Sunday Sip...Rise and Shine!

Hey there coffee loving papercrafters!  It's Kerry here and I'm back with a fun little card to share.  I spent some time playing and demoing the Gel Press with some friends on Friday night and created some yummy backgrounds for future cards.  I selected this background (made with Fun Stampers Journey Acrylic Paints and the Bloom Wall Stencil) and fell in love with all the yummy texture.  It literally felt like I needed to create a prickly card with it!  Since I don't have the new FSJ cactus stamp set called Arizona Trail, I discovered I had a fun alternative called Love Grow in my stash...but it would take a little imagination and doodling to coffee-fy it!  If you know me, I try to coffee-fy every set I own.  It's just a given.  LOL

So this cute Aztec type mug is actually a flower pot.  YUP!  A flower pot.  The set I used is full of them and there are many great succulents in the set too.  I knew that if I could add a handle to it, it would be FABULOUS!  Hee hee hee... So I did!  After doodling the handle with a black Micron pen, I watercolored the cup using my FSJ watercolor pencils and a superfine paint brush.  After it was colored, I cut it out and set it aside to work on the cactus plants.  

I think I stamped the cactus about four times over the top of each image (eyeballing it) with Lemon Grass True Fusion Ink.  After I got the intensity of the color I was looking for, I used that doodle pen again and doodled the cactus spines and the pleats, cut them out, and assembled them in a pleasing way on the paper.

Just look at the yummy texture achieved on the background!!! I spritzed a bit of water on the plate and the color blended a bit.  I loved that so I pressed it onto the paper.

Coloring a bit of the sentiment just brings it to life!  Below you can see the fun stamps in the set.  I love the "filler" stamps and even though I don't use the pots as pots, they make great coffee mugs!  :)  Natural Journey Thread was my ribbon of choice and I even added a bit of a "dirty" baby wipe (remains from the Gel Press adventure) to the edge.  I mounted the panel onto Green Olive cardstock then onto a Butter Cream Card base with a top fold (my favorite fold).  Adding some Candy Minis helped finish the card off.

Thanks for popping by to see my fun creation!  If you like the layout, give this week's #clcsipandshare Sketch Challenge a try.  Just post your card creation in the inlinkz below!  I'll be giving a yummy coffee-loving treat to one lucky participant!

An InLinkz Link-up

Wahoo! I made the CUT! ON TO ROUND 2!

Woo hoo!  I'm so excited to announce that I made the cut!  I've been selected as one of the 20 designers to move on to Round 2 of RG's Designer Showcase call!!!  Yipee!  I was so excited and honored that I decided to make a thank you card!    Of course, I took some photos-and close-up shots when I was done so after my next challenge, I'll stop back here to share how this was made.  until then, enjoy and try to guess how I did it!  :)

 Pretty, Pretty...Can you see my lime green shirt?

 I see me in that mirror paper!

There's my shirt again!  

Alrighty---Now off to plan my next two card projects and a fab FREE Choice project to submit for Phase 2 of this challenge!  Wish me luck...no, not luck...Please pray that my creative muse is in check and on point!

RG Presents: Holiday Mini FUN!

This Saturday, I joined many of my fellow Coaches and FSJ customers in the LIVE RG Presents event on Youtube.  It was an all day event packed with live demos, sneak peeks of new products coming to FSJ on August 1 and four Make-and-Take projects.  I'm sharing my finished projects with you and encourage you to join the fun NEXT time!  Our next RG Presents will be December 2 and tickets/kits will go on sale in October!

The first card (pictured above) Features our new holiday paper line and a gorgeous Poinsettia Stamp Set.  Isn't it gorgeous?  We used this set again to create the card pictured below.

The third Make-and-Take card features the yummy new ornament dies, printed stock and holly berries that will be available in August.  So fabulous!

Finally, we created this fun card using a fun ink technique and this new die set.  Isn't it fun?  The original card had the presents "floating" so I tweaked it a bit by grounding the presents on the cardstock.

Aren't they fun?  Don't you wish you could have joined the fun?  Well, these sets and many more will be available August 1.  If you would like to purchase or receive a Holiday Mini Catalog, please contact me and I can help you out.  This mini is gorgeous and oh yes, The stamp/die/embellishment bundles I preordered are almost ready to ship to me!  WOOP WOOP!

Praying for you...

I was in need of a special sympathy card for a friend who lost her mother recently so I sat down this week and made her a card.  I wanted it to be soft, pretty and heartfelt.  I love how it turned out!  I hope it eases her sorrow and helps comfort her in this time of great sadness.  

