Lavinia World - Light As a Feather

Greetings, Blogging Friends!
Hope this finds you well, and enjoying life.
I had a very difficult time photographing today's project, but hopefully you'll be able to see what I did.

IT'S TIME FOR ANOTHER Lavinia World Challenge!
Details of our challenge:

Challenges begin every other Thursday with an Anything-Goes theme for chances to win a $15 gift certificate to the store, and badges for your blog. Use ANY brand clear or rubber stamp - no digitals. If your project features Lavinia World stamps, your chances to win double.

While "our" Lavinia World store is located in the US, it ships worldwide. Buy $25 and get free shipping! Lavinia World carries other coordinating products for your convenience (like Brushos, inks, art supplies and dies).

Store -- Facebook -- Challenge -- Instagram

Today's project is sparkly and full of shiny details. First, a background was created using watercolor pigments and metallics, and then stamped with Distress inks and Distress Oxide inks using the Feather stamp. This stamp's detail is exquisite!

I trimmed it down, die cut a frame from royal blue mirror cardstock to coordinate with the blue feather die cut. Various copper colored ribbons and twine were wrapped around the background paper:

The little Fairy Forager was stamped with Blue Belle Versafine Clair ink and heat set with clear detail embossing powder. Stamped on a little piece of left over background paper and loosely fussy cut, the fairy was placed on the slant, as though she is resting on the copper twine. 

The Feather, stamped in Warm Breeze Versafine Clair ink, was stamped once on turquoise vellum, and once on plain vellum, heat set with white detail powder containing glitter, and clear detail powder. The detail is extraordinary, and I apologize for the poor photography, unable to capture the crisp embossed images.



The vellum (with heat set feathers) is actually shiny and glistening, but when I photographed them, the camera picked up more shine than detail. Feathers were die cut from the blue mirror cardstock, and the copper glossy cardstock - each providing a complementary texture.

This photo was taken in the dark, without lights and no flash on the camera, to better show the stamp details:



The sentiment is PoppyStamps Fairy Loose Script, and was cut once from the blue mirror CS and once from white cardstock to help show it off. The "wings" portion was computer generated and lined with White Galaxy Opaque Marker.

I learned a lot making this project because it was full of new-to-me ingredients, and many unused items from my stash! Because I kept dropping things during my creative process, I deliberately adhered the framed panel on an angle:



Thanks for visiting! Hope I didn't write too much, but I also wanted to convey what was done to each layer.

Wishing you a lovely week-end, and many happy fairy days ahead!
Remember! ANY brand rubber or clear stamp is acceptable in the challenge, so hop on over and play!

Products:

• Lavinia World Feather, 
• Lavinia World Fairy Foragers
• Ken Oliver Liquid Metals, Colorburst Powders
• Inks: assorted Distress Inks and Oxides including Wilted Violet Distress Oxide, Warm Breeze and Blue Belle Versafine Clair inks
• Dies: SB "Feathers" S4-428, SB Grand Labels 23, PoppyStamps Fairy Loose Script
• Embossing Powders: Clear Detail, White detail with glitter
• Papers: Turquoise Vellum, White Vellum, Royal Blue Mirror, Copper Glossy, Copper cardstock (and white cardstock for the background)
• Misc: Copper ribbons and twine - Computer generated "wings" word.

Challenges I'd like to play in please:

1. Joy of Sets Tic Tac Toe (JOSTTT007) Last Column Copper Twine--Die Cut--Heat Embossing 8/3
2. Die Cuttin' Divas #429 Embossing Heat or Dry (dry embossed both SB feathers, heat embossed the two stamped feathers and the stamped fairy) 7/23 bottom of post
3. Creative Fingers Challenge #168 Anything Goes 8/12 (check chal 170)
4. Creative Crafters #17 Anything Goes 8/15
5. A Perfect Time to Craft #7 Anything Goes 8/1
6. ScrapyLand Challenge #117 Anything Goes SL dies (SB and PS listed above) 8/1
7. World Wide Open DT Challenge #7 AG DT 8/15
8. Dragonfly Dreams Challenge (July 7) Things With Wings 8/7

Stamping Hugs,

Would You Like To Gain More Followers?

