Swapped!

On one of my last posts for ROGUE REDHEAD DESIGNS I offered three ATC's for a one on one swap. And I had three takers!

Shirl - Shirl's Cards

Super Jen

Sue W - Stamping Sue in Connecticut

Thank you ladies for the beautiful artwork!!

Rogue Redhead: A Finale!

I'm sad to say this is my last post for Rogue Redhead Designs.   I'm stepping down from the design team.  I've started the process to get my basement finished (into a "mancave with girlie parts" (or in other words a craft room to die for!!!)).  With that going on I felt I needed to step down.

Here's a little tutorial of how I created this canvas. (note: after each step I dry the canvas with my heat gun.)

I started with a 4x5 canvas, some paints, gel medium, and paper scraps.

I painted a rough background on to the canvas (and on the sides). I do this just because the paper won't reach to the edges and it keeps the edges from sticking out.

I covered the dried painted background with gel medium, layered the paper on, and added more gel medium over the paper. I use a matte finish gel medium.

Next using solvent or oil based inks randomly stamp all over. I used stamps and "found items" (shelf liner, bubble wrap, spray can lids, etc). This is an ongoing step as the layers go down. If you feel it needs more stamping...STAMP!!

I sprayed color in the corner over a mask. I should have put the stamped BEACH BABES down first, but as you can tell, in the end it didn't matter.

I stamped the BEACH BABES on scrap paper and glued down with more gel medium.

To distress the image I used India Ink pens and my finger to add color and then rub it out.

Use a gel pen to add detail to the distressed image. (and notice there was more stamping going down...)

I just bought this Inca Gold - it's a waxy color. I rubbed some along the edges and corners. Buff it with a rag.

After adding the flowers and shells (or between layers to keep them from running) spray with "Workable Fixative". This will give it a nice shine!

So here are some close ups of the final image. After I had the layer of fixative on, I decided to add the sentiment. Just goes to show you...you can't make a mistake and more layers are always good!

Thanks so much to Shar for inviting me a year ago to join the team and allowing me to play with her great stamp sets!


(On this canvas I used Beach Babes, Floriculture, and Relish Reading)

Rogue Redhead: Milliner Miss ATCs

So here's the thing about me....I don't always read every little bit of info on a blog/post. Mostly I look at the pictures. (Grin)


So recently in the UNRULY PAPER ARTS Yahoo Group, I noticed an ATC swap.  When I first started paper crafting I did tons of swaps!  The past few years, I've been too busy to join any.  So I thought it would be fun to join this one.  So here's the part where I wasn't really reading all the fine details....THE SWAP DEADLINE WAS APRIL 30TH.  (oops....)

So, I have 3 ATC's all ready for trade. If you'd like to trade one-on-one with me, please leave a comment.

It Never Gets Old!

That little "whoop!" in your stomach when the complimentary copy of Stampers Sampler comes out of the mailbox!!

The Catch-up issue is full of beautiful art submitted over the last few issues.

I had one tag towards the back.

GRIN!!

OH!  PS...the balloon on the cover is a Rogue Redhead set - Relish Reading!!!

Rogue Redhead: Chemistry Lesson

It's Rogue Redhead Thursday!

It's no secret that I love Tim Holtz's techniques! And like many of you, I enrolled in Chemistry 101 for a few lessons. I haven't completed all the classes just yet. But one or two of the techniques inspired me to get out BITS and PIECES and FLORICULTURE.

This first tag is "Spritz and Flick". Sponged color and drops of water. I used Broken China, Scattered Straw, Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade, and Brushed Corduroy.

This second tag was a "WOW" gotta try that technique. Tim calls it "Archival Resist". I used Archival Sap Green, Olive, Monarch Orange, and Saffron. Tim sponged his creation with a brown Distress Ink and I thought it looked dull and lifeless.  So I used Scattered Straw and a little Spiced Marmalade.

Rogue Redhead: Ladies in Blue

It's Rogue Thursday!

Aren't the ladies from MILLINER MISSES beautiful in blue and yellow?

We're making gate-fold cards on the Rogue Redhead blog this month. It's not a card format I use very often, but I have to say I like the end result here.

The ladies are triple mounted on die-cut panels using my new Stampin Up! Labels set.  The designer papers are Basic Grey.

Rogue Redhead Designs: Floriculture Spring

It's Rogue Thursday!!

Spring in Colorado is an interesting season. Monday and Tuesday it was 70 and GORGEOUS. Tomorrow we're suppose to have snow. But you know it's spring and you're waiting for the flowers to bloom.

I thought I'd get started with some springy colors and Floriculture. The paper is Bo Bunny. Inks by A Muse Studio.

