Dream, Sparkle

My love affair with gilding leaf continues . . .

I had a scrap left over from a previous card so I decided to overlay it with a spray of bamboo shoots that were also covered with the same gilding leaf.  I strongly recommend doing the leafing before the die cutting:  it's much easier to work with a solid piece of cardstock as opposed to a delicate cut out.

The background was going to be framed with one of the four frames that this one-piece die provides, but I forgot to use the metal plate needed for added pressure when cutting intricate dies.  Therefore, none of the cut out pieces in the frames were cut all the way through, so I decided to leave them in place for a textured look that didn't compete with the bamboo shoots.

There's a lot of glitz and glitter on this card and I'm debating about whether or not to tone some of it down.  We shall see, but for the moment, it's safe from the chopping block  . . .

Cardstock:   Generic Bronze Metallic 

Stamps:       So She Stamps “Dream”, Stampin’ Up “Sparkle”

Inks:             ColorBox Gold

Emb Powder:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Frantic Stamper Fancy Frames #1, Memory Box

                        Bamboo Shoots                

Stencil:        The Crafters Workshop Mini Cubist

Doo Dads:    Amy’s Magic Leaf Sea Spray, Marigold glitter

So Special

The spectacular background on this card came from a serendipitous incident that Pat Huntoon of Technique Junkies stumbled across one day . . .

Pat calls this technique Stenciled Glittery Gilding Flakes and it's quick and easy to do.  Go here for the 10 minute video on how she did it. 

Here's a quick preview:  remove the liner paper from one side of a piece of double-sided glue tape and stick it down onto a piece of cards stock. Peel off the liner paper and lay a  stencil down over the sticky side.  Press firmly to secure, and spread gilding leaf over all.  Burnish with your fingers, then with a stiff brush.  Peel off the stencil and dust some glitter over the remaining sticky areas.  DONE!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Aqua 

Inks:             Wink of Stella Clear

Dies:            Spellbinders Classic Rectangles Large, DieNamics

                        Pierced Rectangle Frame, Mama Elephant Peek a Frame,

                        Spellbinders Floral Berry Accents, Tattered Lace

                        Everyday Sentiments: “So Special”, Papertrey Ink

                        Angled Labels                

Stencil:        The Crafters Workshop Mini Cubist

Doo Dads:    Amy’s Magic Leaf Sea Spray, Marigold glitter

I Lift Up My Eyes

When encouragement in needed, it's hard to beat this verse from Psalms . . .

I tried a little 2nd generation stamping here with the mountain image.  After inking the stamp, I stamped it off once lightly and then stamped onto the 

deckle-edged panel.  The text was stamped full strength, and the slightly 

lighter mountain range makes the text pop.  It's subtle but in real life, it does make a difference.

The puffy white clouds were stamped with a marble patterned image which made for a nice wispy design.  They are very white and needed a little balance at the bottom of the layout, so I used a white Prisma pencil to emphasize some of the lighter surfaces in the mountain range.

Lastly, I know that these particular birds are more typically suited to be living at the ocean, but I'm hoping the recipient isn't into ornithology and will be just as pleased with this soaring trio of grace and freedom.

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm        

Stamps:        Our Daily Bread Keep Climbing: mountains and text,

                           Waffle Flower Layering Marble

Inks:               VersaFine Onyx Black, Papertrey Ink Fresh Snow

Colorants:    Prisma pencil White

Emb Powder:   WOW White Puff

Dies:              Impression Obsession Sea Birds

Emb Folder: Taylored Expressions 

Fall

Fall is not my favorite time of the year, but I do love the colors . . .

The happy surprise for me was finding out that watercolors can actually be blended to some extent.  Working with just the right half of the maple leaf, I colored the lower part with Red, and then right away, did the tips with Yellow, continuing down into the Red and back up 2/3 of the way in order to blend.  Then I repeated on the left half of the leaf.  It worked much better than I thought it would.  Maybe I'm beginning to get the hang of this coloring gig after all!

