Christmas Ornament

I love love love this die by Memory Box.  It is actually two dies, the top and the bottom.  The top was really hard to cut until I got a tip to use bubble wrap between the paper and the die, and now it works perfect.  The background on both dies are actually glitter paper, and the flourish front is a shiny cardstock.

 I finally figured out how to make tiny bows too, by using a fork (the tines) to wrap the ribbon around, and then sewing the center together.  It makes the perfect little size and they are always uniform in size.  I just have to make sure that I sew it exactly in the center or it will be lopsided.

I didn't know how well I would like the white background on a white card, so I mounted it on red glitter paper.  This cardstock is pretty expensive comparatively so didn't want to waste it, so I cut the center out and I can use it to cut more ornaments or something else.

Wedding Album

I still have a few more pages to go, but this is the album I am making for a friend.  I have to tell them though, that if they get the urge to have a cup of coffee while they are putting their pictures in it, it is because I used coffee to die the ribbons and lace.

 These two pages are for each of them to write a love note to the other.

Little Hannah/JoJo

This is the little girl that I said looks like my friends daughter and granddaughter.  I just love this little stamp, but of course the orignal girls are much cuter!

This is a digital stamp colored with copics.  The design on the bottom is a EK Success border punch that I got some time ago, but this is the first time I've used it. 

Copics

My first finished creation with my new Copics markers.  For my non-paper crafting friends, Copics are the best thing that ever happened to someone like me that really struggled with coloring in my stamps.  For my paper crafting friends, bear with me, I know they aren't perfect, but I'm learning.  I tried a few different blending techniques on these cards.  I signed up yesterday for a class but it doesn't happen until August.  So in the meantime I just struggle through with Utube videos and hints from friends on how to best use these babies. 

I've been thinking a long time about getting these markers because they are a good size investment, so I wanted to make sure that they were something that I would actually use and not just put in a drawer.  I started looking on ebay and craigslist and just happened across a guy that was selling 20 markers and he said 'make an offer.'  So I made an offer of $40 (there were 20 of them), thinking that he would counter-offer.  But he didn't!  I was totally shocked.  This is actually $140 worth of markers.  Now you see why I thought long and hard before decided to jump in to this.  There are three styles of these basic alcohol ink markers; Originals that are square, Sketch that are oval and Ciao which are smaller and round.  I am supplementing my original 20 with the Sketch markers now.  The Originals are not as popular as the other two, but are very nice to work with and have a chisel tip and a hard pointed tip (I forget what they all that).  There are 323 colors in all and I hope eventually to have them all.  There is also a new "Wide" copic, but I doubt that most card makers would use this as it makes a one inch swath.

Now I have to re-think my stamp purchases.  I have always bought stamps that don't have to be colored in because I am so bad at it.  The coloring comes from the miriad of stamp pads that I have.  A lot of my Christmas stamps involve coloring so I will have a lot of fun this year.

Oh yes, the border is done with my other new passion... border punches.  I love the designs of the EK Success punches and some of Martha's.

Day 24 and a Little bit More

This is the inside of the border of the die cut on yesterday's, and the outside of the same one.  Does that make sense?  If you read yesterday's post it should.  I cut it exactly in half and mounted it on either side.  The embossing looks silver but it is actually Satin Pearl.  The whole thing reminds me of a corset.  This is also more of the Basic Grey Stack.

I got to play a little bit more yesterday and was able to pick up some more clay to finish my shadow box.  The first post of this is in an older post.  If you click "stamping" in the labels it will be the first one.  This was fun to do as an experiment but I don't think I'll be doing any more.  The idea came from this month's Stampers Sampler, and when I saw that I just had to try it.  I will eventually get some miniatures to put in the cubbies.  The images are stamped with rubber stamps, and one with a cuttlebug embossing folder.  Acrylic stamps do not work for stamping in clay.  The stamping n the cubbies are actually pieces that I had experimented with over time and put into a can with others.  I went through the stash and found some I thought would look good with it.  It took four packs of clay.  For a couple of them I mixed light and dark clay for a variation.  When you bake fimo it comes out kind of dull looking.  But with the inking it gives it a little sheen and feels real nice in your hands.  The dye inks take a little longer to dry.  For actual stamping you have to use archival or stazon ink.  The brown images on this are archival and the black is stazon.  I had to build up the center area so that you don't have to use a ton of clay to bring it up to the frame height.  I sacrificed a corrugated plastic parking sign for the community and it worked perfect, just had to do two layers and glue them together.  But when I was done I realized that I had foam core I could have used.  It would have been much easier to cut!  I didn't need the sign anyway, we got a new towing company....haha.

