Chase Your Dreams - Grunge Look Graduation FWF 6-12

"The cat has been described as the most perfect animal, the acme of muscular perfection and the supreme example in the animal kingdom of the coordination of mind and muscle."
                                                                                   ------ Roseanne Ambrose Brown

Hi, Friends.....

There are so many fun events happening in the papercrafting blogosphere right now that it is tough to pick and choose which ones I have time to do!  But I scrambled around to get in on Pretty Pink Posh's Watercolor Blog Hop. You can, too!!  The link-up is open through Monday (June 8) evening.

Watercolor is such a fun and varied category that always gives such lovely results.  Who can resist playing with it??  A hop like this gives me a great excuse to try some new genres and styles.  So I made a masculine grunge-style graduation card for my first hop entry.

I dabbed Distress Ink pads in Black Soot, Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade and Mustard Seed on my craft mat and misted with water then smooshed my mixed media paper down onto it.  After it was dry I splattered it with some drops of water.  I added some strips of washi tape and stamped a Unity sentiment with Onyx Black Tsukineko - Versafine Ink.  (This stamp was from a grab bag, but I tracked it down to be part of Unity's Aug 2014 KOM.)  I love this sentiment for a graduation card...don't you?

After getting that far, I realized how grunge this was looking so I decided to add some texture stamping.  I don't really have very many texture stamps so I grabbed a scrap from my DCWV Burlap Paper Stack leftover from a number of recent projects and dabbed Black Soot DI on it and pressed the scrap onto my paper.

The texture of the burlap added exactly the look I wanted!!  :)  What do you think????

By the way, everyone......I have a GIVEAWAY this week to celebrate this Watercolor Hop AND the summer Coffee Lovers Hop.  

You can win this stamp!!!!

Here's how to enter my GIVEAWAY:
1.  Comment on this or ANY of my Watercolor Hop or Coffee Lover Hop posts by 11:59 pm PDT Friday, June 12, 2015.
2.   Please leave your email address with your comment.  If I do not have a way to contact you, I will select a different winner.  I would be so sad for you to miss out!!
3.  I will announce the winner on Saturday, June 13th.  

Okay, that is all for this post.  Be watching for more of my watercolor entries today and tomorrow, and my coffee lovers entries during the week!  :)

<3
Janis


Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following hops and challenges:
1. Pretty Pink Posh Watercolor Blog Hop
2. The Male Room Challenge #11 - Use Washi Tape
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Make it Masculine
4. Words 2 Scrap By Challenge #18 - It's a Man's World
5. DL.Art Thankful Thursday Challenge #157 - Father's Day/For a Man  
6. The Paper Girls Challenge #81 - Father's Day/ Masculine
7. Unity Friends With Flair Link-Up

"Welcome, Your Majesty" -- Friends with Flair 6-5

"When you are looking, a cat acts like a princess, but the minute they think you are not looking, a cat acts like a fool."
                                                                                   --------------K.C. Buffington


Hi, Friends....

I am here with an art journal page I made for the current Unity Friends with Flair link up.  I used a little bit of everything this time. But instead of the kitchen sink...I used the freezer! 

This mess means I am having fun.  Will somebody please tell my hubby that!!

Yep.....it's the top of my freezer posing as my mixed media workbench!!






Somehow the industrial feel of the unfinished half of our house gets me in the mood for messy art projects!!  :)



When the warm weather arrives here in Idaho, I begin seeing our summer birds.  One of my favorites is the Eastern Kingbird.  (We also have Western KBs here.)  

I remember the smile that spread across my face this year when I saw a kingbird on my fence, surveying our pasture, ready for any errant flying insects.

I was happy for the warm weather and happy that this bird was gracing my front yard.  A welcoming verse welled from my heart.  I knew I needed to make an art journal page about it.  :)



I am not good at drawing freehand, so I needed a photo to help me sketch out this monarch.  My fence is metal, but I liked this wooden perch better, so I used it as my inspiration.





