Lagoon Club Scrap Blog Hop

Welcome friends to the Lagoon Club Scrap Blog Hop!! This is probably going to be one of my favorite kits for a long time...why??  Because this was one of my suggested themes...Mermaids!!  I love mermaids and there are so many cool images and fun phrases included in this kit, it's just the best.  I am so excited to share what I've made today I'll get right to it....

I made a mermaid pocket letter!! I wanted to include so many different elements into a project I figured this was the best way to do so.  This is the first time I've made any "sticky out parts" on a pocket letter but the mermaid tails and seahorses were too cool to confine to the 2.5x3.5" area. 

Lots of cool sentiments and phrases but there is one I couldn't fit onto this PL but I was able to use on a card earlier this month...about thighs touching being closer to a mermaid...too funny!

I've had that fun little octopus die in my collection for a while now and he's just too stinkin' cute not to include.

I had fun with the dark blue printed star fish paper...I knew I wanted dimension so I pulled out my ocean colored Dew Drops and some gemstones to embellish those prints.

I wanted to be sure to show the ATC that is hiding behind the larger mermaid tail.  It as well as a couple other ATC's in this letter have real tiny shells on them.

I hope you've enjoyed my Mermaid Pocket letter...

For more inspiration check out the next stop on the hop...

Tricia - The Efficient Crafter

and the complete list of artists can be found  here:

Club Scrap Lagoon Blog Hop

Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Supplies:

Club Scrap - Lagoon Kit - Stamps, Cardstock, Pattern Paper, Embellishments, Ribbon, Twine

Imagine - StazOn Inks

Stash - Vellum, Shells, Netting, Dew Drops, Glitter

It Bee Friday!!

YES!!  Friday :)  Today I wanted to share some more Bee fun and the new Bee themed stamps from Rubber Stamp Tapestry!

I have one of those 3-d embossing folders that is really dimensional - but what do you know - the back side looks just like a bee honeycomb!  So I went with it.

For this card I really wanted pinks and purples to bee the star so I stamped with Memento Dye inks and then used my Prismacolor to finish them off.  The card base is a shimmery purple so I thought it needed a little sparkle too so I added tiny green gemstones here and there.

And I couldn't resist, I had to make another card using the vintage looking bee hive. I also incorporated a few of the different bee designs as well.  Don't you think the top bee is just too cute?  

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend...

and

may you all BEE blessed!

Greetings 2 Go Guest Artist Cards

This month I was lucky enough to be invited to be the Greetings 2 Go Guest Artist for the Lagoon kit at Club Scrap.  I was given this honor because mermaids were one of my kit suggestions last year and they used it!

The Greetings to Go kits are designed to make at least 12 cards and usually there are parts and pieces left over to make several more.  Today my cards are being featured over on the Club Scrap Blog - Roni's Lagoon Greetings 2 Go...but I wanted to share a couple here to whet your appetite!  There are usually 3 different card designs in each kit, below is one card of each design.

This is a fun card that stands up all on it's own. I thought it would be fun to stencil the seaweed in the background to help frame the mermaids in the shaker on the center panel.

The next set of cards are long skinny light teal colored cards. For this example I stamped one fish regularly and I stamped the second fish on my craft mat which I then placed a piece of cardstock over top and burnished.  This created a perfect mirror image fish! Both were colored using Chameleon markers and given different colored air bubbles just for fun.

The final card consists of a large white card base with a teal mat main image. I decided to do a bit of watercoloring with Fireworks! Sprays - this gives you color and maximum shimmer which I thought was perfect for the "sand and sea" theme on this card.

If you'd like the see the rest of my cards please head on over to the Club Scrap blog and check them out....

Roni's Lagoon Greetings to Go

Hope you enjoy the inspiration as much as I had making them.

"Tried It" Jot Journals

I have never used the "Tried It" button on Pinterest so I was excited when I found out that the Club Scrap Artist Team Challenge for August was to choose something from the Club Scrap Pinterest Board and try it!

I had a hard time choosing because there are so many fun projects, techniques and ideas there but I finally chose to try these....Jot Journals!  

I picked them because I always seem to be searching for a piece of paper to write things down.  Usually the only thing I can find is the back of a gum wrapper or a corner torn from a piece of junk mail...these little beauties ought to solve that problem!  The tutorial for these cute little books can be found here - Mini Jot Journal.

Here is how mine turned out....

I am so happy with how these turned out.  These are definitely a Pinterest success!  I am so making more of these...they were so much fun to make and I think they will be great stocking stuffers this Christmas!  I used mixed media paper in these little journals because I wanted to take them to sketch/doodle in the car when I have to wait.  Tricia mentioned in her tutorial that you could use regular weight lined or copy paper, I thought it might be fun to use some graph paper or even watercolor paper for a tiny watercolor book.

