Nuts About You

Hello again friends! I'm back with the newest Kindred Stamps release! Today, I have 3 cards using "Nuts About You" which will be available on Friday, July 26th at 8am PST/11am EST.  This 3"x4" set features two adorable chipmunks, and some punny sentiments that make me happy!

I used Ink On 3's Fade-Out ink with my MISTI to stamp out two pairs of these little dudes. Then I colored them with Prismacolor Colored Pencils. I am absolutely smitten with how they turned out.

My first card features the sentiment "I'm nuts about you". I picked one of my little guys and built the card around him. First, I went ahead and heat embossed a strip of acorns on pink cardstock using Brutus Monroe Sand Castle powder. This was cut down to a thin strip and layered it onto a piece of Stampin Up Crumb Cake cardstock for my card base. On the base, I heat embossed a little "Aww" using a Lindy's Gang pink powder, below where I wanted to put my chipmunk.

 I used the new Kindred Stamps Sunshine Glitter Gloss on white cardstock over the Kindred Stamps Hearts and Dots Stencil to create a textured patterned paper. I cut out pieces of this using a set of The Stamps of Life heart dies after it had dried. I layered these around the card using foam tape and Therm O Web Ultra Bond glue. 

To finish this card up, I layered the base onto a bright yellow cardstock that matches that Sunshine Glitter Gloss to form my card, I really like using colored cardstock for cards, I feel like it's a nice change from the typical white. For my sentiment, I heat embossed "I'm nuts about you" in the same Sand Castle embossing powder on the same pink cardstock as I had done the acorns. I layered that onto a piece of the yellow cardstock after die cutting them both to create a little layered banner. Finally, I placed the chipmunk in the midst of it all for him to shine.

My next card didn't turn out exactly how I had hoped. I wanted to create an alcohol ink background and use Ink Lift to pull up acorns in the background. Unfortunately, I'm not an expert with alcohol inks and ended up layering it too thick for this to work well! So, instead, I cut my background down into three smaller squares. I layered these onto a piece of Echo Park's Fall paper pad. I arranged the squares over a strip of gold glitter cardstock so it just barely peeks through with a bit of shine. 

Next, I used Alcohol Lift-Ink to pull up acorns and then stamped them onto white cardstock. I created a little stack of them creating a background. These look faint in the photo, but in person, they look great! I put all of this onto another piece of the same Echo Park paper, I just flipped it over so the other side's pattern showed instead of the cool blue.

 I love the buildable sentiments in this set, they are fun, and a bit punny, which is completely my sense of humor! "Sorry for driving you nuts" was my pick for this card, I stamped it onto a banner from an old card kit. Last, I put my little guy on a piece of brown scrap and trimmed around him to create a border, I placed him off to the side a bit so you could still see the acorn stack. 

My last card, is my favorite! I wanted to work in the Christmas in July concept. I used both chipmunks for this card. I started by stamping a tree from an old Stampin' Up set in Catherine Pooler Sage ink on to a piece of patterned paper from Echo Park. I added a few rhinestones to the tree for decorations, some I left clear, some I colored using a blue Sharpie, I feel like they look like little crystal ornaments. I used a Uchida Snow Marker to create a thin layer of snow on the ground below the tree.

I placed a chipmunk on either side of the tree, added some adorable Santa hat stickers from Michael's, and then the Candy Cane die set from The Stamp Doctor to place a candy cane in each of their hands.

Next, I stamped the family sentiment onto a tag from an old card kit using Catherine Pooler Samba ink. I strung the tag onto a sliver ribbon, and added a few large glue dots to the back of the tag to hold it in place. I wanted to add "Merry Christmas" to the card so I used The Stamp Doctor's new Tiny Alphabet dies to cut the letters from a piece of glitter cardstock that I ink blended Samba onto and arranged them on the other side of the tree.

My final touch was a layer of Wink of Stella clear onto the snow to add a bit of sparkle to the card! The card turned out better than I had originally imagined it, which doesn't happen often for me.

