Balloons and your opinion...and a Hero Arts Giveaway!

Hello and welcome!

I've gotten several new products in but not much time to play with them! And since I'm leaving to head south for two weeks on Wednesday, it probably won't be until I get back before I can dig into the card making goodies!

If you've followed me on Pinterest you'd see that I have a board entirely made up of balloons on cards! I love seeing balloons on cards and especially one layer cards! So I tried my hand at it on this and one other card! I love the look of sponging two distress inks together too so I went with that technique for this one layer card. I know I have a lot to learn about sponging and blending! 

I used my new MFT (My Favorite Things) die-namics "Party Balloons" dies to die cut the balloons from sticky notes. That way I had both stencil (negative) and mask (positive) pieces to help me separate and cover each balloon to color. I used Ranger distress inks (two for each balloon) and layered the balloons at the top of the card through the negative sticky note. Then I was able to mask the finished balloon to add one right next to it. The mask on the purple balloon was over a little too far so I had a whitish shadow onto the blue balloon but I think it gives it more dimension. The red balloon is seen through the yellow balloon, but again I think it makes the yellow balloon look transparent! Happy little accidents! 

After getting the balloons onto the card I used the Hero Arts "Happy Birthday" stamp inked in Kaleidacolor Calypso ink for some more added color. I masked off the sentiment and used the new-to-me My Favorite Things stamp set "Heart Balloons" for the strings and my MISTI to stamp the strings in onyx black Versafine ink.  I especially love the heart string! 

Now to your opinion! I stopped there... which is the top photo. But it didn't quite looked finished to me. I wanted the balloons to have sparkle or shimmer or something! So I got out my Winnie & Walter Scenery: Big Bang Confetti stamp set to add the open circle confetti inked with the same ink as the sentiment! I think this finished it nicely and it's still one layer! I also sprayed Perfect Pearls mist over the balloons and the ink reacted with the water to give some splotchiness and shimmer to the balloons. Which card do you like better? The clean and simpler with no confetti or the one with confetti? I'm curious as to your opinion!

GIVEAWAY!!!

Now onto the giveaway! I'll be gone for two weeks down to Illinois then California! So this giveaway will run from today until September 15th when I return home. I'll choose a winner on September 16th! This is a Hero Arts "Real Leaves" stamp set and just in time for those fall cards and crafts!

How do you enter? For each of these things you do, you will receive an entry into the giveaway when you leave a blog comment telling me you've done each one! That's SEVEN comments on this post per person that you can do to enter. (If you do one comment for all seven then you only get one entry!) I will count all the blog comments and enter that number into random.org to choose a winner!

1. Comment on this blog post

2. Become a blog follower (or let me know you already follow)

3. Follow my Instagram account - Alaska.Kris (or let me know you already follow)

4. Like or comment on my giveaway post on Instagram

5. Like & follow my Facebook page for this blog: Alaska Forget Me Not Designs (or let me know you already follow)

6. Share my giveaway on your Facebook page. (enter the Facebook link here in a comment)

7. Follow my Pinterest board(s) (or let me know you already follow)

That's seven entries per person! You don't have to do all of them but it does give you more chances to win this lovely leaf set!

I'll try to post the other balloon card I made this way next Sunday... and to remind you to enter the giveaway!

Thanks and God bless your day...
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Supplies:
Stamps: Hero Arts "Happy Birthday", My Favorite Things "Heart Balloons"
Ink: Ranger distress ink, Kaleidacolor Calypso, Versafine
Paper: Gina K Designs heavy weight 120 lb
Dies: My Favorite Things "Party Balloons"
Tools/Misc.: MISTI, Perfect Pearls
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Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps Challenge: #159 Clean & Simple 
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Seize the Birthday: All About Weather (no topping for me!)
Winnie & Walter: Join in & Win (confetti)
Inkspirational Challenge: #90 Clean & Simple

"YOU... are awesome" and more moose videos!

YOU are awesome!

Hello and welcome!

As you can tell my blog posts are getting a little behind! I've been working so much but that is slowing down soon. I'm actually leaving town for two weeks in early September but you can still find me on Instagram... and I'll be having a giveaway while I'm gone!

My card I'm showcasing today was a new-to-me stencil I got off of Blitsy (an online discount store). I used distress inks to color in the stencil rays and then sprayed them with Perfect Pearls to make them shimmer. Then I cut out the Avery Elle "YOU" from black foam and silver glitter paper to make them POP against the rays. I added "are awesome" from the coordinating stamp set and a few silver foil stars finish the card.

It's a simple card but I like it and it's going to my grandson who started first grade last week!

