Friday, May 20, 2016
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Pearlized Watercolor "Butterfly Prints"
First time I used them, I was not all that impressed but ... I dug out a palette a week or so ago to paint a background for a "no line watercoloring" rubber stamping project I had seen over at YouTube.
Liked how that turned out and decided to try to make a piece of jewelry ... This a double-sided pendant about 24x34 mm (image area is 20x30mm according to the invoice -- need to measure it to find out if that is the "open" area or if it takes into account the size of the slot to drop the photo or artwork into) ...So, I traced the outside of the pendant three times across the top of a 5.5 x 8.5" Canson Mixed Media spiral-bound sketch pad ... wet the blocks individually then plopped on the pearlized paints. This time I remembered that as a general rule, watercolor will dry lighter than how it looks when wet. Much better results than my first use of the paints when I had not taken that fact into account and got a very washed out, almost-not-there result.
Once the paint dried, I got out my Black Licorice True Color Fusion Ink Pad from Fun Stampers Journey (IP-0041), a 3x3" acrylic handle and the Butterfly Prints stamp set (SS-0017) also from Fun Stampers Journey. The "doodle-winged" butterfly seemed to be the one to use. Stamped it twice -- so it was on an angle in the two blocks at the end and so that there were wing doodles in the center block. Then I set the book aside to let it all dry ... as I looked at it, I thought it might look good on a card just the way it was ...
Not sure whether I will cut it to fit the pendant or not -- hubby says he likes it just the way it is and I should not cut it. In fact, he thinks the butterfly is too large for the pendant, even if I just want part of it in the corner. He may be right. I will probably do lots of these ... it was too fun and too easy not to do it again and again ...
Not sure whether I will cut it to fit the pendant or not -- hubby says he likes it just the way it is and I should not cut it. In fact, he thinks the butterfly is too large for the pendant, even if I just want part of it in the corner. He may be right. I will probably do lots of these ... it was too fun and too easy not to do it again and again ...
At the bottom, I had a piece of lace I wanted to dye green but could not find my reinker of green stamping ink, so I tried the pearlized watercolors. The lace hardly has any color on it but where I had placed the lace on the page while trying to colorize it left behind this sorta cool image of itself ...
Monday, April 18, 2016
ATCs Received ... :D
Trading Cards are so much fun!
Artist Trading Cards are even more fun because you made the ones you trade with other people ...
So, I belong to a group of Fun Stampers Journey coaches who make and swap ATCs (artist trading cards) -- I also belong to a couple of other groups who make and trade ATCs using any and all papercrafting products out there. It is a lot of fun creating "tiny" works of art. At 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches, I consider them "tiny" (of course, "inchies" (1x1") are even tinier! LOL) ...
Well, I already shared one of the ATCs that I recently received, in the "April Showers" Blog Hop post ...
Here are the others:
Okay, the next two are not Trading Cards, as you can tell. They do go with the above Trading Card, though. Fun Stampers Journey has been sending out Birthday Gifts to the coaches. It is this ATS-sized stamp in green rubber (to show that it is special) ... Just received mine and have not gotten to use it yet ... But ...
Just got off the phone with my oldest sister. She told me about her youngest grand-daughter sitting in the Play Area pretending to be running a Cupcake Shop ... using the sand in the sandbox as the ingredients, as "sprinkles" on top and using the various sandbox molds to make the cupcakes in. And Mylah's birthday party is going to be a combo of Noodles Company and a trip to Build-A-Bear.
This stamp, plus some little bears from as set of stamps I won (for writing a post that featured a product from that company) back in January before I joined FSJ, will be the basis for my card to my great-niece. It is a set of small animals and I already have a bunch of the little bears from that set stamped out and colored -- I'll probably use three of them in front of the cupcakes to make the card I'll send her ... I'll post it in my general stamping / crafting blog and bring the link to it here once I get it done... :-) Wondering whether to color in the cup cakes or do some paper piecing ... oh decisions, decisions! LOL!
Saturday, April 16, 2016
April Blog Hop -- April Showers
I just LOVE this ATS stamp from Fun Stampers Journey --
It is part of the Retirement Sale going on NOW at
While Supplies Last, all retiring items (from the annual 2015-16 catalog) are 30% off regular retail, and if they are still available in May, will be 40% off!
