My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Lavinia World Pink Equinox and Kitty Mooch

Note: I have two posts this morning - Moving Along is here.

Jumping Up and Down and Waving Hello to You!
It's a special day today, not only because you have stopped by, not only because the day is full of possibilities, but because it is time for another Lavinia World Challenge!

Mr. Mooch Kitty is under Fairy Forager's Spell during the celebration of the Pink Equinox:



Details of our Lavinia World ChallengeAn ANYTHING GOES theme using ANY brand clear or rubber stamp - no digitals. Winner receives
a $15 gift certificate to the Lavinia World store.

While "our" Lavinia World store is located in the US, it ships worldwide. In the US, buy $25 and get free shipping! Lavinia World carries other crafting supplies for your convenience.

Today's card features PINK!
Just click on any of the photo to enlarge them:






The Fairy and Slender Mushrooms were stamped in VFC Fantasia Purple, while the "fairy dust" (Stars Mini) was stamped with VFC Purple Delight (it's between pink and purple).



At the bottom of the above photo are "layers" of glittered grasses. I also used a glue pen and applied dark purple glitter to the black area in a few streaks.

TIP:

Since using the Lavinia World Scenescapes, I've accidentally learned something regarding VersaFine Clair ink, Glitter, and the cardstock used for the Scenescapes.

Apply glitter ONLY where you want it BECAUSE - even if the VFC is heat set, glitter will still adhere to it. Not sure if it happens on regular cardstock - it's something I need to experiment with, but my last 4 cards using the LW Scenescapes and VFC inks have grabbed the glitter. The big specks of glitter will brush away, but the oil-based pigment in VFC apparently adheres the smallest glitter particles. You can see what I mean below. I held the camera so the light reflected off the paper and ink. The mushrooms on the right are "glittered" unintentionally. While I did brush off the kitty, and even scraped with my finger nail, Mooch's tail and "bottom" grabbed the glitter. If anything, it is a happy condition if you like glitter (if you love fairies, SURELY you love glitter!).
Click to make photo larger if you wish to inspect it.

Try glitter on some of your cards that use VFC - it only works with loose glitters:



Finally, the finished Card
(I know, I know -- you are sighing with relief!)




Lastly, I stamped the interior of the card in black after printing a cute sentiment:
Products Used:
Challenges I'd like to play in please:

  1. Crafty Friends Challenge #121 Embossing-Wet or Dry (the leaves are embossed with EP containing glitters)(Pink EP with Glitter, Purple EP with Glitter) 11/2
  2. The Fairy and Unicorn Challenge (Oct 5) AG Fantasy 11/2
  3. My Time to Craft #408 "Halloween or Cats" 11/1
  4. Stamping Sensations (Oct 6) Trees and/or Leaves and/or Autumn 11/1
  5. Sweet Stampin' (Oct 19) Creatures  11/2 (sep post)
  6. Unicorn Challenge #48 Pretty In Pink 11/1 (sep post)
  7. Double D Challenges (Oct 16) Silhouettes 11/4 (sep post)
  8. Craft Rocket Challenges #64 Pink 10-27 (sep post)
  9. Creative Knockouts #321 Wet or Dry Embossing (10-31 top left side bar)


Fairy Hugs,





Moving Along With the Times - Autumn Colors

Hello to all my friends - so grateful you are here. Wishing you all good health and happiness. Even though Florida does not experience Autumn as other areas do, we still enjoy the colors on our cards. We are still unusually humid (even for Florida standards) and have just begun enjoying temperatures in the 80s instead of the 90s!




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

Challenge #109's theme is ANYTHING GOES USING AUTUMN COLORS - for the next 2 weeks! 


For these cards, I raided all my "old stuff" - and was it fun!

For the monochrome card, I heat set gold EP. A few colors of distress inks were applied in a resist technique for shading. To maintain "STRAIGHT" lines with the inks, I used a 1" mask. The decorative frame is gold glossy cardstock:



For some of the angles, a mask was used to keep the distressed coloring in straight lines:



Using multiple masks, I next colored using distress inks and finger daubers achieving a Fall colored, patch-work quilt look with the same stamp:



Coloring with Masks can be fun, creative and most of all, mistake-proof!



