RSD’s December Showcase

Welcome to our December Rick St. Dennis MFA (RSD) Showcase. Some, and sometimes all, of Rick’s Elite Design Team (EDT will be showcasing projects completed with some of Rick’s amazing digital images. Rick will be giving us a monthly theme and we will be picking our own images from his vast collection of images in his Etsy and Zibbet shops.

Rick’s choice of a theme for us was Valentine. For my RSD’s Showcase piece I decided I wanted to create a whimsical tag to go along with my whimsical image. My whimsical image is titled “Helen Hartz Valentine Girl,” and I feel like I can say she is truly a whimsical Valentine’s image. Helen Hartz can be found in Rick’s Etsy and Zibbet shops.

As you all know, I start with my Copic coloring before I do anything else. After the coloring is complete, then I usually pick my designer papers. For my tag project, I knew I wanted purple and red to be the color combo, as dictated by my colored image. I found the perfect paper in my Fun Stampers Journey stash. My tag size is 4”x 8”. This is the perfect size for adding all the fun embellishments. I used some Really Reasonable Ribbon to hide the seam of the two papers and it added a little more light to the project. I hope that you get some joy out of my fun tag.

Copics used:

Skin: E000, 00, 04, 11, 21, R20;

Dress: R14, 20, 24, 29, 59;

Hair: V0-00, 01, 04, 09

Supplies used:

Cardstocks: X-Press It Blender Card, Fun Stampers Journey Lavender Fusion,

Grape Fusion, Candy Apply;

Designer Paper: Fun Stampers Journey Journey Basics;

Inks: Fun Stampers Journey True Color Fusion in Whip Cream,

Black Licorice, Candy Apple, Lavender Fushion;

Stamps: Digital-Helen Hartz by Rick St. Dennis,

Rubber-Fun Stampers Journey Banner Party,

Kit of the Month Keep Pedaling, Artist Trading Stamp Ink Splat;

Flower: Bo Bunny;

Sentiment: Elvis Presley’s song “Love Me Tender” computer generated;

Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon;

My stash: heart punch, baubles on hearts, PITT black fine point pen.

At our Sparkle & Glitter blog we are having a “Progressive Challenge.” Click here for more information. There’s still time to join. You can pick up the image, “Christmas Party Hat,” in Rick’s shop to join in. There will be a new progressive challenge starting Jan. 1, 2015. The theme is anything goes, and if you join this first part of the challenge, then you will receive the new image FREE to join the second part of the progressive challenge.

Every week on Rick’s blog there is a “Pick of the Week” contest. Rick’s EDT picks out fantastic projects that use Rick’s images. After those are chosen, you, the fans, get the final vote. This is a lot of fun and there are wonderful prizes too. If you have used an RSD image in a project, come strut your stuff at our Facebook group and your’s may be picked.

Jan. 5, 2015 will be the next RSD Facebook group Art Contest. These contests run for two weeks. Random.org chooses the winner and the prize is one digital image from Rick’s Zibbet store.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions, please contact me. I want to wish you, my fans and readers, and the entire world a very Merry Christmas, the Happiest of Holidays, and a fantastic, prosperous, and Happy New Year!

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

Fun Stampers Journey

RSD Elite Design Team

RSD’s Christmas Party Hat

Happy Thursday everyone! This post is almost a repeat of one that I did with just my Copic coloring as my subject matter and introducing our second part of our Sparkle & Glitter Progressive challenge. I did promise in that earlier post that I would have a project made with Rick St. Dennis’s (RSD) beautiful image “Christmas Party Hat.” That's what this post is all about. Rick has so many gorgeous images in his “hat” series. You can find them in his Etsy and Zibbet shops.

For my 6” square card I knew that I wanted to try a “Shabby Chic” style, but was very uncertain if I could pull it off. I think that I almost reached that style. I know that I still need a lot of practice, but I was rather satisfied with the finished piece.

I first colored Christmas Party Hat with Copics and accented in some places with a clear glitter pen and a white gel pen. She was trimmed with some matting basics dies. After trimming, I distressed the edges on both pieces and distressed further on all edges with a light and dark brown ink. On the top piece I added some white embossing powder and ultra-thick bronze embossing powder.

Copics used:

Skin: E000, 00, 04, 11, 21, R20;

Hair: E21, 23, 25, 29;

Leaves and Bow: YG91, 93, 95, 97, 99;

Roses: R01, 02, 05, 08, 89, W6

Fur and Feathers: C00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, YG91;

Hat: W000, 1, 2, 3, 6, R01;

Background: W00, 0, 1, 2.

Now it’s time to add all the details around my central image. I wanted a doily somewhere peeking out. That doily is in the background enhanced with white gesso, embossing enamel, glitter glass, and brown inks. Most of my roses are handmade. After they were completed, I dipped the edges of the roses with DecoArt white shimmer paint for the red ones, and a shimmering red paint for the white ones. The one that was made from paper got the white treatment.

I wanted something that emulated holly. I found some chipboard stems that I painted with a metallic green and added red rhinestones for berries. I also found a chipboard circle frame that I spayed with some DecoArt shimmering white paint. After that was dry I daubed on some red ink on top of the white paint. It kept that shimmer. I am really enjoying my DecoArt products. I cut that in half and added to the top and bottom corners.

My finished piece may not be truly shabby chic, but it is definitely mixed-media.

