Happy Birthday

After examining the Shaker card I was sent, the second major difference I realized was that dies were tailor made for them!  I’m used to seeing Shakers with square or rectangular windows.  That’s because their straight sides are easier to line with foam tape to keep in the glitter.  But that’s not what I used here . . .

With dies, you can cut just about any intricate shape you want – and with the same die, you can cut a shaped foam barrier that matches exactly.  And as shown on my two previous posts, you don’t have to limit yourself to a single window . . . multiple windows can add so much interest.  Best of all, cutting the glitter barriers from a single sheet of foam is quick and easy, especially when you’ve pre-applied double-sided sticky paper.

Cardstock:   Stampin Up Elegant Eggplant, Canson Aquarelle #90, 

Concord & 9th Neutrals Glitter Pack: Silver, 

Scrap Acetate     

Stamps:       A Stamp in the Hand Script

Inks:            Superior India Ink Black, Memories Mists Lavender Tea, Tsukineko Fireworks Bamboo Leaves

Dies:            Memory Box butterflies: Vivienne, Darla, AliExpress 

Happy Birthday, EK Success punch 

Scalloped Corners                   

Doo Dads:    Glitter, Wink of Stella Clear         

Fall

Here’s another example of a shaker panel I’ve backed with a die cut sheet of foam . . .

  . . . SO much better, quicker, and easier than cutting out numerous strips of foam tape to corral the glitter bits.  And the fact that the foam evenly backs the entire panel means that the card survives the mailing process without warping.  Major plus!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Cantaloupe, Canson Mixed Media #98, Scraps,

acetate, gold

Stamps:       Fiskars brayer Mesh

Inks:            Lindy’s Starburst Stains: California Poppy, Canna Lily, Hydrangea, Ancient Page Indigo, ColorBox Gold

Emb Pwdr:   B’Muse Eggplant, Ranger Gold

Dies:            Rubbernecker Wonky Square, Kat Scrappiness Wonky

Stitched Slimline, DieNamics Falling Leaves     

Doo Dads:    Glitter

Soar

Today’s post kicks off a series on Shaker cards.  I’ve been curious about them for years although I thought they looked a little more complicated than I wanted to handle.  But then I got a Shaker in the mail and saw that two major differences had gone into making that card. They changed everything . . .

The first change involved die cutting a foam panel to house the glitter, rather than laboriously cutting numerous foam strips to keep the glitter from escaping.  With all of the small openings on this card, that would have been a nightmare.

Fun Foam works perfectly well and is cheap.  For glue, I used two-sided label sheets which I attached to the cardstock before die cutting to save an extra step.  I did the same with the foam but attached a label sheet to each side of the foam.  This stabilized the foam and kept it from going wonky under the pressure.

Cardstock:   Dorset Black Diamond, Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth, 

Scrap acetate         

Stamps:       Amuse Script Background

Inks:            Distress Dried Marigold, Superior India Ink Black

Dies:            InLoveArtShop Exquisite-Various Size, Kat Scrappiness 

Mini Slimline Double Stitched, Frantic Stamper Dragonfly Pair, DieVersions font Noodles: “Soar” 

Stencil:        Erin Lee Camouflage

Doo Dads:    Glitter

God Bless You

My friend Mark was recently ordained as a sub-deacon in our Orthodox church, so this is the card I made for him . . .

 

The oak leaf encases a gold-embossed image of the Orthodox three-bar cross.  Wish I had a die for that.  Mark has given years of dedicated service and his new position is a wonderful one for both him and the church.  We wish you many blessings, Mark . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill White, Rain Forest 

Stamps:       H M Connections Orthodox Cross, Stampin Up 

“May God Bless You”

Inks:            ColorBox Gold

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Hero Flower Garden, Spellbinders Nature’s Window, Kat 

                    Scrappiness Stitched Fishtail Banner                   

Doo Dads:    Crafter’s Square Pearls Green     

Time

Today I’m returning to a favorite technique by Lydia Fiedler which she calls Drunken Embossed Foil . . .

My post on February 29 of this year explains the easy technique.  Basically, after fastening a layer of tinfoil over cardstock, it is then put into an embossing folder (3D is best) and run through.  Gesso is thinly painted over the foil and allowed to dry.  Alcohol inks are then added.  The gesso take away the translucent effect of the alcohol inks and makes them opaque.  Voila!  Lots of saturated, vibrant color. 

