New Beginnings

Hello friends!  If you are like me, you've managed to hoard quite a lot of crafty stuff in 2015 (in addition to all the other stuff from past years).  My plan is to rid my craft room of this stuff during the new year and Toni's "Ways to Use It" Challenge on Splitcoaststampers gave me the opportunity to begin working on my goal.  The challenge is to use a lot of stuff on your card, so here it is…

Creative Nugget:  This old My Mind's Eye DP from my stash had a lot of butterflies, so I began with that.  The Leafy Flourish Background stamp from SNSS was clear embossed over the butterflies.  The circle element was sponged and stamped with images from the Nature Silhouettes and Nature Silhouettes 2 stamp sets, also by SNSS.  The butterflies were die cut and stamped along with the sentiment from the New Beginnings stamp set.  The design for my card came from this week's Mojo Monday sketch.

Here are the stamp sets used in the card above:

This card will be submitted to the following challenges:

Splitcoaststampers - WT565

Mojo Monday - MOJO429

Sweet Stampin' - Something New (a new beginning)

Word Art Wednesday - Challenge #217

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Tiles Tutorial

Hello, everyone!  Hope you were able to enjoy the wonderful weekend weather.  It's my turn to share a tutorial on the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Blog today so I thought I would share it here as well.  Before retiring from teaching, I used to make coasters out of unglazed tiles for my parent helper gifts at the end of the school year.  I often get asked at paper craft festivals how they are made, so I thought I would share my process in this tutorial.

Begin by gathering all of your materials.

Supplies:

Non-Stick Craft Sheet

4" x 4" Unglazed Tiles (purchased from building supply store)

Adirondack Alcohol Inks in a variety of colors

Adirondack Metallic Mixatives (Optional)

Alcohol Blending Solution

Felt Applicator Tool

Archival Inks

Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps
Sharpie Markers (Black and White)

Paper Towels

Vinyl/Latex Gloves
Cork
Tacky Glue
Spray Varnish

Lightly sand your tiles and wipe off the fine dust with a damp paper towel or baby wipe.  Make sure the tiles are completely dry before beginning to apply the inks.

Be sure to put on those vinyl/latex gloves if you don't want inky fingers!  Choose three or four colors and give a little squirt of each into the felt on the applicator tool keeping each of the colors separated on the felt.  Then add a little squirt of metallic mixative to the middle of the felt. (Optional)  If you use the metallic mixative, you must remember to shake it well before using. 

Dab and swirl the colors onto the tile remembering to cover the sides as well.  No need to worry too much about what it looks like at this point…just be sure to cover the tile with color.

Now comes the fun part!  Squirt some Blending Solution on the felt applicator tool.  You can even squirt some right on the tile if you want.  The more blending solution you use the lighter the colors will be.

Continue dabbing and swirling with the Blending Solution until you get the look you like.

Here are several color combinations, although using exactly the same colors will yield entirely different results.

Allow the tiles to dry.  You can stop at this point, but we are going to add some stamped images to the tiles, so grab your Archival inks and choose the stamp sets you want to use.  

Generally I like using SNSS silhouette images, but the for the tile on the left, the coneflower from the Flower Blocks 3 set was used.  The middle was masked and the Typewriter Text Background was stamped in Jet Black Archival ink, then the coneflower was stamped.  Tender Thoughts and the new For My Father set was used for the tile on the right.  A black Sharpie pen works great for any touch ups that are needed.

Nature Silhouettes 2, Faith, and Serene Silhouettes stamp sets were used to make the tile on the left.  For the tile on the right, the Typewriter Text Background was stamped using Deep Purple Archival ink.  The flourishes from the Leafy Flourish

Background and More stamp set were then stamped using the Jet Black Archival ink.  White accents were added using a white Sharpie Paint Pen.

To make your coasters water proof, give the tiles several coats of clear glaze or acrylic varnish.  Allow the tiles to dry between each coat…about 1/2 hour.  (I applied 4 coats of Clear Glaze to mine.) Be careful to use the spray in a well ventilated room or outside.

Trim cork to fit the back of the tile using a craft knife.  Apply Tacky Glue to the back of each tile making sure to cover all the way to the edges. Stick the piece of cork to the back and place a lightweight object on top of the tile until the glue dries.

The tiles are now finished and ready to be used or given as gifts!

Here are the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps used for the tiles above:

Thank you for joining me today...I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial!

Have a marvelous Monday!  

Hugs,

Cathymac

God Is

Welcome to Day 4 of Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Feature Blog Hops for the month of August!  I hope you've been inspired by the hops thus far.  I just love the images we will be sharing with you today...we're featuring Dina Kowal's wonderful companion set to His Child.

