Guess Who's Guesting at a2z Scrapbooking?

Surprise! It's me! I was invited to join in the monthly challenge at a2z Scrapbooking, Sparkle and Shine, which is right up my alley, so of course I said yes!

For this project, I used alcohol inks and the lift off ink pad to make two panels with the Hero Arts Flowers for Coloring Cling Stamp. I learned this technique from Jennifer McGuire.

You can head over to a2z Scrapbooking to see more details on how I made this and to find out how to enter the monthly challenge or buy some of the supplies I used!

Happy Thursday!
Chark

Digi Duel with Hero Arts Silly Scapes

I'm up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog dueling with Arlene using the Silly Scapes digi from Hero Arts. Here's my card, head over here to see Arlene's.

If you love this illustration, head to a2z Scrapbooking, the exclusive seller of the Hero Arts digi stamps to pick yours up.

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

a2z Scrapbooking Monochromatic Challenge

It's time for a new challenge up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog and if you enter a Monochromatic themed project, you could win a free digital stamp set...and if you use Hero Arts or Sugartree Stamps, you could also add $20 to the store to your prize!

Here's a peek at my project, but head over here to see all the DT projects and all the details on how to enter!

For this card, I dripped Blue and Yellow Hero Arts liquid watercolors onto some textured paper. I trimmed the panel and added this cute turtle (colored with Prismacolor pencils) from the Hero Arts Mermaid Stamp and Cut set. The sequins and pool card are also Hero Arts, as is the sentiment.

I love dripping the bottled watercolors onto different papers to see what happens. You can find them here at a2z. Use DLT15 to get 15% off your cart total of $25 or more.

Happy Friday!

Chark

Digi Duel at a2z Scrapbooking

Hi, friends, I have a card up today on the a2z Scrapbooking blog as part of our monthly Digi Duel, where two team members use the same digital of the month to create two different projects. I'm dueling with Arlene this month. You can click here to see both projects and our supplies.

Here's a peek at my card.

Hope you'll join in the Flower Power Challenge at a2z for a chance to win this digital stamp set and more!

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

Hero Arts Dragonfly Die

I shared some of the dragonflies I made the other day here at Glitter in my Kitchen and today I'm up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog post with two cards I made with the dragonflies.

Here's a close-up of that first dragonfly. I really liked how the wings turned out. I used alcohol inks on acetate packaging and then trimmed them to fit the die. That Nuvo Glitter Paste is so fabulous too! You can stop by a2z to see all the links to the products and more about how I made these.

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

It's a Chick Thing

Now, I've always liked cute things and my son has always loved birds, chickies especially. So when I saw this Easter set of stamps from a company new to me, C.C. Designs, I had to sign up to try to win them. And I did! Squee! 

So happy and they came over the weekend. I stamped them up and started coloring. This is my first little scene, it's not a card yet, but it will be. I used my favorite go-to Prismacolor pencils. Aren't those chickies the cutest? I think I need to pile them on top of each other in the next stamping round.

Next, I used this Hero Arts digital stamp set (exclusively at a2z Scrapbooking Supplies) called One-of-a-Kind and printed the chick here.

I used my Prismacolor pencils again and came up with this card. I added some extra swirls to his wings or feathers or whatever those are...lol. I like the whimsical feel to the bird stamps in this set.

Thought I better share this adorable chick cupcake idea too...I must make these for Easter this year!

Happy Monday!

Chark

Baseballs and Cupcakes

I have a project up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog today with some other team members. The February challenge starts today, hop by and check it out.

I decorated the top of a bakery box with a Diamond Stencil (get it...diamond...baseball?) on kraft with red ink, then I put a panel together of Baseball brads from the Eyelet Outlet that we have in the store—shaped in a 7 for the birthday girl. 

I turned all the baseballs the same direction so it looks a little neater and I planned ahead to make sure the size would be right for the number of brads I had in the pack. I used a sturdy cardstock because these are metal brads and adhered a red piece of vellum to the top and to the bottom. Then I just adhered the panel to the top of the kraft stenciled piece.

