Ink and Roll by Judy Jackson

Spring is coming -- I can just feel it! And this stamper (Judy Jackson) can hardly wait!

One of my New Year's resolutions or goals was to create a bunch of sympathy cards. It always seems like you need one just when you do not have time to create something. So this is one of those cards! I stamped and colored several of this focal image from Inkadinkadoo. I colored them with my Copic Markers. I just need to finish all of the cards instead only the two I have created.

I used the Ink and Roll technique from the February/March TJ newsletter. This is a fun technique to create with several background stamps. One of the things I like about this technique is the variety of texture you achieve. This texture adds interest and dimension to the background. Yet it enhances the focal image at the same time. Cool, huh?

Have you tried this technique yet? If not I hope you use it soon.

Judy Jackson

Holly Brown: Textured Blossom Hello

Happy Friday! It's Holly posting today. Spring is officially here, and I'm sending you a little Textured Blossom hello. :-) This Textured Blossom technique is one of many great new techniques you'll find on the Stampin' Companion CD from Technique Junkies.

You can order the cd by clicking on this link or going to the Technique Junkies website. This cd is packed with 70 wonderful techniques and beautiful artwork for each technique. You can see a full listing of all the techniques on the cd by clicking here. All these techniques use products from Stampin Up, but these can easily be adapted to use non-Stampin Up items as well.

That's what I've done with this card here. The patterned paper, the stamp, the flower die cuts, the button, and the texture on the flower petals are all non-Stampin Up products. You don't have SU tools or products? No problem! Pull out what you do have and try them with some of these techniques. It is fun to see what you can do when you bend the rules a little bit! :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!

A Simple Swipes Card by Judy Jackson

Good day from Judy Jackson. I hope you have read the current newsletter as I have a card with this relatively simple technique to show you.

The Simple Swipes technique is pretty easy and yet gives that technique driven person (like ME!) a method to create a quick card. I love to use and employ new techniques, but like many of you I am sure, I often need a card to send out quickly. I either don't have much time to spend creating, the need for a card is right away, or I just forgot to make a card for a specific occasion and I need one "right now." So this technique is just right for such times.

All the stamps on this card are from Stampin' Up. Hope you have a great day!

Judy Jackson

Expressionistic Watercolor: 12/04 Newsletter

Hello Everyone from Kathie McGuire. I hope you're enjoying your stamping Saturday.

I'm taking you back in time to the December 2004 TJ newsletter for an old favorite technique of mine called Expressionistic Watercolor. What a fast, easy, and fun technique that will turn the most basic of projects into an explosion of artistic color.

I'm sharing a card which uses one stamp only. I chose the Calla Lily from the now defunct PSX company, but these stamps can still be found on various outlets.

I hope you enjoy this simple, yet artistic card. And I hope it will inspire you to dig out some old issues of the TJ newsletter and remember that sometimes the easiest techniques are the most impressive!

Have a lovely weekend!

Kathie

Distress Photo Tinting by Judy Jackson

Good day -- I hope your day is as happy as this little girl seems to be!

This is one of my favorite stamps from Paper Bag Studios. She was fun to color with this technique from the February/ March issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter. Are you a subscriber? If not I would certainly encourage to become one! This newsletter helped me a lot to take my stamping to go from OK to much better!

I really like photo stamps and the best photo stamps are made by Stamp Smith (a TJ advertiser) and Paper Bag Studios. Of course, that is my own opinion and you may have a different opinion. This technique seems to just made for adding coloring to photo stamps and making the image just pop!

I chose background paper and card stock that was subtle and would not "fight" with the focal image. I wanted the background to enhance the focal image and draw attention to the image.

Have you used background to enhance your focal image in stead of "fight" with the image for attention? It does happen I assure you.

Have a great creative day!

Judy Jackson

SU Companion CD Blog Hop

This is Judy Jackson bringing you greetings from the Technique Junkie Design Team!

Good day to you and Happy SU Companion Blog Hop! This is the first stop on the Blog Hop. I am sure you will really enjoy all of the creations from the Stampin' Companion CD which features techniques using only Stampin' Up! products.

