Stampotique Designers Challenge ~ Under the Sea! ::SDC 206

This is the 5th Stampotique challenge for this month and the last week for me as a Guest Designer on the Stampotique Designers Challenge.  I want to say thanks to Stampotique for this privilege, I've really had a wonderful time!

The challenge this week is hosted by Kristen who says "The ocean is my happy place.  It is calm and soothing and I love the sound of the waves.  So this week, I challenge you to create an ocean themed project."

I, too, love the ocean.  I decided to make this a recycling project at the same time.  Most of us have painted a room somewhere in our house and have the paint stirring sticks to prove it.  If that paint stir stick is old, dry and covered with paint, so much the better.  We call that texture, right?  I call my project "Something fishy this way comes". Now in its second life it has become a highly decorated old paint stir stick all spruced up and living a new life as a wall hanging.

Directions:

I started by giving the entire stick a fresh coat of gesso.  It doesn't have to be smooth, the more texture the better.

I used my Gelatos to get the desired oceanic colors.  I mixed Metallic Mint and Blueberry Gelatos and then blended the colors with a baby wipe.

I stamped by image, Smumanha, die cut some sea themed images and pulled some twine and thread out of my stash.  I colored in the die cuts with Pan Pastels and colored the mermaid and the edges of the phrase with Memento markers then set all these elements aside.  Now it is just a matter of putting it all together with some glue that dries clear.

Supplies

Stampotique:  Smumanha and Something Fishy this way comes (phrase)
Inks:  Jet Black StazOn and Memento markers, StazOn Studio Glaze
Pan Pastels
Sizzix Die:  Sand and Sea
Miscellaneous:  Glass Sea Beads, gesso, twine, turquoise twine, Super Tacky Glue, old paint stirring stick

Thanks for following this July journey with me!  It has truly been a delight to meet these challenges using my favorite stamps some old and some new.  I hope you'll play along this week with us, don't forget there are prizes to be won.

To those of you who are aware of my current circumstances, I just want you to know that we are leaving for Myrtle Beach, SC this morning.  It will be a two day drive for us, all of our belongings will be coming down south with the movers in a few weeks.  Our house is finally finished and life can soon get back to normal!  We have enjoyed living in New England for the past 14 years; we'll really miss all our friends.  We're off to a new adventure!

Take care, big hugs, talk to you soon ~ Renee

The 7th "Buried Treasure" event with Seth Apter~An Annual Event

Every year for the past 6 years now Seth Apter has sponsored an event called "Buried Treasure".  Seth has a list of blogs that participate, each of the participating artists sharing their favorite project that has ever appeared on their art blog.  It is always hard to choose but here is my fave for now.

This was posted on 2/24/2015.  It is called:  Stenciling on Art Journal Pages

Last week I shared with you some art journaling pages that I had just completed.  Several people wanted to see the step by step process of these pages with photos.  If you click on this link it will take you to the IMAGINE Crafts blog where I have shared the photos and process that went into creating these pages.

So if you're interested and have a few minutes I invite you to grab an appropriate beverage and take a look!  Today is my actual physical moving day.  Whew, the studio took days to pack up.  I'm sure my new one will look nice and tidy for a while.  I have set up some posts for the next month.  I'll keep you all posted.
Thanks for stopping by, as always I truly appreciate your visit.  Hugs, Renee xx

Stampotique Designers Challenge ~ Budget Stamping ::SDC 205

This is the fourth challenge for July on the Stampotique Designers Challenge and Arwen is our host.  Arwen wants us to: "Stamp a background with things from the budget.  For example, sponges, foil, cutlery or the like."  That should be simple enough, we all have things like that around the house.  

I used gesso on the watercolor paper, this was scraped on with an old credit card.  Next I sprayed Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Pewter through a stencil. 

 I started really bringing out the household items at this point; paper clips, some twine covered in black ink, bottle caps and lids from cans of hairspray, etc.  The lids and caps make great circles on the background.  All that needs to be done is to coat them carefully with some black ink or paint, lightly press or even twist the design onto the background.  Another phrase stencil was brought in and I sprayed Sheer Shimmer in Pewter on top of the other textures and dried it.  I added color with a small amount of StazOn Studio Glaze in Orange Zest pushed through a stencil.   Here is my finished background.

Now it is time to pick the design for the card.  There are lots of different types of textures at this time, rough, smooth, shimmery and flat.  I chose to put a little more pattern on a black 3" square by using a stencil and some Sheer Shimmer Spritz in Copper.  Just spray and allow to dry.  I have stamped a Kate Crane image onto a "Twinchie" piece of paper and colored it in with Memento markers.  The edges are also inked to create depth.  I glued these together, then adhered them to the center of the card.

The final step is to glue this panel to a kraft colored blank card.  

I added the phrase "sing me a song" to a small scrap of white paper and glued it above the upper center of the card.

