Dream Big

One thing I received for Christmas was Inkadinkado's Stamping Gear system.  I'll be having a lot of fun with this.  My first try didn't work quite how I thought but I'll be able to use it as a background for something.  I then decided to start a bit simpler then I was trying and made this card.  The background is the shaving cream technique using Golden acrylic paints. The half circle of stamped images is using the Stamping Gear along with one of their stamps (Archival Ink jet black).  The quote is a Studio 490 image stamped and embossed with detail black powder.  I distressed the edges of the background, attached it to cardstock, stitched around the edges and glued it to the folded card.  Some trim and sticky back gems finish it.  I have another project in the works that I think is way cool.  I'll hopefully be sharing it in a few days.

Necklaces

A couple of simple necklaces for boys using Vintaj blanks, embossing folder, patinas, chain, findings, sanding block, glaze.  I used Patina on the front but not on the back; each one could be worn either way.  

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!

Paper Ornament

A friend was over a week ago and she showed me a very cool, very easy ornament that you make from paper strips.  A few days later I was working on a Christmas card and thought it would be great to add an image to the front of one of these ornaments so I decided to make another one and do just that.  I started with a red dotted paper I got with a coupon at Archivers to cut my strips from.  The strips are cut 1/2" wide and various lengths.  For this ornament the center strip is 5" long.  The first strip on each side of the center is 5 1/4" long and as go out outward on each side the length is 5 1/2", 6", 6 1/2", and 7".  To put it together have all strips together with one end all lined up and pierce a hole about 1/4" from the end in the center of the strip.  Leave this end and go to the other end lining them all up evenly and again piece a hole in the center 1/4" from the end.  After piercing this hole add a brad to it.  Then move back to the first end and put a brad through all of the holes.  Work with the strips a bit to get both side to lay evenly and wah-lah - very cool, very easy ornament.  Just add a hanger with maybe some beads!!!!  After I got this ornament together I lightly sprayed  both sides with sunflower Perfect Pearls.  The piece on the front is Ranger's Specialty stamping paper.  I stamped the music with maroon Archival Ink and then the nativity (an Old PSX stamp that I still love) with jet black, punch is out with a scalloped oval punch (you could use a die), inked the edges and glued it to the front with Ranger's glue 'n seal matte - I coated the back of the oval, layed it on the ornament and set an acrylic block on top until the glue dried.  It held very well!!  

Christmas Joy

Back a few posts I shared some Christmas ATCs that I made and each one had a poinsettia on it made from die cutting Tim's mini poinsettia... so here I sat with several squares with a poinsettia cut out of them (I had glued Tim's music tissue wrap to manila cardstock and then cut it into squares to cut the poinsettias out of)  and I picked 3 that were fairly centered and used them to make this card.  I colored the squares with Distress Stain tarnished bronze.  I took red cardstock cut a little smaller than the poinsettia square, covered it with barn door Distress stickles, let it dry, glued the poinsettia piece over it and then glued them to green cardstock squares.  These are attached to a piece of Ranger's Specialty Stamping Paper colored around the edges with festive berry Distress Ink, distressed with the Distrezz-it-all and stamped with 2 of Quietfire Design's Christmas Cuddlers stamps using Archival Ink. This is attached to a folded green card and then gold sticky back pearls are added to the center of the flowers the glue reinforced with Glossy Accents. 

Christmas Ornament

This ornament uses honeycomb paper along with the bell image from the Christmas Ornaments stamp set from Inky Antics and their Honey Pop Collection.  I used ivory colored honeycomb paper and after I had the bell shape I sprayed it with Perfect Pearls Mist sunflower sparkle.  For the top I used Tim's tattered poinsettia die (3 medium and 1 small size). 

