Winter Magic Wall Hanging

Question: What's better than rubber stamps from RubberMoon?

Answer: Rubber stamps from RubberMoon and Art Squares from Inchie Arts!

I was cleaning up and about to put away my winter and Christmas stamps (Why?! I'm just going to use them again tomorrow!), when I glanced at my tiny collection of Art Squares and had a fit of inspiration. I decided to make a wall hanging. That's my excuse for not cooking dinner that time.

I began with the largest square, which is 4 x 4". I coated the background with a light blue ink and then stamped on the trees and snowflakes. I added the sentiment using StazOn jet black ink. I used irRESISTibles Shimmer to make dots of snow - I love the little bit of sparkle it adds. I made the snow under the trees using Amplify that I sprinkled with glitter before it dried.

For the snowflake panels, I first coated them in StazOn white Studio Glaze. Once that was dry, and it doesn't take long at all, I put the panels side by side and stamped the large snowflake. That way I didn't have to stamp it twice and try to guess at placement. I stamped the smaller snowflakes and then added dots of Stickles hologram for extra bling.

Last, but not least was my favorite little tree angel stamp. I colored her in and used my finger and ink to make swipes of blue for the sky. Then I used Stickles hologram again and smeared it across the panel with my finger. Yes, my hands usually end up looking like I got into a prize fight with an elf, but I get the job done.

The trickiest part of this project was lining things up and making sure I got the holes punched in the right place. The rest of it was just plain fun!

Where will your imagination take you? Forget cooking dinner... just go there.


RubberMoon stamps used:

There's Magic in the Air
Skinny Trees
Snowflake
6-sided Snowflake
Barbara

Penny For Your Thoughts

I'm in love with the latest stamp from the Rubbermoon Mail Club! Kae Pea named her Penny, The Party Planner, so I've titled this card Penny For Your Thoughts. The wonderful thing about Penny is that the banner is actually blank, so you can write in anything you want. She's a versatile gal, that Penny!

This was a pretty simple card to make. I used StazOn Jet Black ink to stamp everything on the white cardstock and colored it in with a blender pen and ink. I gave Penny a little extra sparkle by adding Stickles to her dress - after all, what's a Party Planner without some bling?!

I stamped an extra Penny on a piece of scrap paper and cut out the banner. Then I used my craft knife to make a slit in the bird's beak. I inserted the banner and put a bit of tape on the backside to secure it. Then I glued everything onto a piece of pink cardstock on which I had stamped a row of tiny flowers.

Now Penny is on her way to make someone's day!

Back to the Rubbermoon Mail Club... I can't say enough good things about it! I get a nifty new "surprise" stamp each month. For me, that element of surprise is great - I like being challenged by stuff that I might not necessarily pick out - and I've yet to be disappointed. Kae Pea also always adds fun extras from other companies. The best part of it is the online group and the support and inspiration I get from so many wonderful people.

Other RubberMoon Stamps Used: Sending Happy Thoughts, Sprinkles Cube, Lucy Bird

Where will your imagination take you?

A Haunting Couple

Happy October!

As soon as I flipped the page on the calender to October, I kind of flipped too. I've been going crazy for Halloween! We don't get trick-or-treaters here (please don't ask my why we need a full bowl of candy regardless). I don't dress up in a costume or go to parties. It doesn't matter. I love Halloween - I always have and I always will.

Then I decided to use almost all of my RubberMoon Halloween stamps on a single card. I couldn't help it. It was a little like choosing a single piece of candy to eat. Translation: never gonna happen.

I fell in love with Frank & Mrs. Stein the minute I saw them. I colored them in, gave them a little bling, then cut them out and set them aside while I worked on the background. For Mrs. Stein's hair, I used Imagine Crafts Amplify. Cool stuff! Once it's dry, you hit it with the heat gun and it puffs up. So her hair really looks like an old fashioned puffy 'do!

For the background I used the Scary Neighbors stamp and black craft ink. I colored in the windows with glittery gel pens and gave the stars a little shimmer with some Stickles. I stamped the sentiment in the same ink. Then, using white craft ink, I stamped the crescent moon. I let it dry for a minute and then went over it with Stickles as well.

All that was left to do was to introduce Frank and the Mrs. to the 'hood.

Where will your imagination take you?

RubberMoon stamps used:

Frank
Mrs. Stein
Scary Neighbors
Happy Halloween
Dark Crescent

The Magic of Autumn

Happy Autumn Everyone!

Nothing gets my creativity flowing like that first chilly snap in the air. And the colors? Zowie! Endless inspiration is right outside the window.

One of my favorite mediums to work with is Alcohol Ink. If you've never played with them, get some! It's so easy to create marbled backgrounds or just splotchy fun backgrounds. Plus, it's fun to watch them mingle and spread and do their own thing. Although they come in dozens of colors, they definitely lend themselves well to that feeling of Fall.

I did all of the stamping on this card with StazOn Jet Black ink. I then colored in the tree and the stars with Sharpies (alcohol ink tends to repel and/or absorb water-based inks). To give the stars a little shimmer I dabbed on some Stickles.

That's all there was to it! Simple, yet tons of fun.

But, WAIT!!!

Kae Pea is currently on a road trip to Seattle and has authorized a sale! Through September 28th, get $15 off any order over $75.00 at RubberMoon. This sale is for stamps only (excludes art supplies, mounts, etc). The code to enter at checkout is: ROADTRIP2015

Where will your creativity take you?

