Where am I??? Long Story Short...sort of

 

Hello Friends....up until recently I have been missing for a while and a few folks have messaged me asking if I was o.k. I posted a bit about what's been happening on FB but I neglected to post here.  I know lots of you don't do FB so better late than never right?  

So last fall we passed around Covid for a bit which started it all off...later in the year I broke a couple ribs which paired with Covid is not a good combo. Coughing and broken ribs do not go well together. This is the reason I didn't do Christmas cards last year.

 At some point my dad was given the diagnosis of lung cancer (after a lifetime of smoking - Don't get me started) but neglected to tell us until it had progressed so far that he was then dx. with lung cancer which had metastasized to his brain.  We found this out in March. He passed away the end of April. 

A week after his funeral I had a stroke which we were told was from undiagnosed diabetes (and I think the stress of everything else going on).  My right arm was effected, my face had a bit of paralysis and my mouth went numb. 

Since then I've been trying to figure out life with diabetes, poking my finger multiple times a day, trying to regain control over my arm/hand (of course it was my dominate hand) and trying to hold it all together...some days I am better at this than others.  Luckily my dh is here to encourage me and remind me how lucky I was/am.

One thing I've been doing is writing to people I have addresses for to help improve my control over my arm/hand.  Would you like to receive a card/letter? I would be happy to write you if you'd care to share your addy.  I'm not fast and it gets a bit "chicken - scratchy" after a bit but I'm getting better and better with each letter I write. If you're game, you can send your addy to me @  roni jj (at) g mail (dot) com (no spaces).  

Anyway, that's life in my world and what's been going on...

I hope you all are doing well and are healthy.

Lots of Inky Love....Roni

Gothic Alice in Wonderland Altered Shrine

 Last month I was lucky enough to be a winner at Gecko Gals for one of my cards...the prize was a special set of Gothic Alice in Wonderland images and man are they cool. They have a real creep factor going on.  Well I have been having fun playing at the challenges over there this month. I thought I was done but I remembered their Quarterly challenge was Altered Shrines so I decided to give it a go...

Alice in Wonderland

Gothic Style....

I had so much fun making this!! 

It really got me in the mood for Halloween - LOL!!

Gecko Galz Autumn Quarterly Challenge - Altered Shrines

Gecko Galz Steampunk Challenge - September 2023

 I am having fun with the challenges from Gecko Galz...today I have a fun Steampunk challenge card I made....

He's such a great image isn't he? I love him.  I started off by stamping a cream colored panel using the Gears background stamp from Lost Coast Designs.  I also used one of their Calligraphy stamps in Dove Grey.  I then edged the panel with a bit of Acorn ink and mounted it to a card base.  I next added a bit of copper glittery washi tape to the card. I mounted the image on a bit of copper cardstock and added a few tiny metal gears for fun.

Gecko Gals Steampunk Challenge - September 2023

Gecko Galz Christmas Challenge - September 2023

 Another fun challenge from Gecko Galz...this time Christmas!

I really liked this image and thought it would be fun to do a bit of fussy cutting.  I added lots of glitter accents to the image which unfortunately I couldn't capture in the photograph but rest assured the image stands up to the glittery background die-cut I used on the card.

Gecko Galz Christmas Challenge - September 2023

Gecko Galz Monthly Gothic Challenge - September 2023

 I love dark and creepy images so Gecko Galz Gothic Challenge is right up my alley...I started off with the really cool image featuring scary looking bats and ravens perched in a spooky tree framed by an orange colored moon.  

I added the fun Pin-Up Witch which I fussy cut and mounted on the card using foam tape to pop her off the background.  I colored the eyes of the bats/raven with a bit of glitter ink and stamped the sentiment directly on the card.  I finished it off with a few matte dots.

Gecko Galz Monthly Gothic Challenge - September 2023

Gecko Galz - Monthly Card Challenge September 2023

 I am trying to get back into crafting more and so I thought taking part in a few challenges would be fun.  I made a few cards for the Gecko Galz challenges - this one is the Card Challenge.  It's really fun and easy - they give you an image to begin with and then you create a card using it.  Here is my creation....