Would you like to gain more followers, or make it easier for some of your existing followers?

Did you know there are a variety of ways your visitors can follow you?

On Blogger, they can follow using their FOLLOW feature, and by email.

Some people prefer "follow by email" as it prompts them to visit more quickly and frequently than if they are using a Reader.

To add the FOLLOW BY EMAIL option:

1. Go to your dashboard.
2. On the left side, choose LAYOUT.
3. If you have a sidebar on your blog, that's a good place to add this gadget/widget.
4. To the right side of LAYOUT, click on ADD A GADGET.
5. A new window pops up.
6. Scroll down to FOLLOW BY EMAIL (blue envelope on left and PLUS symbol on right). Click on the PLUS SYMBOL. 
7. In the new window, both Title and FeedBurner URL should be populated for you. All you need to do is click on the orange SAVE button.

And that's it!

Hoping this helps you and your followers.

hugs,

de

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' - A Little Sunshine

Hello, Christmas Lovers!
If it snowed in Florida, would we still be called The Sunshine State?
I hope so, and so do my little characters today.

Today begins a new challenge at 

Christmas at Sweet Stampin'!

My brilliant teammates have fantastic samples to share! The challenge is ANYTHING GOES for ANY Christmas theme craft project. July's Challenge is open until August 10 and has an optional theme of Sunshine!

This cute Snow Couple was colored with Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 Color Pencils and Gamsol.  Such a loving couple, I cannot help but be attracted to them. 



The sunshine is stenciled, contrary to our Florida Sunshine, which is vibrant all year!

• Bugaboo Snowmen Couple
• Dies: SB Scallop Labels One, SB Grand Scallop Squares
• Inks: Adirondack Stonewashed Denim and Pool, Distress Lemonade and Straw, Memento Tuxedo Black
• Colored with: Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 Color Pencils and Gamsol

Challenges I'd like to play in please:

1. Merry Little Christmas Challenge #12 Anything Christmas Goes 8/1
2. Cute N Crafty Challenge #29 Christmas in July 7/28 (sep post)
3. The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #52 Anything Goes Christmas 7/28
4. Kerst Christmas FB Challenge #7 AG Christmas 8/2
5. Crafty Calendar Challenge (July) Christmas in July 8/3
6. Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge #445 Christmas 7/14
7. CCC Digi Creations #105 Christmas in July 8/3
8. Jingle Belles Rock (July 5) Tie-Tac-Toe (diagonal Snowman, Red or Green, Diecuts) 7/18

Wishing you a great day!

Important Blogger Profile Options STEP-BY-STEP

Good Morning!

A quick STEP-BY-STEP on how to enable your profile and help your blogging friends find your personal blog(s). It especially helps bloggers return the favor of leaving a comment on your own blog when you have left a comment on theirs.

1. Go to your Blogger Dashboard (the "draft side" of your blog)

2. On the left, scroll down to settings and click on the little gear.

3. Click on BASICS just under the gear.

4. On the right, under BASIC, click on PRIVACY and click on YES to both those questions.

5. Click on SAVE CHANGES.

Now, Stay in Settings and scroll down to USER SETTINGS. It is the last setting option on the left..

1. GENERAL - USER PROFILE pops up. CLICK ON EDIT.

2. Click the box for SHARE MY PROFILE (very important).

3. Show my email address (use your preferred email address)

4. Select blogs to display (click on that)

5. UNCHECK any boxes that are not your personal blog. That way, when visitors see your profile, they will know exactly what your personal blog is, and not have to figure out if it is one of the others.

Hope this helps!

Anything Goes at Lavinia World - Early Autumn Morning

Hi! Welcome to my blog.
My story begins in the early pre-dawn hours of a lovely Autumn morning, when most critters are still enjoying a snooze, and the first light is a blend of moonshine and sun's twilight in that cozy pinky-salmon color.

Lavinia World happens!