Today's feature is:

God Is

• Stamp set includes 3 images and 5 sentiments
• Set measures approximately 4" x 6"
• The drummer boy image measures approximately 1 1/2" x 2 1/2"
• Designed by Dina Kowal
• Stamp set is priced at $15

God's mercies are new every morning...He goes before us and prepares our steps!  I'm so glad!  The inspiration for my sample came from this thought and the Technique Lovers Challenge yesterday at Splitcoaststampers which was to create an external frame and an internal greeting.

Here is my card for God Is:

Creative Nugget:  The outside of the card was made by embossing the sun rays with a Tim Holtz embossing folder by Sizzix.  The rays were masked and sponged with Memento inks.  A circle frame was made with Spellbinders Circle and Scalloped Circle Nesties.  This panel was stitched to a True Black mat.  The gingham bow was tied through the frame before attaching the panel to a Solar Crest Card front from which a circle frame had been cut to allow the inside to peek through.

The inside of the card was made by inking up several acrylic blocks with Memento inks and spritzing them with water before applying the ink to the Solar Crest panel.  The little boy pulling the wagon and the sentiment from God Is was stamped over the color blocks with Versafine Onyx Black ink along with other silhouette images from Serene Silhouettes and Nature Silhouettes 2.  This was then embossed with a Canvas Impression Plate and matted in True Black.

Here is another card using the swinging boy image from God Is that was featured in a previous post.  For more details about this card, click HERE.

I think you'll agree...these images are just darling!

Click on the thumbnails below to see more amazing samples created by the Sweet 'n Sassy Design Team!

Be sure to leave a comment on each blog along the way because we're giving this wonderful set away to one lucky winner!

The deadline to comment for a chance to win is Friday, August 16th at midnight EST.  The winners will be announced on our website homepage on Monday, August 19th.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Be sure to stop back again tomorrow for the last featured hop for the August release. Enjoy the hop and have a terrific Tuesday!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Card Recipe
Stamps: God Is, Nature Silhouettes 2, Serene Silhouettes (SNSS)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), Peanut Brittle, Cantaloupe, Dandelion, Summer Sky, Pear Tart, Lulu Lavender (Memento)
Paper: Solar Crest (Neenah), True Black (PTI)
Accessories: Circle and Scalloped Circle Nesties (Spellbinders), Sew Mini (Janome), Sun Rays Embossing Folder (Sizzix), Gingham Ribbon, Rhinestones

Oh Happy Day

Hello blogland friends!  Hope you've had a wonderful week.   After finishing up a week of vacation and a week of Vacation Bible School at our church, I'm ready to relax in my favorite crafting space!  It's a Sweet Stop Sketch Saturday, so come play along!

Creative Nugget:  The swinging boy, from a brand new stamp set called God Is...being released this Friday at Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, was stamped on a piece of Solar Crest card stock along with the sentiment from Long Stem Silhouettes.  My favorite Canvas Impression Plate was used to give this panel some texture.  The scene was sponged and stamped with other silhouettes from the popular Landscape Silhouettes, Nature Silhouettes 2, and Serene Silhouettes stamp sets.  The scene was split, making room for the sentiment, and a little stitching was added before matting the panel on True Black and attaching it to a Solar Crest card base.  No bling...no ribbon...just a very simple design for you today!

The Sugar Babies have some more fabulous samples for your inspiration, so be sure to check them out and join us this week over at The Sweet Stop for SSS222!

Sugar Babies
Ann Tuck
Ceal Pritchett
Cynthia Olheiser
Debbie Owens
Jamie Moore
Marlena Peduzzi
Melissa Schultz
Monika Davis
Robin Parker
Stephanie Serrano

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a marvelous weekend!

Hugs,
Cathymac

Card Recipe
Stamps: God Is..., Landscape Silhouettes, Nature Silhouettes 2, Long Stem Silhouettes, Serene Silhouettes (SNSS)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), Antique Linen, Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint, Gathered Twigs Distress Inks (Ranger), Summer Sky (Memento)
Paper:  Solar Crest (Neenah), True Black (PTI)
Accessories:  Sew Mini

SNSS Summer Die-Version Blog Hop

Now that summer is finally here, how about a little diversion...that is...a Die-Version!  Welcome to the 
Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Summer Die-Version Blog Hop! We are so thrilled to bring you 3 fabulous new die sets today plus oodles of eye candy for your creative taste buds.  :)

Before we get to sharing the pretties, check out these wonderful new dies!

