You Light Up a Room! + Giveaway

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

I'm here today with a super fun zombie card that lights up!! I'm completely addicted to zombies, as you know - and now I'm addicted to these lights! All you have to do is pop a battery in before you use them on your card and they are good to go. Perfect for any non-engineering gifted people like me, who also love zombies in lightning storms! (unique combo, I know)

I put my zombies and gravestones from this set in this retro TV set die and then drew some lightning. I picked three light points and punched holes, which I then backed with Duralar, and I taped the lights behind those. 

Then I just wrote "ON" on a circle over the TV button on the die cut and you can see the lights in action below! So fun.

Here are all the supplies I used today:

CM478 Graveyard HeroScape - Hero Arts [ HA ] DI812 Graveyard HeroScape Frame Cuts... [ HA ] DI702 1950s Television Fancy Die (D)... [ HA ] Pearblossom Press EZ-Lights [ PRB ] Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Pens and... [ BLIC ]

And here's a fun blog hop with Hero & Pear Blossom! WITH giveaways - $50 from each! Winners will be announced on the Pear Blossom Press site on February 6th, so be sure and comment!

Pear Blossom Press

Kelly Latevola Taylor

Carissa Wiley

Lynnea Hollendonner

Niccole Kulig

Daniel West

Lydia Fiedler

Ilina Crouse

Maria Willis 

Mindy Eggen

Dana Joy

Seeka

Libby Hickson

Pocono Pam

Hero Arts

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

VIDEO: Mini Boards with Hand Carved Wood Stamps

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

For this month's Gel Press video, I did a super fun collection of little artist trading stamps, using Indian carved wood stamps, Splash Inks and the Postage Infinity dies! The little people from A Walk in the Park and More for A Walk in the Park are perfectly sized for these fun little stamps! I used this set, which has some perfect postal items in it, for the words. And I threw in one freaking adorable little bee from this set. These are going to be so fun to give away or abandon! The video for the mini board concept for how I created these is below. 

Don't forget to sign up for my online Gel Press workshop in February! (it doesn't matter if that date is a conflict, because it's all online!) If you sign up today you will get two of the supply items mailed to you, but the cutoff for that is today because the mail is so crazy right now! 

And here's the video - click HERE if you don't see a player below.

Here are the simple supplies I used.

Gel Press 5 x 7 REUSABLE GEL PRINTING... [ SSS ] Yasutomo - Niji Splash Ink - (4 per... [ FRN ] DI345 Nesting Postage Stamps Infinity... [ HA ] CM510 Bee the Queen - Hero Arts [ HA ] DI861 Bee the Queen Frame Cuts (C) -... [ HA ] Clear Stamps- Stately Flowers 11 -... [ GNK ] A Walk in the Park – Picket Fence... [ PFS ] A Walk in the Park Coordinating Die –... [ PFS ] More for A Walk in the Park... [ PFS ] More for A Walk in the Park – Picket... [ PFS ] Indian Wood Print Stamp Blocks for... [ ETS ]

I hope you have a great weekend lined up! 

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

One Layer Simplicity!

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

I'm a clean and simple girl at heart when I'm not being a chaotic mixed media artist!

For my cards, I do tend to go home to the one layer white space type card, so that's what I'm bringing you today.

I stamped the main image from this stamp set  in Fadeout Ink - and the beauty of Fadeout is you don't need to mask! I stamped the vase, and then stamped the flowers and leaves on top of it, knowing my coloring would obscure the overlap - so simple!

I colored the images with Graphit Markers (coupon in footer) and then accented it with colored pencils.

I did mask the bottom of the vase to stamp the wood table image, and then I did some distressed stenciling in the background to make it look like wallpaper. This actually looks a lot like an antique pitcher my mother in law gave me!

Simon Says Clear Stamps MAGNOLIA... [ SSS ] Picket Fence Studios TALL GRASS AND... [ SSS ] Fadeout No Line coloring Detail Ink [ INK ] Gina K Designs WARM GLOW AMALGAM Ink... [ SSS ] Graphit — Marker Universe [ MRK ] Faber-Castell Polychromos Pencils and... [ BLIC ] My Sweet Petunia [ MSP ] Pre-Cut & Scored Cardstock [ CTC ] Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473 [ SSS ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Crafter's Companion GEMINI... [ SSS ] Scor-Pal MINI SCOR-BUDDY Scoring... [ SSS ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | CST ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ]

I hope you've had a great week - we're almost through it!

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Monochrome Florals + Premeditated Resentment

*Compensated affiliate links used where possible at zero cost to you. No posts are ever sponsored or paid.*

I read a comment in a Facebook group the other day that really resonated with me. "Unexpressed expectation is premeditated resentment."

