Catch-up

Before I jump right into show and tell, I thought I'd pass along a bit of info you may find interesting...the Crafter's Companion Challenge Blog is having a giveaway each week!  Pretty awesome, huh?  This week, we're giving away a stamp from one of our newest lines, Art Kure - Tewksbury.

Isn't that pretty?  I plan to use this one later in the week on a card, just have to finish coloring it.  Head over to the CCCB and leave a comment on **this post** to enter to win this gorgeous stamp.

Ok, on with the show!  After a sinus infection knocked me on my rear last week, I was happy to get back into the craft room.  It was slow going, however, and I ended up using advice I received from Natalie Kalbach's Creative Jump Start Summit I signed up for.  It goes all month long, and has really done a great job of teaching me ways to get the creative juices flowing when it seems they've run dry.  One of the tips I learned: warm up!  The instructor pointed out an athlete wouldn't just jump into the game, he or she would warm up their muscles first.  This seemed to make perfect sense to me, so when I sat down to work today, I took out a couple of pieces of scrap paper and went to town misting, inking, painting, and coloring it.  Afterwards, I pulled out a new Unity stamp set I got recently and made this card.  Not really what I'd consider great, but it was warm-ups after all :)  Unity Whimsical Birthday, Spectrum Noir markers, Frosted Lace Stickles, Scenic Route alpha, MME Hip Hooray Girl paper.  Simple and sweet.

I pulled out a second card blank and the new April Showers Cricut cart I recently acquired, and chose this birdhouse and bird.  The shop selling the cart had Lily Bee Memorandum paper, a 6X6 pad, and I just had to use it for all of the layers.  I had ordered Candy Apple Red Glimmer Mist as well (as it was a ridiculous deal) and applied it to the heart/circle of the house and the heart on the bird's tail.  Black and Diamond Stickles were added to the die cuts for a little something extra.  Love how this one came out!  I channeled my inner They Might Be Giants for the sentiment written with my Spectrum Noirs (which also made the sun), lifting them up with adhesive squares, and adhering them above randomly sized strips of washi tape.  Again, not one of my favorites, but better than the first one!

 I then moved on to this one, and knew I was back in the swing of things.  Don't you just love when that happens?  MME Lime Twist papers.  Spectrum Noir markers.  Sentiment stamp: Studio G stamped in Jenni Bowlin Stick Candy ink.  Imaginisce Iroc pearls and flower.  Random glitter.  MME trim.

 I attacked this one with gesso to start for its dimensional properties, making mounds of snow that ended up having a crackled effect when it dried.  Worked out pretty well!  Made this for Stacy's challenge over at Sketches4all where she is asking to see border punches on your projects.  I pulled out my EK Success punch and went nuts on this MME Lost & Found paper from the January Scraptastic Button Box kit (which is where just about everything on the layout came from.)

 Can you see the October Afternoon Robot Blue Sprinklers?  Thought it was a nice touch.  Thickers and October Afternoon Mini Market alpha stickers.

 Prima Parchment Vintage flowers from the kit...love these!

 October Afternoon Farmhouse word stickers and a close up of that Prima loveliness.

 The flower clusters were made with die cut elements and buttons included with the kit, adhered to an MME Lost & Found sentiment.  Lost & Found label sticker, too.

 Close up of the flower, of which I curled the petal edges.  Spritzed the background die cut with Sprinklers to help tie it into the layout.

 See the crackling effect?  LOVE.  Also love the blue on white.

 The blue paper under the label sticker with the script writing is actually the packaging from the Prima flowers here from the kit.  I just spritzed with the OA Sprinklers and stuck it down!  Looks great, and I love repurposing :)

So you see, if you are not coming up with ideas, just start playing.  It is so true, things come better when you get some practice.  Not everything is going to be perfect, but it will be better each time the more you practice and experiment.  This week, I am hoping to be brave enough to tackle the new alcohol inks I have acquired *gasp*

Have a great week, hope to post more tomorrow!

xx
Khristen