Small Leaves Dies  $6.25

Shape Dies  $19.75

Wave Dies  $8.50

How fun are they?!  Wait till you see what the Design Team has done with these dies!

Here's what I created using the new

Small Leaves die set:

Creative Nugget:  This card uses the sketch from the Sketch Challenge on SCS this week.  The background  was made with several layers of Dylusions ink sprays.  The little diamond pattern was sponged through a stencil with Peeled Paint and Gathered Twigs Distress inks.  The Queen Anne's Lace from the Nature Silhouettes 2 stamp set was double stamped with Early Espresso Ink to create a shadow and dotted with a white gel pen.  The little leaves were die cut from a variety of left over scraps from my mixed media experiments.  Some of the leaves were embedded using the Canvas Impression Plate and other were popped up for dimension.  The banner was hand cut from Bo Bunny DP and layered onto Early Espresso card stock.  The sentiment from the Prayerful Thoughts stamp set was stamped on the hexagon from the Shapes Dies set.  A ltttle twine bow finishes off the card.

This next fun card was made with the Shapes Dies!

Creative Nugget:  The hexagon shapes were again cut from scraps of DP and mixed media paper and layered onto True Black hexagons...what a good way to use up those scraps!  The sentiment and bees from the Bee Happy Rhubarb stamp set were stamped between the hexagon shapes and embossed with the Canvas Impression Plate.  Gingham ribbon was tied in a bow around the card front which was matted in True Black and mounted to a Golden Harvest card base.  Rhubarb was colored with Copic Markers, fussy cut, and popped onto the card.  Stickles glitter was added to the wings to finish the card!

To see my card made with the Wave Dies set you will have to stop back tomorrow for The Sweet Stop challenge where we will have another wonderful sketch to spark your creativity!

Be sure to comment at each stop along the way for a chance to win one of our new die sets!  We will be awarding 3 winners one of the new die sets!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Happy Hopping!!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Nature Silhouettes 2

Hello stamping friends!  Are you ready for Day 3 of the SNSS March Release Features?  If you like working with silhouette images and you like Sweet 'n Sassy's first Nature Silhouette stamp set, you will love this next featured set, especially because there are matching dies to go along with it!

Today's featured set is:

Nature Silhouettes 2

And here's the matching Birds & Feather Dies!

This fantastic duo is a must have.  Imagine the gorgeous cards you'll make!  The possibilities are endless AND this stamp set also coordinates so well with our other silhouette sets!

• Set includes 13 images
• Set measures approximately 4" x 6"
• Queen Anne's Lace image measures approximately 2" x 2 1/2"
• Designed by Korin Sutherland
• Stamp Set is priced at $15
• Die Set is priced at $9.75

Here is a card I made with this set:

Creative Nugget:  This card was my attempt at CAS!  After masking off a border with Post-It notes, a paint brush and some distress inks were used to lay down strokes of color on watercolor paper that had been brushed with water.  The paper warped a little as it dried, so I used an iron, no steam, to flatten it. When dry, the images were stamped using Versafine Onyx Black ink.  This panel was mounted to True Black card stock and attached to a Solar Crest card base.  No muss...no fuss...easy, peasy!  That's one of the advantages of a silhouette set...you can create a pretty card in no time flat!

Here's another card just finished this morning for the CAS and Technique Challenges over at Splitcoaststampers.

Check out more fabulous silhouette samples made by the talented SNSS Design Team by clicking on the thumbnails below.

Be sure to leave a comment on each of the blogs along your journey because we're giving away this very versatile stamp set AND the matching die set to one lucky commenter!

The deadline to comment for a chance to win is midnight EST Wednesday, March 13th.  The list of winners will be announced on our website homepage on Thursday, March 14th.

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit...have a marvelous Monday!

Hugs,

Cathymac

Card Recipes
Thoughts of You:

Stamps: Nature Silhouettes 2 (SNSS)

Ink: Versafine Onyx Black (Tsukineko), Tumbled Glass, Wild Honey, and Peeled Paint Distress Inks (Ranger)

Paper: Solar Crest (Neenah), Watercolor Paper (Northwoods Rubber Stamps), True Black (PTI)

Accessories: Paint Brush, Water

Be Encouraged:
Stamps: Nature Silhouettes 2, Be Encouraged, Music Background (SNSS)
Ink: London Fog (Memento), Basic Gray, So Saffron (SU!), Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, and Rusty Hinge Distress inks (Ranger)
Paper: Solar Crest (Neenah), Smokey Shadow (PTI)
Accessories: Birds & Feather Dies (SNSS), Baker's Twine (The Twinery)