I did change a couple things when making mine.  I switched up the size...I wanted them a bit smaller than the original because I have a small purse.  My Jot Journals are 3.5 x 5".   I was using some chipboard I had in my stash which I think was a bit thicker than what Tricia used so I scored the center fold line as well as a line on each side.  This seemed to help the thicker chipboard cover wrap around the inside contents better.

I used my ancient corner rounder to cut all of the pages/covers.  UGH - I promptly ordered a We R Memory Keepers Chomper - Corner Rounder after that!  My hands aren't as strong as they used to be and that's a lot of squeezing.  I'm sure it will be lots easier when I get the new chomper.

I stamped the images and colored them using Prismacolor colored pencils.  I LOVE how vibrant they look on the chipboard!  Really makes the images pop.  

I also changed how I bound these little books - I used elastic cord that was in my stash forever...that way I can change out the papers when they get used up w/o having to make an entirely new book.

And here they all are....

My wiggly mermaid journal.  Love those colors!

I thought it would be fun to have pink, purple and blue bubbles.

I hope you've enjoyed my version of Jot Journals and give it a try yourself.

The next stop on the hop is...

Tina

The complete list of inspiring CS Artist Team Links can be found here:

"Tried It" Challenge

Thanks for stopping by!!

Supplies:

Club Scrap.com - Lagoon Cardstock & Stamps, Book Binding Glue

Imagine - VersaFine

Prismacolor - Colored Pencils

Chipboard, Mixed Media Papers, Elastic Cord

Waterfall Card with a Twist

I am super excited to share a card I made recently. One of the challenges for the Imagine team this month was "movement" so I thought and thought.  I knew I wanted to do a little something different. I love waterfall cards but most designs leave a bit to be desired in aesthetics department...the waterfall mechanism isn't very attractive so I wanted to change that.

I found this tutorial by Kay Williamson Waterfall Technique which she used on a scrapbook page. I instantly fell in love with the look and decided that with a few modifications I could turn this into a really cool looking card!

Check it out.....


Fun huh?  I will be working on a tutorial to create one for yourself.

Supplies

Imagine

Memento Inkpad – Teal Zeal, Bamboo Leaves, Desert Sand
Memento Dual Tip Markers – Teal Zeal, Bamboo Leaves, Desert Sand
Sponge Dauber

Other

ClubScrap.com – Cardstock, Bamboo Stamps
Hardware
Brad
Twine

Freshly Made Sketches #301

Today I have a card I made using a sketch from the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge - #301. I love this sketch because it not only got me creating but it also allowed me to use a die that I've had in my stash for a while that I've never used before.

I also used a stamp that I hadn't used much either...this is a cool burst pattern background stamp from the Club Scrap Kit Pattern Play.  I pounced Teal Zeal, Bamboo Leaves and Lilac Posies over the image and stamped it onto white cardstock. I then die-cut the panel using a MFT scallop edge die.  This panel was mounted on a black card base then I added glitter to all of the little bursts.  It took a while but I think it was worth it.  Finally the "thank you" sentiment was added.

Freshly Made Sketches #301

Supplies:

ClubScrap.com - Pattern Play Stamps, Cardstock
Imagine - Memento Dye Inks
Glitter

You're Sweeter Than Honey!

Today I wanted to share a couple cards I made using the newly released Bee-Utiful Day UM set from Rubber Stamp Tapestry.

I made a little flip card using the sentiment that I used to title this post...You're sweeter than honey!  Included in the set are a few bees each in a different style one of which I used on this card.  There is also a honeycomb stamp that could be stamped singly for a bit o' honey or several times if you're a honey lover like Pooh.

I used the honeycomb on the inside as well along with another fun sentiment included in the set along with the same bee from the front and a little swish.

But my favorite part of this card is the little honey dipper!  I colored it with my Memento Dual Tip markers and drew a drop of honey ready to fall.  I added a bit of pen work around the edge of the honey drop to give it a bit of definition and a bit of glitter for that extra bit of something special.

Another fun saying in the set was used to make this card and another darling bee.  This bee is just too cute don't you think?  He was stamped, colored then cut out and finally mounted on the card using double stick foam tape to really make him come alive. I cut his little wings apart and used a paper shaping tool to give him some "body".  He's very dimensional in person.  He also got a bit of glitter on his little wings just for the fun of it.

Bee sure to stop back next week...I'll have a couple more cards to share with you as I'm just having so much fun playing with these awesome new designs!

Supplies:

Rubber Stamp Tapestry - Bee-Utiful Day UM Stamp Set
Imagine - Memento Dual Tip Markers; VersaFine Ink
MFT - Dies
Cardstock, Glitter

Happy Bee-day!

