Pompom Gnome Wishes You A Merry Christmas!

 It's Christmas Eve, which means there is a week left of the Gnomes challenge on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.  This is the Pompom Gnome stamp from Lost Coast Designs featured on this holiday tag I have put together.  

This background is a piece from a larger page that I have cut down to tag size.  I used a piece of vintage music paper and, using Modge Podge, glued this holiday rice paper to my book page.  I love the transparency that you get when using tissue paper or rice paper. You always get a little peek at what is beneath!  I edged the tag with some Vintage Photo Distress ink and punched a hole in the top for some red ribbon.  I added some decorative red trim to the bottom of the tag.

My Pompom Gnome was stamped onto white paper with black ink and colored with Copic Sketch markers.  I fussy cut him out and attached him with foam tape to my tag front.  A pompom was added to the tip of his cap, which goes right along with his name!

Simple, quick, and fun!  Please be sure to share your Gnome projects on the Portal before the end of the month, and you may win some stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.  Don't forget to feature rubber stamping in your projects!

Merry Christmas from Pompom Gnome and me!

Two Gnomes Gift Card Holder

I'm back with another Gnome creation for the month long challenge on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.  This time I have created a little gift card holder, which you could make in any colors suitable for any occasion. In this case, I went with Christmas colors.

This was made using the Two Gnomes stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  I started by stamping my gnomes with black ink onto first white, then green and then pinkish-red paper.  I fussy cut the gnomes from the white paper, then cut corresponding bits of clothing, hats, and shoes from the green and pink paper and glued them atop the original stamped images as shown.  I decided it would be fun to mix and match their colors rather than make one all green and the other all pink.  A bit of color was added to their noses and mouths with a Copic sketch marker.

The card holder itself is a piece of green cardstock cut to fit a gift card and my stamped image.  I die cut a circle from some coordinating Christmas paper and glued that to the front of the card holder.  I glued the gnomes atop the circle, punched a hole in the right side and threaded some twine through it to tie the card holder closed.  Last step was to round the corners as shown.

Inside I used the same coordinating paper to create a little pocket for the gift card, glued it in place and tucked the gift card inside.  I finished it off with a bit of die cut trim in the same paper along the top edge.

Now it's your turn to show us what fun things you can create with a Gnome theme.  Be sure to feature some rubber stamping in your projects for a chance to win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

Gnome Challenge

 Hello to all at the beginning of the last month of 2021.  There is a holiday mood on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity, and the challenge theme for the month is: Gnomes.  

According to the dictionary, a gnome is an ageless creature of folklore who lives in the earth, usually guarding treasure.  I've made a holiday card using the  Santa Gnome with Toys stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  I guess you could say this stamp depicts this little Santa Gnome guarding a treasure of toys in his sack.

I stamped my gnome onto white card stock with black ink and used Copic Sketch markers to color him.  I then fussy cut him out for placement on my card front.

Next I took a 6 x 6 pad of various Christmas papers and cut a bunch of thin strips of many of the patterns. These were then glued down to my white card base in a pattern, starting at the outer perimeter of the paper and working my way into the middle, trimming the strips as they got shorter and shorter.  I die cut a circle from one of the papers and placed it directly in the middle of the card front.  The Gnome Santa was then affixed to that circle with some foam tape for dimension.  The final step was to layer this with a piece of Christmas red card stock.

We are excited to see what creations you can make for this challenge using your gnome stamps.  And be sure to check out the Lost Coast Designs new stamps page to see the great variety of fun gnome stamps available.

It's A Wrap Gift Box

There is a fun and unusual challenge going on right now on The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity , "It's A Wrap".  So for this one, we want to see what you can make in the way of gift wrap, boxes, bags, tags, etc. using your rubber stamps.

I decided to go with a gift box for this one.  I had this round paper mache box on hand already, so just needed to dress it up!  I used the Ledger and Little Diamond background stamps from Lost Coast Designs and the Architectural Square stamp from Carmen's Veranda.  

I started by stamping the ledger stamp 4 times with black ink on off white scrapbook paper.  I evenly cut all four stamped images with a paper cutter to the same size.  I then turned them over and taped the pieces together to make one large "ledger page".  I put my box lid upside down onto my ledger paper and traced around it.  I cut out around that pencil line to get the top for my box.  I edged it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and glued it to my box top.  There was enough of my stamped paper left to cut 1" strips to glue around the edges of the box lid.  

Then I stamped my diamond background with black ink onto the same scrapbook paper.  I had to stamp three times to get enough to cover the sides of my box.  I cut those to 3 inch pieces and glued them around the edges of the bottom of the box.  I also distressed the edges with the same distress ink.

After fitting the lid onto the box, I tied some black ribbon around the box.  I stamped my Architecture  square onto the same card stock and cut it out, inking up the edges.  I punched a hole in one

corner and tied it with the same black ribbon as a gift tag.  The back side of the tag is plain so plenty of room to right on.

Come join us for this super fun challenge - we are excited to see what fun wrapping things you can create, and don't forget to use your rubber stamps!

The Original Diva of them All

The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity is winding up their Art Dolls and Divas Challenge.  This has been a fun one and Lost Coast has so many stamps that fit this category.  

I went with a tag for this one.  The tag itself is made with water color paper and shades of blue and green Distress Oxide sprays.  I sprayed my paper with water then randomly with my 3 different inks and let them run and meld together.  When this was dry, I added some black speckles and a black border.

The stamp I used for this is the Mona Flying stamp from Lost Coast.  I stamped Mona onto white card stock and fussy cut her out.  I then stamped her dress onto blue paper and her winds onto light green paper and cut those out.  I glued them atop the original stamped image and added some green stripes to her socks with a marker.  Her "buttons" are just little circles from a circle punch glued into place and I added two "button holes" with a fine tipped black marker.  

I did not cut her lovely "crown" with the original image but stamped it onto green paper and fussy cut it out, gluing it into place onto her head.  I added some shiny silver buttons to the tips of her crown and used a black marker to darken her hair just a bit.

The sentiment is from Carmen's Veranda's clear stamp collection.  I stamped that with black ink onto a small rectangle of white paper and affixed it as shown with some foam tape.  Final touch is a bit of green ribbon through the hole in the top.

You still have time to enter your Art Doll and Diva creations on the portal for a chance to win so free stamps, so come join the fun!

Art Dolls and Divas: Flower Power

November 1st starts a new month and a new challenge at the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity!  The theme for the first half of November is "Art Dolls and Divas". I have made a card for this one featuring the Grunge Flower Profile stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  This is one of my favorite LCD stamps - there are just so many possibilities with this stamp, and they always turn out beautifully.

This is a really simple project.  I started with a piece of water color paper and three shades of blue and green Tim Holtz Oxide Distress spray inks.  I sprayed my paper with water then with my three inks and let them blend and run together, blotting them here and there and drying them to the finished result that I wanted.  I then splattered my page with a bit of black ink.  

Next step was to stamp my Grunge Flower Girl with StayzOn black ink onto my background page and cut it out.  I then cut a piece of scrapbook paper in blues and greens and affixed my cut out silhouette as shown.  I added a couple of pieces of coordinating washi tape to opposing corners, and that's it.

We hope that you will join in for the new and fun challenge - you just might win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 30: I Caught A Spider!

Here we are almost at the end of October and just about at the end of the 31 Days of Halloween challenge on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.  What a blast it has been for all of us, creating so many Halloween themed projects!  This one features the Katzelkraft Striped Cat stamp from Lost Coast Designs.

My base for this card is a piece of corrugated cardboard that I have distressed with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  My next layer is a piece of homemade paper that I ran through an embossing folder with a Halloween theme - unfortunately my Striped Cat sits right in the middle, covering up the skeleton's head underneath!  I tore around the edges then rubbed the surface with the same Vintage Photo ink to really bring out the raised effect of the embossing.  I stitched around the border with my sewing machine as a finishing touch and glued it to my piece of cardboard.