Now, be sure to leave a comment including your email address, I'd love to know which card is your favorite! I will be drawing a name from everyone who comments, the winner will get a $10 Kindred Stamps store credit. Make sure you check our entire team's blogs because they each are going to give away $10 store credits too!

The entire Kindred Stamps July release will be available Friday, July 26th 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!!

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

~R. Winn

Making a Splash with Kindred Summer!

 Long time no see! I'm excited to see you again!

Today, I get to share with you, our Kindred Summer stamp set! We have a fun little tradition where Audra has custom images of the team made up to celebrate new seasons, holidays, etc. Our pool party images were such a hit when we shared them that we thought they would be a perfect stamp set for summer!

My first card is featuring Molly, my best friend, and her amazing hair, sliding into the pool. I wanted to create one layer on this card that was full of details and a simple hand drawn background. I see all sort of people making AMAZING backgrounds by hand, that's outside of my comfort zone, so I figured I could start somewhere, by creating a pool scene.

While I knew I wanted to make Molly my star, I also used Audra on her ducky floaty, hanging out in the pool. I placed sunbathing Marcia on the pool deck, catching some rays. After these 3 were stamped, I took a pencil and a straight edge and created the pool/deck separation line. I started by coloring in my people, I tried to create depth in their colors, next, I did the cement, I used several shades of gray Copics to get depth and shadow. I added the water, again, several shades of blue were used. Last, I used a red Copic to add in the depth markers on the pool deck!

Normally, I stamp my sentiment and then die cut it and put it on the card, for this one, stamping directly on the scene just felt right! I used a WOW embossing powder that I picked up from Kraftgali to make "Hope Your Birthday is a Splash" really pop.  Finally, I used a sheet of the new Kindred Stamps Pool Party Paper Pack to back my "masterpiece" and mounted it on a white card base!

Next, I created a fairly simple, and quick card. I LOVE this sun paper from the Pool Party Paper Pack, and the sentiment "Here Comes the Sun" from Kindred Summer together. I added the 

I stamped my sentiment out using Catherine Pooler Something Borrowed ink, then used Ink On 3 Embossing Ink over top of it, and heat embossed with Lindy's Gang powder. It has a slight iridescent shimmer to it. I die cut the sentiment using a Tonic Oval.

My sun paper was amazing, but I felt like the Memeory Box die cut took it to the next level. I layered my die cut sun paper onto a piece of blue paper from Stampin' Up that matched my Catherine Pooler ink well. I loved the card, but felt like a blue SPARKLY ribbon down the center of the card, below the sentiment really finished it off.

My last card was an adventure! My little sister, Addison, feels that she should ALWAYS be made into a stamp. So, I decided to do a mirror image stamp of the Rachel stamp, this allowed me to create a pool scene with the two of us.

I colored myself first, I used lighter hair colors, and then finished myself off with a bit of R20 and created a sunburn look. (I don't tan, I lobster). I chose a colorful, yet clean look for my unicorn, and added sparkle with Wink of Stella. 

For Addison, my mirror image skills... well they don't exist... it took me a few tries to be ok with my stamped image. I went ahead and colored her with a slightly darker skin and hair color, she tans, well. I didn't love the thought of my baby sister in a bikini, so I went ahead and colored the belly area giving her a tankini instead! For her unicorn, I did an obnoxious pink, because she has a BRIGHT personality! My lines were not as crisp as I would have liked, so I went over them with a black marker after I finished coloring... her nose may have been compromised...

Again, this Pool Party Paper Pack... it's amazing. I loved the pool water sheet and felt like a double slider be fun. I used Lawn Fawn Slider dies and pennies to allow us to float back and forth. I used a few purple and white sequins from a Kindred Shaker Pack to add a little pizzazz to the card. 

Last, I stamped "Float On" onto the beach ball paper using Stazon Purple Pigment and then heat embossed using Brutus Monroe's Fairy Dust embossing powder. I placed my beach ball onto a wobbler and it bounces around when you bop it!

