Great time at WOTG

Another month another awesome time with my slowly expanding Workshop on the Go girls. I love WOTG because everything you need is in one kit; coordinating solid and patterned paper, accents, a one of a kind stamp set... I know this sounds like a plug but it isn't, I honestly thing that they are awesome (ok it kind of is). Oh and my favorite part... directions and cutting diagrams for 2 double page layouts. I always like to introduce at least one new technique per workshop, and sometimes it will be a stamping technique, and sometimes it will be a paper technique.

This month we did the Footloose Workshop on the go. This features a gorgeous beachy theme and a stamp set with great tropical features (sea turtle, fishes, sea horses, shells, sand dollar, ect). The technique that I taught this month is using sponge  daubers to create multi-coloured images. This is a really easy technique that works especially well with CTMH inks, as they are water based and stay wet on stamps a long time.

Steps

1. Pick your colours and open them all up.
2. Stamp your image in the  lightest shade
3. Use the edge of the sponge dauber to apply ink in desired areas, adding the colours from lightest to darkest. I like to use a separate dauber for each.
4. Right before you stamp, huff your breathe over the ink to ensure that it is all moist and ready to give you a great image.

Sorry for no images... I will add some when I shake this cold.

The other great thing about WOTG club? Someone gets hostess rewards, and that is a win all around!!!

First House Mouse Submission

So I have always loved the House Mouse line of stamps from stampability and they have been on the list of things to buy for a while. However after my blogstalking resulting in finding the House Mouse and Friends Monday Challenge I had to splurge. I am REALLY certain that the definition of addict is to make a special trip to the stamp store for a challenge you think sounds like fun. I am so full of excuses.


So the challenge was to use multiple images on your project in any way you wanted. I ended up with 2 versions of my card and don't know which one I like better so I am posting them both. They both have several uses of multple images.

1. I had to stamp each image multiple times to get all the details to show up the way I wanted



2. I wanted to make the lollipops stand out so I stamped the image first on cardstock, then again onto white vellum. I cut the vellum lollipop wrappers out so they are a little crinkley like real suckers would be.



3. In one card I sent cut out a 2nd bunny too.

So both cards are on CTMH cardstock, coloured with their inks and I used a sentiment from them as well. Dollar store ribbon. To make the lollipops shiney and have some definition I added some Glossy accents, and it doesn't show up very well on the picture but the cup is painted with Vanilla Bean twinkling H2Os. Also I wanted to have some dimension in the sucker sticks they are embossed with a plain white.

I am glad I found this website ladies, you are going to get a christmas card for next week because that was the only other house mouse stamp that our store has in stock (apparently they can't keep them on the shelf right now!!).

Some new Challenges

So I have been blogstalking and checking out stamp sites and all sorts of things over the holidays. I have found some interesting challenges, and as my stamp collection is still a work in progress there have been a few I haven't been able to participate in, but have been added to the wishlist for later.

I have also found some sites that are ok with you using products that aren't their own. I am really enjoying http://sweetnsassystampers.ning.com/forum . They had a really fun release party with a blog hop on friday night and I have started working on their challenges. I will also be purchasing many of thenew sets that were released because they are gorgeous!!

The first was the technique challenge was to use the paper tole technique in which you stamp at least 3 images they cut 2 of them apart and layer sections of the origional image. The result is beautiful, but is seriously time consuming. I pulled out a stamp that I have had for at least 10 years for this one, and it was probably not the greatest choice. The cutting was insane! It can be seen below from both the front and the side so you can see the pop ups.

The second challenge I have done is their colour challenge using black, grey, white, pink and gray. I really am enjoying the new Bazzil embossed cardstock, it makes me smile. Again these are stamps that I have had for so long I am not even sure what brand they are, but if anyone is interested I will go find them again. I like the colour combination in this one and I hope that you like the way it turned out.

I did a little bit of water colour penciling on the stampted images now that I have gotten the technique down a little better, it took a little while but one can do it with a brush, you just want a small one. And you REALLY don't need much water. So I have found if I take the brush, dip it in the water, run it up the side to get the extra water off then blot it on a paper towel I get a much nicer effect than I had been previously. This will even work if you are using a regular cardstock and not watercolour paper, just for the record.

Thanks for looking.