My cat was stamped onto a piece of decorative scrapbook paper and fussy cut out.  I re-stamped his head onto white card stock and cut out his eyes and glued them atop the original stamped image.  I affixed him with some foam tape for some dimension and gave him a witch's hat and a google eyed spider to hold up in his paw.  That's it!  Pretty simple but lots of fun.

Please be sure to join us before the month is over for a chance to win some free stamps by submitting your stamped Halloween themed projects here on the Portal!

Day 25 of the 31 Days of Halloween: Tis Near Halloween

I'm back with another Halloween project for the 31 Days of Halloween on The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.  We have all had such fun this month making Halloween goodies for with our Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda stamps.  I hope you are stamping along with us and entering your projects on the Portal for a chance to win some free stamps.

This card was made with one of the cats from the Party Cat Stamp Set stamp from Lost Coast Designs and the Witches Go Riding clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda.  I also used touches of the Idinkera background stamp randomly.  My background is a Gelli print I had on hand with some touches of yellow and gold acrylic paints and an impression plate with letters and numbers in it. 

I stamped my cat onto orange card stock with black ink and fussy cut him out.  I punched a set of bat wings from a paper punch I have and attached those to his back.  The witch's hat is from a collage sheet I have on hand with witch hats in all shapes and sizes.  I added some google eyes to him with a couple of dots of glue, then attached him to the front of my card as shown.  

The sentiment was stamped with black ink onto white card stock then reduced in size to 80% so it would fit better.  I outlined it with black ink and positioned it as shown.  And that's it!

We look forward to seeing all your fun Halloween creations before the end of October!

Day 19 of 31 Days of Halloween: The Evil Eye Sees You

 

I'm back again with a tag for the 19th day of the 31 Days of Halloween challenge going on through the end of October on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.  I hope you are all having a lot of fun creating projects for this great annual challenge!

For this tag I used the Evil Eye stamp from Lost Coast Designs and the Cheesecloth background stamp, also from Lost Coast.  My background is a piece of a Gelli print I had on hand that I did atop some vintage book pages using orange and green paints.  Using black StayzOn ink, I added  little touches of the Cheesecloth background stamp here and there.

I stamped my Evil Eye creature onto white card stock with black ink and fussy cut him out.  I colored him with Copic Sketch Markers in colors to kind of coordinate with the colors in my background.  I attached him with foam tape so he stands out a bit from the background.  Finishing touch were some pieces of black, green, and yellow seam binding tied at the top.

You still have lots of time left to join us for the super fun challenge!  Can't wait to see what you are all making!

Free stamps for the lucky winner!

The Raven

The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity has a fun challenge going on for the entire month of October -  the 31 Days of Halloween!  There will be a new project every day this month with a Halloween theme - the Design Team loves this month, and we go all out!  Please join us with your Halloween projects featuring rubber stamping for a chance to win some awesome stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.

I've got a spooky card for this 2nd day of October made with the M Raven 2 stamp and the Grunge Tree background stamp, both from Lost Coast Designs.

I started by creating my background page.  For this I used three colors of Distress Oxide Inks, spraying some of each color on my craft mat and spritzing them all with a bit of water.  I took my white card stock and dabbed and dragged it through the colors letting them drip and run until I was happy with the result.  I was going for a dark and spooky look with this one.

I stamped the Grunge Tree background onto my inked up page using black ink and cut around the edges with some deckled scissors to give it a rough look.  I layered that with a piece of black handmade paper with rough torn edges.

Next I stamped my raven onto a piece of off white card stock using black ink.  I colored him with gray Copic Sketch markers and added a bit of white and darker black to his eye.  I colored the branch he is perched on with dark brown.  I affixed this to the lower right of my card front as shown.

Please join us for the Halloween fun all this month!  We are excited to see what spooking projects you can create!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 8: Goth Shrine

I'm up again on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity with another Halloween project.  I hope you are following along on the Portal and getting inspired by our Halloween projects that are appearing each day of the month of October.