Now that you've stuck with me through three cards, please make sure you leave a comment! I get to give away a $10 store credit and I'm hoping it's you. Leave a comment here and make sure you include your email address so I know where to reach you. 

The entire Kindred Stamps June release will be available Friday, June 28th 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!!

  

Thank you for visiting me, I hope you have a fantastic summer!

~R. Winn

You are Beautiful

Miss me?

I am back to show off my card using Witt and Sass's You are Beautiful set! Ok, so this set is gorgeous, and has a TON of pieces and amazing sentiments... basically, you need it.

Amy created this set to uplift those that we love, tell them they are enough, and encourage them that they are going make it through whatever rough roads they are traveling... and it is perfect.

I started with coloring these stunning flowers using Copics, then used a CC Designs Stitched Oval die cut to cut it out. I wanted to take another stab at the #WSCARDCHALLENGE of Black & White, POP of Color, and Ribbon. So these flowers are really it!

I suck to a basic white ribbon, crossed a little more than halfway down, then put the flowers on top, popped up with some Stampin Up Dimensionals. The sentiment, I forgot to use my emboss buddy so the heat embossing is a little mucky, but it says "Whatever you managed to do today is enough". I love the way the Brutus Monroe Alabaster powder melts, it's great for sentiments. I layered the sentiment on white then another piece of black.

To finish the card off, I grabbed the bubble outlines included in the You are Beautiful set and used Memento Luxe's white ink and stamped it out multiple times in the bottom right corner of the card, and then again in the top left of the sentiment.

Make sure you join us on the Witt & Sass Stamp Company Facebook group to see our team's makes all month, and to share your own with us!

Thank you for visiting me today.

~R. Winn

Friendship Cards - Tropical Party

Ready for some bright colors? I got to play with all sorts of fun things this week! This week I'm sharing the Witt & Sass Stamp Co's Tropical Party stamp set!

I started by creating a card for the #wscardchallenge "Black & White, POP of color, and ribbon". I picked a few patterned papers that were black and white but complemented each other and layered them. I colored up the pineapple with Copics for my POP of color and put it on a white square. I wrapped two corners with black glitter ribbon.

I love the sentiments on this set, they're super fun and are all about celebrating yourself. I chose "Celebrate Your Weirdness" and heat embossed it using Brutus Monroe's Raven Embossing Powder. I added a few black DoubleClick Skittles and a few clear droplets from Pretty Pink Posh to finish off the 3" x 3" card!

My next card is the main feature! I freaking LOVE this flamingo. It's tall, and fills a card well, and is SO cute. I knew I wanted a one layer card. I find that they are hard for me, I flounder when I don't get to add lots of die cuts or embellishments because that means getting things right the first time, no mistakes!

I started by stamping out the flamingo and coloring him up using my Copics (I had to go get more pinks because what I had wasn't cutting it!) After he was done, I masked him off and then used the Wave Background Builder stencil to put him on a golden sandy beach.  I used Catherine Pooler blues and a blending tool for the water, then added the sand in using Delicata gold.

I topped the waves off with the darkest blue using the Background Builders Sand & White Caps stamps. Then added a few sandy details in the same Delicata gold to complete the scene.

Again with these sentiments, they rock! "In a world of pigeons you are a flamingo!" went directly next to the flamingos lower legs and I embossed it in Brutus Monroe's Mermaid Tail powder. In order to finish the card off, I went ahead and put it on top of a bright tropical patterned paper!

I hope you've enjoyed my makes, and want to invite you to join us on Facebook to see the rest of the team's projects, and share your own too!

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

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

Beth Duff Designs - Spring Release

Hi friends! I'm excited for you to join us on our first Beth Duff Designs Creative Team blog hop! Our Spring Release has 8 beautiful sets. I'm sharing with you Adventure's Abroad - Paris. I absolutely love this set, the images are amazing and the words are so pretty!

Before we get to the good stuff, I want to invite you to join our Facebook event to see all of the fun cards our team has made using the new sets!

