Lead Me! August Pocket Pals ATC Swap

Hey Journey Friends!

I think it's now safe for me to share my contribution to the August Pocket Pals ATC swap hosted by my awesome upline Christine Pennington.  Christine has been hosting this swap for a few months now and it's soooo fun!

Here's a second look at the card I created for Christine and carefully tucked into the swap envelope. You can see more about this card by clicking on the picture (which will redirect you to the original post). :)

As I have gone back to school and am crazy busy with other stamping commitments, I'm not participating in the September swap.  I look forward to the October swap.  When I have some time to focus on that special collection, I'll start working on my October ATC's...Until then, I've got a few "singles" that I will be making and posting along the way...The non-traditional kind, OK?!

See you soon!

New Class! Journey Smiles Memory Box

Hey stamping friends!  I've got a HUGE announcement.  If you're local, you just might be interested in signing up for this AMAZING class!

I've been planning an amazing scrapbooking/stamping event with a fellow FSJ Coach Christi Brisbane and we're so excited to finally be able to share the news with you!!!

We will be hosting an FSJ booth at Scraps Marketplace's October 3 event at Chantilly, VA (Dulles Expo Center).  Our booth will have lots of amazing goodies to drool over, FUN kits to purchase, and tools/stamps/products to play with.  We will have many amazing projects on display and will also host a FREE Make-and-Take.  OUR Class will be held from 12:30-2:00 in the Inspiration Room.

Check out the amazing project YOU can make:

This 4x4 accordion album is the perfect surprise inside the decorated box.  

Every single page (front and back) is decorated and embellished perfectly!

 It's THICK, but fits perfectly snug inside the coordinating box!

Since this album is double sided, there is no front...or back...an infinity album to page through and admire for hours...

 The yummy album folds nicely and fits securely...all tied up with a pretty satin bow.  The front flap of the box displays a sparkly deer, golden inked background and a vellum bow...Oh...and we're also including an added jingle...if you decide to add it to his collar.

I'm so excited about this class.  It's available to 24 and 24 only so once it fills, that's IT!  Each participant will receive the full kit, instruction booklet AND some extra surprises...;)

I'll be back in a few days to add some samples that display the FREE MAKE AND TAKE, so check back soon!

Purchase the CLASS NOW!  

Check out the extra PERKS for attendees of the Scraps Marketplace event!  Clip and SAVE!

Donut Worry, September Kit of the Month is SWEET!

September is upon us and WAHOO...We've got a new YUMMY and Delicious kit coming your way! Take a peek at our newest Kit of the Month:  Donut Worry!

Ever so trendy, every so delish!  This DONUT set and its perfectly punny sentiments are sure to get your stamping juices flowing!  Soooo...What's in the kit?

*One complete- exclusive stamp set called DONUT WORRY
*Inspiration/Instruction sheets for each of the four cards featured in the photo above.
*FOUR card kits (precut diecuts, printed and solid cardstock and embellishment packs to help you complete four perfectly yummy cards!)
*A supply list of materials used to help you plan future cards and projects

All this for the sweet price of $24.95 plus tax and priority shipping. When you sign up for a Kit of the Month subscription through MY shop, I'll also send you an additional FOUR card kits for FREE on or about the 15th of each month you subscribe to the KOTM club.  Remember, the KOTM is a six month rolling commitment-so after six months, you can continue to subscribe or unsubscribe if you wish.  

Won't you JOIN me on a Kit of the Month Journey?  DONUT WORRY will begin shipping the first of September.  Sign up on the FIRST of SEPTEMBER to get it in your hands!

August Kit of the Month:  "Forever Friend" available until 8/31/2015

SIGN UP FOR THE KIT OF THE MONTH HERE!

Back to school...and a prize!

Hello there Journey friends!

Today I'm sharing a project collection that I'm extremely proud of.  I think this has to be one of my most favorite projects to date and I'll be displaying and using it in my classroom this year.

