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

TAWS post #46 - New Release Blog Hop!

Hello my friends!! SO glad you are here today for The Alley Way's new release blog hop!!  You should be arriving here from my fellow design teammate Marina's blog!

Today I'm sharing a project that I made using the AWESOME new set Splat along with this month's 'free with $40 product purchase' Express Yourself.  I made this card for my darling sister's recent birthday.  She loves purple and turquoise so this was perfect for her!  When planning this card I actually made an entire 8.5 x 11" sheet of paper using this set and cut it down to the size I needed.  This way I have extra and can make more cards!

I used a combination of Hero Arts and Distress inks to create this fun and funky panel.  When creating an entire panel like this I like to start with the bigger stamps and then fill in the little spaces with the smaller stamps.  There are many large, medium and small little stamps in this set.  It's FANTASTIC!!  I then went totally opposite on the color wheel to make the banner for my sentiment.  I put together the sentiment from the Express Yourself letter set along with the two little stars on either end.  I then stitched a couple of rows above the sentiment for added texture.  I matted everything on amazing and oh so yummy glitter cardstock from the open stock paper area at Michael's.

This was a super fun card to make and I love how it turned out!  

Thanks so much for coming by today!!  Off you to go my teammate N@Ali's blog!!  

If you get lost along the way here is the entire hop list for you!

Chrissie 

Angel

Archana
Dana

Emily

Heather

Holly

Jeni
Lexa

Lisa

Marina

Meredith

N@Ali
Simonne

Tanja

Yuki

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #45 - Sneak Peek Time - You've Got This!

Greetings Alley Way Friends!  I cannot believe it's THAT time again!  Release time!!  WOO HOO!! An entire new fabulous batch of stamps is almost out and ready for purchase!  This month's sets are totally adorable!!  Today I'm sneak peeking you a set called Old School.  If you like to play games this is the set for you!!  

I've used the old school game piece in my pattern repeating on watercolor paper.  I used my Distress Markers and Inktense watercolor pencils to lay down my color.  I used my Perfect Pearls water in a mister bottle to wiggle the color around a bit.  Once the color was done I stitched around my panel and used some fabulous papers from Studio Calico to build the rest of my creation.

I used some MFT rolled flower Die-namics for the flower cluster.  I used my circle punch to create sparkly leaves that are tucked behind the flowers.  This is a fantastic trick I learned from Jennifer McGuire.  You punch a circle with any circle punch.  You then put only a part of the punched circle back into the circle punch and punch again which then creates a wonderful leaf shape!  Simple and brilliant!

Thanks SO much for coming by today!!  See you for tomorrow's new release blog hop!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #44 - Dad

Hi Alley Way Friends!!  I'm here today with a fun and CAS design that I made for my father for Father's Day.  I used the awesome set Mustache Mania to create this quirky panel for my project.

I used Hero Arts, Distress and SU! inks in a variety of browns to add the fun and funky mustaches.  I used my T-ruler to line everything up perfectly.  My sentiment is simple and to the point!  =)

I stitched around the perimeter to give it a bit more texture but left it alone after that.  I SO wanted to add more but my Dad is a simple guy so I left it as it was.

Thanks so much for coming by today!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #43 - Father's Day

Hi Friends!  Popping in today with a super simple card that I made for Father's Day.  I'm using the Alley Way set called Tie One On.

I started by stamping my pattern onto Spectrum Noir paper.  It's a nice smooth paper, great for stamping.  I find that it holds ink very well.  I stamped my check pattern using Navy Hero Arts Dye Ink,  There are 3 different 'tie' patterns that come with the set.  I then stamped my tie image over the top of the check pattern and fussy cut it out.

I adhered it to my kraft card base leaving the bottom of the tie without adhesive so it would pop up just a tiny bit.

I added my sentiment to the bottom using Hero Arts black ink.

Hope you have a fantastic day!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #42 - Sweet Wishes

Hi Alley Way Friends!  I'm here today with a VERY simple yet summery creation featuring the new Alley Way set called Slurp.  I fussy cut out my image which had been water colored previously.  I then coated it up with a think layer of Glossy Accents.

