Gift Tags and a Winner

All of these tags were made from one 8 1/2 x 11" piece of Ranger's Specialty Stamping Paper and I still have some left for a few more tags.  

I sprayed the paper with water and  Dylusion sprays - red, pink, and both greens, blotted and then sprayed again with the same colors (no water) and dried.  Then I flipped the paper over and sprayed with water and the sprays but using less of the sprays to keep things lighter. 

Next I chose some Spellbinder dies ( scalloped ovals lg, 2010 heirloom ornaments, nested poinsettias, labels twenty), picked some of the new Christmas stamps from Quietfire Design and started stamping (Archival ink jet black) and die cutting.  Then I chose to make a couple that were just rectangle in shape (no die used). 

The lines and dots were done with a black pen and a white pen.

The added color on the Christmas tree and the red dots around the edge were done with a water brush and Dylusion spray inks.  Gold was added to the star at the top using a Sharpie gold paint marker - waterbased.

The flowers along the bottom of the Noel tag are done using a Dylusion stencil and Distress ink barn door. 

When I stamped the peace on earth image, as I picking up the stamp block I slipped a bit and got a double image at the top of the tree.  It actually didn't look bad, seemed to just blend in with the scrollwork, except for the star at the top, so I left it and drew over the star with the white pen.

The ribbon on the tags is the 7mm white silk ribbon available from Quietfire Design colored with Distress stains.

You can add more variation to the background by flicking on a little water, blotting it and drying.  I did this on the Blessings tag.

I added highlights to the star below with a silver Sharpie paint marker and with the white pen.

On the backs of the tags I just wrote To: and From:.  You could even leave them blank and write a special note when you know which package you are going to put them on. 

The tags are quick to make!!!

And now onto the winner (on my blog) of the Quietfire Christmas Blog Hop - Kindling Your Creativity.  The random number generator chose..........................

Carolyn Adams said...

Gorgeous card, Wanda, and a great tutorial! Not too sure I'd have the patience for more than one of these!

Congratulations, Carolyn!!!! You need to email Suzanne with your complete  address.

To see all the winners from the hop and find Suzanne's email address visit the Quietfire Style Blog HERE.

Quietfire Christmas Blog Hop - Kindling Your Creativity

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Happy Monday!!!  Thank you for stopping by!!!  Scroll down to the bottom of this post for all the particulars about the swap and links to all the participants.... and don't forget to leave a comment on this post for your chance to win a grab bag of stamps from Quietfire Design.

I have chosen to make a card using the new "Christmas waves a magic wand" rubber stamp.  Now I realize that there is no way any of us could make a bunch of these cards to send out for Christmas; however, we usually have a person (or 2 or 3) that we like to make an extra special card for and this would be perfect...  OR how about framing it and giving it as a gift or using it in your own home while decorating for Christmas.  Just some ideas!!  

Supply List --

Quietfire Design Stamps - Christmas waves a magic wand, and a flourish
Watercolour Paper
Specialty Stamping Paper
Core'dinations - Distress & Adirondack
Grungepaper
Dreamweaver stencil - LG713 Amsterdam Flourish
Embossing Paste
Dies - Vintage Cabinet Card; Mini Repositionable Cabinet Card; Festive Greenery; Mini Reindeer
Dylusion Sprays - postbox red, lime green, cut grass
Distress Inks - barn door, vintage photo, mowed lawn, pine needles
Archival Ink - jet black, viridian
Lumiere Paint - bright gold
Tiny copper bells
4mm white satin ribbon 
Craft Sheet
Heat Tool
Ink Blending tool
Mister bottle with water in it
Palette Knife or Embossing Paste Spreader

** Note - It looks to me like the quote is blurry in the pictures and I've retaken twice and it still looks like that on my screen.  I want to let you know, if it's blurry on your screen, that it is not blurry in real life.

I began by creating the central frame piece.  I cut it from watercolor paper using the two cabinet card dies.  I love these dies from the movers and shapers line and how we can put them together and cut just once to make a frame.

Next I embossed onto the frame using a metal stencil and embossing paste.  Working on a craft sheet, I placed the stencil on the frame and pressed paste through the stencil using a palette knife.

Lift the stencil straight up leaving your design on the frame in paste.  The extra paste on the craft sheet can be scraped up and put back into your jar.  Scrape over the stencil to remove excess paste, move it to another area on your frame, and apply paste again. Continue until you have the design everywhere you want it.  If you find that you can't place the stencil without getting into wet paste already on the frame, do the areas you can, let it dry, and then go back and emboss the other areas.  If you are not going to immediately use the stencil again then wash it.  If you let the paste dry on the stencil it will be very hard to remove.

