Domino Art Tutorial

Hey everyone!! I want to thank Gwen really quick for asking me to Guest Design for A Crafty Little Place...I am so honored! And this is my first tutorial (other than just showing you how to put stamps in a binder...I don't think that really counts). So I would LOVE any feedback!! When Gwen first asked me to do a tutorial on anything I wanted I first thought of a flower or something that had to do with ribbon. But then I thought everyone does tutorials on that stuff and well I just had to be a little different so today I am going to show you how to make some Domino Art!!! Sounds fun right? Okay, lets get started!!

First you will need the items you see in this picture.
1. Dominos (I use double six size...found them cheap at the dollar store!)
2. Non-Stick Craft Mat
3. Alcohol Inks and a mixative
4. Copics
5. Staz-On Ink
6. Stamp
7. Alcohol Blending Tool with felt
8. Sealant like ModPodge (optional)



After you have the above assembled you take your chosen alcohol colors. I used sunshine yellow and the copper mixative. You can use as many colors as you want! You will need to make sure you shake your mixative up really well first and just put a few small drops on the felt and then put your alcohol colors on your felt. I started circling the blending tool on my non-stick mat and then twisted and blotted the blending tool on my domino. I found that you need to work pretty quick because it dried fast!



Here is a close-up after the first step...make sure you also do the sides of your domino! At this point if you wanted to lighten or have the colors blend together more you could use an alcohol blending solution.



Next you want to ink up your chosen stamp with Staz-On. I picked a filmstrip stamp that fit perfectly...you can also just use a portion of a bigger stamp. Totally up to you! For this I stamp backwards meaning I don't press the stamp on the domino but instead I push the domino onto my inked up stamp. I find that it keeps the stamp from sliding on the slick surface of the domino.



Now this is the part where you can color! You can use Copics or watercolor markers and you can also use versamark with some chalk. But for me I LOVE my Copics I got from Claudia so I use those whenever I can!! :) I chose the colors B29, R59 and YG67 (These colors match my kitchen!). I thought about drawing some flowers in the filmstrip part or even putting in a small picture but I really wanted the copper to stand out so I lightly colored in a few squares on the side of the filmstrip just to add a touch of color but not overpower it.


Next you can choose to seal your domino. Different coloring mediums work differently with sealants so you need to be careful. With alcohol inks and Copics using ModPodge is your best bet so things don't smear/bleed. You can use matte or glossy depends on the effect you want.



Voila! Here is your finished piece of art!! I have seen some people attach a pendant bail for a necklace but I am going to put a piece of magnet on mine for the fridge.


It might sound like alot of instructions but really this is sooooo super easy!! And the possibilites are unlimited on what you can create! You can even use acrylic paints, crackle effects, glitter, etc.!! Just experiment and above all HAVE FUN!!!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and I would appreciate any feedback!
Hugs!
-Stacie

Small Disaster....

So yesterday I mentioned that the night before we had a small disaster. Here are the pictures of the aftermath! I have not heard if it is officially classified as an F1 tornado or not but I do know the winds were atleast 100 mph!!! And we were out driving and got home just SECONDS before it hit....lets just say I was NOT a happy camper with my husband that night!! Thank goodness nobody was hurt and the damage to houses/vehicles around town was minimal...it could of been alot worse. We were lucky at our house and only had trees down but no other damage. After talking with virtually everyone outside yesterday it seems that the storm hit full force mainly in our itty bitty town of MAYBE 250 people. Again we are lucky houses weren't demolished and people weren't thrown out of buildings, etc. I have never been in a storm like this before and I sure thank God for keeping me safe! Always count your blessings because you never know when something will happen!

This is what we saw while driving home....as you can see the clouds are starting to come to a point and there was rotation.

This is the alley next to our house.

This is in our yard. The next few tree pics are various places around town.





This is our neighbors brand new toy....it got smoked by a huge tree. There SUV also had a big wooden crate smash into it and busted out a window and dented the side of the vehicle. I just think about how this could of been us....our properties join back to back....so we were REALLY REALLY CLOSE! Our other neighbor had a fence to blow down, had a HUGE metal dog pen blow away AND his brand new chimney came off the house! Once again...we are so super lucky!!

