January Class Cards

I just realized I hadn't posted pictures of the cards we made last weekend at our January class!  It was a fun day with a great group of ladies. I always enjoy getting together with them.

Watercolor lift

Pan pastels and stencils

Inspired by (and totally copied from!) Jeanne Bobish,
fellow FSJ coach

Sneak Peek

I've been lazy - not doing much posting lately.  But I have been creating a lot of cards for a blog hop that launches this Saturday.  Each month a different TECHNIQUE will be highlighted.  I really LOVE playing with different techniques, so I'm delighted to be part of this group.  January's technique is a bit messy and smells really good!  Here's a quick and easy card to pique your interest:

I'm pretty sure this isn't finished yet, but I'm a little stumped about what more to do to it!  Any suggestions are welcome.

Be sure to stop by Saturday to check out what I've been doing lately, and follow the links for a lot of inspiration.  There's a prize too!

Virtual Las Vegas!

Next week, many FSJ Coaches will be attending a conference in Las Vegas, NV.  I won't be one of them. :-(  BUT...I'll be joining others who can't attend in a "virtual" conference on Facebook.  We've already started some of our challenges.  Here are my entries:

My Conference ID lanyard

A bank so I can start saving up for the BIG conference in June!

   

Happy New Year!

Wow!  I hadn't realized just how long I'd been on a "break!"  I didn't even get the December technique posted, and it's almost time for the January class and technique.  Life during the holidays did me in, I guess.  But the Christmas decorations are down and it's 2017, so I'd better get busy.  I did manage to get all my Christmas cards finished and mailed *PHEW*... I'm starting to think I need to get going on next year's cards now (I actually have an idea!).

The December technique was a very simple one I borrowed from a children's activity:  Bubble Paint Background.  All you need is a straw, a container, a little paint, and some liquid dish soap.  Mix paint, water, and a little dish soap together in the container, and use the straw to blow bubbles!  Fun, huh? (Be sure to cover your work area with newspaper or paper towels!)

Now, simply touch your card stock lightly onto the bubbles to create different backgrounds for your cards or stamping. Experiment with different colors and more or less paint. 
I'll try to catch up on my blogging and do better in 2017.  Happy New Year!

December Card Class

Today we did these five projects at card class.  Since I haven't been able to have a card class since August, I decided to add the blue angel and the treat bag as an extra little gift to the ladies.
    
I provide a two-page instruction sheet to my class participants - this month I had to shorten it, so it doesn't include the dimensions of the layers, colors, etc., but I've shared it in my DropBox here if you would like to download it: December Card Class Instructions
Hopefully I'll be back posting more regularly now that we're home from various trips.  I'll post pictures from our Thanksgiving visit with family in southern Oregon soon.

November Technique - Black Magic

Here's my November technique club sample, showcasing the Black Magic technique.  This technique has been around for quite awhile.  It's fun and a little different to stamp on black card stock instead of white, and see the colors pop.  This can be quite stunning with a bold floral stamp, but I decided on something a bit more in keeping with the season.

The technique is simple:  stamp a solid image with white ink on black card stock, and color the image when the ink is completely dry.  Watercolor pencils are often used as the coloring medium, but I've used regular colored pencils here.  After coloring, embellish a bit with a white gel pen, and it's ready to make into a card.

 I masked the pumpkin and the "hello" before stamping the leaf, to make it appear the leaf was behind the other images.
 Be sure the image is completely dry.  You can use a heat tool to dry it and set the white ink.
 I colored the image with some Crayola colored pencils I picked up for 50¢ at a thrift store!
 And finally, I doodled a bit with a white gel pen to make the images stand out a little more.

Scrapbooking in Loveland

It's good to be back!  Seems like all kinds of busy-ness has kept me away from my blog lately.  One of those things was preparing for and attending the "Scrapbook All Day" event in Loveland, CO.  This was a full day and a half of scrapbooking held as a fund-raiser for the Greeley Transitional House.  Deb and Kris, the organizers, hold these weekend events four times a year to raise money for various groups.  Scrapbookers rent table space and come with friends, photos, and lots of supplies and tools to spend a weekend relaxing and working on their creations with other like-minded crafters.  Meals and snacks are provided, and there are lots of silent auctions, door prizes, and fun.

I went with my Fun Stampers Journey up-line, Nanette Mueller, from Colorado Springs, and we had a PACKED van!!
 

We set up a booth to showcase and introduce FSJ products and specials, and offered tables where participants could make and sign cards to be sent to veterans in Colorado nursing homes, or make cards for cancer patients and survivors.  It was an enjoyable weekend, but I came back a bit tired after having been gone every weekend for a month!!

Here are some photos of our booth and the crowd.  If you are interested in attending an event like this, Deb and Kris have a Facebook page you can follow:  Scrapbook All Day - Scrapbooking Events with Deb and Kris.