Time to Celebrate with Kindred Birthday!

Hi friends! I absolutely love this new set from Kindred Stamps!  We felt like we needed a good birthday set, enter "Kindred Birthday".  This is a 6"x8" set that has something for everyone. 

I decided to throw Audra a birthday party with Molly and Evan for this card.  I stamped these three friends out using my Catherine Pooler Midnight ink. I wanted to create my own background, so I left them on one piece of cardstock rather than cutting them out.  They were colored using Copics and Spica markers, then accented a bit using Wink of Stella.  My background is simple using Copics. 

For my sentiment, I decided to use two from "Kindred Birthday" instead of just one. "Happy birthday" is heat embossed using WOW purple embossing powder.  Next, I used "Not A Day Over Amazing" down below my peeps, this was heat embossed using WOW Opaque Bright White embossing powder.  I added a few Studio Katia Iridescent Crystals throughout the card to accent and give something to catch your eye.

I layered the card front onto a piece of retired Stampin' Up DSP that has a fun candle pattern. Lastly, I put all of this on a white cardbase.

I hope you've enjoyed my take on "Kindred Birthday" make sure you leave a comment that includes your email address to be entered into my drawing for a $10 Kindred Stamps Gift Certificate! I will draw for a winner on September 3rd! Be sure to check out the rest of the team's blogs for more opportunities to win some Kindred spending money!😉

The entire Kindred Stamps August release will be available Friday, August 30th at 8am PST/11am EST. Be sure to subscribe to the Kindred Stamps blog to see a daily line up of sneak peeks from our amazing Design Team and see the full product release on Friday! Come join the Fan Club and release event to be part of the release fun, and you may just win some Kindred Stamps credit!!

See you later gators!

~R. Winn

A Bit Spotted!

I'm back! It's been a chilly February so far here in WA, but this month's Kindred Stamps release has warmed my heart at least! I get to share with you, "A Bit Spotted". This set features 4 of the most adorable pups that I have ever seen, and one crazy fashionista!

For my first project, I chose a planner layout using the "A Bit Spotted" stencil, stickers, and bookmark! I started by using Catherine Pooler Twilight, Black Jack, and Midnight inks, on the stencil. I applied the colors using a toothbrush makeup brush that I got on Amazon. I made sure to rotate the stencil each time I moved it so that the spots became a bit more random and less patterned. My friend had decorated the edges with washi tape for me already so I made sure to work around that.

After I had created my spotted pages ready, I pulled out both sizes of the "A Bit Spotted" stickers, I like to be a bit random and am far from organized, so they are placed willy nilly! I really LOVE how well the smaller stickers fit into the daily columns in my personal planner size. Next, I picked a few of the larger stickers for the header sections. Lastly, I added my crazy fashionista, she is one of our newest products, BOOKMARKS!

My next project had me giggling while I made it! While at Creativation, I had the chance to learn how to use the Gina K wreath builder, well, I give you... a puppy wreath! I used the "A Bit Spotted" stamp set with the two smallest pups to make the wreath. I then watercolored (kinda) them using the Catherine Pooler inks and a TomBow blending pen! I wasn't using watercolor paper, so it's not perfect, but it is definitely fun!

For the sentiment, I chose the birthday sentiment from "A Bit Spotted" stamped on to Stampin' Up cardstock using Delicata black ink and die cut using a Stampin' Up circle die. I layered the same blue cardstock behind the puppy wreath, and mounted it all on a white card base. I finished the card off with a few sequins in each corner from the "Yo Ho" shaker pack.

The entire Kindred Stamps February release will be available Friday, February 22nd at 8am PST/11am EST. Be sure to check out the Kindred Stamps blog on Friday for the full product release as well as the complete line up of all the Kindred Stamps Design Team projects from release week! If you visit and comment on all of the designers' blogs this week, you could win $15 in Kindred Stamps shop credit! So join the Fan Club and release event, show the design team some love, and get ready to empty those wallets this Friday!

Thank you for visiting me today!

~R. Winn

Kindred Stamps/Beth Duff Designs Blog Hop - Paris

I am so excited to share with you my first project for this wonderful hop that pairs Kindred Stamps and Beth Duff Designs. Two of my favorite companies, as you know. This week we are taking you around the world and the first stop is Paris, France!