The masking was made easy by using 1-inch "post-it note" tape.
If you have never heard of it before - check it out. It's great for using in the frig, too, to date your left over (giggle).

Thanks for stopping by today!

On A Personal Note:

Jack has been building a butler's pantry for us, and this is how far along it is:




Products:
  • Dies: SB Labels One, SB Decorative Labels One, Quickutz Nesting Rounded Squares, SU Leaf Punch 
  • Stamp: Rubber Cottage - Covered Bridge Collage (at least 13 years old), Hero Arts Quill Sentiments set (2006), SU Small Script Sentiments (old set).
  • Colored with Distress Inks and PrismaColor Pencils
Challenges I would like to support please:
  1. Stamping Sensations (Oct 6) Trees and/or Leaves and/or Autumn 11/1
  2. Crafty Calendar (Oct 5) Autumn Colors or Halloween 11/2
  3. Crafter's Castle #22 AG Fall-Autumn 11/2
  4. Pammie's Inky Pinkies #1942 AG 10-28 (sep post)
  5. PaperCraft Challenges #48 Fall (sep post) 10-29
  6. Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (Oct 23) Fall/Autumn Colors 10/30 (sep post)
  7. IncyWincy (Oct21-Nov2) Use Something Metallic (gold metallic cardstock and gold metallic embossing powder, mirror cardstock in gold)

stamping hugs,


Thursday, October 10, 2019

Lavinia World - Laundry Day!

Greetings, Fairy Lovers!
Hope this finds you doing well.

It's Laundry Day at Lavinia World - or maybe I should say Laundry "Night"?



Time for a new Lavinia World Challenge!

Details: An ANYTHING GOES theme using ANY brand clear or rubber stamp - no digitals. Winner receives
a $15 gift certificate to the Lavinia World store.

While "our" Lavinia World store is located in the US, it ships worldwide. In the US, buy $25 and get free shipping! 

Having just completed her fairy laundry, Freya's fairy dust is everywhere!

because...
 everyone KNOWS fairies don't get dirty... 
they shed fairy dust instead!

I've had a few questions about how to create a scene. It really is simple and fun with Lavinia stamps (especially with one of their backgrounds).
The first thing I do is choose (or make) a background.
Then set the stamps on the background, moving them around:



Apologies for the glare: The edges were enhanced with Blueprint Sketch Distress ink to darken the bright blue. Using Leaf 2 Mini the blue trees were stamped with  Paradise Blue Versafine Ink and heat embossed with a blue EP containing mica powder. However, a clear EP would be just as beautiful in this case. The leaves on the black trees were stamped with Nocturne Black VFC and heat set with a black EP containing glitter - again, a clear EP would be just great.

Now the background appears to be Spring or Summer rather than Winter or Fall:

 
Freya's House was stamped with Fantasia Purple VFC onto a dull purple cardstock, and heat set with clear EP. Colored with a finger dauber and Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink, I also used a pale blue and pale lavender Prismacolor pencil for highlights on the house. Freya has liberally left behind her famous fairy dust - even her clean clothes are full of fairy dust!

NOTE: in my house, all our clothes are somewhat covered in fairy dust. 

are yours?




Carefully cultivated mushrooms grace Freya's yard. More of the black EP with glitter (I mean, Fairy Dust) coats the ground). Can you see the different textures between the black and blue EPs?



Thanks for visiting today - looking forward to seeing your creation at the challenge blog!




