Cozy Quilt

For a December birthday, what could be a better theme than a quilt?

Perhaps wooden buttons and lacy medallions aren't traditional elements

used on quilts, but hey, this is rubber stamping!  That means we get to do whatever we want as long as it fits onto a card front.  Of course, there'll be a penalty to pay at the post office for this really thick embellishment, but I think it's worth it - don't you?

Cardstock:            Bazzill Yam, Dark Olive, Watercolor paper                 

Stamps:                Judikins Artists Signatures

Inks:                      Distress Barn Door, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint,

                               Brushed Corduroy, ColorBox Frost White

Emb Powder:        Judikins Opaque White

Dies:                      Sizzix 1.5" Hexagons, Memory Box Marietta Buckle,

                               Punch Bunch Flower, Fiskars Border Punch Scallop

Doo Dads:             Cotton cord, wooden button

Love

Having found myself in the midst of the Mother of all time crunches, I hope that my nearest and dearest will forgive me if I dip heavily into my card stash for the month . . .

This one is a re-purposed Valentine card that is certainly appropriate for the 48th anniversary of my youngest brother Gordy and his wife Sally.  Theirs is an incredibly loving journey and I wish them many more happy years ahead . . .

Happy Anniversary, you two!

Cardstock:   Champion Snow Day, The Paper Cut Watercolor paper,

                        Generic Red

Stamps:       Hero Floating Hearts, Unknown “Love”

Inks:             ColorBox Black

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Emb Fldr:     Unknown Swirl         

Doo Dads:    Black Lace, red satin ribbons

JOY

With Christmas just fifteen days away, I came to realize I was in a bit of trouble by not getting the Christmas card assembly line up and running.  I was left with two choices:  cut the list of eighty five recipients way down, or not send any cards at all [GASP!].  I opted to chop . . .

 . . . it was long since time to do some winnowing anyway.  I also reined in my usual thirty five construction step procedures and went for about six steps instead.  This is as close to Clean and Simple as it will ever get for me, folks . . .

A very merry and most blessed Christmas to you and yours . . .

Cardstock:   Marcos Cougar Opaque Ivory, Jute, Generic scraps Red        

Stamps:       Too Much Fun “…to the world”

Inks:             Hero Black, Nuvo Glitter Gloss

Dies:            Spellbinders Standard Circles Small, Lifestyle Crafts Joy      

Emb Fldr:     Sizzix Birds & Reindeer Set

Doo Dads:    Green and Gold cord          

Thank You

Haven't done the Resist technique in awhile - time to get back to it . . .

This card is a variation on the technique and it actually isn't Resist at all!  A true Resist involves stamping and embossing the images first, then sponging on the background colors.  The embossing powder resists the ink - hence the name of the technique. 

However, some of the ink usually lingers on the image even after rubbing with a paper towel.  This can give a nice effect if you want an aged, more muted look to your layout.  But if you want a really crisp white as I did here, you're better off sponging on the background colors first, then over-stamping and embossing the images.

Try both methods - each gives wonderful results!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Iceberg, Scrap Navy, Purple                

Stamps:       Hero Thanks so much, Hero Periwinkle Blossom       

Inks:             Vivid Lavender, Turquoise, Sky Blue, ColorBox Frost White, Silver

Emb Pwdr:   B'Muse Detail White, Ranger Silver

Dies:            JustRite Charms

Punches:     EK Success Corner Slots, various flowers                                                  

Doo Dads:    1/8" Lilac ribbon, crystals  

A Weed

A soon-to-be former neighbor has gifted me with some of her lovely plant-related items that she won't be using in her new home and I wanted to send an appropriately plant-ly thank you note in response . . .

For no particular reason, I experimented with making a freehand cut on the right side of the panel to provide a little added interest.  I think that these crisp, white Dandelions look wonderful against the cobalt blue background.  Too bad they're such a nuisance in real life!

The text reads:  A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Jacaranda, White            

Stamps:       Motivet Dandelion set, text         

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Distress Weathered Wood,

                     Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Opaque White

Dies:            Wplus9 Banner Trio         

Doo Dads:    1/4" corner rounder, Perfect Pearls mist, White brads

It's Your Day

This is another one from my stash . . . yep, at posting time it's still early in the Christmas Season but I'm behind already!

