Crabby Card

Hello again friends,

I am so excited to show you my card for today! I played with Sassy and Crafty's Sassy but Sweet Stamp set. This set features an adorable mermaid and fantastic "king" crab along with some amazing sentiments.

I decided to stamp the crab from Sassy but Sweet for my card today. I stamped him using Ink On 3's Fade Out Ink and colored him with Copics. To add a bit of extra fun, for the gems on his crown, I used clear rhinestones colored red using a Copic. I also stamped each of the shells from Sassy but Sweet a few times to color in different fun bright shades, again using Copic markers.

Once I had finished coloring, I focused on the background next. I used black cardstock and the Mermaid Tails Stencil for this. I used my i-Brush Blender Brushes and Distress Oxide inks in various shades of blue and one purple to create a watery feel. I added a few spritzes of watered down Ink on 3 Liquid Pixie Dust to add some shimmer to the background.

Next, I cut out Kindred Stamps "Sorry" word die. For the bottom layer I used a purple scrap with a kind of watercolor or bubbled look to it, and for the top layer I used a blue glitter cardstock scrap. The sentiment I stamped on to a silver cardstock scrap and heat embossed it with a metallic light purple WOW embossing powder. I trimmed this down.

When it came time to build my card, I layered my dark watery sheet over a light purple card base. TIP: I like to buy card bases and envelopes in bulk from box stores when I find them on sale, this saves my energy so I'm not constantly cutting and scoring card bases. Once the card front was adhered to the card base, I glued the "sorry" layers toward the top center of the card. I added a strip of Thin Double Thick Foam Tape to the back of my "I've been crabby" sentiment strip and positioned it under but crossing into the "sorry" layers.

I added my king crab to a mini wobbler to give him a fun little interactive element and positioned him towards the center(ish) of the card. To finish the card, I added the shells that I had previously colored up and a few clear sequins.

Here is a short video of the crab in action!

Well, I hope that I've inspired you to check out Sassy and Crafty for yourself and look forward to seeing what you create next! 

Until next time,

R. Winn

We are Brave

 Today I am showing off a card that I created using Sassy & Crafty's Free & Brave Stamp Set.  I love these girl power images and the girl with the flag is absolutely amazing. I wanted to alter the flag to represent the Overcoming Disabilities flag since that's something that is really important to me.

I began by stamping onto watercolor paper with Ink On 3's Fade-Out ink. Next, I pulled out my watercolors and used Gansai Tambi Starry Colors paints for the gold on top and bronze on the bottom, the silver in the center is a combination of Spectrum Noir Sparkle Glitter Ink and a white watercolor from my stash. 

Next, I used Nuvo's Hair & Skin Tones Watercolor Pencils for her skin and hair. I struggled with her face and was not able to get the details of her features with the no-line technique so I tried to stamp just her face... unfortunately I did not have the paper lined up correctly and messed up her face and hair. So I restamped the face and hair with Fade Out ink then used a dauber to put VersaFine on just her facial features. In order to save the rest of my work, I just cut the new face out and glued it on to the already completed body. I used watercolor pencils for her shirt and the flag pole as well.

For the card front, I used black cardstock and Cosmic Shimmer Citrus Green Gilding Polish over the Sassy and Crafty Comic Book 2 Stencil. It took several layers of the Gilding Polish but the way it pops off the black was so worth it!

Next up, I used the buildable sentiments from Sassy Girls - Free & Brave to put together the sentiment "We are brave". I stamped it in my MISTI 2.0 using Hero Arts Unicorn White ink topped with a layer of green Opalite Ink to give it a green tint. Had I been more patient, I probably would have chosen to heat emboss the sentiment instead. I finished the card off with some little purple hearts from Queen & Co.

The colors purple and green, that I used on this card, are symbolic of the disabilities that I work hard to overcome each day. Purple represents Fibromyalgia, green represents mental health. There are so many people struggling with invisible disabilities and working to overcome them every day.

I hope that you enjoyed my card and be sure to check out Sassy and Crafty for all sorts of amazing stamps and stencils!

Until next time,

R. Winn

Love Wins Instagram Hop - Guest Designer for Sassy and Crafty

Hello friends,

Today, Sassy and Crafty is participating in the Love Wins Instagram Hop. I am honored to be guest designing for Sassy and Crafty for this hop.

We want to invite you to head over to Instagram to hop along with us to celebrate Pride month and our LGBTQIA+ crafty friends and allies. Today is Purple, this color represents Spirit.