To all who celebrate, a blessed Thanksgiving to each and every one of you . . .

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute  

Stamps:        Hero Autumn, Vippie’s Dotty Snow

Inks:               Papertrey Ink Classic Kraft, VersaFine Vintage Sepia,

                           Distress Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso

Watercolors:   Zig Clean Color Geranium Red, Orange, Yellow,

                              Brick Beige, Blush

Emb Powder:   Distress Walnut Stain

Dies:              Hero Autumn, Goodculler Stitched Rectangles, Essentials by

                           Ellen Stitches Cover Plate, Impression Obsession Branch,

                           Arich Rounded Corners Stitched Rectangles

From the heart

I'm working on December birthday cards at the moment and while there's usually a tendency to tie into the traditional holiday colors and images,  I always try to fight that.  People whose personal major events are right next to big holidays deserve to avoid getting lost in the shuffle . . .

So for this December birthday card, I used frosty white leaves touched with gold, some Kraft-colored cardstock to ground things, and a winter butterfly in burgundy and gold.  A little burgundy shimmer here and there, and done . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Crimson, Neenah Desert Storm, Strathmore

                           Soft White         

Stamps:        Marianne Banners & Text: “From the heart”

Inks:               VersaMark, Ancient Page Bordeaux

Emb Powder:   Ranger Fine Gold, Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Sheena Geometric Cutout, DieNamics Falling Leaves,

                           Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Elizabeth Small

                           Butterfly, Marianne Banners & Text 

Doo Dads:    The Art Institute Glitter Burgundy  

Explore, Nurture, Treasure

After our North NJ State Fair, I had the distinct pleasure of being interviewed about my work by our local newspaper.  Reporter Kathy Stevens did a wonderful job with the article and I'm hoping it encourages other potential stampers in the area to give this wonderful hobby a try.  During the interview, Kathy shared her love for leaves, so a couple of those were what I used for her card . . .

The treatment with the leaves was my first attempt with a technique Jennifer McGuire re-hashed from an earlier post a year ago.  The easy instructions and both videos can be found here . 

After setting up your die cutting machine to emboss - not cut - dust your piece of cardstock with anti-static powder and set it down on the embossing pad.  Then lightly tap a detailed die with a VersaMark pad.  Lay it down carefully onto your cardstock, being careful to not let it shift.  Roll through, remove the die, and sprinkle with metallic embossing power.  Tap off the excess and heat.  So easy, and so gorgeous!

To keep the leaves puffed up, I applied embossing paste to the backside and leveled it off with my palette knife

I also tried Jennifer's method of embossing with water spatters!  Just use a wet paintbrush and tap it against your finger to distribute the drops.  Then dust on your embossing powder.  The result is a light, lovely, and randomly artsy dispersal. Try it!     

Cardstock:   Bazzill Dark Olive, Marcos Aquarelle, Stedner Bright White   

Stamps:        Starving Artistamps Positive Words

Inks:               Distress Vintage Photo, Rusty Hinge, Festive Berries,

                           Fossilized Amber, Peeled Paint, Shabby Shutters

Emb Powder:   Ranger Fine Gold

Dies:              Prima Forest Leaves, Memory Box Stitched Rectangle 
                          Trimmings               

Doo Dads:    Tulip Glitter Gold     

Celebrate

While working on a couple of 9" x 12" projects I'm making for Christmas presents, I began wondering if I could translate some of the techniques into a smaller layout suitable for a card . . .

After gluing down some wrinkled tissue paper over the entire card front, I gessoed over the surface and let it dry.  Then I overstamped with a text background, and stenciled with a wonderfully gritty paste.  A few die cuts smooshed with some warm Distress colors, some fibers across the bottom, and I'm reasonably happy with the results . . .

