Faux Verdigris Technique + Stamptember Giveaway!

Happy Stamptember y'all!!

This month is always so fun, because Simon Says Stamp has new surprises each day during the month. Some are collaborations with other stamp companies, some are little bonuses for people shopping - lots of Easter Eggs to find all over the site. It's all focused around our love for stamps - clear stamps, cling stamps, wood stamps - all of it. The images that find their way into our hearts and onto our cards. The ones that make us wow, ahhh or laugh.

It amazes me that I've been stamping for many, many more decades than I care to admit - since the age of 15, and that I still turn into a squealy three year old when I see something new and fetching.

I guess that's why people tend to stick with stamping as long as they do. Most of my stamping friends have been stamping with me for 20 years this year - that's a long time to be passionate about an art form.

If you've met Heidi, the owner, then you know that that absolutely irrepressible enthusiasm she has is infectious in the best possible way - she's truly like the rest of us about new things - like a kid at Christmas. Her collaborations with people throughout this fun month were really an industry first when she launched Stamptember, and has changed the community in so many positive ways. I personally have seen her uplifting and kind support of brand new stamp companies, and how that support has transformed those businesses. I can't tell you how exciting it is when you're starting out to find out that Simon Says Stamp will be carrying your product. I've seen the thrill of that moment for people, and their growing success as a result many times over the past few years. Really inspiring to watch.

So I'm very grateful to Simon Says Stamp for Stamptember - I look forward to this month every year, and eagerly anticipate all the new goodies. Since September is still in the dead of summer here, it's fun to have lots to create with in the air conditioned happy space of my studio.

So tonight, there's tons of new stuff for us all to enjoy. One of the things you'll see is this incredible, large floral heart. Y'all know how I love images that cover a card, and this one fits that bill. It also is made up of a combination of images that are silhouette, zentangle detailed and open for coloring so I can't wait to see what people do with it.

But I accidentally found a way to make this image look like Verdigris. It's actually just a crazy illusion from some simple ink layering, but it's pretty magic. I have the video for you below.

 The set comes with four scripty, large sentiments and one non-script sentiment, perfect for embossing, as I've done here. I used my fave embossing ink (it has a firm, not squishy pad, and is loaded with ink,) as well as Gold Rush embossing powder. This is an easily duplicatable card, so if you make cards for nursing homes, or want some beautiful and quick Valentine's Day or wedding/anniversary cards - give it a try.

I can't get over how it really takes on that verdigris color, which is nothing like either of the ink colors I used - Acorn & Peacock Feathers. 

So here's the video, and then come back after you watch - because I'm giving away this stamp set to one lucky person so instructions to enter are below! 

So do you want to win the stamp set I used today?

Just tell me in your comment on my post what your absolute favorite color of ink is - any brand!

Then click here to shop the first day of Stamptember! I'll be back tomorrow with some more inspiration from the things you'll see there!

Loveyameanitbye.

Ethereal Acrylic Backgrounds & Thoughts on Downtime

Dare to Get Dirty at Splitcoast always inspires me with new techniques to try.

Our super-hostess Ann came up with one I loved this year using stencils and acrylic paint. So fun and easy, so I made a bunch of backgrounds with it. I love any technique where I can pull out an interesting background from my stash and put a cute new stamp on it.

So let's talk about downtime.

I want you to appreciate your downtime. Your days with no structure, where you can do what you want. It's really, really an important part of adult life, just as much as it's pretty much the most important time in a child's life.

Those empty spaces are the workshop for your imagination and creativity.

Your brain is just like a closet. If it's so jammed full of stuff that it all tumbles out when you open the door, you're not in good shape.

You need silence, and peace and unstructured time. You know this instinctively when you're harried or in the middle of some unexpected event, but then you tend to forget it when you're in a "normal" stretch, and you let the clutter come in.

I'm here to tell you to Kondo your schedule like you do your physical spaces.

So I made a card for you to reinforce that point.

I used Ann's technique to create the illusion  of water for my little floating tiger. I brayered turquoise and ultramarine paint directly onto the card panel, placed this fun stencil on top of it, and removed some of the paint with a baby wipe. I love the way it came out!

I then cut a half inch off the panel, and separated two pieces of it, and glued them down, leaving me enough room for the sentiment. I stamped the tiger, which is in the set with the sentiment, in Amalgam ink, and colored him with Copics, and cut him out with the matching dies. Look how happy he is, having taken a minute to do nothing.

Now I say all this as a person who has a hard time sitting still. But that's not all downtime is. Sometimes it's a mindless doodle, or a backyard watercolor happy hour - my favorite - listening to the birds. 

I'm not a TV person, but I watch it to be social for a few hours before bed. But I can't just watch TV - it makes me restless and or I instantly fall asleep. So I do little things - I put cardstock in my stamp pockets, or zentangle - and my most recent favorite activity is this.

I used this teeny, tiny blue Sharpie, and these shells from Amazon. I will say - the seller did a great job making sure they weren't all smashed - the bag was thickly bubble wrapped. 

I bought the box of Sharpies, because this can wear on the tips after a lot of shells. 

