Sending you a Hug

August 17, 2020August 16, 2020 natashavacca6 Comments

Hi Crafty Friends and welcome back! I hope you had a great weekend! It was a great weekend here! Lots of time in my garden, family time, and of course some crafty time! Today I am sharing a card using the Brutus Monroe Stencil of the Month. It is such a fun stencil design and will pair well with many other stamps in your collection! So let’s get started!

I started by preparing my stencil with adhesive spray. I have found the spray to work well with temporarily adhering the stencil to the paper. This is especially helpful when working with pastes! Once everything was set, I was ready to play with Velveteen glazes on my Stencil of the Month. Today I am using 2 Velveteen Glazes: Midnight Indigo and Fresh Kale. I enjoyed using these 2 colors together. I did lighten the Midnight Indigo a bit, with white Gesso, as I wanted a lighter blue. To do this I just mixed a little of each together on my glass mat (Gesso and Midnight Indigo) and it was ready to go. When I applied this glaze I wanted to create a mix of the 2 colors on the stencil. So I randomly applied the color. Once it was all set, I placed this panel aside to dry over night. I then prepped the teal color card stock panel by dry embossing the stencil using my die cutting machine. I also prepared 2 sentiments for my card. I chose a Hugs die cut from Simon Says Stamp and another from Super Sentimental Brutus Monroe. I die cut the Hugs sentiment 2x and adhered these together. I embossed the other sentiment on black card stock using white embossing powder.

The next day I was ready to complete my card. I wanted to add a little “extra” sparkle to my stencil and glaze, so I added Glitter Glaze Fallen Snow – Brutus Monroe. I applied this in various sections on the panel for added interest! I then adhered my card together. I added a few sequins for added shine and sparkle! I hope this card will brighten someone’s day!

Thank you for stopping by! I have listed all the products I used within my post. You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Super Sentimental Brutus Monroe
Stencil: Brutus Monroe Stencil of the Month
Coloring Medium: Midnight Indigo, Fresh Kale, Glitter Glaze Fallen Snow – Brutus Monroe.

Have a great day! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Happy Halloween – Brutus Monroe Stamp of the Month

August 3, 2020 natashavacca10 Comments

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! I wanted to stop in quickly to share a project I made using Brutus Monroe – Stamp of the Month. This month the stamp is an adorable Jack-o-Lantern! Isn’t it cute! The stamp of the month is one of the monthly subscriptions Brutus Monroe offers. Each month you will receive a 2×3 stamp set for $5 which includes shipping – check it out here!

I started by stamping my pumpkin image on Bristol Smooth card stock. Today I am using my zig clean color brush markers to do the coloring. On the coloring today I started with a darker shade and then blended out with a lighter shade of color. I din’t use any water today. This was a fun and quick image to color! Wouldn’t this little stamp be adorable as a background for your card? I may need to try that! Once the image was colored, I fussy cut the stamped image and set it aside.

I then used a Brutus Monroe slim line stencil to create the background. I used the Star Wreath from collection A. I used a spray adhesive for my stencil and then placed it on my card panel. I ink blended using Distress Oxide in Twisted Citron. I love the bright green of this color combined with the purple and orange. I then did the same in the top corner of my card panel. I added a few splatters using metallic black watercolor paint. I heat embossed the sentiment on on the black card stock. I then adhered my card together and foam mounted the pumpkin. I added a few purple drops to complete this card.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the stamp of the month! It sure is cute!

Last week Brutus Monroe released new slime line stencils – you can see the bundle below.

July Slimline Stencil Bundle (you can also purchase these separately)

Supplies Used:

Stamp: Stamp of the Month
Paper: Bristol Smooth Card stock
Coloring Medium: Zig clean color Brush Markers
Other: Star Wreath from collection A

Have a great night! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Happy Birthday – Slimline Style!

July 20, 2020July 19, 2020 natashavacca12 Comments

Hi everyone! I am excited to be back! I hope you had a good weekend! I took a few days off from crafting. I got stung by a bee in my hand and with the swelling I was unable to color! I am happy to be back! I hope this post finds you doing well! Today I am sharing a slimline card using one of the stencils in Collection A.