I see this a lot with crafting. Especially cards. People post stories of having given a card to a relative or friend and that relative or friend threw it away, and then they are super upset. 

But here's the thing - most people when they receive a gift of any kind, are instantly grateful that they were thought of, and that the person took the time to give them a gift. What they are not usually expecting is an unexpressed obligation. 

So let's say you give a complete minimalist a ten piece Russian nesting doll spice shaker kit, for example. If you give that freely, with no expectations, expressed or unexpressed, that minimalist will experience the joy of receiving a gift, but as it doesn't fit into their ethos of minimalism, will also experience joy giving it to someone else. If you later find out about it and are mad - that is premeditated resentment, because you didn't put a tag on it that said - I am giving you this ten piece Russian nesting doll spice shaker gift fully expecting you to carry it around your entire life and then be buried with it. 

If you send a card to someone with the expectation they will put it in a shadow box and include it in their will so that it never leaves any blood relative of them, then you should a) say that or b) don't send the card. 

I opt for the philosophy of gifts with no strings attached. If I send you something, it's because I wanted to. What happens after you get it is your business. I'm not going to follow up in five years asking for a picture of you with that day's newspaper and my gift or card. 

The real magic is in the giving. Just give freely. And if you can't give freely, don't give! Or give to people who understand your expectations very clearly. Then everyone wins. Life is short. Let's not have too many rules!

There is some fun new stuff out today, so I actually had a chance to stamp this week. Work has been absolutely insane, so I appreciate the break with pretty things. 

I love their giant florals, and the new peonies are no exception. This stamp is amazing for detailed coloring but I opted for simple - just three markers - royal blue and neon violet blue Karin markers (coupon code in footer) and a special black copic and BOOM - a very delft looking pattern! I stamped the image in Blue Belle Ink before coloring. The sentiment is from the AMAZING new double cut alphabet which created three different styles of letters with just one die set. I cut the letters from holographic cardstock.

If you like more detailed coloring, like I do with watercolor - how about these apples? This stamp reminds me of the trees in Santa Fe with small apples on them. I stamped it with Fadeout ink, and painted it with the Lydia Split from my Daniel Smith split group.

I brushed Gina K Kraft ink onto a draft card base through the Coloring book stencil for the background. The sentiment is from BFF Favorite Hello and the sequins are Spring Fling.

I won't tell you the embarrassing story that led to this card, but let it be said that I'm not that bright! But I recovered and am bringing you an ocean themed card with the Ocean Waves die and the Nautilus Shell stamp and dies. But what's so super exciting is the new dies for the More Fancy Sentiments Set - I love how crisp that looks. I stamped the shell image in Fadeout and colored it with Daniel Smith.

There's a reason we call Maddie Toothless - she looks SO much like Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon! So I cannot resist a dragon, ever. This sweet boy-themed set is great for birthday cards, but I decided on a friend card, using the Big Hugs die with holographic paper and the Aurora Borealis background stamp.

Finally - this lovely Lavender Frame die. I love how it's sized just right for a card front. I ink blended Lovely Lavender and Wild Wisteria inks with the Slim Line Rising Sun Stencil on the card front and then just added the die cut! The sentiment is from Wild Peonies.

Simon Says Stamp Silver Holographic... [ SSS ] All – Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] Blue Belle - VersaFine Clair Ink Pad [ ACH ] Vintage Apple Coordinating Die |... [ PFS ] Vintage Apple Stamp Set | Picket... [ PFS ] Picket Fence Studios Slim line rising... [ PFS ] Aurora Borealis Stamp | Picket Fence... [ PFS ] Big Hugs Word Die | Picket Fence Studios [ PFS ] Nautilus Shell Scene Coordinating Die... [ PFS ] Nautilus Shell Scene – Picket Fence... [ PFS ] Seeing Double Alpha Die Set | Picket... [ PFS ] More Fancy Sentiments Die Set –... [ PFS ] Picket Fence Studios More fancy... [ PFS ] Day and Night Gem Mix | Picket Fence... [ PFS ] Slimline Ocean Waves Cover Plate Die... [ PFS ] Spring Fling Sequin Mix | Picket... [ PFS ] GKD Color Companions Ink Pad- Wild... [ GNK ] Fadeout No Line coloring Detail Ink [ INK ] BFF Favorite Hello Stamp Set | Picket... [ PFS ] Lavender Frame Cover Plate | Picket... [ PFS ] Ride With Me Dear Coordinating Dies |... [ PFS ] Ride With Me Dear Stamp Set | Picket... [ PFS ] Wild Peonies Stamp Set | Picket Fence... [ PFS ] *Karin Brushmarker PRO Markers [ MRK ]

What are you up to this weekend? I sense a weekend of cleaning and organizing!

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10
5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5
Phone stand for filming link below in the banner - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE