Artfully Articulate

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Harvest Celebration!

Fall is my favorite time of the year! I love the crisp, cool days and being able to snuggle under blankets at night. When I think of fall these are the things that come to mind: apples, grapes, scarecrows, pumpkins, hayrides...well you understand! It's just a wonderful season.

To celebrate fall, I've created a tag that you could use on a bottle of wine or cider when you are invited to parties during the upcoming holidays. It was super easy to make which is an added bonus!

This week our Stampendous Design Team is featuring stamps from the NK Studios collection. If you haven't seen these yet, you're in for a treat. They are wonderful designs that look great in a variety of styles. I used the Grunge set for my tag.

NKCRS03 Grunge

The design of circles reminded me of a cluster of grapes, so that's how I used them.

I stamped the image 3 times on black cardstock and sprinkled them with aged wine embossing enamel. These aged enamels are fabulous! They are a combination of colored and metallic powders are get so textured when you heat them. I LOVE them all! Check them out at the Stampendous website by clicking HERE. After heat embossing them, I cut out two whole "clusters" and cut individual "grapes" from the third. I used foam tape to add more grapes to one cluster.

Of course, I needed some leaves for my grapes so I got out my Jumbo Leaves set (CRS5052) and the Leaf Die Cut Set (DCS5068).

CRS5052 Jumbo Leaves

DCS5068 Leaf Die Cut Set

Stamp the leaf three times with VersaMark on green cardstock, sprinkle with aged copper embossing enamel, gently tap off extra powder, heat set. Use the matching die to cut out the three leaves. I thought the green paper was too stark so I rouged some Memento Cottage Ivy and Grape Jelly ink over my leaves too.

Cut a tag 3 1/4" x 6 1/4" from the same green paper, rouge it with the Cottage Ivy and Grape Jelly inks. Stamp a sentiment if you want and emboss it with the aged copper. I used the Congratulations stamp from the Say It Today set (SSC1190) from Stampendous.

Use Craft Glue Dots or liquid glue to arrange your grape clusters and leaves on the tag. The jute bow is from May Arts Ribbon, as is the beautiful purple ribbon used to add the tag to the wine.

Now check out more great creations using NK Studios designs at these blogs:

Stampendous Stamps
Louise Healy
Jamie Martin
Janelle Stollfus

Happy Creating,
Louise

Friday, October 16, 2015

Buttons Galore Hop!

We are SO EXCITED to be hopping with Buttons Galore and More this whole week. We have some fun projects to share that all include an abundance of buttons that were so generously sent to our team.

Buttons Galore and More provides a wide selection including specialty designed embellishments for celebrations, holidays, and various other events and themes. Find a plethora of choices on their website at Buttons Galore and More!

Prizes

Three (3) prize packages that include:

Cling Create Christmas Stamps Set
Create Christmas Die Cut Set
Assortment of Buttons

"Trick or Treat"

Supplies
Stampendous
HMV21 Daisy Face Rubber Stamp
NKCRS02 Wired
Acrylic Handle
MPW811 Mixed Media White Paper
MEM01 Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko®Acrylic Handle

Plus
Bazzill Basics cardstock
Neenah Classic Linen Cover Epic Black #80
Chameleon Pens - YL2, YO3, OR4, BR5, NU1, CG8, CB
Brilliance Ink - Rust
Foam tape
Double-sided tape
Craft Glue Dots
Orange floss
Buttons Galore buttons

Instructions

Step 1:  Fold a 4 7/8" x 9 1/2" piece of green cardstock in half to form a side fold card

Step 2:  Cut a 2 1/2" x 4 1/4" piece of light orange cardstock, and stamp the dot pattern in the background with Brilliance Rust ink. Adhere to a 2 5/8" x 4 3/8" piece of black cardstock, then to the left side of the card front.

Step 3:   Stamp the Daisy Face on a 3" x 3" piece of Mixed Media White Paper with Memento Tuxedo Black and color with Chameleon Pens.