I started by spraying a temporary “glue” spray to the back of my stencil and then placed the stencil on Strathmore Bristol Smooth cardstock. To create the background I used Distress Oxide inks to create a rainbow background. I used the following oxide colors:

Picked Raspberry
Spiced Marmalade
Squeezed Lemonade
Cracked Pistachio
Peacock Feathers

I used my blending brushes to complete the process and continued until I had a smooth blend. I then added some splatters to the background and once dry I felt I needed a bit more visual interest on the background. I then used washi tape to create 3 diagonal stripes. I used Brutus Monroe Glitter Glaze in Gold to create the stripes. I then removed the stencil.

I then trimmed my panel using a slimline die – Gina Marie Designs/Scrapbook Outlet. I glued this to my slimline card panel. I then chose 3 sentiments from Super Sentimental and heat embossed these on black cardstock using Alabaster White Embossing Powder. I adhered the sentiments using foam tape. I added a few sequins and my card base was complete.

I then used the stencil to add a little design to the corner of my Envelope – Brutus Monroe. I used Distress Oxide Ink in Cracked Pistachio. I love the added color on the outside of my envelope!

Supplies Used:

I hope you have a great week! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Thankful for You – Die of the Month

July 13, 2020July 12, 2020 natashavacca8 Comments

Hi Crafty Friends! I hope this post finds you doing well! It is hard to believe it is mid-July! It has been very hot here in NY and today we have a milder summer day! It feels good to have the windows open! I wanted to stop in and share a card with you using the new Die of the Month from Brutus Monroe. I love happy mail and this die is so beautiful! Let’s get started!

I wanted to keep my card simple today to showcase this beautiful die. I die cut the image using Canson Mixed Media paper. When I first started I wasn’t sure if I was going to watercolor the die cut. But once I cut it out…. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I created a rainbow background using Peerless watercolors on Canson XL watercolor cardstock. Once my rainbow panel was dry, I glued the beautiful tree/fence right on top of my rainbow background.

I then added a few sequins in pink and yellow for a little extra shine. I then stamped the Thankful for You sentiment – Super Sentimental using Alabaster Embossing powder and Brutus Monroe embossing ink. I trimmed down my sentiment and adhered this with foam tape. This die is so beautiful – it truly did all the work for me! A simple watercolor background and my card was done.

Here is a link to the current SALE items at Brutus Monroe.

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Super Sentimental
Coloring Medium: Peerless watercolors
Paper: Canson XL and Canson Mixed Media
Other – Brutus Monroe Die of the Month, Alabaster White Embossing Powder, Embossing Ink

Have a great day! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Happy Birthday – Stencil of the Month

July 6, 2020July 5, 2020 natashavacca8 Comments

Happy Monday Crafty Friends! I am excited to be back sharing 2 of the monthly subscription products from Brutus Monroe. I am using the stencil of the month and the stamp of the month. I encourage you to check these 2 subscriptions out, as well as the other monthly subscriptions Brutus Monroe has.

I started by taping down the stencil of the month onto a piece of A2 sized water color card stock onto my glass mat. I sprayed the panel down with water and then sprinkled Tonic Shimmer Powder – Catherine Wheel on top of the water. You only need a little of the shimmer powder – the water does the magic for you! I sprayed a bit more water and it was fun to watch the powder move and the colors form! This monthly stencil was so fun for this technique. I was able to get 2 more panels created with the left over powder/water. I love when I can create multiple panels in one sitting!

I set aside my panel to dry. I then used the same stencil to create the envelope. I created a pattern along the bottom portion of the envelope and then stamped the cute mouse from the Stamp of the Month! Just a fun and easy way to coordinate the envelope! I used the Alabaster envelopes from Brutus Monroe and they were so easy to blend color on!

When my panel was dry, I die cut a heart out of the panel and the next size in vellum. I adhered the panel onto the card base, then the vellum heart, and last the hart using foam tape. I did add a bit of gold twine underneath for added interest and a few gold sequins.

I chose a sentiment from Super Sentimental – Happy Birthday! I stamped this using Brutus Monroe ink and Alabaster White embossing powder. I foam mounted my sentiment and my card was complete!

I had so much fun trying this technique! I learned this idea from my friend Ishani – you can see her Instagram here and on her page you will find a link to her you tube video using stencils! I encourage you to check it out!