A Birthday card for The Wendy Vecchi

Wendy Vecchi's birthday was last week and this is the card I made and sent her.  It also fulfilled the Making Art Challenge #55 on the Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group which was to make and send her a card and as always it needed to include at least one Studio 490 stamp.  All the stamps I used are Studio 490 and I also used some of her stencils (brick wall and flowers in the background), art parts (the largest flower and the butterfly), and clicker cuts Clearly for Art whiteout (the medium and small flowers).  All 3 flowers are covered with the white embossing paste, stamped with the honeycomb background stamp (mist the stamp with water and stamp into the wet paste), let the paste dry or gently use your heat tool, and then I colored each one with Distress Stain, dried them, stamped over each one with the text background image, dried again forming the clicker cut flower while warm, and finally added a bit of tarnished brass Stain to the edges.  In the center of the flower is a Blossom Bucket piece.  The butterfly art part is stamped with it's matching image, colored with stain, dried, used a white pen to add highlights and also a black Glaze pen was used over some of the stamping for added umph.  I then stamped the butterfly image onto the background and glued the art part over it so you have the antenna.  The background uses distress inks along with the brick stencil not coloring in all of it, then the flower stencil (I'm not totally happy with the finished placement of the flowers but went with it - time issues), then random stamping with background images.  'Savor the moment' is stamped with Archival Ink jet black.  Edges are distressed and inked.  After everthing was glued on it seemed too... empty/open and I decided to add the flourish image - I didn't do too bad stamping by the stem, it helped to not put the stamp on a block.  Some doodling around the edge and it's good.  

On a side note, if you have Facebook and don't already know, there is now a Studio 490 by wendy vecchi page you can find HERE.  If you are a Studio 490 fan, go and Like it!!!!!

I will honour Christmas...

ATCs for a mail in swap with my local group.  I've always loved texture and keeping an eye on Lynne Forsythe's blog has me using it more on some of my creations.  I started with corrugated cardboard tearing off some of the top layer.  I used Distress Stains to color the cardboard, dried them and also added a bit of Perfect Pearls mist, plus edged it with gold Stain and a yellow/gold glitter Sharpie paint marker.  The burlap with some of the fibers pulled from the piece so it's even more open is also colored with the Distress Stains.  The quote is a stamp from Quietfire Designs - one of the new Christmas images this year.  I stamped it on white cardstock, tore around it, dipped the edges in Distress Stain on the craft sheet, sprayed some water on the cardstock, blotted and dried and then edged it with bronze Distress Stain.  Die cut the flourish (Tim Holtz) from manila cardstock and cut it in pieces, colored it with Distress Stain, dried it, sprayed it with Perfect Pearls mist gold and dried it.  Glued the composer tissue paper (Tim Holtz) to manila cardstock and cut 3 mini poinsettias for each atc - colored one green and two red using distress stain and ink and then edging with Archival Ink - stacked them, poked a hole in the center and added a gold brad.  Gold ribbon over the burlap and under the flourish and flower.  

Noel

Another ATC using an image from Retro Cafe Art (the sheet Christmas Cheer).  The background uses the Tim Holtz Poinsettia embossing folder, Distress Ink, stamping, and gold gel pen in the center of the flowers.  Some gold ribbon mesh behind the image.  Noel and the holley leaves are decorative buttons.

Joy and a birdie

Isn't that bird adorable.  It an image from Retro Cafe Art on THIS collage sheet.  The base is white cardstock embossed with Tim Holtz's Alterations holly leave folder.  Distress inks sponged on with a blending tool.  A sketch pencil used around the bird to help it pop.  Flourish cut from grunge, painted and then Distress Stickles.  Mini tattered poinsettia cut from manila card that I've glued a piece of Gregg Shorthand book page to, inked with Distress.  'Joy' is a decorative button. 

Gift Wrap

I loved making a sheet of very pretty wrap for a couple of Christmas gifts (and it matches the 3D stars I made).  I started with a large piece of plain newsprint that was packing in a package I received.  I used Dylusions sprays - red, pink, and both greens and also the gold Perfect Pearls mist.  There is some stamping with a Dylusions Christmas holly background image (Archival ink) and also with bubble wrap (red and gold paints).

