There is beauty in simplicity

Hello everyone,

and welcome to my blogpost ! I have made a tag and I have filmed the process so sit back and enjoy ! 

Here's the tag :

I have used the following Chipboard :

You'll find it HERE.

Thank you for stopping by today ! 

Take Note -- {May Arts Round 2 Submission}

Hello friends! Today I'm sharing my round 2 submission for the May Arts Ribbonista call!

I've made a set of tags (in true DeeDee fashion) to showcase my abilities with Ribbon. I had a few other projects floating around in my head, but this one really best exemplifies my style and talent, especially as of late!

I'm really so super stoked to share this project! I'm absolutely in LOVE with the way it turned out and have already put it up for display!

After the tags were complete I did a video tutorial showing off the ribbons and using the UK series of ribbon as a "binding" behind the tags to keep them all together!

The center (or 3rd) tag is sort of focal point... and makes the statement "Take Note". Then the rest of the tags follow, all showing things that are important, or we should remember, or maybe just keep in our thoughts. On the left we have the Love Serenade tag. It has a Prima flower at the top, UmWowStudio chipboard potty people and miniature heart frame, May Arts Silk, and a sticker from the BasicGrey collection pack. 

Then we have Celebrate Everything; the stamps are Viva Las VegaStamps!, the flower and leaf Prima, and I've used the Silky Crush, Burlap String and Lace with pearls from May Arts. I gave the dancer a bit of color with a distress marker, and the stars were made using Gauche Alchemy punchinella and distress ink. 

The middle tag has a corrugated butterfly, vintage button, Burlap String and Faux Burlap ribbons, a Prima flower and some gesso. The brackets are from Pink Paislee and the take note alphas are from Recollections.

The Be True tag has been adorned with an UmWowStudio chipboard daisy, Silky Crush, Box Pleat, Leaves, and Burlap String by May Arts, Making Memories gem brad, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist, and a Viva Las VegaStamps! stamp. 

And the last tag.. Be An Adventurer uses a few Prima flowers, a vintage button, cardstock sticker, cheesecloth, gesso and distress ink through Gauche Alchemy punchinella, Pleated Satin by May Arts and a stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps!. Everything has been adhered with three adhesives.. Zapdots, Fabric Glue and Quick Dry 450 all by Helmar.

Well! There you have it :) -- Come back next week for a tutorial on how I finished the chip on these tags, and good luck to anyone who's applying for the May Arts Ribbonistas Team!

Sneak Peek...

Mid next week I'll be participating in a May Arts and Cardmaker Mag blog hop.. Here's a sneak peek of my card :) 

Vintagy pink and brown papery goodness with a crisp white ribbon, check back Wednesday to see the whole thing♥

♥DeeDee

Nat n Birgit Page!

I haven't been doing much for ME lately.. and when we ran into Louise Nelson at CHA she said "You HAVE to make time to do your OWN stuff. Not for publication.. not for DTs.. for YOU"

So the day before yesterday I had a few pictures printed, and last night I got to work on putting them into my journal! I love the size of this journal, and you'll find the "style" very repetitive in it.. because the paper takes ink and gesso SO WELL. 

Here's the first of many to come! 

I started off with two bits of amazing punchinella by Gauche Alchemy. one large circle and one medium. I gessoed them onto the page with white gesso by Winsor and Newton. (You can see the circles better in the next two photos!) Then using a new technique I learned from Janna Werner during Creative Jumpstart I splattered some Glimmer Mist in Mustard Seed by TA all over my page. Rather than spraying with the bottle or splattering with the wand.. I sprayed into the cap of the bottle a couple times then splattered that.. it gave me some wonderful BIG splatters!

Then I stamped with Viva Las VegaStamps!' line of chevrons and lace fancy border in Ranger's archival ink. I added a bit of charcoal glimmer mist and then adhered my image down with Miracle Tape by VLVS!. I knew I needed some color to the right, so grabbed some start punchinella (also available from Gauche Alchemy) and inked it with four layers of distress ink. First was Shabby Shutters, then Peeled Paint, add some Mustard Seed and finish with a tiny bit of Black Soot. 

Add a bit of Washi Tape from Gauche Alchemy and stamp it with a date!

I did the tiniest bit of drawing around the edge, too. It helped wrangle everything inside the page. 

♥DeeDee

Tag Swap

I recently participated in a tag swap with a bunch of girls from the newest Design Team I have the privilege of calling myself a part of... The Crop Chocolate Design Team :)

Here is the tag I sent to my secret tag receiver :) 

It's made with Viva Las VegaStamps! images (handwriting background, chevron, holiday cheer), May Arts ribbon, UmWowStudio hat pin, Authentique paper, a vintage button, cheese cloth, and distress stains (Walnut stain, barn door, festive berries)

Thankful Tag

Today my THANKFUL tag aired on the Globecraft & Piccolo blog.

It's based off the Tim Holtz 12 tags for November!

