Fern

 This card has turned out to be a confidence-builder!  Because of it, I'm convinced that I can probably dig my way out of any creative mess in which I found myself.  It started out with a skanky mess of a background from my Scrap Stash  and ended up being a layout I really like . . .

As the original coloring was ghastly, I began brayering over the whole thing with two colors of ink.  The embossed resist fern design stood firm, but at least the background began to improve.  Some random clear embossing freshened things up a bit and the Kraft overlay did its part by covering up most of what was wrong.  Diversionary tactics like this are always good to have at hand, I find . . .

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rain Forest, Marco’s Jute, Scrap Green,

                     pre-stamped fern piece from my Scrap Stash 

Stamps:       Unknown Fern Spray

Inks:             Distress Oxide Mowed Lawn, Pumice

Emb Pwdr:  Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            DieNamics Collage Cover-up, Cheery Lynn Pair of

                     Ferns set, Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Tiny Upper            

Emb Fldr:    Taylored Expressions Weathered

Doo Dads:    May Arts Jute           

 

Cherish, Live, Dream

Further forays into the die-cut stash produced this panel of wintery bare trees which I backed with a snow-embossed panel . . .

I glazed over the branches with a frosty gel pen and then decided the scene needed a little pop of color.  As this card is for a March birthday, that means Spring will be just around the corner.  So I thought some sparkly blue butterflies would work, especially with the last line of the text:  "Dream of tomorrow". 

 In my view, Winter can't be over fast enough, so I do spend a lot of time dreaming of temps in the 70's . . . complete with butterflies, of course.

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore #100 Bristol, Neenah Desert Storm,

                     Scrap Brown           

Stamps:       Hero Cherish Yesterday

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Distress Stormy Sky

Emb Pwdr:  Hero White, Ranger UTEE White

Dies:            Hero Wood Frames, Pink Posh Stitched Pieces,

                      Marianne Butterflies         

Emb Fldr:    Sheena Snowfall

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star                                        

 

The Angel Said . . .

 This one shows one of my rare forays into the world of patterned papers . . .

 . . . but the Holiday Hassles and some major renovations going on in my home mean that I'm grateful for whatever can save me some time.  Of course, hand painting each feather on the angel's wings promptly negated any time saving I'd been able to create.

But hey, it's Christmas!  May each of you have a blessed one . . .

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Assorted Patterned Papers, Generic scrap

                     Green         

Stamps:       Stampendous Music Score, Stampin’ Up Angel, Endless

                     Creations Unto Them Luke 2:10,11

Inks:             Hero Black, Distress Barn Door, Black Soot, Gelly Roll

                     Gold, White

Dies:            Concord & 9^th Take a Bough, Spellbinders Classic

                     Rectangles Small, Small Deckled Rectangles,

                     DieNamics Horizontal Stitched Strips                   

You

 Periodically, I go through my stash of die cuts, sample runs from embossing folders, and other saved elements from previous projects.  I like to think I'm really helping to mow down the ever-growing pile of such items.  Sigh.  The embossed background on this card is one such piece . . .

 I don't know if the photo will show it, but at each crossing in the background argyle pattern, there is a raised design shaped like a dog's paw.  Really cute, but I noticed that if I turned it upside down, the paws became hearts!  As this card is for a February birthday, the decision to leave it upside down was a no-brainer.  How I love finding ways to use various elements that are different from what the designer may have had in mind!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Hershey, Scrap Green, Blue, Ivory, Brown         

Stamps:       Taylored Expressions One and Only You: “Thinking of”

Inks:             Archival Potting Soil

Dies:            Taylored Expressions One and Only You: “You”, Memory

                     Box Grapeviine Wreath, Stitched Rectangle Trimmings,

                     Marianne Creatables Bird on Branch, DieNamics

                     Winter Wreath (Bow)              

Emb Fldr:    Love Nicole Paw Prints

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Clear           

 

Happiest

Signature artist Wendy Vecchi jumped the gun on coordinating stamps and stencils several years ago.  Here is one of her delightful designs . . .

