Tuesday 31 May 2011

My Stamp Eater!!

I would like to introduce 'Purl' which is short for Purlita!  She is almost 1 year old now and really likes chewing her bones in my craft room.  Dogs love wood and guess what's attached to wood in my craft room???!!  You bet!  Some of my stamps!
 
So... if any of your wood mounted stamps go missing it's probably done by Purl! 
 

Stampscapes - Meadow Views


Hi Everyone!

I picked up the meadow stamp last week at Crafty Capers and played with it the other night.   I coloured most of the scene and left it overnight then added more colour.  Sometimes it works out for the best to leave everything when you're tired and let the inks fade somewhat, which they do normally anyway.  Once they are faded you get a different view of everything and add more colour to areas where needed.  Just remember not to make all of the meadow grass green!  The only time I know of where that would happen would be the English countryside or the Irish fields of green.  When you tap in your colours...mix it up a bit!  There's a little bit if everything out there.  A good way to see things is on Google Earth.  The images are so crisp and clear now for the most part.

For this scene I stamped the mountains first, the meadow scene second, the rock third and the foreground trees last.  The birds were added once all colouring was finished and tilted so that they would cover up a boo boo smear of grey!  (Hint.. leave some stamps for last to cover imperfections!)  Big mistake... stamping the buck with Walnut Stain Distress ink!  Don't know what I was thinking but I should have used a darker dye ink!

Stamps used were:
188F     Rocky Peaks
057G    Meadow Large
196F    Pine Tree
2225    Twisting Pine
301A    Rocks and Grass
302A   Gulls

Inks Used:
Adirondack Dye Ink Pads -
Lemonade                        Willow                           Aqua
Terra Cotta                       Citrus                             Pool
Pink Sherbet                     Meadow                         Bottle
Latte                                 Pesto 

Memento Dye Ink Pads - 
Cottage Ivy                      London Fog

Distress Inks -  Walnut Stain

Paper:           Glossy white, Recollections & Unknown
Pens:             Jellyroll Star Pen - Platinum
Punch:           Martha Stewart Photo Corner
Leaves:         Dollarama
Tools:           Colorbox Stylus                            


Sunday 29 May 2011

My Apologies To Everyone!

To all my Blogland friends......

I would like to apologize for not leaving comments on your blogs lately.  First off.. our shop is so busy right now that I dont have much spare time..maybe only a few minutes here and there.  Secondly, I know I am not the only one!  It seems that quite a few of us are having problems posting!  The comment fields dont accept our IDs and even though the comment field will take you to the blog sign in page you will go back and forth until you are blue in the face and give up!
Hopefully this problem will be fixed in the near future.  I do, however, get to visit most blogs that post every day.  You just dont know I am there!
Have a wonderful Sunday!
Hugs,
Sheree

Saturday 28 May 2011

Greeting Card Challenge


Good Morning Everyone!

This is a card that I made up to participate in the sketch challenge over at The Outlawz.  I encourage everyone to join up and display your works of art here as well as on SplitCoast Stampers.  You will not only receive lovely feedback from the Outlawz Girls but, you can join a forum and build up your followers qutie easily!  There are challenges for each day of the week... Check it out!

Here is the recipe for this card that I threw together.  I find that creating Stampscape scenes are so much easier for me than colouring a stamp and then creating a layout that will enhance the image.

Stamps:         Majenta Stamps, Penny Black sentiment
Paper:           My Mind's Eye - Quite Contrary
Inks:              Stampin' Up!  and Versamark
Stickles:        Diamond
Doily:           Wilton - Michaels
Circle Punches
Pop dots
Jelly Roll Star pen - Pink

Challenges:
The Outlawz - Sketch number SC0525
Sew Many Challenges - Circles


Thanks for looking and have a wonderful weekend!

