Happily Ever After

My plan for this adventure with crackle paste was to use Ranger’s Opaque Crackle Paste and to apply it thicker than I did on my last card in order to get larger cracks . . .

Unfortunately, the paste had dried to a solid lump similar to a dried-out block of clay and was absolutely unusable.  As it was a lost cause, I figured I had nothing to lose if I tried to re-hydrate it, so I added about a half inch of water, put the lid on, and shook it repeatedly throughout the day.

The next day, I deeply pierced the lump all over with a toothpick to get water down into the blob.  By the third day, I was able to twist a table knife into a much-softened lump and begin to move it around.  By the fourth day, after several minutes of stirring, it was an almost-smooth mass that was once again a usable craft medium.  So I was able to save me some bucks!

I would imagine that any medium that allows you to add water to thin or inks to change the color would be resuscitate-able with this method if they have dried out due to infrequent use.

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Nicole Premiere #140 Watercolor,

Scraps: Black, Green

Stamps:        A Stamp in the Hand Words Background Script, KaiserCraft

Marble, Simon Says Stamp Tilted Banner Sayings

Inks:               Hero Black, ColorBox Frost White

Colorants:    Perfect Peals Mists Heirloom Gold

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:              Cugap Potted Plant, Papertrey Ink Mega Gracious Vases,

Impression Obsession Flags              

Doo Dads:    Ranger Texture Paste Opaque Crackle, American Crafts

Jute White         

NEWS

 Recently, I got the itch to play around with crackle texture pastes . . .

A view of the opened tag . . . 

After stamping the text background in permanent ink, I smeared the crackle paste onto two opposite corners.  Then came the wait time for it to dry.  This is the only bad thing about pastes, especially crackle pastes.  A thin application will result in barely visible cracks and will not take so long to dry.  But a thick smear is the way to go for lots of lovely, crackly definition.  However, that means waiting at least 24 hours before rubbing in color to emphasize the cracks. 

Therefore, on crackle paste days, I always have other projects lined up to do to occupy me during the long drying times.  I also like to get several pieces of cardstocks smeared with pastes so they can share the drying time and give me plenty of choices to play with the next day.

After this card front was dry, I dusted on the merest whiff of dried die powders and misted to hydrate and move some of the color into the cracks.

More fun to come!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Purple Pizzazz, Nicole Premiere #140 Watercolor

Stamps:        Darkroom Door Torn Text, Stampin’ Up “It’s Your Day!”

Inks:               Hero Black

Colorants:    Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical Merci Beaucoup Mint, Pop

Rock Purple

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:              Ellentina Nesting Tag #4, Memory Box Gerber Stems,

Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Tiny Upper “NEWS”                   

Doo Dads:    Finnabair Texture Paste Platinum Cra

Nature

When Tim introduced his new color Uncharted Mariner, he also passed along some really useful stamping tips, as always.  I used one of them on the background below . . .

Tim said to have fun inking your stamp with Distress sprays:  spritz your craft mat with a spray, dip in the stamp, and apply.  The result will be an instant watercolor look!   He was right . . . can’t wait to try this with scores of other colors and images.

I used a dark ink for this card and it rather overwhelmed my focal point die cut.  So I added a vellum panel over the background and it worked beautifully.

 

Cardstock:   Nicole Premiere #140 Watercolor, Stampin’ Up Vellum

Stamps:        Judikins Artists’ Signatures, Stampendous Beaded Bloom,

Unknown Leafy Border

Inks:               Hero Black,  Fleurette’s Shark Tooth White, Gina K

Charcoal Brown

Waterclrs:     Adirondack Color Wash Espresso

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:              Marianne’s Fir Branch, DieVersions font Noodles                 

Doo Dads:    On the Surface Fibers Gold        

Moments

How I love putting Kraft, black, and gold together . . .

This handsome card was made for a young man who is a computer pro – hence the circuit board background.  After putting the black cardstock into Tim’s 3D embossing folder, I brayered over the raised side with a bright gold ink to bring out the wired design.  I have to say that I really like how this turned out . . .

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Nicole Licorice, Hanko

Echizen Gold 

Inks:               Brilliance Galaxy Gold

Dies:              Memory Box Wave Ribbon Collage, Eva Stem, Sizzix

Floral Arch & Words Set: “Moments”               

Emb Fldr:      Tim Holtz Circuit

Doo Dads:    Stampin Around Glitter Gold Dust

Goddess

My friend Vangi is such a stylish lady that it’s fun to riff off that talent for her cards . . .