Let the paste dry completely.  (This is the end of any step-by-stap pics)

After the paste was completely dry I sprayed the frame with all 3 colors of Dylusion sprays and dried it with the heat tool.  I then used the gold paint on the flourishes.  I first tried to just lightly sponge over them or use my finger and I was getting more paint then I wanted on the areas around the flourishes and then (finally) remembered to place my stencil back over the paste and apply my paint that way thereby protecting the areas around the flourishes.  I also used a small paintbrush to add extra paint on some of the flourishes that just weren't gold enough.  Set the frame aside and let it dry.

The paper behind the frame is Specialty stamping paper.  I sprayed it lightly with water and then sprayed it well with lime green spray.  Then without blotting or pressing, just leaving it as is, I dried it with a heat tool.  I love how textured the color is on the Specialty stamping paper if you just dry it.  I layed the frame piece onto this piece to determind where I wanted to stamp the quote and then stamped the quote using jet black.  Stamp flourishes around the edge with viridian ink.  Adhere the frame.

Not knowing exactly how I wanted to do the pieces of greenery I cut a strip from both green and brown core'dinations paper.  I sanded both pieces before removing all the cut outs (a tip learned from Tim Holtz I think during last years 12 tags).  I used the pine cone from the brown piece sponging a little vintage photo around the edges.  I used green inks on the greenery pieces and also added details to the holly leaves by folding and sponging ink.  I took the flourishes from the green paper and inked them with red, then rubbed on some snow cap stain, then added more red and decided they just didn't quite look right so I painted them gold but because of the red ink it tinted the gold reddish which is why 2 of the flourish have a red tint.  The 2 flourishes from the brown paper were just painted, not ink, and so they are more gold.  Decided where I wanted the pieces to go and glued them on.  I punched different sizes of circles from red core'dinations and used them as berries tithe holly leaves.

The deer is cut from grungepaper and inked with brushed corduroy and vintage photo.

The ribbon is rubbed with barn door ink.  The bells are copper so I did sponge just a little gold paint on them so they matched better and it gave them a little shimmer.

The whole piece is edged with gold paint and then attached to a red core'dinations folded card.

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Now onto the details of the swap!!!  

The Quietfire Design 2012 Christmas Blog Hop!  

October 15th through 19th, 2012!


Quietfire Design would like to introduce you to their New Holiday Selection of rubber stamps!  Each day designers will be posting brand new artwork they have created using the new rubber stamps.  Visit their blogs on the day of their featured project, post a comment on their Blog Hop post and you will be eligible to win a grab bag of Quietfire Design rubber stamps!  Each Designer will randomly choose a winner from the comments on their own Blog Hop post, so make sure that you’ve commented by midnight Friday, October 19th.  Tell your friends!

All winners will be posted on the Quietfire Style blog on Sunday October 21st. If you are one of our lucky winners, please contact Suzanne privately with your snail mail address. 

Here is our schedule:

Monday, Oct 15th: Yogi ,Wanda

Tuesday,Oct 16th: Robyn, Holly

Wednesday, Oct 17th:  Sherry

Thursday, Oct 18th: Monica, Terre

Friday, Oct 19th: Suzanne

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Quick Reminder and Sneak Peek

A reminder that the Quietfire Christmas Blog Hop starts tomorrow.... and a little peek at my project.  I hope you can stop by!!!  

From Leaves to Christmas

First the Leaves!!!  The colors outside have been gorgeous lately but many of those leaves are falling with the strong winds we've had the last couple of days.  For this card I started with a piece of Ranger's Specialty Stamping Paper, stenciled the leaves with white stencil embossing paste and let it dry completely.  Next I sprayed the piece with Dylusion sprays bubblegum pink, postbox red, and melted chocolate and let those dry or use your heat tool.  I used Lumiere sunset gold paint over the stenciled leaves first just trying to carefully sponge over them and then got smart and placed the stencil back over them and sponged the paint. I also used a small paintbrush to get more paint on some areas.  Gold paint also sponged around the edges.  A black pen for all the doodles around the leaves and around the edges.  The quote is stamped with Archival Ink jet black.  I decided I wanted more "texture" in the background and so laid a Dylusion stencil over it, sprayed with water, removed the stencil, and blotted and dried the piece.  I layered this piece to black cardstock and then to a folded deep pinkish card.  

