Be Brave, Be You

The More Than Words Mini Challenge for September is to use the word Brave. 

I've created a card for this challenge.  I started with a piece of white card brayered with Distress Oxide Re-inkers, Broken China and Wilted Violet.  I applied white Embossing Paste through a Wendy Vecchi/Stamper's Anonymous stencil, covered the paste with Wendy Vecchi/Ranger Ink Embossing Powder Garden Patina while the paste was wet, tapped off the excess and heated the embossing powder/paste.  I absolutely love the look you get with this. 

There is stenciling in the background through Tim Holtz/Stamper's Anonymous stencils.  The hearts are stenciled with Oxide Ink.  The dots are stenciled with Embossing Ink and then Ranger's Liquid Platinum embossing powder used.  I also embossed the edges with Liquid Platinum  

I used cutting dies designed by Suzanne Cannon for Elizabeth Craft Designs for the words, be Brave.  They are cut from water color paper twice.  One set is colored with Distress Oxide Ink Wilted Violet and shaded with Distress Ink Dusty Concord.  The other set is left white.  They are layered together. 

In the center of the larger flowers I've Brads that are embossing with the Liquid Platinum embossing powder.  In the centers of the smaller flower I've used Nuvo Drops.  "be you" is a Tim Holtz/Idea-ology Small Talk sticker.  Some purple Dew Drops are the finishing touch. 

PaperArtsy #13 Metallics

Happy Friday to You!!!!  I'm thrilled to be back on the PaperArtsy Blog today for their 13th Topic of the Year - Metallics.  You can find the opening post for this topic HERE and my post is HERE (be sure to check out that post First and then come back to read this post for further information).  

My focus for the metallic topic is foil and just some of the ways to add it to our projects.  This first card is using the foil along with regular embossing powder (I first saw Wendy Vecchi do this).  What worked well for me was to heat the embossing powder as normal and then go back to gently reheat some areas.  While still hot/warm, you can press on the foil, pull off the release sheet and some foil will stick to the embossing powder.  This works great if you want random areas of foil or just part of an image foiled.  

I used PaperArtsy Heavy Smoothy card.  I love the weight of this paper and the smooth white surface.  I put a few drops of Limelight paint onto my craft sheet and then used a brayer to put it on my paper.  I wasn't going for full coverage.

I used a stencil brush to add more Limelight through the Lin Brown Stencil, PS044.

The distressed lines from Lin's stamp set ELB29 were stamped with Embossing Ink and embossed with Red Geranium Powder.

Next I reheated some of the image, placed the foil on **Always shiny, colored side up**, rubbed, and lifted the sheet back off.

I did the same thing with the leaf branch using Fern Green Powder.  When I reheated I went up the center of the branch. The branch was then cut out and layered over the red lines.  

I again used the Heavy Smoothy to create the folded card and added Hyde Park paint around the edges. 

Before attaching the main panel to the card I decided it needed a bit more so I used the Embossing Ink Pad along the top and bottom, embossed with Red Geranium, and added gold foil on some areas.  I also added some "controlled" splatter in the top right and bottom left corners using London Bus Paint and a tool I got many a years ago - a piece of wood with some plastic meshy stuff on it.  The words are from Lin's set ELB12 and stamped with Archival Ink Jet Black.

Another way to add foil is with a heat laminator.

I began by brayering on Vanilla and Caramel paint.  

Next I put Golden's Heavy Gel Gloss through the large flower on Lin's stencil PS005.  I decided not to smooth it out but to leave it textured.  This was an experiment as I'd always leveled the gel before if I was foiling.

The Gel has to be left to dry completely so I left it until the next day.  Cut a piece of foil large enough to cover the paper and you need a piece of parchment paper to fold and be able to put your card and the foil inside.

While you are getting things ready, you can turn on the laminator and let it heat up.  For my laminator that only takes about 10 minutes.  You then feed your "sandwich" into the machine.

And the machine automaticly takes it through and out the other side.

Open the parchment paper and this is what you see.

