Valentine Princess

Today I wanted to share a card I made using a great image from Queen Kat Designs.  This image is by Maigan Lynn and is called Valentine Princess.

Check out the image in full:

Isn't she stunning??  I meant to share this card around Valentine's Day but I don't think I did here on my blog.

Here is something I made using this great girl:

I paper pieced her skirt, embossed the background.  I think she looks fabby in these great Valentine colors.

Then I made this card using just part of this wonderful image:

I had some meshy sort of ribbon in my stash that I thought would add some great texture to this card.  Very simple but fun.

Get ready because the new Queen Kat Release is coming soon for March.  And for March I decided to watercolor my girls!

That's all for now!


Maria

Mixed Media Tag

Mixed Media with Sweet Stamp Shop!

I've been in a mixed media/art journalling mood lately and loving it!  Today I wanted to share a tag I made using stamps from the Sweet Stamp Shop!  I was honored to be a guest designer for them for February what fun that was!

This is a manilla tag and I used Dylusions sprays by Ranger.  I also used some stencils from the Crafters Workshop.  The black letters is a stencil but the other images are stamps from Sweet Stamp shop and the set called Sweet Victoria.

The Dylusion sprays are soo much fun to play with especially with stencils.  Although I used ink for the letters.

Well thanks for stopping by!

Maria

Just Us Girls Inspiration Week

This week Tangii is our hostess for your photo inspiration challenge!  Check out this photo above how sweet is that!  I decided to go with the colors and the theme for my simple card.

I used an old kit by Unity Stamp Co.  This kit may actually be retired by now but it was one of my very first Unity kits 5 years ago when they opened!  When I want a shell to stamp with this is my go to kit!

I used the teal, brown and white from the picture above.  And my pattern paper was inspired by the pattern in the napkin and then the shell of course.


Be sure to swing on by the Just Us Girls Design Team for great inspiration:

Lisa

Marisa

Vicki

Tangii

Elise

Andrea

How to play: Please copy and use our graphic on your post. You need to upload your project for this week's challenge to your online blog or to a public photo gallery. Leave a link that goes directly to your project in the Linky Tools form at the the post. If you upload to online galleries, please use the keyword or tag, JUGS177. After you post to Linky Tools you may also leave a comment here.

Deadline to be considered for the "Chic of the Week" is 9:00 PM EST on Thursday, February 28. The Linky Tools form will close at that time. Our top pick, "Chic of the Week", will be announced on the following Friday morning. 

Well that's all for now!


Maria

Unity Friends with Flair Friday!

Hey there!

First off I want to thank the Unity gals for my FWF win last week, that was such an awesome surprise and treat!

So are you getting sick of journal pages?  Because I have more to share!  LOL!  I love making cards that is how I started in this hobby but since getting into mixed media I've been trying to play with more things and mediums etc.  It's fun to just mess around even if it does not come out great!

Here is a 2 page spread I did yesterday:

Yesterday new Angie Girls when on sale in the Unity shop and I was inspired to use one of the Angie Girls I currently have so I stamped Angie's Andie Girl and used watercolor crayons to color her in:

Then I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with her so I ripped her out (instead of cut) and put her in my journal:

My background is using Dylusions Sprays and Crafter Workshop stencils.  I used ink for the leaves which is also a stencil.

On the second page I used the Unity Alphabet set called Carnivale Alpha!  I LOVE this kit I haven't used it much up until now but it's wonderful and fabulous for art jounralling!

 On this second page I stamped using the alpha kit "Angie Girl" and on the bottom in white I wrote "and friend". :-)  SO I had to stick my little owl up top which is a Unity Itty Bitty!

This journal is actually a real book.  It's a hard back book I picked up at a book sale for .25!  I call this journal my owl journal.  I started it I think early last year while I was taking the Wild Art of Abandonment.  It's one  of Christy Tominlinson's classes.  We learned to draw quick fun owls so I created pages in this journal with owls and since I love them I decided to make this my "owl" journal which means I will use at least one owl on all pages even if small :-)

Here is the front cover:

I also wanted to share with you a different two page spread from this journal.  The owls here I drew myself and colored with water color crayons.  The background contains Unity stamps as well as stencils.