Now onto Christmas!!!!!!!!!  

Starting Monday, October 15th through Friday Oct. 19th Quietfire Design is having a Blog Hop to introduce everyone to their new Christmas stamps and I am taking part.  Here is all the important stuff!!!

The Quietfire Design 2012 Christmas Blog Hop!  

Quietfire Design would like to introduce you to their New Holiday Selection of rubber stamps!  Each day designers will be posting brand new artwork they have created using the new rubber stamps.  Visit their blogs on the day of their featured project, post a comment on their Blog Hop post and you will be eligible to win a grab bag of Quietfire Design rubber stamps!  Each Designer will randomly choose a winner from the comments on their own Blog Hop post, so make sure you’ve commented by midnight Friday, October 19th.  Tell your friends!

All winners will be posted on the Quietfire Style blog on Sunday October 21st. If you are one of our lucky winners, please contact Suzanne privately with your snail mail address. 

Here is our schedule:

Monday, Oct 15th: Yogi ,Wanda

Tuesday,Oct 16th: Robyn, Holly

Wednesday, Oct17th:  Sherry

Thursday, Oct 18th: Monica, Terre

Friday, Oct 19th: Suzanne

So, don't forget to come back on Monday to see my project and leave a comment for your chance to win fabulous QF rubbah!!!!!!  And you definitely don't want to miss everyone else's amazing projects throughout the week!!!

Enjoy the journey ATC

This is an atc I made earlier this summer.  The background is left-over ink (Dylusion's I think) printed onto Ranger's manila cardstock - meaning I took a piece of manila cardstock and layed it on the left-over ink, probably more than once with different colors, and then cut it up into atc sized pieces (I have more left to use).  The border image across the bottom is a Dylusion's stamp as are the leaves in the top left corner.  The bird is from gg designs'. A white pen was used to add highlight to all images including drawing in the bird wing and eye.  Black pen doodles around the edge.  An Ideology word band across the bottom; white paint in the letters.

When all else fails.... a quick tag

Ranger has issued a challenge on their blog to share a project using Distress Inks.  I have many projects on my blog that use Distress Ink but I thought I'd make something new to share.  I die cut the tag from Ranger's Specialty Stamping Paper using Tim's tag and bookplate die. I used Distress Inks picked raspberry, salty ocean, and squeezed lemonade for the background.  I rubbed each color on the craft sheet next to each other, sprayed the tag and the ink with water, smooshed in the tag, dried it blotting as necessary, dipped it again and dried it blotting as necessary.  The lady eating chocolate is a Stampsmith Image called Chocolate Lover.  I stamped her with Archival jet black.  The leaves are a Dylusion stencil and I sponged DI mowed lawn through the stencil.  'When all else fails eat chocolate' is a new Quietfire Design image; stamped and embossed in black.  The edges of the tag are sponged with mowed lawn, distressed with Tim's paper distresser and rubbed right on the edge with picked raspberry.  The color where I stamped the lady was darker than I wanted so after making sure the black ink was dry by using my heat tool I added water in all the light area using a water brush and then blotted up the color and repeated.  I worked very well.

We cannot tell....

I knew I wanted to try and make another card using one of Quietfire Design's new companion sets but I also had a new (to me) set of Spellbinder's dies (Bitty Blossoms)  that I was itching to try out so I started by making the flowers.  I grabbed a piece of cardstock that I had used in the past to pick up excess color off my craft sheet... this color can be from whatever - Distress Inks, stains, Dylusion sprays, other sprays, etc so I can't really say what's on this sheet - but I liked the colors.  I die cut the shapes and twirled them into flowers using Golden's heavy gel medium to glue them.  This was the first time I'd tried the heavy gel for flowers and it worked great!!!!  I put a blob on the circle shape at the end of the spiral that you set all the bottom of the petals against, adjusted my petals, and set it down... they did NOT come lose from the gel and just sat there and dried fabulously.  I loved that it allows you some wiggle time but you don't have to sit and hold it or weight it down.  AMAZING!!!  

So I had my flowers and next I needed to stamp my main piece.  I first stamped it on a scrap of the same paper I made the flowers from but it just seemed to busy for the words to really stand out so I grabbed another left over piece of paper that was mostly yellow and stamped the saying on that.  Die cut it with Spellbinders scalloped oval die and then sponged just a bit of Distress Ink mowed lawn around the edges.  The next layer is white cardstock embossed with Tim's folder Regal Flourishes and edged with Distress Ink seedless preserves.  The leaves are from the Bitty Blossoms die set and are cut and embossed from some scraps of green pick-up-extra-color paper and then I lightly sponged Distress Ink peeled paint over them to bring out the embossing.  The accent strips of paper are cut from the same paper as the flowers were die cut from.