Oh, what ATS am I talking about? It is called "Rain Tweet" and is product AT-0054.
I belong to a group of FSJ Coaches who have a monthly ATC Swap (Artist Trading Cards). In the most recent envelope of ATCs there was this truly delightful swap. While that ATS stamp was already on my "I Gotta Get This" list, seeing it used like Julie did makes it even more firmly planted in that list ... Isn't it adorable?!? You are On The Hop ...
I'm so happy you're hoppin' along! If you arrived here from Carol Moffet Norby's blog, you're on the right track. If not, that's ok too! Just continue the hop and you'll come full circle! Your next stop is ... back to the beginning with Janice Whiting ...
Don't forget to go on over to Fun Stampers Journey to pick up this ATS before they all sell out and to take advantage of the 30% off all retiring items! (Be aware, at present, it my understanding that stamp sets and matching dies that are available as a "bundle" -- if you choose to order it as a bundle, the 30% off does not apply to the bundle price but the individual items within the bundle ...) For the full list of what is on clearance, click here. (I noticed there is at least one error -- it shows one Bundle at $9.60 as the original price -- it is a typo, should say $29.60...)
I know I am heading over there right away to get mine and then I will hop on down the Hop Trail ...
Don't forget ... the next stop is ... back to the beginning with Janice Whiting ...
Your Call To Action today (or the Commenting Challenge) --
For a set of 6 inchies, 2 Twinchies and a couple of butterflies (and possibly more -- depending on what is on my desk while the envelopes are in front of me ...) -- be sure to add "Tweet! Tweet! I hop to win!" somewhere in your comment.
In March, only Sue G and Betsye Rose said they "hop to win" ... so both of them will receive a "Stamper's Salad" of papercrafting goodies ...
{If you happen to have any trouble with the Retiring List pdf over at dropbox, mention it here in the comments and I will be sure you get a working copy ...}
Blog Roll for April FSJ Blog Hop
1. Janice Whiting - http://
2. Vicki Schmidt Soni -www.paperinkle.com
3. Wilma Payne - http://
4. Ruth Cooper - www.sassyangelsstudio.com
5. Betsye Rose Cimino Erazo - BetsyeRose.blogspot.com
6. Sharon Venclauskas -www.bloomsbysharon.com
7. Sandra Kay Tate - www.craftingwithsandra.com
8. Crissy Salima Rivas -Iheartscraps.com
9. Rosemary Roca -http://
10. Carol Moffet Norby -http://stampincarol.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-showers-blog-hop.html
11. Susan Berg - http://
Saturday, March 19, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
Spring Blooms! The March FSJ Blog Hop :D
I've got two projects going with this theme.
I knew I wanted to use this set of stamps: Flower Layers [SS-0106]I chose this stamp set and the matching die set [DI-0067] in my Starter Kit (the stamps and die set is also available in a bundle [BD-0023].) I was not sure how I would use the set but knew I was planning to use it for both projects.
First Project to Share:
I joined a group of swappers who make ATCs -- Artist Trading Cards. We use products available from Fun Stampers Journey, send off 9 (make 10 but keep one for our own "files") and get back 9 others. There is no theme for the swap -- it is "Anything Goes." :D
(An ATC is a mini work of he{art} -- small -- 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" ... )
So, I got out white cardstock and began stamping out flowers using Blue Lagoon True Color Fusion stamping ink. The largest flower, the next smaller and then the smallest. While I have the matching die set, I decided to use detail scissors to cut out the flowers.
I don't dare share a photo of why I did this (cut out with scissors) instead of using my die cutting machine and matching dies ... LOL! The "space" used here is actually the keyboard area of my laptop! UGH!
Since I already had the "Spring Blooms" theme running around my head, I stuck with that. And having so much fun with the "Stuck On You" ATCs from February, I decided to join in 2 swap groups this month. 18 ATCs. It might help if I find my homemade MISTI before next month if I ever want to actually make 10 ATCs that match -- LOL! So, this month, I made 20 different (but similar) ATCs. Not all of them are shown since I had a small problem scanning them with my FlipPal ... I got a shadow on a few of the trading cards when I scanned them. But here are most of them:
The background is simple enough and the reason no two ATCs are the same ...
