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Spring sprung here in the last few weeks and it's been so amazing. This is the time everyone wishes they lived in Central Texas. The weaklings, I mean - the ones who can't survive the summer. This one small "season" we have is like a treacherous mermaid on the rocks - luring the Californians in, and, if they stay too long, smashing them to bits on our brutal summer, which is not far behind.
California has such perfect weather year round that it's a pretty rough surprise if they linger.
This is a land of extremes, so we have to enjoy this incredible little serene bit of weather while it lasts.
I had some surprise daffodils come up this week, so that was really fun. Bulbs are so darn hardy it boggles my mind.
Today I have some bulbs for you in the run up to Easter, with this single stamp/die combo. It's meant to be a shaker die, but I have two ways to make two really striking, no-waste cards that are not shakers. I love die cutting and using every single piece, as you know. You'll see how that works in the video.
CURRENT COUPON CODES
10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE
*Compensated affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. No posts here are sponsored or paid.*
Happy Monday! Our weather was absolutely spectacular this weekend, so I cut back some plants and did some inspections, trying to see what is coming back already - and there's really quite a bit. There are a few things that haven't yet that I'm a little worried about, but my garden journal tells me to calm down, there's still a few months before some of the more sensitive plants return. This is why journaling is so important for gardeners. We forget!
We also forget techniques, which is why it's important to look back every now and then and find little gems!
I have one of those in today's video with tips on updating an old favorite - faux tile!
For this card I used these cute textured square stamps to create a backsplash for this little kitchen scene - that's all one stamp. I hand created the counter and cabinet with markers and a little direct to paper. I love the way the napkin drapes over the edge!
Here's the video!
Splotchy has a scan tomorrow so wish us luck!
Loveyameanitbye.
CURRENT COUPON CODES
10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE
*Compensated affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. No posts here are sponsored or paid.*
Look - it's 6 AM and I'm bringing you coffee! Happy Friday to all!
I have a fun video for you today on how to design cards with the new & improved Creative Corners. It had been a while since I used these tools, and the new high visibility design inspired me. I actually have two videos that will give you a refreshers on these.
The real genius of the triangle pieces is how they work with the rails of the MISTI to let you get perfectly consistent angles for stamps and stencils. If that sounds confusing, you'll see what I mean in the video.
But here's what I did. I placed the triangle piece against the rail on TOP of cardstock and this beautiful stencil. I used Caramel ink, which has a warm, latte feel, and ink blended the part that wasn't masked by the triangle. Then I used that same triangle and a magnetic L to bump out my cardstock for off edge stamping with this beautiful coffee bean border stamp. This stamp repeats in both directions, so I completed the corner by stamping it again vertically. I colored the beans with the fine tip of two Graphit Markers, and randomly highlighted them with a white gel pen. I think they look really realistic!
I stamped the coffee cup and attached beans and die cut them and colored them with OLO and Graphit markers. The sentiment is from the same set. The blue just pops on the caramel - I love that combo.
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Y'all. My absolute DREAM is to have chickens. I want chickens so badly I'd probably even break a minor law to have them. My preschool had a goose - who was an absolute terrorist, but the magic of getting eggs when I was little must have imprinted on me, because I've always wanted to be a crazy chicken lady. I have gone on numerous chicken coop tours here just aspirationally. I hope someday.
Enough about me and my bird dreams. We've got cards to show.
CHICKEN CARDS for starters. I'm absolutely dying over this sassy chicken die. The cool thing about it is it's very large - so you could do ALL the chicken varieties coloring this thing!
I just made mine a regular white leghorn style rooster, with subtle gray ink blending on the body and tail and because it's a fancy die, I could ink blend the wattle and little topknot.
Everything I'm going to show you today is from the beautiful spring catalog! You can see the whole thing by clicking the catalog image - but COME BACK!
It's not spring without a bunny napping on a carrot though, right? I used no-line watercolor and this little bunny on a circle of watercolor paper and then stamped this background on a regular card base to focus your eye on the wabbit! The sentiment is from the same set.
There's some fun mixed media stuff happening in this catalog, and I loved some of the art journal style stamps like this travel themed one. I ink smooshed a big sheet and then used these dies to cut little pennant that were stamped with these collage images. The sentiment is in the same set.
Of course we are having a hop today, with a giveaway, so be sure and leave me a comment to be entered. You can either see the full list below - or click the hop graphic to start at the Hero Blog.
To be entered to win one of two $50 gift cards - leave me a comment, and start at the Hero Blog and hop and comment! Winners will be announce on the Hero Blog!
*Compensated affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. No posts here are sponsored or paid.*
If you saw my live the other day, you've seen the new colors from Concord & 9th in a peek format, so today, I'm going to show you one of my fave color combos using two new colors and one of my faves from the existing collection.
I used the first layer of the stencil to ombre blend Wildberry & Grasshopper, and it was just as lovely as I thought it would be all by its lonesome. But the real magic was adding the second layer with Aqua Sky. It blends to a REALLY pretty purple with Wildberry, and it cools down the Grasshopper to a more neutral green.