 

The image was fussy cut, popped up, and embellished with red accents and a few crystals.  She’ll love it . . . she really is a Domestic Goddess!

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Strathmore Ultimate White      

Stamps:        Zettiology Four Square Woman, MJ Barber “For a

Domestic Goddess”

Inks:               Hero Black

Colorants:    Prisma Scarlet Lake, Copic Carmine

Dies:              Kat Scrappiness Mini Slimline Double Stitched,

Memory Box Pinpoint Leaf Plate, Arich Rounded

Corners Stitched Rectangles

Doo Dads:    Heidi Swap Crystals, Wink of Stella Clear

MSG: Great Impressions Happy Birthday White emb

Journey

The inspiration for the background on this card was taken directly from a Hawaiian-style man’s shirt that I saw in a catalog and clipped out for future reference . . .

After collecting assorted small images, I stamped them in black onto cream cardstock.  When dry, I brushed brown ink over most of the images and then overstamped with a text background for some added texture.  I used a light brown ink for the text at first but then decided to lightly re-ink here and there with black for a little better visibility.

One of the fun things about this card was the opportunity to put seldom-used small stamps to work.  Most of us have hundreds of very small stamps that likely came as part of a set, and I’d be willing to bet that we rarely (never?) use them.  So I was delighted to put them to work and will be doing this many more times in future!

Cardstock:   Neenah Quest Ivory         

Stamps:        Amuse Script Background, Purple Daisy Sand, Assorted

small images

Inks:               Distress Antique Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Black Soot,

ColorBox Black, Hero Black

Colorants:    Prisma Colored Pencil White

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:              DieNamics Wonky Stitched Rectangle Stax,

Altenew Tropical Leaf Mix, Impression Obsession Sea

Birds, Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Tiny Upper: “Journey”           

Doo Dads:    May Arts Jute Black

Happy

The color combination of light blue, navy blue, yellow, and white is one I’ve never used before and I really, really like it!  Such a fresh, clean vibe it has . . .

 This is a guy card for a twelve year old’s birthday and I think he’ll like it as much as I do!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Splash, Nicole Premiere #140 Watercolor,

Scraps Navy Blue, Yellow

Stamps:        Magenta Beaded Streamers, Stacy Stamps Borders 1

Inks:               VersaCraft Lemon Yellow, VersaColor Baby Blue,

VersaFine Majestic Blue, ColorBox Silver

Emb Pwdr:   WOW Silver Sparkle

Dies:              Spellbinders A2 Matting Basics A, Recollections Word

Fetti Set “Happy”, YPP Craft Words “Happy”, Tattered

Lace Everyday Sentiments “Happy”, Papertrey Ink

Swoosh Set “Birthday”, Impress Candle, Elizabeth

Crafts Ropes 1           

Eat Your Veggies

Plenty of layered and textural action going on here . . .

As much as I admire the Clean and Simple style, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pull it off.  It’s layers and textures that float my boat and I doubt that will ever change . . .

 

Cardstock:   Marco’s Jute, Strathmore Ultimate White

Stamps:        Amuse Script Background, PSX Artichoke, Asparagus,

A Stamp in the Hand “Eat Your Veggies”

Inks:               ColorBox Frost White, Distress Brushed Corduroy

Colorants:    Prisma pencils, various colors

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:              Ultimate Crafts Magnolia Borders, Gina Marie Stitched

Rounded Squares, DieNamics Horizontal Stitched Strips           

Emb Fldr:      Taylored Expressions Crackle

Doo Dads:    Delta Texture Magic Country Red

 My love affair with stencil pastes continues . . .

 The paste I used on the background expands even more when it’s heated, thus satisfying my credo of ‘There’s-no-such-thing-as-too-much-texture’.  The butterfly got smeared with silver paste, then dusted with a sparkly silver embossing powder and heated, which expanded the wet paste a little and made things even more texturally interesting.

 On to the next one!

 

Cardstock:   Canson Montval Watercolor #140, Nicole Licorice,

Scrap Dull Silver

Emb Pwdr:   WOW Silver Sparkle

Dies:            Memory Box Butterflies: Corden, Powell, Tim Holtz

Alphanumeric Tiny Upper  

Stencil:        KaiserCraft Splatter

Doo Dads:    Nuvo Expanding Mousse Platinum, Faber Castell

Texture Luxe Silver