Man, it has been the craziest week and a half EVER! So crazy, I need to save the bulk of it for FREAKY FRIDAY. Finally, however, I was able to get a little inky this evening, and I couldn't resist playing with my brand-spankin' new Elzybells stamps! When I saw that banner on SCS last week, I swear a Hallelujah chorus was playing on the soundtrack of my mind. Are they not the cutest, sweetest little images ever?! I tell ya, that Linda at A Muse (who discovered these wonderful imports from the UK and is now Elzybell's exclusive US distributor) is one sharp cookie with her finger on the pulse of the stamping universe. (Note: I don't know Linda personally, nor am I affiliated in any way with A Muse Artstamps, other than the fact that I am slavishly devoted to everything they do and I'm even wearing a cute A Muse tee-shirt as I type this. Yes, it's that bad.)
So, for my first card in what seems like an eternity, I combined three of this week's challenges:
Color Challenge 137: to use Basic Gray, Purely Pomegranate, and Soft Sky;
Sketch Challenge 147; and
Ways To Use It Challenge 137: to use the masking technique.
Color challenge -- well, I used those colors. Sketch Challenge? I used the sketch. Ways to Use it: Elzybell, her sled, and the snow was masked off to create the sky background by stipple brushing Soft Sky. Both the image and the sentiment are Elzybells; based on the size of the image layer, I wanted to stagger the sentiment. In order to do so with Purely Pomegranate (which as a current In Color -- aka temporary -- SU! color, PP doesn't have its own marker to ink the stamp with, and I'm not careful enough to be able to ink just a bit of the sentiment with an ink pad), I brushed re-inker on the sentiment stamp and positioned it with my beloved Stamp-A-Majig (definitely a tool that would make it to the proverbial Desert Island with me). Elzy (that's what I call her, for short)'s coat is trimmed in Liquid Applique, and her tree is decorated with A Muse twinkle stickers. She's colored with Copic Sketch Markers and SU Re-inkers in Purely Pomegranate and Soft Sky. There are touches of sparkle throughout, thanks to Copic Spica Markers, though I'm not sure they show up in the photo.
Supplies used -- Stamps: Girl with Sleigh and sentiment by Elzybells Art Stamps, distributed by A Muse Artstamps, Canvas bg by SU!; Paper (SU! unless otherwise noted): Basic Gray, Purely Pomegranate, Soft Sky dp, Nena Crest Solar White (available from Ellen Hutson's online store); Ink: Brilliance Archival Graphite Black, SU! Reinkers in Purely Pomegranate and Soft Sky; Accessories: Copic Sketch and Spica Markers, A Muse Twinkle Stickers, stipple brush, SU! ribbon, snowflake brads by Creative Impressions, Nestabilities, Liquid Applique.
Other Big News...
I was pleasantly surprised last week to find an email inviting me to be a member of Starving Artistamps Design Team! I had applied a while back for the DT call, having fallen MADLY in love with the DoodleFactory images that SA distributes. I say I love a lot of stamps -- and I do -- but DoodleFactory? Those images are truly muse-like for me. I just love, love, love their unique-ness. They're quirky and subversive while at the same time adorable; and for me, that is an irresistible combination. Anyway, I figured Tracey Berkey (owner/operator of Starving Artistamps) must be one cool chick to realize the potential of something as off the beaten path as DoodleFactory, so I REALLY, REALLY wanted to be a part of the SA DT. I've applied for a couple of other DTs in the past and didn't make the cut, but those didn't bother me so much. I've written in an earlier post about rejection just meaning you haven't found your 'tribe' yet, but this was one tribe I felt I was meant to be a part of. I'm really grateful that Tracey agreed, and I'm stoked to be on a team with the like of such stamping luminaries as the ROCKIN' TexasJodyLynn aka Jody Morrow, annieht aka Ana Wolfarht, andreasscraps aka Andrea Cloutier, Cammie aka Carolyn King, Donnarie aka Donna Duquette, SweetHeidiJo aka Heidi Kingery, Jan Tink aka Janine Tinklenberg, Wasatch Wizard (and designer of the awesome and new-to-me stamps, Artful Inkables, available through SA) aka Kristin Soboloski, tashers aka Natasha Trupp, stampingpam aka Pam Varnell, stamps4funinCA aka Tosha Leyendekker, and Valorie Wibbens (not sure of her SCS screen name yet!). I'll have links to all of these amazing stampers' blogs or galleries in a special section soon. I hope you'll take the time to get to know their work, as I'm certain you'll find so much to inspire you.
Coming tomorrow: Freaky Friday and all the deets regarding my time in the white hot spotlight of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and -- almost as thrilling -- SCS Featured Stamper! In the meantime, I'm in desperate need of some sleep to recover from all the recent excitement!