Cardstock:   Strathmore Kid’s Paint Pad, Soft White, tissue paper   

Stamps:        Heartfelt Creations Large Elegant Word Background

Inks:               Gesso, Distress Barn Door, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard

                           Seed, Brushed Corduroy, Walnut Stain, Wink of Stella

                           Clear

Dies:              Tim Holtz Fall Foliage, Impression Obsession Grass, Banners

                           & Tails, DieVersions Hint of Lime              

Stencil:          The Crafters Workshop Mini Tile Texture

Doo Dads:    Glittered twig, various cords, Art Anthology Dimensional 

                         Paste Sandstone

What the?

Here's some more fun with Tim's Crazy Birds:  there are six in the set and I plan to play with all of them . . .

The most exciting discovery I made while working on this card was discovering the joy of Strathmore's Bristol paper.  That stuff is awesome, especially when it comes to moving color around.  The pad cover says that it's not designed for work with water, but you can toss that limitation right out the window.  Its heavy weight keeps it from warping and even after working the water brush extensively, it didn't pill. 

A couple of years ago, I tried coloring with Distress markers and then using my water brush to move the color around.  Mostly, none of the colors budged, even after trying them out on Beckett cardstock and watercolor paper.  But on the Bristol, they moved like a dream.  This method is the way I've always wanted to color and I am so excited to find that it actually works!  The cardstock really does make the difference . . .

And here's another perky look with a few changes in coloring and 

accessories . . .

The Yellow card:

Cardstock:   The Paper Cut Brown Umber, Strathmore #100 Bristol           

Stamps:        Tim Holtz Bird Crazy, Crazy Talk

Inks:               Distress Carved Pumpkin, Brushed Corduroy, Mustard

                           Seed, Gina K Charcoal Brown, Ancient Page Chocolate,

                           Pine, VersaMark 

Colorants:    Distress Markers Carved Pumpkin, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn,

                           Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain, Antique Linen          

Watercolors:   Inktense Cadmium Yellow, Zig Clean Color Yellow

Emb Powder:   Distress Walnut Stain, WOW Clear Matte Dull

Dies:              Lil Inkers Stitched Mats Rectangles, Tim Holtz Crazy 

                          Things             

Stencil:          The Crafters Workshop Mini Ledger + Golden Light Paste

The Orange card:

Tina’s card:

Cardstock:   The Paper Cut Brown Umber, Strathmore #110 Bristol           

Stamps:        Tim Holtz Bird Crazy, Crazy Talk

Inks:              Distress Carved Pumpkin, Brushed Corduroy, Gina K 

                          Charcoal Brown, Ancient Page Chocolate, Pine, VersaMark, 

                          VersaFine Olympia Green 

Colorants:    Distress Markers Carved Pumpkin, Mowed Lawn, Frayed Burlap, 

                          Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, Zig ColorBrush Leaf      

Emb Powder:   Distress Walnut Stain, WOW Clear Matte Dull

Dies:              Inkers Stitched Mats Rectangles, Tim Holtz Crazy Things

Stencil:          The Crafters Workshop Mini Ledger + Golden Light Paste

Life

Here's another twist on the expensive men's shirt I saw last week . . .

My dear friend David is looking at right hip and left knee replacements and the pithy saying seems to cover those events rather well . . . sometimes, there's no way out of trouble and you simply have to go through it.

Love the colors on this:  black, tan, and cream just seem to do it, I think . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Strathmore Bristol, Generic scraps Black        

Stamps:        Stamp Oasis Four Square Graphics, Hampton Splatter,

                        Stamp Warehouse Squiggles, Magenta Leaf Row, Large

                        Dots Pattern, Starving Artistamps  Number Row, Stampa

                        Rosa Flower Weave, Stamp Diva Primitive Leaf, The Stamp

                        Bug Bubble Flourish, Red Rubber “Life has got to be lived…”

Inks:               Hero Black, VersaMark, StazOn Jet Black, Distress

                        Brushed Corduroy

Emb Powder:   Antiquities Ochre

Dies:              Gina Marie Stitched Rounded Squares              

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black covered with 

                         Black embossing powder