Revisiting FRIENDS from the Past...

For this challenge, I am sharing a post from the past for inspiration which is perfect for the current Anything But a Card Challenges No. 44 "FRIENDSHIP".  This particular project was made for a mini tip-in swap... using the "throw-away collage" technique - one of my favorite types of creations. What is a "throw-away collage"?? It is a creation made of all the bits and scraps leftover on the table - transformed into something lovely and new! 

I broke out my huge IRIS box of scraps with leftover bits and pieces... which started out from several big ziploc bags full of all sorts of stuff. Putting it all in a big bin makes it easier to contain and search through. I began sifting through the scraps of paper, unused stamped images, leftover stickers, etc. AND in no time, my work began to come to life on it's own.

The background is a 6x6 square that I tried an Anna Griffin paper folding technique on for another project swap, but after making one, quickly decided that I wasn't going to make 6 more so it was retired to the "BIN". I happened to have long strips of the same p.p. so I folded it to create a dimensional frame to contain the folded quilted background. The winged boy was stamped on vellum and the school girl stamped on gloss paper, so I colored them both with my Marvy brush markers. The girl's wings are leftover vellum heart stickers. I stamped the 'friends forever' on a piece of scrap green with my ticket punch. This phrase is from a new little set of stamps with bling and a cute owl stamp that I just had to have. I added some tulle and fibers from another bin filled with misc. ribbons and stuff... then tied it off with a lock and key.

The current Challenge... is one that that can be expressed in just one word... "FRIENDSHIP". For Anything But a Card Challenges No. 44 use our prompt of "Friendship" to inspire your muse... and gather all of your creative goodies to come out and play. As our name states Anything But a Card = NO CARDS.

Thanks for dropping by! I hope you are inspired to play along with us at Anything But a Card Challenges. :) Sb

A #Cre8time Valentine for that Long Lost SUMMER Flame...

For the UNLUCKY Friday the 13th Bloghop please CLICK HERE...

Hello Everyone... Happy Valentine's Day!! It's the middle of Feburary {already} and time for another blast of inspiration for the current Reader's Art Quest at Unruly Paper Arts. This month's challenge theme is "Heartfelt" which is perfect way to spend a little #Cre8time creating in the colors of LOVE! Reds, pinks, white and pops of orange are sure to turn up the heat and bring some sizzle to the middle of winter.

The Unruly Paper Arts Reader's Art Quest "Heartfelt" Inspiration photo and color palette, are perfect for creating a special Valentine for that long lost summer flame.

 

This card came together pretty easy with some scraps and leftovers from other projects. I have a bin on my craft table that is a collection of leftovers, die-cuts, stickers, embellishments and other misc fodder for crafting... a fun place to shop for items to assemble a mixed-media card and put some of these items to use!

The background is a torn scrap of pink painted cardstock cut to fit to a tan speckletone card base. Add photo corners and some sparkly floral mesh and I have a nice start. I stamped the "retro beach dude" from Rubber Dance Art Stamps - for my summer beau in brown dye ink. Layered on top is an assortment of Sizzix leaf sprigs, a red heart doily creatively trimmed, embossed chipboard shapes from M store dollar bin, a scrap of three hearts cut from a patterned paper with doily paper behind, and two word stickers matted with red cardstock - all kissed with a little chalk inks for distressing. 

I hope you enjoyed my project and that you are inspired to join us in this month's Reader's Art Quest and check out the sponsor this month Rubber Dance Art Stamps. I would love to see what you create. Please leave me a comment with your link.

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm planning on spending the day with my main squeeze going on a date to the annual Coconut Grove Art Festival down in Miami... gotta love a crafty road trip with good art, good food and my one true love! :) Sb

Superstitious are WE??? Viva Las VegaStamps! Friday the Thirteenth Bloghop

Does Friday the 13th make you anxious and want to hide under the covers until the coast is clear... or is it a CAUSE for CELEBRATION??! Today we are celebrating with inky stamped goodness. 

I gathered up a bunch of marbelized distress ink stained tags leftover from Halloween projects and went to town stamping the eyes peeking through the blinds. I also had a long strip so I made a background of text and numbers. When I spelled out "friday" I had the letters placed on my block in backwards order... but since this is for FRIDAY the 13th - it's perfect! So I went with it and stamped it repeatedly, then also stamped my 13 backwards as 31. Then went back and fixed the Friday and stamped it the correct way. I added the thirteen block also to complete the scene. I stamped images in black archival and also Ranger Nick Bantock Damson Plum ink. I trimmed each section to fit and distressed the edges with the Damson Plum {my FAVORITE ink pad color} and mounted to a bright purple cardstock for a card base. Super CREEPY greetings indeed!