I thought this tree was the most interesting...you can see where it split right in the middle and it looks like it twisted to the right.


-Stacie

Down Under! (Picture Heavy Post!)

**OOPS, edited to say the zoo was in Ohio...I did not go to Australia although I plan to someday! This was just the Aussie area in the zoo :) Sorry for the confusion!

I have been meaning to post some more vacation pictures for over a week now so I figured I better just sit down and pick some out (there will be more than one post with animal pics). My pal Annmaree shouted out she would like to see animal pics that I took at the zoo so these are the ones that were in the Australia area! All my Aussie pals have to tell me if you have seen any of these animals in the wild! :)

I don't know how accurate this sign is but I do know I have seen a few of those words in some e-mails from my Aussie pals!!





Wish I could go out in public with a wild hairdo like this and look pretty!

I must be part koala because I found out they sleep ALOT and I sure do cherish my sleep!!

I'm sure I would give the same look if someone was disturbing my nap!

This is what I call a BIG FRENCH KISS!! Oh LA LA...must be love! Now get a room! LMAO!!


That is all for now. Hope you all enjoyed these pictures and have a great rest of the day/night!
-Stacie

WOYWW!

As you can see my workdesk is FULL of brand new goodies!! I have LOTS more new stuff than what is in the picture but I couldn't fit it all on the workdesk....such a terrible problem isn't it? LOL! My hubby was nice enough to let me buy crafty related items as his gift to me for our anniversary that we celebrated earlier this month! Plus I had to buy a few extras just because...I love sales!! :) Now what am I going to do with all this loot you might ask??? Well, I am not 100% sure other than I know I will have alot of fun! First I need time to brainstorm and get creative! I don't think life ever "slows" down does it?? And yes...I have the new Tattered Florals die in my possession (you can see it towards the back of the photo)!! I am so addicted to Tim Holtz lately!!! :)



And here is a looksy inside my stamp box...I really only keep my wood mounted dollar stamps I get from Michaels or the Dollar Store in here. The rest are in another area but someone asked a long time ago to see in this box so here ya go!!!


Now if you aren't aware of WOYWW yet go check out this blog called the Stamping Ground! You might find lots of other neat workdesks to check out! Oh and before I forget....lots of you commented how "TIDY" my desk was last time....well I sort of fooled you because I only took a picture of a small area...the rest of the room is a DISASTER!!! I will have to show you that another time although I am awefully ashamed!

One last thing before I go....I have several things I want to share this week. Some crafty and some non-crafty so if you aren't interested in the non-crafty stuff just stick with me because I will be back with a project at some point!! I actually have a tutorial I am working on today amongst 80 other things! We had a small disaster around here last night....but that will be in another post! Oh oh oh...almost forgot....I will be offering candy sometime soon!!! Figured it was time to celebrate because our wedding anniv. was this month, my 1st blogaversary is in July and my birthday is in August and I now officially have 80 followers!! NEVER did I think I would get that many followers so I want to thank all of you for encouraging and sharing in my journey of doing what I love!!

Hugs!
-Stacie

Today is the last day to enter!

Don't forget to enter my first challenge I have come up with over at Doodle Palace. Click here to go to the post! You just need strawberries on your card and you can use any images and combine challenges but if you have a Doodle Palace image go ahead and show it some love!! :) Thanks for those of you that have already joined in the challenge....I appreciate the support!!! And good luck to all of you ... hopefully someone that follows me will win some images!! :)

-Stacie

Thanks!

Thanks for all the help on my question yesterday...I think I got it figured out now but sadly it is not as easy as it used to be and I didn't change anything so not sure what happened?? But now I have to click on design then go to layouts and it shows my gadgets but I can't edit anything until I click on "go back to blogger"! So instead of just one click on customize I now have 3 clicks....how wonderful blogger...geesh! :P

Anwyays, thanks again for those that responded...I felt really lost without knowing how to get to my sidebar!

Hugs!
-Stacie

A little help please!!

Blogger seems to of changed on me and well I am not sure what to do so I hope someone can help me! When I wanted to add something to my sidebar I always went to the customize section that is located on the upper right corner and now it is gone and instead I have this thing called design of which just allows you to pick different templates and stuff. Does anyone know another way to get to the sidebar stuff??