To create the background, I used my daubers to rub a bit of Turbo Teal and Sour Lemon ink onto my Gel press.  I then stamped the press with the largest rose image to lift some of the ink.  After it was inked to my satisfaction, I overstamped the rose onto the cardstock using Turbo Teal ink.  Once done, I flicked some silk onto the panel and colored a few leaves using Color Splash watercolor pencils and a small brush and attached them to the card.  I then used my sewing machine to stitch a few lines on the panel and over the center of the leaves so that I could lift them and form the dimension them later.  I stamped the sentiment onto an oval diecut then embossed with gold embossing powder.  

I used the daubers again to color the oval diecut.  I assembled the panel and noticed that the sentiment was a bit askew, so I resolved that by cutting out the rectangle panel and setting it on angle to make the sentiment align correctly.  After attaching the panels to a whip cream panel and then onto a card base, I attached the pearls and ribbon bow and Journey Glaze on the leaves.

Just a yummy, yummy card!  I love how it turned out!

Supplies Used:  

Stamps: Dear Rose, Must Have Sentiments
Inks: Turbo Teal Ink, Sour Lemon Ink, Turbo Teal Silk, Sour Lemon Silk, Clear Pigment Ink, Color Splash Pencils
Papers: Whip Cream Cardstock
Dies: Ovals, Rectangles
Embellishments: Pearls, Banana Cream Satin Ribbon
Tools:  Large Dauber Dowels, Gel Press
Adhesives:  Small Foam Squares, Journey Craft Glue
Other:  Journey Gold Embossing Powder, Journey Glaze
Non FSJ:  Machine Stitching (White thread), 00 Fine Watercolor Brush

Sunday Sip and Share...Coffee, Ink and Clay!

Hello there Coffee-Loving friends!  It's Kerry here and I'm back with another Sunday Sip and Share...This week's inspiration comes from a gorgeous soda fired Yunomi that I acquired from a talented potter I follow on Instagram.  I'm quite addicted to coffee as you know but I'm equally additcted to fine pottery mugs and Yunomi (ceramic tea/drink vessels without handles) that are handthrown by amazing artists worldwide.  I have amassed a nice collection and it grows even more monthly!

This beauty is on the way to me from the lovely Samantha Hostert @shostert a potter and teacher who resides in Chicago.  She was in my area (with this Yunomi) and even posted a shot of it on the grounds of George Washington's Mt. Vernon.  I was thrilled to see her in my neck of the woods and quickly went to her Etsy shop.  This beauty, forever shall be called Mt. Vernon and shall return to visit George and Martha often!

So...This cup, and more importantly, the bleeding/drippy glaze, inspired my card creation today.  I did a bit of doodling (as did Samantha) on a hand formed mug (heehee) and then added watercolor in a messy/bleeding fashion.  I love how it mimicked the design of the stamps too!  

What do you think?  Do you like it?  Do you like how the browns separated when I watercolored it?  I used Fun Stampers Journey Liquid Color and felt like I was a glaze mixer...taking parts of red, yellow, blue and a little more red and a little more yellow to make the brown just coffee-licious...Then...When I applied it to the paper, it had this magnificent reaction and the colors separated and danced around on the paper like a fantastical magic show!  Just like the magic of taking a fired piece out of the kiln!  It's awesome!  Oh yeah, I have had a few runs of firing my own pottery...and I miss it so much!

Now the stamp design in the background...Well, I love this new doodly set called Chosen Family from Fun Stampers Journey.  It reminds me a lot of the Scandinavian linens that my grandma had.  I stamped the solid flower first using a tone on tone theme with the solid stamp and Oatmeal Cookie Ink then overstamped the pattern using Black Licorice (and the outline image).  So yummy!  I mimicked the design of the outline stamp on my hand-doodled mug.  I think it works well.  Adding some embellishing touches like Licorice Sparkle tape, a strip of brown cardstock and some Natural and Black Twine and pearls helped finish the card off.  I also glossed up the cup with Journey Glaze.  SO SHINY!

So now let's get to the sketch!  Yes, I created a coordinating sketch inspired by my card today and I invite YOU to play along with it!  Just create a fun card using this sketch as inspiration and upload it here to our inlinkz.  At the end of the month I will choose one winner who will receive a fun coffee-lovers prize!

