Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Technique Time!

     My favorite thing about joining Stampin Up four years ago, has been all of the new techniques I have learned. And not just from Stampin up, but from conventions, classes, fellow crafters, and everyone's favorite...Pinterest! Starting out, I could stamp and cut paper and thats about it! 
     
     My recent favorite techniques are anything involving watercoloring. It's SO easy and they make such a big impact on my work. I love stamping outlines with Staz On and coloring them with inks and an aqua brush. I can stamp on canvas and add water to make little pieces of art. I have also been experimenting with different background techniques, and thats what I wanted to show off today.

     By no means is this a new technique, but I FINALLY sat down to play with it this morning, and this is the result! The coolest thing is that each piece is very different..




     I stamped my image on watercolor paper with black Staz On ink. After it was nice and dry, I added my color. I used a large acrylic block, and colored right on it with my Stampin Write Markers. Once the ink was on the block, I used one of the little spritzers filled with water, and squirted right onto the block. From there, all you need to do is put your image face down on the block and mush it down. My little trick for everything I watercolor is to let it mostly air dry, then I put the pieces between the pages of a heavy book. That helps with the warping as the water dries.

     Another one I tried recently was squirting onto an inked stamp. All these techniques were on hold for a while because I didn't have a squirt bottle! I see regular bottles used all the time in tutorials, but I always felt like that was too big. So I got a set of spritzers from Stampin Up, and they seem much more manageable! Here was my project for directly sptritzing a stamp.



    I have made this set of cards before by daubering ink onto the stamp, but that is a little tedious! You have to dauber across the whole stamp with even pressure, and then you have to really press hard for the ink to stamp well. So I inked up the stamp with my Stampin Write Markers instead, and the squirted them with water before stamping the image onto paper. The result is similar to daubering....you still get the nice color blending....but with this technique, you get a softer "mushing" effect of some of the colors. You can really see it in the individual picture I put up. I love beng able to see the detail the daubering gives you, but this is so much faster. I am hoping to get a few of these made for the Etsy site!

     And if you love this butterfly and the colors I used, it all came from Stampin Up. Click on my Stampin Up link if you are interested in ordering....just choose Melinda Bream as your demonstrator. 

     If you haven't watercolored yet, do it!! It's easy, beautiful and very fun!

Monday, March 9, 2015

Weekend Retreat!

     Well, I have a few more items up on Etsy, so the the shop continues to grow! I was able to get some new things created this weekend, as I was on a lovely scrapbooking retreat. I would love to actually take a scrapbook to finish, but I always have new toys to play with for card making.

     Besides cards, I had a little fun and got to experiment with my new dimensional church die. Even though I love and sell Stampin Up, I am a big fan of Papertrey Ink and Betsy Veldman. That is where the nifty toys came from to make these cuties!


     I even got to play with my new Papertrey Easter egg dies. These are so delicate, but not at all hard to work with. I love how these came out.



Friday, March 6, 2015

Back in Business!

     It has been a long time since my last post. A lot has happened since then! My "official" business got registered, and has been running successfully for two years now. I found a wonderful shop in Perkasie, PA to sell my things at as well. (check them out at www.facebook.com/chimayoperkasie)
I have expanded into making more styles of paper wreaths and mini watercolor canvases. It's great to be able to have the time and freedom to try more things!

     Since my babies are getting a little older, I have also re-opened my Etsy shop. A friend of mine with a great shop gave me some advice, so I have taken the reins once more, in the hopes of creating an even more successful card business, and bringing even more hand made goodies to those who are looking for them! Please check out my site at www.etsy.com/shop/LilyRCreations
And as a little shout out to her for all her help, check hers too! www.etsy.com/shop/SheLovesPaper

     I am hoping to really keep up with things this time, just perhaps not so rigorously. Making yourself do anything a certain number of times per week guarantees it gets to be no fun very quickly!
My Stampin Up and Facebook page links are still active, so feel free to keep up with everything :)




Friday, August 9, 2013

My Stampin' Up Site

     I am proud to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator, but I am sad to say that I had to get rid of my business website. This allows people to order products right through me. In the two and a half years I had it, I only got two new customers from it, so I decided to cut costs and cancel! Most of my customers are friends and family that add on to my own orders, or place orders during one of my events. I am still HAPPY to take anybody's order, especially if you are purchasing supplies that I used to make one of my cards! All you need to do is go to www.stampinup.com to order, and just choose me, Melinda Bream, as your demonstrator. I will change the link I currently have on this blog to take you right there instead of my personal site.
     Thanks!

Weeks 23 through 28

If you are wondering why I have all these weeks lumped together, please see the previous post!





Update!

     I was never very good at keeping up with this to start, but I realize it has now been over two months! OOPS! I am happy to say that I have been keeping up with my projects...just not writing about them. The reason is business related. MY business! Yes...my business, LilyRose Paper Crafts is official now. I have my sales license and my tax number. It was very scary to hit that submit button, but it was a life long dream come true when I did it.
     One of the reasons I became official (other than to please the IRS of course), was so that I would be able to prove I was a real business so I could get into larger, and even juried shows. In the back of my head, I was scared to submit my work to anything, but I attended a business class in March, and the two people that ran that class said that I was indeed good enough and to go for it! So after grilling them about how juried shows work, I actually sent my information into a place that does a huge fall festival. I didn't have high hopes, because even though the man I spoke to was very nice, he emphasized that their items tended to be more on the artsy, not crafty style. He was willing to pass my info on to a more appropriate store, but of course to be representing the people that run the whole thing would be awesome. And so I sent pictures of my nicest work.....and didn't hear anything. Then one day, I got a phone call. It turned out that they received everything, but then lost my paperwork! He said if I was still available, they would love to have me be a vendor, right at their store! I was SO excited I jumped around the house, keeping it quiet so as not to wake up my kids :)
     Reality set in then....this was a two day arts and crafts festival...both days a full 8 hours. I had never done a show that large! So all of my hopes to catch up on blogging went down the drain as I made a schedule to catch up on my craft items instead. Every week from the time I got back from vacation in July, until now, I have been making brand new cards, wreaths, and everything in between. I still have a lot to go, but I am on a good track. Since it will be a while....a LONG while....before I catch up with this again, I thought in the mean time I would leave some pictures of what I have been up to. ENJOY!!!


Monday, June 3, 2013

Week 22 (May 27th) - Monster Birthday

     This card is near and dear to me. It was not specifically made for my card challenge, but for my son's birthday. However, making a card is still making a card, and using fun techniques and stamps, so it counts!
     Back when I found out I was having a boy, I didn't know how to feel about it. I wanted a boy, since I already had a girl, but at the same time, I loved my little girl so dearly, and had no idea what to expect with a boy. Of course now, my universe revolves around both of them equally, each having a different special place in my heart. And I feel silly for ever having doubts about anything!
     But one thing I do remember being excited about, was making invitations with my monster stamps (yes, this was before he was even born). So two years later, I was ready to have a monster party, and this is what I made!



Instructions coming soon!

All from Stampin' Up
Cardstock:
Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi, Pool Party
Brushed Silver, Wisper White
Versa Mark ink
Midnight Muse Stampin' Write Marker
Pacific Point Stampin' Write Marker
Make A Monster clear stamp set
Chevron embossing folder
Typeset Alphabet Bigs die cut
Big Shot
Tangerine Tango embossing powder