The sets I used were, Kindred Stamps "You're Purrfect" and Beth Duff Designs "Adventures Abroad - Paris". For the background, I used a Tim Holtz music note stencil, a ripped paper, and a few different inks! The pink and yellow are Distress Inks, the blue and purple are VersaFine inks, and the grays for the ground are Altenew inks. I was inspired by pictures of Paris at sunset and used the ripped paper over top of the stencil to create a unique sky.  

From Adventures Abroad Paris, I stamped the Eiffel Tower and colored it using multiple shades and tones of gray Copic. I glued it directly onto the background, a little below the beginning of the gray blended ink for the ground. 

From You're Purrfect, I colored up each of the three kittens. I wanted them each to have a different color so they didn't meld together on the card. I placed the kittens in front of the tower, a little offset. 

I layered the finished background onto a pink piece of cardstock, then put all of it on a white card base. I finished the card off with the sentiment, I used "You're Purrfect" from the KS set, and "Amore" from the BDD set!

Thank you for joining us on the Kindred Stamps/Beth Duff Designs collaboration hop! We hope you've enjoyed the pairing of these sets. 

For joining us, we have a little gift for you! Kindred Stamps has a free digital downloadable passport available. Then you will want to visit each blog on this hop, download the free digi, color it, add it your passport, and submit it to the album in the Kindred Stamps Fan Club and Unicorn Crafts Facebook groups to be entered into our giveaways! Each company will be hosting a different giveaway. The opportunity to play will end December 30th for each company!

Unfortunately, due to the closure of Beth Duff Designs, the physical sets may be out of stock but all of the sets used will be offered in a digital bundle from Dec 8-11! Be sure to join the Kindred Stamps Fan Club and Unicorn Crafts to see more from our teams.

You're free digi for Paris is here! I can't wait to see how you color it up and add it to your passport!

Thank you for visiting today, and I will see you a bit later in the week.

~R. Winn

THE HORROR!

Hello again,

I have FOUR cards to share with you today using the new Kindred Stamps set "The Horror"! Now I normally don't get "into" the darker side of Halloween, but this set man... it brought my imagination to life.

I started with the murderous clown, it's hard to see with the lighting, but his outfit is colored in light shades of grey and blue. I added accents of red on his hair, shoes, and balloon. I finished him off with some Tonic Glossy drops. 

I added the orange chevron ribbon from American Crafts and mounted the card face onto an orange piece of cardstock. To finish it off, the "You're a scream" sentiment was stamped with Delicata Black ink.

Next, I played with the mummy! This guy is colored in about 12 shades of off-white/tan Copics. I used the Spiderweb stencil from Echo Park with Red VersaFine ink and Black Delicata ink to make my background.

If you know me, you know that I'm not a big fan of tags... they're hard for me to work with! But this one was perfect for this card. I topped it with an Echo Park enamel dot and stamped two of the sentiments in VersaFine Red ink, then I inked up my finger and smudged it around the outside of the tag. 

I backed both the tag and the card face with black card stock. Last, I took Studio Katia Clear Round Drops and colored a few with my black Copic, then placed the black and a few clear drops on the card.

My next card, I featured the pieced together man, AND the new Brick Stencil from Kindred Stamps! I used Distress Oxides in Candied Apple, Vintage Photo, Black Soot, and then softened the blend with Antique Linen to create my background on Kraft paper. 

My monster is colored in shades of green and gray Copics, with a touch of black. I mounted my brick paper onto a piece of Echo Park's Autumn paper stack. 

Again, I went for two sentiment, the built birthday sentiment I stamped in Delicata Black ink, and the "I love you to pieces" is stamped in a dark green VersaFine ink. Both are on banners from an old Stampin' Up kit. I finished the card off in off-white and black Echo Park enamel dots.

My last card, well, it's a labor of the mind! I recently found this house from Stampin' Up and it is kinda the perfect size for my Kindred Stamps people! It is colored with Copics, I then stamped the little walkway, using the rocks from SU set multiple times. My lawn is different shades of green, the sky is black and dark gray Copics. My murder is colored with Copics, and then I added Nuvo Glossy drops on the blood on the knife to make it glisten. 