However, like any good Technique Junkie, members of the TJ Design Team want to show you just how versatile the techniques can be! So this blog hop will feature the techniques but the creations shared will not focus on Stampin' Up! products.

I chose the Reinker Spread technique which I love. It is a technique that is easy to do but gives a WOW look to the finished project. It makes your project look like it was very difficult to do but it wasn't! And it is adaptable and can be used for stamps from a variety of stamp companies. I did use the Shimmery White card stock from Stampin' Up! as I love using that card stock! I will be showing you a total of five cards. My first card to show you today uses a pansy image from PSX. I just love pansies. I love the fact that certain pansy varieties can bloom all winter long bringing the reminder that Spring will come!

I had my 3 and 4 year old granddaughters make a Mother's Day card for our daughter using this technique. It is a WOW card that any seasoned stamper would be been proud of. Of course, I helped with the cutting and finished card but all of the coloring was really done by them! So if they can do it, you can do it too! However, I am not going to show you that card as it used all SU products. I am going to show you some cards that demonstrate just how versatile this technique can be!

The directions for this technique says to use it with flower images but I wanted to show you how this technique can be used with other types of images as well. For these next two cards, I chose stamps from Enchanted Ink, Stampers Anonymous, and the background stamp is from Stampin' Up! Both cards used the same stamps, the very same reinkers, the very same embellishments for layering, and the only difference is the ink that I used for stamping the image. For the first card you can see that the embossed image is white and the second image was stamped with Versafine Black Onyx and embossed with clear embossing powder. For some images I prefer the image stamped and embossed white and for some some images I prefer the image stamped and embossed in black. Which do you prefer for the fairy image? I like both cards and so it is a matter of personal preference.

I also used the TJ Antique Glimmers (December 2009 newsletter) technique on various backgrounds on some of the cards.












My next card for this Blog Hop is a St. Patrick's Day card and the shamrock stamp is from Stamp Oasis. You can see the image looks great stamped and embossed in white. The smaller stamped shamrocks are from Hero Arts. The greeting is from Rubber Cottage.

And now for the last card.











The last card I want to show you uses a stamp from Sweet and Sassy Stamps and it is a newly released stamp this spring. While the other stamps have had a relatively defined image and I was able to cut it our cleanly, that is not the case for this image. There are no clearly defined lines so I chose to cut it out along the edges of the flourishes and then on to the next flourish. The vellum paper was stamped years ago with SU stamps and I laid it over some shimmery yellow paper to create the background. The greeting is also from SU.

I really like all five cards and I hope you do as well. Now please continue on through the rest of the Blog Hop Participants and on toward the wonderful prize Pat Huntoon will have for the winner at the end.The winner will be randomly chosen from commenting hoppers and will be posted on Pat’s blog the following week (not sure what day….). All of the instructions will be on Pat Huntoon's blog post! The prize will be the winner’s choice of any TWO TJ CD’s J What a great prize. Perhaps you will be a lucky winner!

I hope you add a comment to this blog and other blogs as well. I know I read every blog comment posted to my blog contributions! We all would like to know what is your favorite TJ technique or your favorite specialty TJ CD.

If you do not have the Stamping companion CD you can to go to this link: http://www.techniquejunkies.com/stampin_companion.html to purchase it. I am sure you will find it to be wonderful!

Here are the links to the Hop -- Your very next one will be to Jackie's blog. She will have something wonderful for you to see.

Jackie Kalchert http://jackiekalchert.blogspot.com

Donna Duquette http://salmonbrookstudio.com

Chris Dickinson http://chrissyd723.blogspot.com

Hetty Sanders http://craftchaos.blogspot.com

Jane Bosi http://janesaddiction.typepad.com

Lisa Somerville http://www.lisasomerville.com/

Pat Huntoon http://patstamps.blogspot.com

Good Luck!

Judy Jackson

Popped Background by Judy Jackson

Hello from Judy Jackson.

Wouldn't it be great to take a good book and sit in the warm sunshine and have the time to read and enjoy the book? That is the kind of day this stamp from Rogue Redhead reminds me of.

This is a great technique from the SU companion CD. And like many of the techniques on this CD, it is adaptable to other stamps! I did use a marker to add some highlights to the stamped image!

I hope your day is filled with creativity and wonder!

Judy Jackson