The Artist

I haven't shared a Crafty Secrets card in a bit and I've been working on a few behind the scenes here! I had the pleasure of working on an adorable new set called, All Dolled Up.  I have several cards made already with this set and will be sharing the others soon!  My first card I created was this little artist gal. I colored her with my Copics and added a bit of lace to her dress.  Her artist's palette was given a bit of dimension using glossy accents.   

I used real brushes as an accent and couldn't resist painting them and glittering them up!

The papers are by Graphic 45...... : )

Here is the set in its entirety.  LOVE it right? ; )

I also wanted to tell you about a new site by one of my bloggy friends, Karen Letchworth.  It is a wonderful  and inspirational new challenge site called, Word Art Wednesday. I hope you get a chance to pop on over there and check it out! 

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Thank you for always taking the time to stop by and leave such sweet comments.  You are all a blessing to me! 

Happy Easter to all of you!

JustRite Papercraft's New Release- Day 4!

Today is Day 4 of JustRite's new releases! Today's stamp is called Grandma's Attic. I love the delicious vintage flavor of it! I stamped it in brown and stamped the dress form and spools a second time.  I added Helmar's Crackle Medium to them and once it was dry, I ran my distressing ink over it to fill in the cracks.  It gives it such a cool aged look! I added a bit of color with my Copics and added a Cricut flower, lace, and a sentiment from the Vintage Rose Medallion's set.  

Isn't it pretty?

I hope you've enjoyed this week of releases! The DT has had amazing samples and today is no exception!

JustRite Inspiration

Sharon Harnist

Kazan Clark 

Michele Kovack 

Linda Duke

Kathy Jones

Angela Barkhouse

Heidi Blankenship

Eva Dobilas

Darsie Bruno 

Barb Schram

Debbie Olson

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I wanted to share a picture with you today that I had recently found while digging through old photos.  My family loves to take walks, and when the kids were younger we would go almost everyday after dinner. At that time Cortney was able to walk with a walker.  She would amaze me with her determination to catch up to her daddy and brother.  As the years went by and her body grew, she became unable to walk with the walker. She has a badly rotated hip that also makes it difficult for her.  It makes me sad, because this girl tried so hard.....but her little body just didn't cooperate. But still in all....this picture speaks volumes as to the person she is. 

                         As always, thank you for stopping,and for sharing my life......Have a wonderful day!!!

JustRite Papercraft's New Release-Day Three!

Today is day 3 of JustRite's new releases! It is a beautiful border set that is a total must have!  It is called Classic Lace Edges. I wanted to create a card that was soft and feminine, so I decided to stamp with Versamark on vellum.  I sprinkled it with white embossing powder.  I hand cut around each of the borders.  Adhering them can be tricky because most adhesives show through when working with vellum.  I ended up gluing the border pieces to the back of the pink cardstock.  I used a few clothespins to hold it in place while it dried.  

The sentiment is part of the Easter Blessing's set.  It was stamped on a tag and placed inside a glassine bag. I added a bit of twine and a pearl to the top of it.  

The flower was cut using my Cricut and the Flower Shoppe cartridge. Someone asked recently how I adhere my glitter.  I use glossy accents, rub it on the paper with my finger, so it is a thin coating, and then sprinkle with a coarse glitter by Martha Stewart. 

Here are all the borders found in this set! : )

I hope you have been enjoying the new releases so far!  Be sure to visit the other designer's blogs for more inspiration!

JustRite Inspiration
Michele Kovack
Darsie Bruno
Sheri Holt
Kazan Clark
Heidi Blankenship
Eva Dobilas
Barb Schram
Angela Barkhouse
Sharon Harnist

Have a wonderful Thursday!!!

JustRite PaperCraft's New Release Day Two!

Today is Day 2 of JustRite's Newest Releases! I have a couple of cards using a beautiful new set called Vintage Rose Medallions. I used a fun technique that is certainly not new, but I hadn't used it for a long time.  I've included a tutorial below on how I used this "Direct to Rubber" technique. My first card is a Mother's Day Card.....because May is right around the corner!