Step 4: Trim the image to 2 3/4" wide, up about 1 1/4" from the bottom, then around the flower around the face. Mat on black and trim around the image leaving about 1/16" of black showing all around.

Step 5: Adhere the image to the card front with foam tape

Step 6:  Put some thread through three small buttons, adhere along the left edge of the orange layer with Craft Glue Dots

See all the details up close!

Here's the list of who's "buttoning" today!

Stampendous Blog
Kristine Reynolds
Lea Fritts
Pam Bray
Jamie Martin
Laura Drahozal
Pam Hornschu
Louise Healy
Janelle Stollfus
Wendy Price
Tenia Nelson
Buttons Galore and More Blog

Happy Creating,
Louise

Thursday, October 15, 2015

But-tons of Fun!

We are SO EXCITED to be hopping with Buttons Galore and More this whole week. We have some fun projects to share that all include an abundance of buttons that were so generously sent to our team.

Prizes

Three (3) prize packages that include:

Cling Create Christmas Stamps Set
Create Christmas Die Cut Set
Assortment of Buttons

Owl Buddy DWLL3039

This was very easy to create. Here's how I did it:

Tape the Owl Buddy stencil to a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of decorative cardstock with removable tape
Use a palette knife and paste spreader to apply a coat of Matte Black Embossing Paste, remove stencil and place in water for cleaning later
Press the buttons on the wet paste, using a variety of colors and sizes, let dry
Use the matching Owl Buddy die to cut the owl negative from black paper (save the pieces for another project)
Use two layers of black foam tape around the edges of the die cut piece and put it over the buttons
Use mini Glue Dots to add four pieces of orange May Arts ribbon around the owl
Thread some May Arts jute through four buttons and add them to the corners of the ribbons using more Glue Dots

Check out more great ideas with buttons!

Stampendous Blog
Wendy Price (DW)
Lea Fritts (DW)
Pam Bray (DW)
Pam Hornschu (DW)
Alison Heikkila (DW)
Louise Healy (DW)
Laura Drahozal (DW)
Kristine Reynolds (DW)
Buttons Galore and More

Happy Creating,
Louise

Monday, October 12, 2015

Buttons Galore!

We are SO EXCITED to be hopping with Buttons Galore and More this whole week. We have some fun projects to share that all include an abundance of buttons that were so generously sent to our team.

Prizes

Three (3) prize packages that include:

Cling Create Christmas Stamps Set
Create Christmas Die Cut Set
Assortment of Buttons

To be eligible, you must be a US resident, comment on our blog and that of each Stampendous designer’s blog posts each day of the hop and tell us in what state you live. Stampendous Official Contest Rules apply. Deadline to comment for our prizes is Sunday, October 18, 2015. Winners will be selected by random.org and we’ll announce sometime on Monday, October 19th.

Wait! There is even more! Be sure to comment and tell us where you’re from, because our Australian Distributor The Stencil Specialists are sponsoring a prize for one friend “down under” to win a Stampendous Stamp, a Dreamweaver Stencil and a surprise goodie from their terrific stock of Stampendous merchandise!

Buttons add such a fun accent to cards and projects! Buttons Galore generously sent each of us some of their fabulous buttons to add to our projects featured in the Stampendous October 2015 catalog (which was released this week!). There will be "Buttons Galore" on our posts this week so stop at the Stampendous Blog each day for a list of designers posting that day!

Head over and "Like" their Facebook Page too. Here's their link Buttons Galore and More – Facebook Page. And of course, you'll want to check out the Buttons Galore Blog !

Today I am sharing a sweet little card I made for the October catalog (just a one day break from Halloween!). I just love this cute little mouse in his chocolate egg enjoying all those delicious jelly beans! I know it seems early to start thinking about Spring and Easter, but with all we have to do in the next couple of months, we need to plan ahead! Besides, this is a very quick and easy card!

"Relax and enjoy!"

