Stampin' Mama: A mama that stamps

Looky, looky!!! I'm a featured artist!

Make sure you go over to check out Andrea Walford's site today!

I'm her Featured Stampin' Up Artist this week!

Click on this link to see ----> Featured Stampin' UP Artist of the Week: Erika Martin

I'm a Featured Crafter Today! WOOHOO!

A couple weeks ago, I got an email from Andrea Hays, from Crafts On a Whim, asking me to be the Featured Friday Crafter. What an exciting honor!

She just posted the interview today, along with some pictures of crafts (cards, scrapbook pages, altered books, gift ideas) that I've created!

Check it out here: Featured Crafter Friday - Erika Martin

Andrea does an amazing job of interviewing people and is always on the lookout for crafters to feature!

Thanks, Andrea, for a wonderful opportunity!

-Erika

Spring Blogger's Swap....Fourth Artist....Sarah Moore

It's not often that I get to feature a great artist two times in a little over a week! But I get that pleasure today!

Today's card from the Spring Blogger's Swap is from the amazingly talented Sarah Moore.

Just last week, Sarah and I posted each other as Guest Artists on each other's blogs. I'm THRILLED that I can feature her again on my blog in such a short amount of time.

And I'm thrilled that Sarah and I will be working together as 2 of the 5 girls that are on the newly formed Tuscan Rose Design Team.

Sarah sent this fabulous card as her Spring Swap and I just LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It's a really cute and different design than a regular formatted card. It looks like a mini file folder! How CUTE is that????

It has a little punched out window on the front and inside, there's a card that comes out! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this card???

Supplies:

Stamps: Office Accoutrements
Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White, Polka Dots and Paisley Double-Sided Designer Series paper
Ink: Olive Olive
Accessories: Pewter HodgePodge Hardware Kit 

Sarah also heads up the awesome Craft Critique Blog and there's an AWESOME Altered Items Carnival going on over there.

Sarah is a girl of many talents. The things she does with the "retro" style are absolutely amazing! The talent that girl has astounds me!

Click on over to her blog to check out the rest of her work: ----> Sarah and the Stampstars

THANK YOU, Sarah, for such a cute and ingenious card!

Spring Blogger's Swap....Third Artist....Denise Bryant

Today's card from the Spring Blogger's Swap is from Denise Bryant. Denise's blog is found over at All Things Stamped.

Denise has such a fun spirit and I love reading her daily musings about stamping, samples, life and the world the way Denise sees it. She's got a great sense of humor and I LOVE that's she's open and candid.

Denise is also a fantastic stamper and has a wonderful eye for color combinations and design.

This card that she designed for the Blogger's swap is so incredibly simple but packs so much WOW!

I love that the flower pops off the card with Stampin' Dimensionals and I don't think I've ever seen a more perfectly tied double-knot ribbon. I am in awe! And I just ADORE the use of the new Spiral Punch and the Round Tab Punch.

Supplies:

Stamps: Office Accoutrement, Sincere Salutations 
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Notations Double-Sided Designer Series Paper
Inks: Morning Marigold, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Round Tab Punch, Spiral Punch, stamping sponge, Sakura gel pen (for the dots in the center of the flower), brown sheer polka dot ribbon

THANK YOU, Denise, for your gorgeous card!

Make sure you check out Denise's work over at her blog: All Things Stamped  

Autism Awareness.....Love you to Pieces

The month of April is coming to a close and with that, Autism Awareness Month also comes to a close.

But...........this is something we shouldn't be aware of just in the month of April. Many families, thousands of them, are aware of autism every day! I'm aware of it as I watch my son struggle with his vocabulary each day, as I see my son strive to break free from the world that I don't quite know how to break through to, in the small AND the big things that happen every day with Zach, as we celebrate in each little victory that Zach overcomes......each day, I'm keenly aware of autism. It is part of life for us.

I love my little Zachy-boy to pieces. He is the sunshine of my life, the light that brightens my days, the hero that I look up to. He never ceases to amaze me......he's an absolutely brilliant little man and I see so much curiosity, knowledge, kindness, intelligence and so much more in this little package of boy that he is. He has made me VERY aware of the silent and sometimes not so silent struggles that other people go through on a daily basis. He has taught me compassion and understanding in ways that I never would have learned if it weren't for his autism.

If you're new to my blog, or even if you've been reading for a while now, I wanted to remind you all of the wonderful opportunity that you can all take part in to help make a difference in the lives of those that deal with autism on a daily basis.

GinaK created and amazing stamp set, called  Love You to Pieces. This set was created to promote Autism Awareness, but also to raise money for a fantastic organization that brings hope to those with autism: Autism Speaks

$8.00 from each set purchased goes directly to Autism Speaks. What an awesome cause to support and what a generous amount from each set sold! If you haven't gotten a chance to check out the totals yet of how many sets have been sold and how much we've raised for Autism Speaks, you'll be AMAZED! Click here ---> A Day in the Life to see a fantastic tutorial and also to see the totals right below the tutorial.

The card you see at the top of this post is a card that I created using this VERY versatile set.  It was featured last week on Sarah Moore's blog when we swapped with each other as Guest Artist's on each other's blogs. Click here to check out the supply list and the interview that Sarah did with me ---> Guest Artist - Erika Martin

This is the face that lights up my life. These beautiful blue eyes, those darling freckles, those lovely eyelashes....I could stare at this face forever.

I leave you with this quote tonight:

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can    sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
               
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

May your life be as beautiful and blessed as I consider mine to be!

-Erika (Stampin' Mama)

Guest Artist.....Sarah Moore!

Back at the beginning of the year, I emailed a fantastic stamper to ask if she would like to be a Guest Artist on my blog. She said, "YES!" But then she asked me if I wanted to do the same on HER blog.Of course, I said, "YES!" So, we decided to do a personal swap just between the two of us and create something really fun on our blogs today. We are doing a two-way swap!

Some of you probably already know her, but for those of you that don't, I'd like to introduce you to........Sarah Moore!

Sarah is an amazing artist and has her blog over at: Sarah and the Stampstars. Sarah's style is adorable and I love her sense of humor. Reading her posts are like a breath of fresh air. She has such a carefree spirit about her. Sarah also heads up the fantastic Craft Critique blog, which is an awesome source for all kinds of tutorials and opinions on numerous crafts and products.

So, what is this two-way swap all about? Well.....simple, really. We sent each other a card that we made and I'm having a Sarah Moore feature and she's having an Erika Martin feature today! We've come up with a fun interview on each other, so if you want to check out my answers to the following questions and see the card that I swapped with Sarah, make sure you click here ----> Sarah and the Stampstars

Interview with Sarah:

Me: Tell me a little bit about yourself and the important people in your life.

Sarah: I grew up in Illinoise and have always been artsy; theater, singing, photography, painting, metals, lapidary, jewelry, polymer clay, scrapbooking, stamping....the list is pretty endless. I have always enjoyed arts & crafts. I started selling fine Art right out of College and eventually transitioned into Healthcare; arts/recreation therapy and then Marketing. I quit working in 2004 to be home with my son, Anderson (age 3 in June). My understanding, handsome and computer-nerdy hubby, Rick, and I have been married for 7 years.

Me: How long have you been stamping and how did you start with this art form?

Sarah: I really started stamping when I was planning my wedding; I made all my own invitations, programs and favors. I loved it so much and was hooked right away! Of course, marriage/wedding planning led naturally into scrapbooking.....and I was SO HOOKED on scrapping for the longest time. I didn't hear of Stampin' Up! until 2004, though, and that's when I realized how versatile stamping could be.

Me: What is your favorite stamp or stamp set?

Sarah: This is like picking a favorite child! I guess right now...I am very into the sets from the Spring Mini Catalog.....but a stamp set I seem to grab a bunch is probably "Little Pieces." I just think it matches up with so many other sets, papers and styles. I am also really into retro and off the wall image. Like the stuff at Sideshow Stamps and the Doodle Factory line from SunSpirit Studio. There are so many great image out there!

Me: What is your favorite color combination?

Sarah: For a while I was really hooked on Pumpkin Pie, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery and Lavender Lace. I know it sounds odd, but try it. It's a great spring combo and very "fresh," especially when used with Whisper White.

Me: What is one tool that you can't live without?

Sarah: I love my Stampin' Up piercing tool and template and also, the SU punches.   But I think it'd be tough to live without my Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Me: What is one technique that you tend to use over and over again?

Sarah: Lately, it's my SU! Slit Punch. Talk about versatility! I love making scalloped circles/ovals/borders with it....in fact, I don't think I've used it for its intended purpose for a long time!

Me: What do you do to find your creative groove?

Sarah: I am a huge collector of artsy stuff. I love to surround myself with creative images and objects. I find lots of inspiration in fashion, fabric, vintage figurines, advertisements and illustrations. When I am in a slump, I just spend time soaking it all in! I also keep a sketch book and I note favorite color combos, layouts or unique ways I can think of to use an embellishment in my journal.

Thanks for all the great answers to the interview, Sarah!