I sketched out my bird shape on scratch paper and then used my copier to reduce it to the right size for my page.  Then I cut it out and traced it onto some pale gray cardstock and cut that second one out to use on my page. From there, I used Gelatos in black and gray to color the darker areas, rubbing the colors in with my finger, moistened with a baby wipe, to blend.  I colored his crown with a metallic gold marker, and added a few feather marks and other features with an ultra-fine black marker.

Yah, I am so coooool.....umm...regal.

By the way, did you know the kingbird is named such because of the tiny tuft of bright feathers hidden on the head of the male?  It is rarely seen, but he can display it to impress the ladies or to show other males how regal he is.



For the background of my page, I collaged some used gift wrap (that was too pretty and fanciful to toss out) onto my page.  You can see bits of the pattern where it isn't all covered with other stuff!!  :)

I used a large variety of different products on my page including some Unity stamps from grab bags and a feather from Unity - Feather Flight.  I used purple and green Clearsnap - Designer Foils  and Stampendous - Stamp and Bond Embossing Powder with the feathers and tons of other embossing powders in turquoise and gold.  I love all the rich colors and textures and all the shine!!! 


I tinted gesso with blue Gelatos to make a background for my bird.  I like the stucco effect.  I sketched in a fence and colored it with Gelatos, using the same technique of rubbing with a wet finger to blend.  Then I glued the royal avian onto the page and outlined everything with a black Faber-Castell Pitt Big Brush Marker.  I drew in the feet with a black marker.

I wrote out my verse (Yes, I really did something in my own handwriting!) on strips of pale blue cardstock that I had previous stamped in Simon Says Stamp - Khaki ink with a Unity grab bag stamp.  The pattern is very subtle, but adds depth, with the writing over the top of the stamping.  I inked around the edges of the strips with Salty Ocean Distress Ink. 

As a finishing touch, I used a Unity grab bag stamp to put "thanks for coming to visit" on the fence.  Because of the uneven nature of this page, it didn't stamp well and is hard to read....but I know what it says!!  :)

Whew!!!  That was a long description of my process!  Thanks for politely scrolling down patiently plowing through it with me.  All this process is still very new to me.  

One thing that I LOVE about art journal pages is that I can capture a thought or a moment of inspiration and put it down on a page.  I would never have made this into a card, but it is perfect for an art journal page!!  This was a lot of fun and I hope you have enjoyed seeing it.

Thanks so much for stopping by.  I appreciate each of you very, very much!!!

<3
Janis


Thank you for the honor of entering this art journal page in the following challenges:
1. Unity Friends with Flair 6-5 Link-Up 
2. DRS Designs Challenge #177 - Hot Trends Over the Top (I wrote my verse over stamping and stamped a sentiment over my fence.)
3. Unruly Paper Arts - June Art Quest 2 - The Great Outdoors
4. Design Memory Craft June Challenge - Find an inspiration piece and make an art journal page from it.
5. Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Royal (This was the challenge that kicked me in gear to finish this page!)
6. Wow! Embossing Powder June Challenge - Summer (I did lots of heat embossing on this page!!)

Is It Your Birthday???

"It doesn't do to be sentimental about cats; the best ones don't respect you for it."

                                                                                         ------------Susan Howatch

 
Hi, Friends.....

I am back with my second post of the day which also was inspired by the lovely color palette from the current Waffle Flower Challenge. 

 

Today's card uses a sentiment stamp from Mark's Finest Papers - Above the Rest, which I stamped with Tsukineko - Versafine Ink  Smokey Gray on a tag I had die cut from my Paper Smooches - Gift Tags Dies set.  I inked the edges of the tag with Distress Ink in Victorian Velvet....one of my favorite colors of DI!!

The background is made of scraps from the DCWV Sweet Stack (discontinued, I think) and cut with some scallopy decorative scissors.  I think it made a very yummy and sweet birthday card.

Thanks for coming to visit.  I hope you are getting ready for a lovely weekend!!!