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Stampscapes - Brayered Mist

Good morning Everyone!
First off I would like to send caring thoughts to my friends in the tornado ravaged area of the United States, to friends in Manitoba, Canada who are affected by terrible flooding, and to friends in the Slave Lake area where more than half the town burnt down.  My heart goes out to each and every one of you affected by these terrible 'acts of god.'
Last night I was playing with the brayer again as DH was watching the Stanley Cup semi-finals...yay..we won and now it's off to the Stanley Cup finals!
This is the scene I came up with and thought I'd try to add some foggy mist like I've seen in some scenes on the Stampscapes website.  It's not perfect but, not too bad for a first attempt either.  The misty effect was acheived by using a Colorbox stylus and Brilliance white ink.  At first I tried steaking it but wasn't getting much colour so then tried tapping it on using the main flat side and then the edges to define the top of the mist to a small degree.  Here is a closeup of the mist and highlights:
So... here's the recipe for this one!
Stamps used:
150E     Pine Row
146F     Crooked Path
302A    Gulls
Nature Sheet #1 - Two Firs
Sentiment:   Stampin' Up!
Paper:   Glossy white, Recollections solids
Ink:       Big and Juicy - Hydrangea, Archival black, Brilliance white
Punch:   Circle
Jellyroll Star pen - Platinum
Fiskars scissors
Pop dots
Bling
Thanks for looking and have a wonderful week!
Hugs,
Sheree
 


Sunday 22 May 2011

Stampscape - Brayer

Good Evening Friends!
I started this card last night but wasn't sure how to frame the scene so left it until today.  This layout should fit into the sketch challenge at The Outlawz!
Once again I've used my Speedball brayer and another Ranger Big and Juicy ink pad that I bought a while ago.  When I first tried this pad I was new to brayering and using deep colours so after my horrendous first try I put it away for a while.  This time I think I hit the nail on the head!
When brayering this scene I used three colours on the top half and then turned the paper around and used the same three on the lower half.  Everything was just toooo balanced so I cut off some of the top when I finished the scene.
To get the cabin at the right spot I used my clear block that has white lines on it as guides.  I lined up the water line to the white line and then was able to stamp right in the middle where the blues meet.  Just prior to stamping I wondered how embossing the images would turn out and voila!  Not too shabby!  So after stamping in black I used a very fine embossing powder in clear.  The trees and finally the geese were stamped and embossed as well.  Here's a closer look for you..
Lastly I used my Jellyroll Star pen in platinum to highlight the cabin windows, water and trees where the moonlight would hit.  This made them stand out a little bit more. 
Once everything was done I sprayed the scene with Krylon Acrylic crystal clear spray to keep the colours from fading.
Stamps used:
023A       Duck trio in flight  (I have to order a new one because my puppy chewed
               mine!)
147F       Lakeside cabin
196F       Pine tree
222F       Twisting pine
Paper:      Glossy white, Coresentials, Stampin' Up!
Ink:         Archival black, Ranger Big and Juicy Hydrangea
Ribbon:   Sheer black - WalMart
Punch:      Martha Stewart photo corner
Pen:         Jellyroll Star - Platinum
Pop dots
Challenges:
Note:  This card is approximately 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 inches
Thanks for looking!
Hugs,
Sheree

Thursday 19 May 2011

Stampscapes - Playing with 'New Stuff!'


I'm back home from another work day in Nanaimo.  Seeing as I've been such a good girl lately I thought that a few 'little' special treats were in order!  These are the secret special treats that are smuggled in when nobody's looking because.. I've probably gone over my nonexistant budget as it is!  These purchases will be blamed on Victoria at Crafty Capers!  All she has to do is post on her blog what's new in the store and I turn into someone on par with a heroine junkie!!  Ever have those days when you swear you're 'just going to look??!!'  I have them all the time.

So... Today I picked up another BIG and Juicy stamp pad in 'Soothing Sunset.'  It's gorgeeeeeous!  When I arrived home I put everyone's appetite on hold and ran into my little room and started brayering.  WooHoo!  Loved it!  Once I had that done I picked out a stamp that was wide enough for my paper and voila!  There you have it!  Simple and I think it looks pretty kewl.  There are no embellishments other than Stickles on this card.  The colours are so bright and strong that the patterned paper I had hoped to use made it look like the I-5 during a nuclear evacuation.  The top stamped image is popped up.  Here's a closeup so you can see where I put the Stickles...  They show up much better in person.  Actually the colours are all quite bright and really don't show as well as I had hoped due to my terrible photographic skills on automatic!
Stamps:    Stampscapes - 023A     Duck Trio in Flight
                                       295C     Lilly Grass
                                                    Country Stream - Nature Sheet #1
                                                    Sentiment - Scenic Sentiments Sheet #1
Ink:          Ranger Big and Juicy, Archival Black
Paper:      Recollections Soda Pop, Stampin' Up! yellow, Recollections Black
Stickles:   Lemonade
Pop Dots
            
Thanks for looking!  I'll try and get some more done up this weekend if the rain shows up like they are forecasting.  Second thought.. I should get back to work on the Arc!

Hugs,
Sheree


Stampscapes - Father's Day

I'm Back!!!!