Well thank so much for stopping by today!!

Maria

A Happy Hello

Hey there!

This week I'm sharing some Oldie's cards on the Stamping With the Oldies blog!  So I wanted to share todays card with you.

This is an older Unity Stamp Co birdie stamp and the sentiment is from the kit called Favorite Sentiments.  The paper is from Webster's Pages and I thought it was a nice background for the bird.

Be sure to swing on by Stampin With the Oldies blog and check out all the fun inspiration on using your old stamps and supplies!

Till later!

Maria

Sweet Stamp Shop Guest Designer

So I have been a guest over at Sweet Stamp Shop this month for their February release!  I am thrilled to be a part of the group of girlies who are getting their sweet on this month!

I had the pleasure of working with a new stamp set called Warm Thoughts.

Today I wanted to share a card I made using this fun set:

I just love the teal and yellow together so bright and vibrant.  For the leaves I stamped them twice next to each other to give a shadow effect.  I had this fun bright yellow ruffled ribbon in my stash for some time and thought it would work well on a card.

Here is another card I made in a monochromatic tone using this new set:

Be sure to swing on by the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog for more information and inspiration regarding all the newest sets this month!

Thank you to Nicole for having me as a guest this month.

Maria

Unity Inspired Challenge

This month Unity Stamp Co has started a new awesome Unity challenge!  This is will be the official one and only monthly Unity challenge!  There will be a choice of 3 challenges in which you can mix them together or do each one or just do one.  There will be a card sketch, color inspiration and layout sketch.  The only requirement is to use Unity Stamps!

Well it's no secret that I LOVE LOVE Unity stamps!  I've been a fan since the beginning almost 5 years ago now! Angela the owner rocks and so does the entire team!  I'm honored to be helping out with their customer Growing In Unity program.  It's fabulous, each week a Unity fan gets to be featured on the Unity blog, receives a stamp set and gives away a prize!  This program is filled for 2013, that is how popular it is.  So, if you haven't checked Unity out you need to now!

For the challenge I decided to go with with the color challenge and made a canvas.  I've been loving mixed media and art journalling lately.

Here is what I came up with:

I used hot glue around the edges and to create the heart.  Then I painted using acrylic paints.  A bunch of stamping around using different Unity Stamps.  This bird is an older one and I'm not sure if it's still in the Unity inventory.  But the "dream" stamp is from the kit called Make Your Mark.  Some of the texture stamps you see (sorry you can't see it all in the photos) is from a kit called Bitty Backgrounds.  Within the heart I used a heart stamp from one of the great SMAK kits!

Here is another view:

The bird and vine (yes I know the vine should have been a little closer to the bird but I realized it once it all dried so I just went with it) are popped up and are on some grungeboard for dimension.  I stamped them on the grungeboard then paper pieced the bird with colorful papers.  The leaves I colored and then added some stickles for glitter.

My daughter saw this creation and I got her seal of approval so I figured it was ready to share!

Be sure to go check out the Unity Inspired Challenge and play today!

Well that's all for now!

Maria

With Love

This week at JUST US GIRLS we have a great color challenge!  Coral, Sage, Kraft and White

Here is what I came up with:

I used the set called Sweet Victoria by the Sweet Stamp Shop!  I used SU Cameo Coral and Crumb Cake.  My pattern paper is by Basic Grey and the ribbon is SU.

Be sure to swing on by the Just Us Girls Design Team for great inspiration:

Lisa

Marisa

Vicki

Tangii

Elise

Andrea

How to play: Please copy and use our graphic on your post. You need to upload your project for this week's challenge to your online blog or to a public photo gallery. Leave a link that goes directly to your project in the Linky Tools form at the the post. If you upload to online galleries, please use the keyword or tag, JUGS176. After you post to Linky Tools you may also leave a comment here.

