Spritz, Spritz, Spritz!

Hello Journey friends!

Today I'm sharing a fun card I created for a special young woman in my life.  I hope she enjoys this card.  I really had fun making it.

I started out thinking of her favorite color...Purple...I'm not a purple lover, but I do really love the plum colors and the purples with more red in them.

I started out by spritzing some Color Splashes (Watermelon, Lavender, Blue Lagoon) onto some watercolor paper. While it was a bit wet, I also spritzed it with some booze...Yep, Super high-test Vodka.  That allowed the inks to bleed a bit more and spread on the paper.  Once the paper was saturated, I hit the paper with the heat gun.  I spritzed more alcohol onto the big splotches of color to bleed them a bit more.  I also flicked a few splatters of Gold Silk onto the wet paper.  Hit it again with the heat gun.

I spritz my paper in a Zip-loc bowl so I can contain all my ink.  This is a shot of the ink and alcohol "blooming".  Isn't it deelish???

When I was satisfied with the bleed effect of the background, I set the dry background down and grabbed my stencil (Vintage Screen) and Modeling Paste.  I added some random scrapes (I scrape the modeling paste with the plastic piece that our ATS stamps come on.) of modeling paste and used the heat gun to speed-dry the paste.  Did you know that when our modeling paste is heated, it bubbles up like bubble wrap?  If you heat it and cool it down just right, the bubbly embossing will remain.  It's a cool effect!  

After I was finished and the embossing paste was dry, I applied more Gold Silk and let it dry.  The final touch was to rub some Antique Gold Rub-n-Buff on the edges and over the top of the modeling paste.  I used my finger to apply this paste as it allows me more control and I really like to get messy! After applying the gold Rub-n-Buff, I rubbed it with an old cloth to shine it up a bit.

To finish the card off, I wrapped some Black Journey Twine around the panel, tied it off and mounted it onto Black Licorice cardstock.   I added embellishing touches of a freebie golden heart and a wooden star (adhered with foam squares).  I also tied a black licorice strip of stars to the panel from the Border Details Die set.   If you look closely at the wooden star, you might notice that the center is filled with Journey Glaze and sprinkled with some Licorice Sparkle Dust.  YEP...you read that right!  There USED to be Licorice Sparkle Dust and I have some!  It's retired now, but it's oh so amazing and I WISH Richard would bring it back!!!  I rubbed some Gold Rub-n-Buff over the star to give it a golden effect too.

Look at that golden shine!  YUMMY!!!  Oh...I also added the sentiment "Happy Birthday" from the Rock Notes set using Lavender Fusion and Watermelon Fusion Inks.  The card base is some Bazzill cardstock from my stash!

Hope you enjoyed this "tipsy" post!  See you again soon!

Coffee Buzzzzz...

I'm a member of the Coffee Loving Papercrafters group on Facebook and for a couple months now, I've been participating in a coffee lovers themed cardmaking pal exchange.  A fellow stamper partners us up at the beginning of each month and we create and send a special card featuring coffee...of course.

This month, I decided to do a little experimenting with my Journey Emojis.  I wanted to create a little shaker card using the coffee mug icon in the set.  I love how I can use these little images in my cards. Using them in a shaker just made this card sooo much more fun!  It's as if I had the coffee BUZZZZ and shakes, if you know what I mean.

Selecting a perfect combo of products for this card was the first step in my play session. Dark Roast ink, Yummy Prints paper, Kraft Cardstock, Bubble Gum cardstock, Natural Journey Thread, Jute, Copics and some yummy stamps!

A closer peek at the shaker part...I diecut a white oval and stamped "Lucky Me, I have you" from the Green Cheers set (available at 20% off this March) and also used Candy Shop "mmm..." in the background using Bubble Gum ink.  After stamping the background, I applied adhesive foam to the back of my Oval diecut/pierced (20% off this March!) Bubble Gum cardstock , added some Clear View Sheet, trimmed it up a bit then popped a few of the coffee cups strategically on the white stamped panel of the shaker.  I filled the rest of the coffee cups in the shaker, added some Sparkle Dust and some pink and teal sequins and put the lid on the shaker...  It's fun to just sip a cup of coffee and shake, shake, shake the card.  You should try it!

Take a closer peek at the bottom ruffle too...That was created using a coffee filter.  Just another fun little element to help this little card tell her story!  :)

Thank you to my fellow coffee lover Larissa!  She sent me this gorgeous card.  I love the kraft (You probably know how much I use my kraft cardstock!).

Thanks for stopping by.  Remember, this month is LUCKY ME month where you can get 20% off GREEN items in the FSJ shop.  I used TWO of those items in my card featured today!  Make sure to take advantage of this awesome deal!  :)  See you again soon!  