Some of you may not already know, but before joining Fun Stampers Journey as a Coach, I spent some time designing for other companies.  I have another stamping blog that chronicles my various stamping adventures too.  One of the companies I LOVED designing for was Heartfelt Creations. The whole team at Heartfelt Creations is friendly, generous and oh so amazing.  I loved creating beautiful cards and three dimensional projects that I could give to family and friends and also send to Heartfelt Creations for display in their trade show booths.  Although I'm no longer designing for them, I have an opportunity once a month to join my fellow Heartfelt Creations Design Team Alumni for a fun blog hop.  It gives me a chance to remain connected to the fabulous Heartfelt Creations community and to continue to enjoy their stamps and dies, papers and extras!

So this month, I fell in love with their new release called "Farmer's Market".  It's a collection of yummy fruit, berries, and vegetables all intricately and realistically hand-drawn by Linda Bontrager (I think).  This collection just spoke to my heart and reminded me of my grandma...It just SCREAMED "COLOR ME!"  I knew it was the perfect opportunity to mix my love of FSJ reinker coloring with beautifully realistic images.

Soo...Please join me (and my fellow Heartfelt Creations Alumni Designers) August 25 starting at 8:00 EST as we host August's BLOG HOP.  One lucky commenter will win a $25.00 gift certificate to the Heartfelt Creations store and perhaps you too will get bitten by the FSJ reinker bug!  :)

***As an added bonus, take a close look at my project that will be featured on this hop.  See if you can identify the FSJ products that were used.  Comment NO LATER THAN AUGUST 24 at Midnight EST.  I'll select one person that comes the closest to the actual total.  That person will win a fabulous inky prize from me.

So...are you ready???

GO...

PS...Prepare for picture overload on my blog hop post.  I just couldn't help it!  :) :) :)

Lead Me...

Hello Journey Friends!  Today I'm sharing a card I created today that was inspired by some trading cards I made for a swap.  I incorporated a vellum overlay to make the stamped background soften up a bit and I think it made it more "fancy-schmancy".  I love that little bit of earthereal magic that vellum can inspire!  Don't you?  

I rubbed (WOO HOO!  Get your fingers dirty!) some FSJ Gold ink onto the sides and along the torn edge of the vellum to give it just the perfect hint of shimmer.  I also incorporated the gold into the Natural Journey Twine.  I love this gold.  It's not too shimmery and not too metallic, so it works well with softer cards like this one today.

Of course I had to layer elements to create a collage effect around my sentiment.  To me, it's kind-of- like a hug...Perfectly situated goodies always make me smile.  I added half of a chocolate candy wrapper (Wilton Chocolate wrappers come in a variety of metallic colors-GET SOME!)

Here's a closer peek at the flower that I fussy cut and popped up over an oops...YES...I did mess the sentiment up a bit so I cut the sentiment apart GASP, stamped the "me" below the first word, and popped a flower over the oops! Shhh don't tell.  I also added some Journey Glaze and a sprinkling of sparkle dust on top to give it some shimmer.  A perfect triad arrangement of pearls finished the card off!

FSJ Materials Used in this creation: 

Stamps/Dies:
Lead Me Stamp Set
Treat Label Die Set

Background:
Cocoa Powder Ink
Sweet Pear Ink
Lemon Grass Ink
Kiwi Slice Ink
Bubble Gum Ink
Journey Gold Ink

Flower:
Orange Creamsicle Ink

Sentiment:
Black Licorice
Pool Play Ink (hand rubbed with die attached)

Papers:
Whip Cream Cardstock
Butter Cream Cardstock (sentiment panel)
Cocoa Powder Cardstock
Sweet Pear Cardstock (A2 card base with a top fold)
Vellum

Embellishing Elements:
Journey Glaze
Journey Sparkle Dust
Natural Journey Twine
Pearls
Gold Chocolate wrappers (Wilton)

Aquatic Dreams...CAS159

Phew...Finished in the nick of time!  Oh drats, no I didn't.  Missed out on the deadline by an hour or so but oh well, I had fun anyway!  