My sentiment, I got super excited to use a round die for, don't ask me why, I just feel like no sentiments fit on them and got excited this did! Well the big white circle looked weird... so clearly I needed to "murder" it up. I took Catherine Pooler ink in a dark red and smeared my fingerprint across it a few times, then stamped the "Stab you're it" sentiment on it using VersaFine Claire in black. 

Apparently I have a sick mind... who knew!? I hope you enjoyed my take on "The Horror". 

The entire Kindred Stamps September release will be available Friday, September 28 at 8am PST/11am EST. Be sure to check out the Kindred Stamps blog on Friday for the full product release, as well as, the complete line up of all the Kindred Stamps Design Team projects from release week! If you visit and comment on all of the designers' blogs this week, you could win $15 in Kindred Stamps shop credit! So join the Fan Club and release event, show the design team some love, and get ready to empty those wallets this Friday!

Thank you for visiting!

~R. Winn

Justice is Served

Hi friends! 

I'm super excited to show off the new "Justice is Served" stamp set from Kindred Stamps. This set will be in our newest Limited Edition box that will be available for purchase later this week.

My first card features the Kindred Stamps Star Stencil that I foiled, Sweet Stamp Shop's City Border die, and of course a hero that is dark as the night!

My next card is a box card, I was lucky enough to get a die from The Stamp Doctor, and I gotta say it's fun!

It features the dies included in The Stamp Doctor's set, Kindred Stamps Swirl Stencil, and two heros, one is super fast, and one is part machine!

Please join our Fan Club and the Justice is Served Limited Edition Box! event to see the fun sneak peeks and know when to set your alarms to buy this amazing new addition to the Kindred Stamps family!!

I hope you've enjoyed my take on this set, I have a few more cards in mind because this set is packed full of power, so keep your eyes open, you never know when I might finish what I've started.

~R, Winn

Magic Show

 Hi friends! 

I'm so excited to share today's cards! I got to play with Kindred Stamps new "Magic Show" stamp set! My littlest sister, Addison absolutely LOVES watching Penn and Teller's Fool Us, and has taken to wanting to visit the magic shop at Pike Place Market when we spend time in Seattle. Audra and her wife, Dylan, got to see Addison's magic trick on one of our last visits. 

After that, Audra put this amazing set together and that adorable little girl in the set? It's based on my Addie! Naturally, I needed to use Addison's tagline, "Wanna see a magic trick?" on the card using her likeness. I wanted to use Sweet Stamp Shop's Peekaboo Window Die, so I started with a black chalkboard cardstock and sprayed Tonic's Silver Smoke Mica Mist on it and let it dry. The die was super easy to use and I will be making a magic color slider with Addison using it at some point. Next, I colored up my girl, making sure she had lots of sparkles and bright colors.  

I used a Stampin' Up Banner die cut and stamped the sentiment in Catherine Pooler ink, then went over it with Wink of Stella and kinda added a magical effect with the run ink.

Behind the magic curtain, aka Sunny Studio paper, I put the magic trick! I started with some Lawn Fawn paper that looked like a stage curtain to me. Then added "ta-da!" stamped in the same Catherine Pooler ink, and cut out using a Stampin Up Starburst Circle die. 

For her magic trick, the little magician pulled a rabbit out of her hat! I colored all three images using Copic Markers.

The end result is a super cute card that can be used for almost any occasion!

My next card, I wanted to try to created a stage, pieces are a bit rough, but overall, I hope it's cute!

I recently decided to give Rinea Foil Paper a try after seeing my friend Annie's creations (that's her affiliate link). I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with them, but after looking through the ones I ordered, I decided to keep it simple and used a black sheet with embossed stars for the background. 

This little guy has the best cape and his wand shoots magic stars! I colored him, and the table and cards using Copics and used Wink of Stella for glitter accents!

My floor is kraft paper stamped using Stampin Up's Woodgrain background stamp. Behind my little guy, I used some sparkly sticker paper that I picked up at JoAnn's a while back. I HAD to use the curtain that is included in the Magic Show stamp set to finish off his stage. This guy did a card trick, but there are several options included in this set. 

