APRIL 2017 BLOG HOP AND NEW RELEASE FOR TECHNIQUE JUNKIES STAMPS

Hello Junkies!!!! 

It's the first of the month and an exciting time for Technique Junkies fans...there's always a new release blog hop to introduce the new stamps at the first of every month!  

Great news! From now through April 8th, you will receive 15% off the NEW April Release stamps -- PLUS you can receive 10% off anything else you order using this code:TJ10Cheri (excludes clearance and Distress Oxide Inks/Reinkers). The April stamp discount will automatically be added at checkout. We can all use a bit of savings, right?

If you arrived here from the incredibly talented Lanette Erickson's blog, you're in the right place.  If not, and you want to take the entire blog hop you can begin HERE at the TJ Blog.  Lanette's cards were awesome, weren't they?  

I've got 5 cards to show you so here we go:

For this card I used the adorable stamp "Row of Birds" and "Art of God" for a sentiment.  The background was created with a watercolor wash and then just dropping in watercolors and letting the wash move the paint.  The birds were colored with watercolor but without a wash.  

When I first saw this stamp "Flower Square" I knew I wanted to try creating a cyanotype look.  It's such a dramatic look and this stamped look like the perfect one to use it on.  I used Blueprint Distress Ink and my Misti to get the right depth of color.  The sentiment "In My Prayers"  (10% off if you use my discount code TJ10Cheri) is an older stamp and not from this release.

From the June/July 2012 Technique Junkies Newletter, I used the technique "Ombre Watercolor Resist" tutorial.  Distress Ink reinkers Candied Apple, Barn Door and Worn Lipstick were used to create the bg.  The stamp "Watercolor Flowers" is fabulous for this technique. The sentiment is from the set "Road Trip" (10% off if you use my discount code TJ10Cheri) an older set and I heat embossed it on a piece of vellumn so as not to hide the great bg.  

I stamped the new "Flowers and Feathers Collage" in a dark brown ink against a panel I had scored to look like barn board.  I liked the vintage feel of this in brown, but felt it needed some interest, so I stamped just the bird from the stamp and colored it with inks.  After fussy cutting it, I then used a double heat embossing technique to put a glaze on the bird and aligned it over the original stamping.  

Once again, using the "Watercolor Flowers" stamp I did a partial embossing on a white panel using clear embossing powder, then sponged some soft Distress Ink colors over it to achieve a resist.  I stamped the new "How Blessed I Am"  sentiment in the center where I'd removed the embossing ink.  

So glad you stopped by, and don't forget the 15% discount on all the new April Release Stamps (you'll see them all used as you hop through each blog) and a 10% discount using TJ10Cheri on all other stamps (excluding clearance and Distress Oxide inks and reinkers).  You will have to enter the TJ10Cheri code in at checkout.  

Now, on to my friend, and the super incredibly talented, Kathy Stacy's blog where you will find incredible inspiration.  

Happy Hopping!!! 

SKETCH CHALLENGE MARCH 2017 FOR THE HOUSE THAT STAMPS BUILT

Hello,

There's a 5th Wednesday this month, so Wendy from Repeat Impressions and The House That Stamps Built is offering a sketch challenge and a 5th chance to enter in the month's challenges and win $25 worth of RI Stamps.  

Here's the sketch....I know a lot of you crafters like them...I find them a REAL challenge.  That said, here's the challenge.

Lordy, was this a tough one for me!  It's an interesting design in layers, and after I  completed my project I thought of other things I might have used and done with this sketch.  Crazy, huh?  

To create the bg, where the squares and rectangle are on the example, I used acrylic stamping blocks smooshed in watered Distress Inks, making blocks of color one at a time.  The bunny image, RI#2605-P "Ode to Spring", was stamped on white cs and colored with Copics before being die cut with an oval die.  I fussy cut the letters from the "9800 Happy" set to use as the dots around the focal image.  I stamped only the word "springtime" from RI#1304-J "Beauty of Springtime".  I also did some ghost stamping with RI #10205-E "Flower Cluster Outline" against the left hand panels of color.    

Now check out these awesome creations using this sketch

Deonna - Donna - Heather - Joy - Laurie - Patti J - Shirley 

For all the details on how to enter this challenge check it out at THE HOUSE.  

Thanks so much for stopping by.