Happy 2015!

Wishing all a happy, prosperous and healthy 2015!

Texana Design Stamps - BW Heart Flag & "Have a Texas-size New Year's"

Vertigo Film - Taffeta

Embossing Folders - Cuttlebug - Stars & Darice - Fireworks

Fireworks! Ink Spray - Danube Blue & Rhubarb Stalk on background paper

Copics for highlighting fireworks

Stickles on the Texas star

Vertigo Tips:  Embossing with folders can be a tricky process.  Test the folder and a scrap (unlike what I did).  Some folders emboss nicely, others emboss too deeply and cause the film to buckle.

Texana Barbed Wire Heart on Vertigo Film

Texana Designs Stamps:

Barbed Wire Heart, Barbed Wire Heart (mini)

“You Make My Heart Happy” & “Love Ya!”

Pattern Paper

Vertigo Film - Taffeta

Echo Park – Capture Life Collection – Bokeh Blur

Martha Stewart Border Punch

Doily Lace Edge Punch

Paper piecing

Texana Design Team

01/01/2015

Okay, the pictures don't do the cards justice.  In the one above you can really see the "vertigo" effect of the specialty paper by Imagine Crafts.  I wanted to show the semi-transparent effect, so I created a top-hinge card and put the inside sentiment behind the focal point (heart).  You can see some of the adhesive used on the Vertigo, but I don't think it's terribly distracting.

Texana Winter & Christmas Stamps

This is a two page scrapbook layout that I created using the Winter and Christmas stamps by Texana Designs.  The design team donated colored images of each of the stamps.  You will see images colored with markers.  You will see samples of paper piecing.  You may see Zentangled images.  You can see some water colored images.  Some images have been heat embossed.  The large snowglobe is stamped on Vertigo Film.  I love the versatility of these stamps!

Snowperson on Vertigo Film

This was a fun card.  I had purchased a new product called Vertigo Film by Imagine Crafts. 

• A sturdy, transluscent material that reflects and refracts light, creating dazzling visual effects
• Easily cut with scissors or paper trimmers
• Stamp or color with Memento Luxe, StazOn, and other pigment inks
• Can be embossed and die cut with most embossing machines
• Score and fold for 3-D projects
• Create dimensional shapes by warping with a heat gun

Below are the products used:


-->

Texana Designs Stamps - Snowperson

Pattern Papers

Vertigo Film - Prism 

Doodlebug 6x6 Paper Pad – Frosty Friends

Memory Box Die – Frostyville Corner

Paper piecing on hat, scarf & buttons

Glossy Accents on buttons, star & scarf

Black Gesso on eyes

Texana Design Team

01/01/2015

Accordion Card

While in Gonzales last weekend I bought an Elizabeth Crafts die for accordion cards   It was super easy to assemble but somewhat challenging to decide how to decorate it. I think it turned out okay for my first try!

Texas isn't for wimps!

Here is a card and an ATC that I created using Texana Design stamps and showcasing one of the new sentiments.   I am still a glittering fool using the Elizabeth Crafts microfine glitter.  For the two cards I glittered the background then used jet black staz-on ink to stamp on top of the glitter.  After the image dried I colored it with Copic markers. The pictures just don't do justice to the original cards!!!

Glitter Cards

I am loving this technique using microfine glitter, peel n stick stickers and my favorite markers or pens.  Check out more cards and pins on my Pinterest board at http://www.pinterest.com/janet242/microfine-glitter/

Happy Easter 2014

 Yesterday was a fun play day.  After seeing the design team for a short period of time Friday, I jumped into crafting with both feet.  I used my Brother Scan 'n Cut to fussy cut the letters of the word stacker HAPPY.  It did a great job!.  I also used it to fussy cut around the butterfly.  The only trick with the butterfly is to make sure to put pencil lines to attach the antenna to the body, otherwise they are cut individually.  I also hand wrote the word "Easter" and had the SnC cut it out for me.  That worked too.  How much fun is this new gadget!!!

Texana Designs Stamps

-->

HAPPY word stacker, Solid Egg, Butterfly (mini)

Sentiments:  Happy Easter!

Pattern Paper

White Cardstock

Distress Inks

Various Embossing Folders

Custom Ink Pads with Distress Reinkers

Dia-namics Die – Fresh Cut Grass

Brother Scan’n’Cut for fussy cutting

Custom backgrounds using solid stamp, embossed cardstock and reverse stamping

Texana Design Team

04/13/2014

 

Texana Designs Blog Hop - Sketch Challenge

I am so excited to be part of the Texana Design Team and participate in this blog hop.  I hope you all have fun hoppin' through the different sketch cards.  Karen Lambert designed a sketch to see what creativity would result.

The original sketches looked like this:

If you know me, I'm often a little different.  I wanted to use the Texas Cities stamp and the new TEXAS word stacker stamp.  These two designs didn't quite fit my idea so I took the portrait sketch above and made it landscape.  It looks something like this.

Now I can use the Texas Cities as the strip and the TEXAS word as the oval and my sentiment will be below, but my text box will be the shape of Texas.

My first dilemma was how to stamp the strip.  I didn't want it just in black, so I tried a Kaleidacolor ink pad.  That was okay, but I wasn't satisfied.  I thought about creating a custom stamp pad using reinkers, but didn't have enough Cut-n-Dry stamp pad felt.  I also was not sure it would work exactly like I wanted it to since the words were so small.  I decided to color each group of words a different color with my distress markers and emboss it in clear.  That way if I wanted to further distress the white background I could.  It takes some time to color the words, but if the ink dries a little just huff on it and it'll stamp great.  That being said, I did have to color the ink pad about four times before I was happy.

 I used 10 distress markers and alternated.  I decided on the following colors:

festive berries
dusty concord
faded jeans
forest moss
walnut stain

barn door
picked raspberry
salty ocean
mowed lawn
tea dye

I don't know if you can tell in the image below that it was embossed in clear, but it really does give the text texture and shine.  I love the way it turned out.

Next I stamped and embossed the Texas Outline on red cardstock, blue cardstock and Wright Designs map paper.  I stamped in black and embossed in clear.  This keeps my images from having all of the little black flecks when I try to stamp with black embossing powder and don't get all the powder dusted off.  After choosing the background paper for the card, I decided to use the red cardstock.  I'll save the blue for another project or card.

I fussy cut the red Texas Outline around the outer edge.  I fussy cut the map around the inside embossed line.  I stamped the image on white fun foam and cut inside the outlines so that I would have a solid piece to pop dot the light weight paper cutout.

I stamped & embossed the TEXAS word stacker on red and decided to color the shadow in black.  Next I colored the shadow with VersaMark pen and embossed just the shadow.  I fussy cut each letter out for random placement on the card.

Next I cut text boxes of "is a" and "State of Mind" out of the red.  I inked the edges with black.  I matted the Texas Cities element on black then on red, inking the edges with black.  In order to get all of the elements on the card front I made my card 5" x 7".  The background is a denim paper by Wright Designs.

Supplies:

 

-->

Texana Designs Stamps:

TEXAS word stacker, Texas Cities, Texas Outline (lg)

Sentiments:  "Texas is a State of Mind”

Pattern Paper by Wright Designs

Map of Texas and

Denim - Bandana Edge

Distress Markers, Clear Embossing Powder,

VersaFine Stamp Pad – Black Onyx and

VersaMark Embossing Pen

Fun Foam to pop Texas shape

Sketch Design by Karen Lambert

Texana Design Team

02/15/2014

Jimmye Sue Mitchell, Texana Designs Owner
Joyce Meyers, Stamp Artist
Jilda Bolton, DTM
Janet Bradshaw, DTM  ← You are here
Megan Bickers, DTM
Libby Hickson, DTM
Karen Lambert, DTM

Don't forget to leave a comment on all seven blog hop entries for a chance to win the one and only set of original card fronts.

Alternate Colors:

Upcoming Blog Hop - March 1st

Jimmye Sue Mitchell, Texana Designs Owner
Joyce Meyers, Stamp Artist
Jilda Bolton, DTM
Janet Bradshaw, DTM  ← You are here
Megan Bickers, DTM
Libby Hickson, DTM
Karen Lambert, DTM

Feel free to visit now to see past posts, but come back Saturday for the 1st Blog Hop!

Everyone who leaves a comment on all seven blog hop entries next week will have a chance to win the one and only set of original card fronts. 

Me & my Brother SnC

My newest craft tool is the Brother Scan n Cut.  I ordered the CM100DM from Amazon. You can check out the full scoop and Brother videos here.  It was delivered two weeks ago and I have been having a ball learning how it works and putting it through the paces.  I will try to post several entries here to share and to use as my references.  Use the search box and look for all entries with the tag SnC. 

Verbiage from directly from Brother:

The secret to ScanNCut’s amazing versatility lies in the 300 DPI built-in scanner, making ScanNCut the only cutting machine that can take your scanned images, photos or hand drawn sketches, and turn them into unique cutting designs, without the need or expense of a computer, software, or pricey cartridges.  Brother  Scan N Cut Website

ScanNCutCanvas is a cloud-based web application that combines the versatility of your favorite design software and the awesome cutting power of your Brother™ ScanNCut, giving you the ability to easily convert .SVG files to .FCM, Image Tracing and Processing Overlapping Patterns.

Greatly expand your craftwork by importing projects that you have created or edited with ScanNCut Canvas into your ScanNCut cutting machine, via the ScanNCut memory stick port.  Visit Scan N Cut Canvas

Most of what I've learned about the machine is from viewing videos online.  Simply start with a google search here.

Comparisons of the two different models is here.

Texana Cacti Stamps

Thanks to all of the Design team members, I am able to create these theme pages that focus on the stamps only.  Each team member has contributed colored images using various techniques.  There's paper piecing, water coloring, copics, distress markers.  The title block is cut with my newest crafting tool - Brother Scan n Cut.  Some of the images are fussy cut using the SnC Direct Cut feature.

We've been coloring and creating

How much fun is this.... The Texana team has been gathering up colored images of many of the stamps.  Some are done with markers, some are paper pieced, some are water colored.  There are so many ways to use these stamps.  My next goal is to organize the stamps by theme.

Oh Happy Day

Here's a fun card I made using two STACKER words (Happy & Today).  I wanted to play on the small sentiment "Oh Happy Day", so I stamped TODAY twice and discarded the T.  I stacked the "O" at the top of Happy and placed DAY at the bottom.  I used the script word "anniversary" as part of the background.  I made a mistake and stamped one of them upside down, so I just made several of them upside down.  Did you notice it before I pointed it out?  Embrace your imperfections and go with the flow.

Friend Valentine

A2 Card

Fussy Cut Patterned Paper and covered with Glossy Accents

A2 Card

Fussy Cut Patterned Paper and covered with Glossy Accents

 

ATC card

ATC card

Stamps:

FRIEND, BW Heart

Sentiments:  "Happy Heart Day”

Wink of Stella Glitter Brush

Core’dinations Purple Cardstock

Graphic 45 Sweet Sentiments Collection

Violet Bouquet

Fussy cut violets & applied Glossy Accents

Stacker Technique:

Color in shadow only with Wink

Texana Design Team

01/31/2014

You Make My Heart Happy

     

  

Two cards  using Texana Designs stamps.

HAPPY, Lg Face

Sentiments:  "You Make My Heart Happy”

Distress Markers

Chipboard Hearts

ATCs used BW Heart (mini)