Now.....for Sarah's FANTASTIC card, here are the supplies she used:

Stamps: Polka Dots & Paisley, Linen Background, Well Worn Words Background 
Cardstock: Buckaroo Blue and Chocolate Chip
Inks: Buckaroo Blue classic, Really Rust craft ink, VersaMark pad
Accessories: HodgePodge Hardware, Sterling Silver embossing powder, brads, VersaMARKER, Twill Tape, metal edged tag
 

Sarah says this about the process of creating her card:

"Ok… the Hodgepodge Hardware is embossed with silver powder.  I just press it into a Versamark pad and then dip it into the powder… heat and dip it in the powder AGAIN… I add three layers.  I also embossed the heads on the brads.  Then I sponged them lightly with Real Rust Craft ink and heated them for just a second or two till they melted.

The Main focal image was done like this… I call this “Faux Punched Tin.”

(picture at left shows the BACK of of the metal edged tag)

Take your stamp and ink it up with versamark… set it aside.  Then take a VersaMARKER and color inside a Metal edged tag… avoid the rim.  Coat with silver EP.  Melt with heat tool. Cool.  Color again with versaMARKER and repeat… I did this 4 times!  Then when the 4^th layer is all hot and melty, quickly lay it down and press your stamp into the molten Embossing Powder…. Hold it for a few seconds… then remove.  Then I antiqued it with Staz-on black… rubbing off the excess.  Lastly I pierced around the image to make it look like Punched Tin from Mexico!"

THANK YOU, Sarah, for a beautiful card, the interview and the directions on how to create this AWESOME look!

Make sure you check out some of Sarah's OTHER stamped projects over at her blog ---> Sarah and the Stampstars!

Guest Artist....Claudia Rosa....Photo Wallet Card

I am SO excited to share our Guest Artist with you today.

Claudia Rosa!!!

Claudia is a fellow stamper that is quite active on the SplitCoastStampers forums (SCS). Her username over at SCS is ClaudiafromGermany. She always has a positive attitude on the forums and leaves such delightful comments on my blog, as well as the blogs of other stampers.

A few weeks ago, I was looking through some of the galleries on SCS and Claudia's Mini Photo Wallet popped out at me. Click here to see the original project -----> Photo Wallet in Ruby Red. When I saw what she did with these beautiful Earth Elements colors, I caught my breath! It was absolutely beautiful! I emailed her right away and asked if she was interested in being a guest artist on my blog so that I could share her wonderful talent with all of you. SHE SAID YES!!!

Claudia created a brand new photo wallet for this guest artist spot and she also sent along a second photo wallet that I took pictures of, as well. I'm so excited to share BOTH of them with you here today!

I love to know more about the designers of different projects. It really helps to put a personal spin on their art. Okay, so that's just a nice way to say that I'm nosy. ;)

Because I'm so nosy, I sent along a list of questions for Claudia to answer so that I could share them with all of you.

Claudia also graciously shared her list of supplies to make this fantastic project.

(You can click on ANY of the pictures for a larger view)

Here is my "interview" with Claudia:

Me: Tell me a little bit about yourself and the important people in your life. 

Claudia: The important people in my life are my children, Lucas (3 1/2 years old), my son, Niklas (15 months old) and my great husband Paulo. I met my husband while he was working for DiamlerChrysler in Germany, near Stuttgart/Munich. Before I met him I did not want to get married or have children. As soon as I met him, though, I just knew he was the ONE! When his contract was over, we decided to get married and move to the US. This was in 2002. Now we have two beautiful sons and we are thinking about trying for another child. I had never been to the states before and I was really scared. I didn't speak any English at all. I pretty much learned all of my English from a girlfriend I met and by watching "Law and Order." My husband doesn't like to speak English at home since he wants to improve his German. :)

EVERYTHING is so different here. Since my husband is Canadian, we do not have a Green Card, but rather, we live in the states on a special VISA. I was very lucky to find a great, supportive husband with an awesome family that welcomed me with open arms. My mom still lives in Germany and I miss her very much. It's realy hard for me to see my kids grow up without really knowing their grandmother. It's everyday life that I miss with my mom, family and girlfriends. The phone can't replace a hug or a kiss.

Me: How long have your been stamping and how did you start with this art form?

