Monday, May 22, 2023

One Stamp Set, Four Ways - Let's Talk About Birds! (Giveaway)

I love a good quirky bird. Who can resist the urge to PUT A BIRD ON IT? Not I.

So today I'll show you four super cute ways to use this adorable quirky bird set.

First, I created a black and yellow background with this fun city map texture in yellow. I used the zigzaggy sentiment from this set and added some adorable planner-style elements from this journaling set. I did die cut the bird, but it's essentially a one layer clean and simple card!

Mixed Textures
[ HA ]
Textured Compliments
[ HA ]
Essential Journaling
[ HA ]
Be You
[ HA ]

These little birds just seem so positive! So I thought I'd drop some encouraging messages into my stenciled background THROUGH the dots stencil that I ink blended through. I created my own simple greeting with these alpha dies. This is the script stamp with the affirmation messages.


Be You
[ HA ]
Sprinkled Dots
[ HA ]
Alpha Dies
[ HA ]
Positive Script
[ HA ]
The alpha dies - if you leave them tabbed together before running them through your die cutter make an ADORABLE background for two of the birds from the set. The little heart is from the alpha dies.

Be You
[ HA ]
Alpha Dies
[ HA ]

I saw a post last night that was so very sweet, and also so very sad. It's from my favorite allergist on TikTok - a sweet, kind man that does a TON of education on important allergy issues - for example, recently, debunking the "hypoallergenic dog" myth, and talking about the importance of food allergy awareness.

He approaches everything with humor and love and curiousity, so I could tell that this post came from a place of a kind of pain that never goes away - and that's the pain of being bullied as a child. No matter how successful you are, you're always still that hurt little kid inside when you remember those days and you can really feel it in this really sweet post, despite the joyfulness and spirit of overcoming. He also has a followup video on this as well.

Anyway, that's the spirit of this last card today. Just be you. Try hard to shut out anything that makes that difficult. 💜 I used this grungy background stamp, this fun little wheel die, a polaroid frame die (there are little textured washi tape dies in there!) and the adorable bird.



Be You
[ HA ]
Rough Dots
[ HA ]
Fancy Circle
[ HA ]
Frame Dies
[ HA ]

Friday, May 19, 2023

Nighttime Scene with Only Dies

I've been waiting so long to show you these cards! I have had SO much fun with this amazing owl die - because you KNOW I'm on the true crime #teamowl after attending CrimeCon. If you aren't familiar with the case I'm talking about - I highly recommend the series that the Southern Fried True Crime Podcast did on the case - the series is called The Never Ending Staircase. 

BEHOLD the detailed owl and trees on this scenic card! I will have TWO videos coming up next week - one on the owl and one on the background, so don't worry - but you can grab them both while you wait HERE! The owl dies were cut from this paper. 


Thursday, May 18, 2023

MIX538 Thoroughly Modern Art!



I'm the host of this week's MIX-Ability mixed media challenge at Splitcoast and I'd love it if you joined me because it's an inspiration challenge from one of my favorite sources - modern art!

I studied a lot of art history in college, and it informs so much of my own art practice now that I love to tie it into challenges I host. 

My squirrel godmother sent me some Distress Crayons this week, which I had never tried before, and I used them with this ultra modern bird stencil and sentiment strip. I did some doodling after the technique to add some whimsy. 


The stencil that inspired the challenge though is this woman one. I love this so much. After doing the same technique as on the bird, I added a little texture around the image, shaded with colored pencils and added another sentiment strip. 


If you play along with the challenge, be sure and tag Splitcoast and use hashtag #MIX538.


I'll be back tomorrow with a SUPER fun and easy die cut card.

Loveyameanitbye.


VIDEO: Birthday Clubbing + Giveaway!

Okay I PROMISE I'll shift away from birthday cards soon, but I'm just on a roll! I've cleared out a TON of old cards and am refilling my rack with a purpose, because I really need to get better at mailing birthday cards.

I did something I RARELY do with this month's 3D Embossing Folder Club - I mass produced! I really did! Because these oversized embossing folders let you do two slimline card fronts at a time. I'm all for that. 

All I did was simple spot ink blending with brushes on it. 

However, my photo of this is one of those visible illusions. If I stare at it long enough, the dimension FLIPS and it looks indented instead of raised. And of course now that I've said that, you will be unable to see it the right way. It's like the blue black / gold white dress all over again! You're welcome! :)

The sentiment is these dies. 



We are having a blog hop & giveaway today to celebrate ALL the clubs. I'm very, very selective what recurring subscriptions I have, because I'm a budget person, and I love these. My favorites are the Embossing Club, the 3D Embossing Club, Small Die, Large die and Stamp & Die. I think I told you that I destashed my embossing folders hard on a recent decluttering, so this is a good way to slowly build them back up with new themes, but honestly, the size of these make them so very versatile. For example, they are ready made journal covers.



Friday, May 12, 2023

A Lil' Squeeze for a Good Cause!


We hacked Chipotle's rice last week. This shouldn't come as a surprise, since it's cilantro lime rice, but we added lime juice and cilantro to rice. It was perfect! It's amazing how much that changes the rice. 

Lime juice - actually all citrus - is kind of miraculous in the kitchen, honestly. I marinate beef fajitas in orange juice, use preserved lemons in my chicken soup, and I use lime juice in all the things. This week, I got these HUGE blackberries from Farmhouse, and because I'm very suspicious of how clean you can get a berry, (ever since a wedding with chocolate covered strawberries as the culprit required LITERALLY every ambulance in Austin as the guests started to fall like Agatha Christie wrote the script)  I always cook them. Let me tell you - a little bit of sugar & lime cooked with blackberries is straight magic in yogurt.

Anyway, because of those blackberries I cooked, I was in a limey mood! So I went all in with this pretty background stamp. AND, this is one of the Products With Purpose, so a portion of the sales - a hefty portion - goes to charity, and a Texas one at that!

A portion of the sales (15%) of the Hot & Cold Drinks stamp set and the Citrus Squeeze Background stamp will be donated to the Write With Light Project for retail sales placed at Ink Blot Shop through May 31, 2023. The Write With Light Project is a nonprofit organization that raises money to improve the lives of those struggling with rare conditions. In 2023, in honor of a spunky heart warrior named Sunley, profits will go toward the Fontan Go Clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital. This will provide specialty care for anyone who has had a Fontan procedure.



Thursday, May 11, 2023

VIDEO: On Stamp Blending Part 2

Hope you're not tired of birthday cards yet, because I'm still making them! I'm also still re-visiting one of my fave MISTI tricks for the second time in two weeks - on stamp ink blending like I did with this rose with cosmetic sponges. I caught Gina's live the other day and she was doing it too, so we are all on the same wavelength right now. 

If you haven't watched her lives, you should. She does more fun stuff with the MISTI than just about everybody, and her techniques are all so fun. Plus Tom often plays his guitar while she is demonstrating - it's so relaxing.

But I digress. 

I'm also happy to tell you that now there are only173 days till Halloween, so I'm using this adorable Halloween cat for this non-Halloween card. Warming you up slowly for the best holiday everrrr.

All the inks I used are below, and because I made a mistake, you're going to see a completely different type of on-stamp ink blending 😂😂😂.





Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Moody Blue Farm Scene + Embossed Transfer


I know it's only May, but I got some dies that are giving me serious Halloween vibes, so I went all in on that mood. 

First, I wanted to make a nighttime scene with these beautiful rustic dies. They remind me of the ranch, and there's nothing spookier than being out in the country at night, when everything is the same color, and all you have is light from the moon. 

I mixed Distress Reinkers and my Twinkling H20s from the late 1900s and did some good old fashioned ink smooshing on this paper - it always gives me these billowy clouds you see here. 

I just dipped all the die cut pieces into the same ink. When it was dry, I used this classic tool and white ink with one touch to create that perfect moon. Then I brushed a tiny amount of white ink in the top of the birdhouse and pump for moonlight. 

I was going to add a sentiment - but I loved it too much as it was - all moody and blue. 



Wednesday, May 3, 2023

VIDEO: Stenciled Die Cuts Two Ways & Ephemera Colored by Friends!

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



I started with an older leaf die I love - there are two leaves in this set and I used the larger of the two for both techniques. I also added a sentiment from one of my fave older sets - the scripty font is so pretty.

On the left I used the botanical stencil, and on the right the geometric stencil. Inks are listed below. 

I'm going to cut out a bunch of these and take them on road trips for easy postcards.



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Here's the video! 

Here are all the supplies.
Gardening Stamp Set
[ CRF ]
Gardening Dies
[ CRF ]
Gardening Ephemera
[ CRF ]
Anniversary Release
[ CRF ]
Leaf Dies
[ CRF ]
Sentiment Stamp
[ CRF ]
Foliage Stencil
[ CRF ]
Geometric Stencil
[ CRF ]
Jelly Bean
[ GNK ]
Blue Raspberry
[ GNK ]
Wild Dandelion
[ GNK ]
Passionate Pink
[ GNK ]



I got more live plants from American Meadows yesterday - I can't wait to get my hands dirty today!

Loveyameanitbye.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Roses from Friends!

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

I was so shocked this week to see TWO friends post pics of their roses and they looked  nearly identical! It turns out they weren't the same variety but holy cow did they look similar.

Austin isn't *great* rose country - the town I grew up in definitely was. So I'm always loving seeing pics of friends' roses. These two friends were in Florida and Missouri. 

Anyway, it inspired me to try their rose color on a card. 

I inked up this gorgeous rose stamp in yellow, and then used one of these cheap sponges while the stamp was still on my MISTI to add pink in a few places. The small pore silicone makes the ink so smooth. 

I did the same on the leaf - green, and then a dark teal. It's so easy and fun.



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CURRENT COUPON CODES
20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.
OLO MARKER
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
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

I got some live plants tonight I need to go take care of!!!

Loveyameanitbye.

Monday, May 1, 2023

Let the Good Times Roll + A Kitchen Tip

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

Happy Monday! I survived another weekend of intense gardening! We had two flowerbeds that these huge border rocks lined - and over the last 20 years they sank, and sank and sank. They were a foot down when we started to dig them up over the last two weeks.

Luckily it was really cool this weekend so when I started digging Saturday morning, I didn't even break a sweat. But it's hard work! Some were so deep I had planted on top of them, including my recent addition of white irises from my sister. So unearthing them was tricky. We ended up moving the border back a bit to get them away from those roots. 

But, aside from my armadillo problem, things are starting to take hold and fill out, so I'm excited to see how it all looks later in the year. My arugula and lettuce are also going crazy, so I'm hoping to have a salad today. 

PS - thank you for your feedback on the links! I've made them all so they open in a new window now so that you don't use your place reading my blog. Thank you especially to Geri!

It's time for the May Kit though and I'm SO excited. It has a childhood/nostalgia theme that takes me right back to skating on Friday nights at Pooh's Park and riding my bike around all summer.

Speaking of skates, I'm starting with this awesome skate bundle before I show you the rest.

When I was skating I had a bright blue satin jacket that I LOVED, with white and pink stripes down the arms, and though my skates were white, I got these matching pom poms for the laces, and so I manifested all that into this card, featuring the skate stamps and dies and this groovy stencil, just using the holy trinity of inks - Ultra Pink, Dandelion, and Summer Sky. I used this silver paint pen on the metal of the skates - it's very sparkly. Then a white gel pen for highlights on the skate. Love that the sentiments have dies!



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I used the dies and the kit stencil for this card - first blending Ultra Pink and then Dandelion over that.


CURRENT COUPON CODES
20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.
OLO MARKER
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
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

The stencil is so cute and has such a retro feel. The bike has a sort of offset printing style. 
I could not resist adding the tiny kitty.




Skate Bundle
[ HA ]
May Kit
[ HA ]
May Add-Ons
[ HA ]
Starlight Stencil
[ HA ]
Silver Paint Pen
[ BLIC ]
Bag Closers
[ AMZUS ]
Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Pens -...
[ BLIC ]
Hero Inspiration Hop
[ HA ]
Shaker/Grinder
[ AMZUS ]

Want more inspiration? Head over to the Hero Blog for more cards and a chance to win a $50 gift card! 

Leave me a comment for your entry for the gift card giveaway!

Finally - I think this might be the single most useful kitchen tool I've ever used - this bag seal. I love Soogia on TikTok - she's how I found my sesame seed grinder from Japan, and when she posted about these, she had already earned my trust, so I tried them and ended up going back and buying more - they are amazing - even on the thick bags my coffee comes in. They have such a tight seal.

Hope you have a great week! Loveyameanitbye.

Blitzing my Birthday Card Stash + New Felting Club

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

It was well past time for me to blitz my birthday card stash! I worked hard at the beginning of the year to actually mail a bunch of cards, so I'm down to about two bins of handmade cards now - my goal being to have everything fit in my spinning rack and reclaim my bins for stamp and die storage. But I am pretty much out of thank you and birthday cards so I did a blitz this weekend and I'll show you some of what I made. 

As you know, I'm a potholder maniac and I'm a member of the Keep on Looping Club at Acorn & Twigs. That's on pause temporarily, but I was SUPER excited to get an email about their new needle felting club - SQUEE! The signup is open today. I have a coupon code for them - not sure if it works on subscriptions, but everything on their site is so cute, so check my coupon section below.

Anyway, I bring them up because each looping box has GORGEOUS paper lining the box that matches each month's theme and of course I save it all for cards. It's not tissue paper - it's high quality paper like scrapbooking paper. 

The background of my first card is made with this gorgeous watercolor style paper - I just ink blended the edges with a darker blue ink to focus you on my awesome focal point - this fun airplane die and banner. This was a blast to put together and there are several banners! Please note this is a club die, so it's while supplies last only - this is a subscription I love. I colored all the plane parts with OLO Markers.


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The Stitching Die Club is LIT this month. The die is a balloon cover plate - I stitched the two pierced balloons differently - one classic and one a modified peace sign. I splattered the background with acrylic sprays and used the birthday word die. I used two strands on the top balloon since all threads go into that center hole. This is a great mass production die.



CURRENT COUPON CODES
20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.
OLO MARKER
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
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


Have you worked on your stash lately? I'd love to hear! Looks like a beautiful week ahead - enjoy it!

Loveyameanitbye.



Sunday, April 30, 2023

Mail Call!

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



If anything communicates the joy of getting mail, it's tomorrow's Hero Arts Kit! I played with the premium kit, and this die is actually a tri-fold from the premium kit, but I loved this silhouette - it looks like the golden retriever I had when I was a kid. So sweet. 

You'll see some VERY fun 70s style images, speaking of my childhood. Just wait! You can see more inspiration here, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Like this post? Never miss a post by following me!

Loveyameanitbye.


CURRENT COUPON CODES
20% off anything at Glassboard Studio  - UNDERSTANDBLUE.
OLO MARKER
15% off anything at Marker Universe or any of their other sites - Understandblue15.
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


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