Two Lovely Cards & Two Beautiful Friends

The Internet is a totally mystical place sometimes. I moved here from NV 8 years ago. I had been stamping for 5 years already and I had never lived away from my home town. I learned a lot of what I know about stamping on line.  As I am sure most of you would agree, there is nothing like another stamper, online or not. :-) You can almost see their inky fingers and that look in their eyes when they see a stamp.  LOLOL  And people think drugs are addictive.  Well that is were I met these next two stamp junkies!!!

I received 2 cards this last week and the cards would have been more exciting to me. I always say a person sends a part of themselves when they send someone a card they created. So here are the wonderful hugs I received:

I was expecting one of Shirl's beautiful cards and I had sent her one of mine.  She not only sent me this cute and beautiful little girl, but also memories of my one and only trip to Hawaii.  You see she lives on the big island in Hilo!  The greenest part of the island!  She sent goodies and some wonderful coasters and a bag to keep my meals cool in this desert heat in NC, no less .  100 here today.   I had helped her with some questions about how to do her sidebars on her blog.  You gave me so much more, Shirl.  Your card is lovely.  I don't know if you all can see it if you click on it.  The DP paper sparkles and so does the bow on the beautiful little girl's package!  She is beautiful.  Thank you for your gifts and your lovely card!  You will be hearing from meeeeeee!  :-)

This next card is just so beautiful and unusual, kind of like it's artist!  She is one of the people I met online through Technique Junkies.  Junkie is right, right ladies and gents too?  She lives in Apache Junction, AZ.  I have wanted to move near there for the last 3 years, but the housing market has decided not yet.  Ha!  I told her I would move to the mountains of AZ.  More like the temperatures in Reno.  Anyway, we have become stamping and long distance buddies.  When I least expect it, Jackie sends me a card and usually some surprises too!  This was no different, but first about her card.

Jackie filmed the technique "Totally Texture", that she used to make this card too, for Technique Junkies February 2011 issue.  I  don't know if you can see enough of all of the texture if you click on it.  It is just beautiful, front and the back, etc.  You want to run your fingers over all of the finishes.  The paper is another thing entirely.  She also designs cards for Paper Temptress.  There are at least 2 beautiful white pearl cardstocks used that I would bet are from there.  She also sent me Technique Junkies Fancy Folds and Motion Paper Crafts CD.  Wow!  I love folds.  Her daughter also sent me some goodies.  I can't thank both of you enough.  You better look out, Jackie!  I will have to try to even the score!

I have another card almost ready to go.  I want to thank you all for letting me share my special week and I am hoping yours was or is turning out swell too!

 Shirley

My first BD Card From Down Under

I have a TJ friend, Denise Taylor from New Zealand, who just sent me my first birthday card this year. It is so elegant and gorgeous! I hope you will click on it to see all of her detailed work on it. My birthday isn't until February 12, but I couldn't wait. Yep, Pres. Obama and I have someone in common. :-)

What doesn't show are the beautiful specs of deep bluish pink glitter on and about the stamens. The Lillies are gorgeous and she trimmed around them as you can see and mounted them separately. The White background is Cuttlebug embossed using the folder from Combo Love Language . The circle was cut using a die and then mounted on a separate background. That background was first brayered with Gesso and then embossed with Cuttlebug embossing folder Perfectly Paisley. After that it looks like she did Grid lines using a Scor-Pal or Scor-It. How lovely and then look at those beautiful rhinestones. The colors she chose are spectacular together.

I love my card, Denise! Thank you so much dear friend.

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share! All of your comments and suggestions mean so much to me.

 

 Shirley

 

Beautiful RAK's And SNOW Instructions

First let's talk about the snow on my blog. Several people have commented and asked where I got it. So here are the links depending on who provides support for your blog. You go to the link and follow the instructions from there.

This SNOW is for Blogger people.

This SNOW is for Word Press people.