Sorry about the delay in posting but, we finally have had a couple of days of sunshine!  I watched the blue sky all day at the shop and for once it hasn't rained from 3 p.m. on so I was able to get a bit of yard work done!  Now I'm getting yard work done and haven't had much time to hibernate in my favourite room!

This is a quickie card I threw together just to see how it would turn out.  I've had this paper on the brain for a while and did a small Stampscape just to see how it looked.  I found a small roll of twine in my stash and took a cue from Karen at Feline Creative.  (I'd love to create like her when I grow up!!) 

Stamps:       Country Stream Small - Stampscapes; Sentiment - Stampin' Up!
Paper:          s.e.i.  Moonrise (moss) from Crafty Capers; Kraft and Black from
                   Recollections
Twine:         Can't remember (I'm actually too tired and lazy to run upstairs and look!)
Inks:            Adirondack Dye Ink pads:  Lemonade, Aqua, Pool, Meadow, Mocha
                   Distress Ink pads:  Frayed Burlap
Diamond Stickles. Pop dots

Anyway... just thought I'd post this to see what happens.  Thanks for looking!!

Hugs!

Sheree

Friday 13 May 2011

Flourishes Mother's Day FLLCMay11

I know Mother's Day is overwith but... Flourishes is having a challenge and the winner receives all four sets of new release stamps!  I LOVE Flourishes stamps and would LOVE to add these kewl new sets to my collection!!
For this card I used a stamp from the Sweet Peas set.  This was coloured with Copics along with one other impression to be cut out adding dimension with pop dots.  The background is glossy paper smooshed in Ranger Alcohol Inks.  It's rather abstract but I think its a good contrast with the image.  Happy Mother's Day was stamped with Versa Mark and embossed with Tinsel Red.
Here's a close up view...
The recipe for this card is as follows:
Stamps:      Flourishes Sweet Peas, Stampin' Up! Sentiment
Papers:      Glossy and White Stampin' Up!
Inks:          Versa Mark Yellow, Stampin' Up, Copics, Ranger Alcohol Inks in
                  Sunshine Yellow, Red Pepper, Cranberry
Stickles     Yellow, Diamond
Doily         Wilton - Michael's
Other         Recollections bling, Pop dots, Red Tinsel embossing powder
Thanks for looking.... Hope I win those four new sets!!  One is a fisherman's set and being that I have all boys who fish it would be the perfect aquisition!
Hugs,
Sheree

Sunday 8 May 2011

Flourishes Birthday

Happy Mother's Day to all my new friends!!
I worked on this card earlier this past week but was changing this and that all the time until it was finished two evenings later.  The shop was so busy this week that I didn't have time to post a thing!  I was up early this morning with my pups so headed down to the old computer to upload and post while the rest of the world lay sleeping.
I've loved this stamp for a long time now and finally sat down with my Copics to colour it in and bring it to life.
Stamps:             Flourishes; Just Rite (Greeting)
Papers:              K&Company; Stampin' Up!; Recollections
Inks:                  Stampin' Up!; Distess Old Paper
Doily:                Wilton from the Michael's baking aisle
Ribbon:             Satin Pink - WalMart; Seam binding from FabricLand
Flower:              I made after following Nancy's tutorial
Stamens:           Michael's - Wedding aisle
Pin:                   Lindy sent to me!  Here is her tutorial!
Highlights:         Jelly Roll Star pen in gold
Pop Dots
Thanks for looking!  Hope you all have a wonderful day!


Stampendous Happy Birthday

I had another hard day at work last Thursday so decided that I needed to treat myself (once again)!!  I found this gorgeous paper from My Mind's Eye 'quite contrary collection at Crafty Capers in Nanaimo, a few sheets of coordinating cardstock along with a new stamp Stampendous! called Agapanthus Cluster.  This is the picture I imagined on my drive home and it finally came to fruition last night!  If you look closely in the photo you can see that I stamped one lighter image and then embossed a darker ink in the foreground.  I didn't have any darker ink in that hue so went with this and like the softness it exudes.


Papers:      My Mind's Eye; Unknown cardstock (help me out Victoria); Misc. cream
Stamps:     Stampendous!; Just Rite greeting
Ink:           SEI; Versa Ink Spot
Pearls:       Dollarama
Ribbon:     Sheer cream from WalMart
Embossing Powder: Clear Pearl (I'll run back upstairs and check that one!)
Pop Dots
Circle punch for ticket corners
Thanks for looking!