There's a How-to, more photos and a video on distressing small chipboard pieces on the G&P blog - check it out!

Supplies used:

an acorn resin embellishment from UmWowStudio, 

Viva Las VegaStamps! wheat stamp, chicken wire stamp, Writing Background and chevron stamp, UHG Embossing Powder.

burlap ribbon from May Arts,

Globecraft & Piccolo Birds & Butterflies Accents set (N007)

Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Dried Marigold, and Mustard Seed distress inks by Ranger, a paper clip, baker's twine, wooden alphas by Pink Paislee, TH die by Sizzix, martha stewart punch.

I linked this up to the CropChocolate Weekly challenge, PaperIssues and the Tim Holtz 12 tags 

Day #5!

Today is my favorite piece so far... but each day I swear they just get better :) One more Scene style stamped tag... but today's is sultry, sexy and deadly!!!

Stamped in black archival ink are stamps:

Censored Nudie

Pasteurs Death

Mason Jar

Friday the 13th

Poison

and the new Jar, Fly and Blood from plate827

I also stamped the script writing from the Tree Writing Collage Background in pumice stone as a tone on tone background!

Other products used: Black cardstock, kraft cardstock and walnut stain distress ink

Don't forget to see everyone else's stops on the hop :)

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Day #4

Welcome to the VLVS! All Hallow's Eve Blog Hop DAY NUMBER FOUR!!!

I'm keeping the ball rolling with tags, though I've switched from the bright tags before to kraft and black.

Today's tag is an outdoor scene, complete with a little crooked lettering, lol.

 I used stamps:

All Hallow's Eve

Tree background

Full Moon

Flock of Bats

Cemetery

R.I.P and Jack o' Lantern

Raven

Small Crow Right

They were all stamped in archival black on kraft paper. Throw in some walnut distress stain to age the edges, and a black pen for some faux stitching..done and done! The tag is a #8 tag from TH's tags and bookplates die. 

And here is a pile of some of my VLVS! images.... these happen to be the ones I don't use... imagine all those I do o.o

Now onto the others!!!

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Day #3

Wowza!! What amazing inspiration we've had so far!! I'm super honored to be among these gals sharing their work and I really hope you're seeing everyone's goods!!

Today I've got a 3rd scene style tag... and it's my favorite!!!

The stamps I used for this beauty are:

Oct 31

Minaret Bird Cage

Spiked Fence

Small Raven Left

and a brand spanking new Pumpkin Row stamp from plate827 STILL ON PRE-ORDER!!!

I also used Distress ink in spiced marmalade, dried marigold, walnut stain, and black soot. I stamped in archival black ink. The stars were made with distress ink through a star punchinella from Gauche Alchemy. the ribbon is May Arts webbing and the brad is a BasicGrey epoxy brad. 

Now check out what everyone else is doing!!!

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Blog Hop Day #2!!

Welcome back!! I continue the blog hop with another scene stamping styled tag... I really feel like it's a technique that is totally an art all on its own.

Today's tag utilizes stamps:

Tree Background
Faded Crow/Raven

Flock Of Bats

Full Moon

and

Spiked Fence

The background was made with Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold and Walnut Stain distress inks. The moon was colored in with Spiced Marmalade and Barn Door distress ink. All stamps were stamped in Archival Jet black. The tag is mounted on a kraft piece of paper. And I've covered the moon in diamond glaze.

Hello to all my new follows and a big thank you to each and every single follower who continues to visit me for inspiration!! ♥

Now on with the rest of the hop!!! 

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VLVS! Blog Hop Day 1!!

I'm pretty excited to get to this! We've had this little baby planned for a while.. welcome to Viva Las VegaStamps!' All Hallow's Eve party!!

We've got seven days of inspiration from each designer on the team and you're bound to find SOMETHING that inspires you to get in the mood for Halloween!! 

We're also giving your prompts each day to earn a spot in a drawing... because each day we're giving away a fabulous prize! 

For the inspiration the DT and I have the criteria of doing some Halloween based project with at least one stamp from one of the two following boards:

 or 

And here is my first project!! I've been working scene stamping, and gotta say.. I'm loving it! My tags aren't over the top with embellishments, but I think with scene stamping instead they feel more... rustic sort of. And just as cool as embellished tags!

 The stamps I used are:

Haunted House

Full Moon

Flock of Bats

and Boy and Dog Looking Up

The background was made with Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint distress ink on a white #8 tag. I also used Walnut Stain and Archival Black ink by ranger. I stamped the boy and dog on kraft paper in Archival ink as well. The burlap string is courtesy of May Arts.

Now absolutely be sure to keep hopping and follow today's prompt for a chance at the prize!!

Thank you!

Instagram + Pillow = LOVE

Tonight I'm sharing a 12x12 layout I did that was originally going to be kept a secret until a bigger reveal.. but I've since worked up a different project so I get to share this one early! 

This photo is a picture of Gabe loving his first personal pillow! I don't think I have anything specific to share about how I made this layout :) Ask if you have questions, though!