The image was so pretty to begin with it makes for such a stunning card. I thought I would keep it simple and just add a few pressed flowers and copper skeleton leaves from my collection. I went a bit out of my comfort zone for the card and used a piece of pink pattern paper from Prima which had copper accents as well.  Added a bit of twine and called it good.

Be sure to check out the other entries for this challenge...

Gecko Galz Monthly Card Challenge 0923

Coming Up Roses House Mouse Birthday Card

 I needed another birthday card and here's what I came up with...

just love these little guys!

House Mouse Birthday Card

 Hello All..

Wanted to share this card I made for my youngest sons recent birthday....  He likes the House Mouse stamps and I have so much fun using them.  I used the Sprinkles stamp plus a little candle stamp from one of the HM Cubes.  Just added some extra sprinkles to cover up the bottom of the candle so it blends seamlessly.

I am entering this into the current House-Mouse & Friends Challenge #398 :)

Let's Bling It Up!!!

 The current challenge at Lost Coast Designs - Bling It Up has allowed me to use one of my favorite supplies...GLITTER!!!

I know, I know...roll your eyes if you must but I love the stuff. It's just so pretty and I am usually pretty good about keeping it on the page and not elsewhere.  If you don't like regular glitter you can use Stickles Glitter Glue for a "less mess" option.

I wanted to use the Showgirls stamp because of course they always like a bit of bling. Today they are decked out in red with lots and lots of red glitter!!  As I was assembling the card I decided that why not go for it and cut a full sheet of glitter paper for the mat.  You know you can never have too much bling - LOL!!  Anyway, this is my creation for this very fun challenge.  I hope you can join in on the fun for your chance to win.

Steampunk Mermaid

Hello Friends - The current challenge over at Lost Coast Designs/Carmen's Veranda  - Steampunk/Vintage is quickly coming to a close.  You still have a bit of time to join in on the fun and today I have my final Steampunk card to share with you...my Steampunk Mermaid.

I started off by stamping the Steampunk Mermaid on a piece of vellum using StazOn ink.  Once the ink had dried I colored the back of the image with a variety of markers and left her to dry.  After the inks had dried I tore the edges and set aside.

I created the background with pigment powders in shades of blue. I stamped the Gears background stamp using VersaMark ink and embossed it using gold, silver and copper embossing powders.  I crumbled up the mat several times to give it a distressed look, scraped the edges with an envelope opener then mounted it onto a blue card.

The Steampunk Mermaid was affixed to the card using liquid glue in the two corners which I covered up with a few metal gears.

I hope you have a bit of time to join in on this challenge...

 

Dirigible Puzzle Piece

 Hello hello my Ink Stained friends!! 

Today I have a fun Vintage/Steampunk creation to share with you...

this time it's a very large piece of the puzzle...

I don't know about you but sometimes I like make things other than cards to stretch my imagination. One of my favorite alternatives to cards are puzzle pieces...every shape and size lend themselves to art.  Today's piece is about 5" tall which is quite a nice size to stamp on.  

The process....  

I started off by painting the puzzle piece with black acrylic paint. 
Once it had dried I stamped the Gears background stamp on to the piece using VersaMark ink.  
I sprinkled silver, ancient gold and verdigris embossing powders over the ink - shook off the excess and heated to melt.

A dauber was used to apply more VersaMark ink along the edges.

I then sprinkled with Copper ep, heated and melted.

For now the puzzle piece is finished.

The STP Dirigible image was stamped onto grey/blue cardstock using VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink. 

The image was colored using KingArt brush markers after which it was fussy cut from the cardstock.

The word Fly from the Misc Words set of stamps was stamped onto a gel plate scrap of paper and matted with metallic copper cardstock.

The Dirigible and word were then affixed to the puzzle piece with foam tape.