Day 17 Not a card

Not a card, but it was my project for the day.  I have worked on this for about 4 hours.

 Right now it's a picture frame, but I think I am going to make a small shadow box out of it.  The tiles are made with polymer clay.  I stamped most of the images in the wet clay before baking.  I found out though that acrylic stamps do not work for that, and there were some that I really wanted to use for this project.  After baking I inked all of the tiles with either distress ink or ctmh dye ink.  I accented the stamped image with a second color.  The images that were not pre stamped are done with archival or stazon ink. 

I like the stamping that was done in the wet clay more than the other.

The frame is painted with white acrylic.  I think if the tiles were painted with acrylic they would have been easier to stamp and ink, but I wanted the glossy finish on them without having to use a sealer.  I think next I will put a backing on it, add a stamped image of some kind, and build it up with more tiles on the stamped image to bring it up level with the frame, leaving spaces for little cubby holes.

My Prize

I got this in the mail today from the contest drawing.  Can I say that I LOVE Tim's Distress products!  Two Distress ink pads, three Distress Stickles and Rock Candy Distress Crackle in a little carry case.  Woo Hoo!  Thanks Tim!

I'm a winner!

I am so excited!  I've been doing the Twelve Days of Tags on Tim Holtz blog and learning lots of new techniques, including this one using alcohol inks and glossy card stock to make a plaid background, so much fun! 

Every day he does a drawing of those who post on the blog.  There have been over 3000 posts a day.  And today I won!  I was so shocked.  Now I can't say again "I never win" because I have.  I don't even know what I won, but it will be some kind of Tim Holtz product, of which I am totally in love with!

Relaxing

It's been a quiet day today. I finished my atc cards for a swap but can't post them until they reach their destination. Then made this little card. Misc flower stamps, target ribbon, distress ink and cuddlebug embossed background.

Simplify

I'm learning that you can make a pretty card without all the papers and "stuff". Not that I won't ever make loaded cards again, because I still like them, but it is fun to make something simple now and then.

Go Ahead Wish

I can never figure out what is the best way, photographing or scanning, so I did both. I was inspired for this card by Asha01 on the 2Peas message board. The stamps are from my new Unity Stamps club membership. This is my favorite of the set. Ink distressed with Tim Holtz distressing inks. Dandelion is stamped with ctmh white daisy pigment ink. Little buttons I've had forever.

ATC

A little ATC that I did just for fun. Background stamp is part of a Club Scrap stamp. Then I did the crackle paint on the side and ink distressed the rest. The grungeboard element is painted with Aged Mahogany Crackle pain. Image is cut from a vintage book. I just thought he was kind of funny.

Old book pages

I can't post what my main project has been this week, as it is a challenge for 2Peas Stampoberfest and want to save the surprise. Hint: it involves glass Christmas balls and alcohol inks.

So I found an old book that I bought at a yard sale and am going to use the pages for different projects. I really liked this rose. It was black and white but I chaled the rose to give it definition, then ink distressed the edges.

ATC: Background masked and ink distressed.

Second ATC is also masked and ink distressed.

One more card tonight from the bases I did this weekend. I heat embossed the brads with clear ep and Martha Stewart glitter mixed. I don't think it can be seen here but they really turned out pretty. I've had this ribbon since last year and it goes quite well with the cuddlebug snowflakes.

Goodbye 3 Day weekend

It was a fun weekend. Several thunderstorms with torential rains. The water was coming so quickly that it looked like there was a river going through the community. But now it's quiet, the stamping is done for the weekend and I'm settling down to read the third Beverly Lewis book in the last couple weeks. This is the last thing that I completed today. It is sponged with distress inks then embossed with Cuddlebug. "Ornaments" are inked and heat embossed. Looks much better IRL. Tomorrow it's back to work, but at least it will only be 4 days.

Stamping weekend

Here's a few more ATC's from my own little stampfest weekend. This one is alcohol ink background. The tutorials will tell you to use the blender tool with felt and put a few drops of AI and a drop or two of blender fluid. I did that a few times but I don't like the results as much. I put a few drops of blender fluid right on the glossy cardstock, then put ink in it and either use canned air to blow it, as in this one or just roll it around quickly before it dries. Actually this one has both methods. Rolling for the yellows and blowing with the juniper. I sponged the grundgboard element with orange and it looks like cork in real life. The background for this one is distressing ink lightly stamped, not smeared like I normally do. I'm actually using some of my old supplies and stamps with these atc's.

