New Posts to Come!

I took a life-induced hiatus from stamping, crafting, blogging, and, in general, most other "fun" activities; however, I will soon be posting cards and other projects.  Look for me in a few weeks, 'cause I'll be back in the craft room and posting regularly as I participate in challenges, layouts, and create and share my own craft projects, some of which may not involve stamping.  Looking forward to being back in touch!!

The 12 Blogs of Christmas

Welcome to the QKR Stampede Christmas/Winter Blog Hop. You should have arrived here from Monika's blog; if you didn't, go there now and then come back here to continue the Hop. If you didn't start at the QKR Stampede Blog, be sure to go back to the beginning so that you don't miss any of the fabulous projects! Now that you're back, wasn't Monika's project fantastic?!?! Not counting the QKR Stampede Blog, I believe I am the "third Blog of Christmas" -- no French Hens here, though!

My first project is a card using the Peace Angel (#16705) stamp.

For this card, I used the Argyle embossing folder by ProvoCraft and my oval nestabilities dies. I stamped the Peace Angel in the center of the oval using my Ancient Page Coal Black ink, then colored with my PrismaColor watercolor pencils and a blender pen. I added a touch of glitter to her wings (after all, angels should have glittered wings!) and the stars.

My next project is Christmas ornaments. These are very special to me for a couple of reasons: (1) my sister LOVES penguins . . . I know she would love to get this--or a set of these--as a gift for her Christmas tree; and (2) when we were kids, every year, the weekend of Thanksgiving, my Mom would take us to a local store that made ceramics . . . everything ceramic. We would get to pick out a bunch of ornaments and other items (Santas, snowmen, village buildings), then we would bring the items home and spend the weekend painting our items. It was always a lot of fun and it was especially fun to see how we evolved as "artists". So, on to my project:

 

The ornament to the left uses the Pine Cone Accent (#19603) stamp, while the ornament to the right uses the Ice Skating (#7902) stamp.

For the Pine Cone Accent image, I painted the stamp (just like when you color a solid/bold stamp image with markers) with a paint called Gloss Enamels, which is suitable for painting on ceramics, glass, and other non-porous materials. Then I stamped directly onto the ornament. The lighter color of brown is actually an open area of the stamp, so I painted by hand with a very fine paint brush.

For the Ice Skating image, I inked the image with Jet Black StazOn ink and stamped directly onto the ceramic ornament blank. I then painted the open areas using the Gloss Enamels and a very fine paint brush. With a "dry" brush (very little paint on the brush), I added some blue paint along the base of the ornament to represent the ice on which this little penguin is skating, and I added some glitter to the "ice" and around the penguin to give it a "snowy" look. The great thing about these paints is that they dry slowly (because of the thickness of the paint) and are water soluble -- you do not need any chemicals to clean your brushes or your stamps. That being said, the paint can be completely cured by either baking or allowing to air dry. If you decide to pick up these paints and use them, be sure to have a cup of warm, soapy water sitting by so that you can clean your brushes AND your stamps! You don't want the paint drying and becoming a permanent part of your stamp.

I hope you found these projects inspiring! Your next stop on the Hop is with JESSICA. You're sure to see some wonderful eye candy at Jessica's blog! Before you leave, please be sure to leave a comment. Thanks for taking the time to stop and visit!

Blog Hop Sneak Peek No. 2

Today's post is another quick and simple post . . . another sneak peek of one of my projects for tomorrow's QKR Stampede Christmas/Winter blog hop.

Just a reminder that the Blop Hop begins tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM EST. Be sure to set aside some time tomorrow or over the weekend, to participate in the Blog Hop, as there will be many unique projects for any last-minute inspiration you may need. Looking forward to seeing you here tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by today; have a great day!!

Blog Hop Sneak Peek

Today's post is short and sweet -- a sneak peek at one of my projects for this Friday's QKR Stampede Christmas/Winter Blog Hop. The Blog Hop takes place this Friday, November 19, at 8:00 AM EST. This Hop is a follow-up to our Frosty in July Hop and will be chock full of inspirational ideas for holiday cards and gifts. 

Be sure to come back on Friday, pull out your winter woolies, grab a mug of hot chocolate and enjoy the Hop. Looking forward to seeing you at the Hop! Thanks for taking the time to stop by today. Have a WONDERFUL day!!

It's QKR Monday . . .

I don't know about your corner of the world, but here in northeast Ohio, we had a beautiful Fall weekend (certainly to be one of our last), which inspired me to make this card. I used the QKR Stampede Leaf (#3901) and Hope Forever (#22801) stamps to create this card. The background of my card was stamped with the Leaf stamp and a Kaleidacolor stamp pad. For the focal image, I again used the Leaf stamp with foil and QKR Stampede's new line of Sticky Powder (some of you may recognize this product as Sticky Embossing Powder, or Heat-n-Stick powder). Being that Fall is quickly leaving us, I decided that the Cherish Yesterday sentiment, from the Hope Forever stamp (which is actually a collection of four sentiments), was perfect for this card.

Here is a close-up of the foiled image; as you can see, the result is absolutely stunning!

If you go to the QKR Stampede website and click on the Supplies tab, you will find directions on how to use the Sticky Powder, as well as illustrations of various craft mediums that were used with the Sticky Powder.  If you follow my blog, you may recall that I did a photo tutorial using foil, which can be found here.  I don't know about you, but I'm hanging onto these last few Fall days we have and enjoying the last of the colors of Fall ...  Grab your hats, mittens, and scarves because this Friday, November 19, we will be having the QKR Stampede Christmas/Winter blog hop. We had a Christmas in July blog hop to get your creative juices flowing, but just in case you're looking for some ideas for Christmas cards or gifts, you'll want to be sure to put this Hop on your list of things to see! We have a very talented group of ladies on the design team, and the projects will be amazing and inspiring!! I'll be providing a sneak peek later in the week, so stay tuned . . .