my little hoo's birthday

It's my little monkey's birthday and I thought Stampotique captured my sentiment best with their monster and little hoo-hoo stamp.  With a stamp this fantastic you don't need much else going on and so I kept it simple (I apologize to my friends for the lack of advance warning; I promise the next project will be messier).

I'm entering this perfect pair into Stampotique Designers Challenge: SDC #134 Perfect Pairs.

I covered the Impression Obsession cover-a-card distressed brick stamp with antique linen distress ink and clear embossed it to create the card background.  Have I told you how much I love Tim Holtz's distress inks?  I might have once or twice.  They are my go-to product for colour and the card below is a somewhat good example and I'll elaborate:   

1. The brick was created by directly applying distress ink colour to the stamp
2. The lettering was individually hand stamped with archival black onto watercolour paper which was initially run through watered down weathered wood, peeled paint and vintage photo (the definition and texture is astounding) but that's not all; you can:
3. Use the distress inks as watercolours
4. Remove colour 
5. Emboss it and, but not limited to,
6. Use distress inks with as many tools as you have in your repertoire including stencils, embossing folders and stamps to get a whole variety of outcomes especially when you play with different types of papers like watercolour, grunge and glossy

No shares bought, just an honest enthusiasm for an amazing and diverse product.

Monster was coloured in with coloured pencils and markers.  Little hoo-hoo was coloured in with markers.  And both were highlighted with Viva Pearl Pen (ice white) and black Sakura Gelly Roll.

The hearts were punch cut and the entire thing was mounted on green cardstock which is Alex's favourite colour.

I have a special evening planned for my amazing little man with all of his favourite things (secretly determined in advance; aren't moms great that way?) and dinner out at the restaurant of his choice (secretly wishing it is not one of the more popular children's restaurant/playpark in the area which I will not name).

Still reeling from a great long weekend and cutting out ten bazillion creature power activators (handmade) for Alex's Wild Kratt birthday party scheduled later on in the month.  How did you spend your weekend?  Was it crafty?

valentine's day tags 42 over 2 posts part 2

Part two of the 42 tag valentine day adventure begins with cupid (you can see part one here).  The tag background was prepared with peeled paint and worn lipstick distress inks, covered and heat set with Viva Croco crackling color (silver).  The Croco crackling effect was new to me and decidedly delightful.  Crackling color gave the crackle a less invasive finish than the homemade version which has an entirely different texture.  I adore both and I love having them both in my technique bag of goodies.  

Behind Cupid I added Stampotique hanging hearts and set her above a Octopode Factory cupcake wrapped in love.

The heart on her crown was embellished with Viva Pearl Pen (red).  I cannot say it enough: I love the Pearl Pens.  So much greatness in one container.

It appears that cupid was successful.  The raining hearts were punch cut from glitter cardstock.

 

And my final tag was a cityscape (Memory Box die cut) filled with love.

Peeled paint, tea dye and worn lipstick distress inks make up the background.  I misted it with water before heat setting to add texture.

The ribbon, which I found at Michaels craft store, was a bit of unexpected fun.  The hearts have a bit of a dimension and rubbery feel to them.  A wonderful little treat.

mr. everythingshetouches isn't a fan of the commercial exploits of the holiday, however, I still got a dozen roses (I have a whole other post about the roses situation in our household almost ready for posting) and a very adorably funny note.  Breakfast with the man, dinner with both my guys and wonderful friends and an evening of stamping madness made for an incredible valentines day.  

And the love continued into yesterday: dinner with two incredible friends (super yum) and a big thank you to mr. click! print! scrapbook! for the mini seashells.  I have the perfect idea for its use in mind.

I hope that you all had as much love and fun on your valentine's day and for all of my Canadian friends celebrating a statutory holiday this weekend: enjoy!  I would love to hear how you "observed" the holiday either in the comment section below or by email.

valentine's day tags 42 over 2 posts

Forty-two tags, five designs over two posts.  All of the stamped images over the two posts are digital stamps bought from the very talented Lily Chilvers' Octopode Factory and I absolutely adore each and every one of her designs.  I decided to colour sad bear in (and the others) with pencil crayons.  The tag background was layered with peeled paint, tea dye and worn lipstick distress inks.  Misted with water and heat set.  The technique gave the tag an extra sad tear-stained look.

Although sad bear captures the negative essence of valentine's day, he has a sweetness that I couldn't resist.  I love his stick legs and heart palms.

The jar of hearts is a memory box die-cut; the bottom layer was cut out of pink cardstock, the top layer out of pink vellum.  The hearts were punch cut out red glitter paper.