Claudia: I started stamping in 2004. I just bought one stamp set (Simple Shapes- Ii still have it) and 3 Classic Ink Pads (Yellow, Gable Green and Green Galore - my demonstrator suggested these). I just happened to meet a Stampin' Up Demonstrator that lived down the street. I decided that I wanted to get out of the house and meet other women and make friends. Well... I think I made 3 cards with that set and was bored with it because I didn't know what else to do with it. My demo at the time had a huge family and didn't want to host many workshops, so I didn't have the opportunity to learn much about the techniques or supplies (embossing powders, eyelets, etc.) that were out there.  Plus, before that first stamp, I had never stamped before. There was not much in the way of stamping in Germany at the time that I left. It has just started to become popular over there in the past few years. I got back into stamping last year around January. My demo called me and informed me about a special and also told me about SCS because I was looking for a retired stamp set. As soon I went to SCS, I was lost. I really got serious into stamping cards and now I barely work on my scrapbook anymore. I've spent quite a bit of money last year on SU! supplies.  :)

Me: What is your favorite stamp or stamp set? 

Claudia: My favorite stamp would be the Paisley Background stamp. I think it's a great basic stamp that works really well with every stamp set....from cute to a sympathy card. For a stamp SET, I would have to say it would be Flowers to a Friend.

Me: What is your favorite color combination?  

Claudia: Hard to say. It depends, of course, on the time of the year, but I do feel very comfortable with the Earth Elements color palette. I love Chocolate Chip with Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink. I wouldn't say it's exciting, but just my comfort zone. 

Me: What is one tool that you can't live without?  

Claudia: A good paper trimmer!!! I spent money on 3 different brands of paper trimmers already and I still haven't found the right one that works for me. I'm a perfectionist. I hate when the layers on my card are crooked, fringed from a bad blade or not cut exactly straight. I'd rather toss the paper and start over.

Me: What is one technique that you tend to use over and over again?  

Claudia: I love to  make tri-fold cards!

Thank you, Claudia, for sharing your talent with us, along with letting us know a little more about you! Claudia has an amazing gallery over at SplitCoastStampers that you can access by clicking here ----> Claudia's Gallery.

You can find the directions for this project by going to Shekinah's Photo Wallet card and clicking here ----> Shekinah's Photo Wallet. 

Supplies for Green Wallet card:

Sets: Polka Dot Paisley Stamp Set, Sage Advice Stamp Set, So Very, Inkadinkadoo Stamp, Paisley Background Stamp

Cardstock: Old Olive 12x12, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Whisper White

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Craft White, Watercolor Wonder Crayons in Olive, Summer Sun, Cameo Coral

Tools & other Supplies:Stamp-ma-jig, Brayer, Crop-a-dile (to make holes for the brads), Hardware source unknown (Joanns), Stickles, Scott Double Sided Tape, brown marker (non SU!), Aquapainter to blend a bit the watercolors, Tool for the stiching, SU circle Punches 1 1/4 and 1 3/8, Different size pop-up dots, 2 invitation size envelopes

As I said, Claudia also sent along a beautiful blue version of this project. I really love what she did with the blue on this one.....especially those sweet little holes she punched on the front flap of the project....so that the celery green shows through.

Claudia has such an amazing style.....I was SO excited when I found TWO projects in her envelope to me!

Supplies for Blue Wallet Card:

Stamp Sets: Big Pieces Stamp Set, So Very, Flanell Background Stamp, Looks like Spring, Polka Dot Paisley Set

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy 12x12, Certainly Celery, Whisper White

Ink: Certainly Celery, Night of Navy, Craft White

Tools & other Supplies: Stamp-ma-jig, Brayer, Crop-a-dile (to make holes for Brads and front), Silver Brads (Joanns), Scott Double Sided Tape, SU circle Punches 1 1/4 and 1 3/8, Fiskars Squeeze it Circle Punches Different sizes pop-up dots, 2 invitation size envelopes

Guest Artist...Nicole Seitler...Watercolor Wonder Crayons

My good friend and stamping buddy, Nicole Seitler, is back with more tricks for watercoloring. This time, for the awesome Watercolor Wonder Crayons. Here's what Nicole has to share with us:
 
I've never been a fan of Watercolor Pencils. I just don't have the gift for laying down the right amount of color and then blending it into a beautiful work of art. Mine always have the "scribbled" look to them (that is, if I don�t start to rub all the cardstock away first!) and that frustrates me. So, I was very excited when I first got my hands on a set of Watercolor Crayons. But sadly I discovered that I tended to use my crayons the exact same way as I did pencils. Oh, sob! What's a girl to do?

 Well, a little thought came to me: What if I took my paint brush directly to the tip of my crayons and pulled off some of the color? Then, instead of scribbling, I could just apply the color from my crayons directly to my paper in just at the right spot! So I tried it... and it worked beautifully! It looks just like regular watercoloring and not like a Kindergartener's masterpiece! I've also found the crayons can be a real time saver because all 48 colors in the Stampin' Up! pallet can sit in front of me at the same time and I can change colors as quickly as I can rinse out my brush. I don't have to worry about my ink pads drying or how many colors of re-inkers I own. Best of all, a little goes a long way! 