These are the Lavinia World products used on this project:

To make this fun card, I started by using one of the beautiful backgrounds available from the Lavinia World artist. It is a 5 x 7.5" card, and I trimmed it to 5x5 by cutting 2.5" off the top, after altering the color of the background by using a finger dauber and Aged Mahogany Distress ink:

Choosing a pinky salmon scrap of cardstock and VersaFine Clair Acorn Brown ink, I stamped the house and heat set it with clear detail detail EP.  After the ink dried, it was fussy cut. Highlights were added with Zig Cartoonist Brush Pen - White.

Before adhering the house, Stars Miniature was stamped with VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink. Also with black ink, Leaf 2 Miniature and Creeping Vine (upside-down) were added and heat set with a copper EP containing glitter.

Finally the fairies were stamped and heat set with black detail EP:

Details of our Lavinia World Challenge (not to be confused with Lavinia Stamp LLC in the UK)
Every second Thursday a new Anything-Goes challenge will be posted with chances to win a $15 gift certificate to the store, and badges for your blog. Use ANY BRAND clear or rubber stamps - no digitals. If your project features Lavinia World stamps, your chances to win double.

While "our" Lavinia World store is located in the US, it ships worldwide. Buy $25 and get free shipping! Lavinia World carries other coordinating products for your convenience (like Brushos, inks, dies, highlight pens and more).

Store -- Facebook -- Challenge -- Instagram

Products Used:

• Lavinia World Freya's House
• Lavinia World Stars Miniature
• Lavinia World Leaf 2 Miniature
• Lavinia World Creeping Vine
• Lavinia World Fairy Foragers
• Lavinia World VersaFine Clair Acorn Brown
• Lavinia World VersaFine Clair Nocturne
• Lavinia World Zig Cartoonist Brush Pen - White
• Lavinia World Paper "Unforgotten" scene
• Aged Mahogany and Fossilized Amber Distress Inks
• Embossing Powders: Clear Detail, Black Detail, Copper with Glitter in it
• Spellbinders Grand Labels One, Grand Decorative Labels One

Challenges I'd like to play in please:

1. A Bit More Time to Craft #95 Anything Goes 7/15
2. ScrapyLand Challenges #117 AG with SL dies 7/17
3. Classic DT Challenge #7 AG for DT 8/1
4. Love to Craft Challenges #36 Anything Goes 8/1 (sep post)

Fairy hugs,

Moving Along With The Times - Stars and Stripes Theme

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to my American Friends,
and heartfelt love to all my international friends and followers!
Thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement.

GASP! Today's card has no glitter and no die cuts!

It's time to share a Project for the new Moving Along With The Times Challenge!

Challenge #101's theme is STARS AND STRIPES - for the next 2 weeks upload your creations featuring any stars and stripes theme! 

Today's card is a bit of mixed media, and a collage effect. Actually, I had prepared a few other items for the card, but my husband said he didn't understand the correlation, so I thought maybe others wouldn't either (smile).
(I had vintage elements of a dove, a time piece, and a butterfly).
It probably looks much better like this!

While the US has her flaws (since we are a flawed people), I am so grateful to live here, at this time, and in this place. I am grateful for all the lives over the centuries who made it possible for our country to exist, and for those folks with my DNA who endured so I could be here today.

Probably my biggest wish for everyone worldwide is that they could enjoy a blessed Freedom. A Freedom of both Daily Living and of Sacrificial Responsibility.

OK - on to my card! (those of you who know me, know I can be a little sappy) (giggle).

This vintage flag is the result of a Rubber Monger Rubber Stamp, Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Walnut Distress ink, Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 Color Pencils, Prismacolor Pencils, and Gamsol. The background paper is pieced together from something found on Google, and the Statue of Liberty was found on Pinterest, did a little manipulation with my trusty iMac, and shaded with Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 Color Pencils.

Fran-tage Bronzed Mica fragments were adhered on two borders, and the sentiment was stamped on vellum and heat set with an antique gold EP.

Thanks for stopping by today! Looking forward to seeing your projects using stars and stripes of ANY TYPE at Moving Along With The Times.