Starting with something on the keyboard to make a "desk" (my Canson watercolor paper tablet), I randomly stamped out the doodly butterfly from the Butterfly Prints stamp set (this is the die/stamp set bundle: [BD-0008]; the stamp set [SS-0017] is on backorder until 4/1/16) in Black Licorice True Color Fusion ink and cut that 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock into 2" x 3" panels. (2 - 3" x 11" strips and 1 - 2" x 11" strip, then cut into the panels from there). Or in Grape Fusion True Color Fusion ink with the Honeycomb ATS stamp [AT-0090 also on backorder] randomly stamped, to cover as much of the cardstock as possible without overlapping, in Blue Lagoon True Color Fusion ink then cut into the 3" x 2" panels. (All 44 of the True Color Fusion inks can be found here.)
Next month I hope to attempt to actually make 10 matching ATCs. We'll see what happens. LOL! I doubt I have ever actually made two cards that were really copies of one another ... similar but never the same ...
Second Project to Share
Since our move in September, I have been doing lots and lots of embroidery instead of my usual crochet ... Planning to turn one of the panels into Fabric Postcards or panels to use as card-fronts. The leaf and flower images in the Flower Layer set are solid images instead of outlines. I've wanted to use these shapes in my embroidery but could not decide whether to use the solid stamps or to trace the dies on the fabric.
I have a habit of using my hoop "backward." It's how I have always used a hoop -- the flat side up instead of down (according to the "instructions" on the packaging). Perhaps I should have followed the instructions since I did not get a good solid print of the flowers. Let me show you instead of blabbing on about it, okay?
Hmmm ... maybe I did not shoot the hoop before I got to work on it but you can see here that the flower petal isn't as "solid" as when I stamped it on cardstock. But in this case, it isn't a big deal. It works (for me). You can also tell that I like to stitch my own doodles in buttonhole stitch, blanket stitch, running stitch, back stitch and chain stitch. At first I was working freehand but once I began to draw in the doodles, I gave up on freehanding and have kept pre-doodling. Usually, I draw each section of doodling on the fabric as I move the hoop and don't pre-doodle the whole piece of fabric first. (I am using 30" x 30" cotton flour sack dish towels, a rather loose weave but easy to work on.)
I've been using lots of DMC embroidery threads in these projects - solids and variegated and a couple individual color change skeins from joggles.com (blue/teal/green combos mostly and that is the only place I have found those skeins). Then I found a package of "tie dye" DMC threads! WOO HOO! Very interesting color blends.
The turquoise thread I have is very similar to the Blue Lagoon True Color Fusion ink I used to stamp the flowers, yet it is just a hair different. Years of doing counted cross-stitch taught me that those small differences make a big difference in the finished piece. Even though this is a "doodle" of sorts, or maybe because it IS a doodle, I decided to experiment a little.
Digging a skein of white DMC from the package and cutting off a manageable length, I decided to "dye" it on the ink pad. I ran the thread across the pad of Blue Lagoon, using a pencil to hold it down (and had to sharpen the pencil to get the ink off the wood ... :D ) and while I did not perfectly color the entire 6 strands of the embroidery thread, ended up with a decent dye job. (Thread in front of the hoop in upper photo ...)Impatience made me start working with the thread before it was completely dry. A bit of Germ-X and the alcohol in it got rid of most of the ink on my fingers! The ink did not, however, seem to be a problem on the fabric. So, I kept going rather than wait for the ink to dry completely.
Mostly used either back stitch (if working left to right) or chain stitch (if working right to left) with an occasional couching of threads with blanket stitch, I outlined the flowers and stitched the doodles I added around the stamped images.
And the Winner Is ...
Last month I offered a gift to a random commenter who stated that she or he "hopped to win" ... only one person actually used those words so ... she, of course, WINS! Woo Hoo! As long as the email link works, I will be contacting Wendy Zick so I can send her her gift. Thanks to Wendy and everyone else who visited and commented.
And, this month, for your chance to win a gift from me, visit the link where you can see the 44 True Color Fusion inks. Tell me you "Hop To Win" and which ink color is your favorite. ALL commenters are eligible (as long as they follow directions ...)