Let me also explain that if you have a white background template, like mine, the snow is only on the colored areas, like card, widgets, etc. If your background is colored you will have more snow inside your blog. A real Winter Wonderland anywhere you want it.

Now for my wonderful collection of RAK's. I have been as slow as a turtle lately with everything. This includes thank yous to the wonderful people who have sent me cards!!! So without further tardiness I want to thank all of you. They have brightened my face and my heart.

The lovely card above is from a wonderful TJ friend, Barbara Riefner. The background is a Technique Junkie technique called Watercolor Resist. She has stamped the image with a Black pigment and embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder. These flowers are just gorgeous against the background she created. Thank you so much Barbara for the surprise and smile the card gave me.

Another really beautiful card from a TJ friend, Carole Miller. I hate it when Christmas cards get to me before I have even mailed all mine. I have been doing some every week and here it is 2 weeks before Christmas and I am still doing it!! Carole's main image was stamped in red pigment ink and then embossed with Red Glitter Embossing Powder. The card is just so sparkly and proves less really is more. I could take a few lessons from Carole!! Thank you Carole. Yours really 'is in the mail'. No, honest, it really is!

This card is just so creative and spectacular! It comes from my TJ friend, Denise Taylor, down under in New Zealand. The TJ Technique she used is called Masked Frame. The sheen behind the behind the ornaments (on dimensional dots) has been sprayed very very lightly with a sliver sparkling mist. It also has the wonderful bling and the words are also mounted on dimensional dots to grasp when you open the card. The back portion of the cardstock that shows has been punched with a corner punch. It has a wonderful letter inside. Thank you so much Denise.
This beautiful card comes from Julia Aston, a fellow blogger, at Create With Me. If you haven't been there, you need to go. She has some beautiful projects, including cards, and is very creative!! Julia has again proved less is not only more, but warm and wonderful too! She used Designer Paper for the background and the punched snowflake and dot were created with punches. Thank you so much Julia.
This pretty card is from another TJ friend, LaVerne Wilson. I can't tell how the background was created, but I will bet it is a TJ technique. I know it was embossed and I have been trying to think of what folder. It looks familiar though. The corners are punched and I have to say her two main colors are just wonderful together and I love that ribbon too. I think it's wide grosgrain. Thank you so much LaVerne.


This beautiful and creative card was done by Stephanie Severin. She too is a fellow blogger. Her blog is Ingenious Inkling. She is just so creative with paper. She first put her pieces of cardstock together and then stamped with an area stamp and navy ink. The edges between the colors were also highlighted with navy ink. Then she rounded her corners and created her image. It was mounted on dimensional dots and highlighted with glitter glue too! Bling on the opposite corners of course!! Thank you so much Stephanie for sending me one of your wonderful creations.

 

 Shirley

 

RAKs - Candy Treats Without Calories!!!

If I told you how excited I get when I have received a card in the mail, you would probably say I need to see someone! And that may be true! Especially since I received 3 within the last week and here they are in the order I received them.

Jackie Kalchert is the artist of this card. Isn't it a beauty? I love every inch. She has used a Technique Junkie technique I think is called Vada's Gesso Resist. It is lovely as you can see. Thank you so much Jackie for the card and for your thoughtful words.

Speaking of excited and surprises. This card was sent by a wonderful person I met at the Stamp Convention I attended in Kissimmee, FL. She was so friendly, a real stamp artist, and she knew exactly how to shop a convention. If you ever meet her at one, follow her. She can show you great buys and save you a lot of money on really good 'stuff'. Thank you Donna. This was so unexpected. Like a "blast for the past". Hope to see you again sometime, sooner than later. I love your very spooooooooky Halloween card and it really brightened my day.

This card is from a dear friend living in a town near me. Her name is Connie Thorson and she teaches classes at a stamp store in Mooresville, NC, called Stamper's Alley. She, her friend Judy Kleinrock, and I met for lunch once. Connie, I hope you had a wonderful Halloween and thank for this lovely card. By the way, that candy corn is a cute 3D embellishment too~!