That's my all-time fave cupcake—Salted Caramel—from my fave local bake shop called Cake, Hope and Love. I had to go to the bakery to get a bakery box for the project, didn't I? And was it my fault that they had my fave cupcakes? And that some came home? lolol

Hope you'll join in our February Challenge so you can have a chance to win!

Happy Thursday!

Chark

Your Next Stamp Cuties

I was lucky enough to win the Your Next Stamp blog prize during the last Coffee Lover's Blog Hop and it was a good one! 

Here's just one of the little one layer cards I've made with the snowman stamp from Phoebe Hot Cocoa. I used Arteza watercolor markers and some Prismacolor pencils for the sky. I'm sure I'll be sharing more from this prize pack...thanks, YNS!

You should definitely check them out, they do a lot of blog giveaways and challenges and they have the cutest stamps and a great DT.

I found the Arteza markers on sale on their site and got them for Christmas from my husband...after I ordered them and said, "hey, you just got me a present!"

I had a masculine card up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog over the weekend...you can see the post here.

Happy Monday!
Chark

Skylines and Oxides

I love the look of silhouette stamps and I got a chance to work with a Hero Arts digi kit that includes a cityscape silhouette...so of course that's the stamp I used first!

It's up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog today with more details, hope you'll stop by and say hi!

Here's a peek at one of them!

Happy Thursday!

Chark

Wild Christmas Ornament

Hi, friends, I'm up on a2z Scrapbooking today with a wild ornament. I used the digital Go Wild cheetah paper, die cut it with the largest ornament from the Hero Arts Ornaments Infinity dies, and then used the Paper Layering Bear die that I painted with Gansai Tambi watercolors. 

 

The white paint is perfect for the polar bear, with shimmer and just a touch of color so it looks richer than the paper by itself. You can see a little of the shimmer in the close-up on the scarf, but it's so lovely irl.

I used the yummy Nuvo drops in Aquamarine for the edge dots and popped up the bear die cut for more dimension. The challenge theme this month at a2z is Make It Pop...you have all month to make a project with dimension for a chance to win. All products are welcome but if you use Hero Arts, you can win both the digital prize AND a $20 gift card to the store!

Happy Friday!

Chark

I Heart Gingerbread Boys

I have always loved the little gingerbread boy icon for holiday decorating and actually, just plain decorating (I have some in my kitchen year round) and this card came about because I had to buy the sticker set from Doodlebug with all the little gingerbread Santa Express stickers.

I added some of the gumdrops to the roof and gave the little guy a piece of candy. Now that's a scene I could get into. I love eating gingerbread too, though I prefer the cake version to the cookies. I'm all about the Betty Crocker Gingerbread mix, but here's an actual from-scratch recipe if you're thinking you need some gingerbread. I prefer whipped cream on mine but lemon glaze is good too.

I found these cutie earrings on Etsy and I might have to put them on my Christmas list...I can start that in September, right?

I saw this little guy on Pinterest (with no link to the original) but he looks pretty easy to sew up from felt, even for a novice seamstress like me.

When I saw this Santa Snacks stamp and cut set in the newest Hero Arts release, I had to get them. Now, what to make with them?! If you want your own set, head to the a2z Scrapbooking Supplies store and hit custom order. They're sold out already, but you can ask special order them at no extra cost. Also, you can head to the a2z blog here and enter the CASE a designer September challenge through the end of the month. Just pick a project you like on the blog and use that as inspiration with your Hero Arts products and you could win $25 to the store!

Happy Friday!

Chark

Wintry Wishes

Today I've got two more winter themed cards that I made for the Cards for Little Hearts winter card drive. While this one is now closed, they will be doing a card drive for February here.

This one uses a very old penguin stamp from Hero Arts...I think was the first Christmas set I ever got. I layered strips of the Doodlebug Design 6x6 Sugarplum paper. I put pink Stickles on the penguin's scarf and scallop.