Hope you stop over at Lost Coast blog and join in on the fun!!

Mysterious Little Mermaid

 Hello all of you inky people out there...I hope you're enjoying your week so far.  

Today I have another card I made for the current challenge - Summertime!  I thought I would go under the sea for this card and used the Mermaid with a Shell stamp.

I started off by stamping her on bristol cardstock then used my iridescent watercolors to paint her tail and shell.  I used colored pencils to finish her off.  She was fussy cut and set aside.

I then commenced to work on the background.  I had such fun stamping this background - I fount a piece of teal cardstock which had a faint pattern on it.  I stamped the Mini Fish Collage and Mini Maritime Collage using VersaFine Clair Warm Breeze. I then used the Bubbles Background stamp to fill in the rest of the card.  Finally I used one of the ornaments from the Victoriana set to stamp a center line using Verdant VFC ink.  Once the ink had dried I used a white gel pen to fill in some of the Bubbles.

This panel was mounted on a black card and the mermaid was then affixed to the card using foam tape.  I finished the card off with some faux pearls and 3 stamped words from the Misc Words set.

Hope you all have an inky day and if you have a chance...be sure to join in on the fun!!

Summer Time Fun!

Good Moring all of my inky friends!

There is a brand new challenge at Lost Coast Designs - #172 Summertime!

To get into the Summertime spirit of things I went bright...really bright for the background. This is out of my wheelhouse but I really like how it turned out. To begin I stamped Sun Tiles (Carmen's Veranda) onto a piece of white cardstock using VersaMark ink and  then embossed it with white EP.  I then had a bit of fun with pigment powders in Lime Green, Yellow and Orange.   I maybe over did it with the orange but with the powders you never can tell until you hit it with water - LOL!!  This piece was trimmed to fit an A2 size teal card.

Next I stamped the Swimsuit Girl onto a piece of cardstock and fussy cut her.  I stamped the Beauty Fades sentiment on a piece of the scrap (from the background), mounted it on teal cardstock and mounted both onto the card.

Hope you join in on the fun if you have a bit of time!!

A little bit different....

 Merry Christmas in July!!

Roni here with another creation for the Lost Coast Challenge - Christmas in July.

I wanted to use some non-traditional stamps to create this card so I used the Girl With a Curl for the focal image which was stamped on kraft cardstock using black ink.  To create the background I used the Daisy Flourish which was stamped multiple times using Green Oasis Versafine Clair ink pad.  To finish the card off I stamped the sentiment from  Party Words and added a few sequins for a bit of bling.

Steamy Christmas Wishes

Welcome Welcome my friends!!

Today I wanted to share a fun card for the current challenge over at Lost Coast Designs...

#171 Christmas in July. 

I thought it would be fun to play around with a Steampunk Christmas so I stamped and colored the Gears 2 background using various shades of red and green markers in my stash.  I then colored the Steampunk Heart using the same colors.  I trimmed the background to fit onto a red card base then added a bit of burlap, the heart and sentiment from the Party Words set.

Hope you join in on the fun with Christmas in July!!

I Pledge Folk Art Angle Card

 Hello friends...a new challenge is up over at Lost Coast Designs - 

Challenge #170 Red, White and Blue!! 

Very excited about this challenge...

such a fun way to celebrate this country's independence...

I used the image called Pledge for this card.  I decided she would be perfect to paper piece so I stamped it once onto confetti cardstock using black ink then a second time on white cardstock using Tulip Red ink and clear embossing powder.  Finally I stamped it a third time using Versa Mark ink and white embossing powder on blue cardstock.  I then fussy cut the various parts and assembled her on the black inked image.  The panel was mounted on a piece of Club Scrap musical cardstock and affixed to a red card.  I had some glittery star brads for the perfect finishing touch :)

Hope you can find the time to join in on this fun challenge!

My Spirit Animal!!

 Another day - another challenge over at Lost Cost Portal to Creativity and what a fun challenge it is... Use Some Words!  

