Faux Burned Edges and Mackinac Island

Sorry I haven't posted in a week or so. I've actually been out of town. We had a family wedding to attend in Saginaw, Michigan last weekend, and decided to make a week of it. We stayed on Mackinac Island for a few days, and then visited Traverse City and Frankenmuth. It was a lot of fun and a very beautiful area of the country that I've never visited, even though it's not that far from where I live!

Before I post some vacation pics, I'll post my card for today. The technique challenge today was to create faux burned edges with ink. I've actually started a small collection of Tim Holtz distress inks, so I knew I could have some messy fun with this challenge. I should have taken a picture of my hands once I finished my card, because I was a mess from sponging all the layers of ink onto my card!

Here's my card...

RECIPE:
Stamps: Happiness is a Journey
Paper: Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Outlaw dp
Ink: Chocolate Chip, various colors of Tim Holtz distress inks
Accessories: brads, linen thread, distressing tool, dimensionals
Technique: Faux burned edges

I thought that the train image would be perfect for this technique because it made me think of soot! I also combined this challenge with the sketch on Amy Rysavy's blog (AMYRS4). I like how this turned out, but boy was it messy!!!

Anyways, if you're interested, here's some pics from our recent trip...

We stayed at the Island House Hotel on Mackinac Island. It had a kind of creepy "Stanley Hotel" feel and I loved it! I loved the creepy old buildings so much that we even did a "ghost tour" of the island. It was lots of fun and basically a history tour of who died where and how on the island.

The Island House Hotel had these great rocking chairs on the front porch that looked out at the marina and lighthouses. This is me, relaxing!!! All I need is a margarita or mojito in my hand!


Jeff even enjoyed sitting in the rocking chairs... and he doesn't usually like to sit still!

We did a lot of hiking and climbed up to one of the highest points on the island. Look at that beautiful view!

We toured Fort Mackinac. Here's Jeff in front of one of the canons.

This is a view of the main street on Mackinac. If you've never been there, they don't allow motorized vehicles on the island. You have to travel by foot, bike, or horse.

Here's one of the beautiful horse drawn carriages from the Grand Hotel. We didn't go to the Grand Hotel because they charge you $10 just to go in it if you are not staying there. Plus it costs $40 a person for lunch there. A little ridiculous if you ask me!!!

After Mackinac Island we went to Traverse City and spent some time on Lake Michigan. We went to a couple of wineries and just really enjoyed seeing the area.

That's it for today! Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Sketch Challenge: Rustic Rooster

I just love this Rustic Rooster set from SU and I know it is a set that will stay in my collection for a long time. I pulled it out for today's sketch challenge as I wanted to use the same colors from yesterday's color challenge and I felt like making a "country" card today.

Here's my card...


RECIPE:
Stamps: Rustic Rooster (SU hostess)
Paper: White, Baja Breeze, Ruby Red, Sweet Slumber DP
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Ruby Red
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Buttons threaded with Linen Thread, Paisley Cuttlebug Embossing, dimensionals

I actually stamped the rooster and script in Chocolate Chip ink. Then I used a watercolor brush and added some Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel ink over top to give the rooster more color and depth. Then I carefully watercolored the red parts of the rooster's head with Ruby Red ink (sorry, I don't know the correct terminology for the rooster's head pieces!). I also sponged the Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel inks around the edges and over the script to distress the image a little.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Rock-a-Bye Baby Color Challenge

I'm up way early today considering I didn't sleep well last night. Since I was wide awake, I completed today's color challenge much earlier than I usually do. Today's colors were White, Ruby Red, and Baja Breeze. For some reason, I felt these colors leaned towards a baby card. I also used this week's sketch challenge posted on Amy Rysavy's blog HERE.

Here's my card...


RECIPE:
Stamps: Rock-a-Bye Baby from Flourishes
Paper: White, Ruby Red, Baja Breeze, Parisian Breeze DP, Watercolor paper, Gold shimmer paper
Ink: Black Stazon, Reinkers in Ruby Red and Baja Breeze, Twinkling H2O in Buttercup
Accessories: Riding Hood Red Tafetta Ribbon, Classic and Scalloped Circle Nestabilities, Small SU Star Punch, dimensionals

Didn't it turn out gorgeous!?!?!!! I'm going to have a hard time giving this one away. It's a good thing I really don't know anyone who's preggers right now!

I think I'm going to try to nap on the couch for a while since I hardly slept last night. Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Fishy Fun!

I actually have a bunch of cards to share with you, but you'll have to be happy with one for right now. It's way too late for me to be up blogging right now.

Today's challenge on SCS was to create faux handmade paper. It's really easy! You just take a few different colors of acrylic paint and pounce it on cardstock with a wad of toilet paper. The toilet paper flakes apart in little pieces and will stick in the paint, giving it the appearance of handmade paper. Pretty cool!

Here's my card...