Some people.....

This card uses one of Quietfire Design's new companion set of stamps - Some people come into our lives... you can see all the newest QF stamps Here (they've been out a while and this page will probably change soon as she comes out with new Christmas stamps).  To make this a very quick card I used one of the gorgeous Kanban papers Bella Damask - Mocha... it has all 3 of the decorative papers I used on this card.  I stamped (Archival Ink jet black) onto the non metallic highlights side of the paper, lined up the Spellbinders beaded oval die, cut it out, and sponged a little Distress Ink brushed corduroy to the outside edges using the ink blending tool.  The gold layer between the printed paper and the red cardstock is white cardstock edged with tarnished brass Distress stain.  The red cardstock is from my stash.  The heart is the smallest of the Sizzix primitive hearts cut from the same red cardstock.  The stamped-with-Archival-ink-jet-black footprints is a mini stamp from Stubby Stampers. Gold embroidery floss tied around the heart.  Flat-backed black gems added to the beaded oval.  On a couple of layers, I lightly used Tim's distressing tool on the edges.  You can see the metallics better in this tilted picture.

Making Art Challenge #51

A very quick tag for the current (almost over) challenge on the Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group.  The challenge issued by our most fabulous list mom, Lori, is to make something using the technique Wendy shared in a video for the Simon Says Stamp's Stamptember event... see the video HERE.  I used all Studio 490 stamps on this tag.

Happy First Day of Fall

 An ATC.  Dylusions sprays in the background and on the flowers cut from watercolor paper and to color in the Dylusion stamp along the bottom.  White pen in the image at the bottom, black pen around the edges. Studio 490 stamps used in the background and on the flowers.

Tag #3

#8 manilla tag
Dylusions sprays
Gesso sponged through border image of Dylusion stencil
Dylusions number stencil in background
Dylusions word image stamped on white cardstock and cut out
Leaves - Sizzix die - cut from cardstock and sprayed with Dylusions
Flower cut from water color paper, sprayed with Dylusion sprays and Perfect Pearls mist, crumpled, dried, and lightly inked over the ridges.  A silver brad in the center colored with alcohol inks.
White enamel accent dots

Tag #2

I was reminded of this lady image when the new releases for summer CHA were being shown.  She was coming out in one of Stampers Anonymous's classic sheets but I have her as a wood mount. I just had to get her out and use her!!  Again I started with a #8 manilla tag.  The background is Dylusion sprays.  If you look along the right side you can see a "ghosted" image of the word Dream.  I used Tim's movers and shakers Dream die and cut it from plastic packaging... layed it on the tag, sprayed water, took off the die-cut packaging, blotted up the water and dried it.  All stamps used on this tags besides the lady (Stampers Anonymous) and a grungy background image (Tim Holtz) are Wendy Vecchi Studio 490.  Around the top of the tag is a partial stamp of a flower stamped 3 times and embossed with green ep.  The flourishy weed image is stamped with Adirondack snow cap pigment.  The script and grungy background images are Distress Ink.  The lady, word Dream, and sentiment are all stamped with jet black Archival.  A white pen highlights the dot in the eye.  Red ink on the lips.

Back to those tags

Those tags being the ones I made and took with on my trip to Ohio over Stampaway weekend.  If you don't know what I'm talking about scroll down a few posts.  This is one of the tags I made (I'm scheduling the other 2 over the next 2 days) to take with and swap. A very cool technique that was mentioned to me at our last local in-person atc swap by one of the new people that come to the swap, Alexis.  A technique using paint and 91% rubbing alcohol.  She mentioned it was in the book Surface Treatment Workshop which rang a bell and when I got home I checked and, yep, I had the book.  I really need to work through all the techniques in this book... very cool  Anyway this particular one is found on page 86.  For my tag I used a #8 manilla tag from Ranger.  I painted it with Paint Dabber lettuce and let it dry completely.  Then I used Paint Dabber colors raspberry and sunset orange... these need to be watered down... you paint them on and then drip on the alcohol while the paint is still wet.  What I did was use a pipette, made lots of drips and then blotted with a paper towel.  It made the most wonderful variegated color on the tags... totally awesome.  You could do more controlled drips and you don't have to blot leaving a more defined pattern but for these tags I loved how it turned out with the blotting.  After it was dry I used an alphabet stencil (Dylusions) and Archival ink in the background.  Stamped the border image (Dylusions) along the top and bottom with jet black Archival.  Added the white in the borders with a pen.  Stamped laugh with jet black.  "Stamped" all the white circles with white paint and various lids or items sitting around.  The larger black dots were done with a pencil eraser and jet black.  The little black dots are an old stamp.  "laugh" didn't stand out as well as I wanted so I went around the edges with a black Glaze pen.

