Saunjune's Craftopia

Just starting on a new canvas.  Got her sketched out and lightly color blocked with PanPastels.  This is an big painting for me, and I feel a little out of my safe zone.  Also it is a request and a gift.....Oh the pressure!  The mermaid image is based on a rubber stamp that I have, I figured it would give me a nice starting point.  I plan to document the process here and see how this painting evolves.  Alright everybody, hold your breath, its time to dive in!

Here is my card for Scrappin N Style's Sunday Style Challenge No.5 Birthday Card time!  They are always my favorite kind of cards to make. (mostly because they always get used).  Here is what I did to make this one:  I stamped and heat embossed a sock monkey stamp from Stampin' up and then colored using a water brush and dye inks.  I used a copic multiliner pen in black to add the balloon strings, 'cause every balloon needs string to hang on to!  I added a couple eyelets and tied them with some polka-dot ribbon I had in my stash.  Then the card is finished by popping up the cupcake and balloon w/ 3-d dots.  The second picture is of the inside of the card, and the envelope!  Thanks for hosting another fun challenge Amy!

I just got home from teaching to an amazing group of ladies!  The class was so much fun I decided not only to blog about it but share the instructions as well!  Here is a tutorial for making a Steampunk inspired cigar box!  It is part of a series of classes I am teaching in tandem with Sondra K. called Cheaper than Therapy.  Spending an evening in a room filled with fun and creative people is theraputic indeed.  Well, on with the tutorial! Out of the Box In this class we created a paper covered foam frame to top a paper covered cigar box.  We used Graphic45 papers, Tim Holtz gear die cuts, and lots of fun industrial looking embellishments! Basics that you will need: A cigar box or paper mache box Paper trimmer Scissors Ruler PVA glue Glossy Accents glue 3-d foam dots or tape Foam-core board cut into 1.5 inch strips Cardstock Fun embellishments (gears, brads, bling, etc) Frame This First measure the top...

There is a great weekly challenge over at my friend Amy's blog, Scrappin N Style .  This weeks challenge is NEON with a little something sweet!  Well here is a quick little card I made that hopefully fits the bill.  Kraft,  neon pink and green cardstock, with some Prima printed cardstock.  I also used the new dylusions color sprays (fabulous!) and a bit of pink gumball perfect pearls spray (although it doesn't show well in this picture).  Any way, here is my contribution to the Sweet Neon craze!  Thanks Amy!

  I have been having way too much fun playing with my PanPastels! And just like the name says, these are pastels in a pan. This is because there is so little binder in them that they wouldn't function in stick form. They are almost pure pigment, so a small amount goes a long way and with very little excess dust. Oh, and one other amazing thing.... PanPastels are erasable! They are a dry medium, so there is no need to worry about wrinkling your art journal pages with wet paint, and you don't need to wait for them to dry. Although, a fixer spray should be used to keep them from smearing or transferring to other pages.  I usually use Krylon workable fixative spray, though I have used hairspray in a pinch. Another big part of what makes PanPastels so wonderful are the Sofft tools that are used to apply them. These spongy foam tools were developed specifically to be used with them, and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. There are flexible pallet knives with foam cov...