How beautifully leaves grow old...

Quietfire Design has more new stamps that are fabulous!!!!  (And they are currently 20% off)  I have used 2 stamps from the set How Beautifully Leaves Grow Old - the solid leaves and the quote.  

The page had some spots of color that had bled through from the other side but I knew they should blend in just fine.  However, since I was going to be spraying, I didn't want the color to bleed through and mess up the finished page, so I first brush some Golden fluid matte medium over the page and while that was still wet I sprayed on Dylusions colors - lemon zest, bubblegum pink, and I think some pure sunshine - and let this all dry.  I placed TCW 12x12 stencil maple leaves over the page and sponged on some rusty hinge Distress Ink.  I stamped the leaves down the right side with Archival Ink jet black.  I stenciled the leaves hanging from the top (Dylusions 5x8 Leaf Flourish) with white embossing paste mixed with some sprays and some paint (I added a color and it wasn't quite right so added another, etc. until I had something I thought would work).  After those leaves were dry I stamped the large leaves at the bottom.  I got that stamp a long time ago and it's marked Fabricated Art Ellen Hammond.  I inked the stamp with Archival Ink magenta hue and monarch orange, and a little potting soil on the edges.  After each stamping, I wiped off the stamp and then re-inked.  The quote it stamped with jet black.  Since there's a little bit of texture on the back of the page I had pressed too hard on some of my other stamping and smeared it so when I stamped the quote I was trying to stamp well but not press too hard.  There were a couple spots that didn't come out... I'm sure because of the texture on the back... so I used and XS Pitt Pen to touch up some of the words.  Back to the stenciled leaves hanging from the top.  I still wasn't completely happy with the color and decided to add Silks acrylic glaze in Jasmine over them.  I just used my finger to add the color.  After that was dry I used a white Sharpie paint marker and a Pitt pen to help those leaves pop.  

I'm linking this to the new Sunday Sentiment link party.

Quietfire Design & Walnut Hollow 2014 Blog Hop

Today starts the Quietfire Design & Walnut Hollow Blog Hop with posts each day through Oct. 3rd!!

You can find the posts on the Quietfire Creations Blog and the Walnut Hollow Blog including my post which is live today on the Quietfire Creations blog.

Here is a little peek at my project!!! 

There is also a fabulous prize to be won!!!  Just follow the above link to get the details!!!

Left Over Paint

I sent this card to a sweet young lady that's in her second year of college.  Just before heading back to college in August she came over for a few hours to get painty.  When she had finished her canvas she had some paint left over on her craft sheet so I got a brush and swiped it across a piece of white cardstock.  I wanted to make her a card using that piece of paper.  I embossed the piece with an embossing folder, inked over it, and added some Treasure Gold around the edges.  The elephant (an old Embossing Arts Co. stamp) is stamped onto a light grey cardstock and additional color added with Distress markers.  The scripture is an Our Daily Bread Designs stamp.

Sometimes college (and life in general) can be a struggle, but God is always there, He always answers (and it's always the answer we NEED), and He will deliver us!!!!

New Every Morning

Hello There!!!!  I'm sharing a guy card today.  I pulled a piece of paper from "the box" and stamped and embossed the car (Tim Holtz) in black.  On a different piece of paper (polished stone tech) I stamped the sentiment (Our Daily Bread Designs) and punched it out.  I edges both pieces with a bright gold paint (Lumiere) and attached the oval with foam mounting tape.  I mounted the panel to black and then decided to stencil some "rays" using the mini sunburst stencil (TCW) and Lumiere paint.  I all glued to a folded blue card.

A Faithful Friend

Ranger #8 manila tag.  Fresco Finish Paints (chalk, cheesecake, sherbet) applied to the tag with my fingers - chalk in the center, then sherbet, and cheesecake around the edges.  Quietfire Design Stamp (Always be my friend set) stamped with Archival Ink jet black.  Tag embossed with Damask folder (Tim Holtz) and the arch shaped diffuser.  Distress Ink (vintage photo) applied with a blending tool over the high spots.  A charcoal pencil lightly around the arch shape and blended with my finger.  Treasure Gold renaissance around the edges of the tag.  The leaves are a Finnabair Mechanicals (Prima) painted with FF hey pesto, rubbed off the high spots while still wet, dried, TG renaissance added on the high spots so it matched the edges of the tag.  Tim Holtz roses ribbon colored with sherbet paint and water, dried, brushed with Distress Ink vintage photo.  Seam binding ribbon colored with sherbet and inked with Distress ink.

Day Number Three

Here it is, time for my 3rd post on the PaperArtsy Blog.  I do hope you'll pop over and have a look-see!!!!

2nd Post and Thank You

My second post is now live on the PaperArtsy Blog and here are a couple of peeks as to what you will find.

I like to say a very big THANK YOU complete with a hug to everyone for your comments and congratulations!!!!!!!  I truly appreciate each of you!!!!