Thank you for stopping by! I am listing all the products I have used below. You can click on any of the links I have shared if you are interested in purchasing the products. The products listed are a compensated affiliate link, which means if you make a purchase I receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. I really appreciate your support.

Supplies Used:

Stamp/Stencil: stencil of the month , stamp of the month , Super Sentimental
Paper: Canson Water Color Card Stock
Coloring Medium: Tonic Shimmer Powder – Catherine Wheel
Other: Alabaster envelopes from Brutus Monroe, Gold Twine, Sequins

Have a great day!

Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Just Wanted to say Hello – Unity Stamp Company

June 9, 2020June 8, 2020 natashavacca16 Comments

Hi everyone – I am back sharing a card I worked on over the weekend. Today I am using the set One of those People – Unity Stamp Company.

I started by stamping the floral cluster on Bristol Smooth Card stock. I wanted to create a floral background for my card. I stamped using WOW embossing ink and Brutus Monroe Gilded Gold Embossing powder. I created a random pattern of floral clusters all around my card base. I then colored in each of the flowers using my new Karin Markers. This is my first card using these markers and I LOVE them! They are so bright and blend easily on the Bristol paper. My color combinations are listed below:

Leaves: Apple, Lush Green, Cinnamon
Blue Flower: Arctic Blue, Indigo Blue
Red/Yellow Flower: Pale Orange, Orange Red, Gold
Yellow Leaves: Gold

Once my coloring was complete I cut out the panel using the Scalloped Rectangle Die – Gina Marie Designs. I then cut down a blue card stock to A2 sized and adhered this to my card base. I then glued down the floral panel on top of the blue. I stamped the sentiment from the stamp set in the same gold embossing powder and foam mounted the sentiment strip onto the card. I hope you enjoyed this card and how to use the floral cluster to create your own background!

Supplies Used:

Stamp: One of those People – Unity Stamp Company
Coloring Medium: Karin Markers (60 set)
Paper: Bristol Smooth Card stock
Other: Brutus Monroe Gilded Gold Embossing Powder

Have a great day everyone! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Stopping in to say Hello – Brutus Monroe

June 8, 2020June 7, 2020 natashavacca12 Comments

Hi everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend! The sun is shining and it feels like summer! I love it! Hope this post finds you doing well! I had a lot of fun creating this card using the adorable mermaids, these are an add on to the sold out Inspiration box at Brutus Monroe.

I started with all of my underwater images on Canson Mixed Media paper. I colored these in using my Tombow dual brush pens. I wanted to create a bright mermaid with beautiful pink hair. I used a variety of colors and continued to add colors until I achieved the bright colors I was looking for. I set these aside to dry. I started to work on my background for my card. I used an A2 sized panel of Bristol Smooth card stock. I blended several layers of distress oxide ink, from darkest to lightest: black soot, broken china, cracked pistachio, and tumbled glass. I continued until I achieved a smooth blend. I added a rays stencil at the top of the panel to create the sun shining down into the water using the broken china ink.

I added water to the panel to create splatters. I then added gold splatters to the panel as well. I love the added gold to the underwater scene. I then used my scan and cut to cut each of my images. I then added sparkles to each of the images. I then adhered the A2 panel onto a card base and adhered each of the images, as well as the sentiment strip using foam tape. Hope she makes you smile today!

There are AMAZING new products in the Brutus Monroe shop, including 6 slim line stencils! They are so BEAUTIFUL and fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

EDS/HSD – Awareness Hop

May 24, 2020May 23, 2020 natashavacca10 Comments

Hello Everyone…. I am excited to share with you that over on Instagram we are coming together as a crafty community to raise awareness about EDS/HSD and support @ehlers.danlos . The EDS/HSD are a group of connective tissue disorders that often go undiagnosed and unvalidated. Thank you for joining us in this effort to spread the word. Come join us over on Instagram to hop along for some gorgeous card making inspiration and the opportunity to win prizes form over 25 AMAZING sponsors. The hop begins with my amazing friend @handmadebytasha13 My friend Natasha has shared amazing resources and posts over the last week. I am sharing them here as well if you would like to learn more about EDS/HSD.