Freda is simply fantastic and I see great diverse potential for her.  I layered scottie masking tape, found at Michaels, as Freda's backdrop.

The heart glasses are stellar.

I lined the tag with some homemade washi tape.  To see how to make your own washi tape take a peek at this post.

The mad hatter makes up the last tag of this post.  The tag background was painted with white acrylic and erratically modge podged with torn pieces of vintage valentine paper.  Once dried, I highlighted the hearts and added decorative dots with silks acrylic paint (carmen and fuzzy peach) and then added Stampotique hanging hearts.

Mad Hatter's hat patch and bow tie were highlighted with viva pearl pen (red).  Love the pearl pens.  I'm slowing building a collection of every colour.

I'm entering the trio of tags in Anything But a Card's Challenge #32 TIC .. TAC .. LOVE! two ways:  3 (glitter), 5 (heart) and 7 ribbons and twine and 4 (bling it on!), 5 (heart) and 6 (sprays and mists).

Stay tuned for the second valentine's day post of tags four and five coming later in the week. 

goggles and tophats: a steampunk january

Dawn, mistress of The Inked Stamper, organized a January 10-tag swap.  Theme: steampunk.  The talent that makes up our tag swap team is astounding and, in some ways, frightening.  We have our new tag assignment for February: shabby chic and I will admit, the level of creative aptitude in the group has given me a good swift kick in the pants to step up my tag-designing game. 

I built my January tags around a steampunk owl die-cut (a cherished Christmas gift) and a steampunk blueprint image.  The embossed gears sizzix texture trades embossing folder) were lightly painted  with taupe, green and metallic copper to give the tag a worn oxidized metal composition.  I highlighted some of the gears in silver metallic markers to add some contrast. The owl was embossed with black embossing powder and I added graphic 45 cling stamp wings to give him a bit of flight.

Owl is perched on a memory box tree die cut which I also embossed using the sizzix texture trades embossing folder.  The two utility lights (craftsman #2 cling stamp) in the corner were stamped onto white tissue paper (bottom layer) and vintage white cardstock and highlighted with copper and gold metallic markers.

Mr. everythingshetouches was adamant that every good steampunk character needs a tophat and goggles.  I hand-cut the tophat(dylusions couture clear stamps) out of grey cardstock and highlighted it with silver metallic marker.  The goggles were punch-cut circles on green cardstock and I dipped the top of a screw into black and silver ink and paint and pressed it onto the circles.  Owl's eye was embellished with a bolt from a stash of IKEA findings.  I desperately hope that the findings are extras included in the packaging in the event of loss and not bits missed in the instructions and required to hold our IKEA furniture together.

Coming soon:  5 templates for 42 Valentine's Day tags.  I'm finishing up the last of the fifth template and cannot wait to share them with you.  I truly enjoyed the process for both the steampunk and Valentine's Day swap.  I have grown accustomed to designing very little and reproducing mass quantities of each component.  It feels strange and exhilarating to have to go back to the table with a fresh slate and design new templates.

Remember you can follow along on my journey by adding everythingshetouchespamk to your favourite blog feeder.  If you would like for me to follow you, in return, let me know in the comments below.  Your talent inspires me.

another prima birthday

I designed and crafted this card for my sister-in-law's birthday with a few self-inflicted "had-to-includes".  The card had to include Prima.  If I had to redesign the Prima Doll to better reflect my sister-in-law and her personality I would replace the stilettos with soccer cleats.  Beautiful, elegant and tough.

It had to include my first new find:  Marvy Uchida snow marker.  The snow marker is like a hedonists' chia-pet dream.  Add heat and watch grow in far less time than it takes to grow a grassy critter.  I highlighted the ruffle on Prima's skirt with the snow marker for a little whimsy.

The banners on the right were distressed in with vintage photo Distress Ink.  The popped-up dots accent the corner.

The card had to include my second new find: Viva Decor Inka Gold paint.  The texture alone is enough to keep me in crafting bliss.  Messy, intimate.  Good, good fun.

It had to include the Silhouette vintage old chair.  The chair was mine as soon as I discovered it.  No stops to the wishlist, no hesitation, didn't pass Go.  In the checkout before you can say vintage old chair.

I cut the chair out of grunge paper, distressed it with Distress Ink vintage photo and highlighted the edges with gold
Viva Decor Inka paint.

The chair cushions are part of the Silhouette chair design which I also cut out of grunge paper, covered with cardstock taken from the Recollections: Tattered and Worn paper pad and gently curved to give it a more 3D effect.