Big News

I have been waiting almost 9 months to share this!!!  It's good I could tell my husband or I might just have busted keeping this secret :-)   I am one of the semester 3 Guest Designers on the PaperArtsy blog!!!!!!  What does that mean?  It means I'll be sharing 3 projects this week (Mon, Tues, Wed) and another 3 each month through the end of the year.

My first project went live on their blog just minutes ago and I do hope you'll go check it out.  

Below is one of the step-out pictures for today's project and clicking HERE will take you there!!

A huge thanks to Leandra and the whole PaperArtsy team for this opportunity!!

Always Thankful!!

A journal page measuring about 7 1/2 x 10".  The page began some time ago with left over media from other projects.  There was some grunge paste scraped around the edges, probably already colored with paint, various colors of paint in mostly greens and pinks, some white stenciling, and some leaves stenciled with colored embossing paste.  To finish it I stamped the large calligraphy image (Quietfire Design, Give Thanks set) with Archival Ink jet black, stenciled some smaller leaves with Archival Ink leaf green, added paint (Fresco Finish) circles with lids, a finger dauber and a stencil, stamped smaller calligraphy images (Quietfire Design, Being Thankful set) among the leaves with Archival Ink leaf green and then decided to add tape and stamp them again in black.  I was going to use masking tape but I couldn't find my narrow stuff so I used artists tape.  I smeared family a little but it'll just have to stay.  Every day there is so much to be thankful for, many things that we don't even take time to think about!!!

From the ends of the earth

A journal page in my scripture journal.  These pages are 5 1/2 x 8 1/2".   Yesterday after I had sprayed the flowers I used a #8 manila tag to pick up the excess color and then decided instead of throwing it in the pile or box I would use it right away and I also hadn't done a page in my scripture journal for some time and really wanted to.  

This page had some color on it, some from working on the other side of the page and some just randomly picked up.  The pages in this book are not very thick and I've been gluing 2 together for added strength but somehow hadn't done that before working on the other side of the page... so to give the page a little more umph I gessoed over this side right over all the splots of color that were already there and dried it.  My outside edge really needed even more strength and tape is a good choice.  I found this orange with white flowers tape in my drawer - it's not marked and I don't remember where it came from - but it was a good color match for the tag I was determined to use.  I had no plan here just did whatever popped in next.  I let the page sit and worked on the tag.  I stamped a PaperArtsy Ellen Vargo stamp across the tag with Archival Ink.... decided I wanted to use the quote stamp but since this is a scripture journal I also chose a scripture stamp (both are from Our Daily Bread Designs)... besides the tag could fit both but I also wanted them separate so tore the tag in half... doodled the edges with a Pitt pen.  

Back to the page.  I finger painted on some Fresco Finish (FF) limelight paint at the top and bottom coming down the left a little and up the right a little.  Then how about I make a border.  I grabbed one of Ellen Vargo's newest images and I was going to put a border at the top and bottom but then decided just the bottom. I stamped using Archival Ink jet black and then paint them in with London bus FF, went around the edges with a Sharpie paint marker, added some white dots to the insides and then black dots around the edges.  For the rest of the background I've used a variety of stamps (Ellen Vargo, Sara Naumann, JOFY), some Archival ink and some paint and some splattering of paint.  Really trying to just do and not think too much (hard for me).  When I thought it was enough I glued on the tag and then decided a flower would be nice to cover up the tag hole (originally I thought I might hand something but, nope).  

I love the quote!!!  It is sooooooooo true.  Looking to God doesn't mean everything is perfect and nothing bad happens, it just means we can have rest even in the midst of turmoil!!!  The scripture is a reminder that no matter where or when or what, God hears us and is always available!!

I'm also linking this to Poetry Journal Monthly.

Always be my friend

Hello!!!!  I'm using another new stamp from Quietfire Design, it's from the Always be my Friend set of 3 stamps.  Oh, I keep forgetting to mention that QF has the new stamps on sale for 20% off.

The background of this card was left over after playing with alcohol inks for THIS post.  I stamped the calligraphy image with Archival Ink jet black and added a piece of tissue tape across the panel.  The flowers (Prima sunrise sunset collection) started out grey. I used a variety of sprays on them finishing up with Perfect Pearls mist in gold -love that shimmer.  I added a drop of Glossy Accents behind each flower to glue them on.  After it was dry I poked 2 holes to bring the ribbon through and tie it.  I then decided to add some Treasure Gold white fire to the flower edges (yes, it would have been easier before they were attached but I didn't think of it then, lol) and the edge of the background. Don't you love how that metallic from the Treasure Gold really makes them pop!!!!   

Enjoy your day

A quick card!!!  I used a stem of silk leaves, laid it on the white cardstock and sprayed over it with Glimmer Mist (golden terracotta & meadow green), blotted it, took the leaves off and dried it.  The calligraphy image (Quietfire Design from the new set Twirl & Enjoy) is stamped with Archival Ink jet black.  I then decided I wanted some speckling so I used a wet paintbrush and the terracotta spray to flick on speckles.  I inked around the edges with Distress Ink vintage photo.  Some washi tape, brown string and staples finish it up.