thoughtful...

it is the last day of august.  AUGUST???  where has the summer gone?  shut the front door!  it's time for friends with flair, peeps.  and this fwf is showing off one of the new {ippity} sets that was released yesterday.  i'll admit i didn't love this set when i first saw it, but now i adore it!!  be sure and check out the rest of the awesome projects starting at the unity blog.  and don't forget there is a prize, too!

thoughtful
stamps:  ippity
cardstock: authentique pp, fancy pants pp, walnut cream, early espresso
ink: gathered twigs, broken china, soft suede
embellishments:  sticky back canvas

there's a sale going on, too.  don't know if i may have mentioned that or not.  click the link below to shop!!  don't forget to pick a {chick} before you checkout!  or just add my name in the comments section.

halloween greets...

can you believe it's been two months since the last {ippity} release? time flies (ok, it was dragging!) when you are missing stamps releases!!  you should have hopped here from the barb's blog, {ippity} do da.  if you didn't catch the beginning of the hop, the list is at the end of this post.

halloween greets
stamps:  ippity
cardstock: old olive, echo park, crystal wilkerson digi paper
ink: onyx black, gumball green, tangerine tango
embellishments: silhouette

up next is the awesome mary, at mary's creative journey.   be sure and leave some love along the hop because there will be a prize for a random peep who left a comment!

and remember you can buy unity and {ippity} in the same order. just be sure to pick a chick {angie reece} when you order!  here's the list of blog hoppers if you got lost along the way!  (click image above to go straight to pick a chick...then shop away!!)

and who doesn't love free???

{ippity} blog 
jenny - jen's cup of creations
andrea - ippity stamps 4 you
heather - i heart {ippity}
maria - ria creations
jenmarie - taylor~made by jenmarie
rebecca - blooming pink
rona - a little inspiration from rona
jennifer - mitten's papercrafting
christine - christine's creative therapy
noelle - noelle scraps a lot
joan - tails in the stamp room
crystal - crystal's craft corner
lisa - schnauzerama
barbara - {ippity} do da
angie - {stampings of the shug}
mary - mary's creative journey
  {ippity} blog 

swimming...

ever feel like you are stuck in the muck and need to "just keep swimming" to get out?   thanks to certain  fish with a short attention span (hmmm...ring a bell?), i find myself saying that mantra a lot!!  i made this card for the diecut diva blog using a cool fishbowl card base from creative cuts & more.  (find post here).  i used an awesome {ippity} set that was perfect for the fishbowl!

swimming
stamps:  ippity
cardstock: island breeze, white
ink: melon mambo, gumball green, tumbled glass, black craft
embellishments: clear embossing powder, glitter

don't forget there is an awesome sale at unity right now (through tomorrow) and it helps out an awesome cause.  and there is some {ippity} on sale, too, so pick me as your chick for your entire unity purchase!

queenie...

haven't made a set of atcs in a while.  feel like i'm out of practice!!!  i hosted an atc swap incorporating a little mixed media into it.  it was a technique themed swap.  had to paint the background with a baby wipe.  sounds crazy, i know, but using a baby wipe as a paint brush is amazingly awesome!  i used one of my favorite stamps, ever.  although i haven't used it much.  it was in the may kotm from unity (who else!).

queenie

stamps:  unity

cardstock: watercolor paper

ink: onyx black, bubblegum

embellishments: glossy accents, rhinestones

and don't forget that it's friday! woot woot!  so check out the unity blog for friends with flair awesomeness.  and if you have been waiting for a special sale to buy some unity or {ippity} stamps, now's the time!

wine time...

it's been a while since i've played along with the challenge over at  the chick challenges blog.  i guess i've been too busy getting my paint on with the mixed media bug i've caught!  so i decided to make a card for the current challenge.

wine time
stamps: ippity
cardstock:  walnut cream, echo park, authentique pp
ink: soft suede, walnut stain

here is the sketch for the current challenge.  don't forget you can win some awesome prizes when you play along.

and...

next week there it's time for a new release of awesome {ippity} stamps!! and a blog hop to get you all excited for the release.  so be sure to come back and check out the new stamps.  they are a.m.a.z.i.n.g!!

i am me...

fasten your seatbelts, kids...this will be a long-ish post.

so the past two months, tracy has thrown a monthly challenge out.  last month, i finished just under the wire.  this month, i have ten days to spare!!  when this dare was first suggested, almost everyone booed the idea.  here are the details:

1. Create a project featuring a photo/portrait of YOU!
2. Journal or use words to describe who you are TODAY!
3. Incorporate your own handwriting in your piece

now stop and think a minute...make something with a picture of yourself?? now you see why we all booed the idea. but as everyone has started doing their dare, they found it wasn't as horrible as they first thought!  and i found out the same thing once i got going!

i am me!
stamps:  unity, donna downey
ink: onyx black, acrylic ink
paint: gesso, acrylic
other: modeling paste, decoupage, plastic tape

i had no idea what i was going to do for this project.  and i couldn't find a great picture i wanted to use.  but i found one i do like so i printed it.  a couple of months ago, i was making a mess experimenting with modeling past on a canvas.  i wanted to play with texture.  well, i didn't love how it ended up, so i tossed it aside.  fast forward to yesterday...i was thinking about what i was going to do for this project again and  i happened to see this canvas laying in my stash.  i had a flash of brilliance an idea after seeing what lori did on her project  (check it out here)  and started getting to work.