I used the birthday dies for an eclipse - always completely terrifying to cut into a design you love - but there's no reward without risk, eh?
Finally I did a twofer with my favorite - an inlay die! I blended Wildberry and Aqua Sky again and then used the positive and negatives for two cards.
What are you up to this weekend?
I'm going to be working all weekend prepping for a new contract and trying to de-stash as usual.
Hope you have a great one!
Loveyameanitbye.
CURRENT COUPON CODES
10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE
*Compensated affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. No posts here are sponsored or paid.*
Happy kit day! After the longest month in the history of the world, it's finally February! Good day to celebrate the newest Hero Arts kit! It's a gorgeous kit - perfect for my plant-loving, hippie heart!
The lily image is so accurate and pretty that I had to go straight for the dramatic!
I stamped and die cut it, but I colored the edges black so it would all blend into the black cardstock. I love that the sentiments have dies - so elegant.
Look at the ephemera in the premium kit! I love the swoopy banners and fun art journal elements. The stencil contains a mask too for multi-colored designs.
Speaking of color - I had fun with my old hybrid resist technique with this groovy Peace & Love bundle - I just love ink alchemy so much.
I decided to do a more traditional Easter palette for this one with the kit - OH LOOK it's the Pantone color of the year!!! You'll see me make the plaid for this card in the video with OLO Markers and Creative Corners. This is the easiest way to color coordinate alcohol marker images with a background!
Here's the video!
For more inspiration & to be entered in the giveaway - just leave me a comment and do the same on the inspiration hop - START HERE!
Loveyameanitbye.
CURRENT COUPON CODES
10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE
*Compensated affiliate links may be used at no additional cost to you. No posts here are sponsored or paid.*
I have a totally squeebunny card for you today. Easter is one of the CUTEST stamping holidays because it's filled with WABBITS.
And today, I have the cutest of them all! This particular artist makes the sweetest, most colored pencil friendly images I've ever seen!
This little bunny suit just cracks me up. I kept it pretty simple with just pinks and whites, but man was it fun to color. It's really important to keep your stamp set up in your MISTI when you are using colored pencil, because otherwise the line detail will be lost - and the little freckles are covered completely by pencil so you have to bring them back. LOOK AT HER LITTLE LEGS. Oh my gosh.
Don't forget to read all the way through this post for a giveaway!
I'm beyond thrilled about the subject of today's video. I finally (completely accidentally) found a planner that actually works with my brain!! I was a Hobonichi devotee for a long time - I loved the covers, I loved the paper, I loved the pens that came with it every year. But the format didn't work for me at all, no matter which layout I tried.
It turned into a very expensive to-do list book because all I could see when the planner was open was a single view - either that day, the month or the week - but I could not see all three.
Because of the nature of my work, I have to be able to see all three, because part of my job is planning content. So I need to see today's tasks in the context of the week (including the weekend, because I do work on the weekend) and the month. AND on top of all of that I need a place to take notes.
I have artsy journals - I have a bullet journal that is both a creative outlet and sort of a daily diary, as you will see in the video. I have a podcast journal where I keep track of my listens and pods I want to try. (Head over to Patreon for my huge and highly curated podcast database.) I also have pure art journals, where all I do in them is make art.
But for me, JOURNALING and PLANNING are not related tasks, so despite thousands of hours of watching people make gorgeous bullet journal layouts from scratch, it's never been practical for me to combine journaling with my work and my time management. I love watching other people do it. I just cannot. However, ONE element of bullet journaling that I thought had potential was the concept of Dutch Doors, which I ended up using in my podcast journal. You will see why that's revolutionary in the video.
So in one of my bullet journal rabbit holes, restlessly trying to find something that matched by brain, I found this planner. THE ONE TO RULE THEM ALL. And the power of this planner is the Dutch Doors. When I open this planner, I see the full month, the current week, split into two sections - I use one for a brain dump and one for a specific day-focused task list, a notes section AND a monthly to do list. NO FLIPPING AROUND. I cannot believe it. So in the video I'll show it to you blank (I love that it comes customizable) and the super easy cheaty way I set it up using washi tape. Lettering is not something I'm ever going to be good at - so I left it to the people who are!
I also go over in the video why January is not a natural starting place for a year or a planner and why mine starts in February. Again, perfection is for serial killers.
Enjoy, and come back for a giveaway!
CURRENT COUPON CODES
10% off stamps, stencils and dies at TRHD here with UNDERSTANDBLUE
10% off everything at Acorns & Twigs with code UNDERSTANDBLUE
Ready for a Giveaway?
To celebrate the February 2024 release, The Rabbit Hole Designs is giving one savings voucher to a commenter on the HOP Blog Posts. Must comment by 11:59 pm PST 02-08-2024.Winners will be announced on this post on 02-09-24.
So - for your comment on my post - I want you to tell me what your favorite type of spring stamp set is - is it bunnies? Flowers? Shamrocks? Lay it on me, and then stop by these blogs and comment to be entered!