 

 Shirley

 

Another Beautiful RAK From a Dear TJ Friend

I've had this wonderful RAK for a few days. I thought the sender, Deb Lovett, was on vacation away from home and I wanted to wait to post until she returned. She was home feeding her habit on Scrapbook pages, etc. So let me say thank you to a wonderful TJ friend who has always been there when I had questions about techniques and newsletters. The background is a beautiful paisley pattern. She has sprayed the background behind the butterfly too, and the verse is one of my favorites by a really favorite person too. Thanks again Deb for the lift your card brought me.

Too funny! I went to knock something off my keyboard and it published my post before I wanted to do it. Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

NEW Technique Junkie CD #6

The 6th Edition Technique Junkie CD contains over 70 techniques — all the techniques from the 10-07 through 08-08 issues, the online bonus techniques, PLUS 10 NEW techniques, exclusive to the CD!
*Techniques are presented as step-by-step pictorials like the subscriber-only tutorials.*The CDs are in .pdf format, so they are friendly to PC and MAC users alike.*Each are formatted to print on 8-1/2” x 11” pages!*CDs are $14.95 for subscribers ($16.95 for non-US addresses), with additional copies available for $11.95 ($14.95 non-US).*CDs may be ordered through PayPal or through the mail.Send PayPal payments to: phuntoon@optonline.netMake checks payable to: Pat Huntoon, and send to: PO Box 16547, Stamford CT 06905.*Need to renew? Renew & buy the CD for $29.95*!*Offer valid until October 1, 2008

Faux Dichroic Glass, one of my techniques, will be featured as one of the 10 Bonus Techniques on the CD. Below is one of the cards I made using the Faux Dichroic Glass technique. The stamps used were from Impression-Obsession and American Art Stamps. The technique is relatively easy and fun to do. It would also make great jewelry items like the bracelet Lisa Somerville made and displayed on her blog here.


Thanks for stopping by "the blog" to look.

 

 Shirley

 

RAK From Barbara

I received this card from Barbara Riefner in FL this last week. She did the background when she was visiting with me in April this year. It is part of the Dry Embossed Wash technique from the 12/06-01/07 Technique Junkie Newsletter. Why we didn't finish it I don't know, but I am glad because this is so stunning IRL. I hope you can see it too. She embossed the flower with Gold EP and I think used Twinkling H2O's for the colors. I am always excited to get one of Barb's stunning cards. Thank you again Barbara for thinking of me and sharing some more of your great way with stamps and color.

Thanks for stopping by "the blog" to take a look.

 

 Shirley

 

Three Gorgeous RAK's

Wow! Going to my mail box lately has been nothing short of sweet.

This beautiful card was sent by Jane Rodgers, a TJ friend. She surprised me with this when I found out she loved eagles and sent her an unmounted one I had. We were both soon to be surprised again when it turned out to be an owl. I have 4 owls already so the sharing was still wonderful.

Her card above using the Sparkle Paper Technique from the current TJ Newsletter. It literally shines everywhere. Jane, what a beautiful card. The tearing technique you used around your heart is just perfect to enhance the artwork. Thanks so much.

This card is from Deb Waldron, who teaches a variety of art classes at Stampers' Alley in Mooresville, NC. She is an artist on just about any type of craft or art you could mention. Here she displays some of her beautiful Quilling techniques. She wishes me a speedy recovery from "the Shingles". Thank you, Deb, for thinking of me and say hi to everyone there.

This beautiful card reminds me of "Scherenschnitte". Scherenschnitte is a German word used to describe the art of cutting figures, and even whole scenes, from one piece of paper. This particular cutting has been mounted using dimensional glue dots, so it has a raised look. It was sent to me by Brenda Elliott, the owner of Stampers' Alley. She is indeed an artist in her own right, but doesn't get much time to create because of her wonderful stamp store and the classes that are held there. The card, itself, was created by one of her customers and friends named Randi Monacell. She too wants to wish me well. Thank you Brenda for thinking of me.