For this one, I used a little leftover piece of polar bear paper and snowflake die cuts (from an old Sizzix set). I added a bit of washi and a sequin and it was all set. I put all my Christmas stuff together and my Halloween stuff together so it's old, new and just bits from other projects all together. It makes it nice when I need a Christmas card or Halloween project...but I can't really figure out how to categorize a lot of my other papers/stickers/embellies.

One last thing--thought I'd share my polar bear cards that were up over the weekend at the a2z Scrapbooking Supplies blog. There is a lot of new stuff in the store for your fall/winter crafts and you can always use my code CHARK15 when you check out to get 15% off your cart of $25 or more!

Happy Monday!

Chark

Hero Arts Shopping Bag Die in Pink

Hi, friends, I have a card up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog today where we're announcing the new August Challenge, Bright and Beautiful, with lots of inspiration. For this challenge, I added sequins and Stickles glitter glue in Diamond and a gold foil heart sticker.

I used the Hero Arts 3-D Shopping Bag die with some Doodlebug Designs Cream and Sugar paper. I inked some Woodgrain Vellum with pink ink and inserted it into the dimensional bag.You can add money or a gift card too, to this adorable bag. The background has an oval cut into another sheet of the Cream and Sugar paper, outlined in Stickles. Behind the oval I added more of the Woodgrain Vellum paper but left it white. 

Hop over and say hi or hop over to the a2z Scrapbooking store and get your own 3-D Shopping Bag die. If you have $25 or more in your cart, you can apply a 15% off code when you check out, just type in CHARK15. It even applies to the sales and clearance items (and there's a lot since it's clearing out time!)

Happy Tuesday!
Chark

Stenciling on Black Paper

So, I got a few of the Distress Oxide inks and have been playing around with them on white and kraft, but I decided to give black paper a whirl and picked up some from the lss, which had single sheets of black paper for chalk markers. It's so smooth!

I used my Diamond stencil from Hero Arts and Cracked Pistachio, Faded Jeans and Picked Raspberry. Loved how it turned out...the Distress Oxides are so crisp, compared especially to the regular Distress inks. 

Here's a peek at it over on the a2z Scrapbooking blog. Pop over and say HI!

Jennifer McGuire has a new video featuring the new Oxide ink colors here, if you're interested.

Happy Monday!
Chark

Design Team Call

Thought I'd pop in to let you know that the a2z Scrapbooking Supplies blog is having a design team call. I'm the DT coordinator and our next term will be July-December of this year. 

I've been on the team for awhile now and coordinator for under a year, and I love this team. Everyone is low drama, super helpful and talented. If you're interested, here's the link to the official info. I like that I get a chance to promote my blog, get a discount on Hero Arts as well as adhesives, Concord and 9th, Artistic Impression stamps, cardstock, markers and more. You also get free Hero Arts digis and cut files. Plus, it's great incentive to sit down and create!

There are just two mandatory posts each month, comments on challenge entries needed (and you don't have to comment on all the entries) and a request that you create something for the challenge post on the first of the month twice during the 6 months. It all totals up to low commitment and great people to work with. 

Also, one of my favorite things about a2z Scrapbooking is that the manager (well, no one actually) takes a salary, this store was started to fund two charities close to the owner's heart--to help those with Celiac Disease and those with Behcet's Disease. It's why I shopped there to start with!

Hope you'll try out for the team and hope you'll join in our May challenge. You can get those details on the blog too, where I'm up with this card today!

Oh, and since tomorrow is May the 4th be with you day, here's a Star Wars cartoon and craft and recipe for your intergalactic enjoyment.

Here's your recipe--love these cupcakes, and they look simple enough to make (a plus in my book). I tried to make SW storm trooper cupcakes once and well...I'm not putting up a photo of them :)

A link to this fast and easy (and clever) craft.

And here's your joke x 4. 

