Splitcoast Tutorial: Mixed Media Smooshing

This week's tutorial over on Splitcoast is a fun update to the old favorite Smooshing technique - our author's adding in a variety of different mediums and mixatives with beautiful results!

This truck set has been such a popular one at Spellbinders that they've designed an add-on set with more sentiments for the tailgate - there are so many fun occasions this truck can be used for now!

These are the mediums I used for my background panel - the Inka Gold is starting to dry out, but it is water soluble - I cut out a small piece and crumbled it onto my craft sheet, then misted with water, sprinkled the Brusho, and used a palette knife to mix the two mediums together.

Here's a closer look at the truck - the surfboard and beach ball are brushed with dye inks.

My second truck is cut from a print I did on my gel plate using pigment inks - I sponged a little Stazon Pigment ink on the truck for detail, and dabbed a little almost-dry acrylic paint on the tailgate to highlight the word.

 For the background, I sprayed my craft sheet with this dye mist, and then added in a few drops of Ken Oliver's Liquid Metals in copper - such a pretty sheen.

Here's a look at the full truck set, which has accessories for every occasion: 

Truckin' Through the Seasons Die Set

 And here is the new add-on set - I love that these can be used on tags or other cards, and aren't limited to the tailgate! So much fun. That scalloped rectangle is very cute too.

So Many Sentiments Etched Die Set

 That's all I know! Have a great week!

Splitcoast Tutorial: Coffee Filter Prints

It's my turn to share a tutorial over on Splitcoast, and I'm sharing a fun technique for using coffee filters to print on photo paper. You can find the tutorial HERE! 

Spellbinders August Small Die of the Month
Impression Obsession CL577 Maya clear set

Photo paper has some really cool properties when paired up with dye inks, because the coating on the paper allows it to take an instant 'print' of the ink that doesn't fade when it dries - you can actually dry it right away without changing the look. When you're working with watercolor powders, you can create some really interesting effects directly on photo paper... here's a sample I made in the video to show what that can look like. 

Spellbinders Shapeabilities Crystal Peaks die
Impression Obsession B13280 Be Here Now

The results tend to be more spotty, since the effect of the water is instant, and you don't get the full bleed and blend that you can get on more absorbent papers since the powders don't reactivate. That may be an effect that you want, but maybe not - it's great to try different methods to see what works best for different effects.

Spellbinders August Small Die of the Month

Impression Obsession CL577 Maya clear set

Darice® 4.25 x 5.75 Embossing Folder: Wire Fence

The other cards in my post were created by transferring activated watercolor powders using a coffee filter.

Spellbinders August Small Die of the Month
Sentiment - The Cat's Pajamas (retired)

I'm working with some dies from Spellbinders too - these sweet little flourished frames and birds you see are from their August Small Die of the Month kit! You can find out about all of Spellbinders' kit clubs here - there are various levels, and you don't have to be a subscriber to purchase.

Spellbinders Shapeabilities Little Boys at Play
Impression Obsession C13433 Never Give Up

 You can even make prints from filters that have been used - in the video you can see how I made this background using a filter that was still damp, but had been used pretty heavily on another card. It's a completely different look, but so cool!

Hero Arts May 2018 My Monthly Hero kit

When you're all done, dry the filters out to use as card backgrounds! There's so little waste with this technique. Again, check the tutorial for great tips on attaching coffee filters to cardstock.

 Hope you'll try this one out - there are so many ways to play!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Falling Leaves

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project with leaves or a fall theme.

This card was a simple one - I lined up 3 tree images by Lindsay Ostrom on watercolor paper, sprinkled them with a little ColorBurst, and then misted lightly with water. I used my brush to fill in some of the lined areas more completely, but otherwise just let the water do its thing. I painted in the trunks of the trees and let that color drip down to create their shadows as well. So fun!

Stamps I used: Striped Tree, Round Tree, Box Tree, Holiday Words set
Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Anna @ Sassy & Sweet Notes

Chris @ Cat Tales and Paper Trails

Daniela @ For the First Time

Ilina @ Creativity Within

Jeanne @ Inky Paws

Jenny @ One Krafty Kat 

Karen @ Paper Lilies and Ink 

Kelli @ Stamping with a Dream 

Kittie @ Kittie Kraft

Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal

Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Impression Obsession DT Thursday!

Thanks for joining me for Impression Obsession's DT Thursday today! Yesterday I shared a tutorial over on Splitcoast, and I thought it would be fun to share here today, since the products I used are from Impression Obsession.

I've used this Debossed Die Resist technique several times on my blog, and many of you have requested the instructions... this is the second card I made in the video below, using Colorburst and Brusho to color my panel. The resist effect can be done with either a white crayon or white oil pastel - I used an oil pastel here.

This technique is a lot of fun with the powders, because the oil pastel corrals the little granules that would normally blend together with water - you can see their variety inside the circles in the flower center.