Supplies
Stampendous
HMM11 Jelly Bean Break
MPW811 Mixed Media White Paper
MEM01 Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko®Acrylic Handle

Plus
Bazzill Basics cardstock
Stripe Paper
Copic Sketch Markers - YR000, YR04, YR15, Y02, Y15, Y17, YG03, YG23, E09, E13, E15, E27, E47, C1, W2, RV02, RV06
Double-sided tape
Glue Dots
Buttons Galore buttons

Instructions

Step 1:  Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of pink cardstock in half to form a top fold A2 card

Step 2:  Cut a 2" x 5 1/2" piece of the stripe paper, adhere a 1/2" x 5 1/2" piece of brown cardstock along the back of one long edge so only about 1/4" shows, adhere to the bottom of the card front so the brown edge is up towards the middle of the card

Step 3:   Stamp the Jelly Bean Break on a 2 3/8" x 3 1/2" piece of Mixed Media White Paper with Memento Tuxedo Black and color with Copic markers

Step 4: Adhere the image to a 2 1/2" x 3 5/8" brown mat, then to the card front

Step 5:  Put some thread through three small buttons, adhere to the bottom edge of the image with Mini Glue Dots

There, I told you it was easy! Be sure to enjoy more button ideas at these designer's blogs today:

Stampendous Blog

Kristine Reynolds

Louise Healy
Buttons Galore and More Blog

Happy Creating,

Louise

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Flaunty, Haunty Kitty!

What a fun week, really month, this is on the Stampendous Design Team! We are having a Spook-tacular time sharing our Halloween ideas with all of you! Halloween happens to be one of my favorite holidays and I was sad when my kids grew up and moved away and there was no one to decorate for anymore. But of course I came to my senses and realized I could decorate just for ME, exactly how I wanted the decorations to be! So each fall I dig out my favorite things and make a few new things (that's half the fun isn't it!). Now I have my two granddaughters to share in the excitement too.

Our theme of "Got It? Haunt It!" seemed just purr-fect for our Dreamweaver Retro Sitting Cat (DWLL3020), because cats love to flaunt their stuff, don't they! This little kitty is very Flaunty AND Haunty!

"I've Got It!"

I paired this jaunty cat with the Design I beam stencil (DWLX7028) for a really retro look, as well as the sentiment and hat from the Stampendous Witchy Legs set (SSC1230).

Witchy Legs SSC1230

Here are the instructions:

Stampendous:
SSC1230 Witchy Legs Perfectly Clear Stamps™
Perfectly Clear™ Acrylic Handle
MEM01 Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko®
Orange Micro Glitter

Dreamweaver:
DWLL3020 Retro Sitting Cat Stencil
DWLX7028 Design I Beam Stencil
DWDGKP Glossy Black Embossing Paste
DWLM2010 Paste Spreader
DWDPK Dreamweaver Palette Knife

Plus:
Cardstock by AMuse, Basic Grey,Hanko
Copic Sketch Markers - Y00, Y15, Y17, YR68, YG11, YG03, BV0000, BV00, BV02, BV13, W1, W2, W6, 100
Glue Dots
Double-sided tape
Foam tape
x-acto knife and cutting mat
Removable tape
Glue Pen
May Arts Ribbon

Instructions:

