In the Deep Midwinter: Snowman

 Happy December 1st, and welcome to the month long challenge over on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity:  In the Deep Midwinter.  

Winter is significant for many reasons, so choose the way you want to interpret this and be creative!

I've made a simple card here using the Snowman stamp from Carmen's Veranda and one of the snowflake stamps from the Small Snowflakes Set from Lost Coast Designs.

My background is a piece of blue card stock with a pattern that to me looks a lot like snowflakes.  Using white embossing powder, I randomly stamped one of the snowflake stamps onto my background and heat embossed them.  The snowman is stamped with black ink onto white card stock and fussy cut out.  I colored him with Copic Sketch markers, added some Glossy Accents to his buttons, used dark blue enamel dots for his eyes, and attached him to my background with foam tape.  I then layered this with a piece of white card stock.

We look forward to seeing your winter-themed projects - be sure to enter them on the Portal for a chance to win some free stamps!

Round and Round: Circus Dogs

 Welcome back as we continue on with the "Round and Round" Challenge over on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity, featuring all things circular.  We hope you are playing along with us on this fun challenge.

For this I have a card that uses the Circus Dogs Set of stamps and the Doodle Circles background stamp from Lost Coast Designs, as well as the Fun clear stamp from Carmen's Veranda.

My background is piece of scrapbook paper that I have gelli printed on with green and yellow paints.  I stamped this with the Doodle Circles background stamp and some Fired Brick Distress Oxide ink.  The circus dogs were stamped with black ink onto white card stock and fussy cut out.  I colored them with Copic sketch markers and attached them to the card front with some foam tape for dimension.  I stamped then punched out the circus ball and colored it with markers as well, positioning it atop one of the dog's noses with foam tape.  

The word "Play" was stamped with black ink onto a white scrap that I edged with orange marker.  This was positioned in the upper left corner using foam tape.  The entire card front was then edged with a green marker and layered with a piece of white card stock.

Be sure to post your entries over on the Portal for a chance to win some free stamps!!

Stamping on Printed Paper

 Welcome back to the final days of the current  challenge on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity:  Stamping on Printed Paper.  We all have lots of printed scrapbook paper, but I decided to make this example using some of my gelli print stash.  I have a whole box of all sizes of prints I have made with my Gelli plate and inks, paints, and stencils.

So for this one I used the Grunge Flower Profile stamp and one of those prints.

This was really simple.  I stamped my Grunge Flower Profile onto a piece of gelli print using black ink. The gelli print was made with acrylic paints and a texture plate with connecting circles on it.   I used gold, rust and some green acrylic paint then after pulling a print, covered my plate with white paint and pulled a second print.  So I get some nice pattern but not so much that it takes away from the stamped image.   I edged this with some gold paste and layered it with a piece of printed card stock and then a piece of hand made paper in off white.  

You still have time to enter your projects featuring stamping on patterned paper and the chance to win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda.  Hope you will join in the fun!

Stamping on Patterned Paper

 Happy November and welcome to the new challenge on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity:  Stamp on Patterned Paper.  If you are like me, you have lots of scrap book paper or other patterned paper, so this gives you the chance to try out your rubber or acrylic stamps on them.  Challenging but fun!

I just bought a pad of William Morris designed paper, and I was excited to use it.  I chose two different but complimentary patterns for this card I made using the Face with Heart stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  This was so simple!

I stamped my doodle face onto one piece of the patterned paper then cut it using a die cut with a stitched edge.  I then die cut a piece of cream handmade paper with the same type die in the next larger size.  I attached the die with the face to the larger one, being careful to center them.

Next I cut a square of the second patterned paper and layered it with a square of the cream handmade paper.  I centered my circles exactly then attached them to my square panel.  Last step was to add some Glossy Accents to the heart-shaped eye, and that's it!

So get out your stamps and your patterned paper and be sure to enter your projects over on the Portal for a chance to win some free stamps!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 29

 As we close in on the last days of October and the end of the annual "31 Days of Halloween" Challenge over on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity, I have one final project for this challenge using the Evil Eye stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  Such a wicked looking stamp - I love it!

The background for this one was made using a stencil with a lot of small detail to it.  I sprayed the stencil with Distress Ink in Fired Brick then laid it down onto a piece of white card stock.  I sponged the excess ink with a paper towel and dried the paper well.  I then splattered it with dark blue Distress Ink and spritzed it with Distress Mica Spray.  

The Evil Eye was stamped with black ink onto some white card stock and colored with Copic Sketch markers.  It was fussy cut out and Glossy Accents was added to the eyes.  I affixed it to my card front with some foam tape to give it some dimension and added a few die cut bats to complete the "mood".

So hurry and get your projects in before month end for the chance to win some free stamps from Lost Coast Designs and Carmen's Veranda!

Day 21 of the 31 Days of Halloween

 I'm back again with a Day of the Dead card for the 21st day of the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity Halloween month long Challenge.  I hope you have been making some fun projects to share over on the Portal and a chance to win some free stamps.

This card features the Coatlique Day of the Dead stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  This was stamped onto a piece of vellum with black Stayz On ink. Once the ink was dry, I flipped the image over and adhered it to a piece of orange card stock.  I trimmed the edges, following the design of the stamp, then layered this with a piece of black card stock and trimmed it in the same shape.

My background is made with a technique called "Stencil Smooshing".  Not sure if that is the technical name or not, but the You Tube video where I found this calls it that, and it's appropriate.  

I took my stencil and sprayed it with orange Distress Ink.  I turned it over and pressed it onto a piece of white card stock, mopping up the excess ink with a paper towel.  Once it was completely dry, I repositioned the stencil atop the the paper, lining it up exactly, then dabbed the white spaces with some green Distress Ink.  I removed the stencil and spritzed it with Altnew gold spray ink and let that dry.  The DOD stamped image was then affixed to the center of the card with foam tape and layered with a piece of white card stock.

You still have lots of time left to show us your fabulous Halloween creations, and we can't wait to see them!!

Day 16 of the 31 Days of Halloween

 Welcom back to Day 16 of the 31 Days of Halloween, the month long Halloween extravaganza over on the Lost Coast Portal to Creativity, featuring a new project every day for 31 days.  We really hope you are playing along with us and entering your projects on the Portal.

This tag was made using the Loopy Background stamp and the Dancing Skeletons stamp, both from Lost Coast Design.

The background for this stamp is made using Distress Inks in Fired Brick and Mustard Seed.  I sprayed a stencil with Fired Brick ink and placed it upside down onto a piece of white card stock.  I blotted up the excess ink with a paper towel and dried the paper well.  I then reapplied the same stencil, lining it up as exactly as I could, and using the Mustard Seed ink, I sponged that into the white spaces.  I then randomly stamped the Loopy Background script onto the tag with black ink.  Final step was to spray it with Distress Mica Stain in Mulled Cider.  Once it was completely dry, I mitered the corners and edged the tag with black ink.

The Dancing Skeletons were stamped with black ink onto white card stock and fussy cut out. I attached them with some foam tape, but only behind and head and "body".  That left the arms and legs free to look more like they were really in movement and "dancing".

I tied some fibers to the top in the hole I had punched, and it's ready to go!

Hope to see what you all are making soon - some free rubber stamps would be coming your way if you are the lucky winner!