“Oh My Little Chickadee…”

I hope everyone is having a very creative and productive week. I have been very busy with several Facebook groups and in-between that I was able to complete a project with Fun Stampers Journey (FSJ) stamps and supplies. Truth be told, I started on this last week. I am really enjoying getting back to my rubber stamps roots.

The Christmas spirit has finally grabbed me, so I decided to use the FSJ Christmas Melody set for my next rubber stamp project. There are three large stamps that make perfect images for cards. There are also a “Merry Christmas” sentiment and a gorgeous holly stamp for an extra embellishment. I chose the Chickadee image to begin my card.

Before the creative process started I stamped the chickadee with Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Copic X-press Blending Card. It was then colored with Copics and trimmed with Spellbinder’s Celebration’s Pierced Oval. After the trimming I added FSJ Kiwi Slice True Color Fusion ink around the edges for a little more pop of color.

Copics used:

Chickadee: C0, 1, 3, 5, and clear glitter pen

Branch: E25, 50

Berries: R20, 22, 27, 29, 89

Background: W00, 0, 1, 2, 3

I could not locate any designer paper that I liked with my Chickadee (As much DP that I have, I was shocked! LOL) I decided I would make my own. I searched through my ever-growing stencil stash and found just what I was looking for. This stencil is from Joggles.

My finished card was going to be finished size of 5½” square, and I knew that there would be several layers of cardstock under my DP. I trimmed some FSJ Whip Cream cardstock to 5” square and got ready to stencil. For photographing purposes I used a piece of Kiwi Slice cardstock so you could see the cardstock and stencil. I taped the white cardstock, with removable tape, to the green cardstock. The next step was to position the stencil where I wanted the image from the stencil to be.

I am ready to create the designer paper. I used a sponge dauber with FSJ Kiwi Slice True Fusion ink. I always start on the right side because I am left handed, not as messy. This was the point where I started truly appreciating FSJ’s True Fusion inks. They are a hybrid ink so they keep that same pigment intensity as a pigment ink. They are also very quick drying, so no mess.

My embellishments are red ribbon and box (from my stash) and holly corners. My holly corners (see below) were die cut from Spellbinder’s Holly Motifs in FSJ Kiwi Slice cardstock. After embossing, and before I released them from the die, I used FSJ Kiwi Slice True Fusion Ink on the embossed areas. I die cut a total of eight hollies and used two for each corner. From my stash I glued red flat-backed pearls to the center.

For the completion of my card I used 8½”x11” FSJ Kiwi Slice cardstock trimmed to 5½”x11” and folded in half to make my 5½” square card base. Next step was to take my homemade designer paper and layer that with FSJ Kiwi Slice and Candy Apple cardstock. Before attaching this to my base I added my red ribbon and bow. My Chickadee was placed on two FSJ Caddy Apple cardstock oval die cuts and placed above the bow with foam tape. The final pieces were the holly corners. Mission completed!

Before I sign off, I wanted to invite you to my Facebook group, “AJ’s Stampers Journey.” The group is still in the growing stages and I am getting ready to send out catalogs to my members. If you would like a catalog, come join my group, and then send me a PM on Facebook or email me with your mailing information.

With Fun Stampers Journey you have a business opportunity of becoming a Journey Coach. You will have exclusive access to products, product discounts, a very generous compensation plan, and the ability to create and connect with friends and family. I don’t want you to miss this amazing opportunity of becoming one of the earliest coaches within this growing and expanding company, Fun Stampers Journey.  I would be honored to have you on my team. Click http://www.funstampersjourney.com/155 for more information. After you have read all the information and you have questions, please contact me at ajsdesigns@cox.net. 

"Oh My Little Chickadee" would like to enter the following challenges:

Craft-Dee BowZ - Anything Goes, include a handmade bow

My Craft Creations - Anything Goes

Through the Craftroom Door - Anything Goes

This was a rather long post, but I hope you had reading enjoyment, and maybe picked up a few tips. Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

FSJ Coach

Coloring Contest with RSD and Kit & Clowder

Rick St Dennis and Kit and Clowder  are teaming up this week for a special promotion. A give-away and coloring challenge that will take place over on Kit and Clowder's Facebook group and on the Rick St. Dennis Digi Fans & Friends group. So, as you might imagine, Facebook is the place to be this week.

What do you have to do to get in on the action?

• Well, firstly, you have to be a member of the Kit and Clowder group and a member of her Ning group to be able to get this image for free - for a limited period only - Monday to be precise. Click here for the free image. That's 3 days. Then the digi will be available to buy in Rick’s shops. (Links will be available when she makes an appearance there)
• All that is being asked is that you submit your (watermarked) colored version into the challenge folder that will be set up in Kit and Clowder. Don't forget to share over at the Rick St Dennis group as well.
• There will be a discount code announced to go spending in the store. You're already a winner just by finding this.
• Then, as an added bonus, there will be a selection made for the bigger prizes - Mr. Random will pick one winner to win a choice of THREE digis, Rick himself will pick another winner - again with a prize of THREE digis  - then on top of this there will be three random picked to win 1 digi.
• We will be picking based on originality and creativity and not skill level - never feel like you aren't good enough to play along! 

Want to win some more???

• Comment on what image(s) you would get using the discount code and a random winner from the comments will be picked to get a further TWO digis! 
• WOW - did you get all that? - so many chances to win!!

The EDT has been coloring already and you can see their versions of our cute witchy, Ms. Zephyr McBroom, on our Sparkle & Glitter blog.

Here is my Zephyr McBroom. She, like all of Rick’s images, was a joy to color.