My list of supplies:

Cardstock: X-Press It Blender Card, Fun Stampers Journey (FSJ)

Oatmeal Cookie, Butter Cream;

Paints: Deco Art-Acrylic Gesso, White Shimmer Mister,

Festive Green Dazzling Metallic;

Inks: FSJ Cocoa Powder, Oatmeal Cookie, Candy Apple;

Dies: Spellbinder’s Card Creator Matting Basics A & B, Bitty Blossoms;

My Stash: Embossing powders, doily, rhinestones, glass glitter

I would like to enter the following challenges:

Fresh Brewed Designs – Christmas Anything Goes

Creative Moments – Anything Goes/Winter

Inspiration Destination – Anything Goes

Through the Craft Room Door – Anything Goes

I hope you join us for our December Progressive Challenge Part 2. To enter, (you still have a few weeks), you must use “Christmas Party Hat” within your project. I would like to invite you to our Facebook group, Rick St. Dennis Fans and Friends. We have a bi-weekly art contest that has been lots of fun for the members. This art contest will begin again on January 5, 2015. Our blog, “Airless Chambers,” is participating in Smeared and Smudges 12 Days of Creepmas. Come join us and have some fun.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

RSD Elite Designer

Fun Stampers Journey

December SPS Blog Hop

Welcome to our Sweet Pea Stamps (SPS) blog hop. Each of Sweet Pea’s amazing designers has come up with creative ways to use a non-Christmas themed image to create a Christmas themed project! We hope to inspire you to work out of the box for each and every holiday with images you might not consider when crafting.

If you came from Holley’s blog you are on the right track.

If you got lost along the way, below is our blog roll.

Sweet Pea Stamps

Ria

Suzi

Holley

Aletha – You are here!

Tera

Milo

Denise 

Sande

Jane

Nataliya

For my non-Christmas image I chose ching-chou-kuik’s Face #4. You can purchase most of CCK’s images in digital format or as rubber stamps. Her newest images are rubber stamp only. I colored Face #4 with Copics and I chose traditional Christmas colors. After coloring I trimmed her with curved dies. Before layering the image on green and red cardstock, I accented the inner background with green and red PanPastels and the outside edges with red ink.

Copics used:

Skin: E000, 009, 04, 11, 21, R20;

Hair: G40, 43, 46, 94, 99;

Roses: R01, 02, 05, 08, 89, W6.

My die cut accents are poinsettias and a white fleur di leis snow flake. My poinsettias were cut and embossed. While they were still in the die, I added gold ink to the embossed areas. The snow flake was cut in half and added to the top left corner and bottom right corner of the main image.

• My list of supplies and their links:
• Dies: Spellbinder’s A2 Curved Matting Basics A and B, Create-A-Flake 3, and Snowflake Pendent (2013);
• Inks: Fun Stamper Journey’s Candy Apple, Brilliance Galaxy Gold;
• Designer Paper: my stash;
• Cardstock: X-Press It Blender Card, Fun Stampers Journey Whip Cream, Candy Apply, Kiwi Slice.
• Rhinestones: Kaiser Craft

Here's a coupon that you can use NOW!

Please visit each of SPS’s talented team members' blogs and leave a little love - a comment on every hop post will enter you into a drawing for a $20 gift code to the Sweet Pea Stamps store! As an added bit of fun share the hop on Facebook tagging Sweet Pea Stamps for a chance for a $10 gift code to the Sweet Pea Stamps store! Winners will be chosen around the first of next week.

Tomorrow, in our SPS Facebook group, our bi-weekly art contest will begin again and last for 2 weeks. This contest will be that last one for 2014. Don’t worry; we will have another one starting January 12, 2015. Would you like to keep up with all the sales and new images at Sweet Pea? Come like our Sweet Pea page to get all the news. Be sure and check “get notifications.”

I am thrilled that you stopped by today. I wish everyone safe travels and a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

SPS Designer

RSD December Progressive Challenge Part 2

Welcome to December and to Part 2 of our Rick St. Dennis’s Sparkle and Glitter Progressive Challenge. I hope that you took part in our November Part 1. If you did you should have received your “free” image to take part in our Part 2. You still have a chance to enter this last part by purchasing the digital image “Christmas Party Hat” from Rick’s Etsy store.

I will be making a project with this lovely lady within the next week, but I wanted to show you my Copic coloring. Rick’s images are so much fun and very easy to color. He creates his images with light source shading as part of that image. I am very fond of his “Hat” series. His hair styles are magnificent and his facial expressions just call for you to color (his images not him, LOL).

This is “Christmas Party Hat” colored with Copics.

 Copics used:

Skin: E000, 00, 04, 11, 21, R20;

Hair: E21, 23, 25, 29;

Leaves and Bow: YG91, 93, 95, 97, 99;

Roses: R01, 02, 05, 08, 89, W6

Fur and Feathers: C00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, YG91;

Hat: W000, 1, 2, 3, 6, R01;

Background: W00, 0, 1, 2.

I hope you do join us for our December Progressive Challenge Part 2. This is a beautiful image to create a project. I would like to invite you to our Facebook group, Rick St. Dennis Fans and Friends. We have a bi-weekly art contest that has been lots of fun for the members. Our blog, “Airless Chambers,” is participating in Smeared and Smudges 12 Days of Creepmas. Come join us and have some fun.

Thanks for stopping by. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Aletha Jane

AJ’s Design Artz

RSD Elite Designer