I finished off the card using Catherine Pooler inks and a Lawn Fawn sentiment die for the "Have a magical birthday" sentiment.

We have five new stamp sets, new shaker packs, and a couple new stencils coming out Friday, August 24th at Kindred Stamps, that we think you'll fall in love with as much as we have! Come join us on our team's blog hop for a chance to win a $10 store credit, make sure you leave comments on each blog to be entered. Join our Facebook Fan Club to be kept in the loop about giveaways, share your projects, and see all of our's!

Kindred Stamps

Ashlea

Tanya

Marcia

Rachel (You are here)

Courtney

Amber

Molly

Maria

Thank you for visiting me, today, I will see you soon!

~R. Winn

You Slay Me

Every once in a while, I get a stamp set that makes me feel like a giddy teenager who lives off of soda, sitcoms, and any food I can find (had to fill that hollow leg!) Well, now my leg is no longer hollow and I can't drink soda without getting sick, but I still love a good sitcom!

This month, I received "Slay" from Kindred Stamps's July Release to showcase! This set takes me back to when vampire hunters and their friends could entertain me for hours.

My first project, I decided to go a bit Goth. I used a Sizzix embossing folder and dry embossed a sheet of grey cardstock. Next, I ran Ink On 3's embossing pad over the embossed paper and used Brutus Monroe's Ebony Embossing Powder to heat emboss the dry embossed sheet.

I colored my vampire hunter and her boyfriend (who happens to be a vampire!) with Copic markers. I've really been working on coloring blonde hair in more realistic shades, fewer yellows, more earth tones. I built a scene using some Halloween die cuts, the creepy tree and the gravestones really felt right for me. To finish the card, I used a die cut from Stampin' Up's Project Life set and picked out this perfect sentiment which was heat embossed with Brutus Monroe Alabaster powder.

My next project, I used my characters in planner, I kept it simple with just some washi tape between days, the characters and a few star stickers.

It is clean enough to see what I have on my plate, but still makes me smile when I see it!

Last, I had to showcase the hunter's sidekicks. Sidekicks come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they are mentors that are always willing to step in and help kick butt, sometimes they're your best friend who may look sweet and innocent, but will shank a vamp to keep you safe.

I used some Graphic 45 paper that I received from a friend for the background. I found some pretty orange twine and another patterned paper that was orange to build my layout, the sidekicks went on Stampin' Up Layering Square die cuts. 

I pulled the other banners from the Stampin' Up Project Life die cut pack and used them for the sentiment. You know that my favorite sentiments are buildable, this set does not disappoint on that front! Catherine Pooler's Manderine Spice ink matched the oranges on the card already, so I used it to stamp out the sentiment.

The sets from this month are a bit of a throwback, and we hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane with us. The Kindred Stamps team, myself included, hope that you've enjoyed reading about my card makes for this release. 

If you would like an opportunity to win shop credit please go and comment on everyone's blog post! One random winner will win a $10 shop credit, they will be contacted privately and announced in our Fan Club, Kindred Stamps Fan Club!

Kindred Stamps

Guest Designer Kim Huffman

Tinkerin in Ink

The Frolicking Fairy

Ashlea Crafts

DaggDesigns Blog

Doodles Paper Playground

R. Winn Creates (You are Here!)

Maria Russell Designs

Courtney's Paper Crafting

Clown Mom Creations

Fanciful Spaces

Until next time,

R. Winn

The One With The Friend

Hello friends!

It's my favorite time of the month! Kindred Stamps release week! We have a really awesome variety of sets for you this month. I get to share "The One With The Friend" with you, and as usual, I'm in love! This set features 6 BFFs and is packed full of sentiments, I love how easily you can make these guys work for anyone in your life! I used this set to make 3 cards, I hope you enjoy!

I started with a pair of stinky cats. Some days, I craft at work (I work in a call center and coloring while answering phones is a really nice perk if I'm being honest!). These stinky cats were colored, and the card was built at work, so it's super simple.

I used a precut base and some retired Stampin' Up DSP to create a layered background. I had precut a few die cuts a while back and had this nice rectangle of SU Crumb Cake CS that looked great behind the kitties. I tried to color the cats so they looked a little dirty and smelly, I used a my Copic blender a lot to add that rough texture to my coloring.  I added some "stink lines" above their heads.