An InLinkz Link-up

Didn't Make the Cut: Part 3: Planner Scrapbook Layout

Today I'm beginning the massive share of a selection of projects I created to submit to Richard Garay's Designer Showcase.  I was excited when he announced the call and started working on some special projects immediately.  I compiled all my projects into a gallery on my team FB page (JOIN TEAM ITCHIN INKERS TODAY!) so that I could get the input of my fellow team members who would then vote on the ones I should submit.  It was important to me to get their input and was my first stage in my project submission process.

Today I'm sharing the projects that "Didn't Make The Cut" by my team.  Although I LOVE all of the projects I proposed for this call,  I could only submit two cards and one scrapbooking design, so I am so grateful to my team for helping me make the final decisions! As with all of my project shares on my blog, I will share ONE PROJECT PER POST as they will include my creative process and additional photos.

Here's the other Planner Scrapbook Spread I created.  It may be that this didn't get the LOVE because it's just a layout...No pictures, no backstory...So, that tells a little about presentation, right?  Anyway, I'm posting it for all to see.  Someday I'll add some photos.

I'm sure you can see that I have a love affair with the new Chosen Family set.  Shhh...Do you think Page left looks like a pencil?  I see the eraser, the metal eraser holder, the yellow barrel...Oh.  sheesh. Maybe that's why it wasn't chosen!  LOL

 Sparkly love...

I cut one of the Spring Treat Bags to create a fun little trim and bow for this planner spread.  So fun! I stitched it on with my sewing machine too!  

Sliding these panels into the pockets of my Planner Inserts is a perfect and quick way to create a fun layout!  Make sure you pick up a few of these packs of inserts.  They are a MUST HAVE!  The variety pack is a perfect collection of inserts that will create a variety of fun EASY layouts!

To finish off the panels, I often add my embellishments over the plastic sleeves.  I created a little ribbon belly-belt using some Watermelon Fusion ribbon, Sparkle Trim and some Black Twine.  The little bow is a fun twist on making a paper bow...and helps incorporate the pattern on the other side.

Didn't Make the Cut Part 2: Scrapbook Layout

Hey there Journey Friends,

Today I'm beginning the massive share of a selection of projects I created to submit to Richard Garay's Designer Showcase.  I was excited when he announced the call and started working on some special projects immediately.  I compiled all my projects into a gallery on my team FB page (JOIN TEAM ITCHIN INKERS TODAY!) so that I could get the input of my fellow team members who would then vote on the ones I should submit.  It was important to me to get their input and was my first stage in my project submission process.

Today I'm sharing the projects that "Didn't Make The Cut" by my team.  Although I LOVE all of the projects I proposed for this call,  I could only submit two cards and one scrapbooking design, so I am so grateful to my team for helping me make the final decisions! As with all of my project shares on my blog, I will share ONE PROJECT PER POST as they will include my creative process and additional photos.

Here's a fun 8x8 (or increased to 12x12 with proper mounting/framing) scrapbook layout created with a favorite memory photo...I LOVE SNOW and so does my NIECE!

To create this layout I started off my inking my GelPress and a Brayer with Sweet Berry and Butter Cream Acrylic Paint.  I Pressed Whip Cream Cardstock onto this to lift the ink.  After the layers were set to my satisfaction, I used Whip Cream ink to stamp the starburst image from the Sparkle Trim stamp set (This set is available in a stamp/die bundle too).

After creating the background, I used my sewing machine to stitch a meandering stitch all over the page.  This acted as my base for my layout.

I stamped the burst image and the heart using Watermelon Fusion and Bubble Gum ink then used dies to cut them out. I made sure to keep the negatives from these burst cuts so that I could use them in my layout.  I loved the little striped edge they created!  I also diecut various snowflakes from the Snow Burst Die Set so that I could incorporate them in my layout design.  

Next, I stamped the fun sentiment from the Hello Love Stamp Set  (also available in Stamp/Die bundle) using Black Licorice ink and diecut it with the coordinating die.  I don't often use sentiment dies, but I love how this one curls the edges ever so slightly to create a "puffy" illusion.

It took a bit of time to be content with the layout of the circles but when I did, I applied some Small Foam Squares and adhered them into place. Before that was done, I added a strip of Silver Sparkle Washi for fun!

Adding a few pearls to the layout was the finishing touch.  Since this is an 8x8 layout, there are many options to build this up to the 12x12 layout size I usually frame.  Pictured above, you can see it with the background from the Romantic Journey Prints.  I also tried it against some Buttercream cardstock and it looked just as nice.

