UFO, Bonus Crafting Tool, Fun Electric Die Cutting Technique

I finally got around to applying Distress Ink (Faded Jeans) to this cardstock I "kiss-cut" (just cut the surface of the paper, in this case with my Cricut Expression 2 with the Gypsy set at 2).  Since I didn't have an applicator for this color, I used the little foamy bit that comes in every package of Tim Holtz Embossing Folders. It doesn't work the same as a dauber, but I liked the effect. The cuts really stood out when the ink is on them. The coloring on the side of the foam is from an experiment where I wrote backwards and then stamped it on paper. It worked well, but I'm not sure why it would be an advantage over just coloring lol. Still fun to try and it does produce a different effect than writing normally (because I wrote backwards).

Final steps, spritzed with water and then dried with my Heat It. It doesn't have a designated purpose yet, but at least the ink is on it : D.

Make It Monday #174 Diamond Wallpaper Stamping

The Diamond Wallpaper stamping was a bit of a challenge until I remembered that I had a long straight line stamp in my Kitchen Sink Plaid stamp set (stamped in Black Soot Distress Ink). The flowers are from Paper Tray stamp set (stamped in PTI Pure Poppy and Mustard Yellow Distress Ink). The sheep is from the Cricut Imagine More Cards cartridge (for the Imagine) and the Hiya comes from the Say It with Style stamp set. The mat is Vintage Cream and the cardbase is Simply Chartreuse.

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I took the picture in the middle of stamping, that's a first lol. Using some of my favorites, Tim Holtz and Papertrey Ink.  To the right is one of the larger of the Tim Holtz Grid-Blocks. I cannot say how much I love these blocks. It might be the thinness of them that lets me get right up where I want to be, or nearer than I can with the thicker blocks.

They take up less space. So much so I'm actually selling some of the thicker blocks at my garage sale ... well once I get rid of the hornets that have build themselves a spray proof nest in an unseeable corner uder the stairs... well unseeable unless I stick my head under the stair and look straight up, but I'm thinking that would be a bad idea lol. The red is some fun foam I've been stamping on top of, it really makes a difference in the quality of the stamping. But it stains, so I'm thinking I'll put the fun foam under the non-stick mat.

If you want to see more crafty spaces around the world, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander. A goose you'll have to find on your own : ).

updated to add: The diamond stamping came down to lining up the gridline on the Tim Holtz block, it just made it so much easier when I can tip the block to angle it up then stamp. 

updated again to add the finished card and to clarify, it's not that I care if the fun foam is stained, but that if it isn't well scrubbed, any ink that's left on it can stain the back of the stamping project. I've been spoiled by a quick swipe of the nonstick craft mat lol.

Making Lemonade, Just Because : D

This card is made entirely from things previously used, that could have been better. I stamped the dog for a Make It Monday challenge, but decided to dress it up by turning it into a mat on a different card base, only I sneezed and it went on wicked crooked.

So I trimmed that one off so there is a peek of Simply Chartreuse under the Vintage Cream, but I like it. The Sweet Blush card base was going to be used for a different card but I changed my mind at the last minute and it tore a smidge... but totally covered by the new mat. I added some of the very very very thin gold tape from Papertrey Ink's Make It Market kit: Luxe Letterpress and finished it with a big "Hi-Ya" for a Just Because card worthy of the Simon Says J is for . . .

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Come All Ye Faithful (dog), a stamp made from fun foam from the Come All Ye Faithful die set (dog coat), Say It with Style (sentiment).
cardstock: All Papertrey Ink (Vintage Cream, Simply Chartreuse, Sweet Blush

Papertrey Ink July 2014 Blog Hop

Here's my take on the July 2014 Papertrey Ink Blog Hop.The card base is Hibiscus Burst, a mat of Stamper's Select White stamped with Background Basics: Gingham with True Poppy ink, a small doily with a flower from Rosie Posie stamped with True Poppy and Simply Chartreuse.

Hope Your Day Sparkles and Shines

Another variation on the Make It Monday #173: No Outline Watercolor and Simon Says Embossed though technically it's the backside of the impressed so it's debossed? The mat is Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream, the card base is Hibiscus Burst. The stamp set is Simply Magical from Taylored Expressions (I changed the cherry to a heart for the cupcake with paint). And because I stamped the cupcake and the unicorn in Antique Linen Distress Ink, I used a marker on the features to make them stand out. The embossing is done with the large impression plate from Papertrey Ink's Make It Market kit: Luxe Letterpress.

If you look hard at the unicorn and cuppie,  you will see they sparkle (thanks to macro pearl Pearl Ex). The sentiment is nearly obscured by sparkle in real life thanks to Stampendous Crystal Embossing Powder, but not so much in the picture. 

I made the caption by stamping the sentiment, painting a bubble around it and then cutting it out with a pair of scissors.

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I love this die storage bin from Art Bin... only now that they are organized and I know what I have and where it is.... I've felt free to order more dies... It's a vicious cycle. Right now I keep the larger dies in bags on top of the magnetic sheets.  To the left is a little storage bin that is my watercoloring pot.

I sort of went on a water color binge. This is one of my favorites, It's all stamped and painted over except for the little bit of wash under the pot and cup. Some of my favorites, Papertrey Ink's Tea for Two (teapot), Tea for Two Additions (cup), and Make It Market kit: Beautiful Brushstrokes (sentiment).

I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing with it, but it's here, it's here! That's a magnet stuck on the front of the bottle! I'm buzzing with possibilities : D.

To see more creative spaces around the world, head over to Julia's Stamping Ground and have a gander. Better yet join in the fun : D.