The "it's not your fault" sentiment was perfect for these cats. I hand cut my banner and popped it on some foam tape. I finished the card off with a few sequins from the Kindred Stamps Owl Post Shaker Pack. A nice and simple card to send when someone is beating themselves up over something that isn't their fault (I may need to mass produce this!)

For my next card, I used the Karen Burniston Twist Panel Pop Up Die to give a unique twist! I knew I wanted to make a birthday card, because my stash is severely lacking... Like bad! I got this great Newton's Nook Confetti Stencil and hadn't had a chance to use it, so it came on out! I used a few of my SU inks that are bright and cheerful with a blender tool to make the outside POP! 

As you kno, one of my favorite things is buildable sentiments! Kindred Stamps really tries to work the most sentiments in for their customers and this one makes me super happy! I broke out my brand new Brutus Monroe Mermaid Tail Embossing Powder for the sentiment, I am kinda in love with this stuff! In the picture it looks ok, in person, it looks awesome! To finish the front of the card, I chose to use the Lawn Fawn Everyday Sentiments die cut, the large part of the sentiment fit perfectly and then I sized it down for the small piece!

Next came the fun part! The inside of the card has four of the BFFs. I used the frames included with the Karen Burniston then covered them with a few different colors of Tonic's Nuvo Embellishment Mousse to create unique backgrounds. My BFFs were colored up using Copics.

 

I wanted you guys to get a good look at them!

My last card was a little more tricky, I have an awesome friend who works with vellum a lot, I knew I wanted to give these love birds a vellum background. I started by stamping out the lobster included in this set, and heat embossing with black powder (which is super old and honestly, will be going in the garbage and getting replaced soon). After I heat embossed them, I flipped the vellum over and used a red MementoLuxe ink, and a Fantastix dauber stick to color them in. I was ready to be done so I heat set the ink 3 lobsters at a time holding the vellum off the desk to avoid the embossing powder remelting (ask me how I learned it would do that... I dare ya...)

I colored up these two using copics, and a few Brutus Monroe StyleFile Markers. For her, I wanted to give her a lighter, more realistic blond so rather than working in all Yellow tones, I worked mostly in light Earth tones, with just a hint of yellow.

For the sentiment, I broke out the Lawn Fawn sentiment die again but cut the tags off. I stamped using SU Real Red Ink.  I mounted it all on a white base and layered some black CS underneath to give the lobsters some POP.  There is the famous quote about lobsters mating for life, that always makes me think of a newly weds. This card is perfect for a cash wedding gift.

The other sets coming out are so cute and I hope you enjoy them too! As always, make sure you hop along with the blog hop to be entered into the drawing for a $10 store credit. Please come join us at the Kindred Stamps Fan Club to see fun all month long, and share your projects too!

Kindred Stamps

Amy Hurley Purdie

The Frolicking Fairy

Mad Crafter's Tea Party

DaggDesigns Blog

Wunders Crafty World

R. Winn Creates (You are here!)

Fanciful Spaces

Crafting Love

Thank you for visiting, I will see you all soon!

~R. Winn

The Next Space Explorers!

Guys... guys... GUYS! I am SO excited to share these projects! Kindred Stamps released their new set The Next Space Explorers stamps on May 25th, and to say that I geeked out a lot!

I had so much fun coloring these guys using the no-line technique and Ink On 3's Fade-Out ink, and Copic markers. 

I started by making my first foiled card! I was so nervous that I was going to screw things up. I used Altenew's Warp Speed Stencil that I picked up at Crafty Doodle Chick, DecoFoil's glue pen, and red foil. 

I also tried out my Tonic Studio's Silver Mica spray to create the middle layer of paper for my card, and the sentiment is stamped on a piece too!

My android and blind dude are totally best friends and there for each other through everything!

Next, the Captain is a fan of Earl Grey tea and to me it felt perfect for a gift card holder (some lucky nerd is going to get a Starbucks gift card with it!)

I got him colored up and mounted him on piece of patterned paper from the Sunny Studios Rainbow Bright pack, again from Craft Doodle Chick!

I finished him off by giving him a little shadow with a grey watercolor marker. 