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Supplies From Viva Las VegaStamps: "Peeking Through Venetian Blinds" #18082; cut apart "31" #18918; "thirteen" from December Daily Plate #1430; alphabet from the December Daily Plate #1430; and Miracle Tape. Other Supplies: purple cardstock; scraps of painted tags using T!m Holtz marbeling technique using Ranger Distress Inks; Ranger Nick Bantock Damson Plum ink; and black archival ink.

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Don't forget to stop by all the stops on this UNLUCKIEST of occasions for your chance to win some blog candy! Thanks for dropping by - hope you have a fantastic Day! :) Sb

Viva Las VegaStamps! | VLVS! Blog the HOP Begins HERE

DeeDee Catron | by DeeDee Catron

Corrie Herriman | Made by Chook

Hermine Koster | Hermine's Place

Michele Kosciolek | Stuff by Belle

Shanna Shands | Shanna's Designs 

Glenda Tkalac | Somewhere Over the Rainbow

YOU ARE HERE ---> Susan M. Brown | sbartist : painting in the dark

Mary Brockway | The Damsel of Distress

#Cre8time and Deflecto Craft Frames make Sweet Baby LOVE!!!

Greetings Friends! It February... the month of all things LOVE and time for another Deflecto USA Ambassador Design Team Challenge. This month's Challenge theme is "Valentine's Day". I have created a special project for the occasion showcasing the new LOVERboy in our family... my new nephew Kalé Nathaniel Harden who is finally home and woo-ing the ladies.

This lil' guy was supposed to be a Christmas/New Year's Baby but he had plans of joining everyone for trick-or-treating by coming into the world on Oct. 23rd. He was a couple months early so he had to stay in the hospital while he got big and strong enough to come home... and of course, he's the BIGGEST LITTLE Seattle Seahawks fan!

For more information on the Deflecto line of products,

please visit: http://www.deflecto.com/craft/

This month the Deflecto USA Ambassador Design Team is sharing a variety of creative and imaginative uses for the Deflecto "Valentine's Day" challenge so you'll want to CLICK HERE to jump over to the Deflecto Craft Facebook Page or Deflecto on Pinterest to see more of the teams creations.

For this project I used the acrylic 8 1/2" x 11" Deflecto Pink Border Craft Frame Item #69771CR - a clear acrylic frame with a slanted design where your photos, scrapbook or literature slides in from the side. An approximate 3/4" wide permanent pink border border on top, left and right edges wraps around the bottom and onto stand is a wonderful POP of color and starting point for embellishing.

You just gotta love the Dollar Tree for seasonal goodies that make crafting fun and easy! I scored some of this lace-like clear glitter tape in red, magenta and black; along with some glittered table scatter hearts, adhesive backed heart gems, and glittered foam heart stickers. I've got more than enough heart embellishments {and conversation heart candy} to last me a lifetime!

I selected the magenta lace glitter tape and added a border to the existing pink border – mitering the edges at the corners.

I sized and printed out the latest photo from my sister for this special project and inserted into the frame. I added some of my adhesive backed heart gems along the top and bottom of the border - smallest where the heart cutouts are in the lace border and medium size flanking the corners. This PINK is really growing on me ;)

Now it's time for the heart table scatter and stickers. I layered them, hand cut some, and inserted gems where they fit to create some fun falling hearts as my peaceful nephew has some sweet dreams.

The finishing touch is a layered laser cut title from my stash-o-scrapbooking stuff by Lil' Davis Designs. I have had this title forever and a day and it is PERFECT for this special gift. I assembled and adhered to the frame with double sided adhesive tape and accented with a couple heart gems... this cutie is ready for Cupid!

Sweet Baby LOVE!!!

How would you decorate with Deflecto Craft Frames?

Thanks for visiting! Please join me each month when the Deflecto USA Ambassador Design Team will have a new Deflecto product challenge to debut.  :) Sb

For more information on the Deflecto line of products,

please visit: http://www.deflecto.com/craft/

Papercrafting and #Cre8time Art Play with ADORNit®

Welcome to my stop on the ADORNit® Art Play Bloghop! You should have arrived here from Anita's blog "The Flamingo Chronicles". If you have arrived here first and want to get back to the start of the hop, please CLICK HERE to jump to the ADORNit® Blog.

The new line of Art Play Paintables from ADORNit® are so fun and fabulously illustrated by Lindsay Ostrom... ready to color and play with your entire mixed media toy chest! I have created an altered embroidery hoop wall hanging with one of the 6" x 6" pieces on the Art Play Paintables - Life's Journey {which has 4 images included on a 12" x 12" sheet}.

