Mother of Pearl

The technique for May was Mother of Pearl. It's a cool technique with Lumiere Paint and Distress Inks. It's a kind of resist and for those who know me, they know I love just about any type of resist.

This technique called for dabbing Lumiere paint onto white matte cardstock with scrunched up saran wrap. Then you heat set it (if you're impatient like me) or put it aside to dry. Then just apply Distress Inks overtop with a blending tool (I love the Tim Holtz Blending Foams). Then spritz paper towel with a bit of water and wipe off the ink from the Lumiere. You have a beautiful metallic resist.

As I was doing this, I started thinking. I wonder if you can stamp with the Lumiere instead of just dabbing it on and it worked great. I spread some Lumiere paint on my craft sheet and used some solid stamps. Then you can overstamp. If you stamp with Distress Inks overtop of the Lumiere, they won't stick to the Lumiere, but that creates a unique effect in itself. You can use Chalk Ink if you want it to stick.


For this card, I used my favorite Tim Holtz Set (Reindeer Flight). I love those trees! I stamped them with silver Lumiere paint and added two colours of green Distress Ink. Then I overstamped with Forest Moss Distress Ink because I wanted the green trees to be in the background.

Stamping Bella

I opened my orders last night and started drooling over some new Stamping Bella Stamps. I ordered them because they looked cool, but I'm really liking them once I see them in person! I just ordered 3 of the new Eclectic Line.

Eclectic Ticket ($15)


Eclectic Butterfly ($9)


Eclectic Mini Bubble Wrap, Mesh & French Script ($14)





They are beautiful grey rubber unmounted stamps. Unfortunately, the description said that they were cling mounted, but they appear to be just the rubber. But they are still quite beautiful and I really like them. They would be gorgeous for lots of different types of cards.

Organization

I know it's been forever since I posted. I have not been in a very creative mood lately and I have barely stamped in the last month. I find it really hard to get back into it if I haven't done it in awhile and then I get overwhelmed. There are days I feel like just selling it all off and giving up.

Thankfully, those days pass and eventually I end up back in my room. It often takes scheduling a friend to come over and stamp or scrapbook with me. It's fun to have the company and I often actually make something I like. Then I get motivated and am excited to get back into it.

I had my friend Jackie over a week or two ago and she was showing me the technique she's teaching on Saturday (I'm going to help her). Jackie does very gorgeous, very intricate work and she taught me a beautiful technique. Of course, I'm lazy and lost focus after the first few steps, so I adapted the technique and I quite like it. It's so great how we can all start out with the same thing and end up with something so different.

I then had my cousin over yesterday and I finally finished putting titles on the layouts I did at the retreat a month and a half ago. I do think that the two days that Jackie and Debbie came over are the only time I have spent in that room in the past month, but the desire to go back in there is getting stronger and so I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get over this hump and get back into the swing of things.

I got two packages this week full of goodies. I was worried about the once since it comes from the US and with the strike, but it managed to make it here anyway. I'll be throwing up some of the new stuff this week as I'm going to try to keep this blog updated.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm rather anal about organization. I get so excited when I go into a store that sells organizational goodies. It's better than a candy store for me. So, I ordered a magazine "Creative Spaces" which showcases Scrapbook and Stamping Rooms and organizational ideas. I have just briefly flipped through it, but I'm salivating at these rooms. And while, I'll never have a huge studio, I always find neat ideas from these larger rooms. I can't wait to sit down and quietly look through it.

I have one extra magazine for sale for $16.00 if anyone is interested.


I'm hoping to be back here more often now. Thanks for your patience.

Shimmer Bird

I did this card awhile ago when I was doing all of these shimmer backgrounds, but for some reason, never got around to posting this one, so here goes. Stamps are all Tim Holtz.

TPC Studio

I found these awesome stamps a couple of weeks ago and just fell in love. They are cling mount, which I really like and the images look just stunning!! They are just $10/set which I think is a good deal. Let me know if you are interested in any of them.

Ancestral Collage


Bon Voyage


Flower Collage


Summer Collage



Travel Collage

Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak for the May technique for my Kayric Club. It's a very simple technique using stuff that most of us already have. The scan does not do the shimmer justice.

I'm off to a retreat this weekend and I'm sure I will have lots of cool stuff to share when it's done. I am really looking forward to going away for a couple of days.

I'm Still Alive

It's been forever since I posted. I am still alive although some days I wonder. I have been very preoccupied this month. They are planning on building these huge powerlines near my home and I have been spending more time lately fighting them. I had to do a presentation to the Alberta Utilities Commission last week and I spent a ton of time beforehand preparing. Now we are in the middle of an election and I have been campaigning. The good news is that the bulk of stuff should be done by this time next week and I can have my hobby back.

I did have a really fun demo day last week. It was the only stamping I had done all month, so it was very nice to get back into it. Of course, as soon as it was done, I got busy again, but I stamped tonight and worked on samples for my May Kayric Club. Although it's stressful, sometimes, to come up with something, it's great that I'm forced to do it. I made 4 sample cards and so I'm happy with that.

I am going to a retreat tomorrow and I am not ready at all. I hadn't cleaned up my craft room from my demo day last weekend and then Kayla's been in there a few times so it's a real mess. I shoved everything aside to play tonight and so now it's into disaster territory. I need to get it organized so I can pack for my retreat, but that will be tomorrow.

I'm going to challenge myself to post something every day in May. I always start out great, so we'll see how it goes.

Here is another Aged Metal card. I can't remember if I ever did come back and explain how to do this technique, but if I didn't, then it's very simple. You will need a Shimmer Sheet, embossing folder and Staz On ink pad. Run your Shimmer Sheet through your embossing folder and then ink the raised edges with your Staz On. You will need to give it a few minutes to dry or heat set it. It's so simple, yet such a pretty effect.