Background sponged distress ink with a portion of a Club Scrap stamp. The grungeboard hinge was inked with a brown ink and it looks like leather IRL.

Another AI background with the rolling technique. The tree is Michael's $1.49 acrylic stamps.

AI with heat embossed bird and grungeboard element.

ATC's Just for Fun

Lovely rainy 3 day weekend has given me an excuse to do nothing but stamp. No office, no landscaping/gardening, nothing but just creating for the sake of creating. Not doing Christmas cards or cards for Relay, but just for FUN. We did manage to get some shopping in yesterday. Dave wanted to go to Campers World. The $50 card that we got for buying the generator was burning a whole plumb through his pocket! So, for the sake of his pockets, we spent a while browsing the giant camping store and ended up with a new folding table for the camp stove. Of course, you can never spend "just" what the card has, there has to be a few dollars more. Well, maybe more than a few, we could have used another card. Then it was Radio Shack, and you know what's next to Radio Shack? By golly, it's a Michaels. So, I started with the dollar stamps. I love those little guys. I actually like the rubber ones better than the acrylic, they seem to have more of a variety of subjects. Then on to the $1.49 acrylic babies. Oh yeah, got a couple cuties there. Then just had to check out the Tim Holtz line and i'll be darned if they haven't expanded his line. Well, you know what that means! A couple more distress inks, and just had to have the Stampers Anonymous stamps that I used in these atc's. By the time I was done, my little stash had grown in my basket, and let's jus say... Michael's beat Campers World.

The first has Stampers Anonymous stamps, butterfly is heat embossed with Claret Tapestry that I don't think I've ever used and then sponged with distress ink and mounted with dimensional glue dots. The little square stamp is ctmh and brad is Bo Bunny. The background is misted with reinkers then I applied versamark all over and lightly applied clear ep and heat embossed. Not my technique, but one I learned here from another stampea. I did a whole sheet some time ago, and use pieces of it ever so often and each one is actually different. I think I am going to stamp an image and maybe a sentiment and then do the clear ep method and see how that turns out. The second atc background is sponged distress inks and tamped with Stampers Anonymous and Hero Arts.

ATC's

When we were visiting Dave and Lydia Jensen she showed me some of her artwork and craft projects that she's been doing lately. She has always done something, like myself, and one of her projects now is felting. She uses that a lot in her atc's, and I was fascinated that she doesn't use a drop of ink or a single stamp on them. I wish I had some pics of her work. But it inspired me to do a few myself to send her to show her how fun inking can be. The first is a ink distressed masked background with Tim Holtz products. The picture is my great grandparents, scanned and printed on cardstock, then misted with reinker and water. The same distressed background without the mask.

Stamped on canvas.

There were a couple more with some cool background techniques. At least it got me doing something somewhat productive.

Card

This pattern was from Splitcoast Stampers, and it intrigued me enough to get me back in the crafting room. I thought that it was pretty unique in design. I made it for one of our residents who has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic/liver/lung cancer. I'm sorry for the reason and hope that it lifts her spirits.

Wednesday

Last night I couldn't sleep, so I got up and did a couple more pages for the album. The background one the first two are stamped with CTMH Rustic Flowers. My pink ric-rac didn't match the pink here, and my pink ribbons were'nt the right shade, so I sprayed the white with my new-found fascination of reinkers, water and perfect pearls. It came out just the right shade.

This one I did last evening. It was fun to do with all the different little random flower stamps, all acrylic of course.

This one strangely enough, took hours to do. I had to have the little square frame and I forgot how to do it using the Creative Memories square punch. So I called Christy, who doesn't actually have one, but has used it before, and she told me what I was doing wrong. The white cardstock background is lightly sprayed with a mixture of two drops of tulip reinker, about three small scoops of green perfect pearls and water. The green didn't really even show as green, but as kind of goldish. That's alright because it gave it the effect that I wanted.

After doing a couple hundred cards in the last year, it's really quite refreshing to do some layouts. It's been really slow in the office this week and with the wet weather I haven't been able to get outside and do anything.... tsk, tsk. Have to do something with my time, hey?