Tom Swiftie: “Let’s watch ‘Star Wars’!” Tom said forcefully

Darth Vader: I know what you’re getting for Christmas.
Luke: How do you know?
Darth Vader: I can feel your presents.

Q: What did the rancor say after he ate a Wookiee?     A: Chewie! 

Q: What happens if Anakin Skywalker grills you a burger? A: Its a little on the DARK side 


Groans are acceptable here.

Happy Wednesday!
Chark

Hero Arts Stamp & Cut

Love the Stamp & Cut sets, because you get dies and stamps that go together in a neat little set. I used the So Sorry Stamp & Cut today on the a2z Scrapbooking blog. Here's a little peek. Hope you'll stop by and say hi!

And you can stop by the a2z Scrapbooking store to purchase this set for just $14.95. It's got some great sentiments and I can't stop die cutting hearts! If you have $25 in your cart, you can use CHARK15 to get 15% off your purchases too!

Happy Thursday!
Chark

Crafty Friends Are The Best

Just wanted to share two cards I received recently from two talented ladies. The first is from my sister-in-law, Donna, who is pretty new to cardmaking, though she has always been crafty. It's my birthday card with some money in the pocket. I wonder what I should get? I'm thinking I should head to Jo Ann's and see what needs to come home with me! Love how cute this is!

The second card is a thank you from Karen, who's a frequent commenter here on the blog, which I totally appreciate! She won a little blog candy and sent this beautiful card. Love, love the gold ink on the background and the front panel. And the bird looks so cool on the die cut. Thanks for the thank you, Karen!

And here are the the bird stamps I won from Karen awhile back...which I didn't send a thank you for...but am so glad I won. Aren't they the cutest? I watercolored them with Distress Inks. Now I have to decide what to do with them. I've also used them on envelopes to dress them up.

Also, if you're looking for some fun new stamps, the Hero Arts summer catalog release is now in at a2z Scrapbooking, so hop over and check it out. Here are a couple of fun ones to tempt you. And don't forget, if you use CHARK15 as your coupon code, you'll get 15% off your total purchase of $25 or more before shipping. New stamps and inks at a discount--my favorite combination!

Happy Wednesday!

Chark

New Monthly Challenge

I'm up over at the a2z Scrapbooking blog today with my take on the new challenge for March—Embossing. I used embossing paste with a stencil for my card and added the cutest elephants from the Lil Hoot stamp set from Hero Arts. 

 
The stamp set is on sale for $8 at a2z Scrapbooking and it was originally one of the $14.99 sets, so it's a great deal. If  you have kids in your life, you might need this set for cards and gifts.

There's a die set that matches too—I'm a big fan of matching dies.

Hope you'll pop over to a2z and say Hi! And remember, if you spend $25 in the store (before shipping) you can use my code CHARK15 to get 15% off your order. And if you shop the sale section here, you'll be saving mad money!

Happy Wednesday!
Chark

 

Glittery Birthday Wishes

I'm up on the a2z Scrapbooking blog today with a birthday card I made with a Hero Arts digi set. I used Stickles to color the cake for extra glitter. The background uses those Dylusional spray inks I talked about this week. I'm loving them!

Hope you'll stop by and say Hi over at a2z and enter this month's challenge to use glitter and bling and bring the Fireworks into your projects! Here's a peek at my card.

Happy Sunday and see you tomorrow for my regular Monday post!
Chark

Gingerbread Girl Power

Ok, love that there is both a gingerbread boy and a girl in this mini stamp set by Kelly Purkey. For a Hero Arts Flickr Secret Santa, I made a card and tag with the girl, cuz girls rock! :)

Here they are. I used the Spellbinder Tranquil Moments dies I've had for awhile. Turns out the thicker paper works better here because the thinner paper tears a bit when you take it out of the die sometimes.

This adorable stamp set is on sale at a2z Scrapbooking, along with tons of new items, so hop on over and find some bargains or brand-new Valentine goodies for your stocking!

Happy Monday!

Chark