Rogue Redhead Designs: Stamped Backgrounds

It's an even Thursday! Time for some ROGUE REDHEAD inspiration!

The Rebel Challenge this month is stamped backgrounds. I love the large background stamp in the RELISH READING set. For some reason I really like print and script background stamps. I use then frequently as "vintage" grunge.

Having just finished my Valentine's Day collage tags, I decided to do my stamped background on a tag. I recently purchased some kraft tags, so I stamped my print background with Archival Coffee. And added some swirls in Archival Crimson. The label at the bottom came from some designer paper. The sentiment and roses are part of the FLORICULTURE set.

Stamp out your background and join the challenge!

Rogue Redhead: Je T'aime

It's the first even Thursday of the new year! Time for some Rogue Redhead goodness!

It seems like FOREVER since I did any tags....and then I had to stop and laugh. I did all 12 days of Tim tags...silly me! Still the urge to do a tag over took me tonight.

The background text and boy come from RELISH READING and the sentiment is part of FLORICULTURE. I tucked a heart under his arm in preparation for Valentine's day!

Stamps: Rogue Redhead Designs RELISH READING & FLORICULTURE (sentiment)
Ink: Archival Jet Black, Distress Inks
Paper: tag
Accessories: ribbon/rhinestones; Prima rose & butterfly, copper spray, heart Nestabilities

Rogue Redhead: Birthday Girls

My beautiful niece, Jessica, turned 24 on Sunday. This is the birthday card I sent her. I used my Rogue Redhead Designs, MILLINER MISSES plate. These lovely ladies are wearing their best hats!

I used a 4x6 printed paper with the border and then just embellished with flowers, wood scroll piece, and a birthday wish. The Milliner Misses were water colored with my aqua pen and Distress Inks.

Rogue Redhead: Milliner Misses

Over on the Rogue Redhead blog, our current Rebel Challenge is to use one piece of designer paper. So, I decided to dig out some Christmas paper and came across a 6x6 pad of Basic Grey's Wassail paper. I love the delicate holly leaves.

The one of the newest Rogue Redhead release is Milliner Misses. I just love these sweet-faced ladies.

I used Copics to color her because she needed to stand-out against the paper. It's been a while since I colored with Copics and I've forgotten the vibrant colors! I used BG10 to outline her and then sponged some Distress Ink Forrest Moss around the edges.

I dressed up this Miss' hat with a sprig of holly and a few rhinestone; added a little glitter on her collar; and the gold hairy cord - and this Miss is already for Christmas shopping (just in time for Black Friday)!!

Here are the Copics I used.

Stamps: Rogue Redhead Designs MILLINER MISSES; Inkadinkado sentiment
Ink: Archival Black, Amuse Studio Cranberry
Paper: Basic Grey Wassail
Accessories: Martha Stewart holly punch, Copics, glitter, red rhinestones, gold cord, Nestabilities

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

GC126: Raffia

Do you have a bag of raffia? Did you buy it in the '80's? I did...and I still have a full bag!!!

What is it about Raffia that it self-generates when you're not using it? LOL.

WELL TIME TO USE IT!!! This week on Gingersnap Creations we're looking for your Raffia art!

This is a 6x6 piece. This month's sponsor at Gingersnap Creations is
Rogue Redhead Designs. I'm proud to be a design team member at RRD, so I needed to use my FLORICULTURE set on this piece. RRD is also celebrating their 1 year anniversary. Stop by for some great bundling specials! The sunflowers, sun face, and leaves are all part of that set. The girl was clip art hanging around my desk.

We're also focusing on beads and seeds at Gingersnap Creations. I used micro beads for the sunflower centers. It gives a really nice texture!

Get out your Raffia and show us your art at Gingersnap Creations!

Rogue Redhead: A Goodbye to Summer

It's my Rogue Thursday! Here's a card with one last look at summer.

It' all started with a Memory Box paper. It had all these need spaces calling out for stamps. The little boy from Rogue Redhead Designs BEACH BABES fit perfectly. Then it was just a little embellishment to finish. The little boy was colored with colored pencils and the softened with a little gamsol.

Stamps: Rogue Redhead BEACH BABES and BITS 'N PIECES
Ink: Archival sepia
Paper: Memory Box
Accessories: wood swirl, paper flower, button, glitter, gold beads, leaf punch

Rogue Redhead: Beach Babes & Sketch

I love card sketches! When I'm tired and I need some inspiration I look for a card sketch to get me going. I can always find a paper, or color, or stamp set to use. It's the layout that stumps me when I'm tired.

This week, I looked to SplitCoast Stampers Wednesday card sketch (SC349).

I started with a kraft card and stamped the background of the Beach Babes set in blue. Then I picked two designer papers from Memory Box's VALISE collection and backed them in blue. The image is stamped on kraft and lightly water colored. The final touch was my white souffle pen to give the shirt some definition.