Lavinia World Products Used on this project:



Products
LW Slender Mushrooms Mini LAV151
LW Blue Sky Papers
LW Fairy Bugs LAV471
LW Fairy Washing Line LAV205
LW Freya's House LAV365
LW Leaf 2 Mini LAV265
LW Believe in Magic LAV344
LW Inks: VFC in Fantasia Purple, Paradise Blue, Nocturne Black
Other: Glue Pen, Clear Glitter, Black EP containing Glitter, Blue EP containing mica powder, Blueprint Sketch Distress Ink

Challenges I'd like to support please:

  1. The Fairy and The Unicorn - AG with Fantasy 11/2
  2. Lil Red Wagon #518 "Cut It Out" Fussy cut fairy house 10/16 (sep post)
  3. Pammie's Inky Pinkies #1940 AG 10/14
  4. World Wide Open DT Challenge #9 AG DT 10/15 (sep post)
  5. Classic DT Open Challenge Blog #10 AG DT 11/1 (sep post)
  6. Penny's Paper Challenges #451 AG 10/16 (sep post)


Fairy Hugs,

Friday, October 04, 2019

Jan's Digi Stamps Challenges COMING SOON!

Hello, blogging friends!
You may remember that Sparkle N Sprinkle presented rubber and digital stamps created by a variety of international digital artists we all know and love.

Jan Mahew was one of those artists.
Her eclectic style of fun, whimsical, beautiful, and vintage style images were a hit with crafters then, and are still in demand.
After SNS closed its doors,
Jan embarked on a new endeavor and opened her own store!

WELCOME

Jan's Digi Stamps - Digital Stamp Shop



Facebook - Shopping - Pinterest - Challenges

To help promote her store AND to have fun, Jan's Digi Challenge Blog begins November 4, with a true Anything Goes challenge on the first and third Monday each month. 

Please stop by and join us in welcoming Jan to the international digital community. 

Tuesday, October 01, 2019

2 Crafty Critter Crazies and Beccy's Place

Hi, Blogging Friends!
Did you know you are un-FROG-etable?!
and it makes me HOPPY
just knowing you?!

(giggle)
A little freebie gift at the bottom today.



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:
Beccy Muir of Beccy's Place.
She has such a whimsical style and wonderful characters.
My card features the delightful "Frog and Oleander" stamp with a few fun sentiments.

HOW THE DIGITAL WAS MANIPULATED:

For my project, I flipped the scene horizontally so it is facing the opposite direction. The image was duplicated, and saved as "flower". Then I cropped the flower off the scene and saved it separately.
It was added two more times to the oleander bush, once behind the frog and once in the lower corner, positioning each so they did not face exactly the same directions. Now this froggy is ready to bring a smile to anyone facing a bit of hardship, needing encouragement, or even an all occasion thinking-of-you card!



To make the dimensional flowers I cut out two additional flowers the same size as in the scene and popped them up:


The petals were cut separately and popped up separately:



The square in the background is also done digitally using the SHAPES feature of my word processor. Dimensional Glue was squeezed around the square and coated with clear glitter, as were the flower centers:



Finished creation:



Card Interior for Any Occasion:



I have made a silly freebie digital sentiment for you in a sweet font for either frogs or toads. NOT for commercial use, please. Use it on any of your projects, and you may use it on projects involving any design teams you might be on.
Click on the image to bring it to full size, then right click and do a SAVE.

Enjoy!


Products Used:
  • Images: Frog and Oleander by Beccy Muir, Freebie sentiment above.
  • Pine Needles Distress Ink, Caran d'Ache Luminance 6901 Color Pencils and Gamsol, Dimensional Glue, Clear Glitter
  • Dies: SB Scalloped Labels One, Labels One, Grand Labels One


Challenges I'd like to Play in Please:

  1. Beccy's Challenges (Oct) Anything Goes using a Beccy's Image 11/1 (sep post)
  2. Crafty Cardmakers #242 Add a Critter 10/14 (sep post)
  3. Morgan's ArtWorld #10 Anything Goes 11/1 (sep post)
  4. Tuesday Throwdown #441 Anything Goes 10/4
  5. C.R.A.F.T. Challenge #529 Animals 10/2 (sep post) My froggy animal is enjoying his flowers 




Froggy Hugs!