Here's the video!

Supplies I used: Sunflower Background die, You Are Enough

Thanks so much for visiting - I hope you'll give this a try!

Splitcoast Tutorial: Watercolor Lifting

This week's tutorial over on Splitcoast is a technique called Watercolor Lifting. It's a fun resist technique where clear embossing protects stamped areas of a watercolor background, and other areas are lifted with a brushing of water.

As usual, I veered from the instructions a little bit, to show that other dye based mediums could be used - in the tutorial Wendy uses markers, but I wanted to try a little Color Burst instead. Instead of watercolor paper I used a sheet from my sketch book (Canson Mix Media.)... the paper was durable, but also a little more absorbent than I expected, which made for a nice background with less blending than a watercolor paper might have produced. I stamped a new background from my line called Sunset Sky and embossed clear, then used water to lift the background at the top of the panel, and mixed in a little bleach to clear the bottom.

We're settled into a rental and praying for a few more details to fall into place this week - it is nice to have an address now, but I'm finding crafting a little challenging, since some of the boxes I packed last and hoped to have with me got stuck in storage with everything else. As a result I'm working with v-e-r-r-r-r-y minimal basics (in boxes on the floor), 2 stamp sets from Honey Bee Stamps and my most recent Fall/Winter stamp release! So this will be interesting... I keep reminding myself that it's not forever... *sigh*

Come check out the tutorial, and give it a try!

Impression Obsession Spring Dies - Day 2!

Welcome to the Impression Obsession Team Spring Die hop! We have some beautiful new dies to share with you, and prizes too. Keep reading to find out how you could win a $25 gift certificate and get a few dies of your own!

My card today is made with the Butterfly Block die, which is beautifully intricate and makes for a quick and elegant card. I used Stick It on the die cut panel, and I also used the negative cut to frame the die cut.

This background came from my UFO (unfinished objects) stash, and it's such a fun technique I had to throw together a quick little video for you to share how it's done. Here's that:

The word stamp is from my Everyday Words clear set - it's a fun mix-and-match set that's super versatile. My card also fits today's Mix-Ability challenge over on Splitcoast, to create a mixed-media project using a winged thing!

The hop will run for 2 days (3/24/16 – 3/25/16) with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog each day. Comment once per blog per day for a chance to win an Impression Obsession Gift Certificate!  The more blogs you visit … the better chance you will have to win one of two $25 Gift Certificates. Comment entries will be open until 9pm EST on Sunday March 27th and all winners will be announced Monday March 28th on the Impression Obsession Blog. 

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Anna @ Sassy & Sweet Notes
Daniela @ For the First Time
Dina @ Mama Dini's Stamperia ---------------- you're here
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat 
Karen @ Paper Lilies and Ink 
Kittie @ Kittie Kraft
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Ken Oliver Crafts / Impression Obsession Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Ken Oliver Crafts/ Impression Obsession Blog Hop! Our teams have joined together for a two-day product showcase... I hope you'll take a peek at the projects everyone has made yesterday and today - all the links and hop details are below. Also, remember to comment for a chance to win!

I have a pile of brand new dies on my desk, so I was eager to play with a few - I also was sent a package of Ken Oliver's Stick-It adhesive sheets, which I've seen and heard about, but hadn't had the chance to use. I thought these detailed dies would be a great test run for this magical adhesive. It worked perfectly, just as promised - it's applied to the cardstock before cutting, and it's so thin that it just adheres perfectly to the die cut when it's removed, even with all these detailed cuts. Love it!

Another new hero on my desk is this light pad - it came with a grid, and that has been so helpful for centering and lining up layers.

The Ornate Oval Frame has some nested layers, so I switched out the center piece for a bit of watercolor paper I decorated with 2 of Ken's newest Color Burst colors - Merlot and Burnt Orange. Gorgeous earth tones, and so much fun to layer. I sprinkled small amounts of the powder onto a craft sheet, then spritzed water and laid my panel into the color, drying with a heat tool between layers. I used a little Copper Liquid Metal in there too!

The Cross dies are new as well - they're simple and elegant, and layer well too - and again, so easy to adhere with Stick-It. The sentiment comes from the Easter Basket clear set.

Be sure to visit the designers below for a chance to win 4 great prizes - Ken Oliver Crafts will be giving away 2 sets of Color Burst and Impression Obsession will be giving away two $25 Gift Certificates. Winners will be drawn from blog comments, so the more love you leave, the better your chance to win! Comment entries will be open until 9pm EST on Sunday March 6 and all winners will be announced Monday March 7.

