January 2014 Stamp Club Sketch Challenge

Karen provided our sketch challenge and, for once, I followed the sketch:)  I enjoy creating cards for the post-holiday winter season.



The stamp is vintage from PSX and cut/embossed with Spellbinder's Oval Nestability.  The two underlying circles were cut with Spellbinder's Circle Nestabilities.  I popped the oval with dimensionals.  The designer paper is new from Bo Bunny.  The punch is from Martha Stewart and the embossing folder from Cuttlebug. 

Tags

I created these tags for a friend.  The clip art is from Nina B Designs and printed on 80# card stock.  I mounted the images onto coordinating card stock and embellished as shown. 



The pillow box was sprayed with glitter ink.  I took a sticker and mounted onto a Spellbinder's die cut and adhered the entire piece to the pillowbox.  This is the last of my Christmas postings for 2013.  Didn't quite create as many cards as I wanted to but had lots of fun travelling with friends this month.  Here's to a happy and healthy 2014.

Merry Christmas!

Here's a recent card I made for some friends.  There is shimmer on this card that doesn't show.  I accidentally deleted my original photo taken in a light box:(  The die is Spellbinder's Filigree Delight.  The Impression Obsession stamp is colored with Distress Markers and misted with water and stamped on water color paper.  The image was then spritzed with Perfect Pearls. 



The inside held a bookmark by using the Spellbinder's Delight Filigree Corner.  The bookmark itself is a matching die and stamp from Impression Obsession.  I die cut heavy weight chipboard for the inside of the bookmark and then die cut two more pieces of green cardstock to cover the chipboard.  The set has three different dies and there are two sets of stamps that match the dies. Love these sets!

Hope you and yours have a very Merry and healthy 2014!

Tags

It's like a heat wave with temps above 20!  Much better!  The tag lace holders were made with Spellbinders Fancy Tags 2.  (And I'm certainly not a professional photographer:)  First, the tags were die cut from a heavy weight chip board.  Then I die cut two pieces of card stock to cover the front and back of each chip board piece.  I stamped a background onto each side of the tags and then distressed with distress ink.



Once the lace is removed from the tag, the tag can be used on another project so some multi-use going on here:)  These were fun little projects and are great to use for stocking stuffers or if you need a little gift for someone.

Gift Boxes

These purchased boxes were altered for gift-giving.  The boxes are metallic gold and have ribbon handles.  I used Graphic 45 designer paper and glued to two sides.  On one side, I die cut a tag, stamped and colored with copics. 



On the other side, I punched the McGill lily and distressed the petals and leaves with the McGill tools on a foam pad.  Assembled and added gold Pearl Pen to the center of the poinsettia. 

Stamp Club Christmas Card Exchange

This is the simplest card I have made for our club card exchange!



The main image is from last year's Hero Arts release.  I stamped the image on black card stock with Versamark ink and embossed with white/silver embossing powder.  The die cut deer are from Memory
Box.  The sentiment is also from Hero Arts. 

Thanksgiving Card

I made this Thanksgiving card for friends.  A fun project to make with some way cool material - Modeling Film from Wendy Vechhi.



The leaves were die cut with an Impression Obsession die on black modeling film.  Red, green and gold alcohol ink was then applied to the leaves.  This is the cool part - with your heat tool (and hold the leaf with an alligator clip so you don't burn your hands!), heat a leaf until it starts to bend and then you can mold any way you want.  It cools almost instantly and the die stays as you manipulated it.  If you don't like it, heat it again and remold.  Way cool, huh?

The labels were cut with Spellbinder's Gold Labels Four.  Below is a closer photo of the leaves.  Hope your Thanksgiving was enjoyable!

 

Merry Merry

This card is so appropriate for the winter weather we're experiencing!  Single digits for the next couple of nights along with snow!  Brrrr!



The main image is from Hero Arts last year's winter release.  It is stamped in aqua metallic ink on white cardstock.  The sentiment is an oldie and one of my favorites.  It is also stamped in the aqua metallic ink.  Once the ink is dry (you can speed along with a heat tool), I layered it onto silver cardstock and then onto a dark aqua card base.  I used a glue pen on the trees and along the snow line and applied glitter.  A very quick and easy card which looks better in person with all the shine and sparkle.

A Late Halloween Card

Love this stamp from Impression Obsession.  Soon as I saw it, had to have it!  I enclosed pumpkin spice tea in the cards for my friends.



The image is colored with copics and the ghost was colored with white Smooch.  The designer paper is new from Bo Bunny and distressed.  The image was cut with Labels 10 from Spellbinders.  As you can tell from some of my cards, this is my go to die.  The button is from SU.  Hope you had a great Halloween and now onto the rest of this year's holidays!

Perfect Pearls and Pears

I recently took a class and on one of the cards, we used Perfect Pearls and Versamark ink.  A technique that has been around for a long time but long forgotten by me.  It inspired me to use some of my old but favorite solid stamps.  This particular solid pear stamp is long retired but "pear"fect for this technique.



Stamp the image with Versamark and then with a brush dipped in Perfect Pearls (or any other mica powder), brush the powder on the image.  When complete, brush off the entire image with a larger brush or a microfiber dust cloth to remove excess powder.  The image was cut with Labels 10 from Spellbinders and mounted onto some recently purchased designer paper.  I did the pear in silver to pick up on the silver leaves in the designer paper.  The entire piece was then mounted onto silver cardstock.  Fun and easy technique.

Happy Halloween!

I had another turn at providing the shoebox for our stamp club this month.  This technique is called "faux patina". 