If you've ever checked out Carmen's Veranda Clear Sentiments you know there are so many fun, quirky and entertaining sentiments.  Today I have paired one - Spirit Animal with one of my favorite images from Lost Coast Designs - Flying Ballerina.

I used the circle stamp from the Brush Strokes set to create the background. 

I hope you have time to join in on the fun!!

Lost Coast Designs - Use Some Words challenge #169

 Ink Stained Roni here with my first contribution for the Use Some Words challenge.  I just love this stamp - Georges & Lewis.... Such a fun vintage image of childhood past.  I stamped the image once with Dove Grey then a second time using a few shades of blue Distress Inks.  I fussy cut the blue hat and coat and glued it to the grey image. The image was then die-cut and inked here and there with a bit more dove grey and blue.

I paired the image with the perfect sentiment from Carmen's Veranda - Be the Person.  It was all added to a card base with some vintage scrapbook paper in my collection.

Hope you join us for this fun challenge.... Use Some Words!

Lost Coast Designs Challenge #168 - Mini Me

 

Hello everyone!!  the current challenge at Lost Coast Designs/ Carmen's Veranda is Mini Me..... Think ATC's, Inchies, Twinchies, Moo Cards, etc.  I have to tell you I just love this challenge - so many fun little bits to try! Today I made some ATC cards using images from the Butterfly Set, Long Swirl and words from the Misc Words set.  

To create these cards I started off by dipping 3 different pieces of vintage ephemera into Distress Oxide inks and let them dry. Once dry I mounted them on ATC cards and trimmed away the excess paper.  Next I applied embossing paste through a stencil and let that dry. These dots were then colored using a variety of Marabu Art Crayons.  

I stamped the open areas with the long swirl and green ink.  The butterflies and words were stamped on scraps of paper from my stash. The butterflies were colored using Clean Brush Markers with a bit of Stickles added here and there.  The words were trimmed and the edges were inked then they were affixed to each of the ATC's.

I hope you are inspired to create your own little piece of art.  If you do, be sure to add it to the challenge page for your chance to win!!

Lost Coast Designs Challenge #165 Celebrate It!!

 It's time for another fun challenge over at Lost Coast Designs/Carmen's Veranda...Celebrate It!!  Yes it's pretty much a free-for-all of celebrations...birthday's, holiday's, anniversary, and so much more.  My first creation for this great theme is this....

You all know how much I love Halloween well it's time to celebrate it in April - LOL!!!

To create this card I started off with a gel print with shades of yellow, orange and red all mixed up which was trimmed to the approximate card size..  Initially I stamped the Spiderweb background on the paper in Dove Grey ink (Both of these stamps are from the new Brush Strokes set of stamps).  I then used VersaMark ink to stamp the drippy stuff at the top of the card and the distressed looking pattern at the bottom of the card.  Both of these were embosses using red ep. Next I stamped the Dancing Skeletons with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink.  Once dried I used a white gel pen to color the bones. Finally I added a couple sentiment stickers and a bit more pen work.  This panel was trimmed and affixed to the polka dot card base.

If you're inspired to create a celebration card please hop on over to the blog and add your creation.  You might just be the lucky winner of a gift certificate to Lost Coast Designs!

LCD Challenge #159 - Winged Things

 

Another fun new challenge over at Lost Coast Designs & Carmen's Veranda.... Winged Things!

Today I'm using a couple new stamps for my card...

I used the little honeycomb looking stamp from the new Brush Strokes set.  This was stamped onto a piece of yellow cardstock using Wild Honey Distress Oxide ink. For the main image I used Acorn VersaFine Clair ink and the Mini Bug Collage image.  I colored him using a variety of colored pencils and smudged on a bit more of the acorn ink.  I found some lovely bronze crystals that I finished off the card...they say bronze but it looks like honey IRL.

I hope you enjoy my card and join in on the fun!

Be sure to post your creation here - Winged Things - for your chance to win!!