Products Used:

• Image: Rubber Monger Flag rubber stamp, SNS Patriotic rubber stamp set, Digital Statue of Liberty.
• Misc: Antique Gold EP, Bronze Fran-tage Mica fragments, Martha Stewart Starlight punch. 
• Paper: Vellum, digitally made designer paper, Navy, White
• Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, VF Clair Golden Meadow, Walnut Distress Ink, two types of colored pencils, and Gamsol

Challenges I'd like to play in please:

1. International Art and Soul #61 Stars and/or Stripes 7/7
2. Always Fun Challenges #117  Patriotic 7/7
3. Stinkin' Inkers Challenge (July) Stars and Stripes 8/7
4. World Wide Open DT Challenge (June) AG DT 7/15
5. Fab N Funky Challenges #447 "Stars and/or Stripes" 7/10
6. Simon Says Stamp Wednesdays Challenge (July 3) "Stars and/or Stripes" 7/10
7. The House That Stamps Built Challenge DCCJ319 Red White Blue 8/1

Stamping hugs,

2 Crafty Critter Crazies with A Day for Daisies digital stamps

Hi, everyone! I hope you are enjoying the summer weather and that all is well. Today I have a freebie sentiment for you, and an idea for how to change your digital images.
I also have a special BOO BOO edition today!
(giggle)

It's time for a new Challenge at Two Crafty Critter Crazies 
where we love to celebrate any project with a critter on it! Critters include mythical creatures, animal toys and everything alive (except humans and flora)!


Our very generous sponsor this month is:
A Day For Daisies Digital Stamps.
She has such a unique style and wonderful characters.
My card features the delightful "Happy Love Day" Bunny

For my project, I cropped the balloons off the bunny, flipped her vertically, and made a bunny conversation with one bunny handing her friend sweet birthday balloons!

To make the frame, SB Lovin' Diamonds die set was cut 4 times, with only the top layer being embossed and colored:

At this point, I still had not noticed that all the hearts in the background were facing a single direction. It had also not occurred to me that the interior heart frame was not symmetrical.

I then die cut the bunny panel - notice that I did not have the hearts in the background facing the correct direction:

After the bunnies were cut, they were inked and adhered to the center of the card - still not noticing that the hearts are facing a different direction and that the interior hearts are not symmetrical:

It was time to adhere the frame to the card.
It was THEN that I noticed my BLUNDER!
BOO BOO TIME!
In order for the interior hearts to line up with the incorrectly cut bunny panel, the hearts would have had to be adhered SIDEWAYS (as shown below). Too bad the bunnies were already ruggedly adhered. A 45 degree angle shift would have fixed the problem. Sooooooo.....

I just let the interior panel be off center, and NOT lined up!
What's a girl to do?
(see the white spaces around the interior panel?)

Still, it was fun glittering die cuts, adding flowers, and even a little dragonfly, to make things sweet. And now you know, some blunders simply cannot be hidden!




For those of you who love digital images, and have frogs, bunnies, grasshoppers, and other "hoppity" type critters, here is a cute digital sentiment. Click on the sentiment to make it full size. Then right click to download as a SAVE PNG. (not for commercial use). I hope you enjoy it!

A Freebie Gift PNG to my Followers-
NOT for commercial use:

Thanks for stopping by, and please upload your critter theme projects to our challenge! We love each one!

Products Used:

• Stamps: A Day For Daisies "Happy Love Day" Bunny, Computer Generated "Hoppy Birthday" (freebie gift to my followers - not for commercial use)
• Dies: SB Lovin' Diamonds die set, SB "Leaves So Very Gorgeous", Dee's Distinctively Flourish Sset 4, Sue Wilson Dandelion Clocks
• Glitter: Purple, Green, Clear mixed with Pink
• Ink: Adirondack Citron, Plum, Purple
• DLArt Lavender ribbon, flowers

Challenges I would like to play in please:

1. The Cutie Pie Challenge #136 Make it Cute and With Ribbons & Bows 7/7
2. Penny's Challenges #436 Anything Goes (go to 2nd linky) 7/2
3. Crafty Creations #393 Anything Goes 7/9
4. Aud Sentiments #230 Anything Goes + a sentiment 7/9
5. Crafty Friends #113 Things Beginning with B (bunnies, balloons, birthday and BOO-BOOs! giggle) 7/9 (lower part of post)
6. World Wide Open DT Challenge #6 AG for a DT 7/15 
7. DL.ART July Anything Goes challenge 8/1

Stamping Hugs,