Did you know that Rubber Stamp Tapestry just released 3 new stamp sets today?  Well they did and they are just bee-utiful! You know how much I love peg stamps, well I was lucky enough to be able to play with these stamps in advance! It was such a nice surprise to receive these in the mail. I have a couple cards to share with you that I made using two of the new sets.

The first card was made using the peg stamp set - Field of Clover.  It's a great set - especially since my guys make hay...I can see this coming in very handy.  The set comes with 5 stamps - the clover leaf, a small fern, 2 different clover flowers and a darling little bee.  I used this combination of stamps to create the "frame work" around the sentiment.  The sentiment, swishes, and 2 additional bees are from their new UM stamp set - Bee-Utiful Day (more on those tomorrow).  All of the images were stamped using a variety of Memento Inks.

My second card was made using the peg stamp set - Chamomile Bee. This set includes one of my favorite "bee" type images - the old fashioned domed hive.  I don't know what it is but I love those things.  I drew in a little pedestal for it to sit on in my chamomile garden. This card was colored with a combination of Memento Inks and Memento Dual Tip Markers with a bit of glitter thrown in here and there for a bit of sparkle.  The sentiment is also from the Bee-Utiful Day set.

I'll be back tomorrow with a few cards made using the Bee-Utiful Day stamps - see you then!

Supplies:

Rubber Stamp Tapestry - Chamomile Bee; Field of Clover, Bee-Utiful Day

Imagine - Memento Dye Inks, Memento Dual Tip Markers, VersaFine - Black

Cardstock - Georgia Pacific (white); Bazzill Basics (colored)

Glitter

Tuesday Morning Sketch #416

I've been in a bit of a slump lately...so I decided today just to choose a random sketch challenge that I've never participated in before and go for it.  Well you know what - it worked!!  I found the sketch below at Tuesday Morning Sketch blog and I WAS inspired and it did get me excited.

Here's what I made....

and here's the inspiration sketch...

Tuesday Morning Sketch #416

I took a bit of liberty with how the "tails" are positioned to make them fit with my sentiment but I love how it turned out.  And yes, I do resemble the sentiment so it made me even happier!  LOL!!

Supplies:

Club Scrap - Lagoon Kit - Cardstock, pattern paper, stamps

Imagine - StazOn Black Ink

Kuretake Zig - Clean Color Real Brush Watercolor Markers

Hot Hot Hot!!

The challenge this month over at Just For Fun Rubber Stamps blog is very timely...at least it fits in very well here in Indiana.  The theme is Hot Hot Hot! and boy is it ever...I don't mind the high temps so much but that paired with the humidity is a killer.  

Here are some fun cards I stamped for a bit of inspiration....

Makes you sweat just lookin' at 'em doesn't it??

LOL!!!

If you'd like to join in the fun to be eligible to win a JFF Rubber Stamps GC be sure to head on over to the blog and add your new stamped entry here - JFF August Challenge - Hot Hot Hot.  The winner is chosen using Random.org.

Stamp A Coloring Book!

Did you realize that last Wednesday was National Coloring Book Day?  Well it was and with the recent up-tick in coloring book interest I thought it would be fun to stamp my very own coloring book so that's just what I did!

Wish You a Magical Day 

(and a unicorn)

Coloring Book

I started off my making a set of rainbow pages using both Memento and VersaColor (chalk) Inks.  Then I stamped all sorts of unicorns - some in scenes others all over the pages, etc.  

I bound them together using my zutter.

And I now have a fun unicorn themed coloring book that fits into my purse.

And I can color away just about anywhere!

How's that for fun?

Supplies:

Imagine

• Memento Inkpad – Lady Bug, Tangelo, Dandelion, Ivy Cottage, Teal Zeal, Bahama Blue, Lilac Posies, Grape Jelly, Danube Blue
• VersaFine Inkpad – Onyx Black
• VersaMagic Inkpad – Pixie Dust, Pink Petunia, Pink Grapefruit, Mango, Key Lime, Oasis Green, Sea Breeze, Ocean Depth, Spring Pansy, Pretty Petunia
• Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Danube Blue, Lilac Posies
• irRESISTible Texture Spray – Danube Blue
• Sponge Dauber

Other

• Cardstock
• Avery Elle – Be a Unicorn stamp set
• CC Designs – Unicorn Dreams stamp set
• Lawn Fawn – Winter Unicorn
• Hero Arts – Unicorn DC208; Unicorn F6231
• Joy Claire – Doodle Flowers
• Just For Fun Rubber Stamps – Cupcake, Water Globe
• Pinkfresh Studio – Unicorn Dreams
• Technique Tuesday – Say It Happy
• Unity – Butterfly
• Spellbinders – Label Die
• Zutter – Binder, Owire (or any book binding kit available)
• Chipboard
• Masking Pape

New Card Sketch & Examples

Hi Friends....  I hope you've all been enjoying your summer so far.  Time has flown so quickly, it's hard to believe it's already August.