I used an older sketch from MFT to layer and stitch my paper.  I added my sentiment which is also from this set and a few Theresa Collins sparkly heart stickers for some added dimension.  As you can see in the photo below I used 3D foam adhesive to add my image.  I love the little touch of depth this step lends to a project.

Thanks so much for coming by!!

See you again soon!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #41 - Summer treats

Greetings Friends!!  I'm here today to bring you a yummy card using the new set Slurp!  I'm also using the "free with $40 in product" purchase this month's set called Brain Freeze.  It's a super cute mini set and I LOVE this sentiment!

I started by coloring the popsicles using my Copic markers.  Due to my crazy life (homeschooling my 2 older kiddos with my 2 year old running around constantly) I'd tucked my Copics away a couple of years ago and have regularly used my water colors and colored pencils to color images.  But I've missed the different looks you can get with Copic markers so for these simple shapes I brought them out.  I chose three different colors - a light, medium and dark, for each of the pops.  I started with my darkest at the bottom of the image.  I laid down a bit of color then progressed to the middle range color.  I colored this over the existing dark color with the medium color and then moved up the image slightly.  I did the same process with the lighter color and fiddled around a little bit going in between dark, medium, and light until I was happy with how they looked.

I then went in and added a generous coating of Glossy Accents and let them dry overnight.  Once they were dry, I fussy cut them out and added them to my card which I created using an older sketch from MFT.  I used foam adhesive to pop them up to give them a fun 3-D look.

Thanks so much for coming by today!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #40 - It was a treat...

Hi TAWS friends!!  I'm here today with a treat filled card to share!  I'm using this month's awesome set called Slurp!  I've also used this month's 'free with $40 in product purchase' set called Brain Freeze for my sentiment.  Lastly, I pulled out one of my favorite older Alley Way sets called Line Upon Line for my background.  This is a FANTASTICALLY versatile background set that is perfect for so many techniques.

I started by pre-coloring my ice cream image on water color paper.  I do this in advance so that when I have a moment to create the images are ready when I need them.  I colored the image with my Kurtake Gansai Tambi Watercolor paints.  I fussy cut my image out and added a very generous coating of Glossy Accents onto the ice cream.  I set it to dry overnight.

I stamped my background onto watercolor paper to give it that splotchy look.  I used Hero Arts ink in Butter Bar as I wanted it to be a very summery yellow.  Lastly I stamped my sentiment.  I used my very favorite glitter cardstock from Michael's as a matte for my panel.  Sometimes I'll cut small strips and adhere them to either side of the panel but this time I used a full piece as it lends itself to a different look.

I added both of these layers to a card base using kraft cardstock.  It's simple and fun!

Thanks for coming by today!

See you soon!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith

TAWS post #39 - #LOVE U

Good morning crafty friends!!   Thanks for joining me today as I share my watercolor end creation using The Alley Way sets Tickle Me Happy and a new set called Lite Brite.  I sat down when I had a few minutes and made a bunch of panels using the beautiful feathers from the Tickle Me Happy set.  I kept each panel simple using a monochromatic scheme, this card in different shades of orange with my Distress Inks.  Once the color was down, I sprayed my panel with pearlized water in a mini mister   bottle.

I added my sentiment using the set Lite Brite using my Hero Arts ink in purple.  I added some enamel dots and attached my panel to an orange card base.

Simple and beautiful!  And an easy way to create many cards at once!

Thanks for joining me today!

See you soon!

Crafty Hugs-
Meredirh

TAWS post #38 - Hello

Greetings Friends!  I'm here today bringing you a Distress Inked rainbow creation using one of The Alley Way's newly release sets called Lite Brite.  This is a super simple project.  Sometimes I have the time to create lengthy pieces and other times it has to be quick as we homeschool our now 3rd and 5th grader and I also have a 2 year old so crafty time is beyond limited.

Anyway, for this I pulled out my Distress Inks using Festive Berries, Ripe Persimmon, Squeezed Lemonade, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean and Seedless Preserves.  I then misted them a few times with my Perfect Pearls water and let them sit to dry.  I love the natural effect of the blurred edges that you get from this technique.

I then adhered my panel to black cardstock and then to my green card base.  I added some glittery washi tape and purple sequins as an added embellished touch.

Thanks so much for coming by today!

See you soon!

Crafty Hugs!
Meredith