Thanks!
-Stacie

My First Vintage Tag!!

I am thrilled with how my first tag turned out!!! This was a project just for me to hang up in my crafty room as inspiration. It might go in a scrapbook or something someday but for now it is hanging up on my corkboard as you can see in the second picture!



....and I thought I would show you a closeup of using crackle accents. I have never tried it before and LOVE the effect! I have tried glossy accents a few times but my paper always warped real bad...I think the key is to let it air dry instead of using a heat gun.


Just a bit about the tag...I used tea dye distress ink for the background and a faded text background from Stampabilities. The chipboard is covered with Martha Stewart glitters in onyx and garnet. The green flower with bronze button is something I made!! :) They are called yo yo flowers and you can find a tutorial here. *Thanks Courtney!!* The pearl pins are recycled from a card I received with blog candy and the pearl hanger is cut from pearl string my mom brought back from a yard sale. The heart with wings stamp is bought from the dollar store (one of my favs!) and I colored the hearts in with Stampin Up' chalk and just put crackle accents over top....and VOILA!! A gorgeous tag! I'm so proud of myself for going outside my comfort zone! HEHE! :)

Hope you also enjoy this little project!
Now for some challenges:

Cute Card Thursday - Anything but square
Etsyinspired - Inspired by this item here with the vintage style and pearls
Allsorts - Strawberries and cream (I used red, chocolate, cream and green from the photo inspiration)
Stamp,Scrap and Doodle Saturdays - Use a handmade embellishment
Corrosive - Die cuts (I used a circle nestie die for cutting out the green fabric to make my flower)
Cupcake Craft - Dazzle us (lots of sparkly glitter on that chipboard!!)
A Crafty Little Place - Anything but square
A Spoonfull of Sugar - Floral Delights (hopefully a fabric flower counts!)

Have a great night!
-Stacie

WOYWW!

It has been well over a month since I did this so I thought it was about time I show you my workdesk this week and your in luck because I have a project I have been working on today!! So my desk has lots of goodies on it! I removed the project so I don't spoil my next post...make sure you come back because if you like vintage you will like this project!!

You can check out a bunch of other workdesks by going to the Stamping Ground blog here.

Have fun!!
-Stacie

My First Challenge Posted!!

I got to pick a challenge for Doodle Palace and you can check it out here!
This is my first time ever picking a challenge so I am super thrilled and I do hope some of you can find the time to play along...I would really appreciate it!!
If you participate you will have two chances to win two free images from Doodle Palace!!! They pick a random winner and also a featured artist for the week!
So get busy and show me those strawberries!!! :)

-Stacie

I have been showcased....

...over at Stamping Vacation! Thanks Denise!! :)
If you haven't already visited her blog you really should...she has lots of fun challenges to choose from and adding more all the time! An added bonus is the more you enter the better your chances are of winning a gift certificate for the month!!

Goodies From Annmaree!!!!

SQUEAL!!!!!!!!! These are the FAB goodies I received from one of my best pals Annmaree over at Emu Creations! By the way she just posted a really cute kitty card...you should check it out!

Back to the goodies....she sent this AWESOME 27 piece punch set...so many cool designs and it cuts through paper like buttah! Also some fun stationary papers, a CD kit, a gorgeous paper pack and some cool die cuts and embossed papers!!! Oh and her card is so pretty with that red birdie on it!! Can you tell I am giddy?? And the cool part is she sent some Aussie related items which I just love!! My husband really enjoys the boomerang...it is exactly our taste and just like something we would buy and the little stuffed emu is so adorable! There are also some Aussie rub-ons and an Aussie patch! I even saved the Aussie postage stamps from the box!!!
I am like a kid in a candy store and you better believe I have already been playing! I have so many ideas running through my head with that punch set....now I just have to get those exact ideas to workout on paper!

Thanks again Annmaree!! You totally ROCK!!!
Hugs!
-Stacie

Vacation Pictures

Hi all...no card today but I would like to share with you some of my vacation pictures from last week. Just a couple of the pretty/interesting things I saw while hiking!

We passed several different waterfalls during our many hikes but this was one of my favorites! Can you blame me? Isn't it just gorgeous?!


It was such a nice day I thought the bright sky with white fluffy clouds over this lake was just breathtaking!


