Fantastic Stamp Class!!!

Yes, I'm still alive....I haven't been able to blog much because I was hard at work prepping for my class this past weekend. I had SO MUCH FUN!!! Yes, I always have fun but for some reason this class was very relaxing and paced perfectly! We even finished 15 minutes early!! (normally we run 30 minutes over)

It was my first time doing a "Stamp of the Month" workshop where everyone made 4 projects AND kept the stamp set we used. It was a hit!!!! I've had tons of requests to do that more often so I've already picked out the set I want to use, now I just have to get focused and make the projects. Plus I've been working daily on my swaps that are due March 1st (need to be in the mail by Feb 21st since they have to travel to Canada) so that has consumed my time also. I finished another Bella layout!!!! So I have 1 1/2 swaps done, LOL !!! The idea is harder than the production...once you find a layout design that you like they are EASY PEASY to replicate over and over. So tonight, one more layout then I can mass produce them all tomorrow and get them in the mail by my deadline! WHOOO HOOOOO!!!!

So that's my update...sorry no perty pics or card ideas. Kimmie won't let me show off my bellas until the swap is over. :( She's just so mean! LOL

Yep...it's official

So I got home yesterday and to my surprise I had a package waiting for me on the doorstep. I raced inside, grabbed my box cutter and ripped open that box to find this.......

My husband walked in while I was taking this picture and gasped. Then, the dreaded "what's all this?!?" To which I replied "Oh, it's ok honey, it's just one of the shares online". He shrugged and left the room....little did he know it was my part of the share, not something that would be going out. LOL

I felt like a kid in a candy store!!!!! I flopped on the bed and started looking at all the colors and combinations, then I started sorting them into sections. Over an hour went by and I still hadn't made a dent in this massive amount of Primas.....my back hurt, I was exhausted and suddenly it hit me. "There is no way I will ever need or use this many primas....WHAT was I thinking?!?!"

The only rational thought that came to mind was...."It's not what I need, it's what I want....and I must have it ALL!!!!!!"

I should be taken to the hospital.....seriously, I need a straight jacket to keep me from pulling out my credit card cause apparently, I CAN'T BE STOPPED!!!! *evil laugh* Ok ladies.....keep checking back cause I'm thinking some blog candy is in order, I have WAY too many primas and I can admit it! :)

Do I need to seek help??

This was how I spent my weekend.......

Is there such thing as a ribbon-aholic??? I mean, I couldn't stop. Everywhere I went it consumed me....more, more I must have more!!!!!! If I had aquired this over time I doubt I would even flintch. But this was in one day people!!!!! I have a problem!!!!!! Well, I guess admitting it is the first step to recovery.....then again, I could just use it all in my swaps and RAK's and then I'd have an excuse to go get MORE?!?!?! **insert evil laugh here** Oh and I finished one of my bella swaps **yipeee** but sadly can't post it here or I'll get a whoopin'. :)

My 'Toy Story' stamp set

This set is a classic, I haven't pulled it out in a while so I thought it was about time. Have you noticed yet that we go through 'stamp phases'? Kinda like clothing, you buy something you just "HAVE to have" and you can't wait to wear it.....sometimes you might wear it too much but hey, it's your favorite!!! Then you start to wear it a bit less, either because the season is over or perhaps you found something new that you enjoy wearing now. Afterall, you were wearing that other favorite item a bit much and you DO need more clothes, right?! *smirk*

So I find that I HAVE to have certain stamps and/or stamp sets and I use them constantly....show them off at all workshops, parties, classes, etc. I use them in RAK's and swaps and for every occasion possible. Then, a new set comes out that I adore and I find that I have tons of ideas and can't wait to show it off at workshops and parties, RAK's....you get the idea. So Watercolor Garden was THE set of the year a few years back....I never let it out of my sight. Then more watercolor sets came about and I adored them as well, used them together actually. Now....this poor little guy sits in the back of the shelf collecting dust. So....I brushed off the dust and brightened up my spirits :) Hope you likey!!! (oh, and I hope this inspires you all to pull out an old fav and use it again!!) I feel like this is a new version of Toy Story only with stamps. LMBO!!!

Side by Side watercoloring

There are so many ways out there to watercolor it seems, so today I spent a good chunk of time comparing them. Now, there are a few more ways to watercolor than what I am posting but these are the majority of what people use and also what I feel works best.


First: SU Watercolor pencils used with a Blender Pen


To keep this comparison fair, I used the exact same stamp and Staz-on pad for all the images. I only highlighted the left side of the chef's coat and then blended in a circular motion towards the middle. Results.....

I've never been a fan of this techinique, mainly because it never seems "blended" to me and if you rub too hard (which really isn't hard at all) then you tend to rub through the paper or cause the paper to bubble up. Using straight water with the pencils is even worse, don't try that one.

Second: SU Watercolor Crayons with Aqua Painter

Again, I simply shaded the left side of the chef's coat and using the aqua painter I blended the color inward. Results....

Not too bad, it's much lighter but the overall blend I definitely like.

Third: Prisma Pencils w/Gamsol

This technique can be a little tricky, you must drench the paper stump with the Gamsol minerals in order to get anything to blend at all.

Results.......

The upside to this technique is that the color is very vibrant. But with a large image to color, I wasn't too impressed with the actual "blend". Also you have to continually resoak your paper stump with Gamsol as you are blending,and always blend in a circular motion.

Fourth: Inkpad Pallette and watercolor brush

This has always been my failsafe. I never had to worry about not having the exact color match or using too many "extras". We all have water, odds are we have the inkpad of choice and a watercolor brush is a standard in all craft rooms. Simply *squish* your inkpad together, you want the lid to actually push against the ink pad. Then squirt a few drop of water into the lid and tah-dah, watercolor pallette. Results....

After using all of these techniques side by side, I have to say that I still am partial to the plain ol' watercolor w/inkpad technique. But I'm so very glad that I did this, it really allowed me to see the differences between the various types of watercoloring and with that knowledge I can plan my coloring based on my projects!! And as I said before, there are tons more ways to color....markers, chalks, blender pens with ink pads, re-inkers with aqua painters.....it's really a matter of what works best for you and your projects!

Iris Twist n' Shout!

I had so much fun making this with Saturday's Stampers 10 club!!! If you missed the group gathering don't worry, I set your sample aside along with your template. When working on this project, everything in the square is done on the backside of the card first. The finished product is what you see here, once it's flipped over. Add a few Primas and some diamond centers, use the paper pieces punch for the bottom and layer Vellum over it. The trick to the white brads, heat silver brad with your heat gun for just a few seconds, dip into white embossing powder and then heat again. Tah dah! White brad with no shopping!!!

Lighthouse Spotlight

It's so hard to make a card for a man sometimes, but I think this one turned out perfect!!! I used the lighthouses and the Old World Map background stamp from SU (retired). I stamped the background in Not Quite Navy and then layered onto matching cardstock. I then stamped the lighthouse in NQN (2nd generation) and layered onto a smaller piece of nqn as well. On a scrap piece of paper I stamped the same lighthouse in stazon black and watercolored the image. I found the piece that I liked the most and punched it out with a square punch. Layered that onto a nqn square (just 1/8" larger punch size). I put my silver eyelets in the four corners and mounted with mounting foam to add some depth.