Pride originated from the early morning of June 28th, 1969, when LGBT community members rioted following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. The first parade was on the first anniversary of this riot. It's important to celebrate Pride today because there are still many rights and privileges not afforded to the LGBTQIA community. I celebrate Pride in honor of the friends, family, and adopted family that I have in the LGBTQIA community. My story is not my own, but one of the amazing people in this community who have shown me the true meaning of loving yourself, of finding the magic within, and of showing kindness to others when you have nothing else to give.

My first card is in honor of my nibbling (the child of my sibling), Aries, who is an amazing non-binary adult. They were the first interaction that I had with the LGBTQIA community that impacted my life personally. Watching them become the wonderful person that they are is one of the true joys in my life. There have been highs and lows in their young life, but they have grown to be an advocate for other LGBTQIA community members, children, and people with disabilities. Their strength inspires me and their spirit is beautiful beyond measure.

For this card, I used the Sassy Girls - Kiss Stamp, I love this image and the blue eyed beauty reminded me of Aries (although they wouldn't ever wear anything that low cut.) I colored the couple using Copic markers, I made sure that I did the shorter hair as blue since that tends to be a color Aries gravitates towards.

For the background, I used a holographic purple cardstock from a past Hero Arts monthly kit (I may need to hunt down more of it because it's super pretty!). Behind the purple, I used a sheet from DCWV's Zodiac paper stack, it's black with tiny silver foiled dots all over it.

The amazing sentiment is from the new Find Yourself Stamp and is foiled with Deco Foil Transfer Sheets, Rainbow. I fussy cut around the sentiment, then added some tiny floral embellishments from my stash. My second card was inspired by the LGBTQIA community as a whole! I saw this image from the Never Let Go Stamp and thought it would be beautiful lit up with EZ-Lights!

First, I colored the hands using Copics, then used my Scan 'n' Cut to cut the center of the heart out and fussy cut the outside of the hands. To create the Pride Flag Heart, I stamped the hands onto vellum, and divided the heart into mostly even sections using a straight edge, and a pencil. Once I had my straight lines, I used Copics to color in the colors of the flag. I found that the chisel tip worked best to avoid a bunch of streaks and uneven color.

For the background, I used a white cardstock that had a little shimmer to it, then used a stencil from Layered Comic Book Stencil and Purple Paper Glaze to create a focal point for the hands and sentiment.

I added the "love you forever" die from Erin Lee Creative in purple and added holographic silver behind it, then I fussy cut a base layer behind it. I cut out half a heart from the holographic silver and used a black Copic to write "Press Here" for the EZ-Lights button. To finish the card off, I used a few embellishments from Unicorn Galore Shimmerz by Buttons Galore.

Now, if you haven't already, join the hop over on Instagram to show the LGBTQIA community, and be entered to win amazing prizes from these fantastic sponsors!

Thank you for stopping by,

Rachel

A Whale of a Tale!

Whale Hello!

I'm so excited to share my creation using i-crafter's Box Pops, Whale Done Add-On die set! I have been a sucker for whales since Free Willy came out when I was young, but for my project, instead of an Orca, I modified my whale to create a Minke Whale instead. 

I started my project by using a 3" x 5" Gel Press, 4 shades of blue acrylic paints, and Sassy & Crafty's Mermaid Tails Stencil to create a pretty ocean for my whale to swim in. After I was happy with my print, I used the i-crafter Animalopes die set and cut out the gift card envelope base.

They are similar enough to Orcas that I felt I could use the die, but their dorsal fin sits a bit further back so after I cut my whale out of watercolor paper, I carefully cut the fin off the top. 

 Next, I watercolored the two pieces, being careful to change the pattern of the markings from what is cut with the die to be more in line with what a Minke looks like. Once My watercoloring came out a bit darker than I was wanting, but the light spots are perfect for the dark silvery color that these whales are typically colored. After they finished drying, I glued the dorsal fin on towards the back half of the whale.

For the back of the gift card envelope, there was a bit of a gap where my print ended and the center of the envelope. I used a sponge to fill that space in with the darkest blue. I used another print attempt for the back top flap of the gift card envelope. This was a lighter blue but also used the Sassy & Crafty's Mermaid Tails Stencil. From i-crafter's Box Pops, Whale Done Add-On die set, I also cut out the "Whale Done!" sentiment out of scrap silver mirrored cardstock.