Can you imagine fitting through this area?? It is literally called "Fat Woman's Squeeze"!!! LMAO!! Appropriate don't ya think?? And it sure was a TIGHT squeeze!


I just thought this was a beautifully colored piece of fungi with some neat looking critters on it! What can I say...I love nature!! :)


Hope you enjoyed these photos and if your interested in seeing a few animal pictures from the zoo let me know!

-Stacie

Tim Holtz New Tapes....

Available at Simon Says Stamps! Go check them out and you can also try to win a set by posting on your blog!! They look awesome!!

Happy Anniversary....

TO US!!!
Today is our 3 year wedding anniversary!!!

Thought I would show you a few pictures of us on our special day...3 years and a few (or more) pounds lighter! LOL!

And this is the card I made for my dear sweet hubby! I love him with all my heart! :) Tonight we are celebrating by having a fondue party for 2! If you have never tried the art of fondue and love snack foods you REALLY need to give it a try! Trust me...I know my food! HAHA!!


I am entering this into one challenge:
Stamping Vacation - 5th build a sketch

Have a great rest of the day!
-Stacie

Berry Sweet!

Digi is from Doodle Palace

I have been picking berries up to my ears lately!! LOL! So many that I'm not sure what I will do with them all...guess lots and lots of dessert!! Oh darn! HEHE!

I tried a few things different than I normally do on this card...let me know what you think....feedback only makes me better!!
First is the shading in my coloring, second is the use of a charm, third is the bottom cut out grass.

Challenges:
Charisma Cardz - Circles
Fab N' Funky - Sketch
Creative Inspirations - Sewing/Faux Stitching
Cupcake Craft - Summer Delights
Delightful Sketches and Challenges - Texture (ribbon and charm)
Digital Tuesday - Use a digi and get trendy (I used the popular red, white and blue color theme)
Sweet N Sassy Digi Day #20 - Patterns (circles)

FYI- this card gives you a little hint on a challenge that I came up with next week for Doodle Palace...can't tell you the exact challenge yet (could be colors, maybe a sketch?....you just never know!!) but I hope you pop back in next Tuesday to join in my first challenge!!

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back tomorrow with an extra special post!!!
-Stacie

So Proud!

This is one of my nephews and he just graduated highschool this past weekend! WOOT WOOT!!! CONGRATS!!! Love you bub! :)


...and as promised A CARD!!! LOL! Finally something crafty to show you...I was actually up at like midnight before his graduation finishing this card up.
Digi is from Dustin Pike and I finally used a gold sticker for the sentiment that I received from my friend Merry. I am really bad about getting presents and just looking at them not wanting to use them up. I like to hoard pretty things...hehe! But I am trying to get better at enjoying my lovely gifts so thanks again Merry! You know I love the look of those stickers!! :)

Challenges:
Crafty Catz - male theme
Die Cut Dreams - Celebration card with number on it (It is hard to see but I think if you click on the picture to enlarge that would help...I put the numbers 2010 on the diploma in his hand in gold)
Quixotic - Emboss
Stamping Vacation - Clear as mud (star) .... a new challenge where she gives you a word to interpret but you can not use that item on your card at all. So I thought of my nephew as the "star" but I do not have any actual stars on my card.

Hope you are all still there since I haven't posted a project in awhile! Feels good to be back!

-Stacie

Featured!

I was absolutely chuffed when my pal Dawn from Dawn's Craft Place
e-mailed me yesterday telling me she had featured me over at the Paper Craftorium. You can check it out here. I want to thank Dawn for thinking of me...such a sweetie! And what a nice surprise to be featured! Another big cheesy grin from me!


-Stacie

True ... wish her well!

True is having surgery so please go wish her a speedy recovery and while your there you can enter to win some mega multi company candy! Click here for her website. I have been following her for awhile now and she is super talented!!

P.S. I'm still trying to catch my tail so sorry I haven't posted a project in awhile. I have made a few things I just need to get a picture and actually post!
Promise it will be this week!!!

Take care!
-Stacie

Back from vacation!

Hello all! I'm back from vacation and trying to catch up on a few things before posting alot so while your waiting go check out Susana's blog here for a chance to win some candy! Hurry though because it ends tomorrow!