And Lastly ...
FSJ has an awesome promotion for the month of March. This post is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too long already so this post will give you all the details! Check it out!!!
The Blog Roll for March's "Spring Blooms"
The master list of participants can be found here.
You probably arrived here from Kerry Urbatch's blog.
And the next lilypad is Christine Pennington's blog.
Saturday, March 12, 2016
It's a Lucky Month, Green and All but ...
However, March is a very important month for another reason! The Spring Mini Catalog expires at the end of the month! The Summer Mini will be out on April 1st ...
Check out the Spring Mini and don't miss out on lots of wonderful stamps and other products. They will go into "hibernation" at the end of March but only a few will make it back to us in the Annual Catalog out this summer ... Don't miss out!
Leave a comment below, by the end of March 2016, and tell me which of the Bloom Benefits you like best in the Mini Catalog for your opportunity to win a gift from me. If you are reading this post after April 1, then visit the current Mini Catalog and tell me the same thing ... you never know, the Gift Fairy may strike at any time ...
Going Green ...
It was a great group I had encountered two summers before at a Celtic Festival at Hunter Mountain in the Adirondacks of New York -- Trinity from Dublin, Ireland. I loved their music. When I saw and heard them, I was excited to have them to listen to during our lunch.
I wore a bandanna to cover my hair since I couldn't be bothered to do more than run a brush through my hair and throw on a t-shirt and jeans before we went out.
I think I was more than lucky, I was blessed, to have those caring friends. But ...
They did not say anything as I went with them, wearing a rust colored bandanna that day.
As you have probably guessed -- with an Irish band playing at lunchtime, it was St. Patrick's Day and I was totally clueless.
My only defense is that I always 'carry me green wi' me' since I have green eyes. LOL!
The guys in the band glared at me as I entered the restaurant but kept on singing and playing; they glared at me as we left. It was only later that I realized why. I asked Tracey and Dorothy why they had not told me I was wearing "orange" that day and they told me they thought I was doing it on purpose! Oh, the horrors and embarrassment!
I remember hearing that the white in the Irish flag is a symbol of the hope for peace, tolerance and the ability to live together that was in the hearts and minds of many Irish following the withdrawal of the English and the Irish Civil War of the 1920s. It took a long time but I am happy to see a much more peaceful Northern Ireland than was in the news when I was a kid.
When we think of Ireland, though, we think of 3-leaf and 4-leaf clover, pots of gold at the end of a rainbow, of leprechauns, tall tales, blarney, kilts and bagpipes, St.Patrick, Guinness, no snakes and GREEN. Verdant green rolling hills due to its temperate climate.
In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, March is "Lucky Me" month at Fun Stampers Journey!
Selected "green" items are on sale all month. Ink pads and refills, cardstock, Irish-related stamps sets, some of the die sets too. Plus there is an incentive to join FSJ as a new Coach during March. A list of all the items included in the sale is available here.
New coaches who join in March and decide to attend this year's FSJ Convention will get $50 to spend on FSJ products at the Convention. If you are not able to attend the Convention, there is this, though -- New coaches who place their first $150 order within 45 days of joining FSJ get an extra 10% commission back on that order. On top of the regular commission, plus the sale price and the extra 10% off -- not a bad deal at all! Aye, savin' the green on the green.
For more information, leave a comment, email me at suseadoodle at gmail dot com, and/or contact me at Facebook.
March is a "lucky" time! Join the fun!
For a chance to win a gift from me, leave a comment by March 26, 2016, and say "I am lucky!" or "I am blessed" and let me know which of the "green" items on the sale list you would like to see me use in a project ... not promising anything but I will do my best ...
If you are reading this post after March 26 -- leave a comment anyhow -- you never know what might happen :D (especially when the Irish are involved -- and since that very embarrassing day in New Brunswick, I have discovered some Irish in my own family history ... )
Monday, February 29, 2016
Mini Blog Hop - "Limited Unlimited" & STILL "Stuck on You" :D
Fun Stampers Journey grew phenomenally in January due to the incredible "join us" deal that was offered. There is another really wonderful deal available through tonight (2/29/16) ... I will include details at the end of the post here ...