And here I'm peeling off the release sheet.

There were some spots where the highs and lows of the textured gel didn't allow the foil to press into the low spots.. also some spots where there was stray gel because I often seem to have trouble lifting the stencil if there is lots of medium.  It actually gave a really cool distressed look to the image. 

But I wanted you to also see how elegant it can look so I started another piece.  Again I brayered on the same colors but also added some stenciling with the Vanilla paint and the same image.  I added the Heavy Gel spreading it even and mostly smooth.  Again it needed to dry completely before foiling.

Besides foiling gloss gel with a heat laminator you can also foil anything printed with a laser printer.  Wouldn't it be cool to do your own drawing, make a copy with a laser printer and then foil it.  Or how about lettering.  Way cool!!!

For the distressed flower card I added a little Treasure Gold Florentine around the edges and then stitched around also.  Noel is from Lin's set ELB11.  It was stamped with Distress Oxide Ink Peeled Paint, cut out, layered to red cardstock, Wink of Stella Glitter Clear brushed on the edge and then layered to the card with foam tape. 

Another way to add foil is with double sided tape.  You can find the tape in different widths.  I put the tape on the card, peeled off the liner, laid the foil on, rubbed and peeled up the liner.  

Noel was stamped with Archival Ink Emerald Green.

Finally you can use Sticky Embossing Powder to add foil.  This works great if you want to foil a complete image.  

I stamped the image from Lin's set ELB10 with Embossing Ink, covered it with the sticky powder which works just like regular embossing powder, tapped off the excess and then heated it.  The important thing to remember when using Sticky powder is not to overheat it - as soon as it turn clear move on.  If you heat it too much you will dry out the adhesive and it won't work.  Also do NOT touch the adhesive before foiling (or adding glitter or whatever).

Place the foil over the image, rub well, and peel up the liner.  If any spots aren't foiled, press a fresh spot of foil in that spot.

This picture was taken under an Ott Light and you can really see the holographic look of the foil that is harder to see in my other pictures.

I water colored the trees using Distress Oxide Peeled Paint Ink and a water brush.  The edges of the tag are inked with Distress Oxide Candied Apple and some Candied Apple splattered on.  Merry Christmas from Lin's set ELB11 is stamped with black ink on a scrap of Kraft Card, cut out, Candied Apple run along the edge, and attached to the tag with foam tape.  Made a bow and tied it by the hole. 

A bit of Fragrance

Hey!!!  I hope today finds you well!!

In the center of a white panel, stamp the rose and quote (A Bit of Fragrance Collection - Clear Stamps) with VersaFine Ink Onyx black.  Die cut with Dotted Scallop Die (Elizabeth Craft Designs) and color rose using a waterbrush and Oxide Ink.  Set this oval aside.  Working on the panel with the oval cut from the center, ink all over with Distress Oxide Ink Worn Lipstick.  Place Swirly Flourish Stencil (Elizabeth Craft Designs) over panel and ink through stencil with Distress Oxide Ink Candied Apple...  Leave ink on stencil... spray inky stencil with water, flip over and press on another white panel, dry panels.  Attach panels together, splatter with watered down white paint, dry, distress edges and wrap with gold ribbon.  Add die cut oval to panels with foam mounting tape, placing it over cut out oval area.  Attach to folded black card. 

All is Calm, All is Bright

Hi!!!  I had fun making this card using new Tim Holtz cutting dies and stamps along with older things, Distress Inks and Oxides, and Idea-ology products.  I'm entering it into this weeks Simon Says Monday Challenge - Heavy Metal.  

