a scrappy page, inspired by a Chic Tags sketch

been a LONG time since i did a scrapbook page, chickens.  feeling rather melancholy but inspired, and when i saw the sketch challenge at Chic Tags, the page started to form in my mind.

the photo is from a professional shoot we had before one of our shows back in 2008.  it looks grainy - it's supposed to.  it was for a press release/poster and the retro/vintagey thing worked well for us.  so.  2008 was the end of the beginning; i was performing less and less and he was doing his own thing, and then it went a little wonky and i dropped out entirely.  i've tried since then to get back into it, but i just don't have the same passion as i did.  it was fun while it lasted though, and we had some AWESOME gigs around the tri-state area.  i'll always have fond memories!

so.  the paper is from Heidi Swapp and i threw a stencil down and sprayed some Pinstripe Mister Huey's on there and smudged it around a bit.  punched my circles from the Chic Tags Bookworm paper (from their Happy Place line), worked in some CT Happy Place phrase labels and an Everyday Life II Icon circle, plus a foldy tab that came in one of my CT grab bags.  added that to a hot little woodgrain journal card that came in my Paper Issues Swag Bag (currently sold out, but WATCH FOR ITS TRIUMPHANT RETURN!), added my title and a corner accent, and dropped some sequins from THIS MIX and voila. 

behold, some deets - stencilling, smudging, snips and sequins:

and more - us:

the woodgrainy journal card, decked out with tags, tab, alphas and such:

and those bits, all put together:

i usually do bold, graphic and bright, and this is definitely a step away from that, n'est-ce pas?  but it tells its story, and that's what i was after.  here's the awesome sketch off which my page is based:

and now i'm off to make a card and work on some DT assignments.  how's your weekend, chickens? wanna grab some of the goodies i used on my page?  CLICK HERE to visit the Paper Issues shop and use this for a sweet, sweet deal:

i LOVE this Lily stamp from Sheena Douglass

helloooooooooo chickens!  i'll be at CHA when this post goes live, so hopefully it all goes off without a hitch!

today, i'm sharing a clean and simple project for Crafter's Companion that features the gorgeous "Lily" stamp from Sheena Douglass.  i totally love her realistic but sketch style, and this particular stamp has become a favourite of mine to colour.

i stamped the lily on Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock, using StazOn jet black ink, and coloured it up with my beloved pencils:

the sentiment comes from the Sentimentals Everyday "Imagine" set...  i cut a piece of a transparency and a little snip of paper from Cosmo Cricket's "Social Club" line, stuck on a few enamel dots, and i was happy with this one.  believe me, i was TEMPTED to add more patterned paper behind the transparency, or some ribbon or washi, but i decided that less was definitely more given the detail of the image.  the cardstock has a super shimmery pearlescent finish, so it's very feminine and elegant, but doesn't photograph worth beans (not to mention it looks more red than pink!)...  STILL!  i like it.  and i need more of these types of birthday cards for those who DON'T prefer the cute.

so there you have it!  i'll be back from CHA in a couple of days, but i hope you're all doing well and gettin' yer craft on and watching all the CHA action!  the internet absolutely blows up with the blog feeds from the show, and you can bet i've been drooling at some of the fab new product!  see you soon!  xo

linking up for the "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" issue at Paper Issues - show us your FLOWERS, or your toes, or whatever might fit the theme!  :)  

More Barkley sweetness from Crafter's Companion!

annnnnd didn't i tell you this little dude was one of my faves from Crafter's Companion?  well not only is Barkley adorbs, but he has a cute little kitty cat friend, and i couldn't help but fall in lurve with this set, from Barkley Everyday, called "Special Friend"...  check 'em out!

these two cuties are stamped on Ultra Smooth Premium White cardstock using StazOn jet black, then coloured up with my pencils...  the sentiment (and frame) comes from the Sentimentals Everyday "Imagine" set; "you & me" is stamped with StazOn timber brown and the frame with Delicata Golden Glitz (can't tell you how much i LOVE this ink - it's so juicy and shimmery and just utterly gorgeous!).  i added some Cosmo Cricket "Creative Girl" papers in behind, some enamel dots, triangle brads (brads - i know!), a few teensy pearls and a little ribbon for texture.

loving Barkley?  he and his friends are too stinkin' cute, and i see myself using them for LOTS of different occasions!

i'll have another Crafter's Companion project to share this time next week, but hey, if you're one of the lucky ones attending CHA, you might catch more glimpses of these cute critters at the Crafter's Companion or Spectrum Noir booths!  :) 

Happy New Year! Celebrating with BARKLEY at Crafter's Companion!

woo hoo!  and here we are, welcoming another year, and i'm feeling OPTIMISTIC about 2014!  let's celebrate with some super cute BARKLEY-ness, shall we?

this dude's one of my FAVE characters from Crafter's Companion, and i decided to make a card that reflects my big game plan for this year.  :)

meet Barkley! 

this is from the Barkley Everyday series - it's called "Let's Party" and i think that crown's just a bit too big for his little noggin.  :) 

he's colored with my pencils, and then i did some other fun stuff using Memento's Fireworks sprays (Summer Sky, Bahama Blue, Danube Blue) on watercolor paper - embossed with this Darice Chevron embossing folder.  little bit of doodling and popping things up, and VOILA!  FUN!

yep.  you know how people do that One Little Word thing for a year?  i think, even though i don't DO the One Little Word thing, i will just try to keep this little word at the FRONT of my mind and remember to have lots of FUN in 2014.  how's about you?

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Some Odd Girl wants to play TAG!

new challenge at Some Odd Girl, folks!  we're opening it up for a little TAG action - you can create anything that uses a tag (or that IS a tag, in fact!), as long as it is NEW and uses a Some Odd Girl image or cut file (or both - whatev!)... 

my tag today features the super gorge Rainbow Fairy (digi), along with some embossed chevrons from Make a Statement (clear) and clouds from Sunny Mae (also clear)...  i NEVER bust out my embossing powders, but i inherited a TON of them when my mother-in-law gave me all of her crafties, so i figured i should probably get in there!  anywho, here's m'tag:

added in some Webster's Pages trims, twine from The Twinery, along with some yummy Tiny Text from Cosmo Cricket (because i CANNOT get enough of them), flair from Scrapmaster's Paradise, doodled and DONE!  :)

here's my gal up a little closer:

the glitter on the wings and the swirl are also embossed (using an embossing pen and the same holographic glitter) - check out the shimmah!

the challenge can be found HERE - check out the AH-MAY-ZING creations from all of the Odd Girls, and you have until January 29th to play along!  what can you win?  a 4x6 clear stamp set or 3 digis!  WOOT!