Friday – March 4th 

Jeanne Streiff 
Diana Hetherington
Anna Wight 
Kimberly Jones 
Vicki Garrett 
Jessica Frost-Ballas 
Karen Amidon 
Tracy Pounds 
Laura Fulcher 
Nikki Davis  

Saturday – March 5th 
Yvonne Blair  
Dina Kowal ---------------------- YOU'RE HERE!
Giovana Smith 
Jenny Gropp 
Laurel Beard 
Kittie Caracciolo 
Zoey  Scarpelli
Daniela Dobson
Krista  Riley  

Thanks for stopping by!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Splashes of Color

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project with splashes of color.

I have the new Merlot Color Burst on my desk for our product swap blog hop Friday, so I thought I'd test it out on a watercolor card - it was a folded card, so I used both panels, adding color by sprinkling into wet, and also stamping from a craft sheet palette of activated powder. On this card, I stamped the image over the background, and then added deeper shading with more activated powder and a Distress marker.

For the second card I used the other half of the watercolor card. I stamped the Hibiscus image 3 times - once in brown and twice in a lighter kraft color.

On the darker image, I added shading inside the outlines, as I would normally color an image in. On the lighter images, I added color outside the outlines to create a negative image.

Stamps I used: Cactus Blossom, Expect Miracles,  Hibiscus 2, We Change, Dot Border

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration -

Anna @ Sassy & Sweet Notes
Daniela @ For the First Time
Dina @ Mama Dini's Stamperia ---- you're here
Ellen @ The Serendipitous Stamper
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Karen @ Paper Lilies and Ink
Kittie @ Kittie Kraft
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio

Remember you can enter these challenges too, using your Impression Obsession stamps! See the I.O. blog for all the details - you might even win a $25 gift certificate!! We'd love to have you join us.

Mix-Ability - Get Well Soon postcard drive

This week's Mix-Ability challenge is a postcard drive for one of our Internet Brands managers that is recovering from a bad kitchen accident. There was a secondary challenge to use a city theme... I missed that memo and went with a pretty floral matboard postcard instead.

I started with a lilac stamp set by Sheena Douglass from her Paint Fusion line... it looks like that line of stamps is still available from the UK. I sprinkled and spritzed some Colorburst and let it spread, then blotted with a paper towel. The leaves were painted with acrylic paint, and then I used the Colorburst again and diluted acrylic paint to shade the flowers.

I added some stamping to the background, a little more Colorburst (sprinkled and stamped), and embossed the sentiment over it all, using the MISTI for placement.

I hope you'll play along with us this week, and bring some joy to Alison's mailbox! You can find the challenge details HERE.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers while I was in Idaho! My appointments went very well - that was the easy part... next comes a 7 week detox, even-cleaner-than-before diet, and supplements to rebuild my organs and other systems that have been depleted by Lyme disease, co-infections, and adrenal fatigue.

 Woo hoo!

New IO dies for Christmas - hop with us!

Today the Impression Obsession designers are showing off some new fall dies - hop along for a peek and a chance to win! You'll find all the details listed at the IO Blog, and a list of designers below. All of the new dies you'll be seeing on the hop are available NOW! 

I wanted to showcase the new Large Poinsettia dies on something dimensional, so I had a little fun with this cube ornament, made from 2" Art Squares from Inchie Arts.

I started by coloring the poinsettias, leaves (cut from one large flower), and greenery using a combination of Colorburst and Brusho powders. I had enough left on my craft sheet to make a background on a sheet of watercolor paper too, and I used that for my cut squares (these are 1-7/8"). I stamped the Ornament Trio image on them, 3 at a time, in a dark brown ink, then stamped and embossed the Asteroid Belt texture stamp in gold over each panel randomly.

Each panel was glued to a 2" matboard square, and then I assembled the box - there are full directions HERE if you'd like to try making your own cube. Before I glued on the final piece, I added a cord hanger and tucked a tiny bell inside just for fun.

The poinsettias were shaped with a bone folder and adhered to the cube with hot glue. I used gold Flower Soft for the flower centers.

Here are a few more views (with thanks to my neighbor for the use of his overhanging tree).

I love the variation in the color from the watercolor powders! This was Alizarin Crimson Color Burst and Crimson Brusho.

The hop starts with a list of participants on the Impression Obsession Blog at 6am EST. Remember, the more blogs you visit each day… the better chance you will have to win a $25 Impression Obsession Gift Certificate! There will be a prize for each of the two hop days and a bonus prize on the final day from all the comments left for both days. (If you missed yesterday's post, go back and comment now!)

Be sure to check out these other designers' blogs for inspiration!

Anna @ Sassy & Sweet Notes
Daniela @ For the First Time
Dina @ Mama Dini's Stamperia ---- you're here
Ellen @ The Serendipitous Stamper
Jeanne @ Inky Paws
Jenny @ One Krafty Kat
Karen @ Paper Lilies and Ink
Kittie @ Kittie Kraft
Laura @ Laura's Stamp Art Journal
Vicki @ Summerthyme Studio