<3
Janis 

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Waffle Flower Challenge May 25 - June 7
2. MFP - Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge #264
3. Pixie's Snippets Playground Weeks 178-179 - Use snippets
4. Mod Squad Challenge - Happy Birthday

Baby Girl Card with Pink Giraffe

I bet that kitty *had been* asleep there, but woke when the camera came in range!  They always do that!!!  Arrgh

"There are few things in life more heartwarming than to be welcomed by a cat." 
                                                                             -------------Tay Hohoff


Hi, Friends.....

This is the first of 2 posts today so please check in later for another.  :)  

This card was inspired by the pretty colors in the current Waffle Flower Challenge.






 
I have gone a wee bit non-traditional with this baby card for a little girl, but I don't think a pink giraffe is too far out there.  (Mostly, I just hope it doesn't look like I was on some sort of strange trip!!!!  Ha.)  The sweet little giraffe image, from Mark's Finest Papers - Above the Rest, is stamped with Smokey Gray Tsukineko - Versafine Ink.  I colored her by swiping my waterbrush across my Crayola Watercolor Pencils.  Love how she turned out!!

I used one of my favorite techniques of layered embossing that I learned from a Mark's Finest Papers tutorial last year.  It was just the ticket to go with their sketch challenge this week:  

Other products used include:  Darice - Flowers and Vines Pattern embossing folder, scraps of DCWV patterned paper, sequins and ribbon from my stash.

Hope you like how this card turned out.  I think it is sweet.  Awww....

*********************************************
NEW FOLLOWER INTRODUCTION TIME!!!!
*********************************************
Hooray!!!!  A huge thank you for helping me reach my recent goal of................

100 Followers!!!!!!

I topped 100 with 3 new followers this last week and I am very excited because that means a soon-to-come giveaway!!!  I just put in a JoAnn.com order for some wonderful products that I think you will like.  I ordered one of each for me AND for a lucky winner....so we can celebrate together!!!  Be watching for my giveaway announcement when they arrive. (It sometimes takes my JoAnn orders awhile to find their way to rural Idaho!  Ugh...)  

So help me welcome my latest followers............

Bananastamper AKA Shanna of The Stamping Banana has a real eye for adding that arty touch to her cards and projects.  I met Shanna through Unity Friends with Flair and I always enjoy seeing her lovely cards with blended watercolors and gorgeous color combos.  Thanks so much, Shanna, for becoming #100 on my sidebar!!!  I appreciate it so much!!!  This extra special ginormous smile is for you!!!

:)))))))))))))( 100!!!! )))))))))))))

Teresa Doyle from Nova Scotia is my next new follower.  Teresa left a wonderfully touching comment on my last post which really meant a lot to me.  I could not find a blog or gallery for you, Teresa.  But I would love to share a link with others, if you want to email me or leave a link in the comments.  Teresa also chose to follow by email as well as by Google Friend Connect.  I am deeply honored whenever someone allows my posts to be delivered directly to their inbox.  Thank you so much for becoming a follower!!!!  Here is a ginormous new-follower smile for you!!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 

Next up is neve4everr.......and I can't find a blog or gallery for this lovely new follower, either.  I wish I could do a better intro, so please leave me a comment or send me a note if you would like me to share a link with others!!  Thank you so very much for becoming a follower!!!!  Here is your personal ginormous smile!!!

 :)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 

As always, I am thrilled that each of you comes to visit my blog. Your awesome comments fill my heart with a song!!! 

<3

Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Waffle Flower Challenge May 25 - June 7
2. MFP - Speedy Fox & Friends Challenge #264
3. Pixie's Snippets Playground Weeks 178-179 - Use snippets
4. DL.Art June Linky 

Sympathy card - Friends with Flair 5-29

"There are times when mere words cannot bring the comfort that comes with holding a cat."


Hi, Friends...

I am here with a sympathy card for this week's Unity - Friends with Flair link up.  This was one of those cards that was particularly difficult to make.  Some neighbors lost their college-age daughter to cancer recently.  So very, very sad.  Because she was so young and in the prime of life, I decided to go with brighter colors instead of pale or somber ones.

