Bottom of My Heart

The background is the technique focus for this one . . .

A recent blog post by artist and stamper Kristina Werner got me all wound up and I just had to try out this clever idea.

It involves water coloring with a mortise die cut from shelf liner!  Watch her video and see if you can resist - happily, I couldn't.  However, beware, as brands differ.  I went to Wal Mart to pick up some repositionable shelf liner and bought the Duck brand.  Duck makes a line of wonderful products - however, not for this purpose.  The vinyl is too tough for any of my three machines to cut it, regardless of the use of countless shims and my metal plate. 

So I got smart and followed the link provided by Kristina in her post.  The manufacturer is Kittrich, available from Amazon, and it cuts like a dream.  And to set your fears at rest, it absolutely will not tear your cardstock.  It's hard to believe that something that sticks so beautifully will remove so easily. 

Check out the sharp outlines on the leaves - not one bit of seepage to be found anywhere.  TIP:  after peeling off the release paper, lay it down on your cardstock, top with a sheet of typing paper, and burnish well with your fingertips to make sure all edges are pressed down. 

Then, watercolor with total confidence.  After you're finished, peel off the mortise and stick to a piece of acetate.  Then rinse off the ink and blot dry.  The glue is still good and I'm hoping to get several uses out of it. 

I plan to keep the Kittrich within grabbing distance of my table - this is too much fun and too easy to not keep at the ready . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Kachina, Strathmore #90 Watercolor paper      

Stamps:       Wordsworth Bottom of My Heart

Inks:             Distress Lucky Clover

Watercolors:   EK Paint Disc Blue, Green

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:            Tim Holtz Labels; Punches: Ek Success Heart, Martha

                     Stewart Branches  

Doo Dads:   Joy Pearls Turquoise, Kittrich Repositionable Shelf Liner         

Journey

Inspired by a wonderful card sample posted by Virginia Lu, I had a great time using innumerable postoids and other stamps to put this one together . . .

Calm colors, an old fashioned and nostalgic feel, a bit of embossing, and a flower all came together to create a layout with a 1920's travel theme.  As a former Flight Attendant, this one ought to bring back lots of interesting memories for Vangie!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, generic Black, Beckett Moonlight

Stamps:       Starving Artistamps Lil’ Squares Background, Hero

                     Etched Flower with Stems, Stampers Anonymous

                     Mosaic Fragment, Skeleton Leaf, Rubber Tree 

                     Egyptian Map, unknown “Journey”, various Postoids 

                     too numerous to mention

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, VersaFine Vintage Sepia, Distress

                     Brushed Corduroy, Old Paper, Antique Linen, Fired Brick

Emb Pwdr:   B’Muse Eggshell

Imprs Plate: Cheery Lynn Desert Floor

Dies:            Wplus9 Banner Trio

Doo Dads:    White fabric flower, black brad

It's Your Day

My next door neighbor Bob loves to take walks in the woodsy area in which we live, so I like to use nature themes for his cards. 

While taking an excellent class from Stacy of Stacy Stamps, I learned a quick and easy new way to work with bleach. She had us dab the bleach onto a rag and then swipe it randomly across a cardstock layer that had been cut to size.   The streaky results turned out to be just right for the two background stamps I used on this card.

After drying it with a heat gun, I stamped and embossed the tree name background and finished the rest of the card . . .

Cardstock:   Generic Rust, Generic Black                          

Stamps:       Stacy Lines and Dots, Tree Name Background, Love

                     You to Bits Dotted Mist,

                     Stampin' Up "Its Your Day"  

Inks:             ColorBox Black, Just Glitter Silver

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Family Treasures Scalloped Rectangle, Tree, Tag                           

Doo Dads:    Bleach, Black satin ribbon, Rust Clipiola           

Birthday

Every time I pull out my oval dies, I wonder why I don't use them more often . . .

Ovals have such a lovely, classic feel to them and the Washi paper pattern seems well-paired with the oval shape.

The flowers needed a little something more, so I covered them with glue and added some rough texture paste.  They still got a little lost on the busy background so I dabbed on some color with a Copic marker.  Better . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pauly Poo, Beckett Moonlight, Washi paper               

Inks:             Distress Antique Linen, ColorBox Gold, Copic Peacock

                     Blue

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Memory Box Fresh Daisies, Spellbinders Petite Ovals

                     Small:  Plain and Scalloped, Tim Holtz Labels, Paper

                     Trey Ink Swoosh: “Birthday”                              

Doo Dads:    Gold Crystals

Fleur

My former priest's wife Kathy has such a special sense of style that I thought this card would work well for her . . .

 One of the few cards I've made that really pleased me, I especially liked the deep burgundy, grey, white, and silver combination of colors.  The result is serene and stylish, just like Kathy herself . . .