I stenciled on the text background and then stamped the flower.  After adding black embossing powder, I found out that the die ink I used on the text hadn't dried yet and  the powder stuck randomly to some of the words.  My first thought was to break out my dry paint brush and start dusting, but I then realized how much interest the occasional black elements added to the background.  Now I have to figure out how I'm going to get that look on purpose next time!

The flower and the buds were stenciled with gold paste but I wanted a little more oomph, so I dusted on some gold embossing powder while the paste was still wet and then heated it.  As hoped, the buds bubbled a little which added to the texture.

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Strathmore #100 Bristol, Love Nicole Black       

Stamps:       Wendy Vecchi Prairie Flower, Purple Daisy Sand, Simon

                     Says Sketchy Banner Greetings

Inks:             Distress Brushed Corduroy, ColorBox Black, Gold, Hero Black

Emb Pwdr:  Judikins Detail Black, Sparkle & Sprinkle Gold Coast

Dies:            Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangles, Simon Says Sketchy

                     Banner Greetings

Stencil:        The Crafters Workshop Mini Believe Script, Wendy Vecchi

                     Prairie Flower

Impr Plate:   Altenew Dotted Starburst Cover Plate

Doo Dads:    Delta Texture Magic Metallic Gold            

Color My World

Having become enamored of various brushstroke images, I have started a small collection of them.  Here is my first attempt at using assorted blobs and brushstroke elements from three different sets . . .

This was one of those exciting adventures that happen when you haven't the faintest idea where you're going but you're having fun on the journey anyway.  The final touch that was the black spattered overstamped image that seems to tie everything together.  

I think that stamp is going to get a lot of use in future . . .

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Purple Velvet, Intense Yellow, Strathmore #100

                      Bristol          

Stamps:       Sweet ‘n Sassy Grunge Elements, Papertrey Ink Brushed Off,

                     Watercolor Wonder

Inks:             Distress Oxide Dusty Concord, Blueprint Sketch, Distress

                     Mustard Seed, Hickory Smoke, ColorBox Black,

                     Frost White

Emb Pwdr:  Hero White, Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangles                    

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black         

Wings

 

My grandson Keaton enters his teens with this birthday, so I thought the following sentiment suited the momentous occasion . . .

 After adding color with Inktense watercolor pencils, I drew out the color with my waterbrush.  I tried to keep it loose which seemed to suit the hand carved look of the image.

Happy birthday, Keaton!

 

Cardstock:   Marco’s Jute, Strathmore #100 Bristol     

Stamps:       Art Accents Woodcut Bird, Gloria Page “Spread Your

                     Wings!”

Inks:             Hero Black, Soft Brown

Waterclrs:    Inktense Pencils Ionian Green, Willow, Iris Blue

Dies:            Goodculler Stitched Rectangles, DieNamics Stitched

                     Rectangle Word Windows              

Stencil:        Honeybee Radiant

Doo Dads:    My Mind’s Eye Wood Dots

Bloom

An exciting new trend in stamping toys is a set of perhaps three stencils that coordinate with a stamp image.  Here is my maiden voyage with Pink Fresh's Sweet Blooms Set . . .

Having various elements in the design isolated by the matching stencil makes it easy to use different colors and keep the inks confined within the images.  In this set, there was a stencil for the large flowers, another one for the small ones, and a third for the leaves.  I used the Life Changing Brushes to blend the Oxide inks and the background on this card took less than ten minutes to complete.

I absolutely love this design idea and hope to add to my collection of coordinating stencils and stamps.

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Purple, Strathmore #100 Bristol  

Stamps:       Pink Fresh Sweet Blooms, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             Distress Oxide Dusty Concord, Chipped Sapphire,

                     Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles, ColorBox Black

Emb Pwdr:  Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Impression Obsession Vase Set, Lil Inkers Stitched

                     Mats Rectangles, Memory Box Slender Leaves,

                     Frantic Stamper “Bloom”            

Stencil:        Pink Fresh Sweet Blooms

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black        

Journey

 

I tried a little something new with this one . . .