Copics used:

Skin: E000, 00, 04, 11, 21, & R20

Hair: YR14, E08, 19, 59

Apron, pumpkin, & parts of socks:

YR04, 12, 14, 18, 20, & E09

Dress, pumpkin trim & parts of socks:

V000, 09, 12, 15, 17

Dress ruffle, hat band, & pumpkin cut outs:

YG21, 23, 25, 67

Hat, gloves, shoes: C00, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9

Background: W00, 00, 1, 2, 3, & YG21

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you join our contest this week. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

RSD Elite Design Team

RSD with a New Release

A “new release” is an understatement. Rick St. Dennis MFA (RSD) has out done himself this time around. In both his Etsy shop, which has instant download, and his Zibbet shop, he has over 40 new images. I hope he can keep this creative tempo going because I can never have enough of RSD images.

Unfortunately I was able to only get three images colored this past week, but the ones I picked were so much fun to color. Don’t worry I will be back with more. I have listed the Copics that I used in my coloring. RSD links will not be included because you can go to either one of his shops and purchase to your heart’s content (Links are in my first paragraph.).

My first one is “Flower Girl.” Isn’t she the cutest? I think the only thing that I would change is make her roses a little lighter. I do love turquoise and purple as a color combo.

Copics used for Flower Girl:

Skin: E000, 00, 04, 11, 21, and R20

Hair: E11, 13, 15, 18

Dress: BG10, 53, 57, 78

Leaves: G40, 82, 94, 99

Roses: V01, 06, 09

Background W000, 0, 1, 2, 3, and V000

The second one is “Rapunzel.” I love coloring hair and why I chose auburn for Rapunzel, I will never know. Maybe she got tired of all the blonde jokes ;o)

Copics used for Rapunzel:

Skin: E000, 00, 04, 11, 21, and R20

Hair: E11, 13, 15, 18

Gown: BV000, 01, 02, 04, 08

Jewels: YR23, 27

Background: W00, 0, 1, 2, 3

My third one, and last for the day is “Cindy.” I really love all three, so I cannot pick a favorite.

 Copics used for Cindy:

Skin: E000, 00, 04, 11, 21, and R20

Hair: Y15, 26, E37, and YR24

Dress: B01, 02, 04, 05, 06, 99 and

R81, 83, 85, 89

Bows: R0000, RV11

Background: W00, 0, 1, 2, 3

I hope that you hop over to our Facebook Rick St. Dennis MFA Friends & Fans group and join in our Event going on. We also have a Progressive Challenge going on at the Sparkle & Glitter blog. Lots going on, I hope you don’t miss any of it.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Designs

RSD Elite Design Team

Autumn Days Are On Their Way

Well, it’s been a while for me not being in blog land. I hope that I can remedy that over the next several months. I have had pneumonia off and on since mid-July and the final third round of antibiotics did the trick. All the rehab that I went through has gone down the drain. I am probably going to have to start all over. Oh, my computer decided to get sick too. I think that we are both going to survive.

While this was all going on I decided to become a Fun Stampers Journey (FSJ) Coach. I was a Stampin’ Up demonstrator for over five years and thoroughly enjoyed it, but the quarterly sales quota was a little steep for me to keep up. Fun Stampers Journey has quarterly sales that are very reasonable and workable. This is a new company and that means that whoever becomes a FSJ coach now is really going to get to watch this company grow and be a part of the excitement and earn income too. I am looking for people who love the arts and crafts industry, who love stamping and coloring, and who love paper and lots of it. If you are interested, please contact me. In the subject line please type Fun Stampers Journey.  You can find out more information on becoming a FSJ Coach on my FSJ site. I would love to have you on my team.

More FSJ news: we have new catalogs coming out this month, a full catalog with over 550 items (most new merchandise), and our Holiday Mini. I can’t wait to see the Holiday Mini! I am also excited about all the new products too. At least I have my Coach’s discount! ;o)

This is my first project with one of the FSJ stamp sets. I fell in love with the set “Autumn Days.” When I saw the Sugar Maple leaf, I had to have the set. We have an abundance of Sugar Maples in our historic neighborhood. I tried to emulate the colors for my project.

In the photo above you will see that I stamped the maple leaf four times with Black Licorice ink. (By the way, our inks are amazing. They are hybrid, meaning dye and pigment ink all in one.) Every time that I stamped with the Black Licorice I got a perfect image. After the images were dry, I used Derwent Watercolor Pencils in Beech Green, Hot Red, Tangerine, and Golden Yellow. I fussy cut each one and ran a Sharpie Black brush pen on the edges to hide the white edges. I hope that I got some of the Maple’s leaves fall color.

For my next element I attempted to make an Aster using Spellbinder’s Die D-Lite Create an Aster. I really wanted a mum, but after I made this I was satisfied. I used FSJ’s Orange Creamsicle cardstock and added Hazelnut Blend ink to the embossed areas. After that was dry, I added Tangerine Fusion ink to get a richer fall orange. Before assembling all the pieces I touched the tips of each petal with more Hazelnut Blend ink. The last highlight was some Journey Glaze and Journey Sparkle Dust on each petal end. Assembling was completed with Journey Glaze as my adhesive between the layers.

My card base is Hazelnut Blend and Orange Creamsicle (don’t you just love these names) cardstocks. My designer paper is Bazill Basics Autumn Harvest collection. All of my elements, leaves and flower were layered on a die cut from Spellbinder’s Celebrations Pierced Oval in the Hazelnut Blend cardstock. To complete my card I added half pearls from my stash.

                                Autumn Days would like to enter the following challenges:

ArtbyMarin – Anything Goes

Creative Fingers Challenge – Anything Goes/Glitter and Shimmer

Delicious Doodles – Color of Autumn

Thanks so much for stopping by.  If you need more information about my project or about Fun Stamps Journey, please contact me.

Aletha Jane

Fun Stampers Journey

AJ’s Design Artz