I hope you'll take on this challenge and share your results with us on the Stampotique blog!  There is a chance for you to win a $30 gift certificate for Stampotique Stamps.  Have fun ~ hugs ~ Renee

Make Your Own Travel Journal

Art Journaling is so fun and such a personal project.  You can use your imagination to make a journal that is something that you love to look at and is filled with the type of paper YOU prefer without caring if anyone else likes it or not.  I made this one for IMAGINE Crafts using my favorite product, what else,  StazOn Studio Glaze.

Featuring a Zettiology stamp by Teesha Moore

Here is the link to the IC/T blog if you'd like to see the step by step directions.  I am also entering this in the July Craft Stamper Challenge called Take a Stamp, here is the link to their blog if you want to participate in that challenge.  I hope you're all having a fabulous summer!  Take care, Renee

Stampotique Designer Challenge ~ Twinchies! ::SDC 204

Today on the Stampotique Designer Challenge our host, Janet, is challenging us to make some Twinchies!   Janet says : "Create a set of twinchies using your favorite Stampotique stamps."

Twinchies are small works of art that measure 2" by 2".  You can cut your own out of whatever paper you choose.   I just happened to have some wonderful pre-cut 2" matboard squares.  I was gifted these ART SQUARES from inchie arts lic and I must admit the quality of these squares is amazing!

I stamped parts of two different stamps, one on each twinchie.  The head comes from "Skiddy" and the skirt and feet came from Kate Crane's "Sing me a song".  I pulled a small gift bag out of my stash, I'll glue the twinchies to it later.

Time to color in the twinchies using Memento Markers in different colors.

Next I used some puffy, double sided adhesive tape to adhere the twinchies to the gift bag.  Then I filled the bag with the gift and added some turquoise tissue paper to top it off.

I invite you to participate in the Stampotique challenge this week.  Don't forget there are prizes to be won!  Take care, talk to you soon!  Hugs ~ Renee

Stampotique Design Challenge ~ Using Attachers :: SDC 203

The Stampotique Designers Challenge for this week is hosted by Kathi.  Kathi wants us to "Use attachers, the older the better.  Thinking of eyelets, brads, staples, etc.  Bonus points if someone uses all three.  Extra super bonus points if someone attaches Stampotique images to each other.'

I decided to do a little mail art at the same time with this challenge in mind.  When I make envelopes like this they are not intended to go through the mail.  I usually fill them with projects intended for Stampington.  Sometimes they not only publish the contents but also the envelope!

Here is a brief tutorial:

I chose a 10" by 13" Kraft colored envelope to decorate.  I applied a thin layer of gesso across the bottom and allowed it to dry.  When the gesso was dry I began stamping my images with StazOn Ink in Tuxedo Black.  Next using a Micron pen 08 I started writing out the address.  The circles were made from an old lid dipped in the black ink.

I stamped the flying pigs again on a separate piece of cardstock, cut them out, colored them and then attached them with Parisienne Brads made by Recollections.  My pigs are elevated with pop dots, this way I didn't have to attempt to cut out the tails, I love that little bit of detail on them.

Add some fake postage.

I used a diamond stencil and some Creative Medium Paste in pink to finish the envelope.

Supply List

Stampotique Stamps:  Flying Pig, When Pigs Fly phrase, Hanging Hearts
Parisienne Brads made by Recollections
Ink:  StazOn Black Tuxedo ink
Memento Markers:  Angel Pink, Summer Sky
Iridescent Creative Medium Paste:  Pink
PanPastel:  Copper
Stencil:  Artistcellar Diamond 
Miscellaneous:  Micron 08 black pen, Kraft colored envelope, Gesso, old recycled postage marks, cardstock, pop dots and adhesive


Have some fun with attachers and share one with us on this week's Designer's Challenge, here is the link.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hugs ~ Renee

Stampotique Guest Designer for the month of July! SDC: 202

This has been a hard secret to keep but I can finally share it!  I have been asked to be a Guest Designer on the Stampotique blog for the month of July.  This has been a dream of mine for several years so I am really going to enjoy all five projects that I've created for them this month.  The first challenge for July is hosted by Corrie and it is a ribbon challenge.  Corrie says "I struggle to use ribbon on my projects but I do like it.  So I want you to show me what you do with ribbon."

My finished project is a small art journal page showcasing one of Daniel Torrente's newer characters called SKIDDY.  I used self adhesive ribbon to give Skiddy something to stand on.   I have listed all the stamps I used for this.  I hope you'll join in this challenge, there is always the chance of winning some stamps from Stampotique!

Supply List

Creative Medium Green Iridescent paste
Stamps:  Stampotique:  Skiddy, Hanging Hearts, Beauty Verse and Hare
Inks:         StazOn Jet Black ink, StazOn Studio Glaze and Memento ink pens
Ribbons:  Self adhesive ribbons from Primio
Small Strathmore Mixed Media art journal, Stencil from Artistcellar, lines and circles from household items