I began by adding color using a waterbrush and Ranger Distress Markers. The paper of the Art Play Paintables is a thick cardstock with a watercolor paper texture - which is a nice base for paint and layering of colors in a watercoloring technique.

I built up my layers of color with a variety of colors to bring out accents and details, then traced off the sun, top of tree and heart onto deli paper to make templates to cut cardstock for paper-piecing from the ADORNit® Blender Basics Paper Pack. I love the contrast of hand-coloring with patterned papers.

I filled in the layers of grass with torn sections of two different greens from the ADORNit® Blender Basics Paper Pack – and I used both sides of each for the layers. The paper pack has three double-sided 12" x 12" sheets of every color in the rainbow.

Next I used a glue stick to mount all the patterned paper sections and adhered a recycled section of an embroidery hoop {which happens to be missing it's outer ring}. I punched two small holes in the top using my Crop-a-dile before gluing down with Diamond Glaze.

While the hoop and adhesive dried under a heavy book, I prepared a phrase for my wall hanging. I selected "collect moments... not things from one of the twelve inspiration cards on the Art Play Paintables – Ladybugs 12" x 12" sheet.

Your clue is: the letter " T "

Before I mounted the green patterned paper, I cut away and fussy cut the floral spray at the bottom of the original illustration. I hand-colored this and the phrase in the same fashion as the rest. I adhered the phrase using 3D dots and glued the floral spray to the edge of the hoop with Diamond Glaze. I trimmed away the excess paper flush to edge of hoop, topped with a hanger and bow using Offray Ribbons and my wall hanging is ready to adorn the wall in my studio.

The finishing touch is a little shimmery bling with my Sakura of America Gelly Stardust Hologram pen... adds that kiss of sparkle and compliments the sheer shimmery bow!

Thanks for visiting! I hope you are inspired to PLAY with the new ADORNit® products.

Follow ADORNit® online:

Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest

CLICK HERE to view the entire line – I would love to hear what is your favorite Art Play Paintable.  :) Sb

The next stop on the hop is Besty Burnett of "Aim Happy".

CLICK HERE to jump to Betsy's Blog.

Supplies Used: ADORNit Blender Basics Paper Pack; Art Play Paintables – Ladybugs; Art Play Paintables – Life's Journey; water brush; Ranger Distress Markers; EK Success 3D Dots; scissors; Judikins Diamond Glaze; glue stick; Offray Ribbon; Cat's Eye Chalk inks for distressing; and a recycled wooded embroidery hoop.

#Cre8time Lights up the Night... Offray Ribbon Challenge with Designer Crafts Connection

Welcome to another special Designer Crafts Connection Challenge - using ribbon products from Offray® - the World's Most Beautiful Ribbon. We have been challenged to make something handmade utilizing a generous assortment of sheer and satin Offray ribbons. My ribbon colors are light cremes, pale blue and a white wired satin... perfect colors to make an upcylced night light for my new little nephew!

In today's project I have used Simply Sheer Asiana Creme 1 1/2"; 2203 Dainty DFS Light Blue 1/8"; 1016SFS Cream 1H 3/8" satin; 1015SFS Light Blue 1 1/2" - all from Offray®. Other supplies used: Recycled liquor box; white acrylic paint; double-sided adhesive tape; Beacon Fabri-Tac; scissors; flat back glass beads for feet; LED tap light.

I am in Ribbon Heaven... sheer and satin, wide and thin...

perfect ribbonry contrasts to create with!

So much ribbon - so little time! I have so many ideas and have more than enough ribbon to work on a large project. I have a recycled liquor box awaiting transformation before hubs chucks it into the Tuesday recycling pickup that will make a lovely nightlight.

To begin, I whitewashed all black surfaces on the box and lid using white acrylic paint applied in a dry-brush fashion. This recycled box is a paper base, so I don't want to make it too wet. I left the beautiful copper metallic paper exposed on the inside which will give a nice contrast and glow when lit.

Using double-sided adhesive tape, I wrapped the edges to accept rows of sheer ribbon, slightly overlapped. Then I created vertical stripes by overlapping the satin ribbons and tacked them down using Beacon Fabri-Tac. For added contrast, I exposed the matte backside of the 3/8" creme satin ribbon. I wrapped edges around top and bottoms which are tucked inside where lid fits into.

The lid has been whitewashed also, and I cut sections of the large blue satin ribbon to create a woven pattern - layered with the creme 3/8" ribbon. All tacked down with double-sided adhesive with edges are wrapped around and tucked inside. 

