Next week, our STAEDTLER designers are teaming up with Stampendous to bring you a ton of inspiring projects! I’ll have links to all the designers who are playing every day on both teams so be sure to check back.

Each of the STAEDTLER design team members will also be giving away a very special prize package, our ”Sweet Summer” Giveaway to one lucky blog reader at the end of the week!!

* Stampendous will be giving away a prize every day! They will randomly choose a winner from one of the comments left on the designers who are participating on that given day..so be sure to leave them some love as well!!

Until next week then…

Creatively Yours,
April

{Steam Punk}

* Supplies:
- STAEDTLER: Karat Soft Pastel Chalks, & Pigment Liner Pen
- Industrial Chic™ Susan Lenart Kazmer™: Talismans Receipt book Pendant, & Rhinestone and Paper Adhesive Tape
– Patterned Paper: Studio Calico, Crate Paper, October Afternoon
– Glitz: Washi Tape
– American Crafts: Thickers
– Studio Calico: Wood Veneer
– 7gypsies: Rub On
– Tim Holtz: Mini Attachers & Hanger Clips
-Maya Road: Wooden Buttons, Canvas Flags
– Imagine Crafts: Goosebumps Texture Spray
– Target Dollar Spot Page Flags
- Photo App: Instagram

* I know I’m strange, but I could just stare at my supplies sometimes (like my chalks here) and get inspired. They make me happy happy happy!

* I used them to color two raw canvas flags.

* Then I sprayed them down with some Goosebumps Texture spray – I say this every time people – but gotta get you some of this stuff!!! Do you hear me?? (You can find it at Michael’s and Joann’s)

This super cool pendant has been in my stash for a while now and I though about making some jewelry with it, but I had a feeling it would come in handy for a layout! It’s from the Industrial Chic™ Susan Lenart Kazmer™ collection and I have collected quite a few Industrial Chic trinkets now I’m happy to say. You can buy them at Michael’s too (actually that’s about the only place), and they have all sorts of cool and unique mixed media findings to play & create with!

* Another example would be this freakin’ awesome Paper Adhesive Tape from Industrial Chic. Yep, you heard me right, this is tape. It came on a roll with 2 other rockin’ tapes, one of which was a square rhinestone tape!! (you can see an example of that on the “Us in Cali” layout in the post right before this one.

* This is a picture I shared on my Instagram feed, but it shows off the dimension of the pendant a little better.

* This is a picture of my youngest son Castor after we found him with a blue permanent marker last night! This happened in like a minute mind you…and when I asked him why he did he said, “I wanted to be blue mom!”

* I took this picture the other day after we had played with some sand art and had a glitter fight. On my next post, I’m going to share my favorite photo editing apps including the new PicTapGo – and what exactly is so wonderful about them!

Creatively Yours,
April Derrick

{Us In Cali}

* Supply List:
- STAEDTLER: Triplus Fineliner Pens
- Glitz Uncharted Waters Patterned Papers
- Other Patterned Papers: Studio Calico:, Pink Paislee, Simple Stories
- Industrial Chic: Rhinestone Tape
- American Crafts: Thickers
- Simple Stories Stickers
- Tim Holtz Mini Attatchers
- Ranger Dylusions Spray
- Photo App: Instagram
- Other: Vellum, Wood Veneer Frame, Sequins, Washi Tape, Yellow Office Tag, Heart Punch

* This layout came together rather quickly. I simply layered several patterned papers together and then added a few simple embellishments to the page before finishing it off by adding my instagram photo and then a wooden frame on top of that!

{What’s Up BF?}

* Supply List:
– STAEDTLER: Triplus Fineliner Pens
- Jillibean Soup: Placemat
- Heidi Swapp: Photo Cluster Banner & Color Shine Mists
- Studio Calico: Wood Veneer & Sunburst Mask
- Photo App: Instagram
- Simple Stories Stickers
- Queen & Co: Rhinestones
- Other: Sequins, Bubble stickers (source unknown), Twine, kraft cardstock

* To create the background for this layout, I laid a 12×12 sunburst mask from Studio Calico face down into a puddle of some gorgeous Heidi Swapp Color Shine Mists, and then pressed it onto a sheet of kraft cardstock. I finally got my hands on some of Heidi’s Color Shine mists and I must say they are really great! They don’t seem to clog, the colors are vibrant and lovely, and the extra added shimmer really gives your projects a special touch!

* Next, I laid one of Jillibean Soup’s new Place Mats on top of that and then I built the rest of my layout. I colored some wood veneer shapes with more Color shine to coordinate with the background and my photos.

The Photo Cluster Banner from Heidi Swapp actually comes as one piece, but I cut it in half so I can use the other part on another layout. I love the dimension it adds to my layout!!

{Choosing Happiness}

* Supply List:
– STAEDTLER: Triplus Fineliner Pens
- Studio Calico: Masks, Wood Veneer
- Ranger Distress Stains, Stickles
-Simple Stories Stickers
- Tim Holtz Mini Attatchers, Metal Wing
- Glitz Washi Tape
- Pink Paislee Chipboard Button
- Queen & Co: Twine, Rhinestones
- Heidi Swapp: Color Shine Mist & Crown on Stick embellishment
- Photo App: Instagram
- The Crafters Workshop Stencil
- Faber-Castell Pitt Pastel Pencils
- Claudine Hellmuth: Sticky Back Canvas
- Other: Tag from class with Donna Downey, Watercolor paper, Gesso

* The background for this layout came about accidentally…sort of! haha
A few months ago, I covered the sheet of watercolor paper with gesso and then pressed the Studio Calico masks into it to create the unique textures. After it dried, I stashed it in my paper bucket to use in the future. At a retreat last month, I got it out to show a friend how to use Ranger’s Distress Stains. She had never used them and of course my friends know how much I love them and I am all about sharing my love for them so I jumped at the chance to show them off! So I was trying to show her how well they blended and how cool they looked on gesso, etc…

* Well by the time I was done, I looked at my page and I was like…oh heck yeah I love that! I am soo going to make that into a layout!!  I love when that happens!!

* If you can see where the green is on the background…well that’s where I just pressed my gessoed paper down into a left over puddle of some green Heidi Swapp Color Shine! Also, my friend Lindsay helped me dress up the cute little metal wing. She put some crackle paint and stickles on it for me! Oh yes, I also used Distress Stain to color the cool photo wheel thing, (sorry can’t think of the name right now) – but my friend Angie cut it for me on her sweet Silhouette!

Now I’m off to Play – um I mean Create…WORK!!!

Creatively Yours,
April