After using an embossing folder on the three background strips, I then lightly brushed over the raised surfaces with a white pigment ink pad.  Love the misty look it gave - don't you?

 

Cardstock:   Stedner Bright White, Marco’s Jute, Scrap Vellum       

Stamps:       Stampin’ Up “Dots”

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Gold, VersaMark

Emb Pwdr:  PSX Weathered White, Ranger Gold, Tim Holtz Walnut Stain

Dies:            Goodculler Stitched Rectangles, Frantic Stamper Journey     

Emb Fldr:    Darice Animal Prints

Ornaments 2020

Every year I make Christmas ornaments for my grandchildren and here are the ones for this year . . .

 

The idea is to build up a collection they can take with them when they grow up and move out.  Their first Christmas trees in their new homes will already have some built-in memories to make things cozy and familiar.

 

Kid’s Ornaments

Cardstock:   Love Nicole Rainforest, Neenah Conservation Cover

                     White, Generic Scraps Green, Purple, Silver, Gold           

Dies:              Birch Press Simple Joy, Marisol Ornament, Ornament 

                        Basics;   

Box:              Papertrey Ink Bulk Mail Envelope                       

Doo Dads:    Gold and Silver fibers        

Explore

This was one of those happy romps through a creative adventure with various ideas for backgrounds, interesting embellishments, and fun colors . . . 

The only problem was that all of the elements were separate and there was no unity of design.  I had no idea what to do to tie them all together.   After trying a number of small additions, I stumbled on the idea of the large tree. 

Inserted into the vase it now looks like a large houseplant and becomes a very sizeable component which overlays much of the rest of the design and makes it work, at least to some extent.  I think if the branches and leaves had been thicker and filled in more space, it might have even been better.  But I am happy with having learned that something large can overlay a design filled with small elements and will work to unify them.  

I plan to use this trick again!

Cardstock:   Simon Says Fog, Strathmore #100 Bristol Vellum        

Stamps:       Technique Junkies Travel Documents, Deep Red

                     Grunge Borders, Creative Mode Dot Border, KaiserCraft                    

                     Marble, Postoids: Rubber Trouble Roma, Hero 

                     December Mark, Starving Artist Positive Words: Explore

Inks:             Hero Black, Distress Pine Needles, Mustard Seed,

                     Hickory Smoke, ColorBox Silver

Emb Pwdr:  Unknown Silver Sparkle

Dies:            Mama Elephant Femme Frames, Memory Box Grosgrain

                     Ribbons, Arboscello Tree, Elizabeth Craft Ribbons 1, Kaiser

                     Craft Tribal Strips, Frantic Stamper Deckled & Torn Edgers,

                     La La Land Stitched Ribbon, Impression Obsession Vase Set  

Emb Fldr:    Taylored Expressions Weathered

Doo Dads:    Silver Thread, Inkssentials Enamel Accents: Black     

Pumpkin

After three days of struggle with a neat layout idea that I thought would work, it was time to admit that the stars were not aligned and I needed to start over again . . .

 . . . so I did.  My one trick to pass along to you is about getting an intricate die cut like the pumpkin to take the ink and then the embossing powder evenly.  My first attempts to ink the pumpkin prior to embossing left a lot of un-inked areas due to the uneven surface of the Bristol cardstock.  So I used a lovely liquid metallic colorant to first paint the pumpkin a lovely brass/gold color.  I then inked the pumpkin with a brayer and gold ink, and then scattered on the embossing powder.  Because of the gold paint, any areas that were missed will never be noticed.

 

Cardstock:   Unknown Burgundy, Marcos Jute, Strathmore #100 Bristol            

Stamps:       Technique Junkies Travel Documents, Impression

                     Obsession “Pumpkin”, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             ColorBox Gold, Distress Brushed Corduroy

Colorants:    Jacquard Pinata Brass

Emb Pwdr:  Ranger Gold, WOW Gold Rich Ultra High

Dies:            Cottage Cutz Filigree Pumpkin, Bo Bunny Nested Terrific

                     Tags, Gina Marie Stitched Rounded Squares               

Doo Dads:    Gold fiber, Pilot Marker Gold          

Dream

Happily, I continue to be drawn to dried die powders for backgrounds . . .