While I don't often use patterned paper, I am always grateful to have it on hand when I need something a little different.  After die cutting the zig zag strip, the solid cream background is propped up with foam to create some nice dimension over the plaid paper.  I thought the copper brads and wire helped to make this a good choice for a guy card.  A seam ripper was used to slit the plastic coating on some scrap heavy duty electrical wire so I could extract the copper wire and tie it into a knot.  Easy peasy!

Cardstock:           Bazzill Light Chocolate, Vanilla, Generic Dark Brown, Plaid 

Stamps:                Claire's A, B, C's "It's Your Day"

Inks:                      Distress Antique Linen

Dies:                     Die-Namics Hexagons, EK Success punch Corners

Doo Dads:            Copper Wire, brads

Blessings

Here is another example of Dave Brethauer's marvelous die cut Paper Napkin Technique.  Scroll back to the previous post for a link to his video on the easy how-to . . .

There are a wide number of die designs that work with this - as always, experiment to find the best ones.  As the layers of paper napkins are held together by the pressure of the dies, you may find that an edge or two will lift.  Use your needle-tipped glue applicator to stick them together.  For the most part, you won't need to bother . . .

Cardstock:   Strathmore Pastelle Cover Bright White, Cheap

                     paper napkins!       

Stamps:       Red Rubber “Blessings”, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             ColorBox Black, Hero Black

Watercolors:   Gansai Tambi Carmine Red, Dark Pink, Ocean Green

Emb Powder:   Judikins White Diamond, Detail Black

Dies:            Topgee “Flower Corner Frame”, Marianne Poinsettia

                      Flower, La La Land Pretty Poinsettia: Leaves, Goodculler

                     Stitched Rectangles            

Doo Dads:    Past Time Stamps Multi Ultra Fine Glitter           

Best Wishes

If you haven't tried Dave Brethauer's Paper Napkins technique, you really should give it a go!  Here is the link to his video . . . 

Watercoloring on paper napkins is a great exercise for the anally-retentive among us.  Perfect control is not  the name of the game here.  The napkins are extremely absorbent and will wick a lot of the color out from your brush.  Tell yourself to just relax and go with it.  Experiment with wetting the paper first and then coloring, or try vice versa.  I found it better to use a really wet paintbrush rather than my waterbrush - slightly more control over the intensity of the color that way.

My next post will show the same technique with different dies . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Bling Puppy Love, Cheap paper napkins!        

Inks:             VersaMark

Watercolors:   Gansai Tambi Deep Violet, Cornflower Blue, Bluish

                        Gold

Emb Powder:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Memory Box Catalina Wreath, Cheery Lynn Lace Corner

                     Deco B, Spellbinders Sentiments One: “Best Wishes”             

Doo Dads:    Mark Richards Metals Gold           

Best Wishes

If you haven't tried Dave Brethauer's Paper Napkins technique, you really should give it a go!  Here is the link to his video . . . 

Watercoloring on paper napkins is a great exercise for the anally-retentive among us.  Perfect control is not  the name of the game here.  The napkins are extremely absorbent and will wick a lot of the color out from your brush.  Tell yourself to just relax and go with it.  Experiment with wetting the paper first and then coloring, or try vice versa.  I found it better to use a really wet paintbrush rather than my waterbrush - slightly more control over the intensity of the color that way.

My next post will show the same technique with different dies . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Bling Puppy Love, Cheap paper napkins!        

Inks:             VersaMark

Watercolors:   Gansai Tambi Deep Violet, Cornflower Blue, Bluish

                        Gold

Emb Powder:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Memory Box Catalina Wreath, Cheery Lynn Lace Corner

                     Deco B, Spellbinders Sentiments One: “Best Wishes”             

Doo Dads:    Mark Richards Metals Gold           

Autumn

Once again, I had me some fun with Jennifer McGuire's Embedded Embossing  technique . . .

The idea was to have some really saturated and rich Fall colors, but after spraying them with gold mist, they quieted down a bit.  Will remember that for next time . . .

Cardstock:   The Paper Cut Eames White, Brown Umber, Nicole

                     Premier #140 Watercolor paper       

Stamps:       Hero Autumn

Inks:             Distress Wild Honey, Barn Door, Rusty Hinge,

                     Vintage Photo

Emb Powder:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Foliage, Spellbinders

                     Classic Scalloped Rectangles Short                 

Doo Dads:    Perfect Pearls spray Pearl, Nuvo Glitter Gloss  

The Music of Life

With the holiday time crunch upon us, it was time to pull an earlier favorite out of my stash and send it along . . .