My last card is the chief security officer... He was a little more difficult for me to color, and it shows. But I tried my best, and used the colors I had! I will say, I am pleased with the silvery look of his weapon and sash!

To keep him the hero of the card but not have him too dull, I used the new paper stack that one of the gals in the Kindred Stamps Fan Club shared, and I clearly needed, Echo Park's Space Academy! I grabbed my previously unused Stampin' Up Starbust die (seriously, I've had it for like two years guys...) and cut my patterned paper with it and backed it with dimensionals. I mounted it on a piece of black cardstock.

My last touch was grabbing a random banner I had in my hoarding stash... I may need actual help guys... to use for the sentiment. I love the buildable sentiments that Kindred Stamps does and this one may be one of my favorites! I finished it off with a nice DoublClick Skittle that pulls out the red planets on the paper.

I hope that you enjoyed these projects as much as I enjoyed making them! If you haven't been lucky enough to buy Kindred Stamps, you can set up your account using my referral link and get 10% off http://i.refs.cc/9VcMQuB9?u=1527128718946!

~R. Winn Creates

May the Fourth Be With You

 Rejoice Geeks and Nerds alike! May the Fourth is with us!

Ok, so maybe that was a little over the top... maybe. But, I have to say, as the date loomed closer, I got more and more excited. I made sure that my fluffy bear warrior shirt was clean, my friends all knew what was coming, and of course, made cards! 

 I have had a few droids and a young, upcoming mind warrior, from Kindred Stamps Galactic Adventures: The Sequel, colored for a few months and just couldn't decide what to do with them.  Well, my inspiration came at last!  I decided on a desert theme for my first card. I used a piece of gold shimmer cardstock and hand cut a dune shape out. I wanted lots of layers and used two different blues to sandwich a layer of white. Finally, I took Brilliance Copper ink and stamped the sentiment from Kindred Stamps Galactic Adventures.

My next card, I wanted to do some light swords for the background. I stamped out a patterned background and colored the handles with a grey Copic. Next, I used Nuvo's red jewel toned drops and I filled in the long parts, then I filled in the rest of the paper with Copic R89 to give a dark red color.

I colored in the villain in varying shades of grey and black and fussy cut him out. I felt like he needed to stand out from the background a bit so I trimmed down a piece of paper and used silver Nuvo drops and kinda swirled it around and filled the paper. I mounted it all on a dark grey glimmer card base.

I hope you all enjoy some nerdy fun in a galaxy far, far away today! If you need some of these stamps for your own collection, come grab them here, if it's your first order at Kindred Stamps, you'll get 10% off.

Thank you for visiting!

~R. Winn

No-Line Coloring!

So, about a month, maybe a month and a half ago, cardmaking goddes/enabler to the max, Lydia Fieldler, posted that InkOn3's FadeOut Ink for No-Line Coloring was back in stock. Well... I had just gotten paid and I was feeling rich and decided this was the brilliant new thing I was willing to try! All of my friends are doing amazing things with alcohol inks, and foiling... both which feel expensive to start and scary to try to me. This no-line thing, maybe I can handle that, I already color every chance I get anyways!

It came in about the same time my stamps for the April Kindred Stamps release did, I decided to dive right in! The first images I colored were these little cuties from We're In a Club. I have been using a combination of markers from Copic, Chameleon, and Brutus Monroe StyleFile. There were definitely errors, and I learned quickly, there are no lines to hold your color in place... Something I apparently depend on! They turned out cute though, and I fell in love with the technique!

I had my images colored but I honestly was unsure of what I wanted to do for a project, the inspiration was a little off with the amount of stress I've been dealing with lately! So, instead of panicking and throwing together a basic card, I started to look through my dies. My amazing friend Kelli Hull, recently destashed and I was the lucky recipient of several AMAZING dies, stamps, and other goodies. In that destash, was a Lawn Fawn Portrait Leafy Tree Background die, it lit an idea for me and this was one of the easiest to put together cards I have ever made.

I used a nice dark brown cardstock for the tree and card outline, then a scrap piece of mossy meadow from Stampin' Up. For the leaves, I chose 3 bright Fall colored papers for leaves and used the leaves 3 time per color.  My leaves got layered and overlapped, top to bottom to give it a real tree look. I had just a few left over, so it was really the perfect amount.