Be back soon!
-Stacie

Hula Birthday!

Digi image is a freebie from 2 Cute Rubber Stamps

Challenges:
2 Cute Rubber Stamps - Use this digi
Sir Stampalot - Butterflies and blossoms
C.R.A.F.T - Celebrate/birthday
Crafty Creations - celebration

Thanks for stopping by to check out my work and as always if you like my work please leave me some love and if your not already a follower I would love to have you join my blog! :)

I will be away from my computer til atleast Tuesday evening....hope everyone has a great weekend!

-Stacie

Thanks A Bunch!

Cornflower digi is from Doodle Pantry

Challenges:
A Spoon Full of Sugar - Cute and girly
Aud Sentiments - Thanks a bunch sentiment
Charisma - 3D
Crazy 4 Challenges - Pocket
Doodle Palace - 3D
Fab N' Funky - Make your own embellishment (not sure if this counts but I made my own pocket!)
Flutterby Wednesday - Flowers and atleast one butterfly, angel or fairy
ABC - U is for unused stash
Etsy Inspired - I was inspired by the colors here.
Stamping Vacation - Name that card... "A beautiful bloom reminds me of how our friendship has blossomed."
Stamping Vacation - Pick 3 (pearl, larger than normal card ... this one is 5.5 inches square, use an image that has to do with gardening ... flowers in the garden!)

P.S. Thanks Annmaree for the butterfly...came in handy again with this paper!
-Stacie

BIG cheesy grin!!!

This is me today because I feel a TON better!!!!!!!!!! :)
Soooooooooo happy about this....can ya tell?? LOL!
** Thanks again for all the get well wishes...really helped to lift my spirits!

Just in time also because my hubby and I are going away on a mini vacation from this Saturday til Tuesday night to celebrate our 3 year anniversary!! Our anniversary isn't until June 2nd but this weekend worked out best with our schedules to go have fun. We have lots of outdoorsy stuff planned so I hope the weather cooperates!

Okay, now I'm off to have a proper play in the bat cave....ahem....I mean craft room!
(Too many comics/cartoons for me...LMAO!)

-Stacie

Mooooving in the right direction?

Well, once again I went off the Tylenol and my temperature spikes up so I called my regular physician's office today a little worried that my fever is still there (day 5 now) and was told that since the infection was pretty severe that I should give it another day or two for the medicine to kick in and to also keep taking more Tylenol with my prescription! I am tired of pills already BUT if they will make me feel better I am all for it....I do feel a tad better today so I must be on the mend...YAY! Now lets hope I am moooooving in the right direction!! :) A little cow humor for ya...oh yeah, I must be gettng better because my cheesy humor is coming back! LOL!

Anyways, onto my card for today...the first card I have even attempted in a week! Yes, I have even been too sick to play in my craft room! :( That is when you know you have it bad! BUT today I gave myself a little time and this is what I came up with.



A new digi sneak peek for Doodle Palace and it will be available for purchase starting tomorrow here.
I think the "birthday cow" is too adorable and I'm sure you could come up with all kinds of fun sentiments to go along with this image! What I like most of all is that you can customize this for a boy or girl!

Challenges:
Allsorts - Birthday
Stamp Something - Celebrate
CPS - Sketch
Crafty Calendar - Outdoors
Creative Inspirations - Punches or Die Cuts (used a circle die cut)
Clearly Delightful #5 - Use blue and green on your main image
Totally Gorjuss - round and round
Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge - Metal

Thanks for stopping by and a special thank you to those that have left me all the kind well wishes (they are working!)....hope to be back with another card soon! :)
-Stacie

Update....

Broke down and went to Urgent Care this weekend and I got some meds for strep throat and I might also have the flu....double whammo! My fever is still not going down by itself and since seeing the doctor I now have some pressure in my chest and a cough. Not really sure if that goes along with the flu or not? I have had strep plenty so I know the ins and outs of that but I have no clue what to expect with the flu but I am keeping a close eye on my symptoms! The only good thing is that I am still able to eat and drink so that is a blessing! Thank you all for your well wishes....they mean a great deal to me! :)
I have been browsing a little on blogland today but I didn't leave many comments....just too exhausted.

Take care!
-Stacie

Not feeling the best....