Best of all, I also discovered something about the way these crayons work that I like even better than traditional watercoloring: The crayon's "ink"can be moved around again--even after drying! It doesn't soak down deep into the paper like regular ink and water would. I discovered this when I had to run out the door one day when a friend stopped by to pick me up. I didn't find time to stamp again for another 24 hours and when I came back to finish the project I had been working on, I saw that I had been in the middle of laying down a thick line of navy blue crayon for a shadow on my flower. I picked up some water with my paintbrush in the hopes that I could fix things and found that I was able to blend the color into the rest of my flower just as if I had never stopped the day before! I was simply amazed (and grateful because now my image looked so much better!). That little ability is so helpful if you are like me and are prone to making mistakes. It's almost like having an eraser for your paint brush! And by taking some of the "What if I mess up?" pressure off, it makes water coloring so much easier and more enjoyable.

I hope you've found my tips to be helpful for your own watercoloring projects. While watercoloring is more time consuming than simply using markers, you'll find that the results are so much more stunning! It's very much worth the time and effort you put into it. Enjoy! 

Watercoloring Secrets.....Guest Artist.....Nicole Seitler

I have a guest artist for you today. One of my bestest stamping friends.....the wonderful and fabulous Nicole Seitler .......has shared her watercoloring secrets with us! A couple years ago, I asked Nicole if she could show me how to watercolor in her awesome way. She made me a little step-by-step instruction sheet for me and I loved it! When I asked Nicole to do a guest artist feature, I asked her to do watercoloring. So.......here it is, all in Nicole's words. :) Nicole is the QUEEN of watercoloring!

My Favorite Watercoloring Secrets

Erika has always told me that she likes my watercolored cards, so it's
rather fitting that she's asked me to write about watercoloring for her
blog. I don't think that I have any great talent when it comes to
watercoloring, but I do know some secrets! And I'm happy to share them
with you.

This little skill of mine was first developed thanks to budgetary
constraints. I started watercoloring with my Stampin' Up! ink pads
because at the time I did not own a set of markers. These ink pads have
flexible lids which that means you can squeeze the top of them down
into your ink pad to create a pool of ink. You can then dip a paintbrush
in that pool of ink and begin to paint your stamped images! (If your ink
pads don’t have flexible lids, then think of other ways you can gather a
pool of ink onto a plastic surface.)

As for my little watercoloring secrets, here are my top five:

1. Go slow: Add only a little bit of color at a time, and use it
sparingly. You can always add more ink, but you can't take it away!

2. Water-down your ink: I like to keep a little container of water
nearby, not just for cleaning out my paintbrush, but also for toning
down the intensity of my ink.

3. Layer: I will usually start off using some watered-down ink and then
apply several more layers on top until I begin to see the hue I was
picturing. This also helps me to shade my images.

4. Use more than one color: To intensify the shadows, I'll usually use
a darker ink color. For example, I won't just use Mellow Moss to paint a
leaf, I'll also use a bit of Old Olive, too. Many times I use a Summer
Sun, More Mustard and Really Rust combination.

5. Think about natural lighting: Sometimes your images will assist you
in this by showing hash marks for shadows and the like. Darken those
spots, also remembering to leave some areas light. Sometimes you'll
have to invent your own source of light. Just imagine the sun is shinning on
your image and paint accordingly. This will help to make your images
more realistic.

I hope you find these tips to be helpful! Erika has also asked me to
write a bit about painting with Watercolor Wonder Crayons as well. So,
until next time…

Happy stamping!

My Guest Artist today is..............

Beate Johns!

Beate recently sent me this card as a "thank you" for the Frosted Filters Tutorial I did for SplitCoast Stampers.  This card is simply amazing....and so is Beate!

If you've never scoped out Beate's gallery over at SplitCoast, then you NEED to. (Click here: Beate's Gallery) Beate creates the most amazing cards, full of color and accents, but she never goes "over the top." There's always just the right amount of color, just the right amount of embellishments, the layouts of her cards are so aesthetically pleasing, her colors choices are beautiful...........I come away from looking at Beate's cards and feel rejuvenated.

Beate is amazing force over at SplitCoast. She's a fellow Stampin' Up demonstrator and creates many of the tutorials you find in the  Resources section.

This card was made using the new Polka Dots and Paisley set (view the Gallery for this set) that Stampin' Up sent to all of its demonstrators as a holiday gift. I love how Beate used her Stampin' Write Markers to highlight the stems and leaves on this card. It adds such a whimsical touch to it.

Thanks, Beate, for such a beautiful card and for all the sharing and work you do over at SplitCoast!