Thursday, June 29, 2017

Create a Background Challenge

I've been waiting for a while for the Art Impressions Funny Farm stamp sets to be released!  They're really fun :o)  All four sets are now available on the Ai website - and the entire Design Team are sharing projects with them today on the blog.  Here is Doggy Kisses Set (Sku #AiCS38):
 This is just one of the four main images included in the set, as well as a whole bunch of Get Well sentiments.  Our current challenge on the Ai blog is "Create a Background - so I pulled out four tonal Distress Inks and blended them onto a piece of watercolour paper.  Then I sprinkled some water with my paintbrush and let it dry.  I mounted my circles off center on their black mats, raised the sentiment with pop dots and added a few Enamel Gumdrops.  AND... I have a coupon code for you to shop with on the Ai site - Art Impressions is celebrating their 30th anniversary with a 30% off deal - check it out:
 Hope you can play along!
Copics used: E55, E53, E51, E44, E43, E41, R32, R30, B02, B01, B00, B000, B28, B26, B24, B21, 

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Tuesday Threads With Karen

 
I've been busy in my sewing room again... this time I've made a sewing machine mat.  I've used the Shop Hop fabrics designed by Art Impressions creator Bonnie Krebs, that are available through Henry Glass Co.
Crafting can be a messy business!  So anything that can help me stay tidy & organized is a plus - and if it makes my craft room prettier?  Even better!
 I had seen ideas like this on Pinterest, so I decided to design my own, and really wanted it to feature the fabulous "sewing notion" pattern that comes in the collection:
The finished mat is 19" square, large enough for my machine to sit on it comfortably, and the front portion that hangs down is 7" deep.  The pink print is the backing, so after sewing the front pieces together, I cut two separate pieces of Therm O Web's High Loft Fusible Fleece (love this stuff!).  *This was key to getting the mat to fold cleanly along the seam when it sits on my sewing desk, allowing the mat to bend easily, and I quilted "in the ditch" of the seam which also helped.
After fusing the fleece to my fabrics (this is such a plus, as the fleece doesn't move around at all while you quilt)... I used my high-tech quilting method to diagonally quilt the entire piece, forming 2" squares.
A few months ago (January?) I did a post about fabric boxes... I used the exact same method to make a thread/scrap catcher to attach to the mat.  It's pretty small - only about 5" high, and I fused the inside with Therm O Web's Fusible Tricot Medium Weight Interfacing to give it some body.  I sewed it onto the left front of the mat, and added a triple pocket onto the left side, that will hold sewing notions.
I finished the edge off with some contrasting bias tape, and set up my new sewing mat!!
I'll be back next month with a matching project!




Saturday, June 24, 2017

Freshly Made Sketches #293

I got two more cards made for the Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop this afternoon... I have a couple of girlfriends with birthdays next month, so I'm working on some themed cards to gift as a set.  I'm using the current Freshly Made Sketch, Tim Holtz images and Verve sentiments & dies:



Friday, June 23, 2017

Summer Coffee Lover's Blog Hop

I was able to play along with the Summer 2017 Coffee Lover's Blog Hop tonight!  I haven't missed one of them yet, and I'm hoping to enter more than one this time around.  I recently acquired the Fresh Brewed Tim Holtz stamps, and thought this would work really well for the summer theme:
I paired my image with a sentiment from Verve's Coffee stamp set, along with the matching Coffee die, and used some Close To My Heart papers from a few years ago.  I stitched the main panel onto the mat with my sewing machine, and finished up with a few Gumdrops from YNS.

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

Graduation

It's been an exciting week in the Day household... by son graduated with an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University yesterday.  I'm a pretty proud Mom.  Now, if you follow my blog at all, you'll know that I like bright & fun cards... you won't find anything too deep or dignified.  So with that in mind, here is the graduation card that I made for Adam:
I was trolling through my stamp collection... and came across the Crazy Bird accessory stamps that include the scroll & mortarboard, so here's what I came up with!  This little guy is my favourite Crazy Bird, so I coloured him up with my Copic markers, then cut out around his wing and tucked the scroll underneath it.  Here's a photo of me & my graduate:

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Feel Better

 Art Impressions came out with a collection of "Get Well Soon" stamp sets this spring, and today I am featuring Better Soon Set (Sku #4864):
I coloured my images with Copic markers, and paper pieced his duvet.  I matted the image and sentiment on some black cardstock to make it stand out, and used pop dots to attach the image circle.
I made the cards 5" square, and added some enamel dots to jazz things up a little.  These are great Get Well Soon cards to have on hand.
 Copics used: E11, E00, E000, R35, R32, R30, G46, G43, G40, Y35, Y11, E57, E55, E53, E51, E50, C3, C1


