Stacked Stones Studio!

If you are here in the US - today is Labor Day...unofficially a day for the last BBQ of the summer, a signal that fall is coming (not soon enough for me) and the last day we can officially wear WHITE (yes, I know that dates me...but growing up my Grandmother always told us we could only wear white after EASTER and before LABOR DAY...and I always listen to my grandmother). It was also a good day to catch up on a few projects, get the house straightened up and do a bit more decorating for fall. And I was excited to get to put together the little tablescape that I envisioned when I saw this cute filigree pumpkin at Hobby Lobby.  It needed a few more elements...and I wanted to bring in some of the colors of fall....so I picked up a variety of wooden acorns to go with it - knowing that I could find a way to add color to them (I forgot to take a "before" picture...but they were all brown like their tops - I didn't do anything to those). I did do a little video to show y...

Hello friends! I know that fall doesn't officially start until sometime AFTER Labor Day here in the United States, but in the "Land of Jann," I am SO ready for it to be fall that I am getting a bit of a jump on the season by starting a new series on the blog! (Hey don't judge me...I was in JoAnn's over the weekend and they had CHRISTMAS stuff up!) I love decorating my house for fall...and have a few projects in mind for that - just a couple of quick things that will freshen up my other decorations...so I will post a tutorial or two as I get those projects done. For the most part though, the projects that I have planned center around cards, gratitude journals (for myself and perhaps a friend or two...you never know - you might be that friend!) and a few other little things that I want to have ready for some family time at Thanksgiving.  I usually try and send Christmas cards to friends and family - but am going to try and actually send Fall/Thanksgiving/Thank...

Well hello there friends. I was really hoping to get a video edited for you all today...but I didn't.  So...in the meantime I will share a couple of layouts. One that uses the same technique that I shared in my last video...and one that I am going to show you in the video I need to edit! (I shouldn't even tease should I?) Do you see the flowers?  I used the same technique of masking and quick coloring on these flowers...just a LOT brighter...more Kati-esque than my rather sedate cards!  I stamp a couple extras and cut them out and popped them up to create the floral frame.   A couple of other details...I used my score board to  score two parallel lines on each side of the white paper that I stamped the flowers on.  Here is a tip - mat your picture first and draw some light pencil lines before you stamp....then you only have to color the parts of the flowers that are going to show. Once I had done the stamping and I put the picture back in p...

Ok...so you all know that I have a tendency to stamp just about everything.  I have been known to alter chipboard embellishments with some custom stamping...stamp a background for a card or layout, stamp a title or even all of my journaling.  I have stamped buttons, metal flowers, acetate and photos. So - it was probably a natural progression for me to take my love of stamping to my fingernails. There is a bit of a backstory.  For the past 25 years, I have worn acrylic nails.  As a teacher and speaker, I KNOW I talk with my hands...it is unconscious....I just do it - and I have just worn acrylic nails - usually in a really understated french manicure.  As a crafter, I can be REALLY hard on my hands....I am always splashing paint or ink and my hands just end up being a mess.  A few months ago I decided it was time to leave the acrylics off my nails and let them just BREATH!  I loved my well manicured nails, but I felt like they needed a break...but...

I am so excited about this Monday morning...I think there is something fresh and new about the beginning of a new week. Hope you are anticipating a great week too. Today's card started from a scrap of vintage wall-paper. I sometimes think I am an "old" lady stuck in a young woman's body -- just because of the things that I love! There really wasn't much needed for this card after I glued the scrap of paper to my card...just wanted to pull out some of that red and green in the embellishments...and chose a couple of buttons to do that. They looked too "modern" on the page...so I decided to stamp a bit on them. To stamp on plastic you need to use solvent ink (Like Stazon or Archiver Ink by Ranger). Because of the rounded surface on buttons, I have found that small stamps work best. You can stamp and turn the button several times until it has been covered with the image the way you like. Just tie a bit of twine through the buttons and add to your page.....