Use watercolors instead of ink pads! It’s fun!

Hi friends! If you are a beginner stampers the expense of buying inkpads in all different colors can be quite intimidating and expensive! Well, today I am going to show you how to stamp with watercolor paint to make this card:

I will also share frugal tips on making cards in batches like this:

To make three cards you will need:

• 3 sheets of 8.5″x11″ white cardstock
• 1 sheet of 12″x12″ patterned scrapbook paper
• 3 A2 envelopes
• Stamps (this is the Chicks set from Local King Rubber Stamps)
• Watercolor paints
• An embossing folder and label die cut and machine or cutting tool of your choice.

Watch the video to see how it’s done:

I used my new KOI watercolors but you can use any brand, even your children’s! If the paint does not want to stick you can rub the stamps with an eraser or if you are using clear stamps a viewer told me that you can ink the stamp first in clear embossing ink and then the paint will stick. I have not tried it but it will probably work! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

DIY Frame Embossing Templates {video!}

Happy Friday friends! Boy, have I got a fun project for you to try this weekend! Making Your own embossing frames! These are cardboard frames you can cut and use with your embossing folders so you only emboss a section of your card and leave the rest flat for stamping like I did on this card:

Check out this video to see how it is done!

Here are some more examples:

I’m going to keep it short and sweet today, I made up a couple more batches of earrings yesterday and I need to package them up then load up the van with my craft fair stuff. I am feeling the panic I always do before a show “Did I make enough stuff? Will anyone buy it?!?”  But in the end I know I will be fine, even if I sell nothing I’m only out the $15 for the table and I will have lots of new inventory for next time. Wish me luck! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: What Cancer Cannot Do

As many of you know I lost my sister-in-law to cancer this week. She was a remarkable, amazing woman. For the memorial service this weekend her husband asked me to type up and frame a poem she had written down in one of her notebooks. I am not sure who the original author is so I can’t credit them but it is an inspirational poem and I hope it gives comfort to anyone coping with cancer:

Wands was a wonderful seamstress, she loved to make crazy quilts so i stamped a mat with lots of vintage sewing stuff and added stitches like she did on her quilts. I wanted some softness around the words so I stamped flowers (she was also a talented gardener) with clear ink then dabbed chalk on with a cotton ball around the verse.

I love the encouragement and hope in that poem.

Well, I did take a few photos of my desk today while I was working on the frame (I’m sure Wanda was up in heaven laughing at me as I tripped over binders of stamps while making this!) There are also a few gifts hiding in the piles but I don’t think anyone can tell what they are going to be…yes, I am still making my Christmas gifts. It is good to be busy right now.

I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas, enjoy what you have and more importantly who you have in your life and til next time happy crafting.

What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer is so limited…
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot destroy peace.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot suppress memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot steal eternal life.
It cannot conquer the SPIRIT!

Crafty Fun with Eyeshadow and Hot Glue!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love the Dollar Tree? Of course I do not love the cheap crap that is imported from China that breaks the second you get it home but it can be a treasure trove of inexpensive crafting supplies. The trick is to keep your mind open and look beyond using the items for their intended purpose. Case in point-shimmery eyeshadow! When I saw this in the cosmetic isle I couldn’t believe how much it looked like Pearl-Ex (one of my favorite crafting supplies) and at $1 a pop i had to try it out. See how it looks on the butterfly on the upper right of the card:

 

The nice thing about the loose shimmering eyeshadow is that it comes with a brush in the cap and it is in a spill proof jar. And yes, it is cruelty free (not tested on animals) I always look for that when shopping cosmetics.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Stamp image with clear embossing/watermark ink.
2. Use the provided brush to tap the powder on the design and then brush it around to cover well.
3. Now take a larger softer brush (any soft brush will do) to brush off the excess.
4. If desired you can add a fixatif to seal down your design.

 

After making this wonderful discovery I ran into my sons cub scout leader and she wanted to make the boys some “good deed coins” and she wondered if I had any ideas. This is a great idea for kids, they start out with the coin in their right pocket then when they do a good deed they put it in their left pocket. Here is what I came up with:

 

I think these would also look great on a card or scrapbook page! Here’s how to make them:

1. Squeeze a dime size dab of hot glue on a silicone mat.
2. Ink up a stamp with clear or pigment ink and place in the glue puddle.
3. let dry completely then remove glue from stamp.
4. Dust the “coins” with shimmer eyeshadow.
5. Seal with clear spray paint.

I used a green hot glue stick for the coins. I was voiding the green glue out of my glue gun and since I hate to waste I made some hot glue dew drops and used them on my card as embellishments. I played along with the sketch challenge at Oriental Stamp Art this week.

Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

25% off all weekend!

I hope you are having a nice weekend (A long one for must of us in the States) and to celebrate everything at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff is 25% off Saturday and Sunday!

I have a brand new set in the shop too: Bag Bonanza! You get 7 SVG and printable templates, look at what you can make:

Now let’s see a few of the Design Team Creations from this week! Here is Karin’s lovely heartfelt sympathy card using the Birds and Branches digital stamp set:

Next up is cute chic card from Rhonda, love the clean and fresh look using the bicycle image from the Posh ‘n Trendy digistamp set:

Diane has a fun Summer card using {what else?} the Summer Fun SVG set:

Now here is Cassandra with her pretty coffee themed tag using the Coffee Talk digistamp set:

Thanks for sharing part of your weekend with me! Remember the 25% off sale is going on until Sunday at midnight at Lindsay’s Stamp Stuff. Happy crafting!