Starving Artistamps blog candy & RSC challenge

Starving Artistamps is having some special blog candy giveaways this month in celebration of some new releases and of Tracey's Birthday. I'm alittle late joining in here, already week three, but Congrats to Tracey and Starving Artistamps!! The details for this week's blog candy and the new releases can be found here!

To add to their fun month of celebrations, Starving Artistamps is also hosting the September Sketch Challenge over at Rubber Stamp Chat. I'd show the sketch Tracey posted but the image is too big to display here so you will just have to visit her post on RSC linked above to view it and her card!

Some of my favorite stamps from Starving Artistamps are their flowers, butterflies and the mosaic backgrounds. Combining some of these with their sketch at RSC and their Mosaic Grout instructions, this is what I came up with. It ended up being a bit bigger than expected, I even used one of the MINI mosaic backgrounds thinking it would help me keep the finished size down but oh well! Paper fun!

The butterflies were colored with metallic gel pens and the petals on the daisy were highlighted with Stickles. The green paper was embossed and lightly sanded before cut into the strips. The flowers and butterflies are popped up with foam tape.

When I started this card, the colors made me think of fall here, but we've had some pretty strong winds the past couple of days (70+mph) so most of the leaves, and a few trees, have blown down. Fall doesn't stick around for long here in AK, but I can still enjoy the colors using my papers and ink!

Stamps: Starving Artistamps- Mini Retro Grout, Leaf, Med. Daisy, Sm. Freak Butterfly

Inks: Colorbox Chalk ink-Deep Green, Fresco-Giovanni's Garden (green), VersaMagic-Sage Paper: DCWV

Other: Cuttlebug EF-Textile, sandpaper, Sakura metallic pens, Stickles, Quickie glue pen, foam tape

Guest Artist on RubberStampChat

RubberStampChat (RSC) is featuring Guest Artist Kevin Nakagawa from Stampscapes this week thru the 14th! I think his artwork and stamps are beautiful and I have seen some wonderful cards made by others using his stamps! Amy,the RSC board moderater, has interviewed him and he is available for stamping questions. Even if you are not a member of RSC you can still view his interview and everyone's chit-chat (multiple threads = question topics) with him. You are welcome to become a member and post your own questions and comments to him (and anywhere else on the board). I enjoy visiting RubberStampChat for the chit-chat, tips, techniques about stamping and any other topic that comes to mind. There are quite a few stamp vendors who are members so it's neat to be able to chat with them, view their galleries and check out their store sites.

Speaking of stamp sales!!! Drum roll....... RubberStampChat is hosting a Virtual Stamp Convention starting next Thurday, May 14 thru the 18th! Lots of stamp vendors hold member-only sales during this time period. Since you do have to be a member to participate that's all the more incentive to join! Just be sure to use their specified discount code at checkout! Because of large number of vendors who participate and all of their great websites, many of us have learned to surf their websites before hand and make our wish lists to give us a head start at the convention. It's great for those of us who don't have conventions happening near us (sniff) or can't attend them!

I know I have some wish lists laying around here somewhere....!