RECIPE:
Stamps: Fishy Friends, sentiment from Mixed Messages (PTI)
Paper: Pacific Point, White, Silver
Ink: Black Momento, Pacific Point
Accessories: Copic Markers, Metallic Silver colored pencil, Circle Nestabilities, Circle Punches, Acrylic paints in 3 different blues and 1 silver, toilet paper, silver cord
Technique: Faux Handmade Paper

That's all for today! I'll be back later!!! Thanks for stopping by! Have a terrific day!

Two More Cards

Here's two more cards for you this week. The first is from today's "Ways to Use It" challenge on SCS. You had to use crumpled cardstock in some way to create flowers or the likewise on your card.

Here's mine...

RECIPE:
Stamps: NONE!!!
Ink: None!
Paper: Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, and Razzleberry Lemonade DP
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Ribbon, Pewter Ribbon Slide, Blossom Nestabilities

Yup... there's no stamping on this card. I still think it turned out pretty neat. I used a sketch from a past issue of CardMakers magazine for this card.

Next, I completed the sketch on Amy Rysavy's blog.

Here's my card...

RECIPE:
Stamps: Animal Stories
Paper: Old Olive, So Saffron, White, Tall Tales DP
Ink: So Saffron, Chocolate Chip Marker
Accessories: Old Olive 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon, green rhinestone brads, Classic Circle and Pinking Circle Nestabilities, dimensionals

I've been having so much fun sleeping in and being lazy during the first week of my summer vacation. It's been nice to have no where to be, no papers to grade, no phone calls to make. Ahhhh! Summer!

That's all for today! Tomorrow I have to get hopping and create a Father's Day card for my dad, a 50th Anniversary Card for family friends, and a birthday card for my father in law. Lots to do!!!! Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a terrific day!!!

Two Cards for Today!

I have two cards to share with you today. The first one was Monday's technique challenge. The challenge was to print a picture onto acetate in black and white with your computer, and then color parts of the image with alcohol markers. This was one frustrating challenge. First I had selected two pictures of flowers I had taken over Spring Break in Vegas. But once I started coloring, I noticed the ink from the computer printer was coming off onto my Copics! Eeeek! So I scrapped what I was doing and tried it again.

This time I found a picture of Santa on the internet and printed off on the rough side of the acetate. Then I colored on the smooth side with my Copics. This worked pretty well until I tried to cut out the image with my nestabilities. Then all the little paper scraps from my B plate stuck in the ink from the Copics. When I tried to rinse off the little paper scraps in the sink, the computer ink washed off instead. Ugghh!

Finally, I chose to cut the Santa image with my paper cutter. That worked with no incidents. Here's my card...

RECIPE:
Stamps: Sentiment from Many Merry Messages
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, White, Acetate
Ink: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Ribbon from SU, brads, Copic Markers, Santa picture printed from the internet, distressor
Technique: Acetate with Color

I know it's a little strange to make a Christmas card in June, but I thought the Santa image worked well with this technique.

My other card for today is for Father's Day and the sketch challenge on SCS.

Here's my card...

RECIPE:
Stamps: And Many Mower
Paper: Always Artichoke, Chocolate Chip, White, To the Nines DP
Ink: Momento Black, reinkers for watercoloring
Accessories: square punches, jumbo eyelets
Technique: watercoloring with reinkers

I think this will be the Father's Day card for my father in law. I made two of these cards, so I may actually send the other card to my brother in Las Vegas for his birthday.

That's all for today! Thanks so much for looking! Have a spectacular day!!! :)

Inspiration Challenge

Today's challenge on SCS is an inspiration challenge. I was inspired by THIS ROOM and based my colors and focal point image from the room.

Here's my card...

RECIPE:
Stamps: Cheep Talk
Paper: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, White, Frosty Day DP
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Kiwi Kiss, Black
Accessories: Nestabilities, Tangerine Tango Striped Grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals

It's a pretty basic card with very few frills. I'm up early today and I rarely stamp before noon... I'm usually a night owl and get my best mojo late in the day.

I'm off car shopping today. BLECH!!!! We've been looking at cars for the past few weeks now and I'm so tired of it. Wish me luck!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a terrific day!!! :)

Sneak Peak... Lots of Bots

This is a sneak peak of what's to come in the Stampin' Up! catalog that will be avaiable on July 1. I just love how adorable this set, Lots of Bots, is!

Here's my creation...


RECIPE:
Stamps: Lots of Bots (SU available July 1)
Paper: Basic Black, Kraft, White, Urban Oasis DP
Ink: Momento Black
Accessories: Nestabilities Labels 2, Cuttlebug Tiny Tags, Metallic Colored Pencils and regular colored pencils, silver hexagon eyelets, cropadile

I colored the robot with a silver metallic colored pencil so that he looks shiny. I also thought that the silver hexagon eyelets went perfectly with the robot too!

On a non-stamping note... I'm finally on vacation! It feels good to not have to grade papers or write lesson plans for a while. Instead I can do what I want with my time. RELAXATION!!!

That's all for today! Thanks so much for looking! Have a wonderful day!!! :)