 . . . I just can't stay away from those gorgeously intense colors!  The results are great for every type of card you'd want to make.  The best part about using these powders is that you never know exactly how it's going to turn out.  SURPRISE!  And that is a good part of the fun! 

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore #100 Bristol Vellum, American Crafts Glitter

                     Paper Gold

Stamps:       Technique Junkies Travel Documents

Inks:             Hero Black, Pilot Marker Gold

Waterclrs:    Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magicals Tibetan Poppy Teal,

                     Luscious Lime, Cosmic Shimmer Rich Gold

Emb Pwdr:  WOW Metallic Rich Ultra High Gold

Dies:            Tim Holtz Stitched Rectangles, Reverse Confetti

                     Wild Words: Dream          

Doo Dads:    On the Surface Fibers Gold, Stickles Aqua

Fleur

I usually reach for the vellum when I want a muted or light and airy feel.  But I tried something else this time and learned how to get another look . . .

I die cut a piece of medium weight vellum and placed it over dark cardstock I had cut with the same floral die.  The result was a linen-crisp, very white look of vellum that still kept its fresh and delicate personality.

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rain Forest, Strathmore Ultimate White,

                     Unknown Vellum   

Stamps:       Hampton Art Splatter, Unknown Fleur

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Distress Peeled Paint

Emb Pwdr:  Judikins White Diamond

Dies:            DieNamics Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle,

                     Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia                   

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star, Inkssentials Enamel Accents White      

Journey

This is for my dear friend and stamping buddy Carol and I'm really pleased with how it turned out!  It might be on the very short list of cards I've made that I actually love . . .

Tim Holtz's new Leaf Print started things off - I die cut the images into the background layer and then overstamped it with my new favorite background:  Technique Junkies Travel Documents.  I didn't press very hard as I wanted the appearance of texture more than I wanted clarity.  Postoids were added into a few open spaces, the edges were sponged for contrast, and I then finished with some black gesso spatters.

I had fun with dried dye powders for the underlying layer.  The die cut layer was then propped up with foam tape in order to make the leaf shapes more prominent.  Kudos to the new slimline format for giving us extra space to play with!

PS:  To avoid any unfortunate misunderstanding, the "Lefties Rule" postoid is not a political statement.  Rather, it refers to being left-handed, which both Carol and I are!

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Strathmore Bristol Vellum  

Stamps:       Technique Junkies Travel Documents, Renaissance

                     New York postoid, Rubber Baby Lefties Rule postoid,

                     Rubber Trouble London postoid, Hero December Mark,

                     Unknown Journey

Inks:             Gina K Amalgam Black

Colorants:    Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magicals Hag’s Wart Orange,

                     Rudolph’s Nose Red, Yellow Rose of Texas

Dies:            Pink Fresh Slim Stitched Rectangles, Tim Holtz 

                    Leaf Print                 

Doo Dads:    Studio Gesso Black

Memories

 Tim's new Leaf Print  die set is one of the most versatile sets I've ever used . . .

 

Each leaf has two die shapes in order to cut a solid backing or just the veins.  The inner shapes can be cut from different colors and re-inserted back into the vein shapes: I did this with the purple section of the orange leaf, and with the green section of the yellow one.  One blogger arranged several of the vein-topped leaves and then added a number  of just the vein die cuts for a light and frothy filler.  Gorgeous! 

 Of course, the solid backing can be colored any way you like and then the matching vein piece can be glued on top.  The intricacies of the veins are what really attracted me to this set and I plan to have a lot of fun with it!  

Stay tuned . . .

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute,   

Inks:             VersaMark, Distress Brushed Corduroy

Waterclrs:    Nuance Purple, Jade, Raspberry, Yellow, Ken Oliver

                     Color Burst Orange

Emb Pwdr:  Ranger Gold

Dies:            Tim Holtz Leaf Print, YPP Craft “Memories”, Verve

                     Charming Banner          

Emb Fldr:    Spellbinders Bricks & Bark