Give it a Go...Didn't make the Cut!

Hey there Journey Friends,

Today I'm beginning the massive share of a selection of projects I created to submit to Richard Garay's Designer Showcase.  I was excited when he announced the call and started working on some special projects immediately.  I compiled all my projects into a gallery on my team FB page (JOIN TEAM ITCHIN INKERS TODAY!) so that I could get the input of my fellow team members who would then vote on the ones I should submit.  It was important to me to get their input and was my first stage in my project submission process.

Today I'm sharing the projects that "Didn't Make The Cut" by my team.  Although I LOVE all of the projects I proposed for this call,  I could only submit two cards and one scrapbooking design, so I am so grateful to my team for helping me make the final decisions! As with all of my project shares on my blog, I will share ONE PROJECT PER POST as they will include my creative process and additional photos.

Decisions, Decisions..This card did not make the cut but I wish it did.  I love it...It was my contribution for a "Masculine Feel".

To create this card, I started out by building a night sky background using my GelPress.  I used a combination of Butter Cream, Pineapple Smoothie, Cool Pool Acrylic Paint, Blue Lagoon Color Splash and River Stone Liquid Color to achieve the desired brayered background layers. Once the background was complete, I added additional highlighting and color using my GelPress as a painter's palette.  Spritzing the inks with a water filled Media Mister allowed me to maintain a fluid consistency throughout my painting process.  

Although the moon isn't a perfect circle (I did begin by using the circle die as a stencil), I think the highlighting and the Micron ink sketch lines helped with the illusion of a beautiful glowing moon.  I stamped the trees from Nature Grown Stamp Set onto the background panel to create depth and a beautiful night scene.  Before mounting this to the black panel, I rubbed a bit of Huckleberry Fusion Pan Pastel (From the Rich Sorbet Collection) on the edges to finish it off.

After the trees were stamped with Black Licorice ink I mounted this panel onto Black Licorice Cardstock.  My next step was to search for the perfect sentiment to go with this card.  I found it in the Color Cross stamp set.  Just adding that sentiment over a few spins of Natural Journey Thread made the card complete...BUT...I wasn't done yet.  I needed to mount this panel onto a card base so that it would shine!  I pulled a Pineapple Smoothie card base and stamped the cross using Pineapple Smoothie ink to give the background some depth and pattern and helped feature the focal panel.

 A little Pearl on the bow dressed this masculine card up just a bit.

Here you can see the texture achieved from the GelPress.  You can also see the sketchy lines I created using a micron pen...trying to mimic the sketchy features in the stamped images.

This has to be one of my most favorite cards created yet.  I love how it turned out and I know how difficult it was not to choose this one to share in the Designers call.

All of the items used in this creation can be purchased in my shop.  Just simply click on the items listed in my description and you'll be directed to the product in my shop!

Give it a Go! Part 3...

Hey there Journey Friends,

Today I'm beginning the massive share of a selection of projects I created to submit to Richard Garay's Designer Showcase.  I was excited when he announced the call and started working on some special projects immediately.  I compiled all my projects into a gallery on my team FB page (JOIN TEAM ITCHIN INKERS TODAY!) so that I could get the input of my fellow team members who would then vote on the ones I should submit.  It was important to me to get their input and was my first stage in my project submission process.

First, I'll be sharing the projects that "Made the Cut" by my team.  Although I LOVE all of the projects I proposed for this call,  I could only submit two cards and one scrapbooking design, so I am so grateful to my team for helping me make the final decisions!  After the three projects are entered tonight, I'll be back tomorrow to share the projects I created that "didn't make the cut".  So pop back over tomorrow to see them.  As with all of my project shares on my blog, I will share ONE PROJECT PER POST as they will include my creative process and additional photos.

So here's my Scrapbook Design (I submitted three different designs to my team and this is the one they liked most.  They enjoyed that it was incorporating the use of my planner...another use for your planner YES YES!

This is a two page spread and as such, it's a challenge to photograph detail without splitting the pages up...So you'll see this spread mentioned as "Page Left" and "Page Right".  That's how I prefer to photograph my spreads.

So anyway, I started out by selecting a few of my favorite photos from a summer vactation house I rented on Holmes Beach a few summers ago.  These photos hadn't been used yet so it was a nice opportunity to scrap them for this call.  I like to take "square photos" so they can be easily scrapped and posted online so these four photos fit the Planner Moments Photo Variety pages perfectly!  FSJ introduced some planner sleeves with our new catalog launch and they work perfectly for quick and easy Planner Scrabooking.  I love this form of scrapbooking because it's so portable and fun to share while on the go.