Deadline to be considered for the "Chic of the Week" is 9:00 PM EST on Thursday, February 21. The Linky Tools form will close at that time. Our top pick, "Chic of the Week", will be announced on the following Friday morning. 

Well that's all for now!


Maria

Friends With Flair Friday

Hello friends!  It's Friday and time for Friends With Flair!  I've been busy lately with the kids and haven't made too many cards.  But that's ok I've been messing around in my art journal again though.  Finding videos online from Dyan Reaveley (Ranger).  I also found a great mixed media journalist via Youtube:  Limor Webber.  I've been picking up ideas and techniques from these gals.

Today I have a page I have been playing with and where I used Unity Stamps:

It's not a work of art by any means just a "canvas" to play on.  Here I used my Distress Inks and stencils (inspired by Limor)  to create the background.  Things like the black tag like stencil near the lower right corner just doesn't work well.  But those are things you learn from or go back and do something else with.  But the jar and sentiment are Unity.  The big black dots is Unity and the Hearts on the lower right corner is Unity.  I also used a Unity background stamp over all the stencils which might be hard to see.

The bright pink ink on the jar is the new neon inks by Hero Arts!  I picked up pink and green yesterday at my LSS.  VERY COOL STUFF!  I want more now.  Will be super fun in journals.

Anyhow, even though this is not fabulous I still thought I'd share because hey why not!  I love playing around with different products in a journal.  I feel like if it comes out great well that's fabulous and if not no worries shut the book or just turn the page.  OR just Gesso over it all and start over!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Happy Friday!!

Maria

Sweet Stamp Shop New Release

I am thrilled to be a part of the Sweet Stamp Shop's DT this month!  New and fun things are happening over at SSS and each month there will be new designers!  How cool is that?  

Today for this month's release I'm sharing a card I made with one of the new sets called Warm Notes!  This set has a great sentiment, a background style stamp and some wonderful bold flowers!  

Using some great paper by Webster's Pages I created this simple card:

This is such a wonderful simple set that has alot of versatility!  I've been playing around with art journalling and I think these stamps would be great as texture and backgrounds on art journal pages as well!

I'll have more to share coming up soon and on my special Guest Design Day on Feb 18th!   Thanks to Nicole for having me I do hope I'll get another chance soon!

Be sure to swing on by the Sweet Stamp Shop Blog for loads of inspiration over the next few weeks from all the great designers this month!

Then go order you STAMPS and get YOUR SWEET ON!  

Thanks for stopping by!!!

Maria

Snapshot of Love - Just Us Girls Challenge

Lisa is out hostess this week for JUST US GIRLS!    And we are masking!  I went simple using a great image from Sweet Stamp Shop from the set called Lil Sweet Peeps.

Here is what I came up with:

I masked the camera in black ink.  Then I paper pieced the center one and added a button and some twine.

Be sure to swing on by the Just Us Girls Design Team for great inspiration:

Lisa

Marisa

Vicki

Tangii

Elise

Andrea

How to play: Please copy and use our graphic on your post. You need to upload your project for this week's challenge to your online blog or to a public photo gallery. Leave a link that goes directly to your project in the Linky Tools form at the the post. If you upload to online galleries, please use the keyword or tag, JUGS175. After you post to Linky Tools you may also leave a comment here.

Deadline to be considered for the "Chic of the Week" is 9:00 PM EST on Thursday, January 31st. The Linky Tools form will close at that time. Our top pick, "Chic of the Week", will be announced on the following Friday morning. 

Well that's all for now!


Maria

Dream

If you are on the east coast in the track of the huge storm stay safe today!  I'm staying in and crafting!

Did you check out the new release on Wednesday on the Queen Kat Designs facebook page?  Lots of great new images!  Today I wanted to share a card using one of Maigan Lynn's newest images!

How is that for a bright and colorful card!  I love bright colors when crafting but in real life I don't use them.

Be sure to swing on by the Queen Kat Store and check out all the new images!

Thanks for stopping by!

Maria