For today, I have what I call a 3 x 5 index card - a fun size to make that's a bit larger than an ATC and also makes for good journaling cards in your journals.  This one features the R.I.P. stamp and the Goth Shrine ATC sized stamp, both from Lost Coast Designs.  If you like the smaller Goth Shrine, there is a larger 5" version as well.

For my background I chose a piece of striped Halloween card stock and cut it to my 3 x 5 size.  Next step was to take some decorative tissue paper and glue it atop my card using Modge Podge.  Once it was dry, I added another layer of Modge Podge to seal it.

I stamped my Goth shrine with black ink onto some cream card stock and fussy cut it out.  Using Copic Sketch markers I colored in the shrine.  I used a 1 3/8" circle punch to punch out the center.

I then stamped a portion of the R.I.P. stamp onto the same card stock and punched out a 1 3/8" circle from my stamped image.  I cut a piece of clear acrylic slightly larger than my circle and affixed it behind my shrine.  I then positioned the circle stamped image behind that and taped it in place, so it looks like a little window.

I colored the shrine with my markers and attached it to the front of my index card with foam tape.  And that's a wrap!

We can't wait to see your Halloween projects so please share them here on the Portal for a chance to win some free stamps!  Don't forget to use rubber stamping in your projects.

31 Days of Halloween: Day #2: Which Witch?

 

Over on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity  the whole month of October there is a Halloween challenge going on called "The 31 Days of Halloween". There will be a new project every day this month with a Halloween theme - the Design Team loves this month, and we go all out!  Please join us with your Halloween projects featuring rubber stamping for a chance to win some awesome stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.

I have a little ATC here for you, featuring the Gnome Witch with Stars stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  This is one of the fun, new gnome stamps available at LCD, so be sure to check them out as each one is cuter than the one before!

My background for this was created with Distress Oxide spray inks in shades of blue, green and yellow.  I sprayed my paper with water first then sprayed my colors kind of randomly and let them drip and run together.  After drying the inks, and using the same blue Oxide ink, I sprayed some on my craft mat and dipped a rubber stamp into the ink and used it to stamp on my background.  I zig zag stitched along the right side with black thread and outlined the whole ATC in black ink.

My witch was stamped with black ink onto white card stock and colored with Copic Sketch markers as shown.  I glued a few silver sequin stars onto her robe and colored the star on her wand with a gold pen.

She was then glued to the ATC front as shown and done!

We can't wait to see your Halloween creations so please be sure to enter them on the Portal for a chance to win some free stamps!!

Housewife

 Hi again with another project for The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity:  Sentiment in Focus.  For this challenge I used a saying or sentiment that has at least five words.  Be sure to feature rubber stamping in all your projects too!

For this one I used the Housewife stamp from Lost Coast Designs and the Fairy Godmother clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda.

My background was made using  a stencil and some pink Distress Oxide Ink on a scrap paper that I had spritzed with a bit of green Distress Spray.  I stamped my housewife onto white card stock and fussy cut her out.  Next I restamped her, first onto some pink scrapbook paper then onto some flowered scrapbook paper.  From the pink paper I cut our her dress, and from the flowered paper I cut out her apron.  I superimposed these onto my original stamped image and glued them in place.  I added some color to her with my Copic Sketch markers and added some fancy pearls to her fuzzy slippers!  

My sentiment was stamped with black ink onto a white square that I had edged in black.  I glued this to the upper left corner of my front as shown, then added my housewife below that.  And that's a wrap!

You have until September 29th to enter your projects for a chance to win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.  What are you waiting for!!

Baptizing A Cat

The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity just started a new challenge that will run though the end of September.  The challenge is called  "Sentiment in Focus".  For this challenge, you will create a project/s using a sentiment of at least 5 words.  Be sure that rubber stamping is the main focus of your work, too!