The recipient is a friend who is a passionate gardener, so the sentiment on this one really fit.  The musical background is one of my favorite ways to add some non-intrusive texture that ties all of the elements together so well.  Text can do the same thing, especially if it's foreign language . . .

Cardstock:             Generic Textured Kraft, Beckett Moonlight, Bazzill

                               Rainforest             

Stamps:                Impression Obsession Music Background, Verve

                               Floral Symphony: flower and text, Stampin' Up Itty

                               Bitty Background    

Inks:                       Distress Antique Linen, Archival Black, Stampin' Up

                               Garden Green

Emb Powder:         Ranger Gold

Colored Pencils:    Prisma Poppy Red, Orange, Violet, Burnt Ochre

Doo Dads:              Gelly Roll Clear Star pen, Punch Bunch Flowers

Gathered In

What to do with a twiggy wreath that is too thin to prop up invisibly with foam dots?

    

My solution was to glue down only the inner part of the wreath and leave the outer edges free.  They stood up just enough to add a little dimension.

Some dried die powders gave a rather realistic mottled look to the pumpkin . . .

A very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!

Cardstock:            Cougar Opaque Ivory, Nicole #100 Watercolor

                               paper, Generic Dark Brown, Celery Green

Stamps:                Amuse Script Background, Impression Obsession

                               "All is safely gathered in"

Inks:                       Gina K Charcoal Brown, Ancient Page Chocolate,

                               Distress Fired Brick

Colorants:              Ken Oliver Color Burst Orange               

Emb Powder:         Zing Chestnut

Dies:                      Impression Obsession Twig Wreath, Pretty Pink

                               Posh Stitched Foliage: Pumpkin, Goodculler

                               Stitched Rectangles

Doo Dads:             Brown pearls

Autumn

This background started out as the handy ink blotter for two other cards I was making . . . I was doing the smooshing technique and as always, didn't want to waste any of the ink I'd smeared on my craft sheet . . .

After adding a few spattered drops of black gesso, I deemed it worthy of a card base. 

This card is the maiden voyage of my new double stitched set of dies.  The eight dies in the set don't cut - they just impress double rows of stitching to add lovely texture.  I used the largest one on the orange card base and am in love with the look it provides.  Perhaps I should just leave this set at the ready on my die cutting table . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Cutie, Nicole Bristol Smooth        

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up Autumn, CC Rubber Stamps Fibers

Inks:             Distress Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn, Crushed Olive,

                     Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Barn Door, Vintage Photo,

                     ColorBox Black, VersaMark

Colorants:    Studio Gesso Black, Marvy Liquid Gold Marker

Emb Powder:   Ranger Gold, Distress Black Soot

Dies:            Ali Express Leaf, Lawn Fawn Just Stitched Rectangles,

                     Simon Says Talk Bubbles                      

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black        

Good to Play

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld always did have a way with words . . .

I'm in a time crunch yet again . . . so I pulled this one out of the stash.  It's a favorite layout of mine for a variety of reasons.  One of the main ones is that I learned it was possible to stamp an image and then run it through an embossing folder without harming any of the detail on the line drawing.  Every single dot and tiny number on the horse schematic is as clear as they were when the cardstock was flat.  I never dreamed that would be the result. Happy surprise!

Cardstock:   Generic Taupe, Bazzill Black, Becket Moonlight          

Stamps:       Lost Coast Steampunk Pony, Cloud Nine Simple

                     Thoughts/Laughter 

Inks:            Archival Black

Colorants:    Copic W4 Warm Grey       

Emb Fldr:     Cuttlebug Herringbone      

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star, Marvy marker Silver, brads

                     Antique Pewter                 

Tags Sample #3

And to wind up the last of the class, another simple tag using a number of die cuts . . .

So many of us have fallen in love with the realization that intricate shapes are entirely possible to create right on our very own craft tables.  Such delicate work used to be entirely out of our reach.  Now, we can cut out the most delicate of doilies easily.  I thought it would be fun to show my students a little of what is possible to create . . .

Cardstock:   Beckett Candlelight, American Crafts Green, Wausau

                     Rocket Red  

Stamps:       CC Rubber Stamps Dot Shader, Celestial Dots, Stampin’

                     Up To/From       

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Distress Mowed Lawn

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:            Papertrey Ink Doily Details, Lychee Flower Stitched

                     Circles, Tim Holtz Holiday Greens, Gemini Loving Tags: 

                     Heart                                    

Doo Dads:    Baker’s string Red/White