Lost Coast Designs Challenge #158 - Slimline - Steamy 2023

 Hello Friends!!   I am so excited to be joining the LCD/CV Team once again to inspire you to join in on the fun.  The current challenge is Slimline Cards. You can find all of the details here...Challenge #158 Slimline

And here is my first creation...

My wish for you for a "Steam-y" 2023...decked out with all sorts of fun Steampunk images.

Here's what I did....

I started off by using a gel print as the base for the main image. I then stamped the following images using various colors of VersaFine Clair inks...

from Lost Coast Designs....

Steampunk Fly Girl

Steampunk Icarus

Steampunk Plane

Steampunk Flier

Long Flourish

Pieces of Calligraphy

from Carmen's Veranda

Clock Square

The image was edged with more VFC ink then matted and mounted on a card base.  I used Spellbinders number dies to cut black and teal 2023 which was mounted on the card.

Thanks for joining me and if you feel up to the challenge be sure to check out the info found here - Challenge #158 Slimline

and post your creation in the linky found there in.

Hello???? Is anybody out there?

 Wow, long time huh?  Well it's been a crazy year, most of it spent putting my house back together. Why you might ask... Our house flooded the beginning of May - if you look closely you will see a couple inches of water in my scrapbook room.  There was standing water in every room of the house. :(  Thankfully we had our RV which we parked in our driveway and where we spent much of the summer.

Due to the amount of water the folks who were drying the house out wanted to do a "pack-out".  Now we had something similar happen 20 years ago but we had to take care of sorting and getting rid so stuff ourselves.  No big deal...it was a lot of work but everything stayed with us and we knew what was what.  Well a pack-out is a whole other ball of whacks. These people come in and put everything in boxes - sort out what's wet and everything else is taken away to be stored in a secure facility until a future date.  Well it took them DAYS to get it all packed up...they were amazed at how organized and how much stuff I had packed into that room (the bedroom was also packed out). 

So, while the house was empty we painted every room, had the house re-plumbed and all new flooring. Then our boxes were returned 2 months later in mid-July...almost 300 boxes + lots of "extras" that didn't fit into boxes plus the furniture.  Our 1 1/2 car garage was completely filled back to front, floor to ceiling.  It was a nightmare...there wasn't even a path.  Bedroom stuff was mixed in with scrapbook room stuff so every box was a surprise and not in a good way.  

I decided this was the perfect opportunity to de-stash, organize and pretty much redo everything.  As you can tell by the photo above my room was pretty crowded but I knew where it all was. I started off by getting 3 Ikea Kallax 5 square x 5 square shelving units - 1 for my bedroom and 2 for the craft room. I can't tell you how much I love them.. They are WONDERFUL!!  They hold so much and look so neat and tidy.  I have acquired several other fun storage pieces which I'll tell you more about later.

So, mid-July till now!!! Yes, I am just getting everything finished up. It has been such a long tiring 6 months. Let me tell you - NEVER let anyone box your stuff up. There were boxes that had items from several different areas of my room all thrown together, There was stuff that had been neatly organized in a multi-drawer organize...these drawers were dumped into a box so nothing "accidentally" fell out of the drawers when they were moved!!!  Those boxes alone took several weeks to sort and put back into a semblance of order. Anyway, I haven't crafted anything for over 9 months which is why I haven't posted on my blog or even been on FB much.  In that time our washer sprung a leak, our stove died and our 2 year old fridge quit working as well.  Basically we've got a new house.  I am praying and knocking on wood that we won't have to do anything to the house for a good long time.

Since I'm not quite finished with my scrapbook room I will post photos and more info on my new organizers later...so very excited to share. i'm thrilled with my new room.

If you're still reading, I'm also excited to say I'm back on the Lost Cost Designs/Carmen's Veranda design team. I like to have a purpose to create and this is the perfect kick in the butt I needed to get back into action.  My first creation will be shared tomorrow right here on the blog and on FB.

So, more  coming...I hope you come back and see what's up.