Now those moose videos... I'm trying to set up my YouTube channel but you can view the 15 second versions on my Instagram account for now. The last one I took HERE was along the side of the road coming home from work. The ones before that are mostly of the twin moose calves and you can find them HERE and HERE. And I would love it if you followed my Instagram account too!

So check back here around September 1st for a giveaway! God bless your day...
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Supplies:
Stamps: Avery Elle Simply Said
Dies: Avery Elle Simply Said YOU, Simon Says Stamp "My Stars"
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Distress inks Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon
Paper: Gina K Designs heavy weight, silver gloss pape
Accessories: MISTI, Vagabond
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Challenges:
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Back to School (I'm sending it to my grandson for starting 1st grade)
Crafty Friends Challenge #12: Clean & Simple

I'm still here & a Pop Up Challenge

Kathy Racoosin's Pop Up Challenge!

Hello and welcome!

I'm on day 9 of 13 days straight of working but thought I'd pop in here to let you know about a Pop Up Challenge coming up August 14-17th by Kathy Racoosin (of the 30 Day Color Challenge)! It will be 4 days of fun, videos and prizes! I'm hoping I won't be working quite as much to be able to join in even for a little bit! How about you?

I've only had about a half hour crafting time and I'll let you see what I worked on in my next post! It has to do with stencils, distress ink and Perfect Pearls!

I'll leave you with this lovely setting sun shot of Pioneer Peak... I worked late and it was all lit up on my way home!

Pioneer Peak outside Butte, Alaska

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!
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Giveaway Winner... and Hero Arts Layered Bird Card

One layer CAS birthday card for my husband

Hello and welcome!

Today I'm sharing the card I made for my husband Kevin's birthday. I've always wanted to try the multi color layering stamps that I've seen from Hero Arts and this bird was the perfect one for my husband, who has been a bird watcher his whole life! I personally adore chickadees but this bird isn't really chickadee shaped so I went with muted drab tones (that are usually the female of the species!) in Hero Hues. I used my MISTI stamp tool but still had a hard time perfecting lining the stamps on one another... that will come with practice, I'm sure. My issue, not the stamps! So to cover a slight "miss" I outlined his body with a black Copic multi-liner.

I wanted the focus on the bird and so used soft green and brown for the branch and needles (from an old Stampin' Up set, I believe). The sentiment is a combination of Penny Black ("happy birthday") and a lesser known company from Blitsy ("love"). I call my husband, Babe and Love... what do you call your spouse?

And what you've been waiting for the GIVEAWAY WINNER IS....

MAGGIEB1983

Congratulations Maggie! I've emailed you for your mailing address! Thanks to everyone who shared, liked, followed, and posted about my little giveaway! I'll be having more as I get more time to share!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless your day!

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Supplies:

Stamps: Hero Arts "Color Layering Bird & Branch", Stampin' Up "Pine Branch", Penny Black "Friendship", Avocado Arts (little heart)

Ink: Hero Arts Black, Cup O' Joe, Soft Granite, Field Greens

Paper: Gina K Designs 120 lb white

Accessories: MISTI, corner rounder

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Challenges:

Seize the Birthday: Anything Goes Birthday (topping embossing which I don't have)

4Crafty Chicks: #257 Anything Goes

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
CASology: Precious (love for husband)

Walking on Matanuska Glacier & Giveaway Winner Announced Tomorrow!

Hello and welcome

My husband, Kevin, and I on Matanuska Glacier.

Our feet near a glacier-blue crevasse on Matanuska Glacier.

The blue, blue ice of Matanuska Glacier.

Kevin on Matanuska Glacier

I'm sorry I didn't get to pick the winner of the Simon Says Stamp and acrylic mounts giveaway yet but I have a great reason... I went walking on a glacier for the first time!

Tomorrow... August 3rd... is my husband, Kevin's, birthday. I've worked 13 days straight at two jobs and only had today off and work the next six days. So to celebrate my husband's birthday on my day off I asked if he wanted to go walk on Matanuska Glacier! We've lived in Alaska almost 29 years now and we've never been ON a glacier! The Matanuska Glacier is only 60 miles from our home... 50 miles from Palmer. So on a drive we went! The scenery all along the Glenn Highway is breathtaking but the glacier... STUNNING BEYOND BELIEF! You have to know there is a Creator when you are on that glacier! Even the pictures don't due it justice! If you come to Alaska, go to Matanuska Glacier!

And that is my excuse for not picking a winner today! I will pick one tomorrow after work and post who has won later tomorrow night! Thanks for being patient!

See you tomorrow!
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Supplies:
God's creation
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Challenges:
Not to fall down from being stunned by His goodness and beauty!