For this one, I used one of the cat stamps from the Party Cat Hats Set from Lost Coast Designs and the Baptize A Cat clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda big collection of great sayings.  For this background I used a gelli print created on a piece of decorative tissue paper that I had adhered to a piece of card stock.  

I stamped my cat with black ink onto white card stock and fussy cut him out.  I colored him with gray Copic Sketch Markers and added a touch of green to his eyes.  I traced around the hat that the stamped cat is wearing and using that template, cut out another hat from flowered paper, affixing it to the cat's head atop the original hat.  I added a little flower for some extra color and affixed the cat with foam tape to the left side of my card front.

My sentiment is stamped onto off white paper with black ink.  After cutting it into a square shape, I edged it with black ink and attached it to the upper right corner.  Final step was to outline the card front with black ink to give it some definition.

Please come join us for this fun new challenge using you favorite phrase or sentiment stamps.  You just might be the lucky winner of some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

Movie Mania: Godzilla

Welcome to the first of September and a new challenge on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity:  Movie Mania.  For the challenge you will create projects featuring your favorite movie characters. I opted to go with a Godzilla card.  I remember seeing "Godzilla" at the movie theater when I was small and being scared silly!

For this card, I used the Godzilla stamp and the Small Butterfly stamp from the Butterfly stamp set, both from Lost Coast Designs.  My sentiment is from the huge selection of clear stamp phrases at Carmen's Veranda.

I began with my background, which is a piece of white card stock, a leaf stencil, and three shades of Distress Ink sprays.  After spraying and drying my background piece, I edged it with some Crushed Olive Distress Oxide ink.

Next I stamped Godzilla with black ink onto a piece of dark green card stock, then fussy cut him out.  I added "teeth" with a while gel pen and enlarged his eye with a small piece of white paper and a black rhinestone.  I used a Glitter Gel pen to go over his back and tail to make them stand out more.  I then attached him to the lower left corner with foam tape.

I stamped my sentiment onto a white square with black ink and edged it in black.  I positioned that in the upper right corner.  I stamped the small butterfly twice onto red yardstick and cut them both out, attaching them as shown.  I just glued the center of the bodies to the background so I could fold the wings up to make them look dimensional.

That's a wrap!

Hi again with a tag I made for the current "Face On" Challenge going on through the end of August on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.   I used the Ancient Woman #4 tag stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  There is a whole series of these ancient woman portrait stamps at Lost Coast, and I love all of them!

I stamped my Ancient Woman onto a piece of cardboard, then trimmed the top to a tag shape, including punching a hole for some ribbon or twine.  Next I took a piece of cream and black scrapbook paper and pleated it, then stitched across it with a zig zag stitch.  I edged it, and the tag, with some Vintage Photo Distress ink to age them both, and tied a piece of twine around the pleated paper.  I then glued this to the bottom of my tag.

I finished my tag off with some light brown and black seam binding ribbon through the hole in the top along with an aged bronze charm.

Please come join this fun challenge, featuring "face" stamps - you could win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

Girl With A Curl

I used the Girl With A Curl stamp from Lost Coast Designs for this card for the current challenge on The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.  I stamped this lovely lady using black ink onto a square piece of white card stock and colored her using Copic Sketch markers.  Next I cut a piece of a Gelli print featuring blue and green acrylic paints into a square-ish shape, larger than my stamped image.  Using a square die cut, I cut a square into the center of the print and attached my stamped image to the back side of the print so the face is showing through the square "hole" in the front of the card.  I edged the square with some gold foil stickers and layered this with another piece of white card stock.

I do hope you will join us for this latest challenge.  Don't forget to feature rubber stamping on your projects for a chance to win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!!

Goth Butterfly

I have a card here that I made for the latest challenge on The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity, which is "Neon Colors".  I am not at all a fan of bright neon colors so this was a real stretch for me!

For this card, I used the Goth Butterfly stamp from Lost Coast Designs.

I started by grabbing my box full of Gelli prints and selecting some with some neon and bright colors in them.  I cut pieces in strips and arranged them on a 5 1/2 by 5 1/2 piece of card stock.  I trimmed all the edges neatly then layered this with a plain piece of white card stock.