i have also been stuck using the same color palate lately...but blue is my favorite color, so i wanted to use it here.  i ended up using a bunch of shades of blues.  once added the few stamped images and wrote my few words, i was trying to figure out what else it needed.

surely i couldn't leave all that space with nothing...but then i pondered, went and fixed lunch, came back to look at it and decided i was going to be done.  i didn't want to gob it up any more.  so i left it.

go check out the other peeps from the monday night get together and see what awesome things they did with the dare.  when was the last time you created completely out of your comfort zone? it's awesome.

miss you...

i love that it is friday.  and i love unity.  and who doesn't love phyllis harris stamps? this one is so cute!  i merged three different stamp sets for this card. and it's friday (have i mentioned that i'm stoked that it's friday??) so it's time for friends with flair. awesome!!  check it out over at the unity blog.

miss you
stamps:  unity, phyllis harris, stampin up
cardstock: island indigo, ocean breeze, white
ink: island indigo, onyx black, tumbled glass, soft suede, shabby shutters
tools: distress markers

love the way this card opens.  it's like a little surprise in the envelope!  the card base is from creative cuts & more.  hope you have a great weekend!

wish...

it's time for another fabulous feature over on the {ippity} blog!  this week the set alphabetically adorable is featured.  i made a fun 'wish' card using the letters. so check out the other projects for more ideas using this cute set!!

happy set
stamps:  ippity
cardstock: echo park pp, studio calico pp, tangerine tango
ink: burnt umber, antique linen, soft suede
embellishments:  ribbon tag
tools:  silhouette

balance...

last week, during the monday night crafty session, tracy challenged us to draw a bird.  i love crafty birds.  i've drawn a few and i have more bird stamps than i care to admit.  so i was excited to draw another one.  i started this background in my journal page last week, and loved the colors.  i've realized that i keep going to the same color palate.  blues and greens being the majority!  i wasn't planning on this being the page for my bird, but when i was looking at the page, it had the perfect spot for my little tweeter.  and i love how it fits together!!

balance

stamps:  christy tomlinson

paper:  art journal

ink: onyx black, island indigo, india ink

paint: gesso, acrylic

other: mini circle explosion template, paint can lid, plastic cup

the funny thing about this page is it started orange.  the cool think about mixed media is how the layers work and how you can start with something and in the end it looks completely different. 

happy set...

i sometimes need a little card to give with a gift or just leave for someone.  and i don't always want to use a regular size card.  so i made a little set of 3x3 cards, using the set quotes a'la happy, which is the fabulous feature today over on the {ippity} blog.  this is one of my favorite {ippity} sets.

happy set

stamps:  ippity

cardstock: so saffron, white

ink: tangerine tango, island indigo, daffodil delight

embellishments:  ribbon, staples
tools:  tiny attacher, prismacolor markers

earth laughs in flowers...

have you figured out yet that i have a huge love for bubble wrap?  not only since i was a kid, because who doesn't love popping the bubbles, but as a crafter, too!  i love using it on mixed media stuff, since it is great to paint on and stamp with.  but i've also experimented with it on cards lately.  it can  make an awesome background.  i used it on this card for the diecut diva blog. (check out the blog for more details on the card) i inked it up with chalk ink and viola!!  gives it a distressy look!  (distressy...a word?  is now!!)

earth laughs in flowers
stamps:  unity, susan weckesser
cardstock: kraft, white, old olive, purely pomegranate, pink pirouette
ink: soft suede, cherry cobbler, shabby shutters, chalk ink
embellishments:  cottage cutz flowers die

and ps.  tonight is monday, so it's OUR time!  which is the ustream crafty session with tracy.  the best way to start a week.  can't wait!  come join us if you can!

call it love...

i guess it's mixed media week on my blog!!  a certain little one year old just had a birthday. i know her she loves pooh, so i wanted to make something along the lines of a wall hanging with a quote because she used to have her hospital room covered with cute quotes.  my friend sally helped pick the quote. i think it's perfect!

call it love.
stamps:  ippity
ink: jet black
paint: gesso, watercolor crayons, acrylic
embellishments:  muslin, buttons, twine
other: bubble wrap
font:  mtf playtime

and don't forget that it's friday friends with flair time. check out the unity blog for all the fwf stuff. plus it's a little wishes sale...angela had customers email their favorite stamps and she put a bunch of them on sale. how cool is she? some {ippity} goodies in there as well!  and freebies of course!

live life...

it's wednesday, so there is a new fabulous feature over on the {ippity} blog.  this week, the focus is on the set dream to be.  i love how diverse this set can be.  during the monday night ustream session, i had an idea of what i wanted to make using this set, so i whipped out  my small art journal and started creating.  this is the end result.  did you know rub ons work out awesome on art journal pages??  true story.  the "live life" is a rub on.  cool beans.

live life.
stamps:  ippity
paper:  art journal
ink: jet black, peeled paint, bermuda
paint: gesso, watercolor crayons
other: bubble wrap

the bermuda ink is kind of subtle on the green background, so i tried to do a close-up of the "dream to be" sentiment.