I used another of my Brusho backgrounds from this project and applied some Picked Raspberry Distress Ink to the Darice - With Sympathy embossing folder and misted it before running it all through my machine.  I trimmed off the sentiment part and sponged the words with additional DI for more definition.

For my background, I chose a piece of lavender colored cardstock and a Unity lace background stamp (discontinued, apparently) that I've had for quite some time.  I stamped with Versamark Ink and heat embossed it with WOW! Embossing Powder - Opaque Bright White Regular.  Then I sponged over the lacy embossing with more DI in the Picked Raspberry and Salty Ocean, removing the excess with a baby wipe.

That's it for this simple, but pretty, sympathy card.  Do you think it is too bright for this kind of occasion?  I hope it isn't.  

******************************************************
NEW FOLLOWER INTRODUCTION TIME!!!!!
******************************************************
Today I am introducing two new followers with the same name!
(Different spellings, although very close.....but it still isn't really the same name...I know this from having a less-common spelling for my own name.  Janice and Janis are NOT the same name!!  lol...)

By the way.....do you notice how close I am to 100 followers????  A giveaway is just around the corner........

Mandi Mance of Faith, Hope and Crafts is the enabler that introduced me to Brusho!!!  LOL...  She lives in NY, but is originally from Scotland and continues to bring that lovely Scottish charm to her blog entries and awesome projects!  I was the very lucky winner of her blog prize recently that included the turquoise Brusho that I can't keep my crafty fingers away from now.  Ha.  So, you can call Mandi an "enabler excellence"!!!  Thank you so much, Mandi, for becoming a follower....and for introducing so many of us to Brusho!!  This ginormous new-follower smile is all yours!!!

:))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Next up is Mandy Dodd of A Teacup of Scrapisms from down under in Tasmania, Australia!!!  WooHoo...I think this is my first follower from Australia.  I was first introduced to Mandy's AMAZING artwork in Jennifer Grace's recent blog event, where Mandy's mojo went totally nutso and she pumped out zillions of inspired and inspiring paper and 3D projects in the course of a week!!!  WOW!!  Such beautiful and fun pieces that went with the camera and focus theme.

Here's a fun little story about Mandy and me: I was so inspired by Mandy's spectacular creativity and number of projects for Jennifer's event that I spontaneously decided to send her a little prize myself!! Since Jennifer Grace is in the UK, I figured Mandy was, also. Imagine my surprise and delight to find she is from Tasmania!! I told her it was exciting for me to send something all the way to Australia and she wrote back and said it was exciting for her to receive something clear from the UK!!! Hahahaha..... She figured I was in UK because of Jennifer's event, too! LOL!! We had a great laugh over all of that when I told her I actually live in the USA!!! Hooray for the world wide web!!! :)

Mandy, thank you so much for becoming a follower of my blog.  I am so glad to get acquainted with you!!!  This is the smile that spreads over my face seeing a new photo on my sidebar!!

:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

NOTE TO SELF: Check spellings of new followers before posting. Then check them again!!! I had Mandy spelled Mandie....and Mandi spelled Mandy!!!!  ARRRGGGHH!! I am not totally sure I have it straight, yet!!!  I hereby declare that anyone who has ever misspelled my name is officially pardoned.  :)

Thank you, everyone, for stopping by today.  I appreciate your visit and each and every comment.  Have a good weekend.

<3

Janis 

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  Unity - Friends with Flair Link Up
2.  Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes
3.  Sentimental Sundays Challenge #260 - With Sympathy  
4.  Word Art Wednesday Challenge #185 - Anything Goes Family Friendly
5.  The Sisterhood of Crafters - Photo Inspiration

Guest Designer....Scrappin' Great Deals!

Wish I had one of these for my house!! 

"It is difficult to obtain the friendship of a cat.  It is a philosophical animal...one that does not place its affections thoughtlessly."
                                                                                -------------Theophile Gautier


Hi, Friends.....

Exciting news! I am the guest designer for Scrappin' Great Deals for this month's challenge.  