This was my first time using either of these die sets, but I am SO pleased with the results! A gift card fits in perfectly, and I can easily add this into a card or package without adding a bunch of weight.

I hope that you enjoy this project as much as I enjoyed creating it! 

If you’d like to follow me, here is my blog, Instagram, and Facebook page. Be sure to join the i-crafter Facebook Fan Club, then follow us on Instagram, and Pinterest too! We love seeing all of your creations using the i-crafter products so don't forget to tag us or use #icrafter when you share!

Until next time,

Rachel Winn

Kindred Stamps and Sassy & Crafty Under Water

Hello friends!

I'm excited to show off a few projects using Kindred Stamps "Seas The Day" stamp set and Sassy and Crafty's "Salty but Sweet" stamp set. 

I started by stamping out each of the seahorses from "Seas The Day" and the mermaid from "Salty but Sweet" and then several of the seashells from each set. I colored them up with Copic Markers. For the mermaid, I covered her tail in Liquid Pixie Dust from Ink on 3 to give her an extra magical finish.

For the background, I used a Gel Press and alcohol inks with Sassy and Crafty's Mermaid Tails Stencil.  It took me a few times to get be happy with the results, this was really only the second time I've used my Gel Press! When I was happy, I used the Kindred Stamps Waves Craft Die on two of my prints and a light blue scrap paper to create 3 layers of waves for my seahorses and mermaid to swim in.

Next, I used a combination of DecoArt Texture Sand, Picket Fence Studios Brown Dahlia Paper Glaze, and Deco Foil White Pearl Metallix Gel on the bottom layer of the waves to create an ocean floor. I added a ton of  my colored up shells and included just a few starfish from an old embellishment pack. 

The end result is fun, and makes me happy to just look at!

I did manage a second "bonus card" using the Kindred Stamps "Seas The Day" stamp set and the Sassy and Crafty's "Salty but Sweet" stamp set too! I took the left over shells, and a Sassy and Crafty's Mermaid Tails Stencil "mess" up Gel Press print, and created a 3"x3" card. 

"Salty but Sweet" has these fun sentiments that can be build-able, or stand-alone. I stamped the "what the shell" sentiment on to the Gel Press print using Stazon Pigment ink to start the card. 

Then I added my shells that I had covered in Ink On 3's Liquid Pixie Dust and topped with Nuvo Crystal Glaze to add extra dimension to the shells. I sprinkled them across the card front, and mixing them with the shellfish embellishments. 

Again, the end result makes me smile, and they both could be used for a variety of occasions!

Be sure to head over to the Kindred Stamps blog to see the rest of the projects created by these two talented teams! Follow these links to grab the awesome stamp sets, (and lots of other goodies too): 

Kindred Stamps "Seas The Day" stamp set 

Sassy and Crafty's "Salty but Sweet" stamp set

Until next time,

~R. Winn

Playing with Dragons

I have a card showing off the new Sassy and Crafty "Plushies Happy Dragon" stamp set! Sassy and Crafty doesn't have a design team, but I happen to be friends with both of the amazing gals who own the company and wanted to show off my first card using their stamps. I am obsessed with the stuff they are putting out! I knew I had to have this set the second that I saw it. Naturally since it was dragons, it was the first one that I colored up (but I ordered several more from them, ha!)

I began by coloring up this little cutie with Copics, I used the Florescent colors to build my blends around, Amy of Sassy and Crafty used a lot of neon colors in her release makes and really inspired the colors I used. Next, I cut him out with my Scan N Cut. I also added some Ink on 3 Liquid Pixie Dust to make him really shiny!

 

I've been on a patterned paper kick (which is GREAT since I have enough to last 3 lifetimes!) and selected this one I picked up at Tuesday Morning, I can't remember the brand, but it is both foiled AND flocked! I decided my dragon would look great against the night sky. I decided to place him in the bottom right corner, and added a cloud made from a Marvy Snow Marker for him to sit on.

I stamped the sentiment in i-crafter Aqua Bay Hybrid ink I always heat set these inks since they are formulated a little differently making them need extra time to dry, OR to be heat set. After heat setting the sentiment, I cut it and a piece of silver glitter paper with banner dies from The Stamp Doctor.

I finished the card off with a few crystal embellishments, and popped it up on a card base from a box set I bought at Michaels.

Be sure to head over to see my friends Beth and Amy at Sassy and Crafty for some super sweet stamp sets, and fantastic stencils too!

Until next time,

~R. Winn