You Say Love Birds, I say BIRD LOVE!

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I can't wait for my bird moms to see this post - I had soooooo much fun making this. A good friend of mine used to have these sweet little tiny finches - I loved them so much. 

And my friend Kia loves her bird friends, so this is going to make her smile I think!

I have a video and a big giveaway coming - so I'll post that in a few days, but this is really a sneak peek.

I used bird dies and watercolor paper, and you're going to love the super simple watercolor technique I show you in the video. 

The background is made with a single ink - see the little bit of separation? I smooshed it with water first and then used the same ink and this background stamp on top.

The birdcage die I cut out of vellum and perched the little birdies on it. The sentiment is from this set.

You don't have to wait long! The video comes out tomorrow - join the chat for it and be notified here!

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES

10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE

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VIDEO: Blackout Embossing Technique & Documentary Recommendation

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I have the MOST fun and easy video for you today! You are going to love it! Also, I'm trying something new on YouTube - so all channel members will actually have gotten to watch this video yesterday! Membership has its privileges! (I'm going to see if there's a way to gift memberships to Patreon supporters so that will be seamless.)

I tried a chicken shawarma recipe this week that we LOVED. It could be our new go-to chicken recipe. And we finished American Nightmare - what the heckkkkkkkkkk? After you watch, listen to this interview with them on the Murder Sheet podcast - but watch the documentary first - it's on Netflix.

But for today's video all you need is a 3D embossing folder, a foam ink pad in a dark color, dye inks and blending brushes and a few minutes - and LOOK how beautiful it is! Here's my boldest folder. The sentiment strips for all cards are these. 

Here's a busier one and it's so fun!

This one has some attributes that create that shading - you'll see that in the video.

And when I was testing it out, I did one without color, and I love it too!

Here's the video - enjoy! 

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES

10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE

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OLO MARKER

10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

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VIDEO: Washi Inlay (Stashbusting)

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Happy Monday! I had so much fun teaching at the Mixed Media Stamp-Along this weekend - if you were there, thanks for being such a great class! 

After that, I spent the rest of Saturday decluttering. I'm trying, like I was doing in late 2019 to Marie Kondo the house - reduce our possessions to the bare minimum. In general, people have way too much stuff. I've always been pretty minimalist, but spending more time at home has meant that I've accumulated a little more "stuff" and I don't like it. Buy Nothing has been great for this, of course, and this weekend, I cleared out aprons. Every trade show or crafty event prior to 2020 added to my apron collection. And, and I don't know why, all the apron swag I've received are neck aprons, which I absolutely loathe. Japanese aprons are so much better, and I have four of them that I love. The thing that's insidious about aprons is they're just hanging there on hooks not bothering anyone, so it's not the first thing you think to declutter. But when I went to take them down, I realized I had more than 20 neck aprons from shows and classes - ugh. Lucky for me, my Buy Nothing group was THRILLED to get aprons. Two different women took five each. The rest went to others, and in a cleaning miracle - they all picked up the same day! Felt so good. My next real purge problem is books and magazines. I like to do puzzles at night and so puzzle magazines abound - and they are hard to "finish" so they take up space. I've started ripping pages out to do the puzzles on a clipboard, so that will help me know when a magazine is done, and I can recycle it. My sudoku pages are going to make great collage material because the pages are grids with numbers - not much blank space. I love sudoku. Cookbooks are going to be harder. I might go through them, transfer the few recipes in each that I'll actually use to Google Drive and pass those along. The only ones I really want to keep are the older first editions I got from my mom or kept - Joy of Cooking, Moosewood, special ones that are signed, blockbusters like the Korean Vegan, etc. The mass market/branded ones need to get out of my house. I just don't use them.

So there's your Kondo brain dump for the day!

In the same way, I'm de-stashing and USING my craft supplies - and one area I need to destash badly is my beautiful washi tape. And I've always felt so limited in how I can use it, so today's video is a fun new idea for using it on cards. It's really cute and easy. So on this card, I stamped the little mouse, and I used washi for the bucket - it's this beautiful Moroccan style tape with gold accents - you'll see how shiny it is. Then I colored it with colored pencil on this sturdy kraft. The sentiment is from the same set.

Before we move on, here's the supply list for the video.

Mouse stamps [ HNB | SBC ] Mouse dies [ HNB | SBC ] Gold accented washi [ AMZUS ] Van Gogh washi [ AMZUS ] Green Heart Paper [ HNB ] Wood Grain Paper [ HNB ] Holbein Artists' Colored Pencils -... [ BLIC ] Ceramic knife [ AMZUS ] Heavyweight kraft [ AMZUS ] Die release tool [ HNB ] Sharp edge teflon folder [ HNB ]

This is my favorite St. Patrick's Day stamp, like ever. For this one I used some Van Gogh washi tape for the shamrock and the tape just adds so much interest. I colored the mouse with OLO markers. The background paper is from this pad. 

