Crafty holiday sales!

Here's a collection of crafty deals - I'll add more throughout the week as I find them, so be sure to check back!

Dina Kowal Creative
 Book a custom portrait now for 2019 - plan ahead for a special gift - or refer a friend for a bonus for you both! And yes, I do people too! Offer ends Nov. 30.

The referral bonus is ongoing - refer a friend and you'll both receive a $10 code for my Etsy store. (Check back later in the week for a sale in my Etsy store too!)

Sizzix
Deep clearance on selected items!

A Jillian Vance Design
30% off orders of $50 or more - no code needed! Orders over $100 (after discounts) will receive a free die while supplies last. Orders over $125 (after discounts) ship free!

Queen & Co.
Discounts on selected items; This adorable pompom dispenser free with a $75 order while supplies last!

Spellbinders
Pre-holiday clearance - priced as marked - use coupon SBSAVE10 for an additional 10% discount! More to come later in the week!

(I'll add the link here when it posts! Heads up!)

Scrapbookpal
Prices through Nov. 19 only - up to 50% discounts on select items (tons of Spellbinders dies, if you're looking!). No code needed.

My Favorite Things
40% discount on selected sale products while supplies last - no code needed.

Whimsy Stamps
Retired dies and sets at a discount - when they're gone they're gone!
Bonus Bundles 

Reverse Confetti
25% off your order with code BLACK25 - ends Sunday 11/25.

Some links above are affiliate links, which will kick a little cash my way if you click and make a purchase - 

there's no cost to you, and it helps keep my blog running. Thanks!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: Autumn Colors

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project using the colors of fall. I used my Layered Leaf clear set and I'm in love with this card!

I thought a wreath card would be fun to try with the leaves, so my panel is an octagon die cut. I started by stamping the first two layers of the leaf image on each side using Goldenrod hybrid ink, then after that, I skipped sides, and stamped those four leaves with Orange, Caramel and Chocolate. 

After those 4 leaves were done, I masked them and stamped the remaining layers with Peony and Plum inks.

While the masks were still on, I brushed on a little more Plum ink where the images overlapped - it really made them pop when the masks were removed!

Someone's going to ask about the brush I used - I purchased this set from Amazon and I'm happy so far!

Here's a closer look at the leaves and layering - I brushed a little more Goldenrod ink around the corners and center as well. One more thing - the base layer is a piece of cardstock I've had on my desk for a while that I've used to catch excess ink or roll off my brayer - I was going to use a solid cardstock for the base, but I loved how the orange of the leaves looked against that green and turquoise paint!

Stamps I used: Layered Leaf clear set

Speaking of fall colors, we had a beautiful fall here in Missouri - here's a collage from a stomp I took around our property a couple of weeks ago!

Be sure to check out the other designers' blogs for inspiration, and 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.

Splitcoast Tutorial: Wreath Stamping

It's my turn to share a tutorial over on Splitcoast, and this week I've compiled a few different strategies for Wreath Stamping! Here are few cards made using the Wreath Builder System from Gina K. Designs - I love this floral set, but she's added more to the collection for fall and holiday cards, as well as the beautiful Mandala Maker set! Any stamp set with smaller stamps will do - and think outside the box! Other shapes can be used for these cards as well. (Remember the strawberry wreath?)

 The card above was made using the Wreath Builder template - for the card below I just used the corner of my MISTI to align the panel, stamped 4 images in a ring, and then repositioned the stamps in between those impressions for the next round. A little more work, but with this method you can center a wreath on any size square!

The templates are designed to center wreaths on 3-3/4" or 4" squares, but they can be used for offset wreaths on larger or smaller panels... here's a card I made with a 5-1/2" square. Having a larger panel gives you more cropping options for an A2 front.

Click over to the tutorial where you'll find more samples, as well as some other fun techniques for creating wreaths with your stamp positioner!

Holiday Blitz tutorial: Twist Gate Fold

One of our Holiday Blitz tutorials this week is the Twist Gate Fold card - I think I actually made this card base 2 years ago when we first published the tutorial! The panels are covered with strips of scrap paper.

I love this Layered Bow clear set - doesn't it look 3D?! I chose ink colors that would match the papers, ones that I wouldn't normally put together. 