March Bloom Box: Tickled Pink!

Hello there Journey friends!

Wahoo!  I'm excited to announce the new BLOOM BOX for March.  I hear my Bloom Box kit will be shipped on Monday and I can't wait to play with this set!  It's such a fun and summery set- perfect for the beachy dreams I'm having right now!

Doesn't this set look FUN?  I just can't wait to play with the leaves, the pretty floral images and of course, the flamingo!  The sentiments are an awesome mix of stick-like and brush lettering fonts! Love that!

Soooo...What will I in my fancy-schmancy kit?

• Complete red-rubber cling mount (indexed) stamp set.  
• Four pre cut, cardmaking kits featured above (complete with diecuts and embellishments)
• Full color instruction booklet with step-by-step directions
• Featured Technique spotlight and tips.
• Access to additional NEW inspiration projects. 
• Richard's Exclusive Tips and Tutorial Monthly Bloom Box Video

Check out Richard's Tickled Pink video here:

Such an awesome deal!  This kit will be available for the month of March ONLY.  After that, the stamp set will be unavailable for purchase until July.  Get your Kit TODAY!  

AND....When you become a Bloom Box subscriber with me, I'll mail you FOUR additional card/project kits (precut and ready to create)/instructional pdfs using your new set! I'll ship those on or before the 20th of each month.    

Visit my shop and sign up today!  

(Bloom Box:  Six month commitment required)

Boot Camp Hellos...

Hey Journey friends,

Today I'm sharing a few cards I created for a couple Boot Camp kiddos... My nephew is off at Boot Camp in Oklahoma and a fellow cardmaking friend's son is off at Boot Camp in Georgia.  I decided to say hello to my nephew and wish the young man a happy birthday.   Hope they are both having grand adventures at "camp" and are listening to their instructors.  ;)

So this first card was made for my nephew.  He enlisted into the Army National Guard as a field medic.  He loves the medical field and currently hopes to become a Neurosurgeon someday.  He's an extremely smart and an amazing young man.  He's an Eagle Scout, a Governor's Academy Scholar, a college sophomore (on hiatus), a Medic for fire and rescue and... an Army Reserve Recruit.  

Although the colors aren't "true" to the tank, I don't care.  I love the camo look on this tank.  I'm not even sure the tank image is accurate.  That's ok too...It's the sentiment that counts!  :)

Layers and layers of fun papers!!!  I stamped and watercolored the background paper with our Journey Splash, stamped the stars with River Stone ink then splattered some Silver Journey silk on the paper.  I crinkled up some of the star vellum then added a little grid paper banner.  I thought that set off the tank image and made it more masculine.  Adding some Black Journey Twine helped finish it off.  

I wanted to add a little metal...so I pulled my tried and true Wilton candy wrapper out, cut it in half, added it to the layering process and stapled it all together.  All perfectly suited for this Manly card.  :)

And...This just in...I spied my nephew in a picture posted on the Boot Camp's FB account...Here he is...The leader, the smartie, the good guy writing on the sign.  Of course I had to doctor the photo up a bit.  ;)

Now on to the next card:  

This card was created for my stamping friends son at Boot Camp in Georgia.  Since I don't know him, I decided to pull out the paratrooper image and the American Sun ATS.  The sentiment with the Boots (retired) is always perfect so that was included in the design.  I think it's fun and playful...with a bit of Americana thrown in.  :)

The Sweetest Hop, FSJ Style!

Welcome to the first ever Journey Blog Hop!  I'm so happy you're hoppin' along!  If you arrived here from Susan's blog, you're on the right track.  If not, that's ok too!  Just continue the hop and you'll come full circle!

I decided to work with youngsters in mind for my cards today.  The trendy emoji movement is in full swing and they are everywhere!  FSJ has a SWEET set called Journey Emoji's and I just chuckle each time I see the poo...hee hee...For my first card, I decided not to break up the images and just use the images as a background set.   Some Rich Coral cardstock was the perfect selection for our Valentine's Day hop.  I heat embossed the stamped emoji's with Journey Clear Embossing Powder and mounted a scrap of Oatmeal Cookie cardstock over that (I used Clear Embossing Ink and the ATS stamp Damask Print to create some texture.)  I distressed the whole panel with a really dry Versafine Onyx pad. I had some leftover Black and White heart paper and some white tissue paper so I added a bit of that too.  I have a little love affair with candy wrappers, so this card just begged for a wrapper, a chocolate bar from the Candy Shop set and a yummy sentiment from Text Happy to match.   Natural Journey Thread and Black Twine finish off the tag and the embellishing of this card!  The stamped panel was mounted onto Black Licorice cardstock and popped up on an Oatmeal Cookie card base.