 

The new year has kicked off a crafting frenzy so stay tuned for the outcomes.  I have been informed that I must create 42 Valentine's Day cards/tags for a card/tag exchange (I love you regardless and I will not disappoint in terms of effort) and asked to join the Inked Stamper's Steampunk 10-tag swap.  Over 50 tags between now and the beginning of February is a challenge, preparing for Alex's birthday party and crafting 50 tags is a venture. But I cannot wait to share them all with you.  

Sneak-peak preview: I purchased some Octopode Factory stamps and I joined a Junk Journal group which means, yes, there is junk in the tag and I have a growing stack of pieces that need some upcycling.  Follow me on your favourite RSS feed application and you won't miss any exciting updates.

an owl in the forest holiday tag

I whipped up two of these tags to add to cookie jars filled with pumpkin cookies I had baked for some friends.  Creating is so easy when you have a good foundation or background.  I adore the over-sized Prima tags.  They have great weight, interesting detail and the perfect hue for a non-interfering background.  

Creating is also easy when you have great product to play with.  I pulled out my brand new marvy snow marker pen and Tim Holtz layering Holly Bough stencil both of which really pulled the tag together.  I sponged on peeled paint distress ink and watercolour painted the owl with weathered wood.  The berries were coloured in with red marker and highlighted with picket fence distress marker.

I stained vintage ribbon with festive berries distress ink in part giving it a messy candy cane appearance.

I'm off to have cocoa and marshmallows.  Stay warm fellow crafters (if you're in the northern hemisphere) and keep popping in. 

stampotique birthday boy

Stampotique Twinkie is hanging onto the banner for my coworker's birthday card.  Is it any surprise that Stampotique is on my short-list of very much loved stamps.  I adore the intricacy of Daniel Torrents' designs and the whimsy of Jill Penney, Kira Nichols and Jo Capper-Sandon.

I fashioned a little birthday hat out of washi tape for Twinkie and coloured him in with markers.  The background is weathered wood and vintage photo distress inks.  Recognize my much loved brick stencil?  It definitely has gotten its fair share of use lately.

The banner:

The card has some nice dimension.  It was fun adding a little free-hand and I love the birthday hat. 

We're right in the middle of the holiday season and I have to admit the past week has been on the craft-slow side.  I have two winter layouts floating around in my head and I have to break the seal on my newly received Gelli plate gift.  My hesitation is mainly due to time commitment and partly due to perfectionism.  Silly.

Alex and I have been spending a lot of time in the science world.  He received the Smithsonian series for Chanukah and I bought a science kit from Scholastic.  Hours of incredible fun.  Does the baking soda/vinegar reaction (both in test tube and on a four-year old's face) ever get old?  Seriously.  We did that experiment three days ago and he's still talking about it.  Now we're trying to grow navy beans, we excavated a T-Rex and Alex built a 100 piece puzzle all on his own.  The excavation layout will come eventually - watch for it.  I have a crazy idea using a live photo from our Royal Tyrell Museum trip.  It will be something similar to the graffiti tag I made in June 2013.

Thanks for stopping in and I hope that your holiday season is filled with joy, laughter and lots of wonder.

snowman tag swap

Mr. snowman is a Stampotique favourite of mine.  His long branch-y arms allow for some really fun additions like carrying presents.  The everythingshetouches family celebrates both Chanukah and Christmas in our home; like Ben Stiller says, "any holiday where we get presents is celebrated" and I would add food .. any holiday that offers great holiday dishes is worth celebrating.  Turkey, cranberry sauce and potato latkes are pretty decadent and divine.  Mr. snowman is not as jolly as Santa but he's got a really great toque. 

The complete set:

And the back:

I had a great time entering the tag swap.  There is something relaxing and cathartic in generating the same tag and tag elements over and over again.  Very relaxing.  This was a 10-tag swap.  I just found out yesterday that I have upward of 40 cards/tags to get done for St. Valentine's Day.  Ouch.  I was scolded with affection to get them done and so I will.  Eager to beat the last minute rush I went shopping today for some inspiration and product.  Yes, I realise that we haven't even finished up with Christmas and New Year's yet but I thought I might at least come up with some of the 5 templates (I'm going with 5 different tag templates) if not any of the product.  If you have an idea that you would like to share I would be more than happy to, um, borrow it. 

And now that the temperature has really dropped and the forecast promises a week full of snow (not exaggerating) I'm starting to feel the need to cozy up with a cuppa chai latte, a good book and turn on the holiday lights.  It's time to hunker down for the winter, snuggle up with mr. everythingshetouches (you were right dear, it does sound naughty) and start on some winter layouts.  I have the elements of a great layout.  I can't wait to put it together and show it to you.