The final touch is adding the magic! A battery powered LED taplight. It makes a custom light project so quick and easy. I pick them up at the grocery store - they come in a two-pack for about $5-6. I splurge on the lights because the quality of light is brighter than those I've purchased previously at the dollar store {in this case you get what you pay for}.

  

All lit up the copper metallic gives a warm glow and compliments the colors of the ribbon. I've left the solid sides white washed and uncovered as it has a nice texture and bluish tint from streaks of the black background peeking through. This new lamp is cordless and is perfect for my new nephew's nursery... just lift the lid and give the light a tap!

My recylced Lamp is ready
to light up the night!

Be sure to visit Offray.com to sign up for email newsletters to receive information about new products, project ideas, and special savings. Plus, receive 15% OFF your first order at Offray.com when you sign up for email!

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Thanks so much for visiting! For more ideas and inspiration follow the Designer Crafts Connection "Offray Ribbon Challenge" by selecting hop back/forward on the logo below to enjoy all of the wonderful creations. Sb :)

Designer Craft Connection

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My LOVE of STAMPING meets #Cre8time Organization

Hello Everyone! Today is the first monday of February {as well as Groundhog's Day here in the U.S.} which brings another Designer Crafts Connection Bloghop! Our creatives are sharing projects of "LOVE This..." which is anything having to do with creativity - tools, techniques, products, or craft genre!

I don't know about you, but for me January flew by in like a minute... and I'm trying to "SIMPLIFY" my life in 2015. I've combined my love of STAMPING and MIXED-MEDIA to create a creative calendar, by mounting an original stamped collage into an acrylic craft frame that I can change for each month with some fun wet-erase markers.

In my effort to reorganize my life and Cre8time, my stash of Deflecto Craft Solutions are making my studio, sleek and streamlined... but also modern and completely "ME".

This project is featuring the Deflecto Hanging 8 1/2" x 11" Craft Frame #68201CR – which I measured out a blank calendar grid marked out with thin washi tapes... quick and easy!

Starting with a blank sheet of white letter size uncoated cardstock, I used clear embossing fluid to stamp images onto sheet; then applying embossing powder and heat embossing to create an emboss resist. I worked in sections at a time, stamping, applying powder then heating to build up a scene. This is one of my favorite stamping techniques and is totally worth the time invested to build a background.

Now for the MAGIC! I colored over the top with Faber-Castell Gelatos and blended out with my finger. In doing this, some of the stamped images blend into the background becoming more muted adding depth and interest. Much of the stamped imagery gets covered up, so to expose the resist areas I gently rub the surface with a papertowel to remove the color away from the embossed areas... and the embossed white areas reappear! Love... love... LOVE!!! I repeated adding layers color and rubbing away until coloring was to my liking. 

I have an instant mixed media painting... with stamps! I have so many stamped images here to create my "mind's eye" scene... too many to count, so I have listed all below in supplies list. 

With my collage complete - I gently slide it into the frame and prepare for hanging. Super easy and protected from the elements... a total INSPIRATION piece!

I used my labelmaker to make some days of the week title stickers for the top of my calendar grid, then topped off the frame with sari ribbon and hemp twine for hanging. My calendar can be changed easily each month with wet erase markers. 

"My Cre8time is Ready for February"

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SUPPLIES: All stamps from Viva Las VegaStamps -- "Eye and Brow" #4487; "Stars" #19291; "Washi Lines Background" #19073; "Creative Minds are Rarely Tidy" #1501; "Question Everything" #18824; "Paris Address" #17539; "Writing Triangles" #19571; "Double Coffee Rings" #19568; "Measuring Tape Section" #19565; "Mesh Texture" #19569; "Bubble Wrap Texture" #19566; "Texture Background" #19570; "Writing Circles Background" #19567; "Color Wheel Lines" #19338; and "Solid Color Wheel" #19339. Other Supplies: VLVS! Miracle Tape; VLVS! Ultra High Gloss Embossing Powder; White Cardstock; Deflecto hanging 8 1/2" x 11" Craft Frame #68201CR; Deflecto Wet Erase Markers; rainbow colors of Faber-Castell Gelatos; Globecraft Embossing Ink Dauber; labelmaker; washi tape; sari ribbon and hemp cord.

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Thanks so much for visiting! Continue on the Designer Crafts Connection "LOVE THIS..." Bloghop by selecting hop back/forward on the logo below to enjoy all of the wonderful inspiration. Sb :)

Designer Craft Connection

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