So there are lots of new Coaches and many of us actually got our hands on our very first set of Fun Stampers Journey stamps, dies, inks, cardstock, a few embellishments and supplies with the arrival of our starter kits. And when the first Blog Hop was proposed, many who were interested said they did not feel ready -- either no blog yet or felt they did not have enough supplies to pull off a "great" project to show off and "Wow!" everyone with.
I felt it is possible to work with a limited amount of supplies. So, I proposed this "extra" Blog Hop with the theme of "Limited" (yet "Unlimited) ... For instance, the set of stamps I used for the first blog hop got used for a swap of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards) and again for this "project" too. In fact, I expect that "Stuck on You" [SS-0201] may find its way into lots and lots of projects ...
So, here's my "project" for this Mini Hop:
The panel from the first Blog Hop that went live on Valentine's Day will go on the front of the card. This panel will go on the inside.
The cactus and the "thank you" are from the "Stuck on You" stamp set; the "for your order" I added in using a Pitt Pen (size S).
The colored cardstocks used are Hazelnut Blend [CS-0013] & Lemongrass [CS-0019]. I also used the Licorice Black Fusion Ink Pad [IP-0041] to stamp the image and text.
Spectrum Noir alcohol ink markers, Crayola and CraZArt colored pencils were used to color in the image and to add the slight shadow under the pot.
It is simple, uses minimal supplies, but I like it and hope you do too. You don't "need" lots of tools and supplies to create fun projects. But ... we all know we do "need" them, don't we? LOL! And I've got a deal for you to do just that -- get more fun stuff for your papercrafting stash:
Last Chance for these wonderful deals!!
TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT!
(OOPS -- that last statement reminded me of this old "Silly Song" from an LP set by that title (um, "Silly Songs" ... and I gotta "share" it with ya ...)
Okay, now for the two deals that end tonight --
During February, Fun Stampers Journey is offering you the opportunity to do two things -- Join FSJ and get one extra set of stamps with your customizable kit (contact me at Facebook for more information); plus it's a BOGO Sale on embellishments. For the full list, go here. Your dollars do more during a BOGO (Buy One Get One) sale!
You can easily become a Fun Stampers Journey Coach (before tonight's deadline) here then be sure to click on the "Become a Coach" link at the top of the page, and choose the"Customizable Kit" to take advantage of the chance to add ANY other stamp set to your starter kit. (I'll be honest, I get to choose a free set of stamps too! So THANK YOU ahead of time for joining today.)
If You Happen to Be Reading This After 2/29/2016
You may be interested to know what the current "Join Us" Deal may be -- leave a comment below making sure your email address is included in your data about yourself and I'll get back to you (if you leave your email address as part of the comment use "dot" not the . so that web spiders can't steal your email address and spam you.) Or contact me through Facebook.
Oh, Yeh, we're on a Mini Blog Hop
-- Here are the other bloggers who were brave enough to join in :D Leave 'em some love for their bravery LOL! Their projects are wonderful and you will want to see them!
Ruth Cooper -- www.sassyangelsstudio.com
Michelle Rothman Greenfield -- http://mishacraftdiva.blogspot.com/
THANKS for joining us ...
More posts coming soon and the next "regularly scheduled" blog hop will go live March 13 and the theme is "Spring Blooms" (oops, had a typo there for a moment but caught it -- it did say "Spring Booms" -- hmmm ... **shakes head**)
See ya soon! :D
Oh, 'Tis an "Extra Monday," isn't it?
February usually has just four of each day of the week but this year, Leap Year, gives us one extra day and this time it is an extra Monday. Like we all need extra MONDAYS in our lives, right? LOL! So, what do you do with an extra Monday? Have a birthday celebration! Watch "The Pirates of Penzance" if you need to know more ... in the meantime while you get someone else in the house to find it at RedBox online, watch this:
that was just silly LOL so here is the one to watch after you suffer through the Veggie one ...
sorry, I pulled another "fast one" on ya ... here it is! Yes, it is ...
THANKS for visiting today! Leave a comment and let me know you were here (just say "HI!" if you don't want to comment on the card or the videos LOL!) ...
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