#2

I couldn't resist making another tag using this new Snowflakes are the butterflies stamp from Quietfire Design  and combining it with QFs large butterfly image.  I started with a #8 manila tag, layed on the 12x12 snowflake stencil from Crafter's Workshop, sprayed with Dylusions bubblegum pink and London blue, removed the stencil, blotted the ink and dried the tag.  Using a waterbrush and excess Dylusions ink on my craft sheet I added drips by getting the brush wet with ink and tapping it over my finger to make the ink fly off and onto the tag and dried it. Then I layed the stencil back on and went around the snowflakes with a black pen, removed the stencil and added dots around a couple of the snowflakes.  Distressed the edges of the tag with the Distrezz-it-All, sprayed the excess Dylusions ink on the craft sheet with water and dipped the edges of the tag in it and dried the edges.  I applied white acrylic paint using a sponge to an area large enough for the calligraphy stamp, dried it, and then stamped the image using Archival Ink jet black.  Decided I wanted more in the background and using sequin waste as a stencil/mask added spots of white acrylic paint.  Stamped the butterfly on a scrap of manila cardstock with Distress Ink salty ocean and cut it out.  Again using the sequin waste added a bit of white paint to the center area of the butterfly.  Added more details with both a black pen and a white gel pen and glued just the center of the butterfly to the tag.  Bent up and curved the wings.  Added doodled lines around the edge of the tag and tied some dyed ribbon to the top.

Snowflakes are Butterflies

This tag uses some images from Quietfire Design's newest stamp set, Snowflakes are the butterflies.  I started with a #8 tag and covered the front with picket fence stain, dried it, stamped the flourish snowflake with Versamark, sprayed on both colors of Dylusions, blotted the tag, dried it, stamped snowflakes with salty ocean and dried.  I love the soft, chalky look of the ink when you put down a layer of the picket fence stain first!!!!  Snowflakes are the butterflies is stamped and then embossed in black.  Since I had dried the tag and also heavily used an anti-static bag I thought I would be fine with the black embossing powder but some still stuck to the flourish snowflakes - grrr.  I tried my best using a very detailed paint brush to brush away the excess embossing powder from around the words and I got most of it without much disturbance to the quote but there is some stray pieces, so don't look too close (vbg).  The extra flourish snowflakes are stamped with salty ocean on a scrap of manila card that was first coated with the picket fence stain and then cut out.  A strip of tissue tape across the bottom.  Dylusions ink-dyed ribbon at the top.  The snowflake charm is colored white with the Adirondack mixative.  

Snowflakes are the Butterflies Quietfire Design Rubber Stamp Set

#8 Manila Tag

Distress Stain - picket fence

Dylusions Ink Spray - London blue, crushed grape

Versamark Ink pad

Distress Ink pad - salty ocean

Tim Holtz tissue tape

Snowflake charm

Adirondack Alcohol Ink Mixative - snow cap

Tim Holtz distress tool

Seam Binding

3D Stars

These stars are inspired by Dyan Reaveley and her new Ranger video found HERE.  I worked on manila cardstock and used Dylusions sprays, Perfect Pearls mists, metallic Distress Stains, Distress Ink, seam binding, and glass glitter.  

A Butterfly Christmas

Certainly not a traditional Christmas card except for the colors.  I recently bought some stamps from Chocolate Baroque; I totally could not resist some new butterflies, flowers, etc.  I purchased Tangled Garden, and Butterfly Flourish/Fantastic Florals Multi Set.  Soon after I received the stamps I got some of the new Distress Stains and so why not combine them.  I took a piece of manila cardstock large enough for the butterfly image (this butterfly is about 5" x 4") and scribbled some iced spruce down the center, added evergreen bough on either side, and finally festive berries on either side of that; and then stamped the butterfly with jet black Archival.  After I had it stamped I was wishing I had embossed it just to make it pop a bit more but after letting the butterfly sit a couple of days I had an idea - I took Microglaze and rubbed it over the whole thing deepening the colors and the stamping and then cut out the butterfly.  Then what to do.....   hmmm, the colors are good for Christmas, why not?  The background is done on manila cardstock with evergreen bough stain and brushed pewter stain onto the craft sheet; dip and dry, dip and dry.  Then I stamped the pine trees (Tim Holtz image), stamping 2 -3 times between inkings to get the look of closer and farther away trees.  Then to give it a hazy, snowy look I added brushed pewter drops and flicks.  I also edged the piece with brushed pewter.  Holly Jolly Christmas is from Quietfire Design.  

Gelli Printing

Our daughter and her family have been here all week and we've fit in art time when we could.  Yesterday we spent the morning playing with my Gelli plates.  So much fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Here are some of my prints...

These next two prints were done over the cardstock we were cleaning the brayers on.

And here are some of my daughters prints.