To build the background there is a small amount of Oxides Inks (Lucky Clover, Iced Spruce) brayered onto the white cardstock, then DOX Lucky Clover sponged through the new stencil (THMS096),  DOX Iced Spruce sponged around the edges, and Mica Spray Evergreen spritzed over the whole panel.  This is layered to a piece of Gold Metallic Kraft.  Next the "snow" from the new Winter Wonderland set is die cut in the top center area of the panel, die placed on the front.  Some of the spots came out completely, others just the top layer came out and some didn't come out at all.  I was going to poke them all out but decided I really liked how it looked so left it and layered that piece to a white panel and then to a red panel.  The tree (Woodlands die set) was cut from Gold Metallic Kraft and attached to the panel.  The buck was cut from Distress Mixed Media Heavy Stock and inked with Distress Inks.  The "bough" from the new die set, Festive Greens, was cut from deep green cardstock and lightly flicked with Distress Stain Tarnished Brass.  The Idea-ology Pine Cones were colored with Alcohol Ink (Ginger), tied together and attached to the panel.  Once in place Distress Paint Tarnished Brass was lightly brushed on the front of them.  The Idea-ology ribbon was colored with Distress Stain Candied Apple.  The token "hope" was painted around the edges with Tarnished Brass and the letters filled in with Distress Crayon.  Metallic gold thread tied on.  The words (new stamp set, Great Outdoors CMS321) were stamped with Archival Ink Jet Black, cut out and Distress Stain Tarnished Brass put on the edges.  

Peace on Earth

• Distress Mixed Media Heavy Weight #8 Tag.
• Apply Distress Oxide Picked Raspberry and Regular Distress Picked Raspberry to craft sheet, spray with water, dip tag in color, dry tag splattering with water while drying.
• Edges inked with Distress Ink Evergreen Bough.
• Back Gold Shimmer Sheetz with Double Stick adhesive sheet.  Die cut with Flourished Ornament.
• Die cut Flourished Ornament from adhesive backed foam sheet. Trim off flourishes so you only have the circle.
• Cut circle from acetate and attach to Gold ornament.  Attach foam circle to acetate side of ornament.
• Stamp Peace on Earth image with Versafine Onyx Black ink onto white cardstock.  Color tree and ink edges with Everygreen Bough.  Die cut with Stitched Circles Die (Elizabeth Craft Designs).
• Attach stamped circle to tag.  Scoop some glitter (Silk Microfine Glitter Warm Diamond) and place in center of stamped circle.  Put glue around circle of ornament, foam side (be sure to get glue all the way around - don't miss any spots), and glue to tag over stamped circle.  Set an acrylic block over circle for weight and allow to dry completely.
• Wrap tag with garland green, add heart brad, add gold ribbon to top and staple (Tim's Tiny Attacher).  
• Die Cut "Peace" from white cardstock with adhesive on top.  Cover adhesive with Warm Diamond Glitter, remove excess, burnish with your finger to bring out all the shine.  Attach word to tag.

I'm linking this to this weeks Simon Says Monday Challenge which is Heavy Metal.  

Time to Collect Beautiful Moments

The current theme on the Simon Says Monday Challenge is Shimmer and Shine.  I've created on a #8 Manila Tag.  Along the right side is Texture Paste Transparent Gloss mixed with some Silk Microfine Glitter True Red and then put through a Tim Holtz Stencil #THS084.  The tag was then sprayed with Distress Spray Stain (Antique Linen, Bundled Sage, Tatttered Rose) and Distress Mica Spray Tarnished Brass, and dried.  Tim Holtz Roses Background Stamp (Set #CMS298) was stamped with Archival Ink Red Geranium.  Distress Ink Brushed Corduroy was blended around the edges.  The leaf is created using Tim's Tattered Leaves cutting die and embossing folder.  After cutting the leaf from Distress Mixed Media Heavy Stock, it was sprayed with Distress Spray Stain (Tea Dye and Fired Brick), blotted, dried, edges inked with Distress Brushed Corduroy, embossed with the embossing folder, a bit more brushed corduroy rubbed over the high spots, sprayed heavily with Mica Spray Tarnished Brass and dried.  The string is Tim's Eclectic Elements Craft Thread.  Idea-ology pieces used - Word Stick, Game Spinner, Number Brad, Metallic Stickers.  The number brad was painted with Distress Black Soot, dried and then Distress Crayon used to highlight the number.  The crayon was also used on the Word Stick.