Come and join us!

Splitcoast Tutorial: Gel Impressionism Foiled Collage

Today's tutorial over on Splitcoast is a beautiful mixed media collage technique called Gel Impressionism Foiled Collage. It starts with a gel print, which is torn up and collaged, and then lightly foiled with brushed glue. Here's my card:

My son took an art class this summer and his looseleaf text book was not resellable, so he donated it to me for use in art projects. I used one of the pages from the table of contents for the base of my gel print, and I love the bits of text showing through - I also learned that the pages work well for a resist technique on the gel press, so I'll be playing with that some more. 

I used a buff colored paint, colorless blender and a bronze patina for my print, then layered it all with a fun new stencil from A Colorful Life Designs - can you spot this Dot Snowflake design in the background?

My focal image is a small section of a larger die from Spellbinders - I adore these silhouette dies by Sharyn Sowell. Here's the full image: 

At an angle you can see the collaged torn bits of my background and the small and random bits of foiling on the background - there's also a sheen from the collage medium that I used, and it's all very pretty.  

This tutorial kicks off our Holiday Blitz event for 2018 - this year we'll be bringing you 2 brand new tutorials along with 8 of our most popular holiday tutorials, revived with a new twist. Be sure to subscribe to our special events newsletter, so you can click to the tutorials right from your inbox each day! You can find them in our Falliday Fest forum as well. Come join us!

Impression Obsession DT Challenge: So Very Thankful

The Impression Obsession team's challenge today is to create a project expressing thanks. I had some fun with these new stamps by Alesa Baker - she has some wonderfully large sentiments, and the T in this one just looked like it wanted to be a perch for a bird! This was a quick and easy card, with Copic coloring on the bird, and a little watercolor swoosh and splatter to break up the background. 

Stamps I used: Thankful For You, Fluffy Bird

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.

Spellbinders and Fun Stampers Journey merge!

Today I'm excited to have a part in announcing some fun crafty news - our friends at Spellbinders are celebrating something extraordinary! Spellbinders and Fun Stampers Journey have merged! Fun Stampers Journey products will be a wonderful addition to the quality products you've come to love from Spellbinders - they're bringing their deeply etched red rubber stamps, many with coordinating dies, and a full line of coordinating cardstock, inks, ribbon, embellishments, and other artsy supplies! 

I got to play with some FSJ goodies for today's post - this card was made using stamps from the Thankful Friends set, along with some of the coordinating dies. I followed yesterday's Geometric Wreath tutorial on Splitcoast to create my card. To make my mask I chose 2 circle dies, using the grid on this removable contact paper to help with placement. 

In addition, I used my grid mat to line up the mask with my cardstock panel. A tip - cut the mask 1/2" wider and longer than your card panel - the overage protects the rest of your card, plus helps it stay in place on your work surface!

I used the cutout ring to help me position the center piece of my mask.

Here's a closer look at the wreath after the stamping was done - I sponged in the acorn areas first with a die cut stencil, covered those areas and stamped the purple leaves, masked them and stamped the orange leaves, masked again, and stamped the pink and brown leaves without masking. After removing all the acorn and leaf masks, I filled in with light tan ink, and stamped and colored the acorns with colored pencils.

This squirrel is a mostly solid image, so I stamped him in a lighter ink and did some coloring with the pencils I had out to give him more depth - so cute!

The stick he is on is actually a strip of inked cardstock, worked between my hands until it softened and rolled.

One more quick card with the same stamp set, and the gorgeous Cozy Knit embossing folder which I know I'll be using a lot - I used the folder on a piece of white-cored cardstock, and lightly filed the raised areas for a little more pop. This was a 6" square piece that I cut down to my smaller card size (3-1/2" x 5-1/2"), so I used the cut off piece for the collar of my little cardigan. 

I left my cardstock in the die to add some sponged color around the sentiment.

I had fun with these FSJ products, and I look forward to exploring their line more in the future - click on over to the Spellbinders site to see what else they have to offer, and be sure to check their social media accounts for more projects from the Spellbinders Team! Remember to use coupon code SBSAVE10 for a 10% discount on your order!