cricket paper, tag
Ink: Distress Ink: Old Paper, Shabby Shutters, and Walnut Stain.
Accessories: Glossy Accents, Idea-ology: Philosophy Tags and brad/rivet, and twine.

Finally, I had to share this picture of Jasmine - my 10 (almost 11) yr old Lab. I work from home 2-3 days a week. Today I got up to get something and found Jazz *RIGHT* behind my chair sleeping. She's so close that her head is almost under my chair. It's good to have somebody watch your back (while they snore up a storm)! (GRIN)