step 1 Fold a 7" x 10" piece of orange AMuse cardstock in half to form an A7 card
step 2 Tape the cat stencil to a 2 3/4" x 3 3/4" piece of distress orange paper with removable tape, use the palette knife and paste spreader to apply Glossy Black Embossing Paste, remove stencil, let paste dry thoroughly
step 3 Tape the I Beam stencil to a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" piece of distress orange paper with removable tape, use palette knife and paste spreader to apply Glossy Black Embossing Paste, remove stencil, let paste dry thoroughly
step 4 Cut a 5" x 7" piece of decorative purple background paper, edge with a black marker, adhere to the front of the card
step 5 Cut a 4 1/2" x 5 3/4" piece of distress orange paper, edge with a black marker, adhere to the purple layer placing it closer to the top than the bottom
step 6 Stamp the Hat from the Witchy Leg set of a scrap piece of white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black, color with Copic markers, cut it out
step 7 Stamp the saying from the set on a 1 1/8" x 2" piece of distress orange paper with Memento Tuxedo Black, color the edges slightly and edge with a black marker
step 8 Mat the saying on a 1 3/8" x 2 1/4" piece of Lavender cardstock also edged with black
step 9 When the paste is dry, edged the I Beam piece with a black marker and adhere to the orange mat on the card
step 10 When the paste is dry, edge the Cat piece with a black marker, use an x-acto knife to carefully make a slit around the right ear, also make a slit in the hat so it will slide over the cat's head, use a glue dot on the back of the hat to hold it in place
step 11 Cut a 3" x 4" piece of lavender cardstock, edge with a black marker, adhere the cat to the lavender mat then to the I Beam layer
step 12 Use foam tape to add the sentiment
step 13 Use a glue pen around the brim of the hat and sprinkle with Orange micro glitter, then do the corners of the saying too

See the shininess of the Black Glossy Paste!

Glitter makes everything flauntier!

Hope you're having a howlin' good time with our team this month. Here's the list of flaunty ideas for today:

Louise Healy

Pam Hornschu
Alison Heikkila

Several of our designers are also participating in Smeared Ink’s 31 Days of Halloween, so be sure to check out the Stampendous Blog each day in October for their links.
31 days of Halloween banner

Happy Creating,
Louise

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Got It? Haunt It!

Well here we are in October already! That means the Stampendous Design Team is sharing a lot of "Spook-tacular" ideas with you every day this month! Check out all the details over at the Stampendous Blog.

Our weekly theme is "Got It? Haunt It!" and we're showcasing many of the great Halloween stamps and stencils that were featured in the Stampendous July 2015 catalog. Here's what I'm flaunting for you today:

"Haunting by Moonlight!"

I had so much fun creating this little scene. It was easy with the wonderful Stampendous Spooky House set (SSC1229)! This set contains everything you need to stamp a spooky Halloween scene.

Spooky House SSC1229

Here are the instructions:

Stampendous:
SSC1229 Spooky House Perfectly Clear Stamps™
Perfectly Clear™ Acrylic Handle
MEM01 Memento™ Tuxedo Black Ink by Tsukineko®

Plus:Cardstock by Bazzill Basics Paper® lavender
jillibean soup Cream style corn paper (jbwl255)
Neenah Classic Crest Cream Cover 80#
Copic Sketch Markers - Y00, Y02, Y06, Y35, YR15, YR21, BV00, BV02, BV08, YG03, YG06, YG11, YG17, YG63, E31, E33, E37, E27, W2, W4, W6, B97, C1, 100
Glue Dots
Double-sided tape
Foam tape

Instructions:

step 1 Fold a 6" x 10" piece of Lavender cardstock in half to form a top fold card
step 2 Stamp the spooky house stamp near the right side of a 3 3/4" x 4 3/4" piece of cream cardstock, then stamp it again on a post-it-note and cut it out for a mask
step 3 Place the mask over the house and stamp the ghosts
step 4 Stamp the moon, fence pieces, cat and tombstones, then stamp the branch with the owl on the left edge of the scene, stamp the owl on a post-it-note, cut it out, place it over the owl and stamp more branch tips, stamp the two little jack-o-lanterns on a scrap piece of cream paper, oh, and don't forget a little of the spruce tree stamped on the right edge!
step 5 Color the scene however you want, I used Copic markers to create my moonlit scene, edge with a black marker
step 6 Mat the scene on a 4" x 5" piece of Lavender cardstock
step 7 Stamp the saying from the set on a 1 3/8" x 2" piece of cream cardstock, color to match the background of the scene and edge with a black marker
step 8 Mat the saying on a 1 1/2" x 2 1/8" piece of Lavender cardstock also edged with black
step 9 Edge a 4 5/8" x 5 5/8" piece of the patterned orange paper with a black marker and adhere to the card front
step 10 Adhere the spooky house scent to the center of the orange layer
step 11 Cut out the two little pumpkins, edge with an orange marker, use mini glue dots to attach one to the house scene and one to the saying
step 12 Use foam tape to add the sentiment