I've been away at the VABeach Yummy and Delicious Rubber Stamping event and had not had a chance to work on my card for this CAS159 challenge, so when I got home yesterday,  I started thinking...  It'll be a fun time to create something watery and dreamy with our yummy reinkers.  A little Yummy...and Delicious.  hee hee...

I don't often create CAS cards because I'm not a planner and tend to just jump in and add layers upon layers upon layers until I think my card is "just right"...But when working in the CAS style, I tend to work in a miniature layered element or create a simple background.  It works for me and satisfies my desire for layering.

I decided to play around with my reinkers and made some fun "ocean-like" backgrounds.  The technique went VERY quickly and I was able to create several beautiful backgrounds to use on future cards.  I think my technique worked very well with the blue/teal tones of reinker and I can't wait to share this fun technique with some friends at my next Make-It event...and possibly on my next Periscope adventure.

For the first card, I splattered some Silver Silk onto the background to give it some added dimension. After that, I applied a collage of graph paper and natural twine then added some pearls and the little shell from ...colored with Banana Cream and Hazelnut Blend reinkers. The tiny "faith" sentiment comes from one of my new favorite sentiment sets called Text Happy.  This is a set that includes 36 perfectly understated sentiments.  This stamped panel was mounted on foam squares and placed onto an A2 Whip Cream card base with a top fold.  

This close-up shows the collage in detail but does not quite capture the gloss finish (Journey Glaze) on the shell from the Wish in a Bottle set.  It's a perfect element, I think! You might also see a few glimmers of sparkle dust...Not too much sparkle but just enough to help mimic some shimmer on the water.  

Soooo Yummy...I used the Cool Pool, Pool Play, Beach Breeze and Denim Days re-inkers to create this fun ocean-like background.

My second card was even more simple.  I wanted to have almost complete focus on the beautiful water...Love how some areas leave the impression of white caps.  Perfect, simple and quick.

Perfectly serene...  This stamped panel was mounted onto Black licorice cardstock then foam squares were added before adhering the whole panel to an Oatmeal Cookie card base with a top fold.

I tried many arrangements and placements of the sentiment but decided to stamp in Black Licorice ink directly on the background so the background focus would speak for itself.  Just a little Black twine and some sparkly pearls and voila...it's done!

Hope you enjoyed these beachy cards.  It took me back to the beach without the dreaded salt in your eyes effect!  I really had fun making this duo and look forward to sharing the technique soon.  Thanks for popping by!

Spread Your Wings..

Hello Journey Friends,

Today I'm sharing a card I created for the Color Throwdown Challenge this week.  I REALLY love the color combo in CTD355, so I decided to head to my craft room and play. I really love how the card turned out as I felt free to just sit and explore, experiment with different techniques and of course, play...SO FUN!

I started out by creating a strip of colored blocks using the color challenge colors...That turned into incorporating part of a leftover diecut negative (in Pool Play paper), then led to the addition of graph paper, and then a bit of ribbon.  The silver ric-rac, image and sentiment came last...I paged through all my stamp sets and found a set that I would be able to color AND incorporate a lovely sentiment.

The butterfly in the Gifted Wings stamp set was the perfect image for this card.  I colored the butterfly using FSJ re-inkers (Pool Play, River Stone and Banana Creme) and a fine tip paint brush.  I also incorporated some non-traditional layout designs in this card.  I LOVE how it turned out.

Other Material used in creating this card include:

Black Licorice Satin Ribbon
Silver Silk (for splatters)
Pearls
Fancy Label Die
Pool Play cardstock
River Stone Cardstock
Huckleberry Fusion cardstock
Journey Craft Glue
Journey Foam Squares (Small)
White Liner Tape (double sided tape)

Non-FSJ :
Strathmore Watercolor Paper
Graph Paper
Watercolors:  Blues, Gray
Memento Black ink
Silver Ric-Rac

Thanks for stopping by!  Please consider participating in this fun color challenge!  It was lots of fun! Have a fabulous day and remember, FLY!