I stamped my Goth Butterfly with black ink onto white paper and using Copic Sketch markers colored it in using neon and bright colors.  I used a pale lavender for the background and squared it off, then trimmed it to leave a small white border.  I positioned this right in the center of my background piece and glued it in place.

Come join this challenge for a chance to win some free stamps.  Be sure to feature some rubber stamping in your projects (no digital stamps please).

Critters Challenge: Morning Stretch

There is a new challenge going on Lost Coast Portal to Creativity called Critters, and this is a project I made for that challenge.

For this I used the Yoga Cat #9 stamp from Lost Coast Designs and the Mornings should be moved clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda.  My background is a Gelli print done over a piece of vintage book page, turquoise and yellow acrylic paints, and a decorative stencil.  I stamped my Yoga Cat with black ink onto white card stock and fussy cut it out.  The sentiment was likewise stamped with black ink onto a white scrap, cut out and edged with turquoise ink.

I layered my background with white card stock and positioned the Yoga Cat and the sentiment as shown.  

Such a fun and easy card that you could send to anyone, just to let them know you are thinking about them.

Check out the Portal and share your Critter creations for a chance to win some free stamps.  Be sure to feature some stamping in your projects.

Critters: Two Pups

For the latest challenge on The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity called "Critters" I created a card using

 the Circus Dog Set from Lost Coast Designs and the Fun and Games clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda.

For my base, I took a white square of card stock and using Modge Podge, I adhered some decorative rice paper to the base layer.  After letting it dry well, I edged it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and layered it with a piece of black and white striped scrapbook paper.

Next I stamped two of the dogs in the set onto white card stock using black ink and fussy cut them out.  I colored one tan and one gray and added paper collars to each.  I then stamped my sentiment onto white paper with black ink and die cut it with a circle die.  I layered that with a larger black die cut circle and adhered it to the top center of my card front.

Using foam tape for dimension, I attached the dogs below the saying, facing each other as if one was giving the other some advice.  I think this is just a perfect sentiment for these stamps!

You can enter your "Critter" projects at the Portal and a randomly chosen winner will get some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs or Carmen's Veranda!

Christmas in July with Santa Mona

I made a tongue in cheek Christmas card for the latest challenge on The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity challenge - Christmas in July, featuring the Santa Mona stamp from Lost Coast Designs and the  Dear Santa clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda.

I started by stamping my Mona onto a piece of white card stock with black ink and adding some color with Copic Sketch Markers.  I fussy cut her out and attached her to a piece of holiday paper in reds and greens that I had die cut into a circle.  I layered that with a larger green die cut circle and added some bling to the background and a pom pom to her hat.

Next I stamped my sentiment with black ink onto a white square and edged it with red.  I affixed my Mona to my card front and using foam tape added the sentiment below the image as shown.   Last step was to round the corners on my card front and she is ready to be mailed!

So get out your rubber or acrylic stamps and create some Christmas goodies - and be sure to share them on the Portal for a chance to win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

Fit for A King

  Im here again with another project for the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity for their "Inchie Twinchie" background challenge.

The idea is to create a stamped background for a project using "inchies and twinchies" - one inch by one inch squares or two inch by two inch squares.  I fudged a bit on this one and made my squares one and a half inches - so I guess I can call them Inchies and a Half!

I started with a Gelli print I had on hand, and using the Doodle Circles and White Waves background stamps from Lost Coast Designs, I stamped each stamp onto the Gelli print using black ink.  I then cut out each into one and a half inch squares.  I mounted those in alternate order onto a piece of Kraft card stock and trimmed around the edges. 

 Next I stamped the Chess Knight from Lost Coast Designs onto a piece of coffee dyed paper and fussy cut it out.  I then mounted my cut knight to a piece of black card stock and cut around it for the second time.  I adhered this to the right side of my card front with foam tape to give it some dimension.  I added some gold Nuvo Crystal Drops to the top of the crown.

