Bon Voyage--A Nautical Journey!!

Hiya everyone & Happy last week of July to ya! Can you believe August is upon us already--geez, it feels like summer just got started. I've been away more than I've been home I tell ya and I'm leaving early tomorrow morning for CHA in Chicago. Am I packed yet? NOOOOOOO, lol--I always do that at night, but I am running last minute errands and doing some work today and running another load of laundry! It will be my hubby, his mom & my daughter at home this week---my son left Saturday for New York with my mom & he'll be back this Saturday. I also get home late Saturday night as well and I know I will be bum tuckered out I tell ya!  It's always a good time but so very exhausting as you're up early, on your feet all day and up late too.  Plus "Smurfette" (my pal Marti) is a very early riser (think 3:30 am) and with the 2 hour time change she'll be wanting to be up at 1 am---I'm a night person and NOT a morning person at all!  Great combination for two roomies huh?  LOL, but we always have a great time!  But I'll be posting all this week so I hope you'll stop by and see the new projects and some news/pics from CHA as well!

NewsBitz:

-This is the VERY LAST week of my Summer Special over at the Color Me Creative Classroom!!  Take two online copic classes and get $10 off; take all 4 and get $20 off!  It will not be extended so take advantage & tell your friends.  If you tell a friend (s) you will get $5 referral bucks refunded to you if you let me know beforehand that they may sign up!!  Also check out the NEW Cricut Classes that my pal Marti is teaching there--they are fun & jam-packed full of great information and ideas!

-Remember to submit your projects for the HOLIDAY issue of our magazine "Through the Craftroom Door"!!  It comes out early October and we need lots of handmade craft projects featuring fall & winter holidays (paper, sewing, woodworking, clay, jewelry, etc).  Submit to craftdoor@yahoo.com by Sept. 4th--must be a non-published project.

-The Whiner/Complainer Blog Candy (see this post) winner will be announced later this week--you can still enter until this Wednesday if you want!  Read this post today closely to win some Bon Voyage Blog Candy!!

-2 MORE ways to win some yummy blog candy!  SCACD is gearing up for a NEW Victoria Case release this week and to celebrate has some awesome candy on the store blog HERE.  Scroll down a post and enter to win some Viva Decor Candy as well!!  Yummy-licious!

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Bon Voyage--Nautical Blog Hop

Today the Magnolia-licious DT has a fun "Nautical Themed" BLOG HOP for you!  The NEW Magnolia Collection is called "Bon Voyage" & you can pre-order all these new cuties HERE at Magnolia-licious!  I didn't have any of the new ones yet so I pulled out two older stamps (and un-inked--GASP) stamps from the Student/Graduate Collection 09' that I think are just adorable to use on my card.  I created a fun "Bon Voyage" card and mini travel journal that could be given to a college student heading off or for friends leaving on a fun trip!  I used vintage sepia colors instead of the usual nautical colors of blue, reds & white for a different and more vintage look! 

If you've been hopping along then you've arrived here from my friend Sharon Caudle's wonderful blog!!  You can find all the details, blog hop order & how to play along with our Blog Hop on the Magnolia-licious Highlites blog HERE!

Both of these stamps are from the Student/Graduate Collection 09' but to me they look more like party shipmates, dontcha' think, lol?!  Diana has "Student Edwin" in stock but "Student Tilda" looks to be out of stock--I'm sure if you love & want her Diana will make sure to order more, just ask sweetly :)  I used some fabulous new paper from Making Memories "Panorama" that I just got--it inspired both the card and the travel journal.  I love the vintage travel images and sepia tones of the paper so I colored my images to match (E44 thru E40, E55,E55,E50).  I created a porthole for them to sit/stand in using cardstock cut with my nestabilities and then added Bella Baubles in Goldilocks around the circle.  All of the papers got distressed with my Zutter Distress tool and inked as well for a more vintage look.  Behind the porthole is some Magic Mesh that I cut and crinkled a bit to look like fish netting--this stuff is so fun to work with and sticks right to your papers.  The ticket is from a Tim Holtz book of tickets that I stamped "Create Your Own Journey" onto & added some more Bella Baubles.  Then I added some twine wrapped around the card & tied off.

My images were colored on my fave Cryogen Irridescent paper (which has subtle sparkles in it).  Colored with Copics E44 thru E40 and E57,E55,E50.  Her shirt & his shoes got some stardust stickles for a little extra bling--her shoes have diamond glaze on them.  The champagne in the glasses was colored with my Copic Gold Spica and then I put a thick coat of diamond glaze on top of them for lots of shine!

The travel journal was bought as a pre-made book by 7 Gypsies---they are so cute, I just love them!  I embellished the outside to match my card using a Tim Holtz ticket die to make the small tickets that I stamped on. (Technique Tuesday stamps) Some more Magic Mesh, twine & a button finish the front off.  I stamped the same sentiment by " on the inside cover.  Hope you enjoyed my more vintage Nautical project today!

**Candy Alert---I've got 3 stamps & a 7 Gypsies mini-book to give away to some lucky person!!  (Pirate Edwin, Pirate Tilda & barrel w/anchor stamp) Tell me what worldly destination YOU WOULD NOT want to visit and why?? on this post only by Friday, July 30th to win!!  (for me it would be anywhere cold like Antartica, lol)**

Now you need to continue swimming on the Nautical Blog Hop with Becca Feeken's Blog--which is sure to be fabulous!!  I'm excited to meet Becca, Angie Hunt & Janiel from the Magnolia-licious DT at CHA this week too!