Running With Scissors…

Hello!  Is the weekend finally here?  Really?  I don’t know why but it seems like I’ve been in a bit of a fog this week, a little out of touch, somewhat disconnected.  Maybe I’m pulling out of it now (I hope), but the week seems like a faint memory of something that barely happened.  I remember trying to stamp earlier in the week and failing at most attempts.  I made this card Thursday night so I could mail it Friday for a Saturday birthday.

Whenever I stamp a card just for fun I almost always try to turn it into a birthday card because between me and my friends at work, they’re the most frequently required.  The trouble is, most of my friends read my blog so it’s not very often I can surprise them with a card made specially for them.  So…hi, there, friend!  If you happen to peek in here before you check your mail — happy birthday!  You know who you are…

One good reason for having cards in reserve is that I never know if I’m going to have the time or the mojo to create at the last minute.  This one happened pretty easily because since I’ve had this Chatterbox paper I’ve wanted to pair it with this stamp.  You know how you get something stuck in your head…  The stamp is an old Brenda Walton design for All Night Media.  I was attracted to its folk art appeal and graceful, feminine lines.  I don’t know if it’s available anywhere now.  I colored it with markers and shaded with a sponge dauber and Apricot Appeal ink.  The image seemed too delicate for a lot of heavy layers and doodads so I kept it very simple — pretty papers and a pretty little image.  The card base is Stampin’ Up!’s textured cardstock in Old Olive.  I wanted the Olive just a tad bit softer so I touched the edges with my white Craft ink.

Now I’m looking forward to the freedom of the weekend and whatever that might bring.  Hopefully it will bring a few things I can share with you during the week.  Take care and have a happy Saturday!

Stamps:  All Night Media, WarmWords (SU!)

Paper:  SU! Old Olive textured, Whisper White, Chatterbox designer paper

Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon, Craft White, Apricot Appeal, markers for coloring

Accessories:  SU! pink taffeta ribbon, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

I’ve been meaning to do this card for a long time so I thought I might as well combine it with Ruby Tuesday.  It’s another one of those ideas that’s been stuck in my head, although the image in my head was a lot more perfect than this.  At least it’s not in my head anymore.

This is made up of three images from Watercolor Minis and the pot from Fun Filled, both retired Stampin’ Up!.  They were all stamped in Versamark and colored with Stampin’ Pastels soft chalks.  It required quite a bit of masking and lots of different colors.  Just in the background there’s Sage Shadow, Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel and Perfect Plum.  The table top is Really Rust, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron and Chocolate Chip.  I could go on listing the colors of the flowers and pot but it would be a pretty long list.

This coloring process with Versamark and pastels is one of my favorites for solid images.  It’s such a soft look and allows for quite a lot of shading of the image that would be difficult with ink alone.  Just start by stamping the image with Versamark.  Then pat a little chalk onto it and watch the image come to life.  You can control the color intensity simply by the amount of chalk you apply.  Shading can be added by applying a darker color or by adding more of the same color.  For instance, I used Pretty in Pink on the roses.  They were actually a little darker than I intended so I dabbed over them with white to soften the look.  The little touches of darker coloration were added using Regal Rose.  I use not only the tiny applicators that Stampin’ Up! sells, but a variety of sponge tipped make up applicators with my chalks.  When I’m sure the image is finished I always spray with a matte sealer.  After I sprayed this I saw some spots I sure wished I’d done a little touch up on, but……too late.

I don’t know if you can see it very well, but I stamped Weathered on the Close to Cocoa mat under the main image to give it a wood frame look.  There’s a conspicuous absence of ribbon and sentiment on this.  That’s a rarity for me, but I didn’t see how it would be right for the look I was feeling.  I did raise the main image panel on dimensional tape.  The BasicGrey Stella Ruby paper in the background completes the look of a painting on an old, weathered wall.

I hope to have a chance to do a little more stamping this week.  I’ve got something new to play with so we’ll see what comes of that.  Have a great week!

Stamps:  Watercolor Minis, Fun Filled, Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Very Vanilla, BasicGrey Stella Ruby designer paper

Ink:  Versamark, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel

Accessories:  Stampin’ Pastels, spray matte sealer, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape

There are a few cards I’ve had stuck in my head like a song playing over and over (but less annoying).  It’s not that they’re so extraordinary, but they’re extraordinarily stuck, some of them for months now.  For one reason or another I’ve been stamping everything but these cards and I think it’s time to clear my head.  The beauty of this is that, once I get them down on paper, I’ll be free for the next few to move in and take their place.

Just for fun I’ve started a new category called “Stuck In My Head”.  You can see my list of categories over there in my right hand sidebar.  You’re probably familiar with those cartoons depicting a person with the top of their head opening on hinges and all their thoughts flying out in the form of images.  Well, if you opened the lid on my noggin this is what would fly out.

This is one of the more recent ideas that began playing in my head when I noticed the similarity of the leaves in this Apple Cider paper and Doodle This.  See the leaves on the panels with the River Rock pattern?  The other sheet with the flower motif in the diamond pattern is close enough to echo the Doodle flower, too.  I wanted to keep the look of this soft and delicate so I chose some of my new favorite colors, River Rock and Groovy Guava.  The big flower is watercolored with Bordering Blue and Blue Bayou, the leaves with River Rock and True Thyme and the little flowers with So Saffron and Groovy Guava.  You can barely see the Soft Sky shading around the image — it shows more in real life.  The edges of the Naturals Ivory panel are sponged with Blush Blossom which seems to be the third tone of the Really Rust/Groovy Guava/Blush Blossom family.  The flower and leaves are dotted with a Souffle pen — like little dots of paint — very cool.  I picked up my pens at a local department store that has a tiny craft department (Bi-Mart, for any local folks who might be reading this).  I never know what I’m going to find there but they do surprise me sometimes.

The sentiment up the side says “You’re Absolutely Fabulous”.  It’s part of a Stampin’ Up! set called Absolutely Fabulous.  The ribbon is SU!’s Ribbon Originals — Sherbet.

That’s one less card stuck in my head now.  I’ll try to get to the rest of them as my free stamping time allows.  I hope you’ll enjoy them and maybe some of them will put ideas in your head…oops…sorry!  Have a wonderful day!

Stamps:  Doodle This, Absolutely Fabulous (both Stampin’ Up!)

Paper:  River Rock, Groovy Guava, Naturals Ivory, Apple Cider double sided designer paper (all Stampin’ Up!)

Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon, Bordering Blue, Blue Bayou, River Rock, True Thyme, So Saffron, Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip

Accessories:  Stampin’ Up! Ribbon Originals - Sherbet, pewter snap, Sakura Souffle pens, Scotch brand dimensional mounting tape