I was so excited to create a card to support my dear friend Natasha and I knew I wanted it to be special! Today I am using these beautiful tulips from Unity Stamp Company – Kit of the Month! I love receiving happy mail each month and the kit is loaded with AMAZING stamps! You can see this month’s kit here – as well as a link to other memberships as well! I started by stamping my image using WOW embossing ink and I used Gilded Gold embossing powder from Brutus Monroe. I used Canson XL Water color card stock today. I recently purchased Peerless water colors and let me tell you – I LOVE them! They are so bright and easy to work with! I also added a shadow in a gray tone around the tulips as well. I set these aside to dry.

I used the Grateful sentiment stamp from the April Kit of the Month – Unity Stamp Company. I stamped this on black card stock and used white embossing powder. Once my tulip panel was dry, I added splatters in gold. Then I ran this through my Spellbinders machine and used the Gina Marie Designs Only Pierced dots rectangle die. I used a Hero Arts rectangle die to trim the panel and then adhered this to a black card base. I added a few sequins to the panel and added clear drops to the center of each sequin.

I mentioned above that we have 25 AMAZING sponsors – come join us on Instagram for a chance to win these amazing prizes!!!!! You have until May 30th to hop along!!!!!

Supplies:

Stamps – May Kit of the Month/Unity Stamp Company
Paper: Canson XL Water Color Card stock, Recollections 110 lb black card base
Coloring Medium: Peerless Water colors
Other: Gold Watercolor (Hobby Lobby), Sequins, Gilded Gold Embossing Powder – Brutus Monroe

Thank you for your support! Crafty Hugs!

Natasha

Happy Birthday – Let’s go to the Fair

May 11, 2020May 10, 2020 natashavacca10 Comments

Hi everyone! I am back with a fun themed card – do you love summer, the smell of cotton candy, and going to an amusement park? When I see rides, it makes me think of summer days and nights! I am no longer a ride girl, but I still do love the excitement of going to an amusement park -it just makes me happy! Today’s card features the new stencil of the month from Brutus Monroe. I had fun using this stencil to create my card today!

The detail in this stencil was so fun to work with! I created a slim line card for today’s project. I started by ink blending using the stencil on top of Bristol Smooth Card stock. I used 3 colors (from top to bottom): Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, and Seedless Preserves. I used my Picket Fence blending brushes and did several layers until I achieved a smooth blend. I used perfect pearls to add splatters to my card, then set it aside to dry. Once it was dry, I cut it down to make the 3 parts of the amusement park.

I used a gray slim line card base, I adhered a black card stock panel along the bottom, then glued the roller coaster section into the middle, and used foam underneath the Merry -Go-Round and Ferris Wheel to add more dimension. I added a few gold stars to my background as well. I used a sentiment from Super Sentimental (which is currently sold out) but this set is AMAZING! I love all the fun fonts in this set!

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Super Sentimental
Stencil – stencil of the month from Brutus Monroe
Paper: Bristol Smooth Card Stock, Recollections 110 for card base
Other: Distress Oxide Inks: Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, and Seedless Preserves

Have a great day! Crafty Hugs,

Natasha

Congratulations – Brutus Monroe

April 20, 2020April 19, 2020 natashavacca5 Comments

Happy Monday everyone! I hope this post finds you doing well! I am excited to share with you a new card using the Stencil of the Month – from Brutus Monroe. This stencil is so beautiful and was the perfect way to create a Congratulations card. You can also visit Brutus Monroe to see the amazing sales they have going on as well!

To begin I started by placing one side of the stencil on Bristol Smooth paper. The stencil has a square in the middle, I placed washi tape across this section as I was only using the outer portion of the stencil. I then began to ink blend. I used a combination of distress oxides inks in: Abandoned Coral, Sqeezed Lemondae, and Picked Rasperry. Once my blending was complete I added glitter glaze -Unicorn over the top. I then removed my stencil and let the panel dry. Once the panel was dry, I did the other half of my card panel by following the same process.

I then used a piece of pink card stock and cut it down to size to fit between the 2 glittery sides. I adhered this to the card panel. I then stamped Congratulations on white card stock and used foam tape to adhere it to the center of the pink. The congratulations stamp is from Super Sentimental – Brutus Monroe.

I hope you enjoyed seeing another way to use this new stencil! I hope you enjoyed my card for today!

Have a great day- crafty hugs,

Natasha

Supplies Used: