Presence of Wonder

Happy Sunday!!  and Happy last day of 2017.  It's hard to believe another year has gone by.... they go so quickly.  

A few weeks ago our youngest son got engaged.  Our daughter in law to be and I spent some time yesterday making gel prints.  I used one of the papers the brayer was cleaned on to make this card.  I chose an area and cut it out... stenciled (Tim Holtz music stencil) on it with Wendy Vecchi's Archival Ink color, Violet... stenciled the Tim Holtz flowers with Wendy's black embossing paste... once dry, I splattered it with white paint, stitched around the edges, and embossed the edges with Ranger's Liquid Platinum powder.  I wrapped the panel with purple twine, attached it to white cardstock and then a folded purple card.  Chose a Tim Holtz Small Talk Sticker, trimmed it, added color on the edges with Cracked Pistachio Distress Marker and attached it as shown. The finished size of the card is 4 1/4" x 6 5/8". 

Love and a Hand Carved Stamp

Happy Saturday to you!!!  I hope you get some time to rest/play this weekend!!  

I'm sharing a fun card today.  The heart image is designed and hand carved by my super talented friend Michelle Morlan.  She has an Etsy shop, Sparrow Foot Stamps, that you can find HERE.

My background panel is the smoother side of a piece of Ranger's Watercolor Paper.  I inked the heart image with Distress Ink Abandoned Coral and then tapped some Distress Ink Picked Raspberry on the edges, sprayed on some water, stamped it onto the paper, sprayed it again without inking, and stamped it for a lighter image.  I did this a few times and even did a couple of stampings, spraying with water and stamping a third time without inking.  The speckles are made using the Distress Air Spritzer thing (can't remember the actual name) with the Picked Raspberry marker.

I tore a piece of vellum, inked the top and bottom edge with Embossing Ink and embossed with Ranger's Liquid Platinum powder.  I wrapped this to the back and taped it down.  The single heart is stamped with Ranger's Archival Ink, inking the whole heart with Bright Tangelo and adding some Vibrant Fuchsia to the top edges.  This is stamped on a scrap of white cardstock, cut out, glued to a piece of Tim Holtz Gold Deco Sheet, cut out with a small border, and added some yellow to the center with a glitter gel pen.  The word love is an A Way With Words cutting die (Elizabeth Craft Designs by designer Suzanne Cannon) from the set Baby Love.  I've die cut it from Gold Deco Sheet and also black cardstock, attached them together as shown. 

White Tiger

Hello Again!!!  I know, blogging 4 days in a row.. shocker :-)

This was made for a birthday card.  The ovals including the folded base are cut with the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Stitched Ovals.  The center layer is sponged with ink and then stenciled (Tim Holtz stencil) with Nuvo Embellishment Mousse.  The front layer - the tiger is stamped with black ink and then a waterbrush and Distress Ink were used to add some color detail but the idea was a white tiger.  The leaves are stamped with Distress Ink.  The die cut leaves are Sizzix/Tim Holtz with detail added using Susan's Garden flower tools.  

Happy Birthday Beautiful

The background is Distress Inks sponged on and then sponged through a stencil.  The flowers are gloss paste through a Tim Holtz stencil, let dry, and then foiled (Deco Foil Rainbow) using a laminator.  The words are done with a Dymo labeler.  Edges distressed, layered to a metallic pink paper and then to a folded white card.

Mornings are the Most Beautiful Time of the Day

Hello!!!  I received a beautiful calendar for Christmas.  The artist that did all the pictures for the calendar is Jane Shasky.  The calendar came in a large, heavy envelope with a picture on it that coordinated with the images in the calendar.  The envelope also had just a bit of a canvas texture to it.  Instead of just throwing it away I decided to make a couple of card.  This is the first one.  I picked an area and die cut a large rectangle (Elizabeth Craft Designs Stitched Rectangles) from it.  I then die cut another rectangle from the first rectangle using one size smaller cutting die.  I edged both rectangles with Distress Paint Tarnished Brass.  The largest is attached to a folded white card.  On the smaller rectangle I stamped an A Way With Words Clear Stamp (Elizabeth Craft Designs by designer Suzanne Cannon) image from the A Bit of Fragrance Collection onto the panel with Archival Ink Jet Black.  I did this using the Tim Holtz Stamping Platform and was very glad that I did!!  Since there is some texture I needed to stamp it a few times to get a good image without pressing so hard that it squished the letters.  I wrapped this panel with some glitzy gold fiber and then attached it to the card with foam mounting tape.  

On the inside I added a sentiment based on Lamentations 3:23.  I printed it with my laser printer and then, using a laminator, foiled the verse with Deco Foil Red.  I tore the paper using a ruler.  I added a mat torn from cardstock and painted with Distress Paint Tarnished Brass.

God's love for us is without end and I am so thankful that His mercies are new every morning!!

I tried to capture the shine of the red foil.....

Leather Journal/Scrapbook

Hi There!!!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas day!!!

This is a book I made for a Christmas gift (by request).  My step-daughter already has one leather journal and had used it as a scrapbook.  She took a trip to Maine this year and had asked for another book she could use as a scrapbook.  The book is large.  I bought acid free cardstock that was 11" x 17" and folded them in half for the signatures - 8 signatures with 7 folded papers each.  Lots of room for pictures, etc.  I stamped an image of a lighthouse, die cut in an oval, added color and spray sealed the image.  Under it is an oval cut from Tim Holtz gold metallic surface.  This is a peel and stick paper.  After sticking it on, I put an acrylic block over it, weighted it down and left it overnight for, hopefully, a bond that will last.  The lighthouse is glued on with Collage Medium Matte.  I put a blue velvet paper liner inside the leather cover.  I thought blue was a good choice thinking about the coast and the ocean.  I used waxed linen thread to sew in the signatures and left extra hanging to make dangles with beads, charms, and the word Maine.  Stretchy cord was used for keeping the book closed. 

I hadn't made a book in long time and had a really good time with it!!!

I'm linking this to the December Mini Album Makers Challenge where the theme is always Any Handmade Book.  

Noel - Merry Christmas

A few Christmas cards to share.  Noel is an old stamp.  The solid greenery stamp is Hero Arts.  Merry Christmas is Darkroom Door.  I pulled alcohol inked papers from my stash and embossed Noel with detail black powder.  The back panels are sponged with Distress Ink, stamped with Archival ink, splattered with Distress Paint Tarnished Brass, and the edges embossed with gold powder. 

A Very Merry Christmas to You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   

Piggy Merry Christmas

Hello Friends!!!  This tag makes me smile and even giggle, lol.  I wanted a tag for someone that likes pigs.  The pig image is a really old PSX stamp.  I stamped onto Ranger's Mixed Media cardstock with Archival Ink Jet Black, added color using a water brush and Spun Sugar Distress Ink and cut it out.  I had a panel with the Mixed Media Poinsettia (Sizzix, Tim Holtz) die cut from a corner... I decided to trim it off to make a tag.  Color was added with Distress Oxide Inks (Iced Spruce, Cracked Pistachio, Twisted Citron) using my craft sheet and then inked the edges with regular Distress Twisted Citron).  This is layered over an alcohol inked paper from my stash and trimmed to leave a small border.  Enamel Accents were added to the centers of the poinsettias and then, because I didn't want to wait, I dried them with my heat tool which caused bubbling of course but I didn't mind the added texture.  The words, merry and Christmas, are from the Merry Christmas Collection A Way With Words Clear Stamp Set.  I stamped them using Tim's Stamp Platform and VersaFine Onyx Black ink.  I added stenciling with one of Tim's mini stencils and Distress Evergreen Bough.  For the Santa hat I used a cutting die from Tim's smaller crazy birds with accessories set.  I colored the red with a Faber-Castell Big Brush Marker and then used Grit Paste along with Distress Dry Glitter Rock Candy for the white part.  Washi Tape, a Tim Holtz Holiday Talk Metallic Sticker, and twine finish it up. 

Christmas Panel

Hello!!!  I'm sharing all the details of this Christmas panel on the Quietfire Creations Blog today.  You can find it HERE. 

It's A Wonderful Life Christmas Card

I made this card a few weeks ago but didn't want to share it until the recipient had it in hand.  

Let's start with the tag.  It is a Ranger #8 Mixed Media Tag and a pine bough from the Sizzix/Tim Holtz Holiday Greens die set has been cut from the center.  Next the tag was stamped with the Tim Holtz Sparkles Background, embossed with Ranger's Liquid Platinum powder, and sprayed with Distress Spray Stain (a few different reds).  I colored the pine bough and a scrap of paper with Distress Inks, attached the scrap behind the tag, added glue and Distress Dry Glitter Rock Candy to the die cut bough and layered it onto the tag.  Around the edges of the tag is Texture Paste and Rock Candy Glitter.  The Tim Holtz Idea-ology berries and pine cones were colored with alcohol ink and then paint and glitter added to the pine cones. The paint and glitter was done a few times as alcohol ink kept bleeding up through.  I tied the cones together with craft thread and glue them, the berries and a silver metallic bow onto the tag. 

The black cardstock layer is stenciled using Tim's plaid stencil and Distress Oxide Ink.  The Stamper's Anonymous/Tim Holtz Snowflakes are stamped and then embossed using white powder.  The edges are inked with Distress Picket Fence and then they are stitched with Idea-ology thread.  Craft Tape from Tim's Christmas pack is wrapped at the bottom.  Distress Crayon Picket Fence was used on the Merry Christmas Idea-ology piece to bring out the words, it's attached to the panel with foam tape and then Craft Thread attached, wrapped around and bow tied.  The tag is attached to the panel with foam tape.  The Paper Dolls are from the Christmas pack, a little tinting done with Distress Markers.  The Idea-ology deer is colored with Alcohol Ink.  Everything is attached to the panel and the panel attached to a folded red card.  Finally some of the Idea-ology Metallic Stickers are added, the edges of the white ones inked with Distress Marker.  

Let It Snow Tag

This tag is inspired by the current Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge which is Icy Inspiration.  They are also showcasing products from PaperArtsy this week so I've used some of their products plus others.

This is a Ranger #8 Mixed Media Tag.  I put PaperArtsy's Grunge Paste through  Tim Holtz/Stamper's Anonymous Stencil #THS093 and let it dry.  Over this I've added water and some colors of PaperArtsy Infusions drying as I went with a heat tool.  Next I dripped on some Brushed Pewter Distress Spray Stain and dried it.  Around the edges I've used Embossing Ink and Ranger's Snowflake Tinsel Embossing Powder.  Across the top is a piece of a Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Frozen Alpha Part that I embossed with the Snowflake Tinsel powder.  The deer is from the Tim Holtz/Sizzix Winter Wonderland set, die cut from Mixed Media cardstock, inked with Distress Oxide and spritzed with water.  The snowflakes are from the Tim Holtz/Sizzix Paper Snowflakes, Minis die set, cut from white cardstock, brushed with Distress Collage Medium and Distress Dry Glitter Rock Candy added to them.  Let it Snow is a PaperArtsy stamp from the Lin Brown set ELB11.  It is stamped with Archival Ink Cornflower Blue on a scrap of white, torn out and glued to the tag.  

The Earth Laughs In Flowers

Hello!!! I'm over on the PaperArtsy Blog today with this project for Topic #18 Torn, Ripped, Burnt.  

I have a lot of pictures here and they document most of the process of this art journal page (I did forget to take some pictures towards the end).  You can find my thoughts and any additional information over at PaperArtsy.