I keep a collection of these colored and glazed candy bars in my stash.  They're perfect additions to sweet cards.  It worked perfectly popped up on this Tag Elements Tag!  

Tasty Valentine morsels from my students lend to a great "prop" for my Valentine photos today!  YUM!

And if THAT card isn't enough, I pulled ONE LITTLE DEVIL out of the set and stamped her repeatedly on a strip of Whip Cream cardstock, colored her in with Copic markers, then popped a Journey Blooms panel (Lemon Drop True Fusion Ink), added a pretty bow with Black Licorice Satin ribbon then popped the stamped panel up onto a Black Licorice card base.  MMMM...

I mean come on, REALLY???  Isn't she just too devilish and cute?!?!  I had to add a bit of Black Licorice twine and a little smile tag to finish it off!  (Smile sentiment from Text Happy and tag from Tag This punch).  

We have a wonderful line-up of Fun Stampers Journey Coaches sharing their fabulous creations with you this month and we hop you enjoy all our fun creations.  Please show the love by commenting on each blog you visit. We love reading your thoughts about our projects, our techniques, and our style!  

Susan Berg 

Kerry Urbatch  < --- That's ME!  

Cindy Bristow

Janice Whiting

Christine Pennington

Vicki Schmidt Soni

Jenny Watson

Becky Lemire

Tami Weil

Carol Norby

Rachael Shedeed
Ruth Cooper
Kathy Dowbenko

Thanks for hopping to my blog.  Please make sure to leave some love bites behind...On February 21, I'll select one lucky commenter (non FSJ coach) to receive a special FSJ Inky Love treat from me so invite your friends over to the hop and comment for a chance to win!  

***Really want the Emoji set (or any particular set in the FSJ family)?  JOIN MY TEAM and you can select this set for FREE! ***

Please head over to my friend Cindy's blog to see what AMAZING treat she has to share!  

Be AMAZING Tour! Join Me!!!

Hey crafty friends!

Have you heard about this year's AMAZING crafty tour?  If you remember me posting and sharing about the fun I had at last year's Yummy & Delicious Tour in Virginia Beach, I know you'll not want to miss out on the fun this year!

Take a peek at the NEON fun that's in store!

Come on crafty friends out there! Find a Be AMAZING Tour event near you and Register TODAY!

Pomona, California:  March 11-12 (Sheraton Fairplex) 

*Dallas, Texas:  April 1-2 (Sheraton Dallas)

*Bloomington, Minnesota July 29-30 (Embassy Suites)

*Virginia Beach, Virginia August 26-27 (Virginia Beach Convention Center)

*Orlando, Florida November 11-12 (DoubleTree)

* Early Bird Registration for $99 Now Available!  ($129 Regular Registration) 

I'll be attending the tour in Virginia Beach and would love you to be my sponsored guest!  It'll be a BLAST!

Bring your friends too!  You'll have lots of opportunities to explore and create, have fun, play and Make AMAZING!

February Bloom Box: Glass Blooms

New month, new kit!  I'm waiting patiently for my kit to arrive and OH MY goodness!!! I LOVE stained glass!!!

Are you a Bloom Box Member yet???  

Do you LOVE stained glass images? This set is stunning!  It's a mix of blooms and stained glass...a perfect collection for coloring enthusiasts and nature lovers.  How about the cool circle technique??? I already took a stab at trying to figure out how they accomplished it with a card featured HERE.  I was close, but not quite right! 

When you purchase a membership to the Bloom Box club, you'll receive a monthly dose of creative inspiration, four complete kitted projects AND a full set of gorgeous red-rubber cling mounted and indexed stamps.  You'll receive inspiration pages to support and guide you through the card-making process as well as new project inspiration (click the bloom box link) throughout the month.  

Concerned about commitment to a six month club?  No worries!  This club provides perfectly on-trend and creative kits that are built to last.  You'll have a ball creating with these kits and I encourage you to join the club today!  

Need a bit more of a nudge to get you to join the club?  Take a peek at Richard's reveal of the kit...He'll share his tutorial too.  Watch and...LEARN!  :)

Please stop by later this month as I share some additional projects inspired by this beautiful set.  I always LOVE to create new and creative projects to fill my inspiration box!!!  Just wait, my ideas are just swimming around in my mind while I wait patiently (hmmm hmph) for my box to land on my front step!

Join the Bloom Box Club Today!  When you sign up for a Bloom Box kit with me as your sponsor, I'll send you FOUR additional projects that you can create using the stamp set.  Join HERE today!!!