I started by using the Eiffel Tower, I found a beautiful image of it all lit up at night and used it as my inspiration. I used Copics to color in a red and yellow glow. I made the structure's landings a light grey.  

For my background, was made using Black Distress Oxide ink and my Clarity Brushes, I wish the color had come out darker, but I ended up with a dusky evening sky.  I took my white, Moonlight Smooch and dotted stars in the sky.  

I added a strip of solid grey cardstock to add a "cement" base to the tower. Next, I built the grassy lawn using Your Next Stamps's Grass Edge die, I cut out multiple pieces and layered it top to bottom.  

 I added the cute little Poodle, colored using Copics and Brutus Monroe StyleFile markers. She felt sassy enough to complete the image.

Finally, I took a Sizzix banner die and cut out a strip of white cardstock. I stamped the "Bonjour" stamp unsing Delecata Red ink. It turned out fantastically and I'm not sure I can let it go! 

Next, I wanted to use the little images and the sentiments to create a background for this gorgeous girl. I took them individually and stamped them out using my new InkOn3 Embossing Ink, I was super happy with the coverage of the ink and the way it held the powder! The powder I used was Stampin' Up Iridescent Ice, it has a little bit of shimmer compared to just plain clear powder. 

Next, I took my new Tsukineko Radiant Neon in Electric Pink ink pad, with a sponge and did an emboss resist background.  I love the way it turned out.  My girl was colored using Copics. I LOVE her style and she was so fun to color.

Last, I took some retired Stampin' Up Gold Washi Tape and covered some white card stock with strips. I stamped the "Amour" using Black Stazon Ink. I'm not sure why, but the Stazon and I are not getting along  well so it took a few tries for me! 

Thank you so much for joining us on our first ever Beth Duff Designs blog hop. We are so excited to share these sets with you, and truly think you will love them as much as we do. Please join us and visit each page on the hop, by leaving a comment on each post you will be entered into a drawing for a set of your choice from Beth Duff Designs' Spring line up (open to both US and Int'l fans!)

Beth Duff Designs 

Fawn 

Rachel (You are here!)

Tania

Brianna

Shannon

Samantha

Niccole

Lynnea

Marcia

Thank you again for visiting me!

~R. Winn Creates

New Digi Brand - Amy Doodles Stamp Co

 Hello again friends! 

I am back (I know, three blogs in two weeks??? Amazing!) I'm super excited to share with you a new friend's digi stamp shop, Amy Doodles Stamp Co! Her Chubby Unicorn stamp was what made me reach out to her, but then she released her Magical Friends Savings Pack and clearly I had to have it!

Amy is a real sweetheart and I've enjoyed getting to know her and she is SO encouraging and full of tips for improving my coloring skills (she's an amazing colorist, and I've learned a TON from her).  My first card, I colored in her crest background, it was the most daunting task, but SO amazing once it was done. I love that she included multiple background with her designs. 

I printed out the badger and colored him in, using Copics and Brutus Monroe StyleFile markers, I made a few mistakes but ended up being pleased with the overall look. Her little accessories made finishing the card super easy. I went with the encouraging sentiment in the pack and broke out my Cosmic Shimmer Glitter Kiss in Sahara Gold for a touch of magic (this stuff is super fun and sticks immediately, it does NOT come off).  Last, I grabbed a few amber/gold rhinestones for the corner.

Next, I wanted to use the Raven, he was a little tricky to color, black isn't the easiest thing to color. But between Amy and my amazing friend Marcia, they encouraged me and I feel pretty pleased with it.  I used a really fun Harry Potter washi tape I found on Etsy for the background.  One of the neat sentiments included in the set shows the different defining characteristic of each house, I chose to included all 4 houses and colored the "S", "H", and "G" in a light grey. The "R" I colored in a pretty blue. I chose to fussy cut my Raven and his magic sparkles out, This allowed me to position the magic how I wanted!

All in all, I've had so much fun with this set, and still have two more characters colored from it, and a chubby unicorn to make a card with!