Can't wait to get well and want to thank you all for stopping by "the blog" to let me share my cards with you.

 

 Shirley

 

Peonies and Faux Handmade Paper

I fell in love with this stamp, Peony Square by Stampendous, the minute I saw stampers on SCS using it. I stamped mine with Encore Copper Ink on Very Vanilla Stampin' Up cardstock and embossed it with Copper Embossing Powder. It was painted with Twinkling H2O's. The peonies were highlighted with Ranger Stickles Copper glitter glue. The Purple/Pink flowers were highlighted in the center with Provo Craft Shimmerz glue (it resembles the sparkle of opals when dry), and Ranger Yellow Stickles glitter glue around the opal center. Shimmerz takes longer to dry than regular glitter glue, but it is well worth the wait.

The background is Faux Handmade Paper from the current issue of Technique Junkie Newsletter. I had no idea it would be so much fun. The ribbon is from Michael's $1 bin. The Copper Charm is from AC Moore in their jewelry findings area. It was accented with Ranger Stickles Copper glitter glue. Three more dots of the glue were added to the bottom right side of the card front. The words are by Inkadinkadoo and were stamped with Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy.

Thanks so much for stopping by "the blog" to look.

 

 Shirley

 

Wonderful RAK from England

I hadn't heard from Germana in like forever! And all of a sudden in my mail box to brighten my day was this beautiful card. The last I remember, Germana, you were in Dubai. You are really traveling the world, lady! The card is a beautiful Rust color. As you can see, it is framed in white, then a wonderful deckle rust edge. Next she did a very creative thing. She has 2 different stamped backgrounds and has torn them and then sponged the edges with the rust ink. The words are stamped with the same Rust ink. The effect is stunning. I will bet all of the wonderful stamps are Stampin' Up.

In addition to the beautiful card she included some embossed papers for my own use. They are pearlized light gold, pink, and lavender that have been embossed using part of one of the latest Technique Junkie techniques called Parchment Punch. There are also 2 other sparkly pieces of cardstock. I also have wonderful ideas for them too.

Thank you so much Germana for your thoughtfulness and for brightening my day with such a beautiful card with great surprises inside.

 

 Shirley

 

TJ & Impression-Obsession

It is not true that pictures never lie!!! LOL When I look at the card above the blues all fade in and out together and match up. When I scanned them they do not. Oh well.

The background is Artsy Dimension from the current Technique Junkie Newsletter. The image is Three Windows by Impression-Obsession-Leigh Hannan.
They were stamped with Brilliance Gold Galaxy ink and painted with Twinkling H2O's. The highlights are Rangers Stickles Gold and Liquid Pearls White Opal. The words are Word Plate I by Rubber Stamp Tapestry. The ribbon is from Michaels $1 bin. Its been a while, so I am not sure if ribbon in the bin is still $1. Ha! The Heart Charm is from Fancifuls, Inc. The 3 pearls are from Mark Richards Crystal Stickers.

I am expecting some new stamps from Impression-Obsession. I took part in the sale and free shipping they are having though today. The details on in the post just below and before this one.

Thanks for stopping by "the blog" to look.

 

 Shirley

 

Deco Art Liliy Pond

The background is Stippled Pigments from a Technique Junkies Newsletter. Then I ran it though the Cuttlebug with the Tiny Mosaics folder. The Gem Stones are from Hero Arts. The black polka dot ribbon is Wal-Mart and the Turquoise is from Michaels. The "Pond" by Impression-Obsession was painted with Twinkling H2O's. The brass frog is from Fancifuls, Inc. online. The words are from Word Plate I by Rubbert Stamp Tapestry.

Hope you like it and thank you all for stopping by "the blog".

Check out the special coupons from Michaels below if your are interested. 20 and 40% off until May 10.