Supplies:

Viva Las VegaStamps! Pen tips, arrow and pointed pen tip, Writing Background, May Arts ribbon in ivory and black stripe. Recycled cardboard, Tim Holtz Tag and bookplate die, Basic Grey epoxy brad, Prima canvas resist flowers, Ranger Archival Ink, vintage buttons and pearls, paper clips, faux stamen, a sewing machine and black thread, Creative Imaginations Stencil, Luminarte Silks in Solar Gold, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Roll top desk, MM eyelets, Gauche Alchemy Punchinella, Distress Inks in Black Soot, Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo. 

The linkup party at Paper Issues is tags, so I'll link up there! Other than that it's just for viewing pleasure ♥

The Color Room #127 - Feed Your Soul

I've just entered my first color room challenge.. I'm VERY excited!!

I felt like I was working "out of my comfort zone" the whole time but holy wowza at the end it sure is beautiful!!!

I love the background especially.. I used a huge dry brush to get the effect... run it across your distress stain ink pad (In this case it's the festive berries seasonal one) and spritz the brush ever so lightly with water, just to give yourself some fluidity. Then stroke the paper! After it was dried I also puddled up a bit of the ink and splattered it up the top at an angle from the paint brush strokes and across the bottom left corner. 

One of the prompts in the color room is black and white chevron.. which I don't have in any form.. so I created some using an arrow stamp from Viva Las VegaStamps!. 

Supplies used include:

Paper: Echo Park paper from Winterland and For the Record

Stamps: Viva Las VegaStamps! Butterfly Spotted, Feed Your Soul, Chicken Wire and Arrow

Ink: Memento Black Tuxedo, Festive Berries Distress Ink

Other: Floral Beads, Spellbinders floral die, circle punch, American Crafts brad, Globecraft Memories chipboard piece, Miracle Tape by VLVS!, black pen

Linking up to PaperIssues on 1/16/13

Our Piggies in the Sand

Here's a 12x12 I'll be entering into CropChocolate's Contest for the week - the theme is summer with some representation of water!

Products include: Echo Park patterned paper, MME's portobello road, Pink Paislee's wooden alphas, basic grey brads, an american writer pen, black soot distress ink, Tattered Angel's Charcoal Chalkboard Mist, black archival ink, martha stewart punch, a dymo label maker, punchinella from Gauche Alchemy, and two Viva Las VegaStamps! stamps

On @ VLVS!

Over on the Viva Las Vegastamps! blog today :

the image is a little dark, I may have to redo it before I send it out. 

MVL Link Up - Get Inked

I'm a fan of tats.. and a fan of color.. I've got 25 stars on my arm, 6 of which are bright colored with a gradient of the rainbow. The other 19 are just black outlines. 

I feel like Mary Vogel Lozinak's Images are just the perfect "stick it to the man" type of characters. 

I used 

Mary's Owl In Vest - 2x3

and I put him in the

Mason Jar - 2.25x3.75

for this bad boy!! 

be sure to link up your own project using Mary Vogel Lozinak's images from Viva Las Vegastamps! -- you have until tomorrow night, check out the VLVS! Blog for any specifics on giveaways :) LOTS up for grabs!

So Charming --

It's my first post over at the Hobby Baby blog today!! Be sure to check it out for all the details on this baby:

I'll also be entering the CropChocolate challenge from NSD "Altering" =D

Made with GlobeCraft Memorie's products, This and That Charming by Echo Park, + coordinating brads, distress ink in vintage photo, black tuxedo memento ink, hot glue, pop dots.

Happy Mama's Day

Love you mama!

Here's the card I made for my mother this year using MME's Lost n Found Madison Avenue 6x6 pad, vintage buttons, walnut stain distress ink sizzix labels die, snug hug, studio G stamps and baker's twine.

With this Ring - CC Challenge

CropChocolate is having a huge online crop to celebrate both their Merger with OhMyCrafts and National Scrapbook day!! 

Here is my entry for the "With this ring" challenge in which we were required to make a project with an embellishment that makes a shape. 

IE I chose buttons to make a heart.

CC Product used : 6x6 Madison Avenue, walnut stain distress ink, EP brown cardstock base. Non CC : vintage buttons, snug hug (dyed with the distress ink), baker's twine, a spellbinders die, studio G stamps.

Delight in the little things - Polkadot Door blog hop!

It's the 2nd year anniversary for the Polkadot door!! And we're ringing them in with a blog hop :)
As usual the girls have put together a BEAUTIFUL inspiration board!!

 

A bloghop on the Polkadot Door wouldn't be complete without an inspiration challenge. They asked some of their favorite designers to help them out, and I'm HONORED to have been asked!

Here's the blog order:

Dee Dee (You are here!)

Lisa

Rebecca

Cheryl 

Geri

Megan

Scrappin Patch 

The Polkadot Door 

and here is my piece:

Thanks so much for stopping by!! Make sure to head to Lisa next!!