I stamped the Hokey Pokey Clinic clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda onto a scrap of my coffee dyed paper using black ink, cut it out and layered it with a piece of black paper.  I attached it to the left of my knight and my card is done!

So get out your rubber stamps (or clear acrylic stamps) and make an Inchie Twinchie background project for a chance to win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

Inchie Twinchie Background: Steampunk Pony

 Welcome back to Lost Coast Portal to Creativity where Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda collide to bring you twice the inspiration and double the fun!

Happy Summer to all you Lost Coast bloggers and welcome to this new challenge:  Inchie Twinchie Backgrounds.  If you don't know what inchies and twinchies are, think little one inch squares for inchies and two inch squares for twinchies.  For this challenge, you will create a background using inchies and or twinchies to make a background, using some rubber stamping.  

I have a sample below that uses the following stamps from Lost Coast Designs:

The Ledger  background stamp

The Gears background stamp

Steampunk Pony stamp

I started with some Tim Holtz papers and stamped the Gears and Ledger background stamps onto two pieces using black ink.  Using my blade cutter, I cut one inch squares of each pattern and glued them in alternating order onto a piece of black card stock.  I made 5 rows across and 5 rows down to form a square.  I trimmed around the edge of the black paper to create a border.  

Next I stamped my Steampunk Pony onto a piece of off white paper using black ink.  I layered this with a piece of black card stock and glued this to the center of my inchie background.  I added some gears for the wheels and that's a wrap!

Can't wait to see what you can create with inchies and twinchies.  If it's your first time making something like this, I think you will find it's a lot of fun and you can create some really interesting backgrounds with this technique.  Be sure to post your photos for a chance to win some free stamps!

Under The Sea

Here with a fun project for the current challenge at The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity:  Under the Sea.  For this, I made a shaker card, which I've not done for quite some time and had a lot of fun with.

For my card I used the new Spikey Fish stamp and the Bubbles background stamp, both from Lost Coast Designs.

For my frame, I chose a Gelli print I made using green and yellow acrylic paints and some bubble wrap to make the design in the paint.  I cut a window into the center of the print and attached a piece of clear acrylic, taping it in place on the back side.  I then added two layers of foam tape all around the opening on the back side, making sure there were no gaps in the tape.  I stamped my spikey fish with black StayzOn ink onto a Gelli print scrap mostly in pale green and fussy cut him out.  I gave him a bright turquoise rhinestone for an eye.  I took a piece of pale blue paper and using the Bubble Background stamp, lightly stamped in green ink.  I wanted the bubbles to show but not overwhelm Mr. Fish.

Next I gathered an assortment of sequins in different shapes and sizes and most in shades of green, blue and silver.  I laid those down atop my fish then, removing the backing from the foam tape,  carefully pressed the front down, securing the foam tape firmly around the edges of the opening.  I back this with a white layer and it's done!

You can enter the challenge now through May 30th.   Just be sure to feature some rubber stamping for a chance to win some free stamps from Carmen's Veranda and Lost Coast Designs!

Vintage Postcard

I made a vintage looking postcard for a challenge going on at The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.  The challenge is mail art, and for this postcard I used the Chloe Face stamp from Lost Coast Designs and the Loopy Background stamp, also from Lost Coast.

I took a vintage-y looking piece of scrapbook paper and cut it to a 4 x 6 postcard size.  I edged it with Vintage Photo Distress Ink to give it an antiqued look.  I stamped my Loopy Background on the left side of the card with black ink, then stamped Chloe Face atop that using the same black ink.  I found an old 2 cent stamp which I affixed to the right corner and typed out an address label and attached that where the address would be written.

I really like the old feel of this, and it was so simple to make.  Go over to the Portal and check out this challenge!

Mail Art: Bird Mail

There is a new challenge at The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity that started on May 1st.  The challenge is "Mail Art", and I opted to decorate an enveloper this.  I chose a square 5 1/2" by 5 1/2" square  envelope for this.  