RubberMoon Art Stamps used

Small Chubby Crow

Wishing Tree

There's Magic In The Air

It's Always Sunny at RubberMoon!

Can I just say... I love Sunny Carvalho's line of stamps at RubberMoon! They are fun and whimsical, and I love fun and whimsical. It's rare that I send a serious card to anyone, so I'm always on the lookout for stamps that are different, but that mirror my... oh, let's call it quirky... my quirky sense of humor.

I read just last week that adult coloring books are all the rage now. For some of us, coloring has never stopped being all the rage. Maybe we should change "all the rage" to "all the happiness". Because what takes us back to happy childhood feelings the way that coloring a plain black and white image does? Maybe throwing a water balloon at some poor, unsuspecting soul, but they'll kick you out of the coffee shop for that.

*ahem*

Sunny's images are great fun to color in. The designs leave endless possibilities for color combinations and work well with colored pencils (which is what I used), watercolor, crayons, pens, sharpies, etc. I often use a blender pen dipped in ink when I work with some of these stamps.

Where will your imagination take you? Happy Crafting!

RubberMoon Stamps Used

Lucy Bird
Lucy Bird 2
Cat's Eye
If Cats Could Talk They Would Lie
Lucy
Happy Thoughts
Heart Wand

Mi Corazón Magnet

True Confession: I'm kind of a magnet junkie. I've collected them from around the world - they're tiny and they travel well! But I also love to make them. A few years back a dear friend of mine sent me some credit card "blanks" and said, "Here, Creative Girl... see what you can do with these."

So, naturally, I did. They are inexpensive and tons of fun to alter and embellish - I've long since purchased quite a few of them from the eBay gods. And, when I began playing around using alcohol inks on them? Well, let's just say that I can be a little fixated when I'm having fun working with a medium that I love.

When I saw Kae Pea's new designs over at RubberMoon, my first thought, and a giddy thought it was, was, "Magnets! Those would be perfect for magnets!"

I began by coating my blank with red and yellow alcohol inks. You could always do this with glossy cardstock, but I like that the plastic holds up so well.

After adding a few drops of blending solution, I simply picked up the blank and tilted it until the colors ran where I wanted them. I then blotted up extra ink with a paper towel. The alcohol inks dry faster than I can type this sentence, so it's a really fast process.

I stamped the heart onto the background using StazOn. This you can't substitute - it's necessary to use a solvent based ink on the plastic or it just won't stick at all. (And don't try to heat-emboss the blanks. They melt. Don't ask me how I know... just trust me on this one.)

I also stamped a heart onto a piece of scrap paper, which I then cut out and used as a mask when I stamped the flames. I colored in the flames with sharpies and then added some bling with Stickles.

I stamped the sentiment on cardstock and freehand cut it out to make a little banner which I then glued on. I used last month's RubberMoon Mail Club stamp to add a little extra interest to the background. I added my embellishments, glued magnets to the back, and I was done!

How about you? What sets your artistic heart on fire? Happy crafting!

RubberMoon Stamps Used

Mi Corazón
Doodle Heart
Flames

Other Products Used

Ranger Alcohol Inks & Blending Solution
StazOn Inks
Sharpies
Stickles

WINTRY MIX

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas or if you don't celebrate, enjoy this lovely tree scene and festive winter snowman down below.

I have used it before and still continue to love my Ultimate Red Rubber Palette (small for these projects) so it is fitting I end my year with it the center point of my project.  These two cards are done completely in dye ink (reinkers) and permanent ink (StazOn) and India Ink/Dip Pen.  Nothing fancy at all. I began by drizzling Oregano dye ink (Ranger) in a center line on the palette. I then put my pointer finger in water and pressed it into the ink to spread and lighten it for a background coat.  I pressed a 3 x 5" piece of glossy cardstock onto the palette and pulled it slowly up.  

I repeated the same steps again with Chartreuse green ink to have some color variations but did not use water so this would be a very vibrant color.  Before pressing the paper into the green ink, I decided to add some Raisin ink to my pointer finger and pressed some small dots along the green. 

It doesn't look like much yet except a textural line of mooshed ink, but as the details are added, it will morph into a composition for a card.  Bear with me.  I found a tree stamp I just love any time of year

and added it just right of center near the top of the foliage.  I took a teensy piece of cosmetic sponge and carefully colored it with the chartreuse ink (a slow pouncing motion) and then decided that the star needed to be gold.  I added a bit of StazOn Metallic gold to the star with the top end of a paintbrush.  I was satisfied with the tree, but now had to find a spot for the "joy" stamp that seems to go well with the mood I am setting.    

There, I found it. 

My design was starting to take shape, but I wanted to add more contrasting black so I took out my Higgins India Ink and dip pen and drew and fanciful line in the foliage.  

I framed the scene unevenly with a thick black Sharpie before mounting it on green and burgundy and cardstock. 

Five black beads finished it off.

I was on a roll with backgrounds so I used one made the same way but using several drops of water to create thinner, lighter areas. I found "top hat" snowman and added it into right of center so that his head and the stars would be in the white space. I went nuts with the dip pen again and added some activity beneath him and then had to personalize it by penning a word.  

He needed some oomph....so I added some clear Stickles to the stars and buttons. 

I mounted it on iridescent Bazill with a little strip of black glossy beneath it to add some pizzazz.  NOTE:  My camera angle on this beauty shot makes the card appear off, but in real life it is plumb so use your imagination.  

HAPPY HOLIDAYS ONE AND ALL................. For more RubberMoon, head here.  For more me, head here and friend or like me on facebook.