Using a perfectly flat stamp with no image (a brayer would work as well), I stroked on gold ink and embossed in gold.  Only the embossed highlights took the gold while the colored background stayed the same.  Luscious!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Lagoon, White, Canson Aquarelle #90, 

   Scrap Gold  

Stamps:       Hero Moments

Inks:            Adirondack Alcohol Ink Meadow, Bottle,

 Stonewashed, ColorBox Gold

Emb Pwdr:  Ranger Gold

Dies:            DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame, DieVersions

 font Noodles: “Time”, Tim Holtz Gearhead 

Emb Fldr:    Memory Box Put It In Gear,

Doo Dads:   Gesso, Aluminum Foil       

Summer!

I keep coming back to this simple design of four leaves.  That’s because I love it just as much today as I did when I bought it over a decade ago . . .

The leaves have enough open space for me to have more fun with Tim’s Distress Crayons.  I am loving their rich colors and wonderful blendability . . . definitely more to come for sure!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Kachina, Canson Mixed Media #98        

Stamps:       Judikins Four Leaves, Purple Onion Sand

Inks:            ColorBox Black

Waterclrs:    Tim Holtz Distress Crayon Barn Door, Spiced

Marmalade, Peeled Paint, Pine Needles

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Kat Scrappiness Mini Slimline Distressed Edge, 

DieVersions font Noodles, Impression Obsession 

Dragonfly Set       

Doo Dads:    EK Success Piercing Wheel        

A Day to Celebrate

Having recently delved into the wonderful world of watercolor pencils and crayons, I decided to use the same image for each medium in order to make a comparison . . .

Last week’s post showed coloring done with watercolor pencils. Today’s post shows the results with watercolor crayons.  The colors are richer and more intense and as such, will probably be my most frequent go-to.  But I do love both mediums, especially the fact that color is best applied with the technique of a no-talent scribbler.  After coloring about a third of, say, a petal, I then use my waterbrush in circular motions to move the color where I want it.  So easy and very relaxing . . .

Cardstock:   Dorset Black Diamond, Strathmore #90 Mixed Media  

Stamps:       Amy’s Flower Pot, Purple Daisy Sand, Hero Day to

Celebrate

Inks:            Superior India Ink Black

Waterclrs:    Tim Holtz Watercolor Crayons Bubbling Cauldron,

Rusty Hinge, Flickering Candle, Snow Flurries,

Hocus Pocus

Dies:            Nellie’s Photo Frames, Simon Says Sentiment Labels                                 

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear Star, Judikins Micro Glaze       

It's Your Day!

At long last, I’ve begun to experiment with Tim’s watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons . . .

I’ve had both in my stash for several years but for some odd reason, they’ve languished there.  No more, however, as I’m having a wonderful  time playing with them!  This image was colored with the watercolor pencils and I was delighted with how easily they moved where I wanted them to with my waterbrush.  I can see a real fixation coming on with this delightful media . . .

Cardstock:   Dorset Black Diamond, Strathmore #90 Mixed Media  

Stamps:        Amy’s Flower Pot, Stampin Up Itty Bitty Background, 

  Stampin Up “It’s Your Day!”

Inks:            Superior India Ink Black, ColorBox Black

Waterclrs:  Tim Holtz Watercolor Pencils Peeled Paint, Fired Brick,

Crackling Campfire, Fossilized Amber, Villainous

Potion, Peacock Feathers

Emb Pwdr:  Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame, Elizabeth

 Crafts Ribbons 1, Nellie’s Photo Frames          

Doo Dads:   Black Mini Beads    

USA

Every now and then I like to use real postage stamps on my 4^th of July cards . . .

 

I think the graphics are great and I like to give these stamps more exposure than they get in their normal use.

If the text isn’t clear, here is what it says:

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible”

George Washington

George was right – may we return to these spiritually grounded and common sense principles before we completely lose our way.

Come Thursday, I wish for a very happy Fourth of July for each of you!!!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Admiral, Scraps Red, White, Silver        

Stamps:       Our Daily Bread God Bless America

Inks:            VersaFine Majestic Blue

Dies:            InLoveArts Decorated Star, Our Daily Bread 

Sparkling Stars, White Lotus Metal Frame             

Doo Dads:    Old USPS postage stamps