I used a leafy patterned stencil and blue and green Distress Oxide inks to stencil the pattern over the front of the envelope.  Next I stamped the Bird Collage background stamp from Carmen's Veranda on the front of the envelope with black ink.  I then used the Swirls and Dots border stamp and black ink to stamp along the right and left edges of the envelope.

I affixed a decorative butterfly stamp to the upper right corner and typed out an address label to complete the envelope.  This is a really simple project with endless possibilities, so I hope you will share you mail art projects over on the Portal.  Be sure to prominently feature rubber stamping in your creations for a chance to win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

Just A Girl Looking for A Donut

Hi, I'm back again with a postcard for the "Sentimentally Yours" Challenge going on til the end of this month on The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity.  All projects should include a sentiment or saying.

For this postcard, I used the 50's Girl stamp from Lost Coast Designs and the In Front of A Salad clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda.  If you want to check out a great selection of fabulous sentiments, please visit the Clearstamps page at the Carmen's Veranda website - lots of them will make you smile!

My postcard background is a piece of checked scrapbook paper, edged with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I stamped my 50's Girl with black ink onto white paper and fussy cut her out.  I then restamped her onto a piece of red scrapbook paper and cut out just her dress, attaching that atop the original stamped image.  I added a bit of color with some Copic Sketch markers.  I stamped my sentiment onto a piece of vintage diary page paper and edged it with the same Distress ink.  I lightly attached both of these stamped images to my postcard front and then built my collage around them.  By not completely fastening down my central items, I am able to position pieces of ephemera, etc behind and around them.  Once I have all my collage elements in place, then I will finish gluing down my central elements.  

So hop over to the Portal before the month is over! and enter your projects featuring rubber stamping for a chance to win some free stamps!

Ask Albert

Happy spring!  I'm back with a card for the new challenge going on at The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity during the last half of the month of April:  Sentimentally Yours.  We are looking for your projects which feature your favorite sentiments or sayings.  And I found a great one for this one - Eenie, Meenie, Minie - from Carmen's Veranda.

I also used the Einstein stamp from Carmen Veranda and the Ledger background stamp from Lost Coast Designs.

For my background I dove into my box of Gelli prints and found this one using cream, brown, and gold acrylic paints and some stenciling.  My stamping covers most of it so you can't really see the stencil design on this one too clearly.  But stamped with the Ledger background in black StayzOn ink gave it kind of a vintage feel, I thought.  I then tore around the edges and applied some Vintage Photo Distress Ink to age it a bit.

I stamped Einstein with black ink onto cream card stock and fussy cut him out then positioned him on the lower portion of my card front.  Next I stamped my sentiment with black ink onto the same card stock, cut it out, and edged it with black ink.  It gets positioned just above Albert as shown.  Layering with a piece of black card stock is the final step.

Chihuahua Playing Bingo

Happy April Fool's Day, and I'm featuring a post card I made for the "Numbers" Challenge at The Lost Coast Portal to Creativity that runs until April 14th. My postcard features the following stamps:

Coffee Chihuahua Stamp

Bingo Border Stamp

and

Small Diamonds Background Stamp

all from Lost Coast Designs.

The sentiment is Fun and Games from the clear stamp collection at 

Carmen's Veranda.

I cut a piece of coffee dyed paper to post card size at 4" x 6".  I edged this with

Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I used the same ink to stamp the small diamond background over the whole card and used black ink to stamp the Bingo border along the left side.  I randomly stamped some little bits of text with black ink here and there.

My Chihuahua was stamped with dark brown ink onto white card stock.  I cut him out and colored him with a light brown marker.  I colored his collar red and left his teeth and the spikes on his collar white.  I found a tiny Bingo card on a collage sheet, cut that out, and replaced the coffee cup he is usually holding with the game card.  I then used foam tape to affix this to my post card front.

The sentiment was stamped with black ink onto cream colored card stock and edged with the same Distress ink.  I attached it to the upper right corner.

Hope you will hop over to the Lost Coast Portal and check out the challenge!