In order to create some depth, I used dimensional strips from Stampin' Up to back the tree scene. Next, I snagged a pretty blue that was a bigger piece in my scrap bin (the two drawers I use are overflowing and need to be used more!) I wanted to keep my sentiment simple with no fancy background or labor intensive techniques on this card (other than the coloring). I lined everything up and then placed it all in my MISTI (unmounted, of course) to get my sentiment lined up where I'd like it to be. After removing my top layers from the MISTI, I stamped using the Classic Memento Tuxedo Black ink. After that I simply built the card!

My next card, I REALLY, wanted the character to be the hero of. I used the no-line technique to color up this baby deer and WOW, was I happy. The kiddos were my first images using it and he is my third. The amount of colors I used to get this look is a bit insane, I filled a post it note writing them down, and again, I used a combination of Copics and Chameleon markers. 

I used Kat Scrapiness Double Stitched Rectangle Dies to create a frame out of Stampin' Up Crumb Cake cardstock.  I used a bright green lightweight cardstock to line the back, then layered a pretty patterned vellum that has ferns and leaves all over it. Again, I used the dimensional strip to pop the frame up. I used a random banner die (I didn't always understand the importance of keeping track of what came from where!) for the sentiment, which to me is ADORABLE! 

I finished the card by placing my baby deer and mounting it on a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock! This is one of my cards using Kindred Stamps new release, Forest Friends!

We have some of the most adorable stamps I have seen yet coming out this month and I think you'll all be SO excited too! We've changed a few things up this month, and we've introduced a Design Team to our group! These ladies are INCREDIBLY talented and will be with us for the next several months! We couldn't be more excited to be working with them! We also have Guest Designer, Lois with us AGAIN, because we love her so much.

Please visit their blogs, and ours, and comment on all the blog posts. Doing so will make you eligible for winning shop credit! The winner will be chosen Friday evening, the night of the 20th, and will be announced in our Fan Club!

Kindred Stamps

R Winn Creates

My Clever Creations

The Frolicking Fairy

Mad Crafter's Tea Party

Fanciful Spaces

Wunder's Crafty World

Crafting Love

Clownmom Creations

DaggDesigns Blog

Thank you for visiting me and I will see you soon!

~R. Winn

One Product, Two Ways!

 Who's up for an adventure? Recently, I was reminded that I had a whole stash of Flower Soft (thanks Jennifer!) and was amazed by how many people didn't know about this product.  It's a fine plastic? fiber that comes in different colors, mixes, and sizes.  Today, you'll get to see how I used it on two very different cards to create added texture and feeling to them!

For our Kindred Stamps March release, I received two sets that I really love! The set I am sharing today is called Treasure Hunter. He's a handsome devil, who is always up for an adventure and doesn't really care for snakes!

I wanted to create a temple card face, I started with a stencil I picked up at Hobby Lobby that looked like cracked rock. I used my Clarity Stencil Brushes and Altenew Rock Collection Crisp Inks to layer on different colors onto a light gray card stock scrap. I rotated the stencil a few time and adjusted the position to really give a random feel to the cracks. I then used my trimmer and cut different sized rectangles to build the wall with.  I laid down a strip of black cardstock to create the door way and started building.

Once I was done building the wall it felt very flat, and to be honest, there were a few gaps in the bricks. I took three different colors of Flower Soft, a brown that I can't recall the name of, Meadow, a green and yellow mix, and Red Poppy, a bright red color, and filled in gaps, and added lots of places where the dirt and moss and little red flowers were growing on the temple wall.

Next, I broke out my Treasure Hunter, and his little slithering friend. I colored them using Copics, and Brutus Monroe StyleFile markers. I wanted to make my snake look like an Asp, and my Treasure Hunter to look a bit flushed, he is after all escaping impossible danger!

Last, I took some MementoLuxe brown ink and stamped the sentiment on the inside (a rare thing for me to do!) I love how this set has a lot of sentiment options, and they're all buildable, this is my favorite though!

