Holiday Procrastination

Happy Holidays, Junkies! Time is flying by and Christmas will be here before you know it. Are you ready? Me, I'm a Procrastinator. The Queen of Procrastination. I still haven't sent my Christmas cards from last year and it's time to send this years. Maybe I can just stick two in one envelope and save postage. Ho-Ho-Ho. 

Luckily, I keep a few extras on hand. When that creative urge strikes, I make it count and make as many cards as my time and knees (I am a standing crafter) will allow. My card for this post is ready, but I'm only getting around to posting it an hour before it's due. Procrastination. But better almost late than never, right?

The card I have to share with you today features the stamps Hillside Pines and Gifts of Christmas.  

I started out by stamping the trees in a Hunter Green on the left side of my cardstock. I then stamped it again a little lower and to the right.  Using some gold embossing powder, I added the sentiment and trimmed down my piece of cardstock to approximately 4" x 5.25". I used some gold cardstock as a matting piece and attached both pieces to my card base.

This simple but elegant card would be very easy to mass produce using a stamping tool such as the Misti or the Tim Holtz Platform. I'll have to keep that in mind for when I make my cards to send this year....or next year (procrastination).

Right now, Technique Junkies is having an inventory reduction sale! Save 35% on selected stamps. Stamps make great gifts for the crafter in your life, even if that crafter is you! After all, with all the holiday preparation and craziness, don't you deserve a little gift for yourself? You can also save 10% on all other products* using the code below:

And remember...shipping is only $3.50 up to $75 purchase...over $75, it's FREE!

So sit back, get that cup of coffee or tea, and do a little shopping and stamping. I'm off to address last year's Christmas cards. Happy Holidays!

Til next time,
Keepin' it inky!

Life is a Song

Hello fellow TJ stampers and friends.  I played outside the box this week by using a melody of stamps and techniques. 

I started out by using a sponge over top of a stencil from A Colourful Life Stencil.  Next, I stamped out Paint Rings using black Versafine.  I then sponged on blue and green onto a piece of white cardstock and stamped out Vintage Music. I cut out a variety of circles and glued them to the original stamped image. Using a banner I sponged on yellow and pink and stamped out Life is a Song.  Lastly, I stamped out Treble Clef, small and heat embossed it with black embossing powder.  Matting it in black brought everything together nicely.

Paint rings has proved to be popular with the Design Team.  If you click on any image you can see what cards the Design Team has made with the stamp you clicked on. 

Want a discount?  When ordering use the discount code below:

Holly Bird Christmas

This beautiful Technique Junkie stamp is called Holly Bird - www.techniquejunkies.com//holly-bird/ and is colored with Copic Markers.  The greeting is from the Technique Junkie set called Gifts of Christmas -  www.techniquejunkies.com/gifts-of-christmas-set-of-5/.  

Layering and stick on bead embellishment finish the card.

And remember you can get an addition 10% discount with this code - TJ10Judy.

Happy stamping and get inky!

Judy Jackson

Hello and Let's do Christmas!

Hello  Everyone!

Let me introduce myself.  I am Lee Ann Barrett, one of the newbie Technique Junkies Design Team members.  I live in St Louis, Missouri and have been happily stamping for about 6 years.  I do not have a specific style as I tend to try everything and my style seems to be continually evolving.  Currently, I am typically a pretty 'clean' stamper and love to color but I will also pick up stencils, embossing paste and watercolors and make a mixed media card.

Well, the Christmas Season is upon us and we are all frantically making cards (unless you are the very organized type who has had your cards done since June!-NOT me!)  Today's card uses the Layered Swirls Background stamp.

I used a couple of different techniques to turn this Layered Swirls background image into the main focal point.

I started by stamping the image in Memento Desert Sand on Neenah Solar White paper.  Then, using Copics, I took a stab at no line coloring and colored in lots of the leafy scrolls.  The red berries were added in.
Second, I sponged red ink on the background for a little more color than the Desert Sand.  The sentiment, which is from the Gifts of Christmas set, was stamped in black ink, using my MISTI for perfect placement. 
I used a stitched edge die for the curve on the image panel.  The card seemed like it needed something else, so I added texture via a dry embossed background panel.  Gold twine finishes it off!

Want to do a little Christmas shopping for yourself?  Use 

the code, TJ10LeeAnn to save 10%~

Thanks so much for stopping by!  