Cardstock:   Champion Snow Day, Beckett Iceberg, Generic Dull

                     Silver, Eggplant      

Stamps:       Impression Obsession Greenery, Stampland Lotus

                     Flower Block, Unknown "Fleur"    

Inks:             Distress Stormy Sky, ColorBox Silver, Frost White

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins White Diamonds

Dies:            DieNamics Wavy Banners, Prima Donna Petals                      

Doo Dads:    Gathered Silver net ribbon, Silver glitter 

Happy Birthday

Justin is turning nine yrs old today and is probably ready to move on from teddy bears and little boy themes.  So I thought some really happy candles would do the trick . . .

The candles are clear-embossed scraps of colored papers left over from another project.  Some mirror cardstock and multi-colored fibers will hopefully add to the excitement of his special day. 

Cardstock:   Beckett Iceberg, Generic scraps Black, Silver, multiple

                     colors from my Scrap Stash                 

Stamps:       Hero Sparkle Background, All Night Media "Happy Birthday"               

Inks:             ColorBox Silver

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Silver

Doo Dads:    Eyelash fiber, Silver bead, Silver glitter stickers           

Explore

I originally made this card for an article on acetate stamping that I did for RubberStampMadness . . .

I've been saving it for a special occasion.  My dear friend David is celebrating an amazing 32 years of sobriety and I thought this layout captured the hope and encouragement of his continuing journey.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Splash, Marcos Jute, Scraps Brown               

Stamps:       Stampscapes Man with Dog, Birch Trees, Snowy Field,

                     Stacy Antique Background, Starving Artistamps Feather

                     Stitch, "Explore"       

Inks:             Distress Brushed Corduroy, Adirondack Snowcap,

                     Papertrey Ink Snowcap, Staz-On White,

Emb Pwdr:   B'Muse Eggshell White

Dies:            Wplus9 Banner, punched Birch Leaves                       

Doo Dads:    Jute fibers              

Celebrate

Another re-vamp from the Stash Box . . .

I never thought the camera would overdo the glow from an outline of glittery crystal mini beads.  Quite the opposite, in fact.  But here it is:  lots of glimmer and shimmer!  Trust me, it's not quite so dramatic IRL.

The background was done a little differently than I do normally . . . I went for stippling this time.  I like the texture that's created, as well as the fresh look you get when the white cardstock peeks through the bright colors.

This one goes to my wonderful nephew Steve.  He lives in the great Pacific Northwest where he's surrounded by water in one form or another year 'round - hence the rippling, water-themed card front . . .

Cardstock:   Beckett Iceberg, Unknown Sky Blue

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up “Celebrate”

Inks:             Whispers, Sky Blue, Turquoise, Green, Distress

                     Peacock Feathers

Emb Powder:   Vippies Transcendence

Doo Dads:    Mini Beads Turquoise, Navy, Green, Crystal, Kat

                     Scrappiness Droplets      

The Best

It's New Jersey State Fair time again, dear Readers, and that means the first eight posts in September will be given over to the eight cards I submitted, win or lose.  Because of a crippling time crunch that just won't stop no matter how hard I am chipping away at it, I'm submitting entries from my card stash, collected over many past sessions of workin' the rubber.  Cards I have never sent but have enjoyed making have been pulled out of the box, edited with fresh new looks, and submitted with fingers crossed.  So stay tuned for further information in September!

Meanwhile, today's post showcases my middle brother's birthday card .  As Don lives by the ocean, a sea-themed card seemed a good choice for him . . .

I've used intense glitter on this card and I do hope at least some of it gets picked up by the camera.

Friends of mine love the ocean and are always bringing back various wonders they have discovered on their many nautical journeys.  One of their most unusual finds were fish scales, which is what the three largest "bubbles" are on this card.  They are translucent with an extraordinary design in the center that looks almost like an imbedded fossil.  Normally convex in shape, I weighted them down after wetting them.  Once dry, they stayed flat.

I don't know what else I can do with these, but I was given a bag full of them and will certainly enjoy figuring it out . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Light Denim, Strathmore #90 Watercolor paper,

                     Acetate                 

Stamps:       Stamp Zia Grass, Fred Mullett Boarfish  

Brayer:         Fiskars Mesh

Inks:             Ancient Page Lavender, Foxglove, Pine, ColorBox Silver,

                     Stamp Zia Spray Jewels Blue, Green, Purple

Emb Pwdr:   Delafield Silver

Dies:            Spellbinders Classic Squares Large                             

Doo Dads:    Fish scales, Metallix Moondust

MSG:            Stampin Up "Birthdays are the Best Silver emb