Making Art Challenge #50

It's very hard to believe that this is the 50th Challenge issued by our most fabulous list mom, Lori, on the Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group!!!  Our challenge this time is to take the techniques Tim Holtz shared in the Stamptember video on Simon Says Stamp's Blog HERE but use at least one Wendy stamp or as in the video, stamps from one set.  So I took a bit of time this afternoon and made a tag.  I used stamps from one of Wendy's new stamp sets, Art For You.  This is a fabulous set with insects, a honeycomb background and two word stamps, one of which is the "Be You" that I used.  For most of it I followed the video but then added a couple of other techs too.  I started with a manilla tag and the Distress Stains I used were spun sugar, scattered straw, and picket fence because I don't own the metallics yet.  Distress Inks used in the background are picked raspberry, ripe persimmon, and vintage photo.  Distress Inks used on the main bee are peacock feathers, and seedless preserves applied with a water brush.  After following along for the background and stamping I then used the water brush to put just plain water in the wings and body of the main image bee, let it sit a bit and blotted it up.  This lightened the color in the bee and then I went back in and added color.  The heart is one of Wendy's blossom bucket pieces colored with Archival Ink and then I rubbed Distress Stickles spun sugar on it.  Also around the bee and the heart I added a line of Distress Ink pumice stone with the water brush to give a little shading for depth.  It was great fun getting inky as I haven't had much time for that lately.  Thanks to Wendy Vecchi for her fabulous products and wonderful inspiration on her blog and to Lori for taking such good care of use on the Wendy group!!!

Chunky Time

We just finished a swap on the Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group of Chunky ATCs and this is the chunky I made and sent to Susan.  I received an incredible chunky from Anita.  She has pics on her blog Here and also another somewhat similar chunky on her blog Here that is awesome.  

If you don't already know, a chunky starts as a piece of 2 x 4 wood cut to 2 1/2".  A 2x4 is actually only 3 1/2" wide and 1 1/2" thick so by cutting a piece at 2 1/2" you get a piece that is ATC sized and 1 1/2" thick; therefore, a chunky.  Our only requirement was to use at least one Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 stamp but I used many.  I also got my order of Wendy's new stencils and some of her stamps and art parts in time to to use them on my chunky.  So all stamps and stencils used are Studio 490.  

I started out by painting all sides of wood with Distress Crackle Paint weathered wood and broken china... I just poured some each onto my craft sheet and picked up the colors randomly letting them swirl together on the wood.  Once everything else was done to it you can't really see how they swirl together but I'm sure it must have made a different in my finished project :-))  After it was dry and crackled I stamped with the background image from the set Material Art using Archival Ink Manganese Blue on all sides.  Next I brushed watered down snow cap Paint Dabber over a side, let it sit just a few seconds and wiped it off, and then continued until all sides were done.  This toned down the stamped a bit and emphasized the cracks more.  Along the way I did some pieces flake off here and there but not too much and it just added to the distress of it all.  I stenciled dots on the front and back with purple twilight Paint Dabber.  Around the top edge I stenciled on the stripes with espresso Paint Dabber... it sometimes bled under the stencil but that was ok too... and then I used a white pen to bring out the design more.   

The bird nest is just wadded up raffia.  I also sprayed a little brown Dylusions on it, blotted it and let it dry.  The bird is cut from grungeboard - I cut 2 and glued them together.  

The big flowers on the front and back are modeling paste through a stencil, let it dry, colored roughly with Tombow markers and then blended with water, let it dry, put the stencil back on and stamp the flower with a background image.  The center pieces are a couple of Wendy's Blossom Bucket pieces, the colors altered with Sharpie watercolor paint markers (one with regular color and the other with glitter color).  

The flower on this side is an Art Part and matching stamp.

The leaves and flowers were stamped on grungepaper, cut out, inked, leaves stamped with a background image, leaves and flowers highlighted with a white pen.  

The piece around the bottom is Ranger's sticky backed foil cut with a Tim die, colored with alcohol ink, and then coated with matte Glue 'n Seal to tone down the shininess.