Different kinds of shells give you different possibilities, as this amazing artist proved. Hers look like Wedgewood. Mine look like I'm doing them during Breaking Bad :).

Do you do something while you watch TV? Let me know in the comments!

And guess what? Just in time for your downtime, there's a big sale at Ellen Hutson! I have links to the stamps and dies I used today in Ellen's store below, or you can click the sale graphic to shop all the things. I hope you are safe and not in the path of the hurricane.

Here are all the things I used today.

Tentacles - A Colorful Life Designs [ CLD ] BB Sunshine & Friendship – MFT Stamps [ MFT ] BB Sunshine & Friendship Die-namics –... [ MFT ] Teal Golden Open [ BLIC ] Golden Fluid Acrylics - Ultramarine Blue [ BLIC ] Mermaid tidy towel case and glue... [ ETS ] White Ark Clam Sea Shells [ AMZUS ] Sharpie 1742664 Pens, Fine Point,... [ AMZUS ] Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473 [ SSS ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White [ GNK ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for... [ BRG ] Mudder 10 Pack White Buffer Sanding... [ AMZUS ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Crafter's Companion GEMINI... [ SSS ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets... [ CHC ] XL Stamp Storage Pockets [ ELH ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | CST ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ] Scor-Pal MINI SCOR-BUDDY Scoring... [ SSS ]

Loveyameanitbye.

Smackdown - A Blast From the Past

I'm doing the tutorial today over at Splitcoast with a trip through the wayback machine!

I was surprised we didn't have a tutorial on it already, because I learned this simple technique two decades ago.

It's just a simple, repetitive stamping technique to create the illusion of movement.

You can see my video on the technique below, but I'll walk you through these cards first.

I have fun new fineline marker I'm sneak peeking on the first card. I inked the butterfly from this set in Morning Mist (I highly recommend Versafine Clair for this technique, because you're using a block, not a MISTI, so you need that first image to have great coverage on the first image.)

The sentiments in the other set I used below are builders, which gives you a lot more flexibility.

After stamping the first generation, you just tap off the rest of the ink in a line to create movement.

I added my fave sunshine sequins for a clean, bright card.

Another way to use this technique is to stamp the main image with a fully inked stamp - again Morning Mist here - and then stamp around that image in a circle to repeat the patterns. I thought that fall leaves were the perfect subject for this type of technique. The leaves I used were from this stamp set. When I had filled in the background, I stamped another leaf on watercolor paper in Nocturne, watercolored it with Daniel Smith, and cut it with the matching dies, and placed it on top of the leaf I stamped first. Then I used this thankful layering die and copper glitter paper on top of grey paper to finish it off. I love the little ghost images of the leaves. I brushed more Morning Mist around the edge with a Life Changing Blender Brush.

You can also do a brighter, cleaner version with Electro Pop Inks to give the illusion of falling leaves.

This time I used the stamp that matches the dies I used above and sprinkled iridescent sequins all about! Love that ink. 

So here's the video, with all the supplies listed below. For the step by step written instructions, please see today's tutorial!

Clear Stamps- Boho Flowers - Gina K... [ GNK ] Boho Flowers Die Set - Gina K Designs [ GNK ] Clear Stamps- Stitched Leaves - Gina... [ GNK ] Stitched Leaves Die Set - Gina K Designs [ GNK ] Mermaid tidy towel case and glue... [ ETS ] VersaFine Clair Ink Pad, Nocturne -... [ ELH | SSS ] Tsukineko VersaFine Clair MORNING... [ SSS ] Electro Pop Ink Pads- Set of 8 - Gina... [ GNK ] Daniel Smith Extra Fine Watercolors [ BLIC ] Escoda Versatil Brushes, Travel Round... [ UTR | BLIC | INK ] Life Changing Blender Brush 2-Pack -... [ PFS | SSS ] Fabriano Extra White Cold Press... [ BLIC ] Ombré Sunshine Sequins - Hero Arts [ HA ] MISTI Stamping Tool [ MSP | HA | SSS | ELH | MFT | UNT ] Lawn Fawn STAMP SHAMMY Cleaner LF1045 [ SSS | ELH | CST | ART ] Rotatrim Professional Series Cutter -... [ BLIC ] Nesting Porcelain Bowls - BLICK art... [ BLIC ] Tombow MONO MULTI Liquid Glue Two... [ SSS | MFT ] Airtable: Organize your stamps & dies [ ART ] Art Anthology BIG CRAFT MAT 24x36 311473 [ SSS ] Heavy Base Weight Card Stock- White [ GNK ] Xyron ADHESIVE ERASER 23675 [ SSS | ART | AMZUS ] Teflon Bone Folder - Ellen Hutson LLC [ ELH | SSS ] Crafter's Companion GEMINI... [ SSS ] Essentials by Ellen Storage... [ ELH ] Die Storage - Clear Storage Pockets... [ CHC ] XL Stamp Storage Pockets [ ELH ] Scor-Pal MINI SCOR-BUDDY Scoring... [ SSS ] LightView 2in1 LED Magnifier for... [ BRG ]

Loveyameanitbye.