Last Imagine That! Digistamp Guest Design Team Post

I have some Big News I've been keeping secret, but first:  Here is my final Imagine That! Digistamp Guest Design Team card

I used the Get Whale Soon set

Isn't it the cutest set?  I love it! I was a little intimidated coloring the whale as I wasn't sure if I had enough Copic blue variations that would look good.  However, I managed, and he looks so adorable!

Ok, now for my Big News:

Wait for it. . . . .

Starting October 1, I am officially a Design Team Member for Imagine That! Digistamps!  Yea!!  Can you believe it?  They have asked me to officially join their team!  I am beyond excited to be a member of their talented group!  So keep an eye here and on ITD's Creative Playground Blog to see more of my work with their adorable stamps- including new releases!  Yea!!

Thank you for looking and have a Crafty day!

Distress Oxide inks!

Hi!  Yes, I'm still making cards and still alive!  I've been posting for my GDT work with Imagine That! Digistamps, but I haven't been posting my own stuff.  Since I have a great deal to share, I will break it up into different posts.  Today, I'm going to share the cards I've made using the Distress Oxide Inks to make the backgrounds!

If you haven't yet used Distress Oxide inks, DO IT!  Find someone who will let you use theirs and just play!  That's how I found out about them.  Some friends got together JUST to play with the Oxides.  I was hooked from that moment!  What beautiful backgrounds they make.  I know there are other ways to use them, but since I am still quite a novice, I don't know their many other uses. . .yet!

Basically, for these backgrounds, I rubbed the ink pad straight onto my crafting mat leaving ink stripes.  I put several colors together.  Then, I spritzed the ink with water before I laid the paper on top.  I moved the paper around in order to pick up more ink and to blend the colors.  I used my heat tool to dry the ink a bit.  Then, I spritzed it with water again (using larger drops- the Tim Holtz spray bottle works great for this!), then I dabbed it with a paper towel as I used the heat tool to dry it.

Also, all the images were colored with Copics!

Without further ado:

These stamps are from Craftin Desert Divas!  They are the Treasure Trolls!  

This is also a stamp from Craftin Desert Divas!  It is a Digital Stamp called Cool Summer!  On the top of this background, I used the Oxide ink to stamp with.  It gives a great tone on tone image that is subtle but still effective!

Another Craftin Desert Divas stamp!  Isn't she adorable?? She is called Aloha!

I LOVE these elephants from My Favorite Things!  They are called BB Adorable Elephants!

On this final example, I used the Oxides a little differently.  Using a blending tool, I blended different bright colors onto Bristol paper.  (It is heavier paper that stands up to the wet media.)  After that, I blended the Black Soot Oxide over top of the colors being sure to leave some of the color visible.  Then, I spritzed the paper with water.  It blended the colors and obscured the lines.  I dried it with my heat tool, spritzed it again, dabbed it with a paper towel and then dried it again.  After the whole thing was dry, I splattered silver acrylic paint over it to look like stars.

This is from Astro Tobie digital stamp from Some Odd Girl!  I love the little alien at his feet!

That is all I have for now!  Try out the Oxide inks if you can!  They are more than just ink!  

Thank you for looking and have a Crafty Day!

Sorrowful Shar-Pei

I've been gone awhile.  Sorry about that!  I've got a new card for you using an Imagine That! Digistamp.  I used the Shar-Pei Party set, but I decided to use it a little differently than it was intended.

Isn't it so sweet???  The poor little Shar-Pei looked entirely too perfect for a sympathy card!

Thank you for looking!  Have a Crafty day!