I hope you'll check out Amy's shop HERE. I would love to know what you make with her designs!

~R. Winn

Love Notes!

Hi again friends! I'm back to share another adorable digi that Beth Duff Designs provided for our Creative Team call! (Yes, you'll have a chance to get in on it eventually!)

I used the Avocuddle digi this time to create a bright, little love note.

I kept my design fairly simple and used the adorable background Beth designed to pair with the avocados in bright Copic colors. I really love the little tacos.  The avocado I chose to print two of and flip one image, and make one slightly smaller. (Who's the same height as their significant other? I'm not!) I used Copics and Brutus Monroe StyleFile Markers to color the avocados.  I love that you're able to color is with or without a pit!

I made this into a 3"x3" card, which is the perfect size for a little love note.  I put it on a bright red card stock to really make the colors pop!

I cannot wait to share more of the fun designs we have in store for you at Beth Duff Designs.  If you haven't already, check out our team's blogs, all can be found in our Facebook Fan Club Board!

Until next time!

~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

Space... Explorers and Even A Space Ship!

December's release for Kindred Stamps is going to blow your mind! So many Fandoms covered, so much epicness, so many amazing cards! I have been working on some of these cards for over a month... I'm slow ok?

It was really difficult for me to pick which project to blog about. Ultimately, I chose the one that took me out of my comfort zone the most!  Molly, my BFF/co-creative team member, asked me months ago if I would make a box card. I immediately shut her down. SO not something I was up to doing!

Well, for this Space Explorers stamp set, it just felt like the right type of project. So, I set out to find a good tutorial since I had ZERO clue as to what I was doing. I found Sandi Maclver's Tutorial and it was perfectly step-by-step and easy to pause/rewind to find steps I was missing.  Her blog also has directions for cut sizes for the layered panels.

I chose some Stampin' Up, retired (because I need to use the paper I've hoarded rather than buying more!) DSP and their retired black chalk ink paper, it's a heavier cardstock and gives a sturdy feel to any projects I use it on. These became my side panels and went basically everywhere!  My card base is an 8.5"x11" Stampin' Up Basic Gray.

I chose to color my characters with several different alcohol markers, including Copics (ALWAYS!), Brutus Monroe's Stylefile Markers (my referral link), and possibly a few retired Stampin' Up Blendabilities! My sweet friend Marcia has been helping my with my black coloring. I am pretty pleased with the way my black is no longer a flat color. 

The space ship is colored with every grey I own. I like to think it looks pretty darn good!

I placed the two characters I feel are important in front and the supporting characters in the second row. I do wish the box was slightly wider to fit them all in and allow them to be easily seen. As it is, you want to pick the card up and explore if from every angle.

For my sentiment on the front panel, I chose "Go Boldly" and used Delecata Metallic Gold. It took a couple of layers to make it stand up well.  I took the Delecata Metallic Silver for the sentiment on the back. Then finished the card off with a com!

All in all, I absolutely loved making this card and can't wait for the perfect occasion to gift it!

As always, if you're ready to place an order, you can use my Referral Link to create your Kindred Stamps account and get 10% off your first purchase. Space Explorers and all the other amazing December Release sets drop this Friday, December 15th.

You don't want to miss the rest of the release... It's seriously amazing. Follow along our blog hop, with several new guest creative team members here...

Kindred Stamps

Fanciful Spoons

R.Winn Creates (You are here!)

Cards by Salima0705

The Frolicking Fairy

Crafty Angel

Perky Penny Paper Arts

DaggDesigns

RiCre8s

We are really excited about this release! We have 8 new sets being released on Friday! Our collection is quite an eclectic one, with something to attract everyone! What is the set(s) you are most excited about!

One lucky person will win a $10 credit to the shop! Will that be you?

All you have to do, in order to win, is to visit the following blogs and comment on the posts! Easy Peasy! ALSO, one of our Creative Team Members will be giving away a card she created from this release, find out if you are our lucky recipient by heading over to the Kindred Stamps blog!

~R. Winn Creates