 

 Shirley

 

Beautiful RAK From a Dear TJ Friend

What an artist!!! LaVerne Wilson created this masterpiece. She took the Technique Junkie Waxy Cuttlebug technique to a new level for me. Now I have to try it like this too! LOL If you would like to see it even better, click on the image. The words are stamped on vellum. The centers of the roses are highlighted with glitter glue for added interest. I love the whole card, LaVerne. Thank you for thinking of me.

And thank you all for stopping by to see "the blog".

 

 Shirley

 

Three Beautiful RAK's

First things first! The card above is just beautiful here and in real life "natural light". It was sent to me by Karen Vandivier. Out of the blue and just before St. Patrick's day, when I really needed cheering. The background looks like it was done with either Pearl Ex or Emerald Ritzy Ditzy Glitz by Powder Keg. Of course the embossed area was done with the Cuttlebug Spots & Dots. A really wonderful and cheerful card. Thank you so much Karen.And then came Easter and this beautiful card from my friend Connie Thorson! Connie is one of those people who says a lot with a few words. Her cards are always beautiful and this one is no exception. I can tell she painted the bunny and the words with Twinkling H2O's. That paper just really ties the whole card together. Thank you so much Connie for thinking of me.

This beautiful card is from Melissa Banian, my Technique Junkie Just One Partner for March.
I hope my pictures do this card justice, but we know they never do. The technique is Polished Acetate from CD5 04/07. The main Images are embossed and have such a stark beauty. She has highlighted the wisps of vines with glitter and they sparkle. She embellished it with a beautiful silver butterfly. I also included the inside because it too is just beautiful. I hope you can tell she left part of the acetate without CS so it has a special effect when you look at it both open and closed. Thank you Melissa for such a wonderful card. I love to see all your cards when you post them. They are an inspiration.



Thank you to all of you for making my days in March wonderful. Thank you all for stopping by to see "the blog".

 

 Shirley

 

New Blog New Card Art

I am pretty excited just to be this far along with my blog. For my header I used a cut and paste version of one of the two cards that I created for a class I just finished teaching at a nearby stamp store.


For the card above I used a version of a background called Waxed Paper Resist. The image is "Latte" by Impression-Obsession and the designer is Leigh Hannan. I love all of her stamps by the way. I use them a lot. A really nice thing about most I/O stamps is that you have a choice of:
- unmounted with no cushion,
- mounted with repositional cling (for acrylic mount) or
- unmounted with permanent cushion (for wood mount)
- some come in sets with the repositional cling or the clear (they are reduced a little when compared to the larger images).
The image was painted using Twinkling H2O's. Hmmmmmm You could say I love them too and use them a lot!! The ribbon is by May Arts.

I created the "Stir Stick" using beads I had. I really liked the look. The onyx rhinestones are flatbacks using Glossy Accents to glue them on.


On my second card I used 2 Leigh Hannan stamps. My main image is called "Cappuccino Garden". The image was stamped with Mica Magic Bronze from Clearsnap and heat set. The second image (heart steam) is from a Cling set in the New Spring Impression-Obsession Catalog called "Sweet Heats." The ribbon is again by May Arts. I attached it using Japanese Stab Binding. The coffee beans are beads. They are attached using head pins. Wire could be substituted. The Japanese Stab Binding technique is explained welll here:
http://www.scrapjazz.com/topics/Techniques/Binding/948.php
The nice part about the video is you can stop and start it as you follow the steps the first time. The foam on the cappuccinos is Marvy Liquid Applique. The image was painted with Twinkling H2O's. The hearts on the foam were done using Glossy Accents and Art Institute Glitter. The hearts on the "aroma steam" were done using Glossy Accents and Instant Coffee (any). The word "Love" is from the Rubber Stamp Tapestry set "Word Plate I". "a latte" is from Impression-Obsession stamp "Thanks a latte." Here and there I used Ranger's Gold glitter glue to accent among the leaves. A simple fun card.

 

 Shirley