I made my own textured "cardboard" by running kraft cardstock through a paper crimper and giving it a light coating of white paint. The "cardboard" and main image were cut out using Spellbinder's Nested Oval's Die.

My second card uses the same technique but with a darker green for the leaves. It is an imperfect technique, the lines are a bit blurred, and the inks run into each other....but I love the look of it!

The main image was cut out using Spellbinder's Ribbon Tag Trio.  I ran satin ribbon through it and added a few pearls.

Here is the set I used in its entirety. 

The other set being debuted today is Elegant Fronds.  I do have a project using this gorgeous background stamp, but it will be shown at a later date! 

Here is the mini tutorial on how I created the multicolored image above. You will need water based markers and of course your stamps!  I stamped my entire image with this pale orange color.  You could just use a marker to color it in, but this was a bit faster and gives all over coverage. 

Take your markers and color in specific areas that you want to color. 

The ink will stay wet for a bit, but to ensure even stamping, I do give it a "huff" before I applied it to paper. 

And that's it! Just stamp it on your paper.  The colors will blend a bit...but that is the beauty of this technique!

The other designers are gonna knock your socks off with their projects! Be sure to pay them a visit!

JustRite Inspiration 

Darsie Bruno
Michele Kovack
Eva Dobilas
Kazan Clark
Angela Barkhouse
Sheri Holt 
Kathy Jones 
Heidi Blankenship

Have a Great Wednesday!!!

JustRite PaperCraft's April Release- Day One!

Good morning friends! JustRite has come out with a fabulous new set of stamps that are debuting this week! For my post today, I used two of the new stamps, Spring Rose Medallions and a beautiful background stamp, Lattice Background. I stamped the Lattice background in a soft pink on the back panel.  I machine stitched it for a bit of texture.  I stamped it again in a buttercream yellow on cream cardstock and cut it out with Spellbinder's Label's Eighteen die.  

I stamped the frame from the Spring Rose Medallions set in a mossy green and was cut out using Spellbinder's Nested Oval's   die.  The sentiment was stamped in brown and given a bit of airbrushing in pink.  The layers were popped up using dimensional foam circles. 

The flower was cut using my Cricut machine and the Flower Shoppe Cartridge.  I inked the edges in pink and added a bit of glitter to the flower. 

Here are the two sets I used today.  : )

And just to be a total enabler.....JustRite is having a SALE!

Every JustRite Original Stamp Set is on Sale -- $10.00 & $5.00 Deals.

Supplies are limited Shop Early for the best selection.

Be sure to visit the other gal's blogs for more inspiration using these sets! Their work is beautiful!

JustRite Inspiration

Debbie Olson

Amy Tedder

Darsie Bruno

Linda Duke

Michele Kovack

Angela Barkhouse 

Sheri Holt

Kathy Jones

Heidi Blankenship

Barb Schram 

More Easter Wishes!

Good morning and happy Monday to you! It is back to reality for me.....time to make the "doughnuts" so to speak! LOL! It's okay, I love my job and miss my students and fellow teachers! I can't imagine going to work everyday at a place you dislike.....I am truly blessed!

 I have another Easter project to share with you. They are little paint can treat holders that I created for the Cricut Circle last year. It uses the 3 Birds on Parade cartridge.  I used Elegant Edges to create a pretty lacy cover for around the can.  The tag was cut using the Sentimental's cartridge. 

I used a flocking embossing powder on their bodies. It gives it a subtle texture. The flocking medium is by Tim Holtz.

You can see the texture here a little more clearly. : ) Glitter was added to their bunny ears.....you knew I had to sneak that in somewhere! ; )

My girl brought this home the other day. I love that her school encourages the arts, even with all of the varying abilities at her school. With my kids getting older, I don't get these cute projects very often anymore.....so I relish the ones I do get.

Have a wonderful day! Tomorrow will start all the new releases by JustRite, so be sure to check back!