Finally I used the Van Gogh iris tape for the bucket for this little mouse. I colored him with OLO markers too. The paper is from this pad.

So here's the video - enjoy!

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES

10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE

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OLO MARKER

10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10

5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5

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Bujo/journaling supplies - 10% off with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

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Bug Love

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My parents had at least two VWs - a bug and a Karmann Ghia. Back in those days, they were SUCH reliable, easy to work on cars, not to mention freaking adorable!

I wasn't around when they had the bug, but word on the parental street was that somehow my brother got ahold of a pen when he was a toddler and drew VW bugs all over the sheets of his crib!

If he ever goes to prison, there are going to be issues, I can guarantee you that. No one knows how he finagled that pen in there. 

So tonight I bring you a bug! I'll put a little video over on Instagram so you can see how shiny the silver parts are, but since this classic bug stamp is, well, classic - I painted it like it was a bit rusty with watercolor. 

The sentiment and the flower power stamps are from the same set. So cute. So much nostalgia.

What funny stories do you have like my brother's? Let me know in the comments!

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES

10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE

20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.

OLO MARKER

10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10

5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5

Arkon Mounts -  - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Bujo/journaling supplies - 10% off with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off everything at Acorns & Twigs with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

VIDEO: Wax Seal Highlighting Hack - No Purchase Necessary :)

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Before I started stamping paper, my first "stamps" were wax seal stamps. I wrote and received a lot of letters and I loved sealing them, so I'm thrilled they are back in vogue! I have one of my tricks from the early 80s for you today on how to highlight the raised portions quickly and easily - it's a great hack, so stay tuned for that below!

For these seals, I used the handmade stamp and two beautiful mixed - a magenta and gold and a teals and gold. I also used a non-fragrance emitting melting system - I can't do stinky tealights, and I'm not wild about open flames in a room filled with paper LOL.

You can highlight with paint, ink, anything - I used gold wax. 

PS the paper they are sitting on is this patterned paper pack in an A2 size, which I love. BreAnn told me the other day she seals directly on the envelopes, but I'm too chicken for that, so I use these adhesives that are made for wax.

I have some other fun cards today too with a more modern twist! Remember my old tape trick? I put some rally tape on cardstock and cut it with these fun modern floral dies. The oh so very 70s style sentiment is from this set. Love this color combo. 

I used that same sentiment set with this phenomenal doodly Betterpress plate - look how crisp it is! I just used black ink and regular cardstock - I do that all the time with Betterpress. My neighbors love the letterpress style of cards and I donate them often. I cut down this floral die to have it peeking in from the side and colored it with neon watercolor.

For the background of this card, I used an embossing folder sort of like a stamp. First, I collaged little pieces of music paper all over a card front. Then I used acrylic ink on the embossing folder, closed it on top and weighted it down for the subtle floral pattern you see. Then, to prove that your paper can be textures and still get a great impression, I used this celestial Betterpress plate for this retro moon image. I put little flat sequins around it - sorry you can't see the shine.

So here's the video with the wax hack! I hope you have a great rest of your week! I've been using the heck out of my new dehydrator - I found some great advice on Reddit for crispy banana chips, so I made those yesterday. They are SO good if you soak them in lemon juice first. I do that with the apples too. That tart/sweet combo is so good.

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES

10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE

20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.

OLO MARKER

10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10

5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5

Arkon Mounts -  - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Bujo/journaling supplies - 10% off with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off everything at Acorns & Twigs with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Simple Papel Picado

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I've set up a few bullet journals for the year, and I've been including some daily news items because there has just been so much WEIRD news already this year. Like Connor stuck in the vase! I printed that one out on my mini sticker printer to put in the journal - I have not laughed that hard in a long time. Then there's the 10 foot tall Miami mall aliens! The Boeing Alaska Airlines door! Nekkid Bass Pro Shop Guy! The 9 month cruise debacle! The Epstein list! And this is only DAY NINNNEEEEEE. Anyway, it's made for fun journaling. 

I decided on a new format for the daily journal. I create the same boxes on every page with this collage stencil. Ink blend, then outline. Then I fill them in - I'm doing a pixel temperature grid, so one box is for the h/l temps. I have a box for a doodle. I have a Kondo box - stuff I've given away on Buy Nothing (trying to do that daily). The other boxes are for Diary items, news, ideas - not all will be on all days. But it's a short and sweet way to create a page daily and I'm loving it. I'm also including a word of the day - my mom found a great website and sends them and some of them are new to me and fun - like EGGCORN. An eggcorn is a word or phrase that results from someone misunderstanding or misinterpreting another. So when people say "for all intensive purposes" instead of "for all intents and purposes" - that's an eggcorn. Fun.