Lee Ann  :)

Watercolored Snowflakes

Hello Junkies, My name is Ceal Pritchett and I am a new design team member but not a new junkie. I have been a Technique Junkie quite awhile, back in the day I would receive TJ newsletters that were typed up in the mail, text only and then it Pat upgraded it to color photos but still it was mailed to my home each month.  I am so excited to be chosen to design with her stamps, they are so unique and I love the cling red rubber. My design style is Clean & Simple and you can find me on my blog Simply Beautiful and sharing on Instagram as Cealp

Now for my card, I love all things snow and when I saw the Snowflakes I just had to get them. 

To make my card I started with a Bermuda Bay top folding card base and a watercolor paper panel cut down with a stitched die. I used Tombow markers to color the snowflakes in rainbow order and then misted the stamp with water to give it the watercolor look.  To finish the card I added the greeting All is Calm and some rhinestones for sparkle. 

Have some more Christmas shopping to do? 

Use the coupon code TJ10Ceal and save 10%

TJ Inkspirations: Glittering Cutaway Accordion Trifold

Today's technique is an update to an older Technique Junkies technique. I used Glitter markers in the place of ink pads, and I think it is easier to follow with the video format. Before we get started with the video,I just wanted to remind you that the Inventory reduction sale continues, and I will be adding just a few more stamps over the next week or so. I have stamped tucked everywhere, and I need to reduce some of this inventory before the end of the year! Selected stamps are 35% off. The stamps on sale are all in the Inventory Reduction Category, and are already marked down.NO CODE NEEDED. Here are the products I used on the finished card are here: Nuvo Glitter Markers_3 sets of 3_ discounted Christmas Sponge Set All is Calm Glittering Cutaway Accordion Trifold Here is the video:  Glittering Cutaway Accordion Trifold

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

May Peace Be Your Gift

Hi there all you lovely peeps!  Lynda Pleckan here, aka 'Joyful Stamper.'    I am delighted to be a new member of the Technique Junkies design team!   I look forward to sharing ideas and projects here in the TJ blog with you.

Just a little bit about me...I have been playing with stamps for 30 some years, and owned a rubber stamp store called The Stamp Pad for 13 years, before I closed the doors to be able to spend more time with my family.   I am retired from my church secretary job, which I loved.  Now, when I'm not doing things with my family, I'm usually blogging, writing, and creating art in my little 'studio.'  I am on the Dirty Dozen design team for Splitcoaststampers, also.  My stamping style varies, according to my mood.  I like experimenting with many different techniques, and find myself using watercolor and/or colored pencils mostly.

I blog at PaperArtsCafe.  Would love to have you visit.  I will have more cards using the amazing TJ stamps on my blog.  

Now, on to my first post. 

I started by stamping  Olive Branch onto a panel of watercolor paper.  I inked up the stamp and stamped off on scrap paper a couple of times in order to get a faint background.  Oh, it's there, see, on the background there.....

It shows up a little more in real life.

I inked up the stamp again, and stamped it onto a piece of natural card stock, full strength (bottom tag piece).  I used Tim Holtz distress inks for both the front panel and this piece.  I used a tag die to cut out the larger tag and my paper trimmer to cut the inside panel from this second piece.  

For the strip down the left side of the card front and inside, I used the 'smoosh technique' on a piece of watercolor scrap, using TH distress inks also.  I rubbed distress inks in greens and purples onto my craft mat, spritzed them generously, and dipped my watercolor paper into it, smooshing it around and colorizing the paper.  I love backgrounds created with this technique, and it's so fun to do!  I even have some left over to use on another card.....

The verse is from the Gifts of Christmas set .  I liked the ideas of the peace verse with the olive branch.  I stamped part of the verse on the outside, and part inside, using TH distress inks.

For the smaller image tag, I inked up only one of the branches on this large background stamp, using Tombow markers.  I stamped it onto a small piece of watercolor paper, then used the markers rubbed onto a palette as watercolor to paint the branch and add some smudging around the image.  I used a smaller tag die to cut it out, and mounted it onto a piece of eggplant textured paper.  I punched a hole into both tags with my Cropodile, and tied a bit of purple ribbon to it.

I layered my pieces onto an eggplant cardstock panel, then onto an A2 card base.  I finished the inside, and that was that.

Here's the inside of the card:

This is the Olive Branch stamp background I used....

And the Gifts of Christmas stamp set I used for the verse....

 

Be sure to check out the line of fabulous holiday stamps, and more, at the Technique Junkies website. And if you'd like to take 10% off your purchase, just use this code on your order...

Joy and peace to you on this beautiful day!

Lynda