 My Brushed Cool Pool A5 Planner is perfect for my Beachy/Summer Layouts.  I love the color and the shimmer and shine make it stand out against the rest!  I incorporated the use of text I typed on my computer (I'm a bit finicky about handwritten sentiments in my planner and prefer  to type most of my reflections using fun fonts).  As you probably have noticed in many of my other creations, I have a love affair with graph paper too so I used that as a background banner to contain my sentiments. It's easy to embellish and easy to attach using foam squares.  

As a die-hard stamper (and colorer), My pages wouldn't be complete without a little stamping!  I selected a fun Let's Hula stamp set (this set is available as a stamp/die bundle too) and the awesome Tape It planner stamp set to add some fun to this spread. I colored the coconut drink with Liquid Color and added a bit of Sparkle Silk and Journey Glaze for the "ice".  MMM....

I added a few pops of Lemon Drop cardstock color to hint at the sun.  It worked well to add a pop of color and to let the sentiment stand out against the blues and the water elements.  The 1 inch punched circle with the sun stamped in Black Licorice ink also gave a little contrast from all the squares in this design.  

A few Pearls,  Some Sweet Candy Drops and Natural Journey Thread give this spread the finishing touches!  

All of the products used in this Scrapbook spread can be purchased in my shop by clicking on the highlighted text in this post.  I hope you enjoyed this share today and please wish me luck as I Give It a GO! in hopes of making it to round 2!  

Ps...I'll be back tomorrow to share the additional projects that were proposed for the call...I'm wondering...Would you have aligned your vote with my team?  Or...are do you have another favorite? I'll be interested in hearing from you!  

Give it a GO...Part 2...

Hey there Journey Friends,

Today I'm beginning the massive share of a selection of projects I created to submit to Richard Garay's Designer Showcase.  I was excited when he announced the call and started working on some special projects immediately.  I compiled all my projects into a gallery on my team FB page (JOIN TEAM ITCHIN INKERS TODAY!) so that I could get the input of my fellow team members who would then vote on the ones I should submit.  It was important to me to get their input and was my first stage in my project submission process.

First, I'll be sharing the projects that "Made the Cut" by my team.  Although I LOVE all of the projects I proposed for this call,  I could only submit two cards and one scrapbooking design, so I am so grateful to my team for helping me make the final decisions!  After the three projects are entered tonight, I'll be back tomorrow to share the projects I created that "didn't make the cut".  So pop back over tomorrow to see them.  As with all of my project shares on my blog, I will share ONE PROJECT PER POST as they will include my creative process and additional photos.

So here's CARD #2.  It's a fun little interactive card that was a hit with my team.  I was worried about this card and was not quite sure whether to submit it in my gallery or not...but they decided...THIS WAS TO BE SUBMITTED...So I listened.

Want to see it in action???  Here goes (please disregard sound)

This was quite fun to create! 

I started out by coloring the ghosts from the new Party Ghost Stamp Set with Liquid Color.  After they were colored and fussy cut (yes, there is a stamp and die bundle for this adorable set), I added some Small Foam Squares to the back.  I then diecut a large Journey Circle (with pierced element added) onto the Pineapple-Smoothie Canvas- like paper from the Mystic Romance Prints Collection  I also diecut another circle using Whip Cream Cardstock so that I could use that as a spinner base.  

I laid the cardstock (distressed with Orange Rave Ink and a Dauber) onto the Black Licorice Card Base and punched a hole with my 1 1/4 inch circle punch.  I removed the orange cardstock and attached the Whip Cream Circle to the top flap of the card base using a small brad.  I tested out the spin action and then attached the Citrus Cooler Satin ribbon and then the ghosts.

I finished off the card by adding a punched circle with the sentiment (I cut the sentiment so that each word would stamp separately and so that I could stack the words instead of have them read as a complete sentiment horizontally).  One more test run and it worked again!  WOOP WOOP!  Next was to add the Journey Glaze onto the ghosts to make the paper a bit more sturdy...Wahoo!  Spin that wheel!

After the glaze was dry, I attached a tag (Tag Time Punch) and a few stamped ghosts (I used River Stone for a lighter gray image) and the sentiment using some Black Journey Twine and a few Sweet Candy Drops finished the card off.

All of the materials used in this project can be purchased in my shop.  Just click the items mentioned in my text and you'll go directly to my shop!  :)