First start with the faux letterpress technique by rubbing the Antique Linen distress ink on the inside smooth side of an embossing folder.  This folder is from Darice.  Run through your embossing machine.  Layer three different colors of ink with a sponge starting with the lightest.  In this case, I used three different oranges of distress ink.  At this point, tap the cardstock with powder since the cardstock is fairly wet with ink.  Then come back and tap Versamark ink on the raised image and emboss with a coordinating powder.   I used an orange embossing enamel on this example.

The pumpkin strip embossing folder is from Sizzix (Tim Holtz) and done with the same technique.  Both pieces were mounted onto metallic copper cardstock.  A fun technique to play with.  Try various other ink combinations.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Color Challenge for Stamp Club

Joyce supplied our challenge for next month and it's to use various fall colors like oranges, yellows and greens.  Here's my card following the sketch she also provided.


The designer paper is Graphics 45 Steampunk Spells and the pumpkin stamp is vintage and no longer available.  The leaf border punch is from EK Success.  I stamped the pumpkin in Versamark Ink and colored with various mica powders.

Here's a close up so you can see the wonderful shimmer that mica powders create.  Such an easy technique with a little shine.

A Path to Follow

This photo depicts what it looks like in my part of the woods except a few more leaves.  I'm sure after the rain this week, most of the leaves will be on the ground.



This is, once again, another Memory Box Madison Window die card.  Very simple.  I used a photo transparency attached to white cardstock and adhered it to the back of the die cut.  The cardstock is all crumbcake from Stampin' Up.  The sentiment is from Endless Creations. 

Memory Box Window

Here's another Madison Grand Window die (Memory Box) card.



The image behind the window is from Penny Black and stamped with Memories fall ink pad.  This card is very clean and simple and only took a few minutes to create.  Would qualify for Stampers Ten wouldn't it? 

Getting Ready for Halloween?

Happy October!  Beautiful weather and colorful leaves!


I began this card with the background.  The branches background is a stencil from Crafters Workshop which was sponged with Mementos gray ink.  Then the background was sprayed with various oranges and yellows with the Copic airbrush system.  The main image is from SU and the sentiment is from Flourishes.  The fence is a MS punch. 

September Stamp Club Challenge

It was my turn once again to provide the sketch for our stamp club.  I followed the sketch except I did not put a sentiment on the front of the card.  Just didn't work for me with this design and layout.


The front was dry embossed with an embossing folder on coordinations paper and then sanded to better show the image.  The Spellbinder Cattail Delite die was cut on cork paper.  Added a bit of twine, designer paper and a burlap flower to complete the rustic card. 

Memory Box Window

I had fun creating several cards with Memory Box's Grand Madison Window die.



The image behind the window is a photo transparency.  The blue cardstock was embossed with a cuttlebug folder but is difficult to notice in this photo.  Applied a few strips of washi tape and the card is complete.  Have a great weekend!

Stamp Club Challenge

Our challenge for this month was to create a card using triangles.  This is a new die from Taylored Expressions.



  The main die cut was adhered to SU's crumb cake card stock which had been cut with two sided-paper.  Then the pieces were alternately adhered to create the pattern.  Just added the bling to the center and done.  Very clean and simple card.

Birds on a Wire

I had an "arty" time creating this card.


I took a piece of watercolor paper and smooshed it into several different colors of distress stain I had spread on my craft sheet.  Once dried, I stamped several different images onto the water colored piece with vintage photo and tumbled glass distress inks.  The bird on the wire die is new from Penny Black.  I colored it with distress markers and then spritzed with water.  The flower is made from SU's tissue paper cut with the Rose die from Spellbinders.  I distressed the tissue flower with several colors of distress stains and mounted onto the card front along with the lace.

Friend's Retirement

My friend, Phyllis, semi-retired this summer and this is the card I created for her.  I somewhat case'd this card from an old Stamper's Sampler magazine. 



The main image is a Spellbinder's die which was die cut from cork paper.  The green card stock underneath was die cut with the same die by using the No More Shims pad so the image did not cut through the paper but rather embossed the image.  I embellished the designer paper with various collage and sentiment stamps.  The edges were distressed with Distress Ink. 

Memory Box Grand Madison Window Die

I recently gave in to purchasing the Grand Madison Window die from Memory Box and have been having fun playing with it.  I will only post this one...for now:)


I layered the window over a transparency scene and then mounted on cardstock which has been embossed with the Sizzix brick embossing folder.  The branch is also from Window Box and the small branch on the bottom is a Martha Stewart punch and an oak leaf button.  There is shimmer paper behind the transparency which does not show in the photo.  Quite often I do not put any sentiment on the front of the card.  I add it later when I know what the card is going to be used for.

White Wash Card 3

This is the last white wash technique card I created recently.  I used the Inkadinkado butterfly stamp and once again colored over the white embossing ink with Distress Markers and then blended with a blender pen.


As you can see with all three of my white wash technique cards, I used kraft cardstock but any darker cardstock would work well.  I just happen to be stuck in a kraft cardstock mode this year! 

Another White Wash Example

The pansy stamp is from PSX.  I never part with my PSX stamps since they are no longer available from any other company.  You can find used PSX stamps on Ebay.



The sentiment is from Inky Antics.  I will have another white wash technique card to share tomorrow.

White Wash Technique

I'm really liking the white wash technique showed to me by friend Phyllis. 

Shame on me for not writing down which stamp company this beautiful flower stamp belongs to and now I can't find it amongst my other flower stamps.  Surprise!  Surprise!  Begin by stamping the flower in Versamark and emboss with white embossing powder. 

Then with white embossing reinker, paint the image.  When the ink dries, color the flower with Distress Markers and blend with a blender pen.  The designer paper is from Docrafts Papermania Capsule Collection along with matching ribbon.  Beautiful soft, elegant paper!  The inside of the flower was dotted with Bronze Pearl Pen.  This is a fun technique to use on open stamped images.