Two Years in Review

Today is my final blog post as a member of the Technique Junkies Design Team ... it's been an awesome two years creating with these fabulous stamps.  Remember, you can still use my discount code TJ10Stephanie for 10% off your entire order through the end of December.

I thought it would be fun to go through all the cards I've made and share 10 of my favorites (plus a new one).

This was one of the first cards I made with Technique Junkies Stamps ... and it's still one of my favorites.  I love the unexpected Pine Cones in pink.

I love the great masculine stamps ... this shimmery Life and Beer looks good enough to drink and the fun Paint Rings Background Stamp is perfect for all of the different drink stamps.

I've made lots of clean and classy wedding cards with the Bride with Bouquet Stamp ... this one was simply stamped and accented with adhesive pearls ... and how perfectly elegant is the sentiment from Wedding Wishes.

I used this week's CAS(E) this Sketch! with the Bride with Bouquet Stamp and Wedding Wishes sentiment for a new card.  

I stamped the Bride on Lace Designer paper and colored her bouquet with pencils.

I love exercising my marker and pencil skills with all of the gorgeous floral stamps at Technique Junkies ... the Hydrangeas is one of my personal favorites because it reminds me of my grandma.  The sentiment is from the oh-so-versatile Simple Sentiments 1a.

This sentiment & image combination (Dear Santa with  Christmas Kitty) was the one I used the most ... I love this kitty in red.  And if you love CAT stamps ... Technique Junkies is the store for you.

I love the striking beauty and simplicity of the Side Hat (especially with the pop of those red lips) ... and Audacity is the perfect companion sentiment.

I first fell in love with Technique Junkies because of their techniques ... I learned so many things throughout the years.  Love how the Winter Foliage Background worked with this marker and water technique.   The All is Calm Sentiment is perfect for the holidays.

The Framed Sunflower is perfect for practicing some water-coloring ... so big and bold.  Sentiment is from the Super-Versatile Simple Sentiments 1b.

Technique Junkies is indeed the Queen of Background Stamps ... and the Red Rubber is so perfect for all sorts of techniques.  This one played with Distress Oxide Sprays and the lovely Christmas Lights ... the slight shading on each bulb makes it perfect for coloring.  Sentiment is from the super-affordable set of six Victorian Greetings.

This inky, splattery beauty just might be my favorite ... the Big Butterfly Collage is so perfect for all sorts of inky play.

I'm so grateful for the time I've spent designing with these gorgeous stamps.  Thanks for joining me for a walk down memory lane.

Technique Junkies is having an Inventory Reduction Sale with 35% off a large inventory of stamps.

Remember, even if stamps aren't included in the clearance, my discount code TJ10Stephanie still gets you 10% off.

Groovy Christmas

When I saw the current Fusion Card Challenge, I knew I had the perfect stamps in my Technique Junkies Stash.

I pulled out my Groovy Christmas and stamped it in Nocturne Ink on watercolor paper and clear embossed.  Then I painted a watercolor rainbow for an abstract look using the colors from the Bus.

I wanted to add some of the swirly effect from the Inspiration Photo, so I added stenciled corners using the Lace Doily Stencil to give it more of that Boho feel.

Love this groovy design for one of my holiday cards.

Remember, you get 10% off your entire order using my discount code TJ10Stephanie.

Dogwood Blossoms

I love the Spring feel of the stamps that were released this month. The Dogwood Background stamp (from the Mitten State Stamp line) resonates with me especially deeply, because to me they represent spring perfectly. I paired the Dogwood stamp with one of the In Full Bloom Sentiments.  

The image was colored with colored pencils, then blended with Gamsol to smooth the line colors and blend them.  It was so easy to color and I love the way it turned out!

Spring is in three more days -- I hope our Dogwood Stamp inspires you to take a few moments to appreciate the season.

Pat Huntoon

TJ Inkspirations: Glimmer Rose with Cut-Align Sentiment

I am so excited that the new Cut-Align from My Sweet Petunia (the makers of the MISTI) came in this week from my Creativation (CHA) order. I cracked open the box right away so that I could play with it and share how it works!  This week's video is a two-fer. First I show how to use Nuvo Glimmer Paste to color a stamped image, then use the new Cut-Align to cut a stamped sentiment and matte perfectly.   I have to say, I really like this tool. I love that there are two Cut-Align rulers in each package, perfect for both Scrapbooking and stamping.  I will never have a crooked mat on my art again! I do have a few boxes in stock for you and they are available NOW.  Order yours HERE. Here is the artwork from the video: Glimmer Rose with Cut-Align Sentiment And the video: Glimmer Rose with Cut Align Sentiment

I hope you are a little inkspired by today's issue. See you next week!   Sincerely,   Pat Huntoon Technique Junkies LLC

CHRISTMAS CACTUS

Hi Junkies!  

I'm here today showing off a fun stamp in two ways, to add some variety in your card making using the same stamp.  

If you love this stamp, "Christmas Cactus"  you'll love all the stamps in the Technique Junkies Store and if you'd like to purchase any, please use my discount code (TJ10CHERI) so you can get a 10% discount.  

What a lovely stamp this is.  It's from the Mitten State Stamp Collection and makes a dramatic image for a Christmas card.  I love Christmas Cactus plants.  They live forever and are so easy to care for.  

I water colored this on 140# watercolor paper using Distress Inks.  It took no time at all after stamping it with Archival ink "Fern Green".  As a final touch of dimension and sparkle I added a layer of Shimmering Bliss Gold Topper over the panel before mounting the layers.  

Now this:

How cool is this contrast?  Same stamp...I stamped it in white pigment ink on a medium gray card stock panel.  I used a white PrismaColor pencil to add the light areas.  A dark gray colored pencil was used to outline and give depth to the image.  I have a 2 inch paint brush that I use for soft backgrounds and I used it to soften the image again with the white pigment ink.  

To add sparkle, I bordered the image with my Nuvo Glitter Pen and then took the same paint brush I used as described above, and added Delicata silver ink in the same manner I added the white pigment ink in the background. 

I hope you found some inspiration here today.  Thanks for stopping by and don't forget you have my 10% discount on all TJ Stamps, Nuvo Glitter Pens (and products) and Shimmering Bliss Sprays, if you'd like to use it.