I also decorate the pages with stickers from my ephemera collection. I'll do a flip through at some point.

But today I have just a simple papel picado style card for you - I adore this look from a lifetime of being surrounded by papel picado in Texas and New Mexico restaurants - it's just familiar and beloved. 

The die is a layering die - so that heart design is actually a series of three dies - a scalloped outline, a scalloped heart shape and an inset die that cuts out the center patterns. The other die is an A2 card front sized inset die. Brilliantly put together so that you can have a blank center for a sentiment, color layer and inlay, or put the whole thing together like I've done here. I did not include a sentiment because this is all this card needs!!

They have another stamp set that to me also looks like it would work for sectioning off a bullet journal - I love the doodly style.

Stay away from the mall aliens - it's crazy out there.

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES

10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE

20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.

OLO MARKER

10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10

5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5

Arkon Mounts -  - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Bujo/journaling supplies - 10% off with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off everything at Acorns & Twigs with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Vintage All The Things + Giveaway

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As promised, I have vintaged all the things today! I love the vintage look, and one easy way to get it is simply with color. Throughout today's card, I've "aged" everything with color - in this case, with the soft, distressed paper that is included in the kit this month. It has a super warm tone that I knew would mute my ink colors, so I used the stencil first to create florals in blue and pink and green. then I LIFTED part of the design - actually removing the top layer with the stenciling with packing tape to create the two open spaces for taco stamping with this background stamp. Any soft paper can be used this way - I used to do it with mulberry and other handmade papers I had gel printed. It's a fun way to distress a card. Then I just added the die from the classic kit and cut through this background, leaving the white of the card base showing. Super easy card. The texture of the paper is amazing.

Here is the kit

For this ADORABLE skunk set, I used the same soft paper, but I ink smooshed and splattered it with both Ultra Pink ink and white Posca pen. I actually stamped the skunk, wreath and sentiment on white, but aged them with Caramel ink.I love how he's peeking back at the viewer.

This one looks hard to figure out, but stay with me. First - I taco stamped all over heavyweight kraft cardstock in white with the background stamp. Then I put down the heart stencil and brushed on Caramel ink - so the white you see is what's masked by the stencil. Then I took the die cut that I cut from the first card and added that. The size of those words is stellar in an A2 format.

And probably my favorite of the bunch - just using Caramel ink in different intensities to do all three layers of the stencil in the kit - a true limited supply challenge! The sentiment is from this set, and the die is from this one. I eclipsed it up with four layers and added sequins.

Here are all the supplies I used today - giveaway info is below!

January 2024 Kit [ HA ] Ode to Andy Warhol [ HA ] I Love You [ HA ] Heart Stencil [ HA ] Skunk Love [ HA ] Wreath [ HA ] Giveaway [ HA ] Caramel Ink [ HA ] AF249 Unicorn Pigment Ink Pad - Hero... [ HA ] Uni Posca Paint Markers - White, Set... [ BLIC ] AF603 Ultra Pink Core Ink | Hero Arts [ HA ]

Here are all the add-ons this month - and don't forget - leave me a comment to be entered to win a $50 gift card. If you want to see the full giveaway post and links to more inspiration - click here. 

Have a great week!

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES

10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE

20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.

OLO MARKER

10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10

5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5

Arkon Mounts -  - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Bujo/journaling supplies - 10% off with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off everything at Acorns & Twigs with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Monochromatic Layering Stencils - ONE INK (Sneak Peek)

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Fair warning - I'm on a vintage kick this month - and I swear this happens to me at the beginning of every year. Maybe I like the warm colors because I'm COLD. LOL.

Anyway, you'll see more of what I mean on Monday, but today I have a sneak peek for you of the new Hero Kit!

I wanted to do an experiment with the stunning layering stencil in the kit and see if I could do it with just ONE color of ink - my beloved Caramel. I just controlled how much ink was going on for each layer and I love it so much! I used the eclipse technique for the little heart in the middle, using FOUR layers of my ultra thick kraft cardstock. 

I love how warm and detailed it is.

If you want to see more colorful versions of this - head over here for more peeks! Otherwise I'll see you on Monday with lots more!

Loveyameanitbye.

CURRENT COUPON CODES

10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE

20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.

OLO MARKER

10% off at Sweet Sentiment with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off the whole store at A Colorful Life Designs - LydiaFan10

5% off at LBC here with code LYDIA5

Arkon Mounts -  - 20% off sitewide with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

Bujo/journaling supplies - 10% off with code UNDERSTANDBLUE

10% off everything at Acorns & Twigs with code UNDERSTANDBLUE