Wanted to let everyone know I will eventually catch up on your blogs. Right now I am running a fever of 101.5 and I have NEVER EVER EVER been sick between March and September in my entire life so I have no clue what is going on but it is almost 80 degrees and I am freezing! So I am off to drink more water and hopefully fall fast asleep. I'll be back when I can (hopefully the fever goes away tomorrow!).

-Stacie

Muddy Buddy!

This is a sneak peek of a new digi called "Muddy Buddy" and will be available for purchase tomorrow at the Doodle Palace store! If you haven't already checked out their images you really should...they have so many cute images and the prices are super cheap!

While your at it check out the Doodle Palace weekly challenge here.
Two winners every week win free digis!!

Challenges:
Stamp Something - Birthday
Secret Crafter - 3 embellies, 2 papers and 1 image
Stampin' for the weekend - male
C.R.A.F.T - birthday
Crafty Calendar - Great outdoors
Crazy 4 Challenges - I made a card for a boy
The Pink Elephant - yellow, DP and buttons
Stamping Vacation - Color word search (brown, latte, blue)
Cupcake Craft - buttons
Digital Tuesday - Make me laugh
A Crafty Little Place - Sketch
Creative Craft - Blue and brown

Card for Mother's Day

This is a card I made today for my mother-in-law and I just have to say....I love my new Martha punches!! They cut like buttah....SWEET! :)

Digi is from Isabella's Sketchbook and sentiment is from Annabelle Stamps

Challenges:
Polkadoodle - Summer blossoms
Fab N' Funky - Fancy edge
Doodle Palace - Sketch (by my pal Annmaree...woot-woot!) :)
Isabellas Challenge - Use their image and honoring mothers
Stamptacular Sunday - Celebration for moms
The Pink Elephant - For mom
Delightful sketches and challenges - Punches
Aud Sentiments - Happy Mother's Day

Birthday Gift Pocket...

I am loving these gift pocket cards!! In case you missed the other one I did you can find the tutorial by Rach here.

This is what I created for my hubby's grandma for her birthday. It was the perfect size for a metal decoration I bought for her. It has a crystal on it that when the light hits it you can see a rainbow of colors! Super neat!

Used some scrap paper and ribbon. Glittered up these gorgeous butterflies I got from my pal Annmaree and they added the perfect touch! I couldn't believe how well the colors matched my paper...absolutely perfecto!!! :)

Challenges:
C.R.A.F.T - wedding or birthday
Corrosive - birthday
Flutterby Wednesday - Use a fairy, butterfly or angel
Simon Says - birthday/celebrations

Happy Birthday Sunset

This is a birthday card I made for my dad. The trees are from a Stampin' Up set and they look very similar to a view you get from the new house we are building...my dad works out there everyday my hubby does so I thought this would be a special card from us.

Challenges:
Whoopsi Daisy - As you like it
Corrosive - Birthday
Crafty Creations - Create your own background

MIA...

Sorry that I have been MIA lately. The last few weeks I have been chasing my tail around and it has been hard to keep up with everything. Just wanted you all to know I have not forgotten about you and I will hopefully be able to post something tomorrow providing I don't have to work.

Thanks for hanging in there and waiting on me! :)
-Stacie

Picture Perfect Photo Album!

I made this for a girl that was diagnosed with a form of cancer. She likes owls, crafts and photography so I bought one of those photo albums from the dollar store and decorated it up a bit. Dustin Pike was nice enough to send anyone that was making her something a few owl freebies that he created...so cute!! Figured she could use the album to put some of her fav pictures in and I also stamped several different owl images and put them inside for her to color.

I misted the background paper with a few different shimmerz spritz. Colored the image with Prismas and OMS. Added a little glossy accents to the camera lens and flash although you can't really see it in the picture. I customized the K&Co. tags with my JustRite stamp kit. Made the flower following a tutorial here. Embossed the back page and cut then embossed the stamp with my Cuttlebug.

Challenges:
Etsy Inspired - Inspired by the owl and colors here.
A Spoon Full of Sugar - 3D something
Die Cut Dreams - Make your own flower
Digital Tuesday - Anything but a card and use a digi
Crafty Creations - Create your own background
Charisma Cardz - Girlie with flowers
Cute Card Thursday - Make your own