Today I wanted to share a new card sketch I made for the Club Scrap Forum...

I originally made this sketch with the idea that the background would be great to use up smaller cut up pieces left over from other projects.  I have been cleaning and rearranging lately (more about that below) and found a package of papers from Club Scrap called Quads.  Each month one of the kits contains a sheet of paper that has 4 coordinating patterns from the kit in a smaller size.  They are really great for making cards ~ and they work perfectly for this sketch!

And here are my cards... 

I've used all sorts of papers, cardstock, stamps, 

sentiments and embellishments from lots of different kits for these cards...

I hope you like them!

 

So what do you think? 

Ready to give it a try?

Supplies:

ClubScrap.com - Cardstock, Quad Prints, Embellishments, Stamps

Imagine - Memento Dye Ink; VersaFine Black Ink

MIA...This is very long and boring tale but I just need to get it out....

Yes, I've been a bit MIA this summer...originally it started out because we are redoing how our kitchen is set up...not remodeling because the basics are staying the same.  More like out with the old, in with the new.  We've had 2 Hoosier Cabinets, a computer cabinet, a free-standing counter cabinet and a small freezer in our kitchen in addition to a small round table for years and years.  Since the kids are gone we don't really use the freezer anymore, dh's computer/printer were really messed up and the cabinets have become catch-alls.  That paired with the fact that our family has grown by leaps and bounds we need a much larger table.  

Well, you can't have it all because there is only so much room.  So we started changing things up...first I had to find cabinets I wanted to replace the old ones for some sort of storage.  That was easier said than done.  I ordered some "wood" cabinets off of Amazon which turned out to be just particle board (which I hate) - when they arrived they were broken up pretty bad so we had to return and wait to get the new ones.  In the mean time I unloaded one of the cabinets and had stuff in boxes (all over the place) so when the new cabinets arrived I could put them where they needed to go. Once the new ones finally arrived I put them together and they were cheap but the kitchen had already been apart for quite some time and I was sick of it so they are in.  I then loaded those up with everything from the boxes that was going back in and found places for the rest of the stuff elsewhere.  I am still dealing with the returns because UPS lost one of them (this is 1.5 months later).

We got dh a new all in one computer - got rid of the old computer/printer and cabinet.  His new set up is in the living room and works out much better.  

I just recently got the 2nd Hoosier Cabinet unloaded (yes, boxes sitting everywhere again) and it is waiting to be removed.  Thankfully Mom and Dad are taking the free standing cabinet but it's again piled up with junk from the 2nd cabinet.  Now I have to find places for all of the junk that was in that cabinet to get rid of all of the boxes.  

We don't know what we're going to do with the freezers...plural - we have a small one in the kitchen and a larger one in the garage.  Since it's just the 2 of us we don't need to have half a beef in the freezer anymore...it would take us years to eat it all.  We are currently trying to figure out what to do with them. So that is in limbo.

After all of these things are sorted then we can finally start to look for a new table/chairs to go in the freed up space.  I can't wait till it's all done, I'm sick of living in the unorganized clutter of it all.  It drives me nuts.

I have also been rearranging my spare craft area with more shelves so I could organize my Etsy store stuff.  I have lots of stuff that's never even been listed because I don't have a good place to keep it all together until now.  I am about 75% done on that front.  Need to get it finished because our furnace is in the same room and I need to get the stuff I moved from one side of the room to the furnace side moved before we need it to run.  

AND we also found out that we are grandparents!!!  Yes, you read that correctly....my oldest son has a son that turns 2 years old today!  It was quite a shock since we had no clue... name the emotion and we've gone through it.  BUT this has been a good thing, he is the sweetest little boy and such a joy to get to know.  It didn't take long for him to worm his way into all of our hearts. Which is why we needed a bigger table - we went from a family of 5 to a family of 9 in an instant! 

All of this on top of getting 2 new (to us) vehicles, a new living room suit, and working away at our business and the guys handling all the farming.  It's been unreal - I literally don't know where all the time has gone these last 3 months. It has just been a whirlwind of activity, emotions, etc.  So my art has taken a beating as far as time to play.  I have been working on design team stuff and gifts for some people but other than that I haven't had time for much of anything. 

In 3 weeks or so we're going on vacation and I can't wait! I so need a break from it all.  I'm hoping that when we return I can get back into a routine and back to crafting each day.  So, that's what's been going on and why I've been so MIA....I'm hoping as fall approaches things will get back to some semblance of normal...whatever that means ;)  LOL!!