Next, I broke out a set from Kindred Stamps called, Travel Through The Stones. I chose to place my Highland lovers in a field of thistle! I began by stamping the thistle stamp over and over again along the bottom of the card front. I used two Stampin' Up Stamp 'n' Write markers in a dark green and dusky purple. This built my field base, but I felt like it needed more. So, I grabbed my Meadow Flower Soft and laid a line of it along the bottom edge of the card. It was perfect!

My sweet friend Jude has been really rocking the CAS card designs and I took some inspiration from her. I chose to not continue building a background and simply placed my Copic colored lovers in the field on the far right.  This left ample space for the sentiment "Je suis prest" or "I am ready" on the top left. I stamped it in a dark blue to highlight the blue in their plaid.  I backed the face in a bright red to also accent the plaid.

All in all, I am extremely proud of both cards and think they're both fun, unique uses for this slightly out of date product, Flower Soft! 

Now, you get to go visit my friends on the Kindred Stamps March Release Blog Hop! We have 7 stunning sets for you to enjoy this month and believe me, several are on MY wish list. I can't wait to hear which you love and must have. Make sure you leave a comment on each blog to be entered into the drawing for a $10 Kindred Stamps store credit! When you leave a comment, please also include your email address so as to find you easier, you can do so in a email (at) address dot com format if you prefer! The winner will be messaged and announced in our Facebook Fan Club!

Good Luck, and ENJOY!

Kindred Stamps

Perky Penny Paper Arts

Mad Crafter's Tea Party

Milene Tiberius

R. Winn Creates (You Are Here)

Clown Mom Creations

Scrappy Boy

Dagg Designs Blog

The Frolicking Fairy

Fanciful Spaces

Thank you for visiting, and I can't wait to see you again!

~R. Winn

Spoonie Squad

So, if you don't know me well, you may not know that I am a "Spoonie". I have Fibromyalgia, simplified this means I suffer from overactive nerves, anxiety, depression, migraines, stomach problems, mid to extreme pain at any given time... the list goes on. Audra at Kindred Stamps, (that's my referral link, you'll get 10% off your first order and I will be rewarded too), was excited to create a stamp set to celebrate and give voice to myself, and those like me, the Spoonie community. "Spoonie" is a term used by those of us with chronic illnesses, chronic pain, and limited energy.

"Spoonie Squad" was released by Kindred Stamps last month, and it features an excellent assortment of sentiments, spoons, and a couple little leaves. I created 4 cards myself for the release.

First, I used silver embossing powder and the four unique spoons to create a border on both the top and bottom of the card, next I chose the sentiment. I felt like this one was a great celebration for my friends who suffer like me, I kept this card in cool colors, silver, white, and a little turquoise.  

My next card, I used the Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Inks and layered the colors light to dark to create a simple, but beautiful background. I felt a bit snarky, so I thought "you can just fork off" was perfect here.  I sandwiched the saying between two silver spoons.

Typically, I find myself doing a lot of layering but I wanted to keep this one simple so I used a corner punch to add a touch of elegance and finished it with dimensional tape to make the featured part pop from the base.

My next card, again, I kept simple but used more layers again. The black background makes the red and touches of green and silver pop. I used a single spoon with this sentiment to make the impact that much more powerful. I wanted to show off the leaves and put it in the corner.

My last card was a little more work. I chose a nice green base and used these beautiful roses from So Suzy Stamps to create a pretty little card. I colored them in using Copic and StyleFile Markers by Brutus Monroe.

I felt like the glitter tape behind the sentiment makes the impact of the sentiment a little better. This sentiment is super powerful for me. My anxiety, energy, and pain levels are always putting a kibosh on my plans. My friends and family always seem to have to move on without me.

It's been a while since I was able to create a blog post just because I wanted to. I am SO happy that I was able to finally get these up for all to see! My disease means a lot of missed events, laying around in pain, trying all sorts of medicines, both homeopathic and prescription, little to no answers, glares from people that think I'm faking, concerned looks from strangers, and so much more. I am beyond grateful to have crafting in my little world. Being able to create something beautiful makes my life qualify infinitely better, the friends that I've made in this community, and the friends I've brought to this community keep me going even on the hardest of days.

I hope you've enjoyed this post and please remember that not all disabilities are visible, you can't the pain some people live with daily.

~R. Winn