Blessings

It’s been a very long time since I’ve put my crackle pastes to work, so I collected my collection of four different kinds and had me some fun.  The first two were disappointingly subtle, so I covered them with UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Powder) instead.  Here’s the first result . . .

 

The butterflies are from Tim’s Grungeboard Nature set – another stash I have loads of and need to pare down. 

The single-walled cardboard adds more bulk than I need for cards I’ll be mailing, so I like to run it though my die cutting machine.  I use the same sandwich that I do for die cutting, just without the die.  All of the texture remains and the ridges are still there, but flattening the piece a bit tames it just the right amount.

Cardstock:      Bazzill Velvet, Marcos Jute, Cardboard panel   

Inks:                VersaMark, Distress Brushed Corduroy, Hero Unicorn

Emb Pwdr:      Cloisonné Emerald Onyx,  Plum Sable, Pipe Dreamink 

     Eucalyptus

Dies:                Kaiser Texture Weave, Impression Obsession Deckled Tag, 

     Spellbinders “Blessings”

Doo Dads:      Tim Holtz Grungeboard: Nature   

Happy Birthday

While most of the inhabitants of my Background Box are disasters, happily this one was not . . .

I love the color combo of mustard, grey, and cream.  A few cheery flowers, some sparkle, and some dimensional dots seemed to do the trick for this retrieval.  Back to the Box for more useful rescues!

Cardstock:   Marco’s Antique Linen, Bazzill Rock Candy, 

                      Scrap Yellow         

Inks:            Ancient Page Stone Gray, Distress Fossilized Amber, Pumice

Stone

Dies:            DieNamics Single Stitched Line Rectangle Frame, Rambling 

Poppies, Divinity Designs Happy Birthday Mini       

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Clear, Grey pearls

Hope

Another rescue from my Background Box!

The subtle technique I used on the background may not show up very well in the photo

But in real life, it’s nice:  quiet but interesting.  I overstamped the dismal background with a floral pattern, and clear embossed with a matte finish embossing powder.  I was after texture rather than predictable shine.  And that’s what I got!

This gentle color combination is one I’ve never used before and I quite like it!

Cardstock:      Bazzill Rock Candy, Light Green, Scrap Vellum

Stamps:           Lost Coast Sunflower

Inks:                VersaColor Chateau Grey, VersaMark

Emb Pwdr:      WOW Clear Matte Dull

Dies:                Lil Inker Stitched Mat Rectangles, Kokorosa Sunflower

     with Hope, Paper Smooches Butterfly Duet, EK Success 

     Punched Flower                    

Thanks

 I recently spent a productive weekend clearing out a ton of paperwork on stamping ideas along with clippings I’ve collected over my twenty four years of stamping.  Most of these tips and tricks I’d either already put to use, or they no longer appealed, or I had lost interest in favor of other ideas.  The rest I kept, organized by type, and put into a very handy binder.  These ideas are loaded with terrific inspiration and I am hot to try all of them out . . .

This one started with a Background Box rescue.  My B Box contains disasters that I’d love to convert into usable backgrounds if for no other reason than I hate to waste perfectly good cardstock.  It’s not its fault that it’s covered with ghastly experiments that went south.

The fix on this one was simple:  overstamp with a loose and open background image and heat emboss in white.  Then rub an ink pad over the entire image.  In this case, I used Distress Wild Honey.  After toweling off the excess ink over the white embossing, I had a piece I could actually use.

This simple technique will probably rescue every item in my B Box and it shouldn’t be long before I can toss the box!  That’s a good thing because I can always use the space.

Cardstock:      Bazzill Cutie, Beckett Iceberg, Scrap from Background 

                         Box   

Stamps:           Technique Junkies Watercolor Flowers

Inks:                VersaMark, Distress Wild Honey

Emb Pwdr:      Hero White

Dies:                Frantic Stamper Modern Thanks, Scrapbook Bow                            Toppers, Marianne Butterflies                

Doo Dads:      Wink of Stella Black

Creamy Dijon Dressing

Recipe Card Category – Blue Ribbon

Today is the final post on my 2024 adventures at the NJ State Fair.  The Decorative Recipe Card category is a fun change from the usual card and this one features just one layer . . .

 I’ve glued one of Tim’s clever Small Easels to the back of this recipe card.  It’s created by a Bigz Die and the easel collapses for mailing. This make it easy to read while cooking and it can also be kept on display.  Very handy!

Cardstock:   Canson #140 Watercolor, Bazzill Rain Forest          

Stamps:       Concord & 9th Garden Grown

Inks:            Vivid Red, Purple, Orange, Straw, Olive, Garnet,

Taupe, Ancient Page Pine, Superiot India Ink Black                

Dies:            Concord & 9th Garden Grown, TEMU Easter Carrot, 

Gina Marie Designs Stitched Rounded Squares, Lawn

Cuts Just Stitching Double Rectangles, Tim Holtz 

Small Easel

Doo Dads:    Judikins Glaze   

Text:  Typed 

Dawn

Other Category – Blue Ribbon

I loved this image because of its myriad varieties of texture . . .

When it comes to Guy Cards, I don’t think I can beat this one!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pear, Beckett Iceberg

Stamps:       Beeswax Sunrise Mountain, Rubber Baby Stone

Wall & Woodgrain, 100 Proof Press Biker

Inks:            Archival Black

Color                      Pencils:      Bruynzeel Pastels

Dies:            Memory Box font Alphabet Soup: “Dawn”

Hugs

Get Well Category - Blue Ribbon

I love working with acetate and have used it many times along the way.  It’s fun to add some dimensional elements to a piece of acetate and then use pop dots to suspend it over the card front.  Shadows and depth are thus created and it makes for a very unique card.  But what I don’t like is the shiny hard surface on the acetate.  Happily, after some research, I came up with a much nicer alternative . . .

Graffix Acetate Matte is an almost clear substrate that can be used where vellum often is but it’s sheerer.  It will take ink and other media and has a softly diffused surface with a gentle gleam instead of a hard shine.  Still, I’m also checking out tracing papers to see if there are any truly sheer ones.  But in the meantime, I am really happy with the way this card turned out. 

Cardstock:   Unknown Wheat, Grafix Matte Acetate, Canson

Montval Watercolor #140     

Inks:            Distress Peeled Paint, Rusty Hinge

Dies:            Memory Box Double Stitch Rectangle Cut Out,

InLoveArts Potted Cactus, Recollections Word Fetti:

“Hugs”, Impression Obsession Dragonfly Set

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Clear