I was the lucky random winner in their March challenge and the prize was a nice gift voucher to their store and the opportunity to be their guest designer for May.  Shopping plus Show & Tell.....Hooray!!!  The new challenge was delayed a bit so it doesn't come out for a few more days.....the 28th, I think, so I will not reveal the challenge inspiration.  However, they very generously gave me an okay for posting a few days early because I wanted to enter this card in the current Waffle Flower Challenge.

Here are the wonderful colors and inspiration photo for Waffle Flower's challenge:

Now I bet you are curious how I put that with the inspiration for Scrappin' Great Deals, aren't you?  :)  You'll see in a few days!  lol...



I couldn't resist making a cheery card inspired by those daisies in the photo!!!

I used two different Waffle Flower stamp sets for the words on my card.  The Hello is from Flower Circles and the others are from On My Mark.  All stamping was with Olympia Green Tsukineko - Versafine Ink.  It's quite dark and really looks very close to black both in the photo and in real life.

I also used a stamp from Inspired by Stamping - Garden Seed Packets
for the white embossed daisy.  It is actually a sunflower image, but colored this way I think it looks like a white English daisy.  :)  I used Gelatos and my waterbrush to paint the center and around the petals.  Then I used Distress Ink to shade the edges.  

I hadn't really made a card with little squares of different media in them before.  I was inspired by this post in Jennifer Grace's Focus Your Craft & Soul blog event that is wrapping up today in a few hours.

My green squares are from Core'dinations Vintage Collection cardstock which I dry embossed using my Darice - Floral folder and then sanded to bring out the contrasting core color.
(I'm glad I got that embossing folder when I did because apparently it is discontinued. See my Product Links - click on link or on tab at top of page - for a very similar product.)



I used a variety of flowers and sequins to adorn my card.  Please check out my Product Links for some of my favorite flowers.  I am slowly adding more links on that page.  :)



Hope you enjoyed this sunny card today!!  I want to thank the kind people at Scrappin' Great Deals for giving me the chance to be their guest designer.  It's been a real challenge, but a lot of fun!!!  Thanks so much!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Waffle Flower Challenge May 11-24
2. Jennifer Grace Creates - Challenge to be Inspired Linky Party
3. Tombow May Flowers Challenge

Happy Birthday, Karen!

To my friend, Karen.  Which of us is the crazy one?  lol...

"By associating with the cat (or with a good friend), one only risks becoming richer."

                                                                                 --------Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Hi, Friends.....

I am here with a birthday card for my crafty friend, Karen Ladd.  Happy Birthday!!  

 

I am entering this into Jennifer Grace's Focus Your Craft and Soul blog event challenge since I was inspired by her post about Framing a Sentiment.  

I dug around in my stash and found some frames from Fancy Pants - Beloved collection that would work.  Well, then I couldn't just frame the sentiment....I had to make a shaker, too!!  :)  

I filled it with sequins and some of my little glass beads that I use for mixed media art journal pages....yes, literally "filled" it.  lol...  I put it together and you couldn't even read the sentiment because of all the sequins and beads.  Hahahaha!!!  My second attempt worked better.  :)

I used a scrap of patterned paper to angle onto the card base, but felt like it needed something more.  So I pulled out a doily and flowers.  I was laying this all out before gluing anything on, when I decided to stencil the white card base with a thrift store stencil and some Simon Says Stamp - Sea Glass Ink.  I love the pretty, but subtle look!

A big fluffy chiffon bow finished it all off.  This bow probably will get crushed in the mail....so, Karen, here's a close up of it before it gets a once-over by the postal rugby team.  :)

Bonus:  this turned out to be a stash-busting card since so many things came from thrift stores or had been lurking in my stash for some time!

Hope everyone enjoyed seeing my card for Karen.  Happy Birthday, again, my friend!!  Hugs!!!

<3
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Jennifer Grace Creates - Challenge to be Inspired Linky Party
2. Eureka Stamps Challenge #141 - Shaker Cards
3. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Stencil It
4. Tombow May Flowers Challenge 
5. The Paper Girls Challenge - It's Party Time