Saturday, June 17, 2017

Inspired By All The Little Things #61 with Sue Berkley

I am hosting this week over on the Inspired By All The Little Things blog, and I chose this amazing photo of a windowbox overflowing with gorgeous flowers.  The vibrant colours really caught me:
I pulled out some of my Art Impressions watercolour stamps, and with a combo of Marvy & Tombow markers, I painted up my scene, and gave it a melon coloured wash as a background to mimic the photo.  Here's what I came up with:


My dear friend, Sue Berkley is my guest designer this week!  We met on the One Crazy Stamper design team several years ago, and have been lucky enough to have a bunch of crafty days together at crops and working trade shows.  Head on over to the Inspired By blog to see what Sue & the Design Team have come up with this week.

*This is my last month co-hosting on the Inspired By Blog!  I've been working on the challenge since Lesley started it up a year and a half ago - and have been blown away by the amazing talent of our design team & my fellow hosts.  They inspire me every week with their wonderful creations, and have been a great group of ladies to work with.  I've changed jobs this year, and increased my work hours, so have had to scale back on my commitments, but I hope to play along with the challenge next year as a participant whenever I can.

The challenge is open until next Friday at noon - hope you can join us!







Friday, June 16, 2017

Happy Father's Day

I got a Father's Day card made for my Dad this morning... so I snapped a few photos before I sent it off in the mail.  He's always been a big golfer, and this image from Art Impressions reminded me of him bombing around in his golf cart (he's a little leaner than this fellow, though!).  I've used Par Tee Golfers and the sentiment is from Ai as well:

Patterned paper is Party Boy by Photoplay; Cardstock is Pear, Black, Sunflower and White Daisy from Close To My Heart; Inks are Memento Tuxedo Black and Onyx Black by Versafine; Coloured with Copic Markers.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Let's Distress Challenge

The Art Impressions Design Team are helping to launch six new Windows to the World stamps this week, as well as the new 3D Frame Die (Sku #4887)!  I am using Oh Sing Window (Sku #M4878):
 There are all kinds of Windows to the World stamps in the Ai collection - and the six new images are lovely, and all have a hand written Psalm around the window.  The new 3D frame die is sized to go easily through a 6" wide die cutting machine and creates this one piece cardstock frame, complete with score lines and tabs that fit into slots on the base.  It just takes seconds to assemble!  The WTTW stamps fit perfectly in the frame... but this would be perfect for a quote or a small Ai Watercolor creation to be showcased.  I mounted the frame on a piece of grey cardstock, but you can have just the frame on it's own if you like.
 In the center of the frame die, this little piece of cardstock is cut and scored (shown in red below).  It's a little stand that you adhere to the back of your frame that allows it to stand up.  It's genius - one crank of your die cutting machine, and you have a sweet little frame to use with you projects.
 Check out what the rest of the Design Team has to share today over on the Ai blog.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Reel Great Guys

 I have a wonderful masculine card to share with you today!  I reely (pun intended) love this Art Impressions stamp set - it comes with all the right stamps/sentiments to customize it for your favourite fishermen.  I was completely inspired by the talented Sandy Allnock, who has a tutorial on creating this card with a realistic background on her blog.  Here's my attempt using Reel Great Guys (Sku #4900):
After stamping my image and colouring it with Copic markers,  I used my blue marker to sketch in the shore line, and then used the black water lines from the image as a guide to add some swirls and ripples to the water.  I used my "00" Copic blender, to add some water dots and spray as well.  Using several shades of green, I added just the suggestion of trees along the shore and added some colour to the sky.  I stamped the fish separately, coloured and fussy cut him, then used pop dots to attach him to the base.  There is another large image included in this set, so I made a second card:
Isn't he cute?!  All of the sentiments in Reel Great Guys are fishing themed, but I wanted something more generic, so I used the "Keep Calm and Float On" sentiment that comes in Stayin' Afloat Set (Sku #4239).
Happy stamping!
Copics used: Skin tones - E13, E11, E00, E000, R30
Blues - B26, B24, B23, B21, B02, B00, B000, B0000
Reds - R35, R32, R30
Greens - YG03, YG01, YG00, YG91, G66, G63, G61
Greys - W5, W3, W1, W00, C7, C5, C3, C1
Yellows - Y35, Y32, Y11
Browns - E57, E55, E53, E51, E50

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