Stay warm and happy crafting.

indoor meets outdoor .. a birthday wish

I designed my coworker's birthday card around the birdcage stencil and Tim Holtz/Ranger distress glitter.  If you haven't yet used the Tim Holtz distress glitter, and you're a fan of glitter and glittery things, you must give it a try.  It has a remarkable quality and finish.

I fell in love with the birdcage stencil the moment I saw it.  It has such a delicate and versatile presence.  I am already making plans to use it in more projects.  The only issue: time.  Between now and the end of the year (can you believe saying that in a sentence with any legitimate meaning?  Seriously.  Where did the year go?) there are so many other projects to finish up.  My more realistic goal: Finish up all of the projects which I have started or require some reparation and move them to the done category.

I found that as the card started to develop the outside world of branches and flowers started to take shape with the elegance of the inside world of glittery dress forms, chandeliers and bow-tied keys.  Somehow the two worlds work together in delicate balance.

The dress form is a Memory box die cut and the ribbon was dyed and set with distress ink (tea dye and weathered wood).

I faintly removed sections of the background inking (distress inks: antique linen and weathered wood) by wetting one of my favourite stencils.  You can only just see the script on the bottom left-hand corner in the photo below.  I have said it before, and I will again, working with distress inks is so incredibly versatile.  There is a phenomenal number of techniques possible just from a few ink boxes.  I'm trying to convert the converted I'm sure.  Just sharing my enthusiasm.

Stay tuned for my version of a winter tag swap. 

Happy crafting everyone and thank you for visiting.  And thank you to the anonymous friend who sent me an owl pendant.  I truly love it!

autumn .. the year's last, loveliest smile - william cullen bryant

Autumn has a quiet obscure elegance as the days get noticeably shorter, the colours change and the weather becomes crisp and sharp.  Many people love the change from the heat of summer to Autumn.  Although writers and poets associate fall with human decline in vitality and the decent toward death; the falling leaves and the slow demise of nature as it prepares for its final days (hmm a little dreary dear), there is also a newness related to Autumn.  New pencils, new school clothes, new classrooms, new teachers and some new classmates and the invigorating air brings a freshness and sense of innovation (that's more like it).  

I both love and fear Autumn.  I love the colours, Halloween and cozy socks.  However, I also feel great dismay for the pending winter.  Although born in Canada I cannot seem to make my body or mind accept winter as a positive season.  No matter how hard I try, thoughts of ice and -30 temperatures do not equal yay, good times.  Somehow this year Edmonton has been given a reprieve from an early winter.  Each day that the highs are greater than -15 are a cause for celebration.  I can feel my friends in Ontario and Montréal cringing.  It's a dry -15 which is the east equivalent of -5.  Trust me.  You can still visit after October 1st.

I am entering my Autumn layout in three challenges this month:

1.  Berry 71 Bleu November challenge: Change is beautiful and
2.  Happy Accidents and Turning Leaves for Anything But a Card Challenge #29: Fall into Fall
3.  Ladybug Crafts November Challenge: Autumn Colours

Alex, mr. everythingshetouches and I along with some friends spent a warm and fun-filled September day at the corn maze last year.  Alex and his friend E. started the merriment with a number of jumps from the top of the haystack.  I am saving the photos of Alex and E. for a separate layout so stay tuned (and I need permission from E's mom to share his photo with you).  Alex loved the freedom and silliness of the straw as it came loose from the barrels and I was surprised that the scratchy texture did not phase him as he tossed it in the air and let it fall all over him.  The middle photo is my favourite of the three and I'm so happy that I was able to capture the moment.

I found the leaves and berries at one of the dollar stores in town.  Dollar stores have really improved their stock over the years and a little ingenuity and some imagination does not hurt either.

The berries were attached to the corrugated cardboard with a little raw, unmixed and exposed gel medium.  I wanted the layout to have a little edge and authentic feel.  An Autumn raw crisp feeling.  The Recollections: Tattered and Worn cardstock was cut, distressed with vintage photo and layered on top of gel medium/copper acrylic paint with brick stencil.  I adore the way this corner turned out.  The colours, the lines and the textures really came together.

Using one of my favourite masks: so happy, memories with you, cherished moments I sprayed calypso teal Ranger Dylusions Ink Spray to create an added dimension.

I attached a part of the Pink Paislee treasures cardstock to the background of the layout and added a bit of Gesso for interest and layering.  Layered behind the photos is more corrugated cardboard, playing cards and painted/gel mediumed brick stencil.

My goodness.  I just took an inventory in my head of all the layouts I have to catch up on.  I wish I could say I am only one year behind but that is hardly the reality.  The good news is I do not have to wonder what I should be doing next. 

Thank you for stopping by and peak in again soon.