Hope you have a wonderful Thursday!

Rogue Redhead: Watercolor Babes

It's Thursday! Time for Rogue Redhead Designs!!

When I first saw this beautiful BEACH BABES set, I knew I needed to drag my watercolors out.
I'm not a watercolor artist (as you can tell), but awhile back I took a class from Dave Brethauer from Memory Box Stamps. Dave taught us the basics of water-coloring with Twinkling H2O's. Creating beautiful backgrounds is pretty easy.

I spray my paper (cold press 140lbs watercolor paper) with a water bottle and let it sit for a minute. At the same time I spray the watercolors and let them soak up some water. Then by just loading your brush and moving it in stripes across the paper - the colors will mix, pool, and generally make you say WOW!

I have tons of H2O's but recently I purchased this tray of opalescent watercolors from Red Lead Paperworks. I like the vintage colors. They aren't as bright as H2Os.

After the color dried I decided there wasn't a horizon line. I'm not sure you can tell in this picture, but I used my white Souffle pen and some glass glitter create the look of foamy water hitting the beach.

I hope you give water-coloring a try!

Rogue Redhead: Thinking of You

Wow...where did July go?? It's Thursday again - time for ROGUE REDHEAD card!

I love BITS and PIECES...so many great sentiments! I have a neighbor who's fighting cancer right now and I wanted to send her a "thinking of you" card.

For the ATC-sized main image I used two FLORICULTURE stamps and pulled out my Stampin Up! inks (because Tim doesn't have a GOOD purple ink - he needs to work on that! (grin)). I inked the top of the pod with purple and the stem with green...an old technique that works every time! The ferns were added later.

Stamps: Floriculture & Bits and Pieces
Ink: Stampin' Up Old Olive & Lovely Lilac
Paper: kraft, Basic Grey
Accessories: twine

Rogue Redhead: Floriculture Tag

It's Thursday! Time for another ROGUE REDHEAD DESIGNS entry!

A little summer goodness coming your way! I know most of the country is suffering heat and humidity, but I live in the mountains of Colorado. Right now there's a nice gentle rain falling (and believe me, we need it!)

I used the FLORICULTURE set to make this summery tag. I embossed the checker board and then sprayed with Colorwash and Glimmer Mist.


Stamps: Floriculture
Ink: Archival Ink: Coffee; Stampin' Up Old Olive
Paper: Tag, yellow pattern paper
Accessories: White embossing paper, gold bead, clipart by Red Lead, Colorwash spray, Glimmer Mist spray, ribbons.

Rogue Redhead Designs: HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

Happy 4th of July! This image from the Rogue Redhead Designs RELISH READING set seemed perfectly suited to a little fireworks viewing.

To achieve the fireworks bursts, simply smack your DISTRESS STAIN bottle against the paper. I added some Stickles after the stain dried to give it that "sparkle". The girl was watercolored with my aqua pen and Distress Inks. The rest of the card was sponged.

Hope you have a SAFE and HAPPY 4th of July!

Rogue Redhead Designs: BITS & PIECES

As I noted at the end of the post yesterday - I was invited to join the ROGUE REDHEADS design team! This card was created using the BITS AND PIECES plate!

Please visit the Rogue Redhead blog to find out how I did this card!

GC105: From the Mall - MANNEQUIN

I had to laugh when I saw this month's theme at GINGERSNAP CREATIONS - SHOPPING!

I'm not a shopper by nature. I almost never step foot in a mall, shopping center, or big box store. The one major exception to that - - I will shop for stamps! Almost everything else I order online!

But this week we're AT THE MALL!

For my shopping trip, I made a mannequin to model those haute couture clothes I buy (NOT!) LOL...

I started with a 5-inch paper mache bust and painted it white. I had lots of bits and pieces of beautiful paper left from my Fred Mullet ELEGANT MESS class. They were too pretty to throw away and too small to be of much use. But with a little gel medium they covered the bust beautifully! After the gel medium dried, I rubbed Perfect Pearls here and there to add a bit of shine and shimmer.

I used a Tim "door knob" for the "head" I love the bit of crystal sparkle it brings.

A friend sent me this beautiful hand-dyed, crushed ribbon for my birthday last year. I've been hoarding it but the dress form needed it! The Eiffel Tower charm is my salute to Paris Haute Couture.

The back of the form didn't need much visual interest. The rose is covering a small section that I missed covering in Elegant Mess paper. The wings are Kaiser Craft wood die cuts "painted" with a gold Paint Dabber.

Finally, I'm delighted to say that I've been invited to join the talented ROGUE REDHEAD Designs design team! You'll love these stamps with a vintage flair!