TAWS post #56 - New Release Blog Hop

Hi Friends!  You should be arriving via Marina's blog.  It's time for this month's awesome Alley Way Blog Hop!  Thanks for coming by and I'm so glad to share my project with you!  Today I'm using the new set called Everyday's A Holiday.  It comes with THE cutest yet basic "costumes" to dress up the adorable penguin in the Penguins on Parade set.

I stamped my image onto good quality 140lb watercolor paper.  I colored it in with my Kurtake watercolors.  I cut him out using my circle Spellbinders and nested him on an assortment of kraft, black and Studio Calico papers.  I stitched my innermost circle to anchor the image.

I used a plethora of papers and some black and white ribbon from past month's Studio Calico kits to pull together the entire card.  I stitched around the perimeter purposefully stitching through the ribbon to hold it in place better.  And I like how it looks.  I added some black dots and a bit of flair to balance everything out.

My favorite touch which is hard to photograph is the glossy accents on his goggles!  It makes me giggle every time I see it!

Thanks so much for coming by today!  You're off to N@Ali's blog!

See you next time!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #55 - Sneak Peek - You're WONDER-ful!

Hi Alley Way Friends!!  I'm SO excited that you're here with me today!  I am so happy to share with you my sneak peek of one of this month's AMAZINGly fun sets!!  Today I'm sharing with you a set called Happy Hero.  It's a hero dress up set for the oh so adorable penguin that comes in the Penguins On Parade set that's also being released this month.

I started by watercoloring my image onto good quality 140lb cold pressed water color paper.  I use Hero Arts basic dye ink in black.  It does not run.  I let my image dry as I assembled the rest of the card using scraps from a variety of older Studio Calico kits that I had in my stash.

I added some stitching, puffy star stickers and a die from MFT as my embellishments.

I can't wait to share with you the next creation I have using these adorable sets!!  Thanks so much for coming by today!!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #54 - Hello Beautiful Baby

Hi Friends!  Meredith here bringing you a project that I made using three different Alley Way sets called Words To Live By, Little Fellas and All Washed Up.  I did a wild and funky watercolored main image and then layered my papers keeping it cool and neutral.  I created a little heart embellishment by cutting multiple hearts out of my favorite glitter paper and then stitching them together for a layered and dimensional look!

I love that this could be used for a birthday card or a welcome baby card!  The possibilites are endless with these wonderful sets from The Alley Way Stamps!

Thanks for coming by today!

TAWS post #53 - Welcome Home!

Hi Friends!  Today I have a project I made using The Alley Way's Moosing You and Express Yourself sets.  I watercolored the moose and added lots of fun mix and match papers for a layered look.  I stitched around all of my panels and added my sentiment using Hero Arts black dye ink.  I wrapped some black and white baker's twine and added some enamel heart stickers for a little extra texture touch.

I sent this off to my brother and his wife as they've just returned from their honeymoon!  (she loves Moose!!)

Thanks for coming by today!

See you soon!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

Stamp Sale!!

C'mon and join in the shopping fun!!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #52 - Miss You Lots

Hi All!!  I'm here with a card that I created for a dear friend who lives far away.  I used an amazing set for backgrounds called Pillow Talk.  It's a fantastic set for a fun and funky graphic look.  Today I've used my Distress Inks in Seedless Preserves, Mowed Lawn, Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean.  I used good quality watercolor paper and layered each row on top of the next to create a larger variety in color.

When I was done stamping, I used my Perfect Pearlized water (this is Perfect Pearls pigment powder mixed in a mini mister bottle) and sprayed the panel 5-6 times.  I let it sit for about an hour to ensure it was fully dry.  I then stitched the panel to the green matte and mounted it all onto a white notecard.  I added my wonky stitched, hand cut, kraft banner and used the set called Delicate Doilies for my sentiment which is stamped in Hero Arts black dye ink.  I used a die from Mama Elephant called Index Card for the shimmery geotags.

Thanks so much for coming by today!!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith 

TAWS post #51 - A Tall Hello

Hello!!  Thanks for stopping by today!  I know I've been on a Distress Ink Smooshing "theme" these last few posts but I've been having so much fun I simply couldn't stop myself!  I ADORE The Alley Way set called Big Chatter.  It's simple, classic, yet it has lots of little extra stamps in addition to the sentiments that you can add to your project.

TAWS post #50 - Splattery Hello!

Hi Alley Way Friends!!  I'm here today using my FAVORITE Alley Way set called Big Chatter.  I've , once again used the awesome ink smooshing technique with my distress inks to create this bright and happy background into watercolor paper.

My sentiment is inked in Versamark Ink and heat set with white embossing powder.  I added some fun hearts with a stamp from the same set using black Hero Arts ink.

Thanks for coming by today!!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #49 - Be Bold

Greetings Alley Way friends!  Today I tried my hand at the increasingly popular "ink smooshing" technique (search for it on YouTube - there are a lot of awesome videos!)  I used my Distress Inks in Picked Raspberry, Peacock Feathers and Seedless Preserves along with Perfect Pearl shine powder mixed into a Mini Mister bottle.

I used the new Alley Way set called Oh Splat! for my sentiment which I stamped in Versamark Ink and heat set with white embossing powder.  The geotag die cuts are from a Mama Elephant set called Index Card.

I LOVE this technique!  It's fast, fun and produces wonderfully fun results!

Thanks so much for coming by today!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #48 - Congrats

Greetings TAWS friends!!  Today I bring you a special card that is near and dear to my heart.  This was the card that I made for my brother and his wife for their wedding last weekend!  It was their perfect day and I was so honored to be able to celebrate with them.  I used two of my very favorite Alley Way sets called Big Chatter (sentiment) and Flower Doodles (background).  I started by stamping the flowers using Hero Arts Unicorn White pigment ink and heat setting them with clear embossing powder.  White powder can sometimes be messy on a big piece like this which is why I went with the clear powder.  

Once my background panel was complete, I stamped my sentiment onto really good quality vellum.  I stamped it using SU! black pigment ink and heat set, once again, using clear embossing powder.  I didn't want to have any stray embossing powder on the vellum and the clear powder with the black ink really helps control that issue.  

I stitched the vellum to my background panel and mounted it all onto a piece of orangy/red cardstock (my sister-in-law's favorite color) and added it all to a white card base.  I added one sparkly heart and voila!  The day was as amazing and wonderful as they are!  

I know they will have a lifetime of happiness - what a match made in heaven!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #47 - Let's Fiesta!!

Greetings friends!  I'm here today with a super cutsie card using this month's new releases Cha Cha Cha and this month's mini set (free with a $40 pre-tax purchase) Neener Neener.

I used my "go-to" crafty medium of the moment - watercolor paint.  I painted an entire sheet of cacti using the Cha Cha Cha set and cut out the piece that I wanted to use for this card.  I then added the silly faces from Neener Neener.  I added my sentiment, my glitter matte and a few glitter enamel hearts for an added texture embellishment.

Thanks so much for coming by!!  For those who celebrate...have a great and safe July 4th weekend!

Warmly-
Meredith