But wait, there was no sentiment on picture I showed you! That's because I couldn't decide where to put it because I loved the house scene, so I'm going to let YOU decide! Leave me a comment with which placement you like the best!

Lower left, hides the graveyard

Lower left, but not so low!

Upper middle, hides one ghost

Upper right, hangs over the card, needs a larger envelope

Upper right, hides the moon :(

Take time to haunt these designer's blogs for more frightful and delightful ideas!

Louise Healy

Happy Creating,
Louise

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Frightful or Delightful!

As you may know by now, this week's theme for the Stampendous Design Team is "Pumpkin Pie" so we're sharing some of pumpkin designs that were featured in the Stampendous July 2015 catalog.

Yesterday I shared a quick and easy stamped card for Halloween with you. Today I'm featuring a
card that is a little more work, but the WOW factor makes up for that, and it is SO MUCH FUN! I think this was my favorite out of everything I made for the July catalog!

The Dreamweaver Jack O Lanterns and bats stencils make for a spooky Halloween combination on this fun card. A Creative Palette background finishes off the Jack and bats perfectly.

Stampendous:

CP811 Creative Palette
FREG025 Frantage Embossing Enamel aged copper
FREG026 Frantage Embossing Enamel aged black
FRG08C Frantage Glass Glitter Bronze
FRM04 Frantage Mica Flakes Tea Stained

Dreamweaver:
DWLL531 Jack O Lanterns Stencil
DWLL525 Bats Stencil
DWDEP Dreamweaver Regular Paste
DWDMBP Dreamweaver Matte Black Embossing Paste
DWDPK Dreamweaver Palette Knife
DWLM2010 Paste Spreader

Plus:
Neenah Classic Linen Cover Epic Black 80# 08126
Core'dinations Cardstock Burnt Sugar GX-VC570
May Arts Black jute SM08
Chameleons Pens - Y03, OR4, YL2, BR5, OL3
Double-sided tape

Step 1:  Fold a 7" x 10" black card in half to create an A7 card
Step 2:  Wrap 3 pieces of black jute near the left side of a 5" x 7" piece of Burnt Sugar cardstock, taping on the back side, and tape the cardstock to the front of the A7 card
Step 3:  Paste emboss the Jack O Lantern stencil (LL531) with Regular Embossing Paste on black cardstock using a Palette Knife and Paste Spreader, remove and clean the stencil, let paste dry
Step 4:  Use Chameleon pens to color the Jack O Lantern image, cut the image out, leaving a small black edge all the way around the image
Step 5: Use a Creative Palette, acrylic paints, and a brayer to create a background "sky" on black cardstock, let dry, then trim out a 4 3/8" x 4 3/4" piece of it
Step 6:  Paste emboss the Bats stencil (LL525) in the upper right corner of the sky background using a Palette Knife and Paste Spreader, remove and clean stencil, let the paste dry
Step 7:  Mat the Bats on a small black mat and adhere near the right side of the card front
Step 8: Adhere the Jack O Lanterns near the bottom left side of the card front
Step 9: Sprinkle a combination of aged copper and aged black embossing enamels plus some bronze glass glitter, and tea stained mica flakes, along the bottom of the card by the Jack O Lanterns, heat from below to set, add more if desired

So while it takes a little more effort, it is SO worth it!

There's more "pie" for you at these designers today:

Louise Healy
Lea Fritts

Don't